There was no need to fear the repercussions of lying. Charlotte knew how to take away the purifying power of others, and as long as Odette lived, she had plenty to take away.
"Hmm, Lady Charlotte. That's hard to believe."
As expected, Raphael immediately refuted. His tone was so affectionate and gentle that it didn't feel like a refutation.
"The Purifier's rank is determined by having the Transcendents smell the Purifier's scent. Several Transcendents check the concentration of the scent emitted by the Purifier several times. If what you saw in your dream was the ocean, you would never have been judged as an A-rank."
Raphael spoke soothingly.
"Furthermore, the sea. Even Saintess Rosalind didn't see the sea in her dreams. I can only infer that it wouId take a miracle like the late Lady Albrecht to see the sea."
"Priest..."
“Perhaps Lady Charlotte misunderstood?”
Contrary to his tone of voice, which seemed to suggest that it could be done, his eyes were filled with interest as if he was curious about what was wrong, people feel resentful and aggrieved, and tend to be more proactive in clarifying it. This is especially true when the other person is someone they consider trustworthy and receptive, like a High Priest.
'Maybe because they thought I was a young and immature mountain girl...they thought that if they treated me like this, I would be naive and tell them everything."
However, Charlotte lived much longer than Raphael had shown her.
Charlotte, who had sensed his lack of skill, answered with a pretended bitter expression.
"I told you something useless, priest. If you find it hard to believe, then don't believe me."
Raphael still maintained a gentle expression, but his eyes were shaking with bewilderment at Charlotte's unexpected reaction.
"Please forget what I just said, Father. I had to start preparing for the memorial service. If you can show me a place where I can change into my tunic, I will follow you."
Raphael's mouth hardened slightly. Now Raphael would beg Charlotte to confess.
'I can just buy some time and then tell Raphael when he's most likely to be upset.'
People tend to mistakenly believe that Information they have obtained with difficulty is true.
***
Rolf, who had taken a quick walk into the hallway and checked the seal in a bright place, was still loitering around the area.
"Ha... What on earth do I do with this?"
Although he would have to take it to an expert to verify, Rolf had a feeling that the seal in his hand was genuine.
The intricate and delicate design, made by a great craftsman and seemingly Impossible to imitate, was made of bronze that must have been used three centuries ago. In addition, the velvet pouch contained photographs of Kutzeler and his wife, the runaway Countess.
Although their overall impressions were different when he looked at their facial features, the Countess and Odette had too many similar features.
Come to think of it, Odette had something in common with the Count that no one would have suspected that she was adopted.
It turns out that it was actually because of blood ties.
'I guess... I need to investigate Odette's lineage more thoroughly.'
Although there were many more things to check, Rolf's mind was already leaning towards the idea that what Odette had said was true.
Above all, the fact that the Albrecht family's fortunes were on the decline now meant that there was no reason for Odette to pretend to be a Count's descendant.
'Now that she has become a Purifier and has power that no one can ignore, why would she... enter the Count's residence?'
In the velvet pouch were two more photographs, clearly taken a few days ago, of Rolf's son and grandson at the butler school.
His eyes were dizzy. These pictures were nothing but a warning not to take Odette's words lightly. A threat that as soon as she took possession of the position of head of the household, she would destroy Rolf's family.
It was then that Rolf, who was clutching his head, heard the sound of conversation.
"I was mistaken, Lady Charlotte. After hearing what you just said, it certainly seems possible that Lady Charlotte could be an S-class."
'Charlotte?'
At that name, Rolf walked cautiously towards the sound of voices, being careful not to make any noise as much as possible.
"Is there any other reason, other than dreams, that Lady Charlotte is certain that you are an S-class? If so, I would like to hear more details."
Fortunately, Rolf's position was in a blind spot from where they were talking. They continued their conversation, seemingly unaware of Rolf's presence.
'S-class? What are you talking about?'
"Actually, I also performed a miracle the moment I awakened. A greater miracle than the miracle that Odette performed."
Rolf felt his heart sink at Charlotte's confession. Not only Rolf, but the man across from him in his priest's robe seemed to feel the same way.
"...I, is that true?"
"I tell only the truth, without a single lie. It's just that the story didn't spread because I lived in a mountain village."
Even the High Priest can't hide his expression like that.
Rolf's heart raced at the incredible information he had overheard. That made him hold his breath even more.
"Are there any other witnesses to that miracle?"
"Sadly, there isn't any... The moment I woke up, I was alone on the side of a mountain digging for herbs.
"Hmm."
"But I can prove It even without an eyewitness. Father Raphael, since I appeared, not a single disaster has occurred."
Raphael nodded.
"There hasn't been a disaster in the past two years. The timing almost coincides with Lady Charlotte's awakening But that's actually more of a coincidence..."
"It's not a coincidence. It's related to the miracle I created the moment I woke up."
At those words, the gentleness disappeared from the High Priest's expression and was replaced with a serious, calculating expression.
A look of awe came over the face of the High Priest, who had been pondering for a moment. Rolf knew that his own expression would be the same.
"The day I awakened, I destroyed hundreds of disasters, my lord."
And Rolf's awe could not help but turn to horror the moment he heard those words.
'Hundreds of disasters...?'
Can the Purifier directly remove the disaster? There has never been a single case of this in history. The role of the Transcendent is to remove the disaster. The role of the Purifier is to heal the Transcendent.
Moreover, hundreds of them. That was an amount that even the most advanced transcendent beings would have to eliminate in a few years.
"I was picking herbs on the mountain. Suddenly, I felt a fever and leaned against a tree to rest for a moment. In an instant, the sky turned pitch black. At first, I wondered what kind of dark clouds were moving so quickly, but hundreds of huge disasters filled the sky."
"Oh my god..."
"You probably know where the village I lived was. It was a basin surrounded by mountains, so it wasn't a place where a Transcendent being could run quickly. You couldn't even expect anyone to save me."
"That must have been very dangerous, Lady Charlotte."
"They sucked my body in huge chunks and at first I was floating in the air, but at that moment, I thought I was going to die, and then my body started glowing. When I came to, the disasters were nowhere to be found and I was lying in a sea of light."
The High Priest asked.
"If so many plagues came and covered the sky, there must have been at least one villager who witnessed it."
"Because It's a mountain village, there aren't many people. And the people who are there are all very old. And it happened so quickly. The sky covering the sky and my miracle both happened in a matter of minutes."
Rolf listened to the story that followed. Charlotte's words sounded ridiculous at first, but the more he listened, the more convincing they became.
In the end, Rolf, who overheard their conversation until the end, could not help but come to one conclusion.
The only person who can fight on equal terms with Odette, who has awakened as an S-class Purifier, is Charlotte.
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