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The head of the Third District of the Holy City of Thera Maryth, High Priestess Teressa was receiving an important guest, who had arrived in haste via express messenger from the headquarters, Sant’Angelo Sanctuarium.

“…So, in other words, Sant’Angelo is hesitant about offering protection to Shrine Maiden Clara and Shrine Maiden Barbara. Is that the correct understanding, Cardinal Callisto?”
“Well—if we’re putting it bluntly, yeah. Basically, the old geezers in the Cardinal Council are pinning the blame on the Adventurers’ Guild for the whole mess and trying to wash their hands of it.”

Although her tone and manner were most polite, Teressa’s words were laced with sharp sarcasm. The man she addressed—draped in the ceremonial robes marking him as a high-ranking clergyman and appearing to be in his forties—responded with a smug grin.

Though he wore his robes properly, there was something about his manner that made them seem slightly disheveled. His thin, wiry frame—devoid of any sign of frailty—was paired with a monkey-like face. Not a handsome man by any means, but there was an odd sort of charm to him.

“Some ‘guardians of the law’ they are. They can’t even protect their own shrine maidens.”
“Well, they did send six temple knights from headquarters, along with little Lawrence for support. That’s their idea of keeping up appearances, the senile fools.”

Lounging in his chair with his legs stretched out, hands resting behind his head, Cardinal Callisto swayed slightly as he spoke, his tone utterly detached.

“Father Lawrence? The one rumored to be the Archbishop’s prized blade?”

Teressa furrowed her brows in suspicion.

For reference, the Archbishop held the second-highest rank in the church, just below the Pope. Headquarters was scrambling to avoid responsibility, yet at the same time, the Archbishop had immediately deployed his most trusted operative.

This contradiction gnawed at Teressa’s thoughts. Then, all at once, her expression changed. She shot up from her chair, her face drained of color.

“――! Could it be… as an internal inspector!? They’re just using security as an excuse—they plan to put Clara on trial! The headquarters still doesn’t trust that child?!”

Unlike Teressa, whose face had turned pale with anger, Callisto merely shrugged, his smirk unwavering.

“Well, she did claim to have ‘amnesia,’ and despite all their efforts, our oh-so-proud investigative bureau couldn’t dig up a single thing about her past. Can’t blame them for being paranoid.”
“‘Doubt not. First, have faith and cooperate’… That’s the teaching of the Holy Saintess. Such behavior is disgraceful for members of the clergy.”

Incidentally, the second half of that particular teaching was: ‘However, if betrayed, exact retribution without fail.’ A surprisingly militant philosophy.

“When Clara—no, Lady Adelheid—was accepted into the church, wasn’t she subjected to thorough evaluations and interviews? They assessed her character and abilities and found no issues before recognizing her as a shrine maiden. In fact, her record and personality are impeccable. There is no need for this underhanded investigation now.”
“Evaluations, huh…”

Callisto tilted his head as if pondering something—before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh man, that was a masterpiece! The meeting transcripts, the evaluation documents—five whole crates of high-quality official paper wasted on things like gourmet curry recipes, effective weight-loss methods, and even translations of that nonsense ‘Hana-Mogera’ language!”

He nearly fell out of his chair from laughing, his shoulders shaking as he guffawed.

“But the best part—the absolute best part—was Clara and her maid’s conversations! I swear, it was like reading a never-ending comedy skit script!”

Gasping for breath after his fit of laughter, Callisto wiped a tear from his eye and kept going.

“I like her. Idiots like that, the ones who go all the way, are my kind of people. The world’s full of boring idiots.”

It was hardly the kind of statement one expected from a high-ranking cleric. But considering that he maintained this brazen attitude even when speaking to the Pope himself, in a way, Cardinal Callisto could be called a great man.

Of course, the mainstream clergy loathed and shunned him as if he were the plague…

“—I assumed your presence here was to act as a watchdog for those boring idiots, ensuring I don’t act recklessly.”

Teressa made no effort to hide the suspicion in her voice. Callisto, however, shook his head with an expression of mock indignation.

“Don’t lump me in with those fools who mistake faith for a means to an end.”
“…So, this isn’t an order from the higher-ups?”
“Oh, no, I did get orders from above, that’s for sure. But not from those idiots.”

Not from the Cardinal Council or the Grand Archbishop…?

Teresa pondered for a moment. But there was only one person who could command a free-spirited cardinal like this.

“Don’t tell me—the Po—?!”
“Whoa there, I didn’t say a word.”

Callisto cut her off with a smirk, eyes glinting with amusement.

“I can’t go around confirming that old baldy’s hobbies. Though, from the looks of it, this is just a personal interest for now.”

With a sigh, he scratched his cheek, looking as if he couldn’t be bothered to care.

“…I see. I won’t ask any further. But—will Clara be safe from now on?”

She subtly probed, hinting at whether the Pope himself was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Callisto bared his teeth in a grin.

“Hmph… Your little Clara doesn’t seem like some delicate flower that needs protecting, does she? Besides, idiots who go all the way—they always move in ways normal folks can’t predict.”

Was there something hidden behind Cardinal Callisto’s air of composure? Teressa scrutinized him, as if trying to gauge his true intentions.

But—

“………”

She let out a sigh, as if resigning herself, then averted her gaze. Peering outside, she noticed that dusk had already fallen.

As night descended, the temperature dropped rapidly. Mist, sliding down the mountainsides, had begun drifting through the town.

It was the famous morning and evening fog of Thera Maryth.

“…Looks like visibility is poor again tonight.”

Facing the pale haze, as if it mirrored her own thoughts, Teressa murmured to no one in particular.