Chapter 6
Seine was making the High Priest realize things he had never considered before.
However, as long as one was human, one had to eat something to survive. If even plants could not be eaten, humans would not be able to live.
“Your words are correct, Saintess. Therefore, we must always live while atoning.”
Since in order to live, they continued their lives by sacrificing other forms of life.
The High Priest truly seemed to believe that, wearing a self-reproachful expression.
At that, Seine looked somewhat dumbfounded.
But only for a moment.
‘That’s not what’s important right now!’
Atonement or whatever—it didn’t matter. What mattered to Seine was meat.
Since she had been brought here like this, she would eventually become a Saintess.
Once she received the baptism, even if she denied it, she would be forcibly recognized as an official Saintess.
Which meant that if she failed to secure meat right now, she would never be able to eat it for the rest of her life as a Saintess.
“That’s right, we should live while atoning.”
Couldn’t she at least do that much for meat?
Seine nodded obediently, as if agreeing with the High Priest.
“Therefore, consuming meat—”
“That’s exactly why we should eat meat even more.”
“…Pardon?”
Thinking she had agreed with him, the High Priest assumed she had also accepted the ban on meat. But Seine’s response was completely different from what he expected, leaving him blankly stunned.
“If we’re going to live a life of atonement anyway, we can just atone after eating meat.”
“But, Saintess…!”
“What’s the difference between plants and animals? If killing plants is fine as long as we atone, then why can’t we kill animals and atone as well?”
“That’s… because humans must eat something to survive.”
“So killing plants to eat is fine, but killing animals isn’t? Who decided that?”
Unafraid of his rebuttal, Seine firmly asserted her beliefs.
Her argument was logical in its own way. The High Priest was momentarily at a loss for words before slowly speaking again.
“…According to the first sacred scripture, unnecessary killing should be avoided. Therefore—”
“No, eating meat is important. How is that unnecessary killing?”
Seine looked completely unconvinced.
“But people can live perfectly well without eating meat.”
“Yes, and they can live without eating plants too. So if I have to choose, I’ll give up plants and eat meat instead.”
Eating grass instead of meat, or eating meat instead of grass—what difference did it make?
In the end, both meant killing something to survive.
“….”
At Seine’s bold declaration, the High Priest fell silent, unable to find a response.
From the moment they devoted themselves to the temple, all priests were strictly forbidden from consuming meat. Until now, not a single person had questioned or opposed that rule.
It was simply accepted as natural.
But now that Seine directly challenged it, he didn’t know how to respond.
If her argument had been nonsense, he could have refuted it point by point—but her reasoning had its own logic.
“Silence means agreement, right? I’ll take it that you agree with me. I’ll be busy preparing for the baptism, so I’ll be going now.”
Sensing her chance, Seine quickly concluded and hurried out of the High Priest’s room before he could stop her.
After Seine left, the High Priest stared blankly at the door, still looking somewhat dumbfounded.
However, she had already disappeared far away under the guidance of the trainee priest, Sera.
Even aside from that, the baptism ceremony was right around the corner.
It had almost fallen apart once when she tried to run away earlier. He couldn’t risk delaying it again with unnecessary arguments.
For now, it was better to let things pass.
There would be plenty of time to continue the unfinished discussion after the ceremony.
The High Priest summoned Kaidel. There was something he needed to tell him.
Before long, Kaidel arrived.
“I intend to entrust you with an important mission.”
“What is it?”
A vague sense of unease made Kaidel frown.
“From now on, you will be responsible for the Saintess’s protection.”
“….”
Kaidel did not respond.
“That protection also includes ensuring that nothing like what happened before occurs again.”
Seine had told him she did not want to become the Saintess.
She claimed it was because she wanted to eat meat, but he knew there were deeper reasons behind it.
That was why even after she became the Saintess, he could not be at ease.
The Saintess was the central pillar of the temple, an absolute presence.
If something like this happened again, there was no telling what chaos would follow.
“I’ve only been a holy knight for three months. This seems like too heavy a responsibility.”
Though it was called protection, it essentially meant taking care of the Saintess.
No sane person would target her anyway.
For that reason, Kaidel did not like this assignment.
He hadn’t even become a holy knight by choice.
He had been forced into it by the command of his father, whom he respected more than anyone.
At first, he had firmly refused, but his father threatened to disown him entirely if he didn’t comply. In the end, he had no choice but to obey.
When he first became a holy knight, he had struggled.
He couldn’t understand why his father had forced him onto this path.
If it was because he thought Kaidel might interfere with his elder brother inheriting the title, then Kaidel could say with certainty—
He had never once considered inheriting the title himself, and he was confident he could support his brother better than anyone.
Yet even after hearing that, his father did not change his decision.
As if there was another reason.
That realization had deeply discouraged Kaidel.
He had hoped to finally live with his father and brother after becoming an adult and returning to the capital, but instead, he had to leave again.
He resented his father for it.
First, he had been sent away to a distant estate under the excuse of recuperation, and now he was being forced onto a path he didn’t want.
Still, he couldn’t bring himself to hate him.
So Kaidel silently accepted his situation.
Even if he disliked priests.
The reason he disliked them was their hypocrisy.
Outwardly, they pretended to be devout followers of the gods, existing to help those in need—yet in the end, they were driven by money.
No matter how desperate someone was, if they couldn’t pay, they were turned away.
At first, he had comforted himself by thinking it was only the priests in his hometown who were like that.
But after coming to the capital, he realized they were all the same.
Without offerings, one couldn’t even come to pray at the temple.
To meet a priest required even more money, depending on their rank.
As a result, only nobles could meet high-ranking priests.
And to meet the High Priest or the Saintess, one had to be at least of count rank.
And now he was being told to guard the Saintess?
To others, it might be an honor—but not to him.
He held no respect for the Saintess.
To Kaidel, she was no different from the other priests.
“Though you have not been a holy knight long, you are the most skilled among them. That is why you are the most suitable.”
Unlike priests, holy knights did not require divine power.
Even without it, one could become a holy knight through exceptional swordsmanship and faith.
And Kaidel possessed sword skills that no one could deny.
He had achieved the highest score in history on the holy knight exam.
“What if I refuse?”
“…As this concerns the Saintess’s protection, your personal will is not important.”
What mattered was who was most capable.
Realizing his opinion didn’t matter, Kaidel’s expression hardened.
Outwardly kind, yet in truth, the High Priest’s actions were no different from a dictator.
The only difference was that it was “for the Saintess.”
“…Understood.”
With no option to refuse, that was the only answer he could give.
Guided by the trainee priest Sera, Seine walked down the corridor.
Her expression wasn’t bright at the thought that she would truly become the Saintess.
Then—
Grrr.
A loud rumble came from her stomach.
‘Ah….’
Embarrassed by the unexpectedly loud noise, Seine made an awkward face.
“Saintess, are you hungry?”
“Yes… I suppose I am.”
It made sense.
In her rush to leave the capital as soon as possible, she had skipped breakfast.
She had bought a chicken skewer to fill her stomach, but barely got to eat it before chasing a pickpocket.
No wonder she was hungry.
Especially since it was already past lunchtime.
“Please hold on a little longer. Once the baptism ends safely, it will be time for dinner.”
Seine frowned.
“Hold on a little longer”? That meant waiting until dinner!
“I don’t think I can wait. I’m very hungry right now.”
The ceremony was in three hours.
That meant she had enough time to eat.
“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible right now.”
“Why not?”
“Within the temple, no food can be consumed outside of designated meal times.”
Seine looked incredulous.
Sometimes people miss meals or eat earlier or later depending on circumstances.
But not being allowed to eat at all outside set times?
It was a rule with no consideration for people.
“So even if someone misses a meal due to circumstances, they still can’t eat?”
“Yes. If you miss a meal, you have to wait until the next one.”
“So I have to wait until dinner?”
“That’s right, Saintess.”
“What if I can’t?”
“….”
Sera hesitated.
Rules in the temple were strict.
There were no exceptions, and anyone who broke them was punished.
Not with imprisonment, but still not lightly.
Usually, punishment meant fasting and prayer.
Depending on the severity, it could last from a day to up to a week.
But Sera couldn’t bring herself to say that to the Saintess.
It would sound like a threat.
“I’m really, really hungry right now.”
“But…”
“If I don’t eat something now, I might collapse during the ceremony.”
If she didn’t collapse, she was planning to pretend to.
At that, Sera looked troubled.
If the Saintess collapsed during the ceremony, it would cause chaos.
The ceremony might not even finish.
But she still couldn’t provide food outside meal time.
“I’ll take responsibility. So please, bring me something to eat right now.”
