Chapter 15
“Hello, I am Sylvia Franche.”
Sylvia greeted Priest Raiden using the quick etiquette she had learned from Madam Beren.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Sylvia.”
Priest Raiden smiled gently and greeted her in return.
“I understand that your coming here means you are prepared. Is that correct?”
He carefully asked Sylvia, who looked very nervous.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Sylvia swallowed dryly once and nodded.
“I see. We are grateful and pleased that you came sooner than expected. Then, shall we move to another place for the verification?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“I will guide you inside. Please come in.”
As soon as Sylvia answered, Priest Raiden began to lead them.
He took the two of them to the deepest part of the temple.
“But how do you know if I am really a Saint or not?”
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Sylvia whispered to Julia.
Julia glanced at her once and answered,
“We will check if you can see it.”
“See? What do I have to see?”
At Sylvia’s question, Julia only shrugged.
It meant she would not tell her.
Even though she didn’t get an answer, Sylvia understood why Julia didn’t explain, so she quietly stayed silent.
At that moment—
“Wow!”
Sylvia let out a gasp without realizing it at the sight in front of her.
Between the tall rocks reaching high into the sky, a huge stream of water was pouring down. Below the valley, white foam and thick mist spread everywhere.
It was truly a magnificent view.
Priest Raiden watched Sylvia’s pure admiration with a smile and guided her to the side of the valley.
“Would you place your hand on this orb?”
There was a round orb about the size of a human face.
Sylvia carefully reached out and placed her hand on it, just as he said.
“And then what should I—”
She turned her head to ask, but—
“What is going on…?”
The people around her were frozen, as if time had stopped.
It felt like she was the only one moving in this place.
But there was something else strange.
Even in this frozen space, the sound of the waterfall continued.
Startled, Sylvia slowly turned her head and looked around.
Between the motionless people, the huge waterfall kept pouring down.
Following it with her eyes, she saw something.
A giant being, as if wearing the waterfall like a dress, was looking at her.
“……”
She wanted to ask what it was, but she couldn’t open her mouth.
Instead, a strange pressure began to press down on her, like she was deep underwater.
The pressure grew so strong that she could hardly breathe, and Sylvia quickly pulled her hand away from the orb.
At that moment, the pressure disappeared as if it had never been there.
She finally breathed again and collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
Meanwhile, Julia looked at Priest Raiden.
Understanding her gaze, he gave a small nod.
“Are you okay?”
After their silent exchange, Julia approached Sylvia and checked on her.
Sylvia, who was trembling, felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Julia.
But she was still too frightened to speak.
Julia bent down to match her eye level.
Only then did Sylvia clearly see Julia’s face.
“You saw it, right?”
Though her words were brief, Sylvia understood and slowly nodded.
“Yes… I saw it.”
At her answer, Priest Raiden extended his hand.
“Please stand.”
Sylvia, whose trembling had begun to calm, reached out and took his hand.
He helped her stand up.
“What… was that?”
Sylvia glanced at the orb, still confused.
“It is a gem called the ‘Tears of the Goddess.’ It is a tool that allows one to meet the divine.”
“Meet the divine? Then what I saw was…”
“Yes. It was Goddess Elrest.”
“The Goddess? Really?”
A giant spiritual being wearing a dress of water. Hearing that it was a goddess, Sylvia felt she could believe it.
“Since you have met the Goddess, there is no longer any doubt.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Sylvia remember what Julia had said earlier.
Julia had said they would check if she could see something—and that must have been Goddess Elrest.
“Then…”
“Welcome back, Saint.”
After saying that, Priest Raiden bowed politely to Sylvia. The other priests also lowered their heads.
“…So I really am a Saint?”
“Yes.”
Priest Raiden nodded with a gentle smile.
“Then that means I am really Vivian Werner…?”
“That’s right.”
Julia took a sip of tea and answered calmly.
It was hard to accept, but she couldn’t deny it either. Everything pointed to her being Vivian Werner.
“But I don’t know how to use water power at all. If I really am a Saint, isn’t that a big problem?”
Sylvia spoke about her biggest concern. If she was truly Vivian Werner, she should be able to control water freely.
“I think Baltrex must have done something when he kidnapped you.”
Julia’s voice was firm.
Since Julia spoke so confidently, Sylvia was about to accept it when a question suddenly came to her mind.
“I know it’s a bit late to ask, but may I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“Who exactly is Baltrex? I heard he kidnapped Vivian in the past…”
“That is correct.”
Priest Raiden confirmed her guess in a low voice.
“Baltrex was one of the high priests who served Goddess Elrest.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
Priest Raiden nodded but could not raise his head, as if ashamed.
“For reasons we do not know, he betrayed the Goddess, kidnapped the Saint, and disappeared. He has not been seen since.”
His voice became heavy.
“You probably wanted a deeper explanation, but we do not know the full details either. I apologize.”
“No, it’s okay. Thank you for telling me. Even if I heard more, I might not understand it well anyway.”
Sylvia waved her hands and replied.
“Then if I really am a Saint, what should I do from now on?”
Trying to change the mood, Sylvia asked another question.
“To fully use the power of water, you will need training. Right now, the power inside you is not moving at all.”
“How do I train?”
“I will help you.”
Julia spoke.
“You, Lady Julia?”
“Yes.”
Since Julia was not an easy person, Sylvia felt a little pressured, but she couldn’t refuse someone who wanted to help her, so she smiled awkwardly.
“Why? Do you not like it?”
Julia noticed the discomfort in Sylvia’s smile and asked directly.
“No! Of course not. I’m just… worried if I can really do it.”
“You don’t need to worry. I will teach you properly.”
Julia showed a rare smile at Sylvia.
