How to Handle Uninvited Guests - Part 3
“Elysia the priestess seems to be quite knowledgeable about carriages as well. As expected, she's intelligent and beautiful... Ugh! Tsk! ... Cherny! Why did you step on my foot all of a sudden?”
“Ah, sorry. I didn't know there was a foot there. It's small.”
Baren tried to salvage the atmosphere, but the mood had already turned icy.
Madame Palinya swept Elysia from head to toe.
It wasn't a pleasant gaze, but Elysia didn't show much reaction.
“You're that woman Zeke mentioned, right?”
“... Yes?”
“Don't try to deny it. Zeke said there's a witch here. Judging by your appearance, it seems to be you.”
“Again with that talk.”
Elysia calmly set down her teacup with a blank expression. Lucia was about to explode, but Elysia spoke first in a quiet voice.
“If there's any misunderstanding, I'll say it again and again: I'm not a witch.”
“Hmph. If you deny it, you can say whatever you want...”
“Rather, I think Madame Palinya here, who is the most knowledgeable about this matter, would know best.”
“... What do you mean by that?”
“The Palinya family is a very famous family. Even if called new nobility, not all new nobles are the same. I know from rumors that their honor, inherited from the empire's history and traditions over the past 10 years, is something even Her Majesty praises greatly.”
“... Hah... Hmmm?”
“Even I, who lives in this backward rural area and walks the path of priesthood far from politics, have heard that rumor. So, how much fame does the empire have... So, Madame, who is the mistress of such a prestigious family, would know better than anyone here.”
Elysia took the lead.
Zeke, with a strange expression, tried to dissuade Madame Palinya.
“Madame, you shouldn't be swayed by such cunning words.”
“Hmm... Hah! Of course. I know that. I don't think those obvious words are flattery. What do you think I'm seeing you as, Lord Zeke? I'll handle it myself. So, you. What do you think I know?”
Madame Palinya said it in a slightly flustered tone, but tried to speak as strictly as possible.
She was unconsciously fanning herself and crossing her legs, which was the result of the 'noble' group she was projecting.
It was an unconscious action, but in the empire's high society, crossing legs was taboo as it lowered one's status.
But Elysia didn't point that out.
“Witch Elysia is from the Cadeliz family. A great noble representing the empire wouldn't act as basely as I do.”
“That might be... The Cadeliz family might not have educated their witch.”
“That's not possible. If it's another family, maybe, but not the Cadeliz family.”
Elysia said it firmly without realizing.
I didn't need to go that far. I got excited.
Internally, I clicked my tongue and tried to smooth it over.
“... I heard that the Cadeliz family is particularly sensitive to such things among the old nobles.”
“Coming from a backward rural area where I know nothing and saying something that actually makes sense. They might not have heard the rumors, but I have personally talked to people from the Cadeliz family.”
Fortunately, Madame Palinya seemed to think it was one of the few opportunities to boast about her connection with a great noble family.
“I remember being invited to a tea time with the second princess at a social gathering a while ago. It was a very beneficial conversation. She was a very cultured and beautiful woman who could be the ear of all nobles.”
... The second princess?
While talking about the Cadeliz family, suddenly the topic of the prince's wife came up, and Elysia was momentarily taken aback.
But that was just a moment. Elysia gathered her composure and tried to persuade Madame Palinya.
“As you can see, I'm a priestess who hasn't even learned tea ceremony. It's impossible for someone like me to be a witch. Nobles, no matter how much they hide it, their noble dignity seeps through. The only person here who can distinguish that is you, who was born with noble blood. What do you think? Do I look like a noble?”
“... Um. That is...”
Madame Palinya glared at Elysia from head to toe. She frowned with jealous eyes.
“No! Absolutely not! A woman as blunt and rustic as you can't be a noble!”
“Wait a minute, Madame! You shouldn't be swayed by such words! That woman is a witch!”
“That's true, but as a noble, I have no choice but to answer this matter. It's a matter of honor. Look. That expression without any smile, the impolite tone, and moreover, these days, a face that's clean but without any flesh is said to be rather vulgar?”
“Is that important right now... No, more importantly, have you forgotten? If Madame proves I'm a witch and uses the family's power to publicize it to the imperial court, you can achieve what you want most!”
While Zeke was trying to persuade Madame Palinya, Lucia slammed the table loudly and shouted angrily.
“If you're just listening quietly, you can't stand it. Our Ria is used to hearing 'witch' and such because of that crazy supervisor, so let's set that aside. What did you just say? Rustic? Vulgar? Are you saying that seriously right now?”
“That's right! Ria the priestess can't be rustic...” Ugh, ugh! Cherny!
“... Shut up.”
Baren grabbed his ankle with a groan.
At Lucia's words, Madame Palinya got flustered and raised her eyebrows.
“Oh my, you startled me. I was surprised when you suddenly got angry in a dignified way. Did my words make you uncomfortable?”
“Ha! I don't know where that trash came from, but how can someone say 'noble, noble' at the end of every sentence? How can someone who has no roots be like that?”
“What? Trash... trash?”
“Yes, trash! If your body is as straight as that trash, it must be popular in the noble society.”
Elysia didn't have time to stop her. Madame Palinya's face turned red and blue from Lucia's fierce anger, and she lost her reason.
“You bastards! Witch! Witch! It's definitely a witch! I knew from the beginning! Lord Zeke! As promised, I'll prove it. I'll use all my money and connections to appeal to the Astasia Church formally!”
Madame Palinya started cursing.
Even Cherny, who had been holding back with her logic, let out a deep sigh.
At that moment.
The door opened, and a familiar voice was heard.
“Then, shall we check the lettering on Ria's body?”
Elysia reflexively turned her head sharply. It was a near-instinctive reaction.
“A decent god wouldn't have a witch as a priest. Right?”
As expected, Gray, who had left the temple early in the morning, was leisurely walking into the reception room.
Neir headed to the old building right after dawn to check how thoroughly the cleaning had been done.
She hadn't expected much.
Even without Astasia's warning, she had a first impression of a god that wasn't very reliable.
But no matter how low she had set her expectations, the reality still surprised her.
When she opened the door and stepped inside, the interior had dramatically transformed—far beyond her imagination, almost to the point of feeling malicious.
It wasn't about dust or cleaning. The old furniture had vanished, replaced by new pieces that exuded a fresh wooden scent, and the walls, once dark like a tavern, had been freshly painted in a neutral, livable color.
Upon entering the room, a large bed sat there with an eerie air.
The white sheets looked spotless, as if from a high-end hotel, but she couldn't hide her distrust.
As expected, she found a note dripping with malice on top of it.
The note read:
- 'Our wedding bedding'
If someone else had found this first instead of Elysia... I would have been in trouble.
She blushed, snatched the note, and burned it in her hands.
She had seen something unnecessary and ended up with strange thoughts.
Just then.
A mischievous girl suddenly appeared from behind her, tumbling onto the bed.
“Do you and your sister live here together?”
“Tina. Hello. You slipped in here without me noticing, huh?”
“That's my specialty. Impressive, right?”
Tina flashed a grin, and Gray shrugged in response.
“By the way, didn't you just burn something like paper just now?”
“Hmm? No. There was some dust.”
“It was a lot of dust, wasn't it?”
“...”
“Gray. What does 'our wedding bedding' mean?”
“...”
“Tina, you don't know hard words. Ask Ria noona~”
“Tina. Is there something you want?”
“Yes!”
Even though it wasn't her doing, Elysia would be better off knowing in some way.
Only after accepting Tina's requests did Gray finally breathe a sigh of relief.
... The god of struggle, Ragnea.
She was taking revenge in this way.
“By the way, Tina. What are you doing here? Elysia should be in the temple.”
“Huh...? Why did I come?”
Tina tilted her head with a puzzled expression. After a moment of thought, she clapped her hands.
“Oh, right! Theo oppa and Rosa noona asked me to call you, but I forgot!”
“I'm glad you remembered. But... you called me?”
She had heard that Theo was an apprentice priest at the Astasia Temple, but she couldn't think of any reason why the two of them would seek her out.
Thinking something must have happened, she returned to the temple. Tina followed closely behind her, sucking on a lollipop.
When they reached the temple, she noticed the atmosphere was slightly different from the morning.
Theo and Rosa spotted her and rushed over, practically dragging her into the reception room.
When she asked what was going on, all she got was “It would be better if you saw for yourself.”
Upon seeing the faces of the guests inside the reception room, she finally understood what had happened.
She lightly knocked. No one turned around.
The guests' gazes were already fixed on Madame Palinya, who was cursing.
She hated people who stirred up trouble in such a clumsy way.
If she responded seriously, she'd end up like a mischievous kid grabbing her ankles and tearing off her limbs, which didn't sit well. If she ignored it, the pests would multiply like cockroaches.
Trampling on them just because they annoyed her left nothing but footprints, and the aftertaste was even worse.
At that moment, their eyes met.
He was leaning against the wall, smiling without saying a word, clearly enjoying the show. He had probably just been watching the whole time.
Elysia, who had endured it alone, looked pitiful, so Gray sat down beside her with a thud.
“Then, shall we check the lettering on Ria's body?”
Elysia blinked her large eyes, then relaxed and clutched Gray's sleeve tightly.
“... Too late,” she whispered.
“I got here right away.”
Gray answered briefly and continued.
“A decent god wouldn't have a witch as a priest. Right?”