The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 96

He looked visibly uncomfortable at a glance.

It seemed he was familiar with the bizarre Emote Kingdom greeting that translated to something like, “Do you intend to marry the Crown Prince?”—most likely because his birth mother was from Emote.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Nobles began to gather around to greet me as well.

“Minister of the Scroll Department, that was incredibly impressive. I thought that sort of magic was only possible at the Mage Tower…”

But there was a problem. I didn’t know any of the high nobles. Not a single one.

Kiaros, noticing my momentary panic, smoothly stepped in to introduce them.

“This is Baron Vegana’s second son, Baron Vegana. He’s part of the Imperial Knights and currently engaged.”

Whenever another high noble approached, Kiaros introduced them one by one.

“This is the Marquess of Adams’s third son, Aaron Adams. Good-looking, sure, but he’s been dumped twice for cheating.”

“Oh… I see.”

“This is Viscount Iark Aeron. He’s married with kids living abroad. Don’t be fooled if he acts like he’s single.”

“Ah… yes.”

“This is Count Colsbane’s eldest son, Caron Colsbane. His father-in-law is vicious, and his future mother-in-law is notoriously awful. Best not to even start anything.”

“Ah… I see.”

Of course, Kiaros was the only one looking relaxed. The poor nobles had to do their best to hide their embarrassment.

Being a Yongin came with the privilege of speaking one’s mind without worrying about appearances. Though Kiaros rarely exercised that privilege, today he was using it quite freely.

That’s when it happened.

A red-haired man in clerical robes, with striking yellow eyes, stepped in front of me.

“A pleasure to meet you, Minister.”

Surprised by the stranger’s sudden appearance, I faltered briefly. Kiaros smiled gently and introduced him.

“This is High Priest Oliver Iilsen. Naturally, as you know, priests can’t marry.”

“A pleasure, Minister. I am Oliver Iilsen, a humble servant of the divine.”

Despite being the High Priest, his attire wasn’t particularly lavish.

“It’s been quite some time since I’ve come to the Imperial Palace or attended such a banquet.”

Just as he said, it had indeed been a long time since he was last invited to the palace.

Ever since the first Yongin Emperor founded the Empire, the prestige of the temples had gradually declined during the long era of peace.

With the rapid development of medicine and prolonged stability, divine power—the kind used in mass healing—had long since been disregarded.

There were few ordinary citizens who took the gods seriously anymore; religion was seen more as a kind of local folk belief.

“Perhaps that’s why I hadn’t realized how far scroll magic had come.”

He was invited today simply because it was the Feast of Saint Kairo—an ancient saint—so it made sense to include him. Normally, the High Priest was just a fringe religious figure no one paid attention to.

Wait… but once the war begins, everything changes.

During wartime, mass healing spells became indispensable.

They didn’t necessarily cure specific illnesses, but they restored stamina and roused people from critical states.

That divine power, once obsolete in peaceful times, suddenly became vital.

That’s how they quickly regained influence.

That’s why in the original story, Jaden eventually suspected the temple of being behind the war. But in the end, he never found concrete proof.

However…

Wait a second. The High Priest Jaden met as an adult—his name was Oliver Iilsen too.

And here’s the chilling part.

The novel described Oliver Iilsen as appearing to be in his 40s at the time. It also mentioned his red hair and yellow eyes—just like the man standing before me now.

But he looks exactly 40 right now?

In the story, Jaden met the High Priest 20 years later. Meaning this man should be in his 60s—a proper elder—but his appearance hasn’t changed a bit?

That’s suspicious!

And Jaden had said it was his first time meeting the High Priest.

So in the original plot, the High Priest didn’t even attend this banquet.

If the temple was backing the Reformists all along…

Then it made sense that even after the Emperor had obliterated the Reformist leadership in the South 15 years ago, remnants still survived and regrouped.

With healing powers, the priests could have revived the half-dead Reformist underlings in secret.

And since temples were scattered across the continent, they would’ve made perfect hiding places from imperial pursuit.

Right. That explains the hunch that someone even bigger was pulling strings behind the Reformists.

A High Priest who hadn’t aged in 20 years.

What if he too made himself into a test subject, like the Mage Tower Lord’s daughter?

While my mind was racing, Kiaros and the High Priest were engaged in polite small talk.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t you often decline palace invitations?”

“Haha… A servant of the divine doesn’t quite suit such opulence. But it’s truly impressive to attend after so long.”

The imperial family maintained a ceremonial respect for the temple, which had existed long before the Empire was founded.

They didn’t go out of their way to support them, but they did always extend invitations to events like this and treated them as honored guests.

Most of the time, the High Priest respectfully declined. He knew full well he had no influence at events like this.

He rarely even visits the capital. Even with all my years of service, this is my first time seeing him in person.

Even now, Kiaros was treating the High Priest with maximum courtesy.

Considering how disinterested he usually was in other people, the fact that he was engaging in such mundane conversation said a lot.

“Was it five years ago we last met? You look exactly the same as back then.”

“Is that so? For someone my age, there’s no higher compliment. Thank you.”

Okay… sure, five years is passable as flattery. But twenty years? That’s just weird!

While I was watching closely, the conversation continued.

“Are you currently stationed at the Temple of Farens?”

The High Priest didn’t stay in one temple, but traveled among many.

Farens was a city in the South, home to the Grand Temple built before the Empire was even founded. It was the largest temple on the continent.

It was near the area where my father and I had lived. He once said we should visit someday. That “someday” never came.

“Yes, that’s right. Since I came up for the banquet, I plan to stay at the palace’s temple for about ten days before returning to Farens.”

There was a small temple within the Imperial Palace. Technically, it was more of a ceremonial chapel built out of respect for the old religions.

Still, it qualified as a temple, so the High Priest had justification to remain there.

I maintained a calm smile while sneaking a glance at him.

A sudden visit to the palace…

This never happened in the original storyline. And if someone with the authority to move the entire temple personally came here…

Then there had to be something major going on behind the scenes.

And there was someone standing right next to me who they’d definitely want to get rid of.

Just like last time—someone they wanted dead but survived because of me!

That someone was Kiaros.

They’re probably planning another assassination attempt on Kiaros.

Right now, Kiaros had withdrawn from public life, using his heartbreak as an excuse to avoid leaving the palace.

The High Priest, who had every reason to stay within the palace, had moved in person. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

As I continued turning over theories in my head, Kiaros gave a courteous dismissal signal.

“We put a lot of care into the banquet menu. I’ll have a page recommend you some of the better dishes.”

But the High Priest shook his head and replied,

“Ah… no need. My stomach’s been upset lately.”

What is going on? Is indigestion trending now or something?