The guard waited for the Cardinal to say sothing, but the uncomfortable silence persisted for another minute.
"S-Sir?"
The guard asked, gently reminding the Cardinal that he was still waiting for an answer.
"Hmm, the situation seems bad. Can you explain to in detail what is happening? Only then can I make a decision about what we should do."
Cardinal Flux asked in a gentle voice, and the guard imdiately nodded to show that he understood.
He repeated what had happened to the Cardinal in detail. From the first encounter between Sir Juniper and Grand Master Kael, to Sir Juniper bragging and losing control, to the kidnapping and getting found out.
The more the guard spoke, the quieter the room beca.
Cardinal Flux did not say anything, and his expression remained gentle. But the air in the room felt suffocating to the point that the guard felt as if he had made a mistake.
"Looks like we will have to do a little cleaning up."
The Cardinal muttered before smiling at the guard sincerely.
"Thank you for telling about what happened. I will make sure you are compensated fairly for bringing this news."
Cardinal Flux’s gratitude made the guard feel flushed, and he quickly assured the Cardinal that it was nothing.
"A-Ah, there is no need for a reward. I was just doing my duty. I also believe that the temple is the right place to raise the future hero. He’s the goddess’s chosen one, so he should train and remain by the goddess’s side."
The guard spoke with certainty, and Cardinal Flux let out a chuckle.
"You are right to believe so. Unfortunately, the hero’s training is a political issue, and the temple lost its authority when they lost the Saintess. Now, if only we are able to find the next Saintess quickly, we can regain our authority."
Cardinal Flux sighed in regret, and the guard decided to reassure him.
"Don’t worry, sir. I am sure that we will find her soon. The goddess won’t let her faithful people suffer for much longer."
The guard reassured him before leaving.
Cardinal Flux kept his smile on his face until the guard was gone. But as soon as he was alone, that smile faded from his face and frustration took its place.
"Darn it! Why did I trust Sir Juniper? If he wanted to get himself killed, then he should have done it himself. Why did he have to involve the temple in his sches? Ugh, now I will have to play nice with that kid and even pretend I am grateful to him."
Cardinal Flux let out another curse before calming himself down and heading back to the mass.
No matter how disappointed he was, he still had work to do. He needed people to donate more money.
After all, one could never have too much money.
__________
Kael received the temple’s ssage imdiately after he returned ho. He grabbed the letter but did not open it.
Instead, he instructed everyone else to take a bath while he started on dinner.
Kael wanted to take a bath as well, but he wanted to take his ti with it. So he decided to clean himself up using magic for now and started preparing dinner.
He had gotten pre-prepared side dishes from a restaurant on his way back, so all he needed to prepare were the main dishes and rice.
It took almost no ti, which was good because everyone else returned quickly.
"You all had a hard day today. Eat up and rest well."
Kael told them all, but the trio sitting in front of him hesitated to reach for anything. In the end, Kael was the one who started eating, and only then did everyone else begin to eat as well.
He knew that they were all hungry but were holding back so they would not appear ungrateful. But all that restraint flew out the window once they actually started eating.
A large feast had been laid out on the table, but it disappeared quickly.
Kael gathered the dishes to wash them. He was about to use magic to clean them when he noticed Seraphina heading toward the sink and starting to wash them herself.
"There is no need to do the dishes today, Seraphina. I will take care of them using magic."
Kael told her as he waved his hand around. The dishes began to clean themselves imdiately, making Seraphina gasp.
She watched him use magic for a few seconds before looking at him with uncertain eyes.
"Is there anything I can do to help around here? I don’t feel that sleepy right now, and moving around would likely help ."
Kael looked at her before sighing and shaking his head.
He could create a task for her to do, but he did not want Seraphina to use chores to hide her feelings or as a way to feel useful.
What Kael wanted for her was to feel confident in herself even when she had nothing to offer him. She needed to realize that she had worth beyond being useful to others.
Otherwise, she would have no self-respect left by the ti tragedy struck in the future.
"I don’t think I have anything for you to do. If you are not feeling sleepy, then you should head to the library and read so books. I’ve heard that books make people fall asleep in seconds."
Kael advised her, and Seraphina’s eyes shone with newfound understanding.
"The books...of course! That will be the best way for to beco more useful...I will head to the library now."
[Seraphina’s trust: 2]
Seraphina muttered the first part, and Kael was certain he was not supposed to hear it. But he was too stunned by the sudden trust gain to fully process what she had said.
By the ti he looked back toward Seraphina, she was already gone.
It did not take long for Iris and Leon to co find him either.
"I think I will go for a run to get rid of my pent-up energy. Call if you need my help with anything."
Iris told Kael before heading out quickly.
Then it was Leon’s turn, but he did not seem to have anything he wanted to do. Since he was not heading to his room to sleep either, Kael decided they could fit in a little training.
"Leon, if you are free, then do you want to practice mana manipulation? I think we can try a new thod that would suit you better."
[Leon’s trust 5]
Kael asked him, and Leon nodded. That was how they spent the rest of their ti together. And once everyone else was asleep, it was finally ti for Kael to read the Cardinal’s letter.
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