For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 83
The battle itself lasted only a short time, but the aftermath it left behind was anything but brief.
The forest where we had been standing was in complete disarray, as though a massive tornado had passed through. Most of our belongings, which had been left unpacked, were either blown away or torn beyond recognition.
Perhaps it was because Ariel had won so effortlessly that I hadn’t grasped the severity of the battle until I saw firsthand the destruction it caused.
“…Haah.”
Of course, what pained me more than recognizing his extraordinary divine power was seeing my completely ruined travel supplies.
As I stood frozen in the spot we had chosen as our campsite, letting out a deep sigh, Ariel approached me. He seemed hesitant, as though he felt guilty.
“…It’s fine. This isn’t your fault.”
I said this while crouching down and gathering the scattered items from the ground, one by one. At least the metal cups and utensils might still be usable.
Ariel began helping me pick up the items, while Feyden sat on a broken tree trunk, glaring disapprovingly at Ariel.
‘Not that he’d bother to help.’
Haaah.
Another deep sigh escaped my lips.
It was a sigh lamenting my circumstances. I had just escaped the marquisate, hoping to finally find some joy in my life, but now I was stuck traveling with companions who couldn’t get along and bickered endlessly.
One was a childish troublemaker who picked fights with anyone, and the other was a fanatic priest blinded by faith.
And then there was me—a fifteen-year-old trying to manage these two nineteen-year-old brats.
‘…This is exhausting.’
Having just finished protecting Declan, I now had to look after these two immature fools. I couldn’t help but pity myself.
Perhaps I should have hired an older escort and priest instead of teenagers on the brink of adulthood.
I sighed heavily, repeating regrets I rarely allowed myself to indulge in, even though I knew it was pointless.
“It’s dangerous to stay here too long. I think we’ve gathered everything that’s usable. Let’s move.”
“…Yes.”
Ariel straightened up, and I also rose to my feet, watching him.
“Estira!”
Suddenly, my vision darkened, and my legs gave out beneath me, causing me to collapse back onto the ground.
“…Huh?”
Sitting awkwardly on the floor, I clutched my dizzy head. Was this orthostatic hypotension?
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Estira, are you all right?”
I had never experienced anything like this before, and though it unsettled me, I quickly reassured Feyden and Ariel, who had rushed to my side.
“Ah, yes. It’s nothing. I just felt dizzy for a moment.”
It must have been because I stood up too quickly.
I bent one knee and slowly got back on my feet. As I did, I noticed the worried expressions etched on the faces of the two men holding my arms.
In the past, I might have been touched or grateful to see such concern, but…
Today, for some reason, their worry felt more irritating than reassuring.
“You can let go of my arms now.”
***
“They’ve found a lead in the case of the missing employees from the Glioced Margraviate.”
“Where?”
“The temple.”
Clovin muttered under his breath, “See? I told you it would be those temple bastards.”
“Which part of the temple?”
Dezereth quickly scanned the encrypted document Clovin handed him while signing another set of papers. He was preparing to leave for the ducal territory on short notice and had a mountain of work to get through.
“Ahem. It was hard to get this intel, but it’s tied to the next Pope’s faction.”
“…Again.”
“Yes, again.”
Dezereth frowned.
What on earth was the Pope thinking, designating such a troublemaker as the next Pope?
Every time Dezereth dug deeper, suspicious ties always led back to the next Pope’s faction.
Even for a temple rife with corruption and crime, it was unprecedented for someone who wasn’t even Pope yet to act so boldly. Dezereth found Kyte, the next Pope, to be a thorn in his side—especially when his attention seemed fixated on Dezereth’s duchy.
“He’s acting without fear.”
The next Pope, of all people, daring to investigate the Duchy of Ragnar.
Dezereth’s irritation deepened.
The temperature of the air around him seemed to drop, a clear sign of his foul mood. Clovin, sensing this, slowly clasped his hands in front of him.
From experience, Clovin knew that in moments like this, he needed to keep his mouth shut and his movements minimal to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
“They’ve had someone shadowing Estira from the start, on the orders of the next Pope’s faction. Their current movements are highly suspicious.”
“What?”
“They’re planning to kidnap her.”
