"But Evelina had not done so."

On that day, Evelina suddenly complained of feeling unwell from the morning and locked herself in her room. As a result, instead of a ceremony led by a saint, the church welcomed a prayer gathering led by a deputy, for the first time. Naturally, people were greatly disappointed by Evelina's behavior, and stories of the saint who had abandoned her duties and indulged in pleasure spread throughout the continent.

"Iris heard that story."

As Iris overheard people gossiping about the saint, she found herself pondering on how the church of the deputy must look.

"But that's not important right now."

Karus needed to find out what this was all about. No matter how much he searched his memories, there was hardly anything about Karus. Even if Evelina's memories remained, they were not complete. Fortunately, it was not too difficult to maintain the facade of a saint as she did now, but she did not remember the small conversations she had with people.

"Important things still remain."

However, the fact that there were no memories of Karus seemed to be due to two reasons. Either there was no value in remembering, or she did not want to remember. Looking at Karus, it was uncertain which of the two it could be.

"How can such a person be a senior cleric?"

Impressions are something that people have. Even if someone is beautiful, there can be an instinctive sense of unease, and even if someone is not beautiful, there can be an attraction. Unfortunately, Karus was someone who exuded an unsettling air while not being beautiful.

After gaining strength, I spent most of my life in the hospital. Being in the cheapest twelve-person ward covered by insurance meant encountering various people. Since I had nothing to do all day, observing those people became a significant part of my day, and thanks to that, I could now guess with a high probability what kind of person someone was based on their first impression alone.

If I trust my intuition, this Karus, the cleric, is someone I wouldn't want to get close to. He's just that kind of person.

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"Your Grace?"

As I stared at him for a long time, Karus approached me even closer. Then, he lowered his voice and asked,

"Are you still considering my request?"

What on earth did Karus ask for? First, I needed to find out what it was. I deliberately responded with an air of annoyance.

"Well, I can't seem to recall what you asked me."

I didn't really not know, but I pretended not to know. Karus continued to lick his lips as if hesitating, as if he were suppressing something. After hesitating several times, he looked around and spoke again.

"I urgently requested it before. I suggested replacing the fallen Deputy Daelan with me in the prayer gathering. How do you feel about that?"

So, that's what he requested. When I tried to recall Evelina's memories, I realized that Daelan, who currently held the position of deputy, was already too old to properly fulfill his duties. Therefore, within the temple, there seemed to be an underground power struggle for the position of deputy.

"In any case, the appointment of a deputy is within the authority of the saint."

So, despite not being pleased with Evelina's actions, the senior clerics continued to accommodate her whims. Thanks to that, Evelina had been living without much difficulty, it seemed.

But I had absolutely no intention of placing this person in the position of deputy. Therefore, I spoke firmly to Karus.

"Well, I'm not convinced that you would be able to handle that position. So, I suggest you go back."

"Wouldn't that break the promise, Your Grace?"

Before I could finish my sentence, Karus approached even closer. His face had turned a sickly color due to anger and excitement. Before I could say anything, he spoke first.

"Perhaps you didn't like the men I offered?"

"The men you offered?"

For a moment, I doubted my ears. The men he offered?

"Yes, they were carefully selected individuals. They were flawless in both appearance and physique, and among them, I deliberately chose those who I thought would not behave arrogantly towards you, Your Grace. If they were not enough, then I would increase their number next time. If you have any special preferences..."

"Enough."

I raised my hand to stop Karus from speaking further. I knew what she had received from him. The men who were sitting beside her bed, looking disheveled, during the incident with Commander Latvan. And the men who left marks of red beneath her clothes. Those men were what she received through Karus.