Episode 29| The jigs is up!
Riley sat quietly inside her chambers at the temple.
The room was dimly lit by candlelight, the golden glow dancing across the wooden walls while silence consumed the atmosphere.
For once....
the infamous scammer was not plotting money.
Not plotting manipulation.
Not even thinking about her engagement.
She was thinking about death.
More specifically...
the death of an entire world.
Riley leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes tiredly.
“…Asmedious…”
The name itself made her uncomfortable now.
Ever since the Goddess Athena visited her dreams, everything felt heavier.
More real.
More dangerous.
The old Riley had failed.
The world had collapsed.
The High Priest became the catalyst of destruction.
And now...
that responsibility rested on her shoulders.
Riley stared at her hands quietly.
“…Should I just kill him?”
The thought appeared so suddenly that even she froze at herself.
The High Priest was dangerous.
If she eliminated him now—
before the demon fully awakened—
wouldn’t that solve everything?
But after several seconds—
Riley shook her head immediately.
“…No.”
Her voice was firm.
“I’m not a murderer.
”
Scammer?
Sure.
Manipulative?
Absolutely.
But killing someone,
even someone evil,
crossed a line she couldn’t bring herself to step over.
She exhaled deeply and leaned back again.
“…Then what am I even doing?”
Her green eyes narrowed slightly in frustration.
What had she accomplished recently?
Flirting with Raymond.
Going on dates.
Getting tangled with the Male Leads.
Making Seraphina cry.
Dancing at banquets.
Riley groaned and covered her face.
“…I’m literally becoming the old Riley.”
The irony was painful.
The original story’s Riley became too distracted by romance to notice the Empire collapsing around her.
And now?
Riley was dangerously close to doing the same thing.
“…Get yourself together,” she muttered.
A knock suddenly echoed through her chambers.
Riley immediately straightened.
“…Come in.”
A young low-ranking priest entered respectfully.
“Priest Ryan.”
He bowed slightly.
“…The Archmage Michael is here to see you.”
Riley blinked in surprise.
“…Michael?”
She hadn’t seen him in quite some time.
Not since the engagement ceremony.
Not since the banquet.
“…Send him in.”
The young priest nodded and left.
Moments later...
Michael entered the room.
Tall.
Elegant.
And unusually serious.
The moment the door closed,
silence filled the chamber.
Michael simply stared at her.
Quietly.
Intently.
Riley forced a calm expression.
“…Archmage.”
Still....
Michael said nothing.
Then finally,
he spoke.
“…Riley.”
Her entire body froze.
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
But Riley quickly regained composure.
She tilted her head slightly.
“…My name is Ryan.”
She smiled lightly.
“…Are you confusing me with my sister?”
Michael slowly shook his head.
“I’m not confused.”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“The jig is up.”
Riley’s heartbeat quickened slightly.
“You are Riley."
A pause.
“And I would not be an Archmage…”
Michael stepped closer slowly.
“…if I couldn’t figure that out.”
Riley remained silent.
“…Take me to your room.”
“…This is my room.”
Michael looked around once before nodding slightly.
“…Convenient.”
Riley narrowed her eyes slightly.
“…What exactly do you want, Michael?”
Instead of answering,
Michael’s gaze lowered toward her hands.
More specifically,
toward the rings on her fingers.
“…Those artifacts.”
Riley immediately stiffened.
“A pair of high-level disguise artifacts…”
Michael murmured quietly.
“…Powerful enough to fool even an Archmage.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“At first I wasn’t certain.”
A pause.
“…Until I traveled North.”
Riley’s eyes widened slightly.
“The Sage of the North.”
Michael looked back at her calmly.
“…I recognized the craftsmanship.”
Her heart sank.
Michael extended his hand slightly.
“…Remove them.”
Silence.
Riley stared at him quietly.
Thinking.
Calculating.
But in the end,
she realized there was no point denying it anymore.
Slowly...
she removed the rings from her fingers.
Golden light flickered briefly around her body.
And then...
Ryan disappeared.
Her blonde hair cascaded down her back once more.
Her features softened beautifully.
The handsome young priest vanished—
and Riley Scott appeared.
Michael stared silently for several seconds.
Then finally...
he sighed softly.
“…I knew it.”
Riley crossed her arms immediately.
“…How long?”
“…Since the engagement ceremony.”
Riley frowned.
“…That long?”
Michael nodded calmly.
“Your aura gave you away.”
A pause.
“…Aura’s can resemble one another.”
He stepped closer.
“…But not become identical.”
Riley cursed internally.
“…So what now?”
Michael looked at her quietly.
Then...
completely seriously,
he said:
“…Go on a date with me.”
Riley blinked once.
“…What?”
“I’ll keep your secret.”
Michael folded his arms calmly.
“…In exchange for one date.”
Riley stared at him in disbelief.
“…You’re blackmailing me?”
“…Correct.”
“…Michael!”
The Archmage remained perfectly calm.
“If the Temple discovers that Priest Ryan is actually a woman…”
A pause.
“…And possesses holy power strong enough to mimic a Saintess…”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Do you know what would happen?”
Riley remained silent.
Because she knew.
The Temple would never let her go.
The High Priest especially.
Michael softened slightly.
“I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“…This is still blackmail.”
“…Perhaps.”
He looked away briefly.
“…But this was the only way I could think of to make you agree.”
Riley rubbed her temples tiredly.
“This is insane.”
Michael almost smiled faintly.
“…So is disguising yourself as a male priest.”
“…Fair point.”
Silence filled the room again.
Then Riley sighed heavily.
“…One date.”
Michael’s eyes softened slightly.
“…One date.”
Riley pointed at him accusingly.
“And technically this is not cheating because I’m being blackmailed.
”
Michael blinked.
“…That’s your justification?
”
“…Absolutely.”
For the first time that evening—
Michael laughed softly.
Quietly.
Genuinely.
And somehow.
...
that made Riley even more nervous.
Because this was getting dangerous.
Very dangerous.
One Male Lead already knew her secret.
Then Raymond.
Now Michael.
At this rate,
the entire plot was going to explode directly in her face.
And somewhere deep down...
Riley had a horrible feeling.
..
that Duke White would not stay in the dark for much longer either.
Riley stared at Michael for several seconds after agreeing to the absurd blackmail-date arrangement.
Then with a tired sigh,
she slipped the artifact rings back onto her fingers.
Golden light flickered softly around her body once more.
Her long blonde hair shortened.
Her softer features sharpened slightly.
And within moments,
Riley disappeared again.
Ryan stood before Michael.
Michael watched the transformation carefully.
Even though he already knew the truth...
seeing it happen before his eyes was still fascinating.
“…That artifact really is incredible,” he murmured quietly.
Ryan crossed her arms immediately.
“…Don’t get any ideas about stealing it.”
Michael looked genuinely offended.
“…I’m an Archmage.”
“…And?”
“…Fair point.”
Riley sighed.
“…If we’re actually doing this…”
She gestured vaguely between them.
“…Then I’ll have to change in the city first.”
Michael blinked slightly.
“To preserve my secret,” Riley explained.
“I can’t exactly walk around the capital looking like Riley Scott while leaving the temple as Ryan.”
Michael nodded calmly.
“…Understood.”
The two quietly left the temple together.
Fortunately, with Raymond’s earlier interference regarding Ryan’s freedom of movement, no one stopped them.
The capital was lively even during the late afternoon.
Merchants shouted enthusiastically.
Street performers entertained children.
The scent of baked bread and grilled meat filled the air.
Riley led Michael through several crowded streets before finally stopping at a modest clothing boutique.
“Wait here,” she instructed.
Michael leaned casually against the wall outside.
“…You say that like I’m a guard dog.”
“…You’re close enough.”
Michael almost laughed.
Several minutes later...
the boutique doors opened again.
And Michael froze.
Riley stepped outside dressed casually compared to her noble attire.
A soft cream-colored dress flowed gently around her figure.
Her long golden hair shimmered beneath the afternoon sunlight.
And her green eyes,
looked brighter without the restraint of pretending to be Ryan.
Michael stared for several seconds too long.
Riley raised a brow.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Michael regained composure immediately.
“…You clean up nicely.”
“…That sounded like an insult somehow.”
“It wasn’t.”
Riley narrowed her eyes suspiciously before finally sighing.
“…Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
Michael smiled faintly.
“…You make dates sound tragic.”
“…This one technically started with blackmail.”
“…A detail.”
The two began walking through the capital together.
At first...
the atmosphere was awkward.
Strangely awkward.
Because despite everything,
Michael realized this was the first time he had ever spent time with Riley as herself.
Not Ryan.
Not Priest Ryan.
Not the composed temple persona.
Just Riley.
And Riley quickly realized something equally dangerous.
Michael was easy to talk to.
Far easier than she expected.
They stopped at food stalls.
Michael bought her candied fruit.
She complained it was overpriced.
He bought it anyway.
They watched performers in the town square.
Riley laughed when one performer accidentally lit his own sleeve on fire.
Michael quietly used wind magic to extinguish it without anyone noticing.
For a while,
the date almost felt normal.
Almost.
Eventually the two found themselves sitting near a fountain at the quieter side of the capital.
The evening sky had begun turning orange.
Michael glanced toward Riley quietly.
Then finally asked:
“…Are you aware that you’re a Saintess?”
The question immediately killed the relaxed atmosphere.
Riley stared silently at the water fountain.
Then finally...
she nodded reluctantly.
“…Yes.”
Michael remained quiet.
Waiting.
“…How long have you known?”
Riley hesitated briefly.
“…Not long.”
That wasn’t entirely true.
But explaining Athena and timelines and reincarnation sounded insane.
Michael folded his arms thoughtfully.
“…Then why hide it?”
Riley laughed quietly.
Not humorously.
Bitterly.
“Because the temple is dangerous.”
Michael’s expression shifted slightly.
Riley turned toward him fully now.
Her green eyes serious.
“…Michael.”
“…Can you keep a secret?”
The Archmage met her gaze calmly.
“Yes.”
“…And if I ask for your help in the future…”
She hesitated slightly.
“…Will you help me?”
Michael didn’t even pause.
“Yes.”
Riley blinked slightly.
“…That quick?”
Michael looked toward the sky quietly.
“…You healed people without expecting anything in return.”
“…You helped commoners the temple ignored.”
“…You cried when Seraphina was hurting.”
“…You looked genuinely angry when hearing about suffering.”
He turned back toward her.
“I trust you.”
For once,
Riley didn’t know what to say.
Then finally,
she exhaled softly.
“…The High Priest…”
Her voice lowered.
“…Uses dark magic disguised as holy magic.”
Michael’s eyes immediately sharpened.
“…What?”
Riley nodded slowly.
“He contracted with a demon.”
“…Asmedious.”
Silence.
The atmosphere around them suddenly felt heavier.
Michael’s expression darkened.
“…That’s impossible.”
“I know how it sounds.”
Riley looked down at her hands quietly.
“But I can sense it now.”
“…The darkness inside him.”
A pause.
“And if he isn’t stopped soon…”
Her voice became quieter.
“…The Empire will fall.”
Michael stared at her for a long time.
Searching for hesitation.
For uncertainty.
For deception.
But Riley’s expression remained painfully serious.
“…And you plan to fight him?”
Riley smiled weakly.
“…Eventually.”
“…That sounds suicidal.”
“…Probably.”
Michael sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.
“…You really attract insane situations.”
Riley immediately frowned.
“I attract them?”
She pointed at herself dramatically.
“You literally blackmailed me into a date!”
“…And somehow this conversation still became about demons and world destruction.”
“…Fair enough.”
For several moments...
silence settled again.
But this time,
it was comfortable.
Then finally...
Michael spoke quietly.
“When the time comes…”
Riley looked at him.
The Archmage’s eyes were calm.
Steady.
Certain.
“…I’ll help you.”
“…Even if it means fighting the temple?”
“…Even then.”
Riley stared at him quietly.
Then smiled softly.
A genuine smile.
“…Thank you, Michael.”
For some reason,
that small smile made Michael’s heartbeat stumble slightly.
And the rest of the evening continued surprisingly peacefully.
They spoke about ordinary things afterward.
Favorite foods.
Magic mishaps.
Stories from the temple.
Riley even laughed when Michael admitted he once accidentally blew up an entire classroom during his academy years.
“…You destroyed a classroom?”
“…Technically only half.”
“…MICHAEL.”
“…In my defense, the professor survived.”
Riley laughed so hard she nearly fell off the bench.
And for the first time in a very long time,
despite demons, secrets, corruption, and fate—
Riley simply enjoyed herself.
Unaware.
that hidden in the distance...
someone quietly watched the two together from the shadows.
And that person’s silver eyes narrowed dangerously.