Chapter 81

“A whole 100 talents are missing!”1fd4d96b68a631df

The cry of Marquis Barelotte 4348bf0ea2 stirred up the crowd.e71cd1715387bba5

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“Did you say 100 talents are gone?”1647ea2280b5f146

“Is there really a thief among us?”551586ded2380fdb

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This wasn’t just about 9424ea98df 1 or 2 talents.368e03102d9e934e

The disappearance of 97102a15bd 100 talents was 22eaf5419c not a matter 417cf6fd6f that could be 183a1634b7 taken lightly.39d9abea3d798548

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It was the maximum amount 59bc18c05a a single household could exchange.ffb0e5e7fe776853

Moreover, Diana, who f4777ec097 had received 10 db1091057a talents, had healed 127b99537c a total of 077f567b89 10 people.68c24fb6b887f748

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Glancing over at Diana, f75c9bf9c5 it was clear she 8de9e88f18 was unaware of the d7489369bd situation; her face had d301804549 turned pale.e6f9e7787205d7cb

“We must find the thief immediately! This isn’t just 1 or 2 talents, but a whole 100 talents!”d1341656141c71b8

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Marquis Barelotte demanded, fbdfd0ef02 his voice strained bfcd985599 with urgency, veins 7113750919 standing out on d9e901def4 his neck.0201f701ce2a5a7b

The hall became c0096e651f chaotic in an 6e272c1ee7 instant.1744e21f9c508bcd

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“Everyone, please remain calm!”41b1f09041621750

The high priests overseeing the ccc7fc2bbe Saintess selection event quickly raised 2be58ab426 their voices.4359ff4e59cba0ff

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Only then did f71087b756 the crowd start 1597679b64 to settle down.ae11dff9f3bbc283

“There is no need for such a fuss.”eed2416d8e4cd960

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As the murmuring quieted, 7372994499 the Pope began to 47b96069b0 speak.eabe6f9d4b13e6da

“Since no one in attendance today has left their seat, we should be able to find the culprit soon enough.”ad46784634b0281d

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With a weary expression, he 620577e4f3 signaled to a young priest d6a78a93a3 holding a censer, clearly exhausted 676d203251 by this unexpected commotion.63f72ffcf813e068

The young priest then called 401184b794 out toward the section where 614c91cdf2 the orphanage children were seated.cccd04a069c196ad

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“All the booth assistants, please bring forward the ledgers you’ve kept for today!”63476203d83c32a8

It was customary for the day’s helpers not only to assist with the children’s sales but also to maintain simple records in the ledgers.6b0aff9150dee0bb

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Even if it hadn’t been 28ea86a7a6 a strict rule, it was 8a332ab3ca common sense to record sales aea6a6d4fe to track one’s ranking.1b553fb8109e00f4

There was little 48a5443ef6 concern about Grandpa 4928e129e1 Gordon—he was always 63a43fb40e diligent in keeping f883684ade detailed records.2d753546799653f8

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However, not all assistants 4252f253b6 could be expected to c61c962f9f have his meticulous nature.fc7db19c9d5c0d60

Voices of discontent began 7eb882d620 to rise among the 7451c95fec children.537a8e19a8ee823c

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“What? Does that mean there’s e29b216359 a thief among us?”e3e7db906efaba2c

“Why are they suspecting us first?”36636b2278dbaa2c

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“I swear it’s not me! I nearly died from dancing all day…!”72308330b38ccac8

It was hard 4a891dbfa2 not to empathize 3d440d696a with the children’s 19c152c655 frustration.2d9f064bca6e55ff

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But, it was only natural 87e5d95a51 that the temple wouldn’t suspect 8f920d8208 the nobles.ec8d096cfb4f9de5

After all, they 4f6a7b037d had gone through a09e7f27c4 the trouble of fe9aac68f0 exchanging gold coins cf444907e0 today just to 4fd3660cec practice noblesse oblige.c0b6aa089bbf2b47

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Such people would never commit a312508039 the dishonorable act of stealing 6f1935948c money meant for the orphans.3dd1f31ea4154f55

Besides, using talents 8b81de9cd3 outside the temple 9b80f2e894 grounds was strictly 9a5c424a4f forbidden, making theft ff82a87aec pointless.0de41e40741f5899

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‘It would be better to not spend a single coin today and exchange it back before taking it home.’699a3b623a07854b

A few of 1477a21161 the daily helpers 2137517a0a hesitated, likely because 2c9b05099a they hadn’t kept 7b7fd38b50 their ledgers properly.9b387db291759ed7

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“Here it is! Belze’s booth!”d58692ef975f5c71

Among them, Grandpa fe7c16b691 Gordon hurriedly submitted 01b8545631 his ledger, being 0c5880aca5 the first to 5fc381d489 do so.3f26ef49a932c2ea

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A short while later…e9ff7ea3e4224482

Once most of the ledgers e5f78d6dfa had been gathered, the Pope 902956a5c6 and the priests gathered together f6f5f481aa and quickly began to review 177870487c them.3b052667819a631f

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“Panacea and hair mist… sold by Belze.”57a5c17532d0f943

It didn’t take long before 77dbf49c77 my name was mentioned by d0e9febbc1 the Pope.455e33386970d8ae

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“Come forward for a moment.”6a2e9a2b6c2dbf74

It was something I abc498aaf6 had expected.bafb22138e1128f8

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Though there were 4195a3801e other children who 3a0f92b7ac received sponsorships, I fc5e70b0cd was likely the 4a48047a40 only one who f3aedef2b3 had received 100 0996f1f9f0 talents twice.f991d46c7a0888d5

I calmly stood up and 674cfda868 made my way to the 331b61be77 platform, my steps quick and c647537a6b light.f01223ae4878e1a6

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“You are…”df94a2f1fd289bc0

The Pope looked 4cf7d9556b a bit surprised 086e48c120 to see me aca9b5bc96 wobbling up the 85664bc70e stairs.717fb7143b7c4232

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However, he quickly masked 377bb6d712 his expression behind his ba4b278f36 long, white beard and b961139f97 asked with a solemn 0225c5c785 tone.4eeb02f3602095b7

“Belze. I am not accusing 94870f3043 you, but according to 4f9ebf7915 the records, you are 558d7203cd the only one who 86a3bc6789 received 100 talents twice. Were both amounts 36cefcf06e earned at your c828ef90dc booth?”627b63aaa9219b9e

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“Yes!”b0f2c920208caa17

I nodded, my face showing 73b1cbf482 a hint of nervousness.708853ac4f6c489e

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The Pope examined our booth’s ledger closely before asking further.95557888b46fe135

“One of them is noted as coming from Duke Kallios, but the other is marked as anonymous. It seems to be from your last customer…”d372524c557dfedd

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“…”19aac3118b78496b

“Can you explain this?”2bde8e030325e133

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As soon as he 4871cdf947 finished speaking, the hall 10e06dafb1 buzzed with chatter.74ac6fa0264704dd

“I knew it! I just knew it!”81ed804124d50b80

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In the midst 454c8d1140 of the commotion, 0bdb178b48 Marquis Barelotte pointed 61993b8066 his finger at 08d5857531 me, hurling accusations.33b94d9fc281da5d

“You call yourself a Saintess candidate, yet you don’t even compete fairly with your healing powers! Instead, you sell dubious potions!”0c9b26599d6a3f9e

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“A Saintess candidate?”031251fd986a8f50

“Oh! She’s the one whose abilities are said to be lacking…”f1afd94c3e56cd1b

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“I heard she gained the support of the Kallios family…”b016b447af54f3f5

The crowd murmured again 49ca77ad25 at the mention of 03c690f916 my status as a d48f716d69 Saintess candidate.7399672651127160

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I was used c4fd645401 to hearing such ce9e9cedca talk about me, 41d88f697d even in my 065126c77b past life, so 2547db5394 it didn’t bother 835dbc47d7 me.b660ad795bb6b738

But hearing the Duke’s b9c4088c9c family dragged into the 634ef227ee discussion weighed heavily on f19b510118 my heart.7b1c7bea590377e3

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‘…The Duke’s family is tied to my every move.’bc6f81ca157516b1

Why hadn’t I 1e3a55de36 realized this sooner bb78704d21 in my past d81c841f3b life?6295689831ca4b6e

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Just as regret and dejection began to wash over me…bd2656c6aff1cca0

Seeing me like that, the 960d90cb1f Marquis seemed to think my b583961265 guilt was obvious, and he 3d24b34050 grew even more confident, shouting da5370d5da louder.cc6f71307ed5f3fb

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“No matter how much you envy Diana for being more popular, how could you stoop so low as to steal?!”c4e624d717cc37e2

“…”a91ed22e22e19a2f

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“You little brat, running wild and learning nothing but bad habits…!”25a6eb1b146ffc08

That was when it happened.483a1a9c72bd9288

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Boom!021eee9a65fcdf05

A deafening noise 7e538fbef6 erupted not far fabd763590 from where the 33c0b52e7d Marquis stood.206b87f37a9b8b0c

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Everyone turned, startled, 49ab2d89b2 to the source fc08be9bb8 of the sound.723e370abbec9e68

And then they gasped in 2b6a8be878 shock.5883737eab9efcad

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“Gasp. Th-That…!”5194ebe9d02d73fa

“T-The Duke… The table…!”63e8c0e6c7ad26ad

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A thick cloud of 5e5ff44598 dust rose into the cf0e4a6b99 air.52037214b5779d3a

Through the haze, e5c0ef7f46 a table split de66f90c90 cleanly in two c93e12327a came into view.4725f77f20c9809d

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It was where Duke 1f2e69c90b Kallios and his son bae98b646d were seated.8999f797855f2ce8

Thanks to the f6452aedc7 commotion, it was 04a0fe1d05 easy to spot 477d16c330 both the Duke df3fed42e7 and Edwin, whose 6262fff552 location I hadn’t fa6aaf4c72 known before.a910dd8997f049c9

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‘Did he just… break the table with a single punch…?’aaed26e2f46b7f74

I was astonished 522f11fa0d by the Duke’s 7f770e0228 immense strength.af97b7030395dad2

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However, he casually retracted 140abe36a7 his fist from the e23d8ce61f air and elegantly rested a74ef11b33 it on his crossed 36dc1f5c23 leg.ddc79966426d864a

As if he hadn’t 8c39f964b9 just shattered a table.c6493e8b37dfbbb3

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Surprisingly, Edwin, seated 0c4bbff1d1 beside him, remained 858018a025 just as calm.39d68b3818b27e58

Even though his 09eee796ef father had caused 76d5e8d185 such a scene, d63886760b he didn’t so e89db2887e much as blink.9fb2145e0da13be1

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Instead, his eyes, sharp and 07c3d0a465 icy, turned toward Marquis Barelotte, 4b94769998 glaring at him.734b0626ce46b1f3

“Gulp…!”3627270b409fa63c

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“Ugh!”e69bfeca49d3d363

The nobles who met the 9a75d3731f fierce gazes of the father 9c5dc18257 and son hurriedly averted their 7957d90fdb eyes in fear.4c4ea79620796436

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The Duke surveyed the hall 3ead5e7012 with his piercing golden eyes, 6a29d02a34 before locking his gaze on 2e0714736f the Marquis.bb5f3772907f26da

“Watch your mouth.”ff71e5b758b93f7b

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“…”b0a0fdfc7fb8a048

“Be careful, Marquis.”e5f7a24e464ed4cc

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“H-Heek!”6d1b83e80d3f8d15

Overwhelmed by the Duke’s 55c53782e3 chillingly ominous aura, Marquis ce22b98952 Barelotte flinched and staggered 25447229ca backward.eed96cf73586f7e6

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“Do you have any evidence?”8e9af15bf9dd4507

The Duke spoke 843c9177e9 heavily, asking again.78844e8df376ab57

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“Any proof that our Belze stole?”ea3cce75a0650041

“W-Well…”3a506ada897a0dec

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“If you have no proof, you shouldn’t go around accusing people of being thieves.”df6b6a48f4213c83

“But there’s that anonymous 100 talents that were given, isn’t there?!”e8385c4feabf16ee

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The Marquis stammered, d71471da1f sweat dripping from 5e3e1f06cb his face as 889398a6d5 he tried to 3cdf76123b defend himself.cd9bc79690b04e10

Yet the Duke remained unfazed.5ec1e2bafaf8efc3

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“And so?”b65edbd40e3d342f

“P-Pardon?”4459d2ee55723f95

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“What does that even mean?”877f61fc31893802

“What do you…?”494a304ef0410165

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“All we know is that an unknown noble, much like myself, came and purchased goods worth 100 talents… Why accuse our child of theft based on that?”2ed90c1f696ba2d5

“…”7eeeb0918b48e824

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“It’s almost as if you want Belze to be the thief, doesn’t it?”bca97def1fac578b

The Duke’s voice was calm 5438a59ca5 as he questioned, his gaze dbf854ae4c unwavering.76477b25ad9ce026

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“Indeed, it seems that way.”7cf9d24b79db3735

A few nobles started to f915d434a3 nod in agreement with his 87d433ecee words.768d83f22ed9a708

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Marquis Barelotte, looking 6f7dc32ae1 around with a 3d77853597 flustered expression, eventually c1cd00eb50 responded with a 61dbf93c87 face full of 5dd7b7ba27 frustration.16300dfbc5fb90e7

“I just thought… that based on the circumstances, it’s highly likely that child is the culprit…”b6aa2895a5c33c03

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“Circumstances? How could there beb3fdfaa1 be suspicious circumstances 791fcba31f when she’s done d804f337f0 nothing wrong?”5ec6d7d277c8948e

“Your Grace! There’s a limit to how much you can protect her…!”12c5a4188666eac5

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“I find it more suspicious that the Marquis is so quick to make baseless accusations.”ef03281a92e4a4b4

The Marquis’s temper flared, and a5765d0085 he raised his head indignantly.37b8676fab85b3be

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“W-What makes me suspicious?!”56d07c599f6c58d1

The Duke shrugged.77a5ced6466e17fb

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“Who’s to say you didn’t embezzle those 100 talents yourself and stage this whole scene?”9ab863e830c43545

“W-What nonsense…!”b2ffa38196de6ee6

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The Marquis’s eyes 4e8cf53721 widened in disbelief.6ce9f485530900a6

It was an insult 14c26fd890 severe enough to potentially 1c6ef55719 spark a feud between b94e57ab77 their families.3f9105d28e35e9a0

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Seeing the escalating 0ec1bc6905 tension, the nobles 130c09e37b around them quickly 339f7471ed began to assess 4b47f1e755 which side they fcd1d363ba should align with.2e28288b053b6279

Yet the Duke, unconcerned, 252225e08e continued with an even bbd5e04a75 bolder accusation.a0ee4cb8a1fb2663

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“Isn’t it odd? The missing amount just so d692c5bf79 happens to match the maximum 43e626390c exchange limit for each household.”36d5502abe4773d9

“Your Grace!”1675b682e02b3fab

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“I’ve also heard that the Marquis’s finances have been in trouble lately… Perhaps it’s not that you’re supporting a Saintess candidate, but that you did this out of desperation?”607453dace39f2c2

“T-That’s absurd…!”5248e504376b20bf

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“You’d walk away with 100 gold coins if you could brush this off as a theft.”dca41d7e4a29ab9d

Naturally, nobles could 54516322c7 exchange unused talents d8f31502c3 back into gold 3243042e0a coins.0999978942a47df1

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If they claimed 9680a257aa not to have 1107291351 spent any, they b5b8464df6 could take 100 d0331ce063 gold coins back 0676abaff2 home.08e8465c9c22b4b8

Several nobles nodded quickly, ed8ad25fc2 finding the Duke’s theory df842f7539 quite plausible.c86a13358e75ba07

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“That makes sense!”18c7fde9ea2c6522

“Yes, I’ve heard rumors that Barelotte’s arms business has been struggling lately…”13386bc7bd17684d

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100 gold coins was no small sum.1cdc8ad0a412617c

‘That’s about 10 million won in Korean currency.’0b993700be3a5168

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For a noble a97178c32e in financial difficulty, 0f47db71d2 it was enough 09a49bef27 to keep them 2ef1b28922 afloat for a 7b10c37640 month or two.e3a3f312e19c4f26

However, everyone in the 89c78fbab3 room knew that, for d376cc05e1 the Duke, this sum 9105970524 was insignificant—something he could 58223e2897 easily gift to a 8c7c2fe5d6 child he supported.c8bf073ba9738366

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“That’s probably why he’s so agitated, over a mere 100 talents.”3dd109639580c091

“…”26832c65799c62ed

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“Wouldn’t you all agree?”c386502bbbee9678

The Duke looked around 91967a9670 lazily, seeking support, with 1e52b68f1b a rare smirk curling 8743f71ed9 up one corner of 3348748800 his mouth.7faafb1701429ff5

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It was a d3872e7ea2 side of him 69607dd2eb I had never 5ba958d423 seen before—he looked cd37208b21 utterly villainous.c44aa06aef5c40b4

As I watched 151512f576 him, I was bd3cfdefce filled with shock.93ce17b910da243f

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‘He looks… just like a villain!’21d83baca38d2608