My Life Was Taken by My Charm-Wielding Sister—But It Ends Here (The Mind-Reading Noble Lady’s Journey to Happiness After Escaping Her Toxic Family) - Episode 39

After the Head Priest returned with the priest roster and contracts, Otilie moved to the temple treasury with Varick and Airny.

The treasury was an old, small building deep within the temple. It was heavily guarded to prevent ordinary worshippers from entering, giving it an air of history and preciousness.

[Otilie, I need you to lend me your ability. Can you let me hear the Head Priest’s inner thoughts?]

(Of course)

They had significantly reduced the number of people accompanying them to minimize noise. This meant Otilie had to share her ability with Varick while also serving as his eyes.

“This way, please,” the Head Priest said.

With a jangling sound, the Head Priest unlocked the treasury. Otilie and the others followed him inside.

The documents distributed beforehand listed the number and types of treasures stored here. There were stone statues gifted from foreign lands, scriptures written by saints said to have actually heard the voice of God, and jewels bestowed by the king. There should have also been pottery, crosses, paintings, mirrors, and other items.

Otilie and the others counted the treasures while cross-referencing the documents.

“This is…”

“Yeah. The numbers clearly don’t match.”

“Eh? That can’t be… It’s impossible!”

At Varick’s words, the Head Priest exclaimed in a flustered voice. He repeatedly compared the documents and treasures before letting out a loud “Ah!”

“—It’s true. The numbers don’t match. Who could have done such a thing? To think our precious treasures have been stolen.”

[…I only noticed just now. I just noticed it now.]

His words sounded like he was trying to convince himself. The Head Priest was clearly lying. Varick approached him with a stern expression.

“When was the last time the treasury was checked?”

“That would be… When was it? I don’t remember.”

[What does it matter? I’m telling you they disappeared at some point, why do you keep pressing with these questions?]

The Head Priest rubbed his hands together, faint wrinkles forming between his eyebrows. Varick circled the treasury while glaring sharply at the Head Priest.

“That’s strange… The temple has a duty to properly manage the treasures to prevent deterioration. We even provided funds to hire experts. The expenses should have been recorded in the accounts…”

“Th-that’s… Well! It’s just that I don’t know when I last checked the treasury myself, but of course, such matters are properly handled…”

“Besides, you knew in advance we were coming for inspection, right? You didn’t possibly prepare inspection documents without checking the actual items?”

“No, that’s… I never imagined the treasures would be stolen. —We’ve been reporting the same numbers every year.”

The treasures had disappeared at some point. Therefore, he had no fault. The Head Priest was probably trying to get through this situation with that narrative. But Varick continued pressing him about management responsibility, gradually cornering him.

[He probably assumed we wouldn’t actually check the items, right? How insulting…]

Varick’s inner muttering sounded extremely frustrated. Otilie felt a sharp pang in her chest.

“So, the keys? How were they managed?”

“Th-they were kept in my office.”

“Was your office accessible to anyone?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then who exactly could have taken the treasures from the treasury? And it’s strange they didn’t take everything even after going through the trouble of breaking in. Many lightweight, easily portable treasures are still here. Don’t you think so too, Head Priest?”

The exchange was painful to watch, making her stomach ache.

Then Otilie noticed Airny staring intently at a rosary embedded with jewels.

“Miss Airny? What’s wrong?”

Otilie peered at the rosary alongside Airny. A large ruby was embedded at the top of the rosary, surrounded by small diamonds. This should have been an item received from a neighboring country as a symbol of friendship. Due to its precious nature, they couldn’t actually handle it, and the dim lighting of the treasury made it hard to discern the colors properly.

“This is a replica.”

“Eh? You mean it’s fake?”

Since Airny, who had identification abilities, stated it so definitively, it was probably true. But it was so audacious that Otilie didn’t want to believe it.

“What should be embedded here is pigeon’s blood ruby from the neighboring country. But this is red crystal with a similar color. The other stones are the same. This one, for example, isn’t a natural mineral but artificially created, worth only a few hundredth of the real thing.”

“Th-then… where are the real jewels?”

“Probably sold off. Ordinary people can’t tell if jewels are real just by looking at them briefly, and the temple side likely assumed they wouldn’t get caught. Especially during short inspections like the annual ones. Honestly, it’s rare to cross-check every single treasure’s storage count. If Otilie hadn’t been here, we likely would have judged ‘no issues’ again this time. —They prepared fakes as insurance for worst-case scenarios. I think the temple’s methods are truly malicious.”

Listening to Airny’s explanation, Otilie stared blankly at the treasury and clutched her chest tightly.

(The priests really are trying to take over the country.)

It was natural to assume the stolen treasures were used to raise funds for that purpose.

So where was the money, and how much was there? Just imagining it was terrifying. A chill ran down Otilie’s spine.

[Calm down, Otilie. We already have sufficient reason to investigate. First, let’s conduct a thorough search of the temple.]

She gave a small nod at Varick’s words.