The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me-Chapter 61 - Eavesdropping

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 61 - Eavesdropping

The second night of Lloyd’s stay at the Holy Office.

Yulia and the village chief trudged back into the lodging.

“We’re back.”

“We’re… back.”

The two looked utterly exhausted, as though they’d been wrung dry.

Lloyd, sitting at the table, tapping his fingers, greeted them.

“You made sure to complete today’s assignments, right?”

‘This devilish kid.’

‘He’s been lounging around at home all day.’

Yulia and the village chief grumbled inwardly.

They didn’t dare say it aloud, though, because Lloyd’s personality had been growing more and more unsettling lately. If they weren’t careful, they’d be subjected to a barrage of scathing remarks.

He might seem relaxed, but Lloyd had recently developed a terrifying ability to cut right to the heart of things with sharp, pinpoint jabs.

And sure enough…

“I wasn’t just sitting around, you know.”

At his casual remark, Yulia flinched, her shoulders trembling. Lloyd’s eyes then drifted toward the bulging pouches the two carried.

“You left quite a lot undone.”

“It wasn’t easy! Why don’t you try it yourself!”

The village chief’s voice rose, his tone filled with indignation.

And he had every right to feel that way.

— These small devices are magical tools that can record and transmit sound. You’ll need to plant them in locations where high-ranking individuals are likely to pass by.

How many? As many as possible. It’d be great if you used all of them. Only ten each? You can do that much, right?

Priests trying to stop you? Use your head or appeal to their emotions. They’re not used to temptations, being locked up in the Holy Office all the time. Easy, right? If it were me, I’d be done in three hours.

But don’t get caught. If you do, we’ll be arrested again. Sure, we could talk our way out of it, but it’d be a hassle.

That was the mission Lloyd had given them.

“Easy? Nothing about this was easy! I didn’t even struggle this much when courting my old partner!”

Most of the priests were men, and the village chief had to flatter them endlessly just to be allowed in once. By the time he was done, the very sight of priest robes made him feel sick.

“But you did well. Looks like you managed to handle about half.”

“Well… that’s true.”

In the face of Lloyd’s unexpected praise, the village chief’s mood softened as he scratched the back of his head.

“So, what were you doing all this time?”

Yulia asked bluntly, though her slumped posture betrayed just how drained she was. She seemed ready to collapse but couldn’t resist demanding an answer out of sheer frustration.

At the same time, she was genuinely curious.

‘What does he plan to do with all those listening devices?’

After all, there wasn’t much time left, was there?

They only had about three days total, and now it was the second day. Whatever Lloyd intended to accomplish within the remaining day seemed impossible.

Wouldn’t it have been better to do something more dramatic? Something like… breaking something?

“Don’t even think about it, Princess.”

“Huh? I wasn’t thinking anything!”

“Your face looked like you were plotting a rebellion.”

Does he have some magic that lets him read minds? Yulia wondered as Lloyd dragged something out from the back of the room.

“I made a diagram using the data from the devices you planted.”

“What is this? A drawing? Lloyd, you’ve no talent for art.”

It was a whiteboard (Lloyd insisted on calling it that) covered in thick, crisscrossing lines. The village chief, frowning, remarked with a tone of disbelief.

“That’s not a drawing. It’s a schematic. I mapped out the power structure of the Holy Office.”

The village chief looked closer at the whiteboard, but it still made no sense to him. To his eyes, it was just a bunch of lines.

“Seriously, your artistic skills are…”

“Hold on.”

Yulia raised her finger to her lips, signalling for silence. She examined the board closely, narrowing her eyes before speaking.

“If this diagram is correct… the power structure of the Holy Office looks a bit strange.”

“In what way?”

“The Holy Emperor’s power seems weaker than I expected. Not terribly weak, but it looks like he’s barely holding onto half the power. And that’s assuming the Saintess is fully on his side.”

It was a difficult interpretation for Yulia to believe.

After all, the Holy Emperor was supposed to be on par with the Emperor of the Holy Constantine Empire. He was the “Father of All Believers.”

In the Deus Church, the Holy Emperor was an absolute figure. He was supposed to be.

“You’re right. That’s how it was before the Demon King’s subjugation. But after that, the power within the Holy Office shifted dramatically.”

“It changed because of the Demon King’s subjugation?”

“Yes. Saintess Aria’s popularity skyrocketed.”

“Wouldn’t that strengthen the Holy Emperor’s position?”

“Not quite. Aria failed to wield the influence a Saintess should have.”

“She failed? But she was famous. Everyone across the continent praised her.”

Lloyd shook his head.

“Popularity doesn’t automatically translate into power. It’s like being handed a shiny sword—you still need to wield it. But Aria doesn’t have the courage for that.”

“You’re saying she had no real substance?”

“Exactly. She probably let herself get taken advantage of. She’s that kind of person.”

“So someone else took the benefits that should’ve gone to the Saintess.”

“Correct.”

Tap. Lloyd’s wooden pointer jabbed at a specific name on the board.

“That person is right here.”

High Priest Julius.

He was the one who essentially ran the Holy Office.

“The data from the listening devices confirms that he’s the real power behind the Holy Office. And.”

The circumstances aligned perfectly.

After the Demon King's subjugation and the surge in Aria’s popularity, the Deus Church had expanded rapidly. With more believers flooding in, the workload grew exponentially, and the Holy Emperor couldn’t keep up. Julius, being in charge of administrative duties, became more indispensable.

As the workload increased, more priests were needed, and Julius was able to fill the ranks with his own people. His influence expanded rapidly.

“The problem is that he wasn’t satisfied with just that.”

Despite the short time, the listening devices had already provided plenty of useful information. The ones planted in the interrogation room and along the hallways had been particularly valuable.

“This guy. As we suspected, he’s been in cahoots with the Blood Cult. The person connected to the Holy Office’s involvement with the cult? It’s him.”

Beep.

Lloyd pressed one of the devices lying on the table.

“And we’ve got a nice little weapon now, too.”

A series of voices played from the device.

Among them was the voice of High Priest Julius.

As the recording finished, Lloyd grinned.

“Get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.”

◆

The Holy Office was always bustling in the mornings.

With dawn prayers starting at five in the morning, the priests’ daily routines kicked off early.

And as soon as breakfast was over, the meetings began.

For Aria, this meant enduring relentless criticism before she’d even had time to digest her morning meal.

— Bang!

A hand slammed down on the table.

Before she could even flinch, the barrage of complaints hit her ears.

“Saintess! Is this what you call a plan to secure more believers? It’s utterly nonsensical!”

And over there.

“The drop in revenue from relic sales is causing major problems. Saintess, it seems you’ll have to put in more effort.”

And even here.

“Aria, I noticed you seemed hesitant during the last ceremony. Are you still struggling to adapt to the Holy Office? If you’re having difficulties, you should speak up. But don’t assume you have endless time.”

Even the Holy Emperor was joining in.

With each meeting, from the early hours until late morning, Aria’s complexion visibly paled.

“Enough…”

It was only around ten o’clock that Aria finally returned to her quarters, collapsing into bed as if she were someone addicted to the comfort of blankets.

Wrapped up in the rustling cocoon, she let out a deep sigh.

“Haa…”

The simple absence of other people’s voices gave Aria some much-needed peace, if only slightly.

But still, her body continued to tremble.

After another sigh in the comfort of her blanket...

“…I just want to stop.”

A small whisper slipped from under the covers.

Aria had reached her breaking point.

The relentless criticism aimed at her.

The contemptuous looks the priests gave her, as if she were nothing more than an insect.

And worst of all, the absence of any hope.

During times like this, Aria always thought of Lee Han.

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Back in the days of the Hero Party, whenever she would stargaze at night, Lee Han would eventually come and sit beside her, sharing various stories.

— Aria. Your weakness lies in your soft heart. You always have to toughen up. Wield the sword you’ve been given. If you don’t, one day that sword will end up in your back.

His words had always been right.

Perhaps Lee Han was the only person who had truly cared about her.

“…Lee Han.”

Tears began to drip from Aria’s eyes.

She missed him.

She desperately wanted to talk to him again, even just once.

At that moment.

— Knock, knock!

A knock came from outside the door.

Aria curled up tighter under her blanket.

She didn’t want to see anyone.

— Knock, knock!

But the knocking didn’t stop.

No. Shaking her head, Aria realised something.

That knock—it sounded familiar.

— Knock, knock!

The knock came again.

And as if drawn by some invisible force, Aria began walking toward the door.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]