Chapter 814

〈 Chapter 814 〉 Part 3, Chapter 1, Section 16

We’ve arrived at the clothing shop.

The reason I came here after asking the innkeeper is threefold.

First, to find casual clothes for Delpia immediately. She picked out as much clothing as she could within the gold I gave her—shirts, tunics, leather pants. Now she finally looks more like a knight.

And another reason is to find clothes for Hari.

In this world, slave clothing comes in all varieties. Though I haven’t seen many other slaves’ outfits yet, there’s definitely a generalized perception of how they should dress.

So it’s time to leave it to the experts.

“I want you to dress this slave appropriately.”

“Oh my, esteemed sir! You’ve come to the right place! Let me fetch something right away!”

I handed her over to the shop owner.

Fortunately, the owner was a woman who smiled warmly at Hari and began taking her measurements.

‘Good thing I threw the gold coins at Delpia first.’

I thought she might feel uncomfortable being measured for slave attire, but the professional knew what she was doing. Instead of just glancing and picking random clothes, she was precise.

Since the shop owner saw me giving gold to Delpia, she wouldn’t dare put cheap clothes on my slave.

“Please bring out the highest quality garments.”

“Ah… so that’s your play, huh?”

“Yes, indeed.”

I’m not sure what kind of “play” she’s referring to, but if she misinterprets things, she’ll pick the outfit accordingly. All I need to do is wait while standing still for Hari’s new slave attire.

“Shall we chat briefly, Miss Delpia?”

“…I knew you weren’t ordinary, but escaping from prison?!”

Delpia approached me with composed steps. I took a step aside—not because she isn’t a virgin or anything.

“Is the slave you’re bringing along really *that* person?”

“Why? Planning to arrest me for defamation?”

“Let me thank you first for saving her.”

“For now. The way you grind your teeth tells me you’re planning something else later.”

“Why are you bringing her along as a slave?”

“I’m not ‘bringing her.’ She’s following me of her own accord.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Even without her, I can achieve my goals without issue. But she has wagered the fate of the nation on staying by my side.”

I briefly explained my deal with Hari. Delpia sighed deeply, looking troubled as she glanced at Hari.

“—To have to rely on someone like a false prophet. Truly, I apologize to the previous cleric.”

“The clerics are absolute. Aren’t you a knight of the Vishnia Kingdom? The word of the gods is absolute, so naturally, you should follow the cleric who directly conveys the divine message. Regardless of your inner thoughts.”

“My inner thoughts?”

“The cleric may be terrible, but since the gods chose them, we must follow, right?”

Delpia stared blankly at me. Then, worried someone might overhear, she quickly checked around.

“That’s dangerous talk.”

“Besides, I’m a heretic anyway. And I didn’t mention earlier…”

I gestured around us.

“I’ve erected a barrier, so our voices won’t reach outside. Whatever we say here stays here.”

“…Really?”

“Sure. Want proof?”

I held my hand in front of my mouth and shouted:

“The cleric had an affair with a bald interrogator and had sex!!! The cleric’s child is actually the offspring of the interrogator!!! And Hari is a virgin!!!!”

“Wha-what the hell….”

Delpia tried to stop me, panicking, but people beyond the invisible barrier showed no reaction.

“See? No matter how loud I shout, they can’t hear us outside.”

“…Damn, I thought I was going crazy.”

Delpia hung her head, looking ten years older. Suddenly, she looked back up at me in surprise.

“You said the cleric’s child is the offspring of the interrogator?”

“Didn’t you know?”

“N-no way! So… if that’s true…”

“The former cleric died knowing nothing about it. They were the victim of infidelity.”

“Aah…”

Delpia went pale.

Even though Vishnia is known for being open-minded, it doesn’t mean they’d accept their spouse secretly having sex with someone else and passing off the resulting child as theirs.

“Why…? Why would the God of Light allow such a thing and still appoint the cleric…?”

“Well, maybe the God of Light doesn’t have time to care about earthly matters.”

There’s a probable reason, but because of it, the cleric has been acting even more recklessly.

Since the god hasn’t reprimanded or punished them for their actions, they believe they can get away with anything, causing chaos.

But it’s simply because the god currently lacks the time to deal with the cleric.

“So if you truly care about Hari, let me ask you one favor.”

“Favor?”

“Find evidence inside. When Hari returns here, ensure she regains her legitimacy as a cleric with confidence.”

“…That’s impossible.”

Delpia shook her head.

“I can try to find evidence. Actually, if what you say is true and we gather enough proof, I could officially raise the issue during a cleric-hosted meeting. But that’s where it ends. Know why?”

“Because the god chooses the cleric?”

“Exactly! Even if we hang the current cleric in the streets for adultery, a new one won’t just magically appear. If we kill the cleric, the god might be so angry that they refuse to send another one. So we must wait until the god appoints a new one.”

“So you agree the cleric needs to change?”

“…She’s incompetent.”

Delpia was agitated.

“She shows no intention of solving the two major issues affecting the Vishnia Kingdom. She gives orders to the Eight Deities, but most of them are too busy with their own tasks, leaving only two or three available. Meanwhile, across the kingdom…”

“Are there villages plagued by rape incidents?”

“Yes. Strange events are happening everywhere. To borrow your words, yes. People are becoming chaotic. Those who disrupt the established order are multiplying uncontrollably, and we might not be able to handle it.”

Delpia extended her hand toward me, as if requesting a handshake.

“I entrust this to you, stranger.”

“More like I depend on you.”

No handshake. Delpia awkwardly fidgeted with her extended hand before stuffing it back into her pocket.

And then…

“I’ll deactivate the barrier.”

As the shop owner and Hari approached, I deactivated the barrier.

“…What the…”

It wasn’t me who spoke; it was Delpia. I silently alternated my gaze between Hari and the owner.

“Slave attire?”

“Yes.”

“…This?”

A dress that completely exposes the shoulders.

It resembled a maid’s uniform adjusted to be slightly risqué—a very Vishnian touch.

“We minimized the exposure as much as possible.”

“This?”

“Yes. We left just enough for your eyes to enjoy, while covering vital areas like the stomach. Hehe.”

“…”

For a princess’s dress, it was quite revealing. Hari herself, blushing furiously, couldn’t lift her head.

Hmm… How should I put this? It reminded me of the typical maidservants you’d see in inns—exuding a bit of sex appeal while maintaining innocence. With parts of the shoulders and upper chest exposed, it didn’t feel overly excessive.

Ah, no…

“Woah.”

Delpia blinked in amazement.

“There’s a mark on her chest….”

“I deliberately chose this outfit. Hehehe…”

The shop owner clearly knew what they were doing.

* * *

-I will do my best to find evidence of the cleric’s infidelity. Wishing you good fortune.

Delpia left.

We probably won’t meet for a while. Hari and I set off from the village.

“Uh… ummm…”

“If you have something to say, don’t just groan and spit it out.”

“It’s just… I feel embarrassed, okay?!”

Hari kept touching her exposed collarbone nervously.

“I’ve never shown this much skin before…”

“Isn’t a princess supposed to wear dresses that reveal a bit?”

“But the commoners can be open-minded while royalty must remain conservative. That’s how they stay revered. And those who follow the gods’ teachings should maintain reverence, right?”

“Hmm.”

I suddenly remembered the priest robes Cheongnyeon used to wear. While I didn’t wear them to maintain piety, they did minimize exposure effectively.

Of course, even those priest robes could be provocative. Whenever the wind blew, my silhouette became fully visible, so I sometimes considered adding some sort of umbrella frame mechanism to keep the robe puffed out.

While indulging in these trivial thoughts while driving the carriage…

When we were a little ways out of town, I sensed an overwhelming surge of magic power behind us.

“…I wondered how long it would take. Finally, they’ve come.”

There’s no reason to sit idly when facing an enemy radiating such powerful magic.

“They’re coming.”

BOOM!

The entity charging from behind blocked our path. Standing firmly on two legs in front of the carriage, this woman emitted streams of golden energy from her feet.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Crazy…!”

Hari instantly recognized the figure blocking our way. A golden dress, red accents, and atop her head—horse ears!

“Kinnara!”

“That’s correct, Princess. But may I save greetings for later?”

Kinnara swayed her flowing blonde hair and smiled cheerfully.

“Hey, heretic. Aren’t you supposed to be good at fighting?”

“Questions before battle.”

I pointed at her head.

“Are you a horse daughter?”

“…Huh?”

“Ah, sorry. Right, right.”

Garura, Kinnara.

Both were fundamentally spirit-based beings rooted in therianthropy.

“Blazing Phoenix Revival.”

“WHAT-”

First move: Guaranteed Victory.