Villainous Husband, the One You’re Obsessed With Is Over There - Chapter 207

Chapter 104.1

A few weeks before the death of the ‘Empress,’ at the Temple of Tunia.

It had been three days since Raniero left with Angelica. The worshippers of Tunia were secretly relieved. They had expected that Raniero would wreak havoc on the temple during his stay, but he returned relatively quietly with only Angelica.

While some people were worried about what might happen to poor Angelica upon her return, they were even more grateful that Seraphina was safe.

As for Eden, who had been beaten to a pulp…

“It’s such a shame.”

That was how everyone agreed.

Nevertheless, amidst that, some despicably thought, ‘It’s fortunate that it happened to the one who went astray lately.’

In a way, it was a good thing that the relationship between Seraphina and Eden completely deteriorated. They became distant, and even when the Saintess had to come out of the prayer room, they never made eye contact.

And just like that, the Temple of Tunia seemed to return to its normal routine smoothly.

But something strange happened.

All of a sudden, an unexpected guest arrived at the temple, which was seeking peace.

An ‘unexpected visit from an outsider.’

No matter how strange it was emphasized, it wasn’t enough. Normally, when an outsider visited the temple, the Saintess would inform the Archbishop of the purpose of the visit after receiving Tunia’s revelation. However, Seraphina seemed to know nothing about this visitor.

Come to think of it, Seraphina didn’t receive a divine revelation even when Eden brought Angelica either.

People were somewhat uneasy. This was because they had become inevitably sensitive after experiencing the malice and plunder of Actilus. Moreover, it was stipulated that the visitor couldn’t reveal their identity until they entered the temple, leading to debate on whether to accept or refuse the guest internally.

Opinions clashed fiercely between those prioritizing the doctrine of mercy, stating ‘Mercy doesn’t refuse the reaching hand,’ and those arguing that the immediate recovery of the region should take precedence.

Doctrine prevailed over the victor.

In the end, the temple opened its doors to an unidentified visitor.

“Thank you for opening the door.”

A dignified voice flowed from the person who had wrapped his face up to just below his eyes. It was a voice that left an impression of softness yet firmness.

“I’m truly grateful. I have brought something that may be of assistance, albeit small.”

As the man dressed like a pilgrim bowed politely to the Archbishop, the porters unlocked the lock of the box they were carrying.

When the box opened, a young priest guarding the Archbishop’s side let out an exclamation without discrimination.

“Wow…”

All of them were plump grains.

In the Temple of Tunia, where springs were rare and the land was rough, it was a truly precious material enough to bring tears to one’s eyes. The excited young priest plunged his hand deep into the grain box. When he lifted his hand, grains cascaded down like a golden waterfall.

“More boxes are coming.”

As the man, who was happily looking at the young priest, added, the Archbishop opened his mouth with a voice full of wariness.

“Who are you?”

Only then did the man unveil his face by loosening the cloth and revealing himself.

He was a middle-aged man with a prominent forehead and jawline, but his deep green eyes were gentle and warm. He handed a coin to the Archbishop.

The front of the coin, seemingly freshly minted, had a man’s profile engraved on it. On the back was the emblem of the Sombinia royal family, along with the inscription ‘Commemorating the coronation of Richard Sombinia III,’ also embossed.

The Archbishop opened his mouth slightly and alternated between the man and the coin.

“I’m the King of Sombinia. I truly apologize for the summer. I’ve always carried a debt in my heart.”

Sombinia politely declined the request to provide troops for the demonic beasts wave. It was a truly polite refusal. No other country that expressed a refusal has done so with the same level of detail and regret as Sombinia.

At that time, Richard had sent a long letter explaining that there was an epidemic in a certain region of Sombinia, and the military was blockading the outbreak area, making it difficult to send troops. It was Sombinia who supported the tribute supplies to be brought there, along with the advice, ‘I don’t know if I can say this, but ask Actilus for help.’

As Richard reached out his hand towards him, the Archbishop hesitated but eventually reached out his hand as well to shake hands.

“How could you hide your identity while you’re suddenly coming this far without saying anything…”

“I’m sure you must’ve been surprised. I apologize for that as well. It was a matter that required utmost secrecy.”

…Something that the king of a country needed to act in ‘utmost secrecy.’

An intuition struck the Archbishop that it wouldn’t be good to be involved.

His gaze then moved towards the grain box.

The public sentiment towards the temple was stirring. It would be fortunate if they were just stirred up, but there were children who starved to death, and the number was much higher than usual.

It was a painful mark left by the army of ten thousand.

In fact, the most realistic place to use the gold coins that Raniero had thrown away as if they were a nuisance was the County of Tocino of Actilus, though even that was hampered by the empire’s own poor state of affairs. In such circumstances, this grain box truly seemed like sweet rain during a drought.

Perhaps, if handled well with Richard now, they might be able to strike a fair deal with coins.

It was a matter of survival.

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