Just before his hand could reach me, Alois lightly pulled back my chair back and stepped in front of me, grabbing the man’s wrist.
I inwardly applauded his quick reflexes.
“Please refrain from acting so violently toward a lady.”
“You’re in on this too!”
“Enough! If you do not stop immediately, you will be removed at once!”
I watched Alois maintain his polite facade as he sat down.
Why bother provoking the man like that?
If we continued the game, I would have naturally won anyway.
“Ugh…!”
At the single warning of being thrown out, the young lord visibly flinched.
I figured this was a good time to step in.
“Alois.”
I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back forcefully as I rose from my seat.
Alois let himself be drawn in, bumping into me before finally turning his gaze toward me.
“Enough.”
“…As you command.”
After saying that, I took my hand away.
After a brief silence, he finally complied.
As I observed the man who was now calming down, I turned back to Alois and asked.
“Is he someone you know?”
“Of course not. Don’t you see how ‘beautiful’ most of the nobles here are? That’s because they’ve altered their appearances using magic.”
That only made me more curious.
How did he know which country that man belonged to?
When I gave him a questioning look, Alois casually replied:
“It wasn’t difficult. His uniform, his habits when drinking wine, the etiquette he follows while eating. All those things reveal one’s nationality.”
“Just from that?”
“It’s not just that. For example…”
“…?”
Alois turned slightly and gently pressed down on my shoulders, guiding me back into my seat.
“The way you sit with your hands neatly folded on your lap, the way you always maintain an upright posture, and how you recite something before meals—those are all traits of someone who serves the divine.”
“…You’ve observed quite a lot.”
Even if I didn’t want to admit it, those habits had been drilled into me by Reneben’s relentless training.
That said, I was far more relaxed than the other priests.
“But no need to worry. Nearly every noble here frequents this place. And if their identities are revealed, it would be an enormous disgrace. That’s why they all desperately try to keep their identities hidden. But for a priest who serves the divine to be here…”
Alois slowly scanned me from head to toe, then reached out and lightly twirled the end of my hair.
“You cannot be found out and if you were, it would cause enormous chaos. But no one here knows you are the Saintess. It seems there aren’t many with keen eyes like mine.”
I doubt an observation skill like this was just about having keen eyes. When I stayed silent, waiting for him to get to the point, Alois shrugged his shoulders.
“Haha, Nevercio is famous for its wars. It’s one of the few empires in this vast world that grew through conquests. Every noble-born son of Nevercio is raised with the sword. If you look closely at his hands, you’ll see that they’re covered in calluses.”
“…But that alone isn’t enough to be sure. Besides, many nobles practice swordsmanship.”
Alois smiled.
The blonde woman guiding the noble away glanced at me as she passed, giving me a subtle nod of acknowledgment before disappearing behind thick curtains.
“Lady Emilone.”
I had been watching them, debating whether to follow, when—
Alois suddenly grabbed my chin, tilting my face toward him.
His fingers brushed my cheek in a way that almost felt affectionate.
“Could you pay more attention to me instead?”
“…”
His slightly drooping eyes reminded me of a puppy soaked in the rain.
I barely managed to suppress a laugh, covering my mouth with my hand before reluctantly nodding.
“It’s different. Nevercio’s swordsmanship leaves calluses in different areas compared to other nations.”
Alois turned my hand upward, tapping certain spots lightly.
“Even Lady Saintess’ fair hands have traces of wielding a sword.”
I glanced at Alois’ hands.
Even though he looked like he had never worked a day in his life, Alois’ hands were surprisingly covered in calluses.
This is why they say you can never defeat a genius that works hard…
“So you figured out he’s from Nevercio bases on his calluses?”
“Of course not. The fabric of his clothes is only produced in two countries, and the red gemstone on his brooch was recently excavated from Ledoux Territory.”
“…”
I frowned.
How could he even tell that apart?
To me, all red gemstones looked like rubies.
Nobles often made a fuss about how different they were, but I never saw it.
“The Ledoux territory is famous for its harsh winters. Nevercio is a generally temperate country, but Ledoux is its only cursed land, where snow falls all year round.”
“…That young lord’s attire was rather thick.”
“Unless it’s someone like us, no one would bother changing clothes. And these days, formal attire looks so similar that it’s difficult to tell which country it’s from. Besides, it’s warm here so there’s no need to change into warm clothes before coming in.”
I felt like I understood what he meant.
I tapped my feet as I recalled the young lord rolling up his sleeves and taking off his coat, probably because he felt hot.
“Aside from that, there’s another reason you’re so sure he’s from Ledoux, isn’t there?”
“Well, that… I don’t want to both you with needless talk.”
Alois straightened in the chair and gently pushing my shoulder back.
“Even if I wanted to, that woman seems to be returning.”
At his words, I turned.
The blonde woman who had taken the noble away had now reappeared, walking toward us with a formal expression.
Emerging from behind the curtains, she approached without hesitation.
“Is something the matter?”
I asked as soon as she drew close.
Without a word, she held out something that looked like a document folder.
“The other party has admitted their rudeness and has forfeited.”
I took the envelope, flipping through its contents before nodding.
“So this contains the documents for the Goddess’s Olive Tree?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
When I return to the temple, I should seriously push for stricter regulations on trading sacred relics like this…
“And where did that young lord go?”
“…”
The moment I asked, Alois gently took my wrist.
Before I could say anything, the blonde woman began to flip through the bundle of documents held tightly in her arms.
“Have you ever been underground, by chance?”
“Underground?”
“Ah. I have.”
The word ‘underground’ made me glance toward the curtains again, while Alois replied that he’d been there.
It was a little surprising.
He didn’t seem like the type to visit such a seedy place yet, he was oddly familiar with it.
“If there’s room, I’d like to enter.”
Alois spoke in his usual smooth voice.
Since I was still figuring out the situation, I just listened.
“But from what I see…it doesn’t seem like you two are in need of money?”
…Money??
I really was a frog in a well.
What was the point of being a Saintess with no national ties when my world was still so small?
There was still so much I didn’t know and even a place like this that most nobles knew about, I had no idea.
I couldn’t help but feel a little down.
“Well…I did suffer a rather large loss earlier.”
Alois nodded toward the game table I was at earlier.
That game I lost on purpose?
It was a lot of money, yes, but it wasn’t enough to hurt Alois.
“That…I see.”
The woman flipped through a few more papers, glanced at Alois, then back at her papers, seeming assessing something.
“So, how long do I have to stand here?”
Judging by her rough hands, she wasn’t from a noble family and even though she stood proudly among the nobles, she wasn’t bold enough to openly defy them.
Feigning boredom, I tilted my head slightly, twisting the ends of my hair between my fingers, acting the part of an aristocrat.
Thanks to Alois twisting it earlier, my hair had taken on even more pronounced waves. I absentmindedly unwound the curls in the opposite direction while shifting my gaze. The woman let out a small cough, then cast a quick glance toward the curtained area.
“I understand. Then, please allow me to escort you.”
Finally, things seemed to be moving along. I glanced at Alois, who had a faint smile on his face. He caught the tip of my hair which was now loosened from my twirling and rubbed it gently between his fingers.
I felt a bit of mischief in that action, and I stared at him. Noticing my gaze, he licked his upper lips.
“Shall we?”
“…”
It seemed we had to move underground, though given how calm Alois looked, it didn’t seem to be that dangerous.
“This way.”
As we followed the blonde woman, all eyes in the hall turned toward us.
Their stares lingered even as we disappeared behind the curtain.
“…”
Advanced chapters available on Patreon.
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 100 - May 6, 2025
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 99 - May 2, 2025
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 98 - April 30, 2025