The Kingmaker System
Chapter 246 - 245. Snooping Around (1)

Chapter 246: 245. Snooping Around (1)

I was given a clean, dry dress to change into and directed to a small room within the old temple—one of the few spaces that had remained intact through the ages. The air inside was damp, carrying a faint, earthy scent of moss and decay, but it offered privacy, which was all I needed. The fabric of the dress was coarse but comfortable enough, a stark contrast to the fine silks I was accustomed to back home.

As I changed, my thoughts lingered on the dragon’s remnants—the ancient, powerful presence I’d encountered in the lake. The spirit had felt as old as time itself, bound to this sacred space by some unspoken duty. How long had it stood sentinel, holding the encroaching darkness at bay? Centuries? Millennia? My blood hummed at the memory of its voice, an ancient timbre steeped in wisdom and sorrow.

And yet, a gnawing unease crept into my thoughts. What would happen if I succeeded in freeing it? Would the darkness it held in check surge forth, wreaking havoc on the world beyond this forest? For all its quiet majesty, the dragon’s presence was a precarious dam holding back a flood of chaos. The weight of responsibility pressed down on me, but I shook it off. There was no room for doubt—not now.

By the time I returned to the temple, Benedict’s gaze was locked on me, sharp and calculating. He wasn’t a man who masked his thoughts well; suspicion radiated from him like heat from a flame. I pretended not to notice, keeping my expression composed, even playful. Let him wonder why the lake had reacted so strongly to me—it was amusing to keep him guessing.

The Saint, however, was a different story. The child trailed behind me, silent but visibly curious. His small hands twitched as if itching to reach out, to tug at my sleeve and demand answers to the questions swirling in his wide, innocent eyes. But he didn’t speak; he knew better than to challenge the unspoken authority Benedict wielded over the priests and everyone else. Instead, he stayed by my side, his presence warm and steady, until we reached the temple’s inner sanctum.

"Saint, you should return to your chambers," Benedict said, his tone clipped and final.

The child hesitated, his doe-like eyes flickering to mine in silent plea. It was almost endearing, how much he seemed to depend on me. I offered him a soft smile and nodded reassuringly.

"It’s fine. I’ll see you later," I said gently.

Reluctantly, he obeyed, his small frame disappearing into the shadows of the corridor. I turned away, my thoughts already shifting to the tasks ahead.

Back in my chambers, Sir Asher lingered at the doorway, a hesitant figure caught between duty and curiosity. His presence was as steady as ever, though there was a tension in his posture that suggested he had questions he was hesitant to voice.

"Won’t you come inside, Sir Asher?" I asked, arching a brow.

He flinched slightly, as if caught off guard. "Yes, of course."

As he stepped inside, I dismissed the maids with a curt gesture, watching as they scurried out with practiced efficiency. Alone at last, I turned my attention to the modest luggage that had been provided for my stay. I crouched to inspect it, fingers brushing over the simple locks. It was all for show, of course. Any fool with half a brain would have rummaged through it by now, searching for something incriminating.

I smirked, imagining their frustration. They wouldn’t find anything of value in there—not the teleportation bracelet, invisibility brooch, or communication pendant I kept hidden in plain sight. Those precious tools were secured to the ornaments I wore, undetectable to the untrained eye. My luggage was a decoy, filled with nothing but mundane clothing. Let them waste their efforts; it was almost too easy.

"Miss Mirielle," Asher spoke up, his voice breaking the silence.

"Address me as Mirielle, Sir Asher," I said, turning to him with a small smile. His expression shifted, surprise flickering across his features.

"Pardon?"

"There’s no need for formalities when we’re alone. Call me Mirielle," I insisted.

For a moment, he hesitated, as if weighing the propriety of such familiarity. Then he nodded. "Very well. Then... please, call me Asher."

"Of course, Asher."

The faint pink flush that crept up his cheeks didn’t escape my notice. I found it oddly endearing.

"What happened to you at the lake, Mirielle?" he asked, his tone cautious but curious.

I hummed thoughtfully, crossing the room to pour myself a glass of water. "It’s hard to explain. The lake... it called to me. Its presence was overwhelming, almost like a parent welcoming a long-lost child. It was comforting, but also... profound. As if it wanted to share its wisdom, its burdens."

"What kind of burdens?" he pressed.

I glanced at him over the rim of my glass, a teasing smile playing at my lips. "You’re quite the inquisitive knight, aren’t you?"

He flushed again, his ears tinged with red. "I beg your pardon."

"It’s fine," I said, setting the glass down. "The lake was trying to tell me something important. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to fully understand before you pulled me out."

Asher stiffened, guilt flashing in his eyes. "We thought you were in danger. There was a whirlpool forming, and you’d been underwater for so long..."

"And you didn’t think about your own life before diving in after me?" I asked, raising a brow.

His gaze dropped, his voice soft but resolute. "I wasn’t thinking about myself. I’m your knight, Mirielle. It’s my duty to protect you."

For a fleeting moment, I considered asking him a question that had lingered in the back of my mind: Would you follow me, even if it meant leaving this temple behind? But I held my tongue. The answer didn’t matter—not now, at least. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Asher excused himself soon after, and I waited until the deep stillness of night settled over the temple. The shadows outside my window stretched long and silent, their edges softened by the silver glow of moonlight. It was time.

Activating the invisibility brooch, I slipped out of my chambers undetected. The corridors were eerily quiet, the air heavy with the faint scent of incense and candle wax. Avoiding the patrolling knights was child’s play; their movements were predictable, their vigilance dulled by routine.

I reached Benedict’s office with little effort, the heavy double doors looming before me like a barrier between truth and secrecy. They were locked, of course, but that was no obstacle. A flick of telekinesis and the mechanism clicked open. I slipped inside, shutting the door softly behind me.

The room was pitch dark, save for the pale beams of moonlight filtering through the high windows. The faint rustle of paper and the distant creak of wood were the only sounds. I moved to the desk first, scanning the documents scattered across its surface. Most were mundane—records of donations, letters from visiting dignitaries, inventory lists. Nothing incriminating.

The drawers yielded similarly underwhelming results: contracts, receipts, even what appeared to be a half-finished sermon. My frustration mounted with each passing moment.

"Where the hell are these documents?" I muttered under my breath.

Activating my Mana Sense, I scanned the room for hidden compartments. Almost immediately, my eyes locked onto a faint trace of magic emanating from behind the bookshelf. A secret passage. How utterly cliché.

Before I could investigate further, the sound of approaching footsteps froze me in place. I pressed myself against the wall, my breathing shallow, as the door creaked open. Benedict stepped inside, his expression a mix of irritation and suspicion.

"Did I forget to lock the door?" he murmured, his eyes darting around the room.

He began to search, checking the windows and the desk before his gaze settled on the bookshelf.

"Is there a rat among us now?... Is it that wench?"

I cocked my brow tempted to smack him in the head.

My pulse quickened as he approached, his fingers brushing against the spine of a black leather-bound book. He pulled it, and the bookshelf slid aside to reveal a hidden tunnel.

As he stepped into the passage, I followed, slipping in just before the door closed behind him. The tunnel was narrow and dimly lit by glowing mana stones embedded in the walls. It stretched on for what felt like an eternity, twisting and turning in ways that made my sense of direction falter.

"I didn’t trust that man and neither his girl... If only His Holiness had listened to me and exposed the reality of that brat then we could have had an upperhand already!" He muttered as he kept walking and I frowned.

I stopped abruptly as the air ahead of me seemed to shimmer—a faint distortion, like heat rising from a summer road. It was a barrier, one I couldn’t cross without risking detection. Cursing under my breath, I retreated, vowing to return better prepared. For now, I had seen enough to confirm my suspicions.

The secrets of this temple would not remain hidden for long.