Chapter 102
"Mmm... Ahh, I slept well..."
Morning had arrived at the Grand Shrine.
A refreshing morning sun streamed in through the window. When he opened it, a cool breeze entered, despite it still being the lingering heat of late summer.
"Nice breeze... Maybe the heat won't be so bad today?"
Clael stretched lightly and began changing out of his sleepwear.
"Hm...?"
At that moment, he happened to notice a white cloth lying at his feet.
He picked it up... It was a white dress like something a woman would wear. And there were even two of them.
"............?"
Clael tilted his head.
He hadn't noticed them yesterday... Could they be something left behind by the person who stayed in this guest room before?
For now, he decided to hand them over to the laundry staff later.
Clael changed into his priest robes and walked to the dining hall to eat.
The dining hall was already filled with priests, who had begun eating breakfast.
"Hey, isn't that Clael? Mind if I sit here?"
"Oh, you're..."
Clael, who had placed his meal on a tray and sat down, was addressed by someone who sat across from him.
It was a familiar face. A senior from his student days who had looked after him... If he remembered correctly, the name was Brownie?
"Senior Brownie... It's been a while."
"Yeah, it has."
Brownie smiled warmly at him.
"You were assigned to the town of Eggbell, right? I heard about it. That you were the one who discovered the Saint."
"Ah... Well, it was just a coincidence."
"Even so, that's quite something. To think you'd be recognized as a Saint. You always lacked ambition, but you were an excellent priest. I always thought you'd do something big one day."
"Haha... I'm flattered."
Clael gave a wry smile.
Since his student days, Brownie had often lectured him.
Clael had never been interested in rising through the ranks and had always thought he'd live a quiet life as a priest in a rural town after graduation.
The one who had kept telling Clael, who thought that way, that he should aim higher while he was still young was the very Brownie sitting before him.
(He's gentle and caring, but his tendency to lecture is a bit of a flaw...)
"To think someone so young would want to retreat to the countryside and live a peaceful life—I thought that was a bit too pessimistic. But I'm really glad for you. You've always undervalued yourself, settling for average even though you could aim higher..."
"............"
And so, the lecture began again.
It was nostalgic, but a bit exhausting for the morning.
"Ah... By the way, Senior Brownie. So you were at the Grand Shrine in the royal capital?"
"Hm? Oh, I've been working here ever since graduation. I hold the same rank as you—Priest. Well, now that you've been recognized as a Saint, I'm technically below you."
"Ah... Sorry. Even I think it's more praise than I deserve..."
"No, no, there's no need to apologize. You found the Saint and raised her well, didn't you? You were just properly recognized for your work. Don't let it bother you."
Brownie spoke magnanimously... but then suddenly turned serious and lowered his voice. "However..."
"There are some who are jealous of your rise. For example, Bishop Walls, the son of the archbishop."
"Bishop Walls..."
That was the man he had met yesterday.
Clael glanced around the dining hall... but Walls was nowhere to be seen.
Those of bishop rank or higher were given private rooms, so he was probably eating in his room.
"He's young, but I've heard some bad rumors. He's overly ambitious and dislikes seeing his peers succeed. People who've gotten involved with him have mysteriously fallen from grace. Be careful."
"...Thank you for the warning. I'll keep it in mind."
He bowed his head to the senior priest.
He didn't take every word Brownie said at face value... but judging from the malice in Walls' attitude yesterday, it was clear he bore hostility toward Clael.
(He might really try something...)
He came from a good family, had money, and was handsome.
He probably attracted women... It wouldn't be surprising if he seduced a young sister and set up a honey trap.
Resolving to stay away from him as much as possible, Clael cleared away his dishes.
Today, he had a few errands to run in preparation for the Saint recognition ceremony.
For now, he walked down the hallway to return to his room.
"Hm? What's all the commotion?"
However, a crowd had gathered in the hallway, forcing him to stop.
A large number of priests and sisters were gathered, murmuring among themselves.
"Hey, what's he doing..."
"Isn't that Bishop Walls?"
"What could he possibly be doing..."
"Bishop Walls?"
That was the person they had just been talking about.
Curious, Clael stepped into the crowd to see what was going on.
"Huh...?"
There was Walls, whom he had met yesterday.
Walls was leaning against the hallway wall, unconscious, eyes rolled back and foaming at the mouth.
On top of that, his lower half was wet and smelled of ammonia... It was clear he had wet himself.
"What the hell is that guy doing..."
Clael grimaced and turned his eyes away from the pitiful man.
After that, due to psychological reasons, Walls was no longer able to continue as a priest and had to leave the Grand Shrine.
Because of his son's disgrace, the archbishop father also lost his power.
He withdrew from the frontlines of the power struggle and retired to a rural shrine.