The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success-Chapter 96

When I glanced at him, he looked incredibly awkward.

He must’ve known about that bizarre Imote Kingdom greeting—“Are you thinking about marrying the Crown Prince?”—since his biological mother was from Imote.

But that wasn’t all. Nobles began flocking over to greet me as well.

“Minister of the Scroll Department, you were incredibly impressive. I thought magic like that could only be done in the Magic Tower...”

The problem was, I didn’t know a single high-ranking noble by face.

When I looked momentarily flustered, Kiaros graciously stepped in and introduced each of them for me.

“This is Beron Vegana, second son of Count Vegana. He serves in the Imperial Knights and has a fiancée.”

And as more nobles arrived, Kiaros kept introducing them one by one.

“This is Aron Adams, third son of Marquis Adams. Looks handsome, but got dumped twice after getting caught cheating.”

“Ah... yes.”

“This one is Viscount Iark Aeron. Married, wife and kids abroad. Don’t fall for his single-man act.”

“Ah... yes.”

“This is Caron Colsbane, eldest son of Count Colsbane. His future father-in-law is ruthless, and his future mother-in-law is a nightmare. Don’t even start anything.”

“Ah... yes.”

Of course, only Kiaros was at ease. The other party had to do their best to hide how flustered they were.

Saying whatever one wanted without worrying about appearances—that was a Dragonblood’s privilege. Though Kiaros had never really exercised it like this before.

And then—

A red-haired man in clerical robes stepped in front of me, his golden eyes glowing.

“A pleasure to meet you, Minister.”

I was caught off guard by the unfamiliar face, and Kiaros smiled and introduced him.

“This is the High Priest, Oliver Ailsen. Naturally, as you know, priests can’t marry.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Minister. I am Oliver Ailsen, a humble servant of the divine.”

Despite his title, his attire was rather modest.

“It’s been quite some time since I’ve visited the Imperial Palace or attended an event like this.”

Just as he said, it had been a very long time since he’d been invited to the palace.

Ever since the first Dragonblood Emperor founded the Empire, the authority of the temple had steadily declined in times of peace.

With dazzling advances in medicine and the Empire’s long tranquility, divine power—especially wide-range healing—had long since been neglected.

Now, barely anyone truly believed in the divine. Religion had been relegated to a kind of folk belief.

“I didn’t realize scroll magic had advanced this far during that time.”

Today was literally the feast of Saint Cairo, a day dedicated to the ancient saint, which is why he had been invited. Normally, the High Priest was barely regarded—a mere fringe figure in the court.

‘Wait... but after the war starts, the whole situation flips upside down.’

In wartime, wide-range healing becomes incredibly important.

It might not cure diseases, but it restores energy and stabilizes one’s condition.

A power that had no place in peacetime suddenly becomes vital.

‘And that’s how the temple rapidly regains its influence.’

That’s why, in the original story, even Jaden suspected the temple of being behind the war. Though he never managed to prove any connection in the end.

But then...

‘The name of the High Priest that adult Jaden met back then... was Oliver Ailsen.’

And here’s where it got eerie.

In the original, that Oliver Ailsen was described as looking to be in his 40s. Red hair. Golden eyes. Same description as the one standing right in front of me.

‘But he looks exactly in his 40s right now?’

According to the story, Jaden met him twenty years later.

Which means this guy should be in his 60s now—but his appearance hasn’t changed at all?

‘Suspicious!’

And Jaden had said it was his first time meeting the High Priest back then.

So in the original timeline, this guy wasn’t at this banquet.

‘If the temple was secretly behind the Reformists...’

Then it would make sense how, even after the Emperor wiped out their leadership in the south 15 years ago, remnants managed to survive and rebuild.

With their healing powers, priests could’ve unofficially saved Reformist pawns on the brink of death.

And with temples spread all across the continent, it would’ve been easy to hide them from imperial pursuit.

‘Yeah. That explains everything about why we assumed there had to be a greater power behind it all.’

A High Priest who hasn’t aged in twenty years.

What if he, too, became an experiment like the Tower Lord’s daughter—allying with the Reformists and altering himself?

While I was caught up in thought, Kiaros and the High Priest were casually chatting.

“Now that you mention it, didn’t you refuse nearly every invitation from the palace over the years?”

“Haha... Servants of the divine don’t really belong in such glamorous places. But acting on a whim today, I must say I’m quite impressed.”

The royal family had always extended a formal courtesy to the temple—a religious institution older than the Empire itself.

They didn’t particularly support them, but made sure to invite them to events and treat them like honored guests.

And most of the time, the High Priest would politely decline. He knew he had no real influence in settings like these.

‘He rarely even comes ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ to the capital. I’ve been in government for years, and this is my first time seeing him in person.’

In any case, Kiaros was treating him with the utmost courtesy now.

He usually seemed indifferent to most people, but here he was, carrying on a conversation about mundane topics.

“Was it five years ago we last met? You haven’t changed a bit since then.”

“Really? At my age, there’s no better compliment. Thank you.”

Yeah... five years, sure, you can let that slide. But twenty? That’s definitely suspicious!

While I was still deep in thought, their conversation continued.

“Are you currently staying at the Grand Temple in Farens?”

The High Priest didn’t stay in one temple—he wandered from one to another.

Farens was a southern city, home to the Grand Temple built before the Empire’s founding. The largest temple on the continent.

It was near where my father and I used to live. We had even talked about visiting someday... though “someday” never came.

“Yes, that’s right. Since I came up for the banquet, I plan to stay in the palace’s temple for about ten days before returning to Farens.”

There was a small temple inside the Imperial Palace too—more of a symbolic chapel than a proper temple, built to honor ancient faith.

Still, it was a legitimate temple, and a valid reason for the High Priest to stay.

I smiled quietly and stole a glance at him.

A sudden visit to the palace...

In the original story, this never happened. And for the High Priest—someone who could command the temple’s full authority—to show up in person...

There had to be a major scheme in motion.

And the person they’d want to “deal with” was standing right next to me.

‘There was someone else they tried to deal with before, too—but failed because of me!’

Kiaros.

Even a single properly trained Dragonblood was enough to make them tread carefully.

‘I bet they’re planning another assassination attempt on Kiaros.’

Right now, Kiaros was using the excuse of heartbreak to hole up inside the palace, avoiding danger.

But the High Priest could easily stay in the palace without suspicion—so maybe that’s why he came himself?

As I continued piecing things together, Kiaros politely ended the conversation with a subtle cue.

“We’ve put a lot of care into the banquet dishes. I’ll have a servant recommend something suitable.”

To which the High Priest shook his head and replied,

“Ah... no need. My stomach hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

...What is this? Is food poisoning trending now or something?