It was two days ago.
The Priestess of Hameln.
The one said to be chosen directly by the Deity visited Cologne.
What’s going on?
I heard the construction of Hameln is almost complete.
Except for the Collapsed Cathedral, all the government offices are finished and functioning.
People are gradually moving into the residential areas, so the population must be rising.
Now, Hameln is undoubtedly the capital of the Holy Kingdom.
Cologne will remain just a cultural city preserving the royal history of the kingdom.
And now, suddenly, the Priestess decides to visit Cologne without prior notice?
Emergency!
We weren’t at all ready to welcome the Priestess.
We got a notification just one hour before her arrival, and we scrambled to prepare a welcome but ended up exhausted.
Just before the Priestess arrived, a messenger told us not to make a big deal out of it…
I was a bit irritated but held back.
I sent away all the welcoming crowd.
Canceled all the planned banquets and parties.
Just to learn that the Priestess, Cornelia Briam, came to personally meet just me.
“Hello, Priestess. I’m Cornelia Briam, currently serving as the Acting Mayor of Cologne.”
“Nice to meet you. You’re occupying a position that’s hard for a woman to stand in. I understand that struggle well.”
“Is that so…?”
“You must have been quite surprised. I should have told you I was coming quietly.”
“It’s fine.”
The atmosphere was pretty nice.
I was worried because this was my first time meeting the Priestess directly.
Far from being oppressive, she was incredibly gentle, beyond my imagination.
“Let’s move inside.”
“Sure, you must be busy, so let’s wrap this up quickly.”
“No, there’s no rush…”
“I don’t want to burden you. The Priestess is not some high-ranking official. I’m just an orphan who randomly heard the Voice of God one day.”
Not to mention, the elegance and humility that came naturally to her.
She has studied theology and magic and defeated all those who doubted her legitimacy and qualifications in debates, establishing her unique status—all that is left aside.
She only emphasizes her shortcomings.
Only seconds into our meeting, I already felt a halo boiling off her.
“Is anyone listening in here?”
“No. The Mayor’s office is completely soundproof.”
“Then let’s get to the point… I need legal advice.”
But the moment I welcomed the Priestess in, her expression turned anxious.
The Priestess needs legal advice?
From me?
“I’m sorry, Priestess. I’m not a judge, so I’m afraid legal advice might be tough.”
“Aren’t you a law major? You seem familiar with the court since you’re serving as the Acting Mayor.”
“Just sketchy knowledge. I can’t offer professional help.”
“Simple consultation is enough. It’s not a difficult request. Can you just hear me out?”
“Alright…”
Why is it me?
There must be many who are more suitable for legal counsel.
Did she think my mouth would be heavy enough?
I got the feeling this could be about something the Priestess couldn’t reveal to others.
“Acting Mayor. Is it possible to issue a warrant for someone who doesn’t exist?”
“Huh? Someone who doesn’t exist?”
“A person who certainly exists but has no way to prove their existence. Someone not registered as a citizen in any country or city, someone whose name no one knows…”
But the words coming out of the Priestess were completely unexpected.
What in the world was this about?
Issuing a warrant for a non-existent person?
It was absurd, but I thought there must be a reason the Priestess was saying this.
I had to answer as sincerely as I could.
“Um. Realistically, that seems difficult. Issuing a warrant is not like disseminating a sketch for an unidentified suspect. It’s a document ordering the arrest of a specific person, so you can’t give orders to someone who doesn’t exist…”
“That person exists! I’m telling you, they definitely exist!”
Suddenly, the Priestess slammed the table, shouting.
I jumped.
I didn’t know the Priestess could raise her voice like that.
“Sorry. Did I surprise you…?”
“…”
Moments later.
The Priestess calmed her heavy breathing, sitting back down.
The topic must be sensitive enough to make the Priestess lose control.
This isn’t some ordinary matter.
“Since you’re saying this, I believe there’s definitely someone existing. I’m trusting you.”
“Really? You believe in me, Acting Mayor?”
“Of course. There’s no way the Priestess would lie. But regardless, it’s nearly impossible to issue a warrant. The court can’t order someone that doesn’t even have a recognized existence.”
“As long as the court recognizes their existence, right? Any witness information, photos, anything…”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Thank you, Acting Mayor. You’ve been a great help.”
The Priestess smiled brightly and held my hand.
To be honest, until that moment, I had no idea what conversation we were having.
I had no clue what help I’d been.
But now I think I get it.
I know who the Priestess is desperately looking for.
I understand whom she’s anxious to catch.
“Yoo Jin… the person the Priestess is looking for was you…?”
“……”
At those words, Yoo Jin squeezed his eyes shut instead of answering.
That alone was enough of an answer.
I can’t believe it.
Last time, I missed Yulia by a few hours.
Now I barely brushed past Jill in a two-day difference?
My heart chilled.
This type of thing will probably happen frequently from now on.
I can even feel the tension morphing into thrill.
“Yoo Jin, what’s your relationship with the Priestess?”
“……”
Cornelia straightened up seriously and asked.
Naturally, she must be curious.
The prestigious Priestess was shouting out for someone, losing her reason.
If she’s not curious, she’s not human.
“I’ve got the Priestess’s weakness. She’ll want to catch me no matter what. Any charges will do.”
“Are you saying she’s trying to frame you?”
“Right.”
As far as not revealing the whole truth goes, this is the most accurate answer.
The reason Jill is trying to catch me is that I betrayed Jill in my first run and left.
But in this run, that incident never happened.
So, there’s no grounds for her to catch me.
For the people in this run, it’ll seem like Jill is trying to frame me.
“That’s impossible… How could the Priestess…”
Cornelia muttered in shock, staring blankly.
I get it; it’s hard to believe.
I understand well.
When I heard Jill shout, “Ew, the smell of a commoner!” I was stunned and couldn’t eat for three days straight.
It was the most shocking moment since witnessing my first love bad-mouthing me.
Wait a minute. This could be useful.
After being briefly shocked by the sudden news, I quickly realized this was not a bad turn of events but a good one.
“Cornelia, take on the Priestess’s legal counsel.”
“What? You mean for advice to catch Yoo Jin…?”
“Right. Just don’t work so hard that I get caught. Use the excuse of counsel to gather information from the Priestess—how she’s trying to find me, what her search range is, the intensity of her anger on a scale from 1 to 10, anything, really. It’d be great to get every bit of it.”
This is an opportunity.
A chance to escape Jill’s pursuit.
She’s trying to issue a warrant for someone who doesn’t exist.
Jill couldn’t have spilled this story to just anyone.
Jill probably holds Cornelia in high esteem and thinks she’s trustworthy.
Maybe she feels a sense of kinship because Cornelia also holds a high position as a woman.
So, she won’t doubt the legal counsel and will spill the information easily.
I’ve placed helpers here and there, and it’s paying off.
Jill has fallen into the trap I set up.
“I understand… But is that okay?”
“What’s okay?”
“When you eventually get caught by the Priestess, can you handle it?”
“Don’t worry about that. When the time comes, you can just offer me up as a sacrifice and escape. There won’t be any evidence left that we deceived the Priestess together, right?”
“Not that. I’m fine with whatever happens to me. I meant, can you handle the Priestess’s wrath if you get caught?”
“Um…”
Handling the consequences of being caught?
I hadn’t thought about that.
It was such a dire situation that I hadn’t imagined a worse scenario.
“I can’t handle it.”
“……”
I readily admitted it.
There’s no way for me to handle Jill’s anger.
Of course, there is one way to escape.
To feign my death.
Get a convincing corpse, burn it up, and mess with my mana at the scene.
Then Jill would find the corpse and would have no choice but to believe I died in the fire.
“But surely, I won’t get caught, right?”
“……”
Of course, there’s no need for it to get to that.
I’m planning to catch the final boss and get home before Jill finds me.
There’s absolutely no way I’ll fail, right?
No way I’d get caught before then?
Oh, no way.
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