“I believed in the hormone dopamine present in the human brain rather than trusting people.

Dopamine is secreted when acknowledged by others, and it is also secreted when feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Dopamine is released when doing good deeds, helping others, and having a positive impact on oneself.

‘I believed in the action of hormones that make up the human body more than in people.’

In the fairy-tale-like and dreamy story, I, who planned all these things, maintained an attitude of unparalleled indifference.

That was because all of this was about simultaneously restraining the temple and the royal palace, which were expected to be substantial threats to the Mirmod family.

I turned my gaze backward and spoke.

“How’s the atmosphere in the temple, Ted?”

I noticed that the presence of the ‘volunteer activities’ in the temple had significantly faded.

While belief in God and belief in humans sometimes go hand in hand, the resource called faith is limited.

If you believe in humans more, your faith in God is inevitably weakened.

“Shall I explain in detail?”

“Yeah.”

Ted, the holy knight who betrayed the temple, smiled slyly.

“According to what I heard from the former priest, it seems to be quite chaotic. Actually, the number of people coming into the temple has decreased.”

“And what about the volunteer activities leaving the temple?”

“It seems to be continuing, but… it’s somewhat unsatisfactory.”

I nodded. Everything was gradually going according to my plan.

“If my prediction is correct, the Pope and the Saint will be back soon.”

“Are you preparing for that time? Or, Lady Sien…”

“Yeah.”

“…You knew about the fact that the Pope and the priests’ divine power is based on people’s belief.”

I nodded.

They would be greatly confused when they realized that their divine power had disappeared during their absence. When they start moving with weakened power, that will be my time to step forward.

“At this point, let’s find the next method. About the children receiving scholarships from the temple. Have you traced them?”

“Oh, those who applied for scholarships from us but ended up going to the temple?”

“Yeah.”

“Everything is fine, but there is one whose whereabouts are mysterious.”

I glanced at the parchment Ted handed me.

The name is Sorbon, 13 years old, with divine power, from an orphanage. Originally intended to be a scholarship student in Sien’s top, ended up entering the temple due to the orphanage director’s objection…

“Hmm, there’s a problem.”

“Yes, definitely…”

Ted trailed off as if he felt uneasy.

I responded firmly to him.

“Now, we just need to go find that child. That child will be our key.”

I was weakening the influence of the temple and making the Pope’s divine power disappear.

I had to figure out why the temple was keeping children under the pretext of sponsorship. Surely there would be a dirty trick hidden somewhere…

Once I have the evidence, I can definitely weaken the power of the temple.

With the thought that I would find out what these people were planning, I clenched my fist and made a sharp summons.

“Let’s find out what they are planning.”

“How?”

“The place where the child disappeared was the A Block near Melting Temple.”

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s A Block. And there is the orphanage where the child originally stayed.”

I smiled kindly.

“Originally… when you don’t know anything, start with manual labor.”

Let’s search from the beginning to the end of Block A.

First, let’s investigate both Melting Temple and the orphanage.

We decided to form teams to find the missing child.

Acid and I were one team, Ted and Leonhardt were one team, and Martin and the muscle maids were one team.

There was no particular reason for Acid and me to be on the same team. Except for the last team, I grouped those with divine power and those without divine power together.

Ted said he would go with me instead of Leonhardt, but I shook my head.
“Ted and Leonhardt will scout around the dangerous area near the temple as the vanguard, while Acid and I will only survey the area near the orphanage in the middle. Martin and the maid sisters will act as the rear guard and join us if we get into danger. So, everyone can protect me, who is in the middle!”

Leonhardt clapped his hands admiringly.

“Oh, indeed…! Smart Ventol!”

In contrast, Bench Unni sharpened her teeth discontentedly.

“The rear guard? I’m frustrated. Next time, I’ll strengthen myself and join the vanguard…!”

Although I vaguely heard the complaints of the muscular maid sisters, we had already divided the territory and set off like that. Of course, we had also casually tucked communication magic tools into our pockets.

But then…

“Acid.”

“Yes, Lady Sien.”

“We…”

I couldn’t help turning to look at Acid, who had wrapped his arms around my shoulders, as I stared ahead silently.

Strangely, my throat felt dry.

When Leonhardt embraced me, or when Dad embraced me, I didn’t feel like this. But when Acid embraced me, my fingertips kept tingling.