The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 94

“Prophecy? Are you saying the content of that mural is a prophecy?”

At my question, Kayden answered sincerely, “That’s just the title of the mural—no one actually knows if it’s a prophecy or not.”

“……”

“The mural has been a subject of study among the priests for a very long time. But after centuries of research yielded no results, it’s now been abandoned.”

Hearing that it had been abandoned, I felt relieved.

That meant no one would find out anytime soon that I had damaged it.

I asked Kayden once more, “Why don’t they know if it’s a prophecy?”

“None of the priests could interpret the text on the mural. Since no one understands its content, they can’t confirm whether it’s a prophecy.”

“…Who painted that mural?”

“That, too, is unknown.”

“You don’t know anything, do you,” I muttered gruffly.

Having gained nothing, irritation surged inside me.

Kayden didn’t seem bothered by my reaction. Instead, it seemed he had something else he wanted to say.

After hesitating briefly, Kayden asked me, “I thought… perhaps you, Saintess, might be able to interpret the mural.”

What now?

As I made a face demanding an explanation, he added, “None of the priests could decipher the letters on that mural. However, the same characters were found in the journal of the previous Saintess, Lady Daphne. So I thought perhaps you, as the current Saintess, might be able to read them.”

Was Kayden always this talkative?

I had thought of him as someone who only said what was absolutely necessary—and didn’t even like speaking with me.

I raised an eyebrow.

Kayden must really be interested in that mural.

I asked him, “If what you say is true, and the temple has abandoned that mural, then it shouldn’t be all that important. So why are you so eager to understand its content?”

“Let’s just say… it’s a personal hobby.”

“…Might be better to find a more useful hobby.”

Even as I said that, I was calculating in my head.

With the High Priest already suspicious of my identity, I didn’t want one of his closest aides like Kayden lingering around me.

He might call it a hobby, but it was obvious this meant more to him.

After a brief moment of deliberation, I said, “I can read those letters. I can interpret the mural too. I only asked because I wasn’t sure if it truly was a prophecy.”

Kayden’s face lit up. It was the first time I’d seen such a reaction from him, who always maintained a blank expression.

“Then, could you tell me what it says—”

“I wonder… and who are you to me? Even if we were close, I’d still expect compensation.”

“Then… what should I do?”

In response, I stated my conditions.

“Don’t follow me around anymore. Tell the High Priest half-truths about where I go.”

“That’s…”

“If that’s too difficult, then oh well. The next Saintess can interpret the mural when she comes along.”

“……”

Kayden fell silent, lost in thought.

Well, who knows when the next Saintess will appear.

…Actually, she might never appear again, considering the Celestial God’s current state.

“I accept your terms, Saintess.”

After a long silence, Kayden finally answered.

“It’s not a bad deal.”

With that, I led Kayden over to the mural.

Then, I began explaining from the beginning.

“These letters are Divine Script—the language once used by the gods.”

“By gods, you mean…”

“The Celestial God, the Demon God. The ones you’re thinking of. But originally, there were many more gods in this world.”

“……”

Kayden showed no reaction to my words.

Strange. Humans usually only know about the Celestial and Demon Gods.

What I just said should’ve been shocking by human standards.

Feeling a bit suspicious, I asked him, “Did you already know about the other gods?”

“No. But I’ve vaguely considered the possibility… that perhaps other gods once existed.”

“You’re quite the imaginative human,” I said with a mix of admiration and sarcasm.

“……”

Kayden stared at me, as if he had something more to say, but he stayed silent.

So I continued explaining.

“These twenty figures here represent gods who possess powers. Each character denotes the specific power of a god.”

“How do you interpret this character?”

Kayden pointed to one of the characters inscribed on the mural and asked me.

“…[Contract]. It means ‘Contract.'”

Of all the characters, he just had to pick that one.

It left me feeling a little strange, but I swallowed the emotion and moved on to the next painting.

“This one depicts the invasion of the outside world. I’m sure this is your first time hearing about the outside world, right?”

“……”

“No way.”

“…I’ve vaguely considered the possibility that such a world could exist.”

I paused and glanced sideways at Kayden’s face.

Are humans the kind of creatures who spend all day lost in imagination?

Another world, other gods—how does one even come up with ideas like that?

I scowled and muttered, “You… have been seriously annoying me for a while now.”

“If you tell me what I’ve done wrong, I’ll correct it.”

There were too many things that annoyed me to know where to begin.

From his attitude, to that face that resembled Zachary.

I hadn’t realized it until now because I never had such a long conversation with Kayden… but it almost felt like I was talking to Zachary.

Then I realized what I had just been thinking and bit my lip.

‘Get it together, Bella.’

Even if not a direct descendant, seeing Zachary’s face in one of his kin…

Not long ago, Nigel had suspected that Isabella resembled Daphne.

I guess I’m not in a position to criticize Nigel.

I swallowed the rest of my thoughts and said just one thing.

“From now on, you’re banned from using the word ‘vaguely.'”

“Understood.”

After that, Kayden listened to my explanations relatively quietly. He asked very few questions.

But with every point I explained, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Kayden had ‘vaguely’ predicted my explanations.

When we finally reached the end of the mural, I suddenly remembered that I had just damaged the wall.

“Hm. How did this part get damaged?”

I reacted as nonchalantly as possible.

Did that seem natural?

I glanced over at Kayden, but his expression was unreadable as he just stared at the mural.

Considering the time he arrived at the chapel, the odds were 50/50 whether he saw me ‘accidentally’ damage the mural.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and added, “Looks like some human came and defaced it.”

“…Saintess.”

“Hm?”

The low tone of Kayden’s voice calling me startled me for no reason.

Unfortunately, the reason he called me wasn’t because of the defaced mural.

“I’ve been meaning to mention… Saintess, you sometimes use the term ‘human’—as if you’re not one yourself.”

“……”

So it wasn’t fortunate at all.

What now? My heart started pounding faster.

If I have to silence this guy… there’s only one method I know.

I glanced at Zachary’s neck. It looked pretty sturdy, but if I infused my magic into the attack—

Wait. What the hell am I thinking.

I tried to shift the flow of my thoughts.

Daphne! Ethan! At this rate, your descendant’s going to become a murderer!

No, Bella. Think rationally. If you kidnap him and lock him up somewhere, that’s still silencing him, right?

While I was secretly drafting various plans in my head, Kayden continued.

“If you say things like that in public, it might spark unnecessary controversy. Something like ‘the Saintess sees herself as superior to humans.’ Of course, you’re noble, but still, don’t forget that you’re human.”

“Mm. Right. Advice. Thanks.”

Damn it.

Realizing that Kayden hadn’t actually figured out my true identity made me relax—and my words came out weird.

“…Thank you for not misinterpreting what I said.”

Kayden said this and began examining the damaged mural.

“Fortunately, I’ve memorized the entire mural. I’ll call in an artist to restore it.”

“That’s a relief.”

Restoring that ominous image? Not a relief at all.

But I hid my true feelings and gave the answer he expected.

That aside…

I glanced over at Kayden and muttered, “This is the first time we’ve talked this long.”

“That’s because you don’t like me, Saintess. It’s not so surprising.”

Hearing that, I wondered internally.

Do I dislike Kayden?

Not particularly… He annoyed me, sure, but that was it.

Still, I didn’t feel like going out of my way to clear up the misunderstanding.

So I just replied bluntly, “Well, you don’t like me either, so what’s the difference?”

“Is that so?”

Kayden didn’t bother to deny it.