CHAPTER 113: CH 113: PIN THE BLAME - PART 5

High Priestess Jenna sat quietly in her study, her fingers drumming softly against the table as she thought back to her conversation with Lumine.

That subtle, careless way Lumine had spoken about the "shop worker" still lingered in her mind like a warning bell she couldn’t ignore.

She exhaled deeply before calling for Evaya, who entered the room promptly and knelt respectfully.

"Evaya, I need you to check in on Kana. See if she’s alright... and discreetly find out what’s been happening around her. Something doesn’t sit right with me.

Jenna began, her tone calm but laced with an underlying gravity.

Evaya’s gaze sharpened instantly.

She knew Jenna well enough to understand that if the High Priestess was this concerned, the situation had already escalated beyond what was visible on the surface.

"Understood, Your Eminence."

She said firmly, bowing before leaving without hesitation.

It didn’t take long for Evaya to begin gathering information.

Moving swiftly and quietly through the inner temple and the surrounding districts, she pieced together the whispers about the temple guards’ latest actions.

When she overheard what they had been plotting—trying to pin the blame on Kana for the poisonous plant incident—her jaw clenched, and a sharp sigh escaped her.

"She really has the worst luck."

Evaya muttered under her breath, rubbing her temple.

It was barely weeks since Kana had gotten tangled in one mess after another, and now the temple’s guards were after her again.

But this time, it wasn’t simple suspicion—they had been planning to frame her outright.

With an irritated shake of her head, Evaya returned to Jenna’s quarters and reported everything she’d learned.

Jenna listened quietly, her expression unreadable, but Evaya could sense the subtle shift in her demeanor—the stillness before a storm.

"Leave it to me. I will handle this... my way."

Jenna said finally, her voice soft but carrying an edge sharp enough to slice through steel.

Evaya nodded, knowing better than to ask further questions.

When Jenna spoke like this, it usually meant someone was about to regret crossing her.

Meanwhile, Kana and Lysera finally reached home after the exhausting day.

The moment they stepped inside, they found Irielle sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, sipping tea as if she had been waiting for them.

"I already heard what happened. So, tell me... what do you want to do about it?"

Irielle said casually, setting her cup down and fixing her piercing gaze on Kana.

Kana blinked, still trying to process the events of the day, and tilted her head slightly.

"Do about... what?"

"About those guards. If you want, I can bury them."

Irielle clarified, leaning forward with a sly smile.

Kana froze, startled by the casual way Irielle had said it, as if destroying someone’s career—or worse—was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"...Bury them? How?"

"Oh, don’t worry about that. Let’s just say I have enough blackmail material to make them disappear from their posts before the end of the week."

Irielle said smoothly, her smile widening into something that felt equal parts mischievous and dangerous.

Kana stared at her, more confused than reassured.

"...How do you even have that kind of blackmail?"

She asked hesitantly.

Irielle’s smile sharpened like the edge of a blade as she leaned back against the couch, crossing her arms leisurely.

"Kana, there are some questions you shouldn’t ask if you want to sleep peacefully at night."

She said softly, her voice almost playful.

Kana instinctively looked away, deciding very quickly that she didn’t want to know any more details.

Beside her, Lysera sighed, clearly used to this kind of response from Irielle, and lightly patted Kana’s shoulder in silent reassurance.

The conversation ended there, but Kana couldn’t shake the unease curling in her chest.

By the next morning, however, something strange had happened.

Everything... was resolved.

Kana noticed it the moment she stepped outside.

The usual tension she had felt for days, the creeping sensation of being watched, the subtle footsteps following her whenever she left the shop—all of it had vanished.

The temple guards were gone.

Not dismissed, not transferred—gone quiet.

Completely silent.

There was no trace of them anywhere nearby, and none came knocking on the shop’s door to question her again.

Kana paused by the entrance, her bag slung over her shoulder, glancing back at Lysera with uncertainty.

"...This feels... weird, doesn’t it?"

Lysera adjusted her cloak and gave a small shrug.

"It does. But it’s better this way, isn’t it? I don’t sense them anywhere nearby either."

Kana frowned slightly but nodded.

"Still... I don’t want to take any chances."

"Good. We’ll stay cautious."

Lysera replied simply, her tone steady.

And so, with quiet steps and careful glances behind them, Kana and Lysera headed to work together, sticking close as they moved through the streets.

Even though the immediate danger seemed to have passed, Kana couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else had intervened on her behalf—and she had a strong suspicion who that someone might be.

High Priestess Jenna.

And if Jenna had stepped in, it meant this wasn’t over yet.

Kana walked beside Lysera, clutching the strap of her bag a little tighter as they weaved through the morning crowd.

The streets felt unusually calm, almost unnaturally so, and that quiet unease gnawed at the back of her mind.

"Do you think... Jenna had something to do with this?"

Kana finally asked, her voice low, almost hesitant.

Lysera glanced at her but didn’t answer immediately. After a brief pause, she said.

"It’s possible. She wouldn’t stand by if she thought you were being targeted. But if she did act... then the temple won’t let this slide so easily."

Kana bit her lip, her brows furrowing slightly. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried. If Jenna had intervened, then her safety—for now—was secured.

But the fact that such intervention was even needed meant the problem ran deeper than she thought.

Somewhere behind them, the faint sound of temple bells carried through the breeze, sharp and cold. Kana glanced back instinctively, but there was no one following them.

Still, she couldn’t shake the thought lingering in her chest.

The guards weren’t bothering her anymore... but that didn’t mean they’d stopped watching.

Something was brewing inside the temple walls—Kana could feel it.