The Lord Just Wants to Have Fun

Philip, curious about the identity of the girl, ran straight to the room where she was staying.

As he entered the room, he saw a blue-haired girl sitting on the bed, gazing blankly out the window.

Her clear, lake-like eyes reflected Philip’s figure as she turned her head at the sound of his footsteps.

“You’ve finally woken up. What’s your name?”

The girl hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…Liberta.”

“Why were you drifting down the river? What happened?”

“…”

“And what is your status? Judging by your clothes, you look like an apprentice priestess of the Water Order.”

“…”

Despite Philip’s continuous questioning, the girl remained silent this time.

She simply stared at Philip without uttering another word.

Her cold and indifferent attitude left Philip looking somewhat perplexed.

‘This is completely different from what I expected.’

When he had first rescued her, her appearance led him to assume she was a delicate and gentle beauty. But now, she seemed more like an ice princess, exuding a chilly aura.

“The lord is asking you a question! Answer him properly—”

Grrrrrrrgle—

Just as Terry, unable to bear her attitude, was about to press her further, Liberta’s stomach let out a loud growl.

At that instinctive reaction, Liberta’s face flushed red, and Philip chuckled.

“So, you were too hungry to even speak.”

“She’s only had porridge and diluted potions since she was unconscious.”

At Siria’s words, Philip nodded.

“She still seems unwell. We’ll question her again tomorrow. Helen, make sure Liberta gets something to eat.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Just as Philip was about to leave the room after giving his orders, a voice called out from behind him.

“You. Your name?”

“Philip de Brandel.”

Liberta repeated his name softly, as if committing it to memory, then spoke.

“Philip, thank you for saving me.”

“Hmph. A thank-you is nice, but I’d prefer if you revealed your identity.”

As Philip and his attendants left the room, Liberta murmured to herself with a bitter expression.

“My identity… even if I wanted to tell you, it is forbidden, Apostle of Eldir.”

******

“What course of action do you think we should take?”

Upon returning after checking on Liberta, Philip gathered his attendants and asked for their opinions.

Midas, the scribe, was the first to speak, followed by Terry, Helen, and others in turn.

“I heard that neither Crown Prince Karl nor Princess Amelia have any prior acquaintance with us. We owe them no favors either.”

“As for Viscount Beron, judging by his behavior, the Duke of Volzard’s faction isn’t even worth considering.”

“My lord, your loyalty lies with the ruler of the kingdom, not any particular candidate.”

The prevailing opinion was to remain neutral and observe the situation rather than siding with any faction. Philip also preferred this approach—aligning with the wrong side could result in more losses than gains.

“That said, I hope Volzard never becomes king.”

“Agreed, my lord. Someone like him wouldn’t last long even if he did become king.”

A noble who resorted to threats against high-ranking aristocrats would only bring turmoil to the kingdom.

With that, the meeting concluded, and Philip was left alone in his room.

Before heading to bed, he stood by the window, taking in the night view of Aras.

As expected of the capital, Aras remained lively even deep into the night. Numerous shops still had their lights on, and many people moved through the streets.

If not for the looming national mourning, there would likely be street vendors, performers, and musicians entertaining the night crowd.

‘It’s not quite on the level of a modern city on Earth, but it’s still quite bustling. And the night sky is stunning.’

With no industrial pollution tainting the atmosphere, countless stars twinkled in the sky despite the city’s brightness.

Philip alternated his gaze between the sky and the streets below using his scope.

Then, all of a sudden, his eyes sharpened.

‘Wait… what’s that?!’

At the intersection in front of the inn—

Liberta, now dressed in Helen’s outdoor clothing instead of her tattered priestess robes, was seen walking somewhere.

‘Where is she going at this hour? No, more importantly, how did she get out?’

Siria was in the same room as Liberta, and knights and soldiers were stationed at both the front and rear entrances of the inn.

Since none of them had reported anything unusual, it was clear that she had slipped out unnoticed.

Puzzled, Philip hurriedly grabbed his clothes and weapons before heading outside.

“My lord, is something the matter?”

Sensing movement, Terry woke up and stepped out of his room.

“The ice princess has fled.”

“What? When did this happen?”

“Just now.”

Philip went to check on Helen and Siria, only to find them sound asleep, oblivious to Liberta’s departure. They must have been exhausted from the journey.

On the bed Liberta had used, there was a small note and a tiny vial.

Philip, as thanks for saving me, I’ve left you a potion. It is far more effective than the holy water currently sold at the Grand Temple.
I have my own path to follow, so you should also continue on yours.

Philip sighed, exasperated.

‘Does she think I’ll just lose interest if she disappears like this?’

As he was shaking his head in disbelief, Terry rushed back to him.

“My lord! Andy and the soldiers guarding the front door have collapsed!”

“What?”

“They only woke up after we shook them repeatedly.”

Philip immediately headed to the front entrance. There, he found Andy and the soldiers still drowsy and disoriented.

“Ugh… My lord…”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. My throat suddenly felt parched, sweat poured down my body, and then an overwhelming drowsiness hit me… My lord, may I drink some water?”

They were so dehydrated that they each grabbed a water flask and chugged it down.

While Terry looked baffled by the sight, Philip stepped outside.

“My lord, where are you going?”

“To find a bold young lady who fled on her own.”

“Then allow me to accompany you.”

Terry joined as Philip’s escort.

Since Philip had seen the direction Liberta was headed in, it didn’t take long for them to track her down.

However, rather than immediately stopping her, Philip decided to keep a distance and follow her to see where she was going.

******

After trailing Liberta for some time, Philip finally saw her stop in front of a massive, palace-like building.

‘Wait… isn’t that…?’

The Grand Temple of Water.

Located on the outskirts of Aras, the temple was said to be the site where the goddess of water and healing, Arkina, had manifested over 1,500 years ago.

Moved by the suffering of people afflicted by disease and famine, the goddess had shed tears of compassion. The spring where her tears seeped into the earth became known as the Fountain of Light.

To protect this sacred site, the temple was built—completely through the voluntary efforts of people who had gathered from all over the kingdom.

Philip recalled hearing about it during his time as an exchange student at the academy, when he had visited as a tourist.

“So, she was just trying to return home, huh?”

Philip chuckled and turned away, but Terry frowned in confusion.

“My lord, are we just leaving? Aren’t you going to investigate her identity?”

“She’s probably a Saintess or an Apostle.”

Given her ability to put knights and soldiers to sleep, combined with the sudden appearance of a special mission from Mau, she was likely a high-ranking priestess—perhaps even a Saintess or an Apostle of the Water Order.

Since she had come to the Grand Temple on her own, it confirmed her connection to the Water and Healing Order.

“But there haven’t been any rumors about the Water Order having a Saintess.”

“That just means she hasn’t been publicly announced yet. Maybe she got sick of that life, disguised herself as an apprentice priestess, and ran away.”

“That would make sense. After all, my lord, didn’t you also refuse to acknowledge yourself as an Apostle of Eldir because you found it embarrassing? You even fled to the academy and focused on magic instead.”

“…Hey now, you dare bring up my dark past?”

The two bickered as they headed back toward the inn.

It was already late at night.

Moreover, with the kingdom busy preparing for Lothar III’s funeral, it was obvious that knocking on the Grand Temple’s doors now would only lead to being turned away.

‘I’ll visit after the funeral. I have a right to ask her for answers since I saved her life.’

As Philip and Terry distanced themselves from the temple—

RUMMMBLE!

The ground trembled violently as if an earthquake had struck.

Startled, Terry scanned his surroundings and pointed toward the temple.

“My lord, look at that!”

A blinding pillar of light shot into the sky from the Great Temple of Water.

Philip’s eyes widened.

“Is a god descending?”

Mau’s alarmed voice rang in Philip’s head.

‘Divine Power Manifestation?’

‘Why?’

Though Mau’s urging was reason enough, Philip was already curious about what was happening at the temple.

Without hesitation, he sprinted toward it.

“My lord! What are you—Wait!”

Terry, trying to stop him, trailed behind.

Upon reaching the temple entrance, they found the Holy Knights and guards collapsed on the ground.

Judging by their groggy states, it was the same affliction that had struck Andy and the estate’s soldiers earlier.

‘Could this be Liberta’s doing?’

“What now?”

“We go inside.”

“We could be accused of trespassing.”

“Not if we don’t get caught.”

With that, Philip slipped inside the temple.

Inside, confused priests and temple workers, still dressed in their nightclothes, were running around in a panic.

Philip scanned his surroundings.

‘Where should I go?’

Mau guided him, leading him deeper into the temple, avoiding detection.

At last, they reached the Sanctum, the inner chamber housing the Fountain of Light.

There, Philip saw Liberta standing at the entrance.

Around her, dozens of high-ranking priests and Holy Knights lay sprawled across the floor, unconscious.

Mau let out a deep sigh.

******

After asking Siria where she was, Liberta realized she had been taken to the capital, Aras.

To express her gratitude to Philip, she left behind a potion she had personally crafted before sneaking out of the inn and heading toward the Great Temple of Water.

Her goal?

To retrieve the divine power she had left behind 1,500 years ago.

“Ugh…”

“So… sleepy…”

Using the remnants of her divine power, she put the temple guards to sleep and made her way inside.

As she continued deeper, putting everyone in her path into a slumber, she finally arrived at the Fountain of Light.

Arkina’s tears had solidified into a crystal-like sacred relic, emitting a soft glow.

Drinking from this fountain was said to cure any illness or injury.

‘I left this behind so anyone suffering could seek salvation…’

But the temple had strayed from that purpose.

The priests began restricting entry based on faith and wealth, even diluting the sacred water and selling it at exorbitant prices.

Even worse, they had twisted the goddess’s teachings, using them to justify conflict and discrimination for their own benefit.

Liberta was done watching them pervert Arkina’s will.

To discipline the corrupted priests, she needed power.

And the best way to regain her lost strength—

Was to reclaim the divine relic she had left behind.

Stepping into the Sanctum, Liberta reached out and placed her hand in the Fountain of Light, preparing to manifest her Divine Power.