As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 187

“Jik!”

 

“Quirrel, I’m counting on you.”

 

The squirrel, which Luize called ‘Quirrel,’ had recently completely crossed over into Ren’s territory. Ren seemed particularly comfortable with Quirrel and often called upon it for errands.

 

“Ppiii. Ppii!” [As expected, the fruits from Perils are the tastiest. See you later!]

 

Just as Ren was about to happily send Quirrel back to Perils, Luize stopped him.

 

“Ren, wait a minute. Quirrel might be helpful for this mission. Quirrel is small and agile, so it could help us search the temple. It’s also quite smart.”

 

“Jik!”

 

Quirrel grabbed Luize’s finger tightly and nodded vigorously. It seemed it didn’t want to part from Luize so soon after meeting her again.

 

“Hmm, ppi. Ppii!” [Hmm, okay. I’ll allow it!]

 

Edward was about to be harassed day and night by all sorts of people for the next month. During the preparations for his coronation, he would have to spend time with nobles, seeking even a brief audience during the day, and at night, he would have to deal with assassins sent by the emperor while planning his next moves. It was clear that many spies and assassins would be sent to the Lindeman mansion under the pretext of the coronation. Moreover, the mission to infiltrate the temple had to be conducted in absolute secrecy. Therefore, the number of people who could participate in the temple mission was extremely limited.

 

First, there was Luize. She had left the mansion under the excuse of staying at the Servenia residence for the time being since Edward was busy. Although Maxion showed some concern, no one in the order could match her skills, so no one objected.

 

Robin, being a former high priest, was one of the essential people for this mission. He knew the inside of the temple better than anyone in the order. Moreover, Robin usually disguised himself or wore a hood during external activities, blending in with the order, so his absence wouldn’t be noticeable for a while. Officially, the family wouldn’t need a healer for a while. Still, they had quietly sent a reliable one from Servenia just in case of assassins or emergencies.

 

Aiven was an expert in dark magic, making him a necessary part of the team. His presence in the order was already so low that his absence wouldn’t be noticed.

 

Thus, the three naturally formed a team and moved forward with their next plan. Adding Quirrel to the team was a coincidence. Still, it was small, agile, and intelligent enough to communicate to some extent, making it suitable for the operation.

 

“Let’s review one last time. We have three days, including today. We must destroy the dark magic-infused magic stone hidden in the temple within three days, right?”

 

“Jik!”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…” Aiven nodded.

 

On the day when all the patients with sleeping sickness were admitted to the Servenia clinic, nobles who had been watching the emperor’s reaction filed discharge requests. This was why they had agreed to get involved in this matter in advance while going through the admission process.

 

Those who were watching the emperor’s reaction could easily withdraw as if they had been innocently caught up in it by simply filing for discharge. For at least a week after the discharge request, they could arrange for convalescent care at a country villa or home treatment. However, since not everyone could use the same method, they were still watching each other. After all, returning to the imperial clinic was like handing the emperor a lifeline to someone precious to them, which they were reluctant to do. The reason they had been holding the patients as hostages in the first place was that their loyalty to the emperor was not high. Those who didn’t trust the emperor wouldn’t want to re-admit their family members.

 

“Before transferring the patients, we should ensure that everyone wakes up. So feel free to apply for discharge.”

 

At that moment, Edward played his decisive card. He had thoroughly investigated any suspicious areas across the empire, including the capital. Circumstantial evidence pointed to the magic orb containing dark magic that was draining the strength from sleeping sickness patients being located in the temple.

 

“Upon close inspection, I did sense something suspicious within the imperial palace, but it was a very concentrated force completely cut off from the outside. It was probably the refined power of those who had already passed away gathered in one place. The orb related to the hostages, which contains a significant amount of power, is definitely in the temple.”

 

“Then we should head to the temple first.”

 

Robin spoke with a troubled expression.

 

“Yes, that would be best. It would be more natural to deal with what’s in the capital after the coronation.”

 

After Edward’s confirmation, Robin and Aiven spent the entire Founding Festival exploring the surroundings of the temple, confirming that there was something related to dark magic within the temple.

 

“That’s good. With Robin’s map and a dark magic expert on our side, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Quirrel is also quite good at searching.”

 

“Jik!”

 

Quirrel confidently raised one of its tiny front paws. Around its neck hung a necklace with a black pendant that matched its fur color. Inside the pendant was a red magic stone made by Edward, ready to deal with emergencies. Luize had a necklace with the same item, and Aiven and Robin had been given bracelets made from cufflinks of their uniforms as a stopgap measure.

 

“Yes. Even at a glance, I can sense an unfamiliar aura here compared to before.”

 

“…I didn’t expect you to notice it right away.”

 

“I only recognized it quickly because I haven’t been here in a while. Otherwise, it would have been hard to tell. Since it changed gradually, most of the people of the temple probably haven’t noticed it. It’s rare for temple priests and priestesses to leave the temple for long, so unless they’re of the highest rank, they wouldn’t have sensed it.”

 

“What about High Priestess Raphaela?”

 

“She probably noticed by now. Given that she hasn’t replied to His Excellency’s letter, something must have happened to her.” Robin’s face darkened.

 

Shortly after returning from the expedition, Edward sent a letter to Raphaela to hear her situation in detail. However, there was no reply from the temple. The fact that there was no response, even though he deliberately sent a roundabout message, meant that either the letter had not reached Raphaela or she was in no position to write back.

 

Initially, they waited, considering the possibility that the temple group returned later than Edward’s group. But it was odd that months had passed with no reply. Since there were occasional reports of her appearing in public about once a month, it seemed there was no major problem aside from communication issues. Therefore, Edward decided to head to the temple himself after his coronation.

 

“Jik?” Quirrel waved a paw at Robin as if to cheer him up.

 

“Let’s go inside. The mission takes priority now.”

 

Robin quickly raised his head and held out both hands. The three of them began moving toward a small door that a patrolling knight had just passed by.

 

* * *

A woman with wavy violet hair and golden eyes gazed at the floor with an indifferent expression. The room she was in was wide but plain, fitting for a room used by a high priestess.

 

Raphaela blinked slowly. The pope had ordered Raphaela and the second order of paladins into self-reflection after she refused a mission. The self-reflection period was not long for the paladins, who guarded the inner sanctum. Still, in Raphaela’s case, the situation was indefinite, with the condition that it would last until the pope lifted the order. Meanwhile, Sariel roamed the temple like a fish in water.

 

Apart from Michael, also known as Robin, who had the strongest innate power, Raphaela was undoubtedly the most beloved by both the temple followers and the pope. Gabriel also had great divine power, but he was lazy and had no interest in becoming pope. In fact, even when Robin was in the temple and often clashed with the elders, he had the largest following of believers and the trust of the elders and the pope because of his power.

 

The high priest who possessed the greatest power would become the pope. This was the traditional path of succession in the temple. After Robin’s disappearance, Raphaela, with her great power and exemplary conduct, was considered the most likely candidate for the next pope.

 

That strange aura has grown stronger.

 

The source of that strange aura was undoubtedly Sariel. Not many had realized that the temple was being enveloped in a dark force. Perhaps only Sariel, herself, and Gabriel were aware of it. The pope…

 

“Those weren’t the eyes of a living person.”

 

He appeared to be alive, but it seemed he was no longer of this world.

 

Raphaela clenched her fist tightly.

 

“What on earth is Sariel trying to…”

 

Knock, knock. The sound of knocking made her hold her breath. No one called on her except during meal times or when absolutely necessary. What could it be?

 

Clunk. She approached the door and tried to pull the handle, but the door was firmly locked.

 

“Who is it?”

 

Knock, knock. The knocking sound came again. Listening closely, she realized it wasn’t coming from the door. Raphaela turned around and looked out the window. Her eyes widened gradually until she was filled with astonishment.

 

‘Haha. Hello, Raphaela.’

 

The person mouthing the words and awkwardly smiling from the tree in front of the window was none other than Robin. As soon as Raphaela opened the window, she sensed the commotion outside.

 

“A suspicious person has been spotted here!”