Chapter 141
Let’s rewind time to two days ago.
“Ugh, this is driving me mad…”
Duvalkan Diar, a dashing and skilled knight of Katzel Medialle, brushed his hair out of frustration and let out a deep sigh.
“What’s going on with you?”
His comrade, Van, asked in a monotone voice, but Duvalkan didn’t respond immediately.
It made sense, after all…
“What? Running away in a love affair with a noblewoman in disguise as a maid?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Then we must find Priest Payne!”
“Eh?”
“What’s everyone doing?! Get the knights and search for Priest Payne!”
It was only natural to search for the priest when he had gone missing. However, it wasn’t uncommon for a priest who had pledged a life of service to leave the temple after losing their chastity .
’They would often flee when they had to escape from a situation they couldn’t mention.’
Usually, this applied when they became a lover of a high-ranking noble.
It was unthinkable for a priest to break their vow of chastity and then be reduced to being a lover, and because of the shame it would bring to Medialle, such actions were done in secret.
So, Duvalkan had initially tried not to search for Payne.
It would have been easier if he hadn’t received an order to bring him back.
’Priest Payne was a devoted man, though.’
He always showed up for dawn prayers, never missed a confession (aside from this incident), and was trusted enough to be included in the hymn ceremony.
It was no wonder the high-ranking priests were causing a ruckus—they had lost someone valuable and wanted him back.
’But sending knights out? Really?’
They constantly demanded to capture the maid and investigate her family background, it made Duvalkan sigh deeply. He asked for some time to handle it himself, hoping to avoid making Ashtel more worried. After all, wasn’t this a result of Payne getting involved with Ashtel?
It was obvious that some succubus, unable to control her lust, had ensnared Payne, and now he had to go after them.
The fact that Duvalkan had once harbored feelings for Ashtel made this situation even more miserable for him.
“Van, do you really think it’s right to use the knights just to find one priest?”
“Of course not, but… we have to follow orders.”
“I know that!”
Suppressing his frustration, Duvalkan lifted his head. It was an honest question that had him thinking.
The Medialle Knights consisted of twelve elite battalions, each with fifty knights, all waiting to fight demons at any moment.
And yet, they were being sent out to find just one person?
“Guess we should be thankful they didn’t call out all twelve battalions.”
“I understand how you feel. It is suspicious.”
Van, with his unkempt hair swept to one side, casually tossed out his opinion.
“If it’s bothering you this much, how about we search for Priest Payne first?”
“…Just the two of us?”
“Alright. I’ll take charge of the investigation.”
Van knew that Duvalkan had recently spent time with Payne, so he thought perhaps Duvalkan had some insight into the situation. But…
’If I search alone, it might take even longer to find him.’
Unfortunately, Duvalkan had no idea.
Except for Ashtel’s house, that is.
“Ha…”
On paper, this was the residence of the maid, Sue.
It was far outside the common districts, near the outskirts of the forest, a desolate place you had to walk quite a distance to reach.
The street here was far from the grandeur of the capital, Singria. It was a disorganized stone path with no lights nearby, which killed Duvalkan’s resolve.
’No matter how I think about it, he can’t be here.’
He had to make the search at least official, but surely, someone like her would be living in a townhouse for the nobles, not in some abandoned property with no owner.
’Maybe I should just turn back…’
As Duvalkan habitually turned to leave, he suddenly sensed a presence and his eyes snapped open.
There was no light and no signs of anyone nearby, so he had assumed it was deserted.
’Wait… no, is it two people?’
He could feel the presence of people.
Duvalkan carefully approached and pressed his ear to the door.
As expected, faint voices drifted from inside—a man and a woman, but whether they were Payne and Ashtel, he couldn’t be sure.
Duvalkan hesitated for a moment before knocking.
“Ahem, Miss Maid? Are you in there?”
He thought that if they knew he had come, they might open the door.
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