“Congratulations, dear.”

I burst into laughter and extended my thanks to all the guardians present.

“Thank you so much!”

Unlike the overwhelmed junior administrative official, the manager remained composed. He brushed aside his few remaining strands of hair with a recovered expression and said.
“Then it’s over, isn’t it? I need to tidy up, so please leave.”

I blinked my eyes.

“Hmm?”

The manager looked at me, his voice slightly pained as he inquired, “Why is that?”

“Because I have something.”

The manager’s expression was increasingly tense. No, not only him, but also the junior administrative official next to him. Both of them couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.

“I still have something to say.”

I smiled brightly.
At that moment, they looked as if they were afraid of what I would say next, their foreheads wrinkling with unease. Of course, they didn’t respond, but…

In the moment of their silence after my words, Yoren Young-Ae, a dynamite developer and a friend of Delphia’s sister, cleared her throat.

“Hurry up and spill it.”

“What, what is it…”

“Come on.”

“…What is it?”

It was Yoren Young-Ae again.

Seems like she’s an expert at treading on anyone’s words, not leaving them any room to speak.

Now, it was time to deliver the final counterpunch.
I flashed a cheerful smile and asked, “What’s in this envelope?”

I quickly reached out my hand and, with the sponsors crowding around, deftly grabbed the envelope from the temple they hadn’t had a chance to clear away.

George appeared flustered.

“That, um, is a short prayer sent by the temple. They sent it because of a small donation.”
The manager by my side hinted with his words.

“Why are you curious about a personal prayer for George?”

“Just.”

“…It’s just an ordinary prayer. If what’s inside that envelope happens to be a prayer, what would you do?”

The manager threw a brief challenge. I responded, half mockingly, “I’m just taking a look. Why not open it?”

With those words, I opened the envelope and read the contents inside.
“To our faithful brother George.

Thank you for visiting the temple.

Starting today, we will pray for you, our brother.

Upon the beautiful statue of Lady Yellania, the tiny angel’s wings will cheer on your day.”

No matter how carefully I read it, it really was a temple prayer. But something seemed suspicious…
As I remained silent, the manager and George seemed to seize the opportunity to attack. They began to speak up.

“Look at that. Isn’t it?”

“Now hand it over.”

It was the moment when George impatiently reached out his arm.

Thunk!

From behind, my fellow guardian, who looked like a nerd with glasses and carefully coiffed hair, struck his hand disdainfully.

And she quickly took the letter from my hand.
“Prayers my foot. Deciphering codes is my specialty,” George exclaimed.

He seemed to have felt that I hadn’t even considered code decryption.

“I should bring in a code expert.”

“Why the codes?”

“Just in case. I might not be the only one up to something.”

I had considered searching the entire office in case there was any evidence, but fortunately, there were no traces left.
“Yelenia’s statue. This probably refers to the Porchen Temple.”

“Um…what?”

“A little angel’s wings, it means a young goddess.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Cheering for a day probably means hiding a year’s worth of salary. And they made the code this easy.”

The professional codebreaker, Pien, chuckled and shook the envelope.

“Now we can investigate your actions.”

As soon as he finished speaking, I gulped.
“Now, what will happen to these folks?”

Now the codebreaker stepped back, and the Grand Justice Madam stepped forward.

“Start with administrative lawsuits, then civil and criminal lawsuits. I’ll stake the honor of the Grand Justice.”

From the elegant and beautiful lady’s words, a vulgar swear word that sounded like Delphiana slipped out.

“We’ll finish them off, so keep your hopes up.”
Wow, this is what legally finishing them off looks like. It was such a cool line that I even felt like studying law.

“But you can’t just do it with the law alone. I also have Yoren Unnie by my side.”

I chuckled and extended my arms towards Jorju.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Dynamite or surrender. Choose one.”

Jorju looked at me with trembling eyes.

Seeing his rapidly dilating pupils, I raised the corners of my mouth.
Let’s be honest.

I gave them a choice, but the answer was already decided.

“Well, surrender…”

You just need to answer.

“Lately, wherever I go, it’s all about Cien Mirmord, that foolish girl!”

“Oh, Gabrielle.”

Melodia looked at Gabrielle, who was biting her lip with an affectionate expression.
“That foolish girl was lucky enough to get one at the top! It’s unbelievable. What can that little thing do? And what does she even know!”

Watching Gabrielle grumble and complain, Melodia calmly interjected, “Gabrielle, it’s a pity. All the administrators have surrendered.”

“That wicked girl did it again! With her insufferable mouth…!”

“Rather than wicked, you should say she’s clever.”
Gabrielle was so overwhelmed with sadness that tears welled up in her eyes. She had always believed herself to be the protagonist of this world and had lived her life that way.

Such a girl was having everything taken away by Cienne Mirmod.

“She’s not an opponent to be underestimated.”

Melodia still wore a warm smile, but her lips remained motionless, almost a smile that seemed to convey a sense of discomfort.

“Gabrielle.”
“Yes, Lady Melodia!”

With the Pope’s support, Melodia had become a prominent saint, now exerting influence in all directions. She gently stroked Gabrielle’s head and smiled kindly.

“I’ve come to realize that Cienne Mirmod is a dangerous child.”

She was a child so dangerous that she should not be left unattended.
To Matthias, we sent an assassin, but it failed as if it were expected. Cienne’s upper echelons continued to thrive without any interference.

In many ways, it was Melodia’s defeat. They couldn’t lay a finger on either of them, not even a minor victory; it was a complete and utter loss.

“Ah… R-right! You don’t need to worry about it, though it may be insignificant, it is indeed dangerous.”

Melodia closed her eyes deeply for a moment, then opened them, wearing a momentarily cold, emotionless expression.
“We need to uproot and eliminate the source.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

At this point, Melodia spoke kindly, “First, we need to take the time to learn more about the Mirmod family in detail.”

Melodia smiled again, radiating a refreshing and beautiful smile that instilled trust in those who saw it.

“We must prepare patiently. To face the Mirmods, we’ll need quite some time.”

“That’s…”
“Slowly, we’ll start step by step to ensure they can’t grow back.”

With the Mirmod lineage withering, and with Sienn and Matias taken care of, Melodia and the temple’s perfect goal would be achieved.

As if envisioning a brilliant future, her gentle smile grew even more radiant.

“Alright, Melodia.”

(Note: The gender and names of the characters have been translated accurately and consistently.)