After a while, Camilla fell asleep again as she ran out of energy.
I quietly closed the door to keep her from waking up. And I walked towards my room.
My heart was pounding.
âNow, letâs sort it out.â
Although it was a sudden situation, Camillaâs holy power was revealed today.
Many priestesses witnessed this, and now Camillaâs presence in the temple will grow out of control.
To think that she is a priestess with holy power great enough to save the dead. Everyone may doubt my authenticity.
âThen what will happen to the contract?â
I bit my lip in nervousness.
Elium, the highest temple of all temples, the saintess only dwells there. And Camilla saved a life that was already dead today.
ââ¦â
Both my mind and heart were complicated.
âSaintess!â
As I walked out to the hallway, I heard Daisyâs voice.
I stood still.
âHere you are. I came back, but you were out⦠I thought you went for a walk.â
The speed of my pounding heart gradually slowed as I smiled.
âHow have you been? While you were in the mine, I prayed every day because Iâm worried about the Saintessâ¦â
âDaisy.â
âYes, Saintess.â
I looked at Daisy while holding her hand, said.
âI missed you.â
Daisyâs eyes widened at my words. And she smiled broadly like a flower blooming.
âMe too, Saintess. I missed you so much.â
Fake saintess Ariel.
As in my previous life, I thought there was nothing really mine.
The temple is always a place from where I have to leave, and so are the ties.
Yet deep down I realized that wasnât the case. Maybe I have grown attached to a lot of things here.
Maybe even if I hadnât signed a contract with Diego, I might have been greedy for this place.
I guess I was thinking that this is where I really need to be.
âSaintess, Iâm very happy too, but itâs suffocating. Please let go of me.â
âJust a minute more.â
At my words, Daisy patted me on the back.
âDid anything sad happen, our Saintess?â
Her arms were warm.
***
Daisy went out, comforting me with pleasant stories from her hometown.
A lonely night alone. I went out with Dwayne and looked at the six statues I bought.
The small statues on the desk were funny because they looked like Moai for some reason.
The God of Art, Mond.
The God of Knowledge, Hessed.
The God of Destruction, Ciel.
The God of Justice, Hetuse.
The God of Benevolence, Oman.
The God of Love, Odyssey.
I got out of bed and sat down in a chair, stretching out my hand and stroking each of the statues.
âItâs not like this, is it?â
There were no Gods who answered, but I smiled at the thought of the cute shape of the statues.
After a while, I put my hands together and closed my eyes to pray.
âHow are you? Gods. I was surprised that you left without saying anything. Wherever you go, always be happy. Phewâ¦â
I let out a small sigh and opened my eyes.
ââ¦Actually, I miss you.â
Itâs true that there were times when the oracle interfered with my life and nagged me, which was annoying.
But once it disappeared, the emptiness lingered for a very long time.
I looked at the icon without an answer, then sighed again and stood up.
And then it was.
[Or⦠acleâ¦]
[Ora⦠cle is⦠not smoothâ¦â â ]
AÂ chat window suddenly popped up in front of me.
I stared at the chat window in surprise. However, it became transparent and disappeared within seconds.
ââ¦What is it?â
Didnât the oracle disappear altogether?
It doesnât make sense to assume that the oracle was disturbed, this was the temple. Itâs not like there are demons that emit powerful Magi like Diego Vester did.
I prayed again and sat down, yet the oracle window didnât appear again.
***
The next evening, after spending a lot of time with a troubled heart, I rode a carriage and left the temple with Reihausd.
âI didnât expect us to have a meal outside the temple.â
âItâs a long-awaited time with the Saintess, thatâs why I prepared it so you wonât feel sad.â
The carriage left the temple and arrived downtown shortly after.
The place we decided to go today was a nice restaurant on the street not far from the temple.
I got out of the carriage, escorted by him.
âThis seems to be a restaurant that doesnât have many customers.â
âI borrowed this for a period of time for Saintess.â
I was surprised by Reihausdâs words and looked at him.
Isnât this the line usually spoken by rich guys in dramas?
âWell, being a priest doesnât mean heâs poor.â
Reihausd looks no less stylish and rich than he is.
âI heard what happened yesterday.â
He said while pouring wine into my glass. A thick steak was placed on the platter.
âAh, you mean Camilla saving the Golden Crown?â
I cut the meat carelessly.
âAre you okay?â
At Reihausdâs direct words, I stopped the knife I was cutting the meat with. My eyes gazed upon him and I said.
ââ¦Thereâs no reason why I shouldnât be okay, is there? Camilla saved a poor life.â
He looked at me with his lips closed for a moment, as if my words conveyed an uncomfortable feeling.
ââ¦For me.â
After a while, he opened his mouth.
âWhat would you do if you were the only saintess to me, Ariel?â
I responded with a light smile.
âI know that Sir Reihausd cares for me excessively. Iâm always grateful for that.â
I could see his golden eyes swaying low.
The more I look at him, the more beautiful he is. And the peculiar constitution in which his body reacts (?) to a person with holy power.
âBut Sir Reihausdâs excessive kindness sometimes puts a burden on me. Iâm afraid you will get hurt someday.â
Now was the time to draw a line, both for me and him.
After I went to Ares, he was checking on my safety like a puppy suffering from separation anxiety.
ââ¦Youâre burdened. As expected.â
His golden eyes darkened.
After a while, his lips were chapped.
âStill, it doesnât change that you are a saintess forever.â
A repeated question that comes back again.
I was naturally accepting Reihausd, who had become my fan from a certain moment.
Yes, itâs all because of holy power. Itâs all because of my holy power.
âIf this holy power disappears someday, it might suddenly go to the new holy power holder, Camilla.â
Thinking that time would solve the problem, I decided to focus on eating.
But then, Reihausdâs voice was heard again.
âWeâre sending Camilla to the temple of Raid.â
âPardon me?â
âIâm not kidding.â
Startled by his low voice, I looked back at him. His dark gold eyes shone darkly.
His red lips were swollen.
âDoes the Saintess believe in Camilla with all your heart?â
I was silent for a moment at his words, then I asked him again.
âWhat do you mean?â
Soon Reihausd stared at me and opened his mouth again.
âBehind what is too righteous lies a deep valley of distortion.â
I couldnât understand what he was saying.
âThat is also the difference between the Saintess and me.â
So, is it like, the more straight something is, the more you shouldnât believe it by just looking at its outside?
ââ¦Sir Reihausd. I think itâs exaggerated to think of Camilla as being too nice.â
âShe has a valley as deep as mine.â
Reihausdâs thick voice cut me off.
âShe will harm Ariel.â
I looked into his eyes for a while. My heart skipped a beat at the words I couldnât understand.