“If she has the qualities of a saint, she will pass without difficulty. Shouldn’t we be thorough like this?”
“…Yes.”
Lucas closed his eyes tightly.
Everything Sharon said was correct, so if he tried to stop her, she would only have doubts.
“If she can’t even pass the basic test, it seems appropriate to let her go even if she is a child of the Brions family.”
After Sharon made a decision, the elders agreed to set a schedule.
“There is a prayer service soon, so the test must be taken before then.”
“Then how about in two weeks?”
Eventually, the date for Rabienne to take the qualification test was decided unanimously by the council of elders.
It was the council’s responsibility to decide the method of testing. It was to be kept a secret until right before the test.
“I will inform everyone separately. Let’s meet again in two weeks.”
As soon as the meeting ended, Lucas, Rabienne’s closest aide, ran out of the cave first.
Having saw that, Sharon let out a deep sigh and called out to Kyle, who hadn’t left yet.
“Kyle.”
“Yes, Godmother.”
Kyle was ashamed of himself and couldn’t bear to look Sharon in the eyes. He persistently avoided her gaze.
“Do you have anything to say to me?”
“I…”
Sharon was the first teacher he took priestly lessons from.
Due to their deep bond, Kyle was unable to bear to lie to Sharon any more and he spoke with tears of repentance.
“Godmother, there was no way I could do anything about it.”
Even though he was quite old, Kyle became like a child in front of Sharon.
“I was afraid of losing my position.”
“As expected, something happened.”
Sharon looked at Kyle with sadness and slowly put a wrinkled hand on his shoulder, comforting him.
“Yes. Actually… There is another saint.”
It couldn’t be described; how much he wanted to reveal it from the moment he first received the revelation.
However, Kyle, who was the newest high priest and had the least power, eventually kept his mouth shut.
How much did he regret after that?
Finally bringing up the story that had been buried in his heart, Kyle wiped away his tears with a bitter expression.
“Are you saying that there is a saint other than the current saint?”
“That’s right.”
Since he still didn’t know who was on whose side, Kyle could only confide in Sharon.
“Hah…”
Sharon’s legs faltered in an instant, and she braced herself against the wall to keep from falling.
“Godmother!”
“I’m all right.”
Sharon raised her hand to Kyle, who wanted to support her, and sat down on a nearby chair as if toppling over.
She had doubts, but more than anyone else, she still wanted Rabienne to be a real saint.
No matter how she was, she was a child who was directly appointed by the hands of the elders and high priests.
“No one can be free from this responsibility. Me too.”
“Didn’t Godmother just trust us?”
“I should have checked. If I had just done that, there wouldn’t be as many people dying as now…”
Sharon was very distressed that they were to blame for something that could have been prevented.
Had she insisted on testing Rabienne back then, there might not have been as many sacrifices as there were now.
“…Where is she?”
At Sharon’s question, Kyle recalled what he had seen with his own eyes.
“In Tersia.”
After seeing Esther from afar…
The image of her shining alone did not leave his mind.
“She was doing relief work in a closed temple.”
“I’ll have to go and meet her in person.”
Sharon couldn’t fully trust Kyle, who had already lied once.
She decided she would go to Tersia and see the girl before Rabienne took the qualifying exam.
“I wonder if she might be a better child than Rabienne. I hope I can talk to her…”
Sharon’s clear sky blue eyes, which stood out particularly from her wrinkled face, shone endlessly.
★★★
Even though it was late, Rabienne could not go to bed, Instead, she paced around the room nervously.
“How did it go?”
She knew the council of elders had been called. Lucas had told her.
The thought that she might be the topic of discussion made her uneasy, and she couldn’t sit still.
“I haven’t even been a saint for a year… I can’t believe that the council of elders has already been convened. It’s too fast, too fast.”
Rabienne muttered in annoyance as she picked at her nails.
She wondered if it was because of the disease spreading throughout the empire, but she was also concerned about the rumors that were flowing around recently.
“When I see everyone avoiding…”
No one would honestly tell Rabienne what kind of rumor it was.
She could only guess that it was a rumor related to her.
“The way people look at me has changed recently.”
These days, even inside the temple, she felt that her place was gradually decreasing.
Once in a while, even the priests who always respected her looked down on her.
Whenever there was a need to use divine power, everyone gathered as if they were watching.
“Ugh!”
Rabienne, who was muttering to herself whilst deep in thought, squinted in pain.
She had bitten her nails so hard that her flesh was torn and blood was flowing.
After seeing the red blood, her senses came back a bit. And she realized what she had to do.
“This is all because of the person who stole what’s mine. Why?”
Considering herself a pitiful victim, Rabienne had developed resentment towards the true saint, whom she did not know.
All the problems she was currently facing would be easily solved by finding the real saint and obtaining her blood.
“Daina… No, Esther. Whatever her name, I have to bring her.”
At the moment when Rabienne’s eyes were getting darker with madness, she heard someone speeding down the hallway.
She turned hastily, grabbed a shawl, and ran to the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Lucas, who was just about to knock.
“Saint?”
“Come in.”
Rabienne grabbed Lucas’ hand and hurried him into her room.
“How is it?”
“It’s…”
Lucas gazed at Rabienne’s eyes, trying to gauge how much he could reveal.
The only thing that came out of the council of elders was bad news for Rabienne.
She would only be offended if he told the truth.
“Tell me honestly. That way I can prepare myself.”
Unable to look away from Rabienne’s earnest-looking red eyes, Lucas spoke out.
“Actually… Your saint qualification test will be held soon.”
At those words, Rabienne’s fisted hand that was placed on her chest fell down.
“A test?”
“Yes.”
“I’m already a saint, what kind of test will I take?”
“The method has not been decided yet. It will be announced soon…”
Muttering the word ‘nonsense’ over and over again, Rabienne started pulling her hair out.
“Are they trying to test my strength? Whether I have the qualities of a saint or not?”
“That’s right.”
“Ahhhhh!!”
Ultimately, unable to contain her anger, Rabienne screamed so violently that it seemed she wouldn’t leave her room as it was.
(TL/N: I’m guessing it means she will trash her room.)
Seeing this for the first time, Lucas flinched and stepped back.
“Now what? What if they ask me to grow holy flowers… No, even if they don’t, I will definitely be caught when the test is held.”
Rabienne knew better than anyone else that her own divine power was incomparable to a saint’s.
“We have to find the real one before the test is held. There is no other way now.”
Rabienne clenched her fists while listening to Lucas. Extreme determination colored her face.
“There is one suspicious child.”
“Who is that?”
Lucas, who had been dispirited all along, eagerly took a step closer.
“It’s the child the Grand Duke took.”
“…What? But didn’t you say she is not the one last time?”
“I just learned that I had checked another person’s blood instead of hers. And I found out that she has better divine power than me.”
Rabienne hated to admit it, but she had paid attention to the words of the guy her father had brought.
‘If I’m a jar, she’s a whirlpool. Like this, it’s over.’
She was going to check it a little more carefully, but now that the situation had grown beyond her control, she didn’t even have time to do that.
“If it’s the daughter of the grand duke, she must be heavily escorted. That is a problem, even if it’s really her.”
“Hmm.”
Rabienne paced across the carpeted room, frantically thinking of any and every means.
She figured that even if she didn’t capture Esther right away, with her blood, she could somehow pass the test.
“How about inviting her to the temple? While she is separated from her escorts for even a little while, we will drug and knock her out and get blood.”
“Is that possible?”
“There is no other way.”
Realistically, she couldn’t handle the aftermath of attacking the grand duke’s daughter.
But somehow separating her from her escorts and putting her to sleep to get the blood seemed feasible at least.
“…The exam will be held in two weeks. You have to invite her before that.”
“Whether it’s a tea party or an invitation to a dressing room, please make something plausible.”
“All right.”
Even after Lucas left the room, Rabienne could not hide her anxiety. She sat on her bed, mumbling,
“She should accept the invitation.”
To kidnap or to bring her back, that was a later matter. For now, blood was desperately needed.
★★★
The next morning.
Early on, Deheen rode to the Brions’ territory to meet Duke Brions.
He could have just summoned the duke as he was a grand duke, but he wanted to inspect the dukedom with his own eyes.
“As expected, there are a lot of people coming and going.”
“Yes. Trade is also active.”
While on the way to Brions mansion, he deliberately passed through the main street and checked every corner of the area.
“If the ducal family is destroyed, the peace of this territory will be broken.”
“It cannot be avoided.”
This was the only thing Deheen was worried about as he planned the downfall of the Brions family.
The innocent residents would be harmed.
It was obvious that all the nobles would rush in and bite each other to take this territory.
“It would be best for the imperial family to care for it, but that won’t be easy either.”
“How about absorbing it into Tersia?”
Deheen made a wry smile, knowing that Ben was joking.
If that happened, no matter how friendly the emperor was…
There was no way he could just stand by and watch Deheen swallow even the huge ducal territory.
“Well, that’s all for later. First of all, they must be punished properly.”
Deheen redirected his focus to how to effectively destroy the temple and the Duchy of Brions.
“What do you plan to discuss with the duke?”
Ben asked cautiously with a curious expression.
“First of all, I plan to find out if he knows Catherine.”
“Did you bring the drawing you got from the lady?”
“Yes. It’s good that he came all the way to my territory first and poked around.”
Fortunately, Deheen had a justification.
It was thanks to Duke Brions releasing people into the slums to investigate Lucifer.
Having just arrived at the ducal residence, the corner of Deheen’s lips twisted as he waited for the front gate to open.
“And I have to ask if he has heard the rumors floating around recently. He probably knows the fake better than anyone.”
As the front gate opened and Deheen rode in on his black horse, a beam of bright sunlight hit his sleek nose and scattered.
“If she has the qualities of a saint, she will pass without difficulty. Shouldn’t we be thorough like this?”
“…Yes.”
Lucas closed his eyes tightly.
Everything Sharon said was correct, so if he tried to stop her, she would only have doubts.
“If she can’t even pass the basic test, it seems appropriate to let her go even if she is a child of the Brions family.”
After Sharon made a decision, the elders agreed to set a schedule.
“There is a prayer service soon, so the test must be taken before then.”
“Then how about in two weeks?”
Eventually, the date for Rabienne to take the qualification test was decided unanimously by the council of elders.
It was the council’s responsibility to decide the method of testing. It was to be kept a secret until right before the test.
“I will inform everyone separately. Let’s meet again in two weeks.”
As soon as the meeting ended, Lucas, Rabienne’s closest aide, ran out of the cave first.
Having saw that, Sharon let out a deep sigh and called out to Kyle, who hadn’t left yet.
“Kyle.”
“Yes, Godmother.”
Kyle was ashamed of himself and couldn’t bear to look Sharon in the eyes. He persistently avoided her gaze.
“Do you have anything to say to me?”
“I…”
Sharon was the first teacher he took priestly lessons from.
Due to their deep bond, Kyle was unable to bear to lie to Sharon any more and he spoke with tears of repentance.
“Godmother, there was no way I could do anything about it.”
Even though he was quite old, Kyle became like a child in front of Sharon.
“I was afraid of losing my position.”
“As expected, something happened.”
Sharon looked at Kyle with sadness and slowly put a wrinkled hand on his shoulder, comforting him.
“Yes. Actually… There is another saint.”
It couldn’t be described; how much he wanted to reveal it from the moment he first received the revelation.
However, Kyle, who was the newest high priest and had the least power, eventually kept his mouth shut.
How much did he regret after that?
Finally bringing up the story that had been buried in his heart, Kyle wiped away his tears with a bitter expression.
“Are you saying that there is a saint other than the current saint?”
“That’s right.”
Since he still didn’t know who was on whose side, Kyle could only confide in Sharon.
“Hah…”
Sharon’s legs faltered in an instant, and she braced herself against the wall to keep from falling.
“Godmother!”
“I’m all right.”
Sharon raised her hand to Kyle, who wanted to support her, and sat down on a nearby chair as if toppling over.
She had doubts, but more than anyone else, she still wanted Rabienne to be a real saint.
No matter how she was, she was a child who was directly appointed by the hands of the elders and high priests.
“No one can be free from this responsibility. Me too.”
“Didn’t Godmother just trust us?”
“I should have checked. If I had just done that, there wouldn’t be as many people dying as now…”
Sharon was very distressed that they were to blame for something that could have been prevented.
Had she insisted on testing Rabienne back then, there might not have been as many sacrifices as there were now.
“…Where is she?”
At Sharon’s question, Kyle recalled what he had seen with his own eyes.
“In Tersia.”
After seeing Esther from afar…
The image of her shining alone did not leave his mind.
“She was doing relief work in a closed temple.”
“I’ll have to go and meet her in person.”
Sharon couldn’t fully trust Kyle, who had already lied once.
She decided she would go to Tersia and see the girl before Rabienne took the qualifying exam.
“I wonder if she might be a better child than Rabienne. I hope I can talk to her…”
Sharon’s clear sky blue eyes, which stood out particularly from her wrinkled face, shone endlessly.
★★★
Even though it was late, Rabienne could not go to bed, Instead, she paced around the room nervously.
“How did it go?”
She knew the council of elders had been called. Lucas had told her.
The thought that she might be the topic of discussion made her uneasy, and she couldn’t sit still.
“I haven’t even been a saint for a year… I can’t believe that the council of elders has already been convened. It’s too fast, too fast.”
Rabienne muttered in annoyance as she picked at her nails.
She wondered if it was because of the disease spreading throughout the empire, but she was also concerned about the rumors that were flowing around recently.
“When I see everyone avoiding…”
No one would honestly tell Rabienne what kind of rumor it was.
She could only guess that it was a rumor related to her.
“The way people look at me has changed recently.”
These days, even inside the temple, she felt that her place was gradually decreasing.
Once in a while, even the priests who always respected her looked down on her.
Whenever there was a need to use divine power, everyone gathered as if they were watching.
“Ugh!”
Rabienne, who was muttering to herself whilst deep in thought, squinted in pain.
She had bitten her nails so hard that her flesh was torn and blood was flowing.
After seeing the red blood, her senses came back a bit. And she realized what she had to do.
“This is all because of the person who stole what’s mine. Why?”
Considering herself a pitiful victim, Rabienne had developed resentment towards the true saint, whom she did not know.
All the problems she was currently facing would be easily solved by finding the real saint and obtaining her blood.
“Daina… No, Esther. Whatever her name, I have to bring her.”
At the moment when Rabienne’s eyes were getting darker with madness, she heard someone speeding down the hallway.
She turned hastily, grabbed a shawl, and ran to the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Lucas, who was just about to knock.
“Saint?”
“Come in.”
Rabienne grabbed Lucas’ hand and hurried him into her room.
“How is it?”
“It’s…”
Lucas gazed at Rabienne’s eyes, trying to gauge how much he could reveal.
The only thing that came out of the council of elders was bad news for Rabienne.
She would only be offended if he told the truth.
“Tell me honestly. That way I can prepare myself.”
Unable to look away from Rabienne’s earnest-looking red eyes, Lucas spoke out.
“Actually… Your saint qualification test will be held soon.”
At those words, Rabienne’s fisted hand that was placed on her chest fell down.
“A test?”
“Yes.”
“I’m already a saint, what kind of test will I take?”
“The method has not been decided yet. It will be announced soon…”
Muttering the word ‘nonsense’ over and over again, Rabienne started pulling her hair out.
“Are they trying to test my strength? Whether I have the qualities of a saint or not?”
“That’s right.”
“Ahhhhh!!”
Ultimately, unable to contain her anger, Rabienne screamed so violently that it seemed she wouldn’t leave her room as it was.
(TL/N: I’m guessing it means she will trash her room.)
Seeing this for the first time, Lucas flinched and stepped back.
“Now what? What if they ask me to grow holy flowers… No, even if they don’t, I will definitely be caught when the test is held.”
Rabienne knew better than anyone else that her own divine power was incomparable to a saint’s.
“We have to find the real one before the test is held. There is no other way now.”
Rabienne clenched her fists while listening to Lucas. Extreme determination colored her face.
“There is one suspicious child.”
“Who is that?”
Lucas, who had been dispirited all along, eagerly took a step closer.
“It’s the child the Grand Duke took.”
“…What? But didn’t you say she is not the one last time?”
“I just learned that I had checked another person’s blood instead of hers. And I found out that she has better divine power than me.”
Rabienne hated to admit it, but she had paid attention to the words of the guy her father had brought.
‘If I’m a jar, she’s a whirlpool. Like this, it’s over.’
She was going to check it a little more carefully, but now that the situation had grown beyond her control, she didn’t even have time to do that.
“If it’s the daughter of the grand duke, she must be heavily escorted. That is a problem, even if it’s really her.”
“Hmm.”
Rabienne paced across the carpeted room, frantically thinking of any and every means.
She figured that even if she didn’t capture Esther right away, with her blood, she could somehow pass the test.
“How about inviting her to the temple? While she is separated from her escorts for even a little while, we will drug and knock her out and get blood.”
“Is that possible?”
“There is no other way.”
Realistically, she couldn’t handle the aftermath of attacking the grand duke’s daughter.
But somehow separating her from her escorts and putting her to sleep to get the blood seemed feasible at least.
“…The exam will be held in two weeks. You have to invite her before that.”
“Whether it’s a tea party or an invitation to a dressing room, please make something plausible.”
“All right.”
Even after Lucas left the room, Rabienne could not hide her anxiety. She sat on her bed, mumbling,
“She should accept the invitation.”
To kidnap or to bring her back, that was a later matter. For now, blood was desperately needed.
★★★
The next morning.
Early on, Deheen rode to the Brions’ territory to meet Duke Brions.
He could have just summoned the duke as he was a grand duke, but he wanted to inspect the dukedom with his own eyes.
“As expected, there are a lot of people coming and going.”
“Yes. Trade is also active.”
While on the way to Brions mansion, he deliberately passed through the main street and checked every corner of the area.
“If the ducal family is destroyed, the peace of this territory will be broken.”
“It cannot be avoided.”
This was the only thing Deheen was worried about as he planned the downfall of the Brions family.
The innocent residents would be harmed.
It was obvious that all the nobles would rush in and bite each other to take this territory.
“It would be best for the imperial family to care for it, but that won’t be easy either.”
“How about absorbing it into Tersia?”
Deheen made a wry smile, knowing that Ben was joking.
If that happened, no matter how friendly the emperor was…
There was no way he could just stand by and watch Deheen swallow even the huge ducal territory.
“Well, that’s all for later. First of all, they must be punished properly.”
Deheen redirected his focus to how to effectively destroy the temple and the Duchy of Brions.
“What do you plan to discuss with the duke?”
Ben asked cautiously with a curious expression.
“First of all, I plan to find out if he knows Catherine.”
“Did you bring the drawing you got from the lady?”
“Yes. It’s good that he came all the way to my territory first and poked around.”
Fortunately, Deheen had a justification.
It was thanks to Duke Brions releasing people into the slums to investigate Lucifer.
Having just arrived at the ducal residence, the corner of Deheen’s lips twisted as he waited for the front gate to open.
“And I have to ask if he has heard the rumors floating around recently. He probably knows the fake better than anyone.”
As the front gate opened and Deheen rode in on his black horse, a beam of bright sunlight hit his sleek nose and scattered.
