C 86
In high school and preparatory school, I was obviously bullied, ridiculed, and made fun of, but no one resorted to violence.
The moment someone hit me without reason, I turned into a madwoman.
When my hair was grabbed, the other person's hair was pulled out in a round shape as if they had lost their hair.
"What...? What do you mean...?"
I innocently approached him and jumped with all my might under his legs.
Pang-!
"Aaaack...!"
Oh, my head hurts.
After hitting him between his legs with all my might, he let go of the whip, and I laughed at the priest who clutched between his legs.
"Adam, Iona!"
"Yes, miss."
Adam changed his title. Obviously, it was because the fact that I was the matriarch of the family had not yet been announced.
I raised my finger and pointed at the priest, then opened my mouth brightly.
"He flirted with me."
"Did he?"
While Iona questioned, Adam slowly unsheathed his sword.
"I will follow your orders."
"Yes, Iona, watch that person."
It doesn't look good for two people to harass one person, so I pointed to the Suin trembling on the ground.
"Don't kill him."
When Adam's sword seemed to be filled with life, he added a comment and softened his momentum.
"Was he really going to kill him?"
What should I do about it?
As I shook my head, the Suin crawled under my feet.
"A-Are you the king?"
"What...?"
"The King, are you the King who will save us...? Yes, there was a revelation. The king of the Suins, who will save us, has awakened..."
What revelation did you receive? I felt my limbs wither.
I was speechless and silent for a moment at the Suin's words.
As I looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, the man was crying profusely.
"Please..."
He lowered his head and pressed his forehead to the ground.
"From those damn humans... Please, free us."
I closed my mouth and frowned. When Lucilion becomes the high priest, the Suins are freed.
Lucilion freed them all in the name of not seeing Suins in the temple.
"Please have compassion..."
I looked at the Suin for a moment and then nodded.
"I'll try."
It's something that will happen when Lucilion becomes the High Priest, but it won't hurt if we can expedite it a bit.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Because he only needs hope.
"Yes."
I replied and lifted my head. Adam, who had already dealt with the priest, approached me and prostrated him by holding his back.
"I have fulfilled your orders."
"Wh-Who the hell are you!"
He had his lips slightly open, a swollen face, and asked with a stuttering voice as if he had lost his teeth.
"Me?"
What should I say?
It's a bit like turning everything upside down. But I can't say it's a matter of the Etham family.
After thinking briefly, I came to a satisfactory conclusion.
"I am Cardinal Chronos's niece!"
I proudly declared.
"Hiiiik!"
"Aack!"
At the same time, the priest and the Suin both recoiled from me almost simultaneously as if they had a fit.
"Oh...?"
I didn't expect that.
Even if the priest reacted like that, why did the Suin run away like that? He looked at me with an expression full of surprise and betrayal.
"N-Niece of His Excellency Cardinal Chronos...?"
And the priest seemed too frightened. I was speechless for a moment at the slightly different reaction than I expected.
When I widened my eyes, the two of them got scared and crawled backward on their hips.
"Where is my uncle?"
"H-He... He's probably already doing penance with the High Priest..."
"Penance?"
When I asked with my eyes wide open, he nodded.
"So, where is he?"
"Well, he's probably in the third chamber of light."
He barely opened his mouth with swollen lips. I felt a bit annoyed by the frustrating answer.
"I don't know if I can say that..."
As he lowered his head in embarrassment, Adam gripped the hilt of his sword. Then, the priest opened his mouth in astonishment.
"That's it! If you go straight from here, there will be a white path everywhere! It's the third room from the ones that appear when you walk down the street. Please don't hit me!"
In the end, I closed my eyes tightly. I frowned when I saw that double standard.
It was amusing that he didn't want to be hit by others after hitting Suin like that.
"Don't hit him and send him back."
"Yes, yes, ma'am. Go back to your cage now!"
"Yes, yes..."
The Suin got up limping, bowed to me, and turned around.
The limping leg didn't look normal.
I don't know anything else, but first, I thought it would be better to free the Suin.
"To do that..."
I have to somehow convince my third uncle, who is like the leader of the hardline faction.
"Adam."
"Yes, miss."
"He just stared at me."
"What?! When did I...? It wasn't like that! I didn't do it!"
The priest almost started a game and crawled under my feet. He was a man who seemed to be in his thirties.
He held onto my feet as if he had no shame. It seemed like he really didn't want to be hit.
"Then guide me to where my uncle is."
Upon my words, he quickly stood up and nodded.
The place we arrived at following his guidance was a building so white it made me feel nauseous.
From all the decorations to the pillars and pathways, everything was pure white, so just looking at it made me feel strange.
Shaaa, shaaa!
And from somewhere, a loud cracking sound could be heard. The sound grew louder as we walked.
And finally, the priest stopped in front of the room where the sound was clearly emanating from.
"No way..."
When I looked at the priest, he trembled and opened his mouth.
"It, it's here. However, when you're in penance, it's a rule that no one enters..."
Are you saying that the unshakable and unwavering man is in there?
I was left speechless at the incredible fact. Inside, the same regular sound was coming out.
"Are you doing this too?"
"Receiving penance? No, this is for someone specially designated by the high priest or when he wants it himself."
"Ah."
"Since Cardinal Chronos always lives his life with a heart of atonement, the High Priest directly helps him with penance."
I couldn't help but feel a little perplexed by that statement. Isn't it strange in everyone's eyes?
There was no one in front of the room where the sound was coming from.
When I looked at Adam and Iona, the two of them hesitated briefly.
"Miss, can't we just say we'll take care of it and call for you?"
Iona asked once, though she clearly knew it wouldn't work.
"Yes."
At my answer, both of them bowed their heads and grabbed the doorknob.
"You can't just open this place! He will be very upset."
I pretended not to understand the priest's words and nodded. Then two people opened the door in my place.
As soon as the door opened, the smell of blood and the pungent odor of herbs hit me.
In the center of the scene, Chronos Etham, who had taken off his upper body, was kneeling with his back upright.
Blood was flowing from a long wound on his back, and a bunch of flexible stems, like lush reeds, were relentlessly hitting his back.
There were various things on the plants. Sometimes, when the plants touched the wound, they produced excruciating pain.
When the door opened, the man who was striking his back with a branch full of leaves and thorns slowly turned around.
The middle-aged man glanced at my knights and humbly clicked his tongue.
He was a man with eyes as narrow as a snake's. Instead of looking like a priest, he gave the impression of being a disloyal vassal.
"There's a rule that says not to enter a priest's room when they're in penance."
"Third uncle!"
I ran like a clueless child and grabbed his arm tightly.
Still, he didn't come to his senses, so I quickly wrapped myself around his neck.
Only then, with pupils dilated from the tremendous pain, he raised his head as if he had suddenly regained his senses upon hearing my voice and feeling my warmth.
"... you."
His face was covered in cold sweat. It's incredible that this is penance.
It's just torture.
"Why are you here?"
He said as I clung desperately to his neck.
Of course, I clung tightly to him.
"I'm here to see my uncle!"
In reality, I only came to see Lucilion, but I didn't feel like saying that here.
"Uncle?"
Perhaps the snake-like man who seemed to be a high priest tilted his head.
"Go back, this is not a place for you to come recklessly."
"No, I don't want to."
"Think about your situation."
"Yes, I thought about it."
It seemed that Chronos Etham asked me to think about my position as the matriarch of the family, but I had already thought about everything.
"They all protect me, so I have to protect them. I have that kind of position."
At my words, Chronos Etham's pupils dilated slightly.
