The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

44 – Rumors about the relationship between the Saint and the Tower Lord.

The letter, with only six words written on it, was a bit absurd, but the content inside was quite satisfying.

It said that they had interrogated the cultist and finally obtained information.

If it was trivial information, they wouldn’t have called him like this, so it must be quite useful.

‘How will the Goddess Church respond?’

The Goddess Church had not yet made an official statement.

And the same was true for the Empire.

Whether they were trying to prepare thoroughly or had some other reason, he didn’t know.

Well, it didn’t matter.

After all, he wasn’t going to move with them.

He just hoped that they wouldn’t act rashly and mess things up.

After all the trouble of getting the information to catch the Seven Deadly Sins or whatever, it would be quite disappointing if they escaped.

Anyway, since Justia sent a letter saying she had obtained information, I should go to the cathedral.

As Franz organized his thoughts and looked up, he saw Arian with a pouty expression.

Their gazes crossed in the air, and a silence flowed.

It was Arian who broke the silence first.

“Are you going again?”

“I think I have to. Why? Is something wrong?”

“Ummm, how should I put it? You’re busy with the tower work and running around here and there, so I was wondering if you might be overworking yourself…?”

Arian rambled on.

Then she sighed, as if something was bothering her.

She was right.

Lately, there had been many instances where he had to work outside the tower.

Franz also wanted to stay in the tower and leisurely do paperwork, but he couldn’t afford to.

One task involved the fate of the world, and the other was the emperor’s command.

If he didn’t do either, he would surely get entangled in more troublesome matters.

If he had to deal with two major incidents, he wished they would come separately.

It was frustrating that they overlapped at the same time.

Still, he appreciated her concern.

“I’m still okay. And if it gets too hard, I’ll take a break in between. Thanks for worrying.”

Franz said as he stood up.

He was going to meet Justia.

Arian handed him a neatly folded robe and said,

“Are you going to see the saint?”

“Well, yes, for now.”

Franz tried to take the robe, but Arian held it tightly, preventing him from taking it.

Arian’s gaze slowly rose from the robe and met Franz’s eyes.

“In a week, there will be a party at the Frigia duchy. Can you attend?”

The Frigia duchy was Arian’s family home.

A week…

Franz couldn’t easily give an answer.

He wasn’t fond of gatherings like parties, but if it was Arian’s request, he could attend.

As a secretary and as a friend, we are quite close.

But what if the opportunity to capture the Seven Deadly Sins arises that day?

Wouldn’t I miss the party Arian invited me to?

After pondering for a while, Franz came to a conclusion.

“Alright, I’ll attend.”

The very idea of having the chance to capture the Seven Deadly Sins was just an assumption.

And if I keep making such assumptions, I’d have to be cautious even about breathing.

Who knows, maybe the cultists have poisoned the air right now.

So, in the end, it’s this:

Don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet.

And even if I can’t attend due to unavoidable circumstances, Arian would surely understand.

Of course, I should try to attend if possible.

“Then I’ll inform Father… no, the head of the family.”

A gentle smile spread across Arian’s lips.

Only then could Franz receive the robe from her.

Just as Franz was about to leave the tower master’s room, draped in the robe, Arian’s voice came from behind.

“Don’t forget, we agreed to take the carriage.”

“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten.”

Franz said, waving his hand casually as he left the tower master’s room.

It seemed like he would need to install shock-absorbing suspension on the carriage.

Riding it as it is would hurt his back.

* * * * *

Franz used teleportation to arrive at St. Serpia Cathedral.

Justia was, as always, imparting the teachings of the gods to the believers.

Seeing her recite the doctrines of the Goddess Church with a serious expression, he thought, indeed, a saint is a saint.

But how long would it take this time?

Last time, the timing was good, so he didn’t wait long, but conversely, if the timing was bad, he would have to wait a long time.

It would be nice if he could know in advance.

It was quite troublesome since there was no one to ask.

It was then.

Franz saw a familiar bald head.

It was the priest who had helped him meet Justia the last time he visited.

Somehow, his head seemed shinier than that day.

“Priest.”

Franz approached him directly and spoke.

“Oh, yes. What help do you need… Tower Master! You’ve come again!”

The priest, who had been doing something else, realized it was Franz who had spoken to him and smiled brightly.

He was always grateful for the help, but did he really need to make such a fuss?

Hadn’t they met quite often?

He should be getting used to it by now.

Well, it’s not something to complain about.

“Have you come to see the Saint again today?”

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing.

It was a question, but his tone was closer to certainty.

Franz felt puzzled by this.

He had visited a few times recently, but not enough to warrant such suspicion.

Anyway, since it wasn’t wrong, Franz decided to continue the conversation.

“Yes, but I don’t know when it will end.”

“It will probably end soon. But do you know?”

Seeing that it would end soon, it seemed the timing wasn’t too bad this time either.

By the way.

“What do you mean?”

Franz felt uneasy for no reason.

In such situations, the only thing usually said was that a dispatched wizard had made a mistake.

If he were to guess, it would be something like breaking a stained glass window while cleaning.

If not, maybe overwatering the garden and killing the plants.

Anyway, it was probably never good news.

But what came out of the priest’s mouth was far from what he expected.

If it were to be compared to the 21st century, it wasn’t just hitting the wrong target, but hitting the target next to it.

“Some guy was saying that there’s a strange vibe between the Saintess and the Tower Master. So, I gave him a good scolding. There’s no way those two pure-hearted people could be in such a relationship. Isn’t he a real idiot?”

“Yes, it seems he’s not quite right in the head.”

The Saintess of the Goddess Church is a symbol of purity.

But to talk about that to a clergyman, of all people, he must indeed be a fool.

But really, there’s nothing to see there, so why are such rumors spreading?

In fact, I slapped him the other day, so it should be rumored that we have a bad relationship.

Anyway, we’ve gotten a bit closer recently, but if you ask if we’re like that, absolutely not.

It seems that making wild guesses and spreading rumors is the same in any era.

The clergyman continued to talk incessantly.

It was to the point where I wondered if the hair he lost had turned into words.

How much time had passed like that?

The Saintess’s teachings, which seemed like they would never end, finally concluded.

Franz, exhausted from the conversation with the clergyman, could finally face Justia.

The two began to talk in a secluded corner of the deserted cathedral.

“Franz? Is something wrong?”

Justia asked, tilting her head.

But no matter how much, he couldn’t badmouth the clergyman to the Saintess.

This is something to grumble about to Arian when I get back to the Tower.

“Just a bit tired.”

“Your eyes do look a bit dark, and your expression isn’t good. Shall I pray for you?”

Justia offered a prayer as if she were offering a shot.

Well, she’s in a position similar to a doctor, after all.

Anyway, I’m not really tired, so no need for a prayer.

“No, it’s fine. More importantly, what information did you find out?”

At Franz’s words, Justia quickly scanned the surroundings.

Seeing her act as if worried about being overheard, Franz snapped his fingers.

A transparent dome enveloped the two.

It was a soundproofing spell.

“If you had that, you should have used it earlier…!”

“I thought it was fine since there was no one around.”

“Ugh…, anyway, since it’s you, I won’t beat around the bush. The cultist spilled information about the Seven Deadly Sins.”

I thought I might be able to extract some small piece of information, but I never expected them to know something this important.

It was like picking up a shell on the mudflat and finding a pearl inside.

“So, what’s the information?”

“He said this: When the sun rises in the Duchy of Ishtar, the sleeping dragon awakens. Belphegor is there.”

…?

Countless question marks popped up in Franz’s mind.

For now, I understand that there’s something called Belphegor in the Duchy of Ishtar.

But that’s all.

I don’t know anything else.

But to search the entire Duchy of Ishtar….

‘Simply in terms of territory size, it’s the largest in the empire.’

I remember it being about three times larger than the Duchy of Phrygia, which holds the same title.

To search every inch of that place to find one guy?

It would be like looking for a needle in a desert.

“The Goddess Church is also trying to decipher that code. We’ve passed the information to the imperial family, so they’ll probably make an effort too.”

“Got it. Thanks for letting me know.”

“It’s not someone else’s business. This much is only natural.”

That was the end of Franz and Justia’s conversation.

Franz walked out of the cathedral, deep in thought.

The Duchy of Ishtar….

Come to think of it, how is Yuna doing?

I should probably visit her once.

And ask about the code while I’m at it.