Chapter 50 : The Lord of Birren (2)

The lord began sharing his concerns, starting hesitantly but gradually opening up as he grew more comfortable. 

His worries ranged from fears about Birren’s future to the streak of unfortunate events that had plagued him recently, to the anxiety caused by his sudden illness.

After listening attentively to all he had to say, I offered him comforting words, much like I had done before in similar situations. 

My improvised reassurances, while awkward and disjointed, seemed effective—likely thanks to the charm of this face of mine.

They say beauty can carry any message, and this moment certainly proved that.

Even as I felt my words lacked substance, the lord appeared deeply moved. 

He was nearly in tears, his emotions on the verge of spilling over. 

Watching his reaction made me briefly wonder if I had some hidden talent for moving people with my words.

But I quickly dismissed the thought—I knew better than anyone that wasn’t true.

As he sat there, eyes glistening, I decided it was time to ask my own questions.

“Could we get permission to access the underground prison?” I began.

The lord tilted his head in puzzlement but nodded.

“Of course. Why would you even need to ask?”

“Well… this morning, one of your knights blocked us from entering. He claimed it was against Birren’s rules.”

I explained the incident from earlier, and the lord’s expression shifted to one of confusion.

“Birren’s rules? What rules are you talking about?”

“Are you saying you’re unaware of this rule?”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Does that mean you weren’t the one who created this rule?”

“That’s correct. I’ve never made such a regulation. Isn’t it strange to have a rule that even prevents involved parties from seeing prisoners?”

His words confirmed my suspicion—this so-called rule wasn’t his doing.

Thinking back, the knight who stopped us mentioned that he was following the young master’s orders, not the lord’s.

If that was the case, then… this “rule” must have been independently established by the young master.

Questions swirled in my mind, but I set them aside for now.

“So, may we visit the underground prison?”

“Of course! You are free to go anywhere within the estate. You’ve earned that right.
But… is it true that one of my knights dared to obstruct the envoy of the gods? Such audacity! Tell me that knight’s name, and I’ll see to it he’s punished immediately!”

The lord’s face was red with anger, his voice trembling. 

He seemed genuinely outraged.

Sensing that revealing the knight’s name would likely escalate the situation, I quickly waved my hands in dismissal.

“It’s fine, really. No need for punishment.”

But his fury didn’t subside easily, and I had to wait patiently until he calmed down before continuing.

“What are your thoughts on the Order of the End?” I asked cautiously.

“The Order of the End? Ah, that’s the group you mentioned earlier, isn’t it? I don’t have much of an opinion. As long as they’re not doing anything strange, I believe the villagers are free to follow any faith they choose.”

It seemed the lord was unaware of the group’s true nature.

Which made sense—we’d only recently uncovered their secrets ourselves.

I decided to share what we had learned, lowering my voice for emphasis.

“Actually, we’ve been investigating the Order of the End… and discovered something troubling.”

I described the disturbing details of our findings, speaking cautiously and glancing around to feign vigilance.

“Unbelievable! Such vile acts happening within my domain? Those scoundrels dare insult the Empire on my land?! If not for my current state, I’d personally see to their punishment this instant!”

The lord’s face flushed with fury, his hands shaking. 

For a moment, I worried that his anger might trigger a health crisis.

After all, he was too critical to our plans to lose now. He had to survive.

Thankfully, after some time, his color returned to normal, and his breathing steadied.

“I’ll send word to my son immediately, ordering him to arrest all of them!” he declared, his voice still trembling.

“Your son is managing the territory, then?” I asked.

“Yes. Since my health deteriorated, he has been handling affairs alongside the butler.”

“The butler, too?” I asked, a hint of surprise in my tone.

The lord nodded.

“Yes. He’s been a trusted friend since my youth. I asked him to guide my son and prevent him from making rash decisions.

Two heads are better than one when it comes to leadership—they can balance each other out and provide more objective judgments.”

“Doesn’t that make you uneasy?”

“Not at all. This was my decision to begin with.”

His calm expression surprised me. Most people would feel anxious about leaving such power in others’ hands, yet he seemed completely at ease.

With a wry smile, he added,

“If anything, I feel guilty. My son is still young, and I’ve placed a heavy burden on his shoulders. That’s why, when he volunteered to take on this responsibility, I was overjoyed.
It showed just how much he loves this land—enough to take such initiative.”

“You must be very proud of him,” I said sincerely.

“Indeed, I am,” he replied, his face softening into a warm smile.

“Of course! He’s my treasure,” the lord said with a hearty laugh, his pride in his son shining brightly.

He then launched into a stream of anecdotes about his son, his words flowing naturally. 

The lord’s face lit up with joy as he spoke, making it clear that despite his position, he was still a father like any other.

However, while his smile grew brighter with every story, my own expression darkened.

The shift became even more pronounced when he began praising his son’s devotion to the Church of the Origin.

“Come to think of it, Saintess, my son is also a devout follower of the Church. From a young age, his faith was extraordinary, even compared to other children his age. Why, if he wanted to, he could have easily become a priest.”

“I… I see,” I replied, forcing a smile. 

But internally, I was panicking. Oh no… I’d heard rumors that his son was funneling massive sums of money into the Order of the End.

Knowing the truth, I couldn’t bring myself to look at the lord’s beaming face.

As his stories went on, my gaze lowered further, and I began to wrestle with a difficult decision. Should I tell him the truth or not?

The consequences were obvious, no matter what I chose. 

It wasn’t a question of figuring out what might happen—it was a matter of deciding whether or not to take the plunge.

After wavering for what felt like an eternity, I finally summoned the courage to speak, cautiously breaking the news.

“Um… my lord? There’s something I need to tell you about your son.”

“My son? Did he do something?” the lord asked, looking at me with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

It seemed he hadn’t anticipated hearing anything about his son, and the hopeful glint in his eyes suggested he thought it might be good news.

But knowing that hope was about to be shattered was gut-wrenching. Even so, I pressed on.

“Your son has been making significant donations… to the Order of the End.”

“Wha… What?”

The moment I finished speaking, the room seemed to freeze.

The air felt heavy and oppressive, and for a moment, it was as if time itself had stopped. 

The lord sat motionless, his face blank with shock.

They say people freeze when they’re truly stunned. It seemed there was truth to that.

It took what felt like a full minute before he moved again, his trembling voice breaking the silence.

“Are… are you certain?”

“Yes,” I confirmed softly.

“But that can’t be… My son has been a devout follower of the Church of the Origin since childhood! He was always so devoted, constantly praying, even before I became bedridden…”

His voice wavered as he spoke, and he turned to me with a forced smile, his expression desperate.

“Surely you’re joking, Saintess? If this is some kind of test, please, I beg you, stop.”

“It’s not a test.”

“Could it be slander, then? Someone who’s jealous of my son, perhaps?”

“The information came directly from a follower of the Order of the End.”

“Then… could it be that you’re lying?”

His gaze was filled with a heartbreaking desperation, a plea for me to deny what I had just said.

But instead of answering, I shook my head.

The moment I did, the light drained from his eyes. His shoulders slumped, and his head fell forward, as if the weight of the revelation had crushed him entirely.

He sat there, unmoving, his lifeless posture making him seem as though his very soul had left his body.

I began to panic. He wasn’t moving at all. 

For a horrifying moment, I feared he might not even be breathing.

If he had stopped, and if he died here and now, it would all be because of me.

The blame for his death would rest squarely on my shoulders.

Desperate to act, I rushed to his side, reaching out to him. 

I couldn’t let this happen. If I failed to bring him back, I’d go down in history as the saintess who killed a lord with a single sentence.

The moment my hand reached for him—

“You rotten brat!!!!!!”

The lord’s voice erupted like thunder, startling me so badly I stumbled backward, nearly falling.

His furious shout reverberated through the room as he stood trembling with rage, his face red as fire.

“I entrusted my domain to you with full confidence, and this is how you repay me? By spitting in the face of the Empire? You ungrateful child!!! And after I told you to donate any extra funds to the Church of the Origin, you gave it to the Order of the End?! How dare you?!”

His booming voice grew louder with every word, filling the room with his anger. 

I could only stare dumbly, frozen by the sheer intensity of his outburst.

“If I weren’t bedridden, I’d have disciplined you myself! You—ugh! And to think I praised you for doing a good job all this time! This… This brat!”

He clutched his head, muttering incoherently before turning his eyes skyward.

“God, why? Why have you given me such trials?! Butler! Butler! Fetch my son this instant!”

But the storm of his rage didn’t last long.

“Urgh… Ack…”

Suddenly, he clutched his neck and collapsed.

I rushed to his side in a panic, fearing the worst. 

His body lay limp, and for a moment, I thought he might actually be dead.

But upon closer inspection, I realized he had only fainted.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I stepped back. 

At least he wasn’t dead—but this situation was still a disaster.

The problem was the implication: two people in the room, and only one was conscious.

Anyone walking in now would think I had caused this.

Feeling all my strength drain away, I sank into the chair I had been sitting in earlier.

Rubbing my temples, I racked my brain for a way to handle this mess.

But no matter how hard I thought, no solution came to mind.

In the end, I muttered under my breath,

“…Damn it.”

This truly was a cursed situation.