As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover – Chapter 190

Author: alyalia

“It’s been a while, Sariel.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time.”

Sariel found himself face-to-face with Raphaela, who was in the middle of self-reflection, and Gabriel, the rogue high priest who had no interest in temple affairs.

The place where the priest guided Sariel was the pope’s audience chamber. It was his mistake to think that the pope, who had just woken up, would naturally be in his bedroom as before.

Gabriel, with his long golden hair, observed Sariel’s expression with interest.

Sariel gritted his teeth and replied. “…It’s been a while.”

He stood next to the two. Nothing was going his way. Though he had brought his own knights, the pope’s personal knights, the zero order of paladins, and the seventh order of paladins who followed Gabriel, surrounded him.

The pope spoke. “Through High Priestess Raphaela, I have learned of your atrocities, Sariel.”

“Atrocities? What atrocities? I know nothing of the sort.” He had to deny it outright. If he could just escape this situation, he could still find a way to regain his footing.

According to the assassins sent by the imperial family, only a few outsiders and the second order of paladins were threatening the source of his power. If he could deal with them…

“Sariel, I should first tell you that I remember everything you ordered and said while I was under the influence of dark magic.”

The pope’s words were entirely unexpected. Sariel had placed multiple layers of spells to prevent the pope from ever waking up. Dark magic was the complete opposite of divine power. Even if the pope had miraculously recovered physically, the dark magic that had been woven over a long period could not be entirely erased.

“Pardon? W-What do you mean…?”

“High Priest Sariel, you have used dark magic for your own selfish purposes, disrupting the temple’s order and exploiting lives. Therefore, I, Pope Iledro, hereby strip Sariel of his title as High Priest and sentence him to return to the side of the god in accordance with the laws of the temple.”

“Your Holiness!”

“The sentence will be carried out by the Supreme God.”

To return to the side of the god meant execution.

Sariel immediately prostrated himself on the floor. “It’s all a misunderstanding! This is a clear attempt to frame me. Execution of a high priest in the temple? You know that there has never been a more dedicated high priest than me. I have done my utmost!”

“Do the two witnesses have any objections?”

“None.”

After Raphaela and Gabriel’s responses, the knights moved to restrain Sariel. He lifted his head and glared with bloodshot eyes. Black tears streamed down his face. Those exposed to dark magic for a long time had their body fluids turn black. It was evidence of how long he had been practicing forbidden dark magic.

“This is unacceptable! Isn’t it the temple itself that is flawed, relying solely on innate divine power? A place where those with less divine power aren’t even given a chance to become pope! I’ve done nothing wrong. Dark magic is also a blessing from the Supreme God, a creation of the divine!”

“You’re finally showing your true colors.” The pope looked down at him with a stern expression.

At that moment, Sariel shook off the holy knights restraining him and drew a sword hidden in his leg. The knights lunged at him again, but Sariel, empowered by dark magic, was faster and stronger than the trained knights.

“If I can’t use this power for what I want, then I’ll destroy everyone here. Hahaha, wouldn’t that be fair? I’m sick of the temple’s obsession with natural-born power. Dividing ranks and stripping away all opportunities with power that won’t even be used.” He raised his sword high before the pope. “Let’s all reunite before that so-called Supreme God together.”

“That would be inconvenient.”

Tsk. With a lazy voice and a brief click of the tongue, Sariel’s sword stopped just short of the pope’s face. More accurately, everyone’s movements froze. The only thing that moved were their eyes, which all turned to the lone figure still free to move.

“What a troublesome child.” High Priest Gabriel grabbed Sariel by the nape and slammed him to the ground in an instant.

* * *

Crack! Luize broke the last orb in their room and slumped against the wall. Even the knights with strong physical endurance were exhausted. The other rooms still seemed to be in the midst of breaking orbs, but it wouldn’t be long before they finished. The knights who had been with Luize and Robin quickly dispersed to help in the other rooms. In the end, they hadn’t slept for three days, but it was a victory.

Midnight on the final day had just passed. When morning came, the sleeping sickness patients, who were supposed to be transferred to the imperial and temple-affiliated clinics, would return to their families in perfect health.

“Is this how we’re going to return to the side of the god…?” Robin muttered as he lay sprawled on the floor.

Luize closed her tired eyes briefly before speaking. “We’ve almost done it. Honestly, I thought assassins or knights under Sariel would have attacked us by now.”

“It is strange. The second order of paladins has been absent for two days, yet no one has called them. Maybe it’s because Raphaela is in self-reflection, and the pope is unwell.”

“It’s worrisome. We’ve solved the sleeping sickness problem, but there’s still a lot to deal with inside the temple… Huh?”

Crack, crash, rumble… Boom.

Just as Luize opened her eyes with a puzzled expression, the wall behind her collapsed.

“Lady Luize!”

Robin quickly lifted himself up and rushed to her, but thankfully, Luize was unharmed except for being knocked over.

“This is the room where the pope prays, isn’t it?” She brushed off the debris that had fallen on her and stood up.

“Yes, it is. Huh? Aiven? What are you doing here?”

Robin entered through the collapsed wall and saw Aiven standing in the center of the prayer room, looking toward the statue of a white dragon curled up beneath the supreme god.

“…There was more.”

“What?”

“There’s dark magic here too. It’s just residual now, but it must have been quite strong originally.” Aiven pointed at the statue.

“I’ll destroy it.” Luize raised a Venber dagger and approached the statue.

Robin’s eyes widened. “Wa-Wait. That statue is one of the temple’s most treasured relics, said to be blessed by the supreme god…”

Clang! Crash! Before Robin could stop her, Luize quickly struck the center of the statue with the dagger. But it was the dagger that broke, not the statue.

Robin sighed with a complicated expression. “It looks like an ordinary statue, but that’s strange. Could it be that the dagger has worn out from breaking the orbs? Venber is stronger than most metals.”

“…It’s so old and worn that it looks like it could crumble with just a bit of pressure.” Aiven tapped the statue with the hilt of his sword.

Thunk thunk. The sound of the hollow interior echoed through the prayer room as if the material was thin.

Robin’s face paled again. “You said it’s just residue, right? Maybe it’s not related to this incident?”

“…Maybe.”

“Then can’t we just leave it?”

Luize responded firmly to Robin’s suggestion. “It’s still dark magic. We should deal with it.”

Aiven continued to examine the statue with a puzzled expression. “…It’s definitely ordinary metal. It’s old and seems fragile.”

“Let me see.” Luize approached and touched the statue. “It really is strange. It’s even weirder that the Venber dagger couldn’t pierce it, considering how thin it is…”

Her gaze shifted to the sword at her waist, the sword of Lensia. It wasn’t ordinary metal, but it looked like it. A sword made from a dragon’s bones, which appeared to be normal iron. And now, this strange statue before her.

“Could it be…?” Luize, who had briefly smiled, drew Lensia’s sword. “Just in case, I’ll try using my special weapon.”

“You’re going to cut it with that? You should use my sword instead. What if it breaks too?”

“It won’t break. It’s a good sword that hasn’t even gotten a scratch so far.”

“Really? It’s that good? It just looks like ordinary iron.”

“Right? It looks that way to me too.”

As Robin replied with a puzzled look, Luize raised the sword.

“But maybe it’s not.”

“Oh, Supreme God.” Robin closed his eyes tightly and clasped his hands in prayer.

Luize swiftly cut through the statue in one stroke. Clang! In an instant, the statue of the supreme god was split in half. The black smoke mixed with light that escaped from the statue passed through Luize and dissipated into the air.

“…It’s completely gone now.”

Aiven’s words made Robin open his eyes and approach the statue, his face filled with shock.

“T-This… I never thought I’d witness such blasphemy…” He tried repeatedly, in vain, to reattach the pieces of the broken statue with trembling hands.

As Robin did so, Luize, who had been bowing her head after cutting the statue, swayed greatly. She sheathed her sword with trembling hands and slumped to the ground.

“I’m so tired…”