~Chapter 09~
“Ah! There it is!”
A little bit of liquid remained at the bottom of the holy grail.
It was clear and transparent, though whether it was water or holy water was impossible to tell—but it was there.
Sighing in relief, Selen was about to set the grail down.
Then, the holy water sloshed violently.
And the water inside the grail began to move, as if it had a life of its own.
“Huh?”
Before she could react, the holy water poured over Selen’s head.
Selen couldn’t even scream. She clamped her hand over her mouth.
If she woke the paladins, things could get much worse.
In a panic, she pulled her cloak on and rushed back to Eleanor Palace, barely remembering how she got there.
“Saintess! Saintess, are you in there?”
Selen opened the door at the sound of Mia knocking forcefully.
There stood Mia, looking worried.
“Saintess! If you didn’t answer this time, I was going to break the door down!”
“I’m sorry, Mia… Did I oversleep?”
“Yes. It’s already 8:30 in the morning. I waited at the dining hall, but you never showed up, so I came here…”
“I’m sorry… I just couldn’t get up.”
Selen coughed lightly.
“Saintess, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“Yes… I guess so.”
“My goodness! Lie down immediately!”
As Selen staggered weakly, Mia supported her and helped her onto the bed.
“You were fine just yesterday! How did this happen in just one day?”
“Hmm… I prayed harder because the sins of the faithful felt so heavy…”
“You pray every day, though. Why was it so different yesterday… Ah! The Blood Wolf!”
Mia referenced Kirien’s first visit to the confessional instead of the purification room.
The truth, however, was different from Mia’s assumption, but Selen couldn’t correct her.
She had snuck out of the temple, gone all the way to the Atenis Hall, and spilled all the holy water.
Who could she possibly tell?
“Does it hurt a lot? Shall I summon a healing priest?”
“It’s okay. I can’t trouble busy people. A little rest will be enough.”
“Rest, then. I’ll report to the High Priest.”
After Mia left, Selen buried herself under the blankets.
She wasn’t actually sick. She was just exhausted from everything that had happened the previous night.
But she pretended to be ill.
She needed an alibi.
If the holy water didn’t refill and the High Priest found out…
She needed an excuse: that the Saintess had been sick and stayed at Eleanor Palace all day.
So she faked being unwell.
She even considered confessing. But she decided to wait at least one day.
Just in case… perhaps the Atenis Goddess, pitying her, would refill the holy water.
She would wait until dawn and then return to the Atenis Hall to see if the holy water had replenished.
If not… she would leave it to tomorrow’s Selen.
Today’s Selen needed only to establish the alibi.
At that moment, the communication orb flickered.
An elderly man with silver hair and a sturdy build appeared on the screen.
The High Priest, Alehand.
―“Ah, Saintess. I heard you’ve been unwell.”
“Yes. I’m not feeling well at all.”
―“Still, it’s not acceptable to rest without notice.”
Selen was internally taken aback.
She had thought that saying she was sick would be enough to excuse her.
This was the first sick leave she had taken in nine years, and yet the High Priest rejected her outright.
This was a problem.
Her plan to create an alibi was in jeopardy.
What to do? Should she push harder?
“High Priest, I’m sorry for suddenly saying I need rest, but I really can’t manage.”
―“Saintess, then at least you can see Viscount Declan, yes? He is one of our temple’s most esteemed followers.”
Even speaking forcefully about her illness didn’t seem to convince him.
Selen paused, then switched tactics.
She adopted a more confrontational approach.
“High Priest, shouldn’t you ask how sick I am and where it hurts before deciding?”
Her unusually sharp tone startled the High Priest, his eyes widening.
For the first time, his sclera became partially visible through his wrinkled eyelids.
At that moment, Edin appeared behind him.
With brown hair and emerald eyes, he was popular among the priestesses for his handsome face and warm personality.
Recently promoted to high priest, his popularity had skyrocketed.
―“Saintess is right! High Priest, you’re really harsh. Aren’t you? Saintess, does it hurt a lot?”
“Yes, Edin. It’s hard even to get up.”
―“Oh my. Should I give you a potion?”
Selen’s face almost twisted awkwardly.
Using such a precious potion for a feigned illness! It might be even rarer later!
“I cannot let a priest use a potion frivolously. I will endure this pain humbly.”
The High Priest, however, seemed deaf.
He ignored her words entirely.
―“Saintess, I’ll send a potion, but you must come in this afternoon. You can’t rest all day.”
This might be enough to maintain her alibi.
If rumors spread that the Saintess had taken a potion while attending confession, people might even pity her.
Still, she couldn’t let this go.
The High Priest’s unilateral actions irritated her greatly.
“Why?”
―“Pardon? What did you just say, Saintess?”
“I asked why. Even apprentice priests get one day off a week. Why do I only get one day a month?”
As a Saintess, she had held back before, but now she was genuinely curious.
Why only me? Why can’t I go out whenever I wish like other priests?
Once the dissatisfaction emerged, it poured out like a flood.
Selen hadn’t realized how much frustration she had accumulated.
―“All other Saintesses were the same.”
“Then let’s change that from now on.”
Selen’s sudden declaration left both the High Priest and Edin agape.
Even Selen herself was surprised.
What… did I just say? Can I really say this?
She didn’t show any hesitation, instead strengthening her gaze.
For some reason, she felt that if she lost this argument, there would be no second chance.
“Traditions change with the times. What doesn’t change with time is mere custom. Isn’t it time for the Atenis Church to change a little?”
Until now, Selen had no particular feelings toward the High Priest.
She merely felt a familiarity from frequent encounters, neither liking nor disliking him.
But seeing the pupils behind his wrinkles dart about, she realized she would need to be wary of him in the future.
There was no affection in his eyes for her.
―“That might be so in the secular world. But the Church cannot change for just one Saintess.”
Selen stopped her rapid-fire speech.
She then spoke in a calmer tone.
“That may be true. But, Alehand—”
The moment she called his name, the High Priest flinched.
“You cannot command me.”
―“….”
“Our ranks are equal.”
In the end, the High Priest retreated.
He left her with a message to rest, then ended the communication.
Wow.
Selen silently covered her mouth in astonishment.
She had just talked back to the High Priest!
He normally managed her schedule, even deciding which noble she would hear confession from.
She had often resented her tight schedule but had never expressed it.
The age gap between Selen and the High Priest was like a grandfather and granddaughter.
She worried she might get scolded later.
Yet the thrill of success outweighed the concern.
Selen, thrilled by the success of her first act of defiance, smiled and inadvertently dozed off.
In her dream, she saw a hill bathed in the brightness of a full moon at midday, covered in flowers of the same hue.
The scenery was so surreal that she knew it was a dream.
In the center of the hill stood a woman.
Familiar, yet unfamiliar.
Her facial features resembled the Atenis Goddess from murals, but…
Short hair, sun-kissed skin, and toned limbs—this was not the goddess Selen had been taught about.
Selen had learned the Atenis Goddess was pure and graceful: long silver hair, violet eyes, a full chest, and a slender waist.
[Child, we finally meet.]
Her smile was so radiant that Selen didn’t doubt for a moment.
She must indeed be the Atenis Goddess.
[You’re the first I’ve met personally. Your efforts have finally paid off.]
The goddess laughed heartily.
Selen simply stared in awe.
[We cannot speak to humans directly. We only provide guidance through visions.]
“Yes…”
[Divination is not easy. It requires tremendous power. But your efforts were worth it, seeing you here.]
Until now, Selen had only received one divination from the Atenis Goddess.
It was for the 4th Saint, Pelia, right before her execution.
“Goddess… did you protect Saint Pelia with all your might?”
[Yes. That child merely followed the voice of her heart. It’s unfortunate, isn’t it? Oh! You know that child too, right?]
“Yes. Thanks to you, she married someone she met in the temple, had three sons, and lived well. She always expressed her gratitude.”
[Yes. I heard her prayers too.]
The conversation felt strange, yet somehow comforting.
“Goddess Atenis… can a Saintess also love?”
It sounded as though she meant exactly that.
