I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 3 Part 4

Even with half-lidded eyes, there was a corner of his being that intimidated others with an intense aura. I stared at him incessantly, wanting to hear that it was just a joke, but the person standing in front of me ultimately offered no clarification or elaboration whatsoever.

The seemingly endless confrontation ended when I heard the sound of the knights returning from downstairs. He sighed, as if regretful, and gently whispered while flicking my hair.

“I believe you can do it.”

Sadly, that was our last encounter. Keene, who threw an unrealistic proposal, no, a threat, disappeared without a trace afterward.

“Ahh!”

And just in time, the knights ascended from below. They discovered me standing there frozen, and then took a step back, screaming.

“Whoa, you scared me! What are you doing here?”

One of them approached and spoke to me. I moved unnaturally, like a malfunctioning robot, and looked at her.

“I-I’m sorry. That… uh…”

I didn’t know what I was saying, or rather, if I was even speaking at all. My mind was filled with keys and death.

It seemed impossible to respond properly to my current state of mind, even if I looked at the male lead. The plan had probably failed. At this moment, when I wanted to hastily withdraw,

“Duna?”

Until a moment ago, the voice I longed for echoed out.

“What are you doing here…”

“…Ah.”

Seeing his composed face even in such a sweaty state, my mind, which had been spinning, came to a halt. And an indescribable sense of guilt surged up.

I had claimed to be in training. This is a person who sweats like that every day to protect this sacred country.

Compared to that upright man, I am not only a traitor who communicated with spies…

“Duna? Are you okay?”

Peidos furrowed his eyebrows and approached even closer. I regained my presence of mind and belatedly offered the basket.

“I, I wanted to return this… I’m sorry it took so long.”

I tried to return it a while ago but failed due to our conflicting schedules. Peidos looked at the basket I offered and let out a soft sigh.

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Oh, and this handkerchief…”

I took out the handkerchief that I sometimes glanced at before going to sleep and handed it to him. As I was about to return it, I felt a slight sense of regret.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

He murmured softly as he received the basket and handkerchief.

But then, the knight who was observing us from the side said, “Huh?” with a puzzled sound. It was the knight who spoke to me a while ago.

“What’s going on? Is the leader having a love affair?”

“No, not at all!”

“It seems like it, though.”

“No, I’m really telling the truth!”

Startled, I jumped up in surprise. I fiercely pointed my finger, and then, out of self-reproach, I bit my lip.

I didn’t mean to cause trouble like this.

“Haha, what’s this? It’s the first time I’ve seen the esteemed Sir Peidos being denied like this.”

“What? No, it’s not like that…”

“Ali, enough of your mean pranks.”

The knight called Ali replied, “Yes,” with a nonchalant tone. Mischievousness was clearly evident in the corners of her eyes, which were curved in a long arc.

“Is that all?”

Peidos asked, his voice sounding somewhat stiffer than earlier. I nodded my head, feeling the distant atmosphere from his chilly expression.

“Sorry for getting in the way. Well then…”

It was an embarrassing and bewildering moment, so I wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

“Wait.”

Peidos stopped me in my tracks. With a puzzled expression on my face, confused, he slowly reached out his hand to me.

“Your sweat is…”

Before his thumb could touch my forehead, I hastily lowered my head.

“Uh, excuse me!”

I could feel the heat rushing to my face. My cheeks must have turned very red.

Before I could hear his response, I hurriedly ran down the stairs as if I were being chased by a demon.

* * *

[Bring the Pope’s key within ten days. Then I’ll consider it.]

His low threat echoed incessantly in my mind. As I tried to recall the same line for the fiftieth time, I grasped my head and screamed.

“Aaah!”

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Leila ran over, startled by my scream. I weakly replied, exhausted, slumping onto the living room couch.

“It’s nothing… just… stressed about the exam.”

“Well, there’s still a long way before that.”

Leila, who never bothered with studying, cheerfully laughed.

Although the ordination exam was certainly one of her stressors, as Leila said, there was still time left, so I wasn’t too worried.

For now, the only thing I should be worried about is my life.

“How on earth am I supposed to get it…?”

The key to the Pope’s safe.

Even in an ordinary home, safes are considered quite important. Needless to say, as the person in charge of a temple, it’s unimaginable how important things must be stored in that safe. It’s not something that can be carelessly managed.

The key must have been undoubtedly kept in a place where it rarely touches anyone else’s hand. Meaning, the chance of me being able to steal it is close to zero.

“That guy is definitely playing with me.”

My hand unconsciously moved towards my lips. The smooth sensation reminded me of the recent confrontation where I almost touched something that belonged to someone else.

I’m still in shock about it. I can’t believe I almost spent the night with such a dangerous man.

Of course, his behavior of making unreasonable threats after buying me food with sweet words was far from acceptable. What does Keene want from me?

Is this his idea of amusement? Twisting my emotions in different directions? Does he have a hobby of watching someone who alternates between excitement and terror?

“That crazy bastard, seriously…”

“Why do you keep mumbling to yourself since earlier?”

Leila asked, annoyed, as she tossed the laundry. I lifted my head and raised my upper body.

“It’s nothing… just… nothing.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen your lover these days.”

“…….”

Leila brought up Keene at the perfect moment, almost as if she sensed it. But as someone who was completely oblivious, she continued to prattle on, unaware of anything.

“Did you two break up? Because of Sir Peidos?”

“…I don’t have that kind of relationship with Sir Peidos.”

I felt sorry for Sir Peidos, who’s probably being misunderstood just because of a measly handkerchief.

Then, the incident that had just happened with him came to mind, making me feel embarrassed again. I shouldn’t have gone there and made him a target for mockery of colleagues. Especially when he wouldn’t be able to explain everything anyway.

“Leila, let’s talk. Is there really a reason we have to live?”

“…What?”

“Is there really any value in this world?”

“…Have you gone crazy?”

She scowled at me and threw the towel at me.

“You must have studied too hard. You want me to console you just because you broke up with your lover.”

I sighed heavily as I looked at her, mentioning the source of my troubles once again. Thanks to that guy who was only my lover in name, this life would probably end early, just like my past life.

No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t see a way out. Instead of vainly attempting to steal the key and getting caught, receiving endless criticism from the whole kingdom, I thought it might be better to die by Keene’s hands.

As a supporting character with no abilities, what could I possibly do to prolong my life?

“When will you stop sighing like that?”

Of course, I never believed in his sincerity. But still, how could he pretend to be so affectionate and intimate and then make this kind of threat?

Crazy people have reasons for being crazy.

I slowly stood up.

“Leila, I’m going for a walk.”

“Sure, go and clear your head. Scary, this guy.”

Perhaps she found it strange that I suddenly spoke of the meaning of life. Leila pushed me from behind. I sluggishly put on my ceremonial robe and left the lodging.

First, I planned to go to the Pope’s Office in the West Hall. I would walk around there and try to come up with a plan. I don’t have a clue where or how to start, but at least I should think about it.

But just as I was about to enter the hall, a familiar face came into view. Johan smiled slightly when our eyes met.

“Meeting again?”

“Yeah.”

I glanced at the folders in his hand and subtly asked.

“How does the situation look? Does it seem to be getting organized?”

“What do you mean organized, we haven’t caught the culprit yet, so it’s still chaotic. It seems they are reinforcing the barriers inside the temple. It will be difficult to go out for a while.”

“Ah…”

Even though going out was difficult anyway, it was disappointing news.

I pouted gloomily and sighed quietly.

“The Pope… do you know how he reacted?”

“I haven’t had the privilege of meeting His Holiness directly. But I heard from Bishop Dorant earlier that he was furious.”

“That’s to be expected.”

If nothing else, the sacred relic was stolen.

I took a brief pause and asked in a casual voice.

“Deacon, speaking of the Pope, a thought suddenly came to mind. How about I assist His Holiness, well, I mean, not literally assisting closely, but…”

I quickly added, correcting myself in response to his facial expression that seemed to question why I was bringing up the trivial duties of a priest.

“I was recently assigned the task of cleaning the dormitory. As you know, the dormitory is mainly occupied by the knights. However, while sweeping and cleaning the corridors that the dedicated individuals who strive day and night to protect the Holy Kingdom pass through daily, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so I thought… Ah, what kind of mindset could I acquire if I were to sweep and clean a place where His Holiness, who is so compassionate as to allow humanitarian aid even in conflict areas, works…”

“…….”

One of Johan’s eyebrows rose and froze. Well, even to me, it sounds absurd, let alone to someone else.

But suddenly, he smirked and patted my shoulder.

“Child, you’re not what you seem, are you?”

“…….”

“No need to dress it up for me. Where do you really aim to go? The State Council?”

I looked at Johan, who was grinning with a dumbfounded expression. He was undoubtedly misunderstanding something.

“Deacon, it’s not like that, really…”

“Ah well, forget it, you punk. First, get your priestly robes. If I think there’s a good opportunity, I’ll call you along.”

“No…”

“Don’t forget me when you rise to a high position!”

“…….”

With that, he disappeared, still in misunderstanding.

I held my forehead, frustrated with the conversation that was nothing but a waste of time.

No matter how I thought about it, going into the office under the pretext of cleaning seemed to be the best choice for now. I’m not sure if the key is inside the office, but it’s more likely than directly confronting the Pope and searching his body.

Unable to lose hope, I continued to pace in the hall, and this time, another familiar face appeared. Convinced that it was Miss Eleksi, the priest who had just come out of the chapel, I hurriedly ran towards her.

“Sister Elexi”

“…Duna?”

The conversation proceeded in a similar manner as before.

Opening the conversation with a suitable topic and bringing up the words I said to Johan as naturally as possible resulted in the following:

“So, you want to clean the places where the previous popes stayed and feel the footprints of the saints?”

“Yes, I’ve learned a lot while cleaning the East Hall last time. I want to feel that resonance in other places too.”

“Hmm.”

It was worrying that I might become a dog while speaking. How well I barked, woof.