CHAPTER 073
Clack. One was flipped. Nothing.
Clack. The second one was flipped. Nothing. Could it be? The swindler was pale and frozen in place.
And finally—
Clack. The third one was flipped, and still, there was nothing inside.
One of them was supposed to have the dice!
"I told you so, didn't I?"
Lewis smirked.
"This scammer!"
A man who had lost money several times lunged at the swindler. Seeing this while out on a stroll was quite a sight.
In the chaos, Lewis spoke to me casually.
"Let's go."
"But it's really hectic right now."
You've completely turned the place upside down! I whispered as I followed Lewis anyway.
Lewis just shrugged.
"Not my problem."
Yeah, that's Lewis for you. Typical of him.
But we didn't get far.
"Ah, wait a second."
I stopped after walking a bit.
"Why?"
"My eye is stinging... I think an eyelash got in."
Ugh, it stings.
I took out a hand mirror from my bag to check my eye. I could see an orange eyelash on the white of my eye.
No wonder it stings.
As I rubbed my eye, Lewis gently grabbed my hand to stop me.
"Rubbing won't help."
"But it stings too much to just leave it."
Then Lewis stepped right in front of me.
"Hold still for a moment."
He bent down to my eye level.
"I'll blow it out for you."
"Will that help?"
"It's better than doing nothing. Just hold still for a moment."
"Ah, okay."
Lewis blew softly into my eye.
Ugh, that feels weird. I stood still and then asked.
"Is it gone?"
"Yeah, it's gone. Does it still sting?"
"It feels better, I think."
But then Lewis suddenly straightened up and looked around.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just felt someone watching us."
There's no one around?
"I'm sure I felt something."
"With so many people looking at you, isn't that normal?"
He's the kind of person who catches everyone's eye just by passing by.
"Let's go now!"
With the stinging gone, I cheerfully led the way for Lewis.
* * *
Lewis wasn't wrong about someone watching. Someone really was watching them from a distance.
It was Philip, returning to the palace after an outing.
It wasn't like he wanted to see them; he just happened to look out the window and there they were.
"Those two are always together."
Philip muttered inside the carriage.
It wasn't unusual to see them together. They'd been seen like that countless times already.
He was about to pass them by without much thought when he noticed something odd.
Lewis stood right in front of Selina.
Lewis was blocking Selina entirely, so it was hard to tell what was going on, but the scene looked strange from behind.
Lewis didn't move away from Selina for a while.
Philip squinted.
"What are they doing?"
Is it normal for a man and a woman to stand so close together like that on a busy street?
Facing each other with one bending over?
Definitely not.
"Looks like the rumors are true."
What he'd heard through Sir Schuster seemed more plausible.
"How curious. They must be really into each other to act like that in public."
Displaying affection so openly in the middle of the street.
"The tower master isn't immune after all."
These young nobles nowadays...
Philip shook his head.
By the time Lewis stepped away from Selina, Philip's carriage had already moved on.
* * *
I ran into Philip in the royal palace library.
"Long time no see."
"Greetings, Your Highness."
It was the first time seeing Philip since Raphael's birthday celebration.
Last time was in a crowded place, but meeting him here in the hallway leading to the library felt... awkward.
It used to feel comfortable even when it was just the two of us.
Seeing a different side of Philip must have changed things.
After standing awkwardly for a moment, Philip asked me a question.
"The Marquis of Yaniels and his daughter are always together, it seems."
"Ah... yes, quite often."
"Is there a reason they can't be apart?"
"Pardon?"
A reason they can't be apart? They're just close friends.
"They're just close."
I smiled as I spoke, but Philip's next question was even more surprising.
"Are they dating?"
"What?!"
Where did he hear such a strange rumor?
Why such a direct question?
I couldn't manage my expression and looked at Philip strangely, and he seemed to realize something.
"Oh, excuse me. I was just too curious."
At least he knew it was a personal question.
"If it felt rude, I apologize."
"Ah... it's okay."
At least he apologized.
Philip left with a faint smile, trying to smooth over his mistake.
But seriously, we're not like that!
It would be ridiculous to chase after him to explain, though.
He's really something...
My already diminished opinion of him took another hit.
At this rate, it'll hit rock bottom.
I shrugged and continued on my way.
Charlotte had asked me to come and read together. When I entered the library, she was already reading.
"What book is that?"
"Oh, I found something interesting."
Is there anything Charlotte doesn't find interesting?
"It's about divine power."
"Divine power?"
It turned out to be a book about divine power.
I thought she'd have no interest in that.
"I thought it was just a book on religion, but it's quite fascinating."
"Is it interesting?"
"Yes. I didn't expect it to be, but once I started reading, it really is."
Charlotte smiled.
Is this a change?
It might be part of the process for Charlotte to manifest divine power.
* * *
I heard news about the delegation a few days later.
"A delegation is coming to the Empire."
It was Michael speaking.
The Duke also mentioned it while we were having tea.
"I heard today. They're coming from Marbel."
Marbel was the name of a kingdom some distance from the Empire.
It's a much smaller territory compared to the Empire, but Marbel is particularly strong in one area.
Religion.
Marbel is the birthplace of the Empire's state religion.
Because the god worshiped by the Empire and several other countries were born in Marbel, the high priest there is especially revered.
It's said that among the high priests of each country, the one from Marbel has the most influence and the strongest divine power.
"Does that mean priests from Marbel are coming?"
I asked, and the Duke answered.
"Yes. The high priest is coming, I heard."
Wow, the high priest of Marbel is coming!
A thought occurred to me.
If someone from the Holy Empire comes, could they check Charlotte's divine power?
Of course, that's something that could only happen after the delegation meets Charlotte.
"Will there be a banquet?"
"Yes. They plan to hold a banquet inviting the nobles."
I see!
That means I'll get to see them from a distance at least.
"Why do you ask, Selina?"
"Oh? Just curious. It's fascinating that people from the Holy Empire are coming."
I couldn't tell Bella the real reason, so I made an excuse.
A few days later, I met Charlotte.
She seemed very excited.
"It's incredible that the high priest of Marbel is coming to the Empire! How wonderful it would be to meet them!"
"Do you want to meet them?"
She was beaming with joy.
"Of course! Many people respect them greatly."
Such enthusiasm!
You could really feel Charlotte's fervor.
Hearing this, Bella seemed confused.
"Are they really that amazing?"
"Of course. Anyone devout would love to see them even from afar."
"But is it common for someone as important as the high priest to attend a delegation?"
"It's a kind of pilgrimage."
It seemed similar to the concept of a papal visit in my previous world.
This time, the destination of the Marbel high priest was the Ravens Empire.
"I never thought I'd get to see the high priest of Marbel in person!"
"You really seem excited."
"Of course! Do you know who they are?"
We listened to Charlotte's passionate talk for quite a while that day.
When I met Lewis later, he was indifferent.
"If they come, they come. I don't care."
Bella at least found it interesting. Lewis was completely dismissive.
"You'll see them at the banquet anyway."
"They won't talk to me. We have no common ground."
"Not even one topic?"
There's one, actually.
"The magic circle in the temple. You're investigating it, right?"
It would be unusual for the delegation to see a magic circle in a temple.
"Even so, they probably won't figure it out. No matter how high their divine power is, they wouldn't know much about magic circles. Magic and divine power are completely different domains."
"Is that so?"
The way he said it made sense.
Feeling a bit awkward, I changed the subject.
"What kind of person is the high priest?"
I had already heard about their age and character from Charlotte, but still.
"They're known to be very kind."
Exactly the image I had of a high priest!
"What does that matter? I don't believe in gods anyway."
The Crofts were one of the few non-religious families in the Empire. I didn't have much faith either.
"In the end, the only thing I can trust is myself."
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