As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 188

“Did I see it wrong? There’s no one here.”

 

The voices of the paladins could be heard busily speaking under the tree.

 

Raphaela quickly motioned for Robin to come inside, then went to the bed, grabbed a blanket with patterns on a peach-colored background, and dropped it down.

 

“I’m sorry. I dropped the blanket earlier, so you must have mistaken it for a person.”

 

Hearing Raphaela’s voice from above, the paladins immediately looked up at the room where she was and then down at the blanket on the ground.

 

“Is that so…?”

 

“We’ll bring the blanket right up!”

 

Raphaela shook her head visibly, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, but could you send it to the laundry room? It’s not suitable for use after it falls into the garden.”

 

“Ah, right. I’ll do that!” The young paladin saluted Raphaela and left with the blanket in hand.

 

Thud. As she closed the window and turned around, Robin was kneeling on the floor with his hand over his heart.

 

“Gasp, gasp… I thought my heart was going to stop. I almost got caught. Thanks, Raphaela.”

 

“Robin, what are you doing here? Judging by how you’re on the run, it doesn’t look like you plan to return to the temple.”

 

“I came to hear your story. You’ve noticed the strange aura lingering in the great temple, haven’t you?”

 

“…Yes.” Raphaela’s expression turned serious.

 

“I came to resolve matters related to that. Not everything at once, but…”

 

Robin explained the current situation they were facing. The three people and one animal who had successfully infiltrated the temple dispersed, dressed in the robes of priests they had prepared in advance. Thanks to the magic Edward had cast, they could communicate through magic stones even when far apart. Each person would think of what they wanted to say to the other, and the words would resonate in the other’s mind. Since it required concentration, they decided to use it only when absolutely necessary.

 

[Robin: I’m in Raphaela’s room now. It’s in the same place as before. I think I can gather a lot of information. I’ll share what I found out during the evening meeting.]

 

[Quirrel: JJijik!]

 

[Luize: Okay, see you later.]

 

[Aiven: …Alright.]

 

That was the end of their communication. It seemed everyone was busy with their assigned tasks.

 

“…So, do you know anything? I’m not trying to pressure you. Even just some suspicious circumstances would help. Have you ever seen any blackened magic stones? They might look like just a pile of black orbs.”

 

“Black orbs… So that’s what it was. That’s why he sent me on that expedition.” Raphaela quietly muttered, looking as if she had just realized something. “I know the room where those orbs are gathered.”

 

“So you kno… Wait, you do?”

 

“Yes. There are about three of them.”

 

“…It’s not just one room?!” Robin’s mouth fell open.

 

Raphaela calmly nodded.

 

* * *

After finishing their respective searches, everyone gathered in the empty room they had agreed upon in advance. However, a problem arose.

 

“Lady Luize, you also found something? But it’s a different room from the one I discovered… Wait, it’s nearby?”

 

“…I found something too.”

 

“What?”

 

“Jjik!” Quirrel also raised its right front paw, indicating that it had found something as well.

 

Robin, who was examining the new map of the temple provided by Raphaela, turned pale. “It’s good that we found them quickly, but it’s impossible to deal with all of these in the time we have, even if we work day and night. According to Raphaela, there are more than just a few orbs. And if this layout is correct, there could be as many as nine rooms with them, including the two nearby.”

 

“Yes. The structure surrounds one central room with seven other rooms. The center looks like the prayer room.”

 

“Exactly. This was a place where outsiders rarely go, and only the pope visited it once a year for communion with the divine. The other rooms represent the seven archangels. In those rooms, the high priests would gather around the pope and pray.”

 

“Why are you speaking in the past tense?”

 

“It’s such an old space that it hasn’t been used in a long time under the pretext of reconstruction. However, the pope still enters the central room once a year to receive an oracle.”

 

“Does the oracle have to be received in that particular place?”

 

“Not necessarily, but it’s a tradition since it’s where the first oracle was received.”

 

“Isn’t it dangerous for the pope to enter alone?”

 

“When the pope is inside, the other priests cast a protective barrier to prepare for any emergencies. Last year, High Priest Sariel was in charge. Normally, all the high priests would gather. Still, since I fled, they’ve been avoiding group activities to prevent anyone from noticing my absence.”

 

“Sariel is the one Robin mentioned as suspicious, right?”

 

“Yes. Raphaela said that the pope’s health began to decline after praying in that room. It’s clear Sariel did something to him at that time.”

 

“Come to think of it, the reconstruction has taken an awfully long time. This was being discussed even before Robin fled, wasn’t it?”

 

“The place is so old, with cracks everywhere and thin outer walls, that there was a sharp division between those who wanted to tear it down and rebuild it and those who wanted to preserve its historical value. There’s been a lot of talk, but since it’s a place where people don’t really go, I also found it to be the most suspicious location.”

 

“Jjik!” Quirrel, who hadn’t lowered its paw, stomped its foot in frustration.

 

“Quirrel, are you saying you found another place besides the rooms we’ve already discovered?”

 

Quirrel shook its head and began walking over the map. It passed by the seven rooms and headed in the direction of the paladins’ training grounds. It stopped at the second training ground.

 

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the room where they were hiding. Everyone held their breath and looked at each other while Quirrel quickly approached the door and stuck its head through the gap at the bottom.

 

“Jjik!”

 

“Quirrel, what are you doing…!”

 

“As I expected, a wicked beast. So it was you.”

 

The voice from outside made the eyes of those hiding inside widen in shock.

 

“This place is dangerous. You must flee. You need to leave the temple before High Priest Sariel finds you.”

 

“Jjik jjik.”

 

“What is it saying?”

 

Quirrel sighed in frustration, then returned to the room and locked eyes with Luize. It pointed precisely at the door, then circled around the seven rooms drawn on the map. Luize, looking surprised, nodded. She spoke through the magic stone.

 

[Luize: Come to think of it, if we get the help of the second order of paladins, as Quirrel suggests, we might be able to solve everything.]

 

[Aiven: …Will they help us?]

 

[Robin: Under normal circumstances, Captain Edvin is a conservative man who wouldn’t help. But… considering how he reacted to Quirrel, I’m not so sure. He’s not the type to simply let a suspicious animal go.]

 

[Quirrel: Jjik!]

 

[Luize: Now that you mention it, doesn’t it seem like he noticed something strange too? We’re currently asking High Priestess Raphaela for cooperation, and it’s clear that this is related to High Priest Sariel.]

 

The three people and Quirrel exchanged glances.

 

[Luize: Let’s try asking Captain Edvin for cooperation as well.]

 

[Robin: Yes.]

 

[Aiven: …]

 

Aiven nodded. Luize then opened the door.

 

Matthias, who found them in the room, visibly started in surprise. “…You are!”

 

“Hello, Captain Matthias di Edvin. I have a matter to ask for your cooperation…”

 

“I wasn’t informed of any guests. Did you sneak in?”

 

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

 

Robin slapped his forehead with his palm at Luize’s straightforward answer. At the same time, Matthias drew his sword and pointed it at Luize.

 

Luize raised her hands in surrender. “Wait a moment. Captain Edvin, we’re here on an urgent matter—”

 

“Unauthorized intruders will be dealt with strictly according to temple law.”

 

“Sigh, hold on a moment. Hello, you recognize me, don’t you? Captain of the Second Order of Paladins, Edvin?” Robin removed his hood and approached Matthias.

 

“…High Priest Michael, the first apostle of God? What are you doing here?”

 

With a serious expression, Robin spoke in a grave tone. “Ah, by the call of god, I had no choice but to return and carry out the mission given by them. The supreme god cannot overlook the evil deeds committed by Sariel in the temple and has commanded me and my devoted followers to purify the temple.”

 

“…! I can’t believe it!”

 

Matthias looked at Luize and Aiven with wide eyes, and Robin prompted them inwardly.

 

[Robin: Just go along with it, quickly!]

 

Both of them nodded seriously as if they were indeed on a divine mission.

 

Matthias’s expression grew conflicted. “Then, this beast too…”

 

“Jjik.” Quirrel also nodded seriously.

 

Aiven muttered inwardly. [Aiven: …An apostle of god deceiving a naive knight.]

 

[Robin: So what when the other apostle has fallen into dark magic? It’s been seven years since I left, and from the supreme god’s perspective, there’s a bigger problem for them to worry about. I’m probably the least of their concerns.]