“Then go rest.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go check if His Majesty is alright.”

“I’ll be resting.”

After Ian left with repeated admonitions, Summer was finally left alone in the room.

Her energy was completely drained, making it difficult to move even a finger. Summer lay face down on the bed, slowly opening and closing her drowsy eyes.

Just as Summer was about to fall asleep, she heard someone knocking on the door outside.

“Who is it?”

“I was sent by Duke Bertrand.”

“Russell…?”

Is he too busy to come himself? Summer struggled to get up and put her hand on the doorknob.

And just as the door was opening, a brief question flashed through her mind.

Does Russell have something so urgent to send someone at a time like this?

As Summer instinctively tried to close the door again, a large hand appeared suddenly and grabbed it.

“What…!”

“Shh.”

For a moment, everything went dark as her vision flipped upside down.

Summer struggled weakly in resistance before quickly losing consciousness.

The man dressed in servant’s clothes calmly put Summer into a sack, stuffed her into a tray, and leisurely left the place.

“Summer.”

Russell asked a brief question without even turning his gaze towards Ian, who had returned.

Ian, seemingly accustomed to Russell’s behavior, took a seat across from him.

“I told her to rest. Gave her the same room as before.”

“I see.”

“More importantly, how’s His Majesty?”

“Well…”

“What do you mean? Answer properly, Russell.”

Russell crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand, tapping his leg with his fingertips.

He seemed to be pondering something.

“Russell.”

“I’m debating whether to go with death or dramatic recovery.”

“…What?”

“I was considering it. He got up fine in the hall, but just lost consciousness again.”

Russell’s tone was so calm that Ian only understood the meaning behind his words later.

“Are you in your right mind?”

Ian jumped up and shouted. Weighing the Emperor’s life? It was unlike Russell.

“Duchess Legacy is under suspicion of poisoning, and His Majesty is unconscious. If you want to seize imperial power, now is the perfect time.”

“…”

Russell was explaining in an extremely rational manner. That this was the efficient and certain timing and method.

But Ian had no interest in imperial power at all. Reading Ian’s mood, Russell sighed lightly and uncrossed his legs.

“I shouldn’t hesitate at all, but I find myself hesitating. If House Legacy falls, Summer will return.”

“What do you mean… Summer will return? Don’t tell me you’re talking about her dying again?”

“I thought she had told you everything since it took quite a while. Seems that wasn’t the case.”

Somehow, Russell’s expression looked satisfied as he said this.

Ian gritted his teeth involuntarily at the situation that kept unfolding without his knowledge.

Everyone was in a hurry to hide things. Julian had come, pale-faced, a few months ago, leaving only fragmented pieces before leaving.

It seemed Summer also had things left unsaid, and Russell’s intentions were now completely unfathomable.

“Explain properly, Russell.”

“Stay naive like this.”

“…What are you saying,”

Russell stood up and faced Ian. Russell’s blue eyes were dark and sunken like the deep sea.

“If you’re going to be a hindrance to Summer, just stay put. Ian Lancaster.”

“Russell, you’ve gone mad. You’re being irrational. You know that?”

“I know. You think I can’t assess my own situation?”

He knows very well. Russell was acting in exactly the opposite way of how he had lived his life until now.

When it came to matters concerning Summer, he had become irrational. His mind went blank and his vision narrowed like a racehorse.

He wanted to give her everything she wanted, yet he also wanted to stop her from getting what she wanted and keep her tied to his side.

“Why are you doing this!”

“Well. I don’t know that myself. Why I’m doing this.”

“Russell…”

“More importantly, who’s in the interrogation room?”

“I assigned five knights. Duke Legacy won’t be able to escape.”

“The conversation must be over by now.”

Russell sneered as he tried to leave the room. Ian quickly grabbed Russell’s sleeve and asked.

“Conversation?”

“You go to the interrogation room and extract whatever you can from Duke Legacy. I need to stop by Summer and then receive a report on the investigation results of those remaining in the hall.”

“What conversation?”

“I deliberately left things loose. That way, Duke Legacy will make a move. It’s my guess, but there’s something more behind Duke Legacy.”

“What more could there be here?”

“Right. So keep a close eye on the Dudley family’s daughter. What they’re after is the Saint.”

“…”

Russell lightly patted Ian’s shoulder and left the room. His steps towards Summer felt heavy.

He had a feeling he might spout harsh words to her again. And when Russell arrived at the door, he flung it open with a strange feeling.

“…Summer.”

There was no one. Russell lowered his gaze. The carpet’s pattern was reversed. Russell reached out his hand to measure the width.

It was just the kind of mark that would be made if someone Summer’s size was dragged along.

“Damn it.”

Russell sprang up. A note fluttered on the desk in the room. He hurriedly approached and picked up the note, which had a brief message written on it.

Russell crumpled the note and suppressed his anger.

Blue veins bulged on the back of his clenched fist. His clenched jaw protruded. With a grinding of teeth, Russell turned around.

Talking about tomorrow night, nonsense.

Duke Legacy had sent both a warning and a signal at the same time. That he had some kind of connection with the Great Temple.

Duke Legacy wanted to draw Duke Bertrand to his side. He must have found out something. What could he have learned?

His mind was in chaos. He couldn’t even think straight. Russell just hurriedly left the imperial palace and got into the carriage he had waiting.

“Ah. One moment.”

Russell abruptly opened the carriage door, got out, and grabbed a servant.

“What’s the matter?”

“Tell Ian Lancaster that I apologize, but I have to leave urgently. What’s your name?”

“It’s Paul.”

“Right, Paul. I’ll remember that.”

After hurriedly giving instructions on what to relay, Russell got back into the carriage.

“Let’s go. As fast as possible.”

Even for Russell, the Great Temple was an uncomfortable space.

It wasn’t just uncomfortable, the mere thought of the words ‘Great Temple’ made him recall the red-stained water and Summer sinking beneath it.

“Damn it, Summer…”

He was in a hurry. He tried to figure out what aspect of Summer had piqued Duke Legacy’s interest to pull such a stunt.

There were mainly two possibilities.

One was to use her as a weakness because of her close relationship with his political opponent.

The other was because he knew Summer was a special being. This, too, was ultimately for the purpose of using her.

“Haa.”

Russell sighed as if frustrated and unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt.

They might not have moved Summer to the temple yet. But he couldn’t stay still because of his anxiety.

The carriage sped along and stopped in front of the Great Temple. Russell briefly looked up at the still enormous Great Temple.

The places where the broken statues had been had long since been cleared away and tidied up, but somehow the atmosphere was unsettled.

“Ah, hello. What brings you here?”

A follower approached Russell with a very nervous face. Russell looked at the follower calmly for a moment before speaking.

“I’d like to meet the Pope.”

“His, His Holiness is not feeling well right now…”

“Tell him I’ve come looking for black hair and red eyes.”

“Eek! Al-alright!”

As if recalling the memory of that day, the follower startled and quickly ran into the temple.

Soon, the follower returned, breathing heavily.

“Huff, this, this way please.”

Following behind the follower, a familiar corridor appeared. The Pope’s room.

Somehow, despite revealing his true form and even smashing statues and causing a riot, he hadn’t been pulled down from the Pope’s position.

The door opened and the Pope revealed himself. The follower, despite serving this Pope, became frightened and quickly ran away.

Since that day, the Pope had been maintaining his position as if nothing had happened.

From what I heard, he told the followers that evil had come down through his body and tried to destroy all the statues and devour the world, but he was saved by the help of God.

“…Huh.”

“Duke Bertrand. What brings you to see me?”

Light purple hair and even lighter, transparent purple eyes. The Pope was sitting there shamelessly as if nothing had ever happened.

An exasperated sigh escaped Russell’s lips involuntarily.

It seemed that story was true. Was that even possible?

On the day Summer tried to return but failed, the Pope had clearly seemed to harbor quite a deep grudge against God.

It seemed he still had something to gain by selling God’s name.

“Did Summer come here?”

“No. I haven’t seen Summer.”

The Pope answered with a benevolent smile. Russell was at a loss.

Wasn’t he someone who wanted to help Summer?

“You can just be honest. After all, both Summer and I would have had to come to the Great Temple one more time anyway.”

“I’m not sure what you mean. I haven’t seen Summer since that day.”

“Then would it be alright if I look around the temple a bit?”

“Do as you please.”

At this point, no matter how much more he talked here, there was nothing more to gain from the Pope. Having made this judgment, Russell withdrew compliantly, adding:

“Let me ask one thing.”

“I’ll answer to the best of my knowledge. Ask anything.”

“What is your relationship with Duke Legacy?”

The Pope smiled a bit more deeply, as if he had expected this.

It was certain. The Pope and Duke Legacy had some kind of relationship.

“Duke Legacy is a valuable person who donates substantial funds to our temple.”

“Besides that. I’m asking if you know anything about Duke Legacy writing for me to come here.”

“…I don’t know.”

This time, the Pope hesitated for a moment. That was enough. Now he knew that the temple and House Legacy were in cahoots.

“I thought Your Holiness was a generous person who embraced even outsiders.”

“…”

“It seems I was mistaken.”

Russell bowed without the slightest change in his demeanor, then left the Pope’s room.

As Russell left the room, a blue killing intent gleamed in his eyes.

The fact that the temple had colluded with House Legacy meant that they had been steadily proceeding with plans to swallow up imperial power and upset the balance of power for a long time.