Chapter 161

“Does she even know how much damage the temple incurred from that incident? And she thinks that we’re to blame. Same thing goes for that traitor. How dare he shamelessly show his face here?”

The middle-aged priest’s voice grew louder, as if the more he spoke, the more he fueled his emotions.

“It’s a relief that at the time, the chief priest had prevented an accident happening to the crown prince and earned his trust. Had that not been the case, the temple would probably have been…”

“Chief Priest.”

Speak of the devil and he will appear; the door to the reception hall clicked open and the chief priest appeared. Bekah immediately stood up from his seat.

“Have you finished praying? I was going to look for you to deliver some news. Just now…”

“Who was that?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The person who left the temple a little earlier, who in the world was it?”

There was anxiousness in the chief priest’s voice. He was different from usual. Looking at him now, he was panting for breath and his clothes were disheveled, as if he had been running.

Bekah furrowed his brow.

“What’s the matter?”

“I felt divine power.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The power was exactly like what was written in the temple records. It was divine power… I’m sure of it.”

The chief priest’s voice trembled with excitement.

Long ago, there was a time when the temple held considerable authority. The temple’s authority now couldn’t even compare to how it was back then. It was a period that could very well be called the temple’s greatest revival. Even the royal family obeyed the temple.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The sole difference between the temple back then and the temple now was none other than the existence of a male saint and a female saint.

The male saint and the female saint were God’s chosen ones. They were able to use divine power, which was hailed as God’s strength. They used divine power to chase out evil and heal those that were dying.

“This is the first time in 200—no, 300 years that a human being with divine power has appeared. We must find them and exalt them as a saint…”

“What in the world are you talking about, Chief Priest?”

“What?”

“You are mistaken.”

“…Mistaken?”

“Yes. Divine power, you say? Impossible. You are certainly mistaken.”

“Are you telling me that I’m wrong?”

The chief priest’s face hardened with a hint of anger. But Bekah’s face was even more hardened.

“Yes. You must be mistaken.”

It was then that the chief priest hesitated as if he sensed something strange.

“…What do you mean?”

“You asked who had left the temple earlier, correct?”

Bekah’s tone was just as stiff as his expression.

“It was Duchess Mayhard.”

“What?”

“The wife of ‘that’ Duke Mayhard.”

“…!”

“Divine power? From the duchess, at that? There’s no way that’s true, nor would we want it to be.”

“…Since it’s not the duke himself, if we could persuade his wife…”

“Do you know what the duchess said when she came here today? She asked us if we had reflected on the incident from 7 years ago in the slightest.”

While the chief priest had his mouth shut, Bekah continued speaking, his tone filled with conviction.

“She would never agree to work with the temple.”

“…”

“I’m sure she’d rather use her divine power and establish a new temple. Well, if she actually has divine power, that is.”

Even with everything Bekah had said, the chief priest still looked as though he didn’t want to give up. Sensing the chief priest’s hesitation, Bekah added his final point out of frustration.

“The duchess visited the temple with Sidrion. They seemed quite close.”

Sidrion.

Out of all the things Bekah had said, Sidrion’s name was what shook the chief priest up the most. Seeing the chief priest’s face, Bekah opened his mouth.

“…Once we exit this room, the conversation I had here with the chief priest will have never happened.”

“…”

“Am I understood, Priest Dele?”

“Ah, yes. Yes, of course.”

“Keep your mouth shut” was the gist of it. Priest Dele hastily nodded his head. Bekah turned his gaze back towards the chief priest.

“Please don’t press further about this. It will be for naught. You truly must have been mistaken. Divine power existed in the past because it was needed at the time. But what about now?”

“…”

“The sick can be treated with medicine and there is no longer any evil that needs to be driven out.”

“…”

“Truthfully, even if there was a revival of divine power, what use would it be? It wouldn’t give the temple the prestige it used to.”

“…Very well.”

The chief priest had been staring out the window. He just barely tore his gaze away. There was no more hope lingering in his eyes.

“You’re right. I must have been mistaken.”