I slowly crawled out from the wardrobe where I had been hiding.
Back in my days as a detective, when I used to take pride in my well-toned muscles, squeezing into tight spaces always made my whole body ache. But now, hiding with Ordel's slender frame feels surprisingly cozy.
With divine power, I can enhance my body too. No need to bulk up like in my detective days.
"Y-You! What the hell! What are you doing here?!"
As I stepped out completely and dusted off my clothes, Kento pointed at me, yelling.
I'm seriously tempted to snap that finger in half.
"Didn't you say to come to the kitchen at night? I'm a person who keeps promises, so I came gladly. Unfortunately, since you're supposed to be locked up in prison, I figured I'd look around by myself."
"Y-You...!"
"But then, I saw you, who should still be locked up, sneaking in here. I was curious what you were up to, so I decided to watch."
Of course, that's a lie.
I had already predicted that he'd break out of prison and sneak in here during the night.
According to the original story, Kento didn't hide the money in just one place.
I was on a stakeout, waiting to catch him red-handed.
"And thanks to that, I got to witness such a delightful scene. Looks like I'm pretty lucky."
"Showing up in front of me like an idiot—that's not luck, that's misfortune!"
Kento, seemingly having calmed his startled heart, sprang to his feet.
At some point, he had drawn a sharp dagger.
"I've been meaning to deal with you anyway. Do you even know who I am? Huh?"
"Of course I do. You're the criminal who got caught embezzling and will be tortured by the High Priest tomorrow. And now that you've escaped prison, that torture's going to be a whole lot worse. Just imagining it gives me chills, seriously."
"Torture, my ass. You're just some weakling who's never touched anything sharper than a dining knife. You think I'd be scared of someone like you?!"
...Wow. The saying "ignorance is bliss" really applies here.
Who is Iric?
He's one of the male lead candidates in this world.
He may not end up as the true male lead who gets the heroine in the end, but he still has tons of devoted fans.
In romance-fantasy novels, male leads will do anything for the heroine—anything. There's no way Iric is weak.
In the original story, Iric was one of the top experts in torture, and he even helped kill Ordel when he could no longer stand to see her torment the heroine.
This guy's finished.
"You idiot! Do you even know who planted me here? It was Count Kiris! And you, a fake saint, dare interfere with the Count's work?!"
I smiled crookedly at the oh-so-familiar name.
Right, Kento was one of the spies Count Kiris secretly planted in the temple to turn Ordel into a fake saint.
Whoever helped him escape must be another spy.
The two biggest expenses in the temple were my "dignity maintenance allowance"—which was basically a luxury fund—and the kitchen's food expenses.
Kento always allocated a lot for food, saying the saint deserved only the best.
Whenever the food was subpar, Ordel would explode in fury, so even Iric had no choice but to let it slide.
But he probably didn't know—
That Kento had been embezzling funds all along, using that as an excuse.
And most of that stolen money ended up back in Count Kiris's hands through Kento.
The Count planted him as a spy for that exact purpose.
The real problem was that Ordel, pretending to be extravagant, occasionally helped cover up the embezzlement.
That way, Iric wouldn't suspect anything.
In short, I was now cleaning up the mess Ordel had left behind.
"If you understand what's going on, then get on your knees. If you even think of resisting, I'll report every single thing you did tonight to the Count in detail!"
Kento pointed his dagger at me.
From the look of bliss on his face, he must be fantasizing about me—a noble and a saint—groveling at his feet...
You've got the wrong person, buddy.
"Oh my, I didn't know you were sent by Count Kiris. What a surprise."
"That's right, so kneel down right—"
"So, you're saying you're a spy. Not a follower of the Sun God. You don't believe in our Sun God, right?"
"...What?"
Kento stared at me, dumbfounded by my sudden question.
But this is a very important issue.
If he's not a follower, then kicking him out won't reduce the number of Sun God worshippers.
"If you were a believer, I'd use all my power to lead you to repentance. But since you're not, there's no need to bother."
So, what's needed right now?
Punishment—for daring to covet the Sun God's property.
[Skill 'Body Enhancement' activated.]
"What the hell are you talking about—?!"
In a fight, the first strike always wins!
I drove my enhanced fist squarely into that wretched face of his.
SMAACK!
With a satisfying impact, Kento's already unimpressive nose collapsed completely.
Behold—this is divine punishment, delivered in the name of the Saint, the agent of God!
"Urgh, cough! You—you damn bastard!"
"Huh. Was the punishment too weak? You're still standing?"
He fainted earlier from just a flick to the forehead, and now he's still clutching his dagger even while swaying?
His nose is totally flattened—his brain must've taken a hit too.
"Why don't you just fall over? You'll die if you keep pushing yourself."
I'd seen guys like that before during my time as a detective—acting tough until they ended up brain-dead.
But even with my sincere warning, Kento didn't back down.
"F-Fine! I'll just bring your h-head to the Count... Then he'll forgive me for sure...!"
His tongue was twisting so badly it was getting dangerous.
And yet, shockingly, he still managed to swing the dagger right at me.
I was about to dodge, wondering if my enhanced body could block it—
"Huh?"
Something suddenly yanked me forcefully backward.
Before I could even make sense of what was happening, CLANG!—Kento's dagger flew into the air.
"AAAGH!"
And just like that, Kento's wrist, still clutching the weapon, twisted in a grotesque direction.
"Are you alright?"
A deep voice rumbled from above, accompanied by a refreshing scent at the tip of my nose.
I hadn't sensed any presence until I was pulled back.
Startled, I quickly turned my head.
The first thing I saw was hair so silvery, it gleamed even in the dim kitchen where no moonlight reached.
Below a short fringe, a pair of eyes—cold as the winter sea—were gazing down at me from up close.
"Gasp."
Wow. His beauty glows even at night.
"Are you injured?"
"Uh..."
"Are you hurt?"
His beauty was so stunning, I couldn't even form words properly.
Maybe he misunderstood my silence, because his gaze turned icy as he looked at Kento.
At the same time, a crushing pressure fell over my entire body—something so overwhelming it was beyond description.
It was an aura I never felt on Earth.
This was killing intent—and his power.
"To threaten an unarmed woman with a blade, in the sacred temple no less... Are you asking to die?"
Terrifying.
I thought I'd become immune to fear after working in violent crimes.
But this? This was on a whole different level.
My legs buckled under the weight of it.
[AI system has detected fear exceeding safe levels.]
[Boosting user's mental strength for optimal performance.]
"...?"
The moment that system message popped up, a wave of calm washed over me.
More effective than any tranquilizer I'd ever had.
System, you're actually pretty competent, huh?
"I'm not hurt. I'm fine. Thank you so much for saving me."
I let out a relieved breath and stepped out of his arms.
Now that the dazed part of my brain had cleared—momentarily fogged by that ridiculously handsome face—I could finally recognize who he was.
A man whose looks could rival even Iric, the High Priest and a main male lead candidate.
If the High Priest is the heroine's shield, then this man is her sword—ready to cut down any threat without hesitation.
The second male lead candidate, and captain of the Temple Knights of the Sun God.
There was no mistaking it. Seth Noel.
But... wasn't he supposed to be away on assignment?
Why is he here, and why now, of all times?
I was planning to handle this myself, but now things were getting complicated.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
The handsome Seth asked with concern. I gave a vague nod and shot a glance at Kento.
He looked just as shocked by Seth's sudden appearance as I was.
But honestly, he's the one who should be afraid right now—not me.
He's the fugitive who just ran into the captain of the Temple Knights.
Well, what can I do?
What's done is done. Might as well use the situation to my advantage.
"Captain Seth, that man was caught embezzling temple funds earlier today and was locked up! And now he's escaped from prison too!"
I tattled immediately.