Chapter 124
Chapter 124
Ch. 124 .｡.:✧ Jill's Trap (2) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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I wondered why the Saintess chose me as her legal advisor.
At first, I assumed she didn’t have high expectations. After all, what does a 19-year-old who’s barely studied law and acted as a temporary mayor know?
Perhaps she chose me because I was a woman and known for being discreet.
She probably had someone else in mind for serious legal counsel.
I figured she sought me out because she thought we could communicate easily.
And that turned out to be true.
“I just got a room in Cologne. I told my superiors it was for a business trip.”
“You didn’t have to do that. You could have stayed at my official residence or mansion…”
“Mmm. I didn’t want to. It feels weird sleeping in the former mayor’s house… I didn’t like him. He seemed shady. Oh, oops. That was insensitive, considering he passed away…”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t like him either.”
“He… abused you, didn’t he?”
“Yes. He beat me whenever he got the chance. I was nothing more than a tool to him. Serves him right that he’s dead.”
We became fast friends.
In no time, we were sharing our deepest secrets.
I think we felt a sense of camaraderie.
I saw myself in the Saintess.
More than once, I felt like we were similar.
As the legal consultations continued, and our meetings became more frequent, the Saintess gradually let down her guard.
With her defenses completely lowered, she began to share things she had kept hidden.
“Yoo-jin… he was my knight. When I arrived in Hameln, it was so sudden that I didn’t have a knight assigned to me. So, I put out a recruitment notice. Yoo-jin was the first to respond. He had a decent-looking sword at his waist, his attire was neat, he looked like someone from the middle class or even a noble… But when I saw his face, I realized he was the laborer I’d seen at the construction site before. I’d said some terrible things to him and made him keep quiet about it. We started on bad terms. But after that…”
The story the Saintess told me was quite surprising.
It was something I hadn’t heard from Yoo-jin.
I vaguely knew they had been close, and that Yoo-jin had left, but…
This was the first time I’d heard the details.
“I was so selfish. I think I took Yoo-jin for granted. I thought he would always be by my side, smiling and comforting me, no matter how much I annoyed him, how much I snapped at him, how badly I treated him… I never considered the possibility that he might leave. I was treating him like a tool, not a person…”
“You’ll have a chance to make things right. I’ll find Yoo-jin… I mean, Master Yoo-jin for you. I promise.”
“You think so? When I find him… when I meet him again… I’ll apologize first. I never apologized for my mistakes before, because of my pride. What was so important about my pride…? I’ve decided to be honest from now on. If I like something, I’ll say so. If I don’t, I’ll say so. I’ll tell him everything. I won’t wait endlessly for him to confess. What choice do I have? The one who loves more has to hold on. I’ll tell him not to leave. That I’ll do better. I’m not a child anymore, just demanding affection. I’ve realized that if you receive, you have to give back. I… I want to tell him this. Face to face.”
“…”
The reason for the camaraderie.
I finally understood.
Because I used to be just like the Saintess.
I always wanted to have the upper hand in every relationship, unwilling to be honest, yet demanding so much…
I was just like her back in college.
The difference was that I had my arrogance beaten out of me by various incidents…
While the Saintess matured through heartbreak.
And another difference was that I could meet Yoo-jin, but she couldn’t.
The Saintess and I were so similar.
If things had been slightly different.
If I’d had a little more bad luck, or she a little more good luck.
We might have been in each other’s positions.
But I wouldn’t let sympathy sway me.
I felt sorry for the Saintess, but…
If her existence hindered Yoo-jin, I had to stop her.
I felt guilty for deceiving and betraying her, but…
My promise to Yoo-jin came first.
Yoo-jin, who saved me, always came first.
‘I’m sorry, Saintess, but I have no choice.’
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“Acting Mayor! I’ve come up with a brilliant plan!”
One day…
The Saintess visited me with a smile, and I smiled back.
But that smile quickly faded when I heard the “plan” she had come up with.
“It’s about immigration control. We’ll forge Yoo-jin’s ID. We’ll register him as a citizen, making him exist on paper, even though he doesn’t. Then, we’ll fabricate an incident. For example, that a man named Yoo-jin attempted to rape the Saintess and fled. That would make a public investigation difficult, right? The search would be conducted secretly, so it’d be hard for Yoo-jin to notice. Since it’s a serious matter involving the Saintess’s potential defilement, immigration inspections will be conducted without prior notice. So, Yoo-jin, completely unaware, will be caught the moment he sets foot in the Holy Empire. How about it?”
“Uh… that’s illegal.”
“I know. But we’ve already tried everything legal.”
“If you, the Saintess, commit an illegal act-”
“I’ll take responsibility. I’m not asking you to get your hands dirty. I’m not that cowardly. Don’t worry. I just wanted to ask you about the chances of success.”
“…”
Chances of success?
One hundred percent.
Yoo-jin would definitely fall for it.
He would eventually come to Cologne to get checks from me when he ran out of money.
Since there’s no official announcement, the news of stricter inspections at the Holy Empire’s borders would only spread through rumors.
Even if Yoo-jin heard the rumors, he wouldn’t suspect it was related to him. What kind of crazy woman would falsely accuse someone of attempted rape and put the entire nation on high alert?
Even Yoo-jin wouldn’t anticipate this.
“Saintess, please reconsider. I don’t know if I should be saying this, but I consider you a friend. As a friend, and as a devout follower of the Holy Church, I believe this is wrong.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve already made up my mind. That’s how desperate I am. You’re not going to stop me, are you?”
The Saintess’s eyes were more frightening than ever.
She was demanding an answer.
“No… Do as you please. If you’ve decided, I’ll support you fully. I want you to be happy.”
“Really? Thank you so much, Acting Mayor! You’re the best!”
She wouldn’t listen to me anyway.
That’s what I thought, and I decided to outwardly support the Saintess’s absurd plan.
Outwardly.
Secretly, I would hinder it, step by step.
‘Please, Yoo-jin. Please notice. You have to notice…’
As part of my plan, I stopped sending letters to Yoo-jin.
The sudden silence from someone who sent letters almost daily was a clear sign that something was wrong.
Yoo-jin would understand my message.
Of course, I could have sent a direct warning about the stricter inspections at the Holy Empire’s borders… but I decided against it.
It was too risky.
Even though the Saintess considered me a friend and trusted me…
Since she was already committing an illegal act, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t monitor my letters.
I decided to avoid anything risky.
I also took another measure.
I sent an anonymous letter to the Papal Office, informing them of the Saintess’s illegal activities.
Of course, it was unlikely to have any effect.
It was an anonymous letter with no evidence.
The Saintess had concrete evidence (albeit fabricated) to support her claim of attempted rape, while I was accusing her of false charges without any proof…
As I feared, the Holy Empire began conducting surprise inspections on everyone entering and leaving the city.
They even distributed a composite sketch that looked exactly like Yoo-jin to the checkpoints…
‘Don’t come, Yoo-jin. Please. Don’t come…’
He couldn’t come.
He absolutely couldn’t come.
I prayed every day, a prayer that would never reach Yoo-jin.
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“We’re just going back.”
“Ah, come on. Just wait a moment. It’ll only take a second.”
“No, I’m saying I’m not entering the country. This is immigration, right? Why are you holding me here? Give me a legal reason to detain me.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha! There’s someone who wants to meet you. Please, just a quick cup of tea while you wait.”
This was bad. Very bad. The way they surrounded us, pressing down on my shoulders to force me onto the sofa… this wasn’t a request.
It wasn’t even half-coercion. It was full-blown coercion.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, I tried to leave, but it was no use.
Soldiers suddenly appeared, pushing Undecided and me into an inner room.
Before I could react, I was sitting down, surrounded.
‘That’s… a wanted poster, isn’t it?’
Outside the door, soldiers and officers glanced back and forth between me and a piece of paper.
There was no mistaking it.
That was a composite sketch of my face.
‘I didn’t expect such drastic measures.’
I knew Jill was looking for me.
I’d heard about the investigations and random searches happening in the Holy Empire.
But I never imagined she’d resort to a secret wanted poster during immigration.
In this world, except for a few closed-off nations, immigration wasn’t strictly controlled.
Especially in the Holy Empire, a hub of culture and trade. Immigration checks would cause chaos in the transportation network.
The fact they were doing it meant the Holy Empire was in a state of emergency.
Jill must have abused the Saintess’s authority.
She was willing to disrupt the entire nation just to catch me.
‘This is insane.’
The person they were bringing.
It had to be Jill.
If I just sat here, I would have to face Jill, the same Jill who cried and raged at me in the first loop.
What should I do?
Bzzzz! Bzzzzzz!
I felt a vibration from my scabbard.
Was the Demonic Sword screaming?
I didn’t know it could vibrate.
I slightly lifted the cover and touched the tang with my finger.
|Draw me! Draw me and swing!|
“Shut up…”
“Did you say something?”
“Just talking to myself.”
I closed my mouth and covered the scabbard.
I dismissed it as nonsense, but…
What the Demonic Sword suggested was an option.
Overpower the guards and escape.
I was surrounded by soldiers and knights, but escape wasn’t impossible.
Fighting the knights would take time…
But if I targeted the soldiers, I could escape without killing anyone.
However, that would create a bigger problem.
I would go from being secretly wanted for an undisclosed crime to being publicly wanted.
I wouldn’t be able to show my face anywhere in the Holy Empire.
A true dilemma.
‘Is a head-on confrontation the only option?’
If escaping was the worst option, I had to choose the lesser evil.
The problem was that the lesser evil was facing Jill.
But I had no choice.
I had to accept this as my karma.
My task now was simple.
Figure out how to face Jill without getting a game over.
Should I tell Jill I was sick of her and to stop clinging to me?
That was a great idea.
If I wanted to provoke her and get imprisoned or executed.
Should I be friendly to Jill?
That was risky.
Jill, unlike Yulia, was a heroine whose affection levels were difficult to raise, but her judgment was relatively lenient.
A few wrong lines, and her affection level would hit 100%, triggering an ending.
What should I do?
Just as my head started pounding…
The knights and soldiers in the hallway outside stood at attention.
Oh, crap.
Here she comes.
“I apologize for the wait.”
“You are…?”
“Greetings. I am Nicholas Dichtertraum, Archbishop of the Southern Diocese and Cardinal.”
A completely unexpected person appeared.
Nicholas Dichtertraum.
Where did he appear in the story?
Did he even have any lines?
He was such a minor extra that even I could barely remember him.
The only thing I could recall was that he was killed by a paladin in the mid-game.
He was a middle-aged man with gentle features, wearing plain clothes instead of ornate robes, and large glasses.
His unkempt beard and hair, along with his attire, didn’t fit the typical image of a cardinal.
“That’s a difficult name.”
“Ha ha ha. Just call me Cardinal Nicholas.”
Nicholas offered me his hand.
Was it normal to shake hands with a cardinal?
I shook his hand instinctively, but the way the surrounding soldiers’ eyes widened suggested it wasn’t common practice.
Nicholas shook Undecided’s hand with both of his and sat down on the opposite sofa.
“My apologies for my appearance. I washed my hands, so don’t worry.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I rushed here… I heard you’ve been waiting for a while. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s get straight to the point.”
“I appreciate that.”
Nicholas gestured for the soldiers and knights to leave.
The soldiers, who had been eyeing us suspiciously, left the room.
I immediately sensed a strange magical power enveloping the room.
It was definitely a barrier.
A soundproofing barrier.
The moment the barrier was fully activated, Nicholas’s jovial expression hardened, and he leaned towards us, clasping his hands.
He whispered in a low voice,
“Are you aware that the Saintess is looking for you?”
“Excuse me?”
“The Saintess has accused you of attempted rape. I believe this is a false accusation and have come to help you. If you feel you’ve been wrongly accused, please cooperate.”
“Ha ha ha. Attempted rape…?”
This was… a bigger deal than I thought.
It seemed our Saintess was determined to ruin me socially.
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