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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Mr. Daniel? You have to wipe here too, right?”
“……Seriously, take it easy.”
“Oh my? Is a servant supposed to talk like that to a maid?”
When I grumbled while wiping the window frame with a rag, Tana giggled and joked around.
I had a bad dream this morning, so I was already in a bad mood, and now this was getting on my nerves.
“I never thought I’d have to be cautious of surveillance even in my own mansion. It seems like such a harsh life.”
There was only one reason why Tana and I were wiping the windows here while in disguise.
It was because we didn’t know who might be watching from where in the royal palace.
Especially if Prince Oliver found out that I was in the royal palace, we didn’t know what he would do.
Elise didn’t like the expression very much, but he was Elise’s older brother anyway, so his actions were unpredictable.
‘He might do something crazy beyond imagination.’
Thinking about it again, Tana’s judgment to tell me to go under her skirt in a crisis situation where our identities could be exposed at the checkpoint was excellent.
“Think about it, for us, it’s like someone else freely entering our dormitory room, looking around and stuff. Ugh, I really hate that.”
“Well……”
I slowly turned my head while mopping and looked at Tana.
“You guys do that too, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
She had an expression that she really had no idea, but once I started thinking about it, one thing led to another and they kept coming to mind.
“You guys just enter my room even when I don’t tell you to come in, hang out and then leave. Rin picks the lock even when I lock the door and just comes in, and Sen enters through the window.”
“T-That’s the fate of a popular guy!”
“Is that an excuse?”
“M-Me and Eve at least enter normally.”
“You’re bragging.”
It was no different from hitting someone and then saying you hit one person and they hit two.
“……”
“What’s wrong, why are you like that? Are you really upset? Okay, I’ll talk to Eve and……”
“Keep talking naturally. Someone is watching us right now.”
“……!”
It was sudden, but Tana didn’t get tense or freeze and moved her hands diligently.
Without even glancing, she gestured for me to wipe the window while moving her mouth differently.
“Where? Is there something you need help with?”
“Point to that toolbox over there and gesture for me to get something.”
Tana immediately made an irritated expression and pointed to the toolbox far away.
I pretended to sweat and ran right away, disappearing from the window’s view at the same time.
As soon as I left the window, I immediately went up the stairs.
Arriving at the rooftop of the mansion in an instant, I checked below and saw a man still hiding behind a tree, spying on Tana.
“I can’t just leave him alone.”
It would be a bit troublesome if he was one of Prince Oliver’s subordinates, but Elise would be able to handle it well.
I immediately jumped down and landed on the tree the guy was leaning against.
It was possible because Princess Elena de Frisia was very frugal, so the mansion didn’t have many floors.
“W-What the!”
The spy was startled by the violently shaking tree and the falling leaves due to the impact of my landing.
I had gathered mana on the soles of my feet, so I jumped down once more without any impact and stood in front of him.
“One of Prince Oliver’s leashes? I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can just let you go now that you’ve seen me.”
The main reason I was here in a servant’s outfit was to naturally walk around the royal palace.
Even if there was a risk of being caught by Prince Oliver, I was confident I wouldn’t be discovered.
“Stay in the basement of the mansion for a while. I’ll let you out later.”
As I raised my hand to immediately knock out this sloppy spy, he knelt down and hit his forehead on the ground, shouting.
“I-I’m not under Prince Oliver, but Princess Ainis!”
“Princess Ainis?”
Is he talking about the 2nd Princess and Elise’s older sister?
The spy didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding it and started spilling things I didn’t even ask.
“A-Apparently, the maid who was brought in by Prince Oliver’s order, Princess Ainis sent me to help if Princess Elise is in any danger……”
“Ah.”
I had heard that after Princess Elena died, the relationship between the two remaining princesses became even closer.
They seemed to be afraid that the eldest son’s claws would reach the youngest this time.
“If that’s the case, don’t worry. I’ll tell Elise… I mean, Princess Elise and have her inform Princess Ainis as well.”
“……Ah, I understand.”
He made a dubious expression but couldn’t say anything and immediately left.
Watching his receding back, I sighed and tried to go back to work, but…
“Meeting a strange person is always an exciting occasion.”
I didn’t feel it.
To be precise, I didn’t notice at all that she was standing behind a tree, looking at me, until she opened her mouth and revealed her identity.
Her outfit was a bit different from the one nuns wear, even though it was a priestly garment.
Silver hair flowed down her shoulders like a single constellation.
She had her wrists tied with a clock strap with several pocket watches hanging from it, so her hands always touched a clock, and a unique resonance spread whenever she moved as the pocket watches collided with each other.
“I apologize, I spoke to you too suddenly and made you uncomfortable.”
A youthful appearance.
Even giving her the benefit of the doubt, she didn’t look older than her late 20s, but what could be felt from her way of speaking, voice, and apologetic gestures was experience that couldn’t be seen at that age.
Although I was surprised that I didn’t notice her, I already heard from Elise yesterday who she was thanks to her unique characteristics.
Because she was now the closest aide to Prince Oliver.
“I heard you’re called…… the Priestess of Time.”
“I see you know me, it seems the princess has told you.”
“……”
The priestess smiled benevolently.
As if the world welcomed it, the sunlight and leaves naturally cleared the way for her.
I casually asked what I had been curious about since yesterday, so as not to lose the initiative.
“What exactly is a priestess? Is it different from a saint or a nun?”
“Ah, many people are curious about that. Of course, I will explain.”
I was the one who asked, but the one explaining seemed a bit excited.
“Nuns and saints are those who hear and convey the words of God. They also live with a noble and sacred mission.”
“I see.”
Although I could only have a pessimistic view of God from my position.
“In the case of a priestess, we are ‘with’ God. My will is their will, and their will is my will. That’s why we’re called priestesses or shrine maidens.”
“……”
When I made an expression as if asking if she was telling me to believe that now, the priestess laughed out loud.
“Everyone sees it that way. I didn’t believe it at first either. But in the end, my life always follows their will. The same goes for now.”
“Even now?”
I wondered what she was talking about, but her words pierced into me.
“I’m here because God told me to meet you, Daniel McLean. I’ve been waiting for an hour already.”
“Excuse me?”
You know my name?
And you already knew I was coming?
No, more than that…
‘Is she saying that I didn’t notice her for an hour?’
I was puzzled but tried not to show it on my face.
Suddenly, one of her aliases that Elise had told me about yesterday brushed through my mind.
The Epithet “？？？”.
I heard it was given to her because in the eyes of people starting their journey, she had already reached the end, as if she had arrived at the end of that path in advance.
‘Is it the power of an engraving since she’s called the Priestess of God?’
The conviction that I shouldn’t carelessly let her live here gradually rose.
Honestly, it had been a long time since I faced an opponent whose victory or defeat I couldn’t guarantee.
The faint energy that could be felt when I encountered really dangerous ancient magical beasts was flowing behind her.
‘I let my guard down because it’s been too long.’
Although she was hiding her strength, she had several characteristics of those who couldn’t control it and let it leak out.
But she smiled and waved her hand.
“I didn’t come to fight. Please put away your fighting spirit.”
“Then why did you come?”
I thought there must be another reason why she, known as Prince Oliver’s aide, came here. It was unlikely that such a big shot would personally come just to monitor Elise, but…
“Didn’t I tell you? It’s because of you, Daniel McLean. A boy who received the mercy of the goddess of time, just like me.”
“……”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
But she approached me with her eyes shining, extremely excited, sniffing me or looking me over as she circled around.
Then she showed a most satisfied smile.
“Now that I’ve confirmed it in person, I’m even more convinced! You are the savior who will save this world together with me! Yes, a savior!”
Is she talking about regression?
It seemed like she knew something about the ‘Earliest Apocalypse’.
“Knowing who I am……”
I tried to test the waters by bouncing back, but she started approaching me casually as if I were a cousin she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“You can get to know that gradually. As a savior chosen by the goddess of time, how could you be evil? Come, let’s have many conversations.”
“……I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I’ll help Princess Elise, and I heard you’re Prince Oliver’s aide. To put it bluntly, we’re enemies.”
I tried to ambush her right away rather than having a hard time dealing with her later, but…
“Then I’ll abandon him.”
“……Pardon?”
She declared with a light and resolute smile.
“I will abandon Prince Oliver and take your side. In the first place, I helped him only because he was a pitiful prodigal son who wanted help, so I showed mercy. There was nothing more than that.”
“……”
“Do you have a moment? I have so many things I want to talk about! Ah, do you happen to know a boy named Ares at Aios Academy? He is a savior chosen by the sun god……”
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She’s very talkative