Chapter 454: A Priest’s Actual Routine … Kinda.

Chapter 454: A Priest’s Actual Routine ... Kinda.

Wake up, little blessed!

Mgrrgh? My head shot up from my soft, silky pillow, turning around as I pried my half-asleep eyes open. My instincts kicked in as my ears perked up and my tail quickly pulled my blanket off me without harming the fabric, readying itself to defend me despite my grogginess.

Sound continued stimulating my eardrums, jogging my head slightly awake as I drew my attention to the door where my cloudy vision visualized three figures. I took a quick whiff as I couldnt identify them, realizing two of the three smells were familiarone was so familiar, it felt as soothing as home.

Morning, Tasianna. Fleindia. Whos the third? I replied before letting my body fall back on my bed limpy, ready to go back to sleep since there was no threat.

No, no, no, dont go back to sleep! I already told you what were doing today! Fleindias voice roused me up for a second before I began ignoring her. My circadian rhythm told me it was still too early to wake up.

Allow me then, my lady. I heard Tasianna address me .

I smiled and rubbed my head closer to my pillow, hugging it with my arms as I was sleeping on my stomach to prevent my horns or tail from ruining the bedding. Also, with no wings, of course!

Expecting Tasianna, my dedicated maid, to pull the blanket back on me, I slowly shut my mind off and went back to sleep, only for my nose to suddenly catch the scent of something. Something sweet like a strawberry. Fragassa! But, what could itNo, there was also a hint of bitterness, something like tea, mixed into it, this scent feeding my nose the information I needed to understand this was fulinoe leaves. Fragassa and fulinoe smells?

That stimulation caused my body to jolt awake, no longer feeling asleep. With my mind conscious now, I also heard the light swinging of water accompanied by some dripping sound. So, we had watery sounds, the smell of fulinoe and fragassa, and a memory telling me exactly what this could be.

Morning fragassa-fulinoe shake! I cried out, my eyes flying open wide in excitement as my drowsiness vanished.

Milkshake, Tasianna corrected me before handing it to me, prompting me to pump my fist!

As I was guzzling down my first mouthful, my eyes suddenly noticed the nervous waving of the unidentified third person from before. A young woman, probably in her early twenties with orange-colored eyes and hair curtsied, pinching the hem of her red-white robe, indicating she was a shrine maiden.

G-good morning, PrincessI apologize, Champion Hestia. May the eternal fire fuel your body on this warm FireDay. Her voice cracked and I could audibly hear her swallow her spit after she paused for a moment. She then gripped her hands into fist and stared me into the eyes despite her trepidation. My name is Amalee von Baltalz, from House Baltalz from the Empire. I am a shrine maiden in service of the Goddess.

I looked over at Fleindia who stared back at me expectantly.

Oh Oh. Oops, did I oversleep?

Realizing why Tasianna and Fleindia woke me up so early, despite knowing I usually slept a while longer, it could only mean there was something important that I had to do. With the sugary goodness of the milkshake waking my brain up, I quickly remembered Fleindia and Master had mentioned something about learning how a priestesss routine actually worked.

Aside from the healing and my interactions with people, I wasnt too familiar with what a priestess did per se. I had only given two sermons in my life and those were in Carine village, where I ended up turning them into singing and dancing sessions. I had my theocracy lessons and I was taught how to be a Champion by Eshe and Theodore, but they never taught me about rituals, special religious events, or, well, what priestesses did outside of healing and speaking with people.

I mean, not like any of this mattered to an adventurer like me, but Aurena did explicitly state that I should tell people I was her priestess, even if I didnt know what I was doing as one. I wasnt fond of Fleindias and Masters insistence on todays schedule, but I guess I was in Aureolis, and when in Rome I guess I should make myself useful, instead of sleeping in.

Shedding some scales, I placed my milkshake on my nightstand before getting off my bed to curtsy to the shrine maiden. Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor. May the eternal fire fuel your body on this warm FireDay as well, Lady Amalee. I apologize that you had to see me in this languishing state. I have been on the road for too long, I am unaccustomed to Aureoliss routine.

The shrine maidens eyes widened as she stared at Fleindia, prompting the latter to speak, Lady Amalee is a family friend. House Baltalz and mine, Alsternich, have partaken in many transactions together, with Lady Amalee being a good acquaintance of my younger brother when they attended the imperial academy in Riekwelst.

Folschrecks capital, right? I asked, earning me a nod.

Fleindia continued, Shes the assistant of the Knight-Commander, but she will accompany us for the day. I am used to Aureoliss routine, but it would be best to have a local as a guide.

What about Yorshka? She used to live here for her duty.

DameSorry, Mrs. Yorshka will be accompanying the Heroes, Amalee answered. Aside from Saint candidate Asaka, the others will be going through their days as they are used to, and they personally asked for Mrs. Yorshka to stay with them. Considering the rather tense situation with the knights, I believe that would be for the best.

Considering what happened yesterday, yes, I do believe so.

With a clap, Fleindia put an end to the discussion and told me it was about time for me to get ready, just as I could hear the basilicas bell ring five times to tell me it was five in the morning. She then pointed at the door at the end of my room and one to the side, reminding me they were the kitchen and bathroom respectively.

She then left the room with Amalee, leaving Tasianna to guide into the latter room first to give me a morning bath.

I presume you got the instructions from her? I asked.

From one of her grey-robes, actually. Fleindia has her own room at the top of the dormitory, as you know, reserved just for her all year round, as is her privilege as one of the blessed. As such, she has her own retinue of people maintaining her belongings, so they were quite adept with their explanations. My lady, I wish to issue a complaint to the cardinals, as you should not be sleeping in the lower rooms. You deserve proper respect!

I sighed and patted her hand, trying to tell her I didnt really care. Although slightly smaller than the guest rooms I received at Ellaines mansions, my accommodations here were still pretty and plenty enough, especially since I had my own kitchen inside my room. Not to mention, all my direct retainers lived right next door while Neills room was directly opposite of mine! It couldnt get better.

In any case, continuing our small talk, Tasianna had to hurry up a bit due to me slightly oversleeping. Luckily for her, unlike most noble ladies, probably, I did help her as best as I could by undressing myself, cleaning myself during the bath, and also putting on some perfume.

You know, this would have been great if we could have brought Svena, Haati, and Lorena with us. You wouldnt be so overwhelmed as a one-woman army. Even Priscilla wouldve been nice, I stated as I fixed my white mage robe.

Overwhelmed? Ha, my lady, do you know who youre talking to? Tasianna looked genuinely offended. I was your only maid before them! Even with Miss Saori, I was responsible for all your needs wherever you went. Im plenty used to all of this, and it isnt even a bother. Yes, with the others, this would go by far fasterI would also enjoy their company and the atmosphere of a properly taken cared of householdbut it isnt necessary. To serve you is my pride and joy, as it has always been.

Oh, right, right, sorry for that weird comment. I didnt mean to belittle your efforts. I smiled, happy to hear she was still happy to be here with me after so long. Besides, there will be issues I would rather not pull them into. Having them stay behind is for their safety.

Correct.

With bathing and putting on clothes done, we returned to my bedroom to find Saori and Ellaine waiting there for me with multiple dishes on a table. Saori told me she hadnt used the kitchen and just pulled out whatever leftovers we had for our breakfast. In addition, she also informed me none of our rooms were bugged, either physically or magically.

We already used the silence rune for yesterdays talks, so you know about that one. That is pretty much the only magic here. I guess when your primary job is espionage, the envy demonkin probably believed they could extract information elsewhere instead of making it too obvious that were being spied on within our rooms, she stated.

After the four of us enjoyed our meals, only Ellaine and I departed from the room. Saori would stay inside our rooms, acting as the HQ for her shadow pack to go gather information and to pinpoint who was secretly a demonkin and who was a sympathizer. Meanwhile, Tasianna would mingle amongst the other retainers, getting information that way. Ellaine would act as my guard, fitting her role as my knight.

Outside, I quickly met up with Asaka, Master, Fleindia, and Amalee, with the latter two bringing along a grey-robe attendant. I expected everybody but Asaka and when I asked her about why she was coming along, she shrugged and told me, This is the normal routine for me. Well, she hadnt exposed her true status just yet, so she was just playing along.

Anyways, with this small group, we walked over to the basilica where a congregation had already gathered before the altar. The vicar wasnt there but another cardinal stood in front of the podium, readying himself by praying, with many of the priests around him doing the same. Fleindia led us to the seats at the very front, prompting the cardinal and some of the bishops to finish their prayers and greet us.

May the eternal fire fuel your body on this warm FireDay. May the Goddesss light forever shine brightly on you, blessed. It was the most common greeting, but I could see a few of them giving Master and me the stink eye. Considering we were the only people with beast-like features, I guess we did stand out a bit. To none of their liking..

After that, the sermon began and, oh goodness, I thought I was about to fall asleep again. No offense to the person speaking, as the cardinal was lively and made a ton of gestures with his hands to keep people involved. 101 for open speaking and presentation skills right out of highschool; if I were a teacher, I would give him an A for the presentation but immediately drop that to a C for the content, though.

Most of it was exactly what I had read from the Church of Aurenas holy book, their version of the bible. It retold Aurenas story of arriving into this world and usurping the role as the primarch of the holy element from the Holy Elemental Emperor, before she and the other Origin Gods implemented the Divine System.

From the standpoint of an outsider, you could really see how alien invader-like the Origin Gods were, even if they did help Peolynca flourish from that point on. The story then continued with her choosing her subordinate gods after the Demon War, and how her religion began as an unorganized cult, similar to the religions surrounding the elemental emperors. Unlike them, though, Aurena could speak through her subordinate gods and blessed, helping the religion consolidate and become institutionalized.

From there, however, the interesting part ended and it all devolved into a bunch of preaching, teachings, and lessons we had to adhere and remember, or how we had to be sure to respect Aurena by only using her magic for the good of her religion. The cardinal kept droning on and on how practicing and teaching others was how we white-robes could foster the strength of Aurena.

Mana is power, my fellow white-robes. The blessing of Peolynca is upon us, with many being born into prestigious families with bloodlines filled with magical potential! Nevertheless, if you do not cultivate this talent, you will lag behind! Your incompetence and laziness will only hinder others, even costing fellow followers their lives if you fail! This harms our Goddess! For all countries relying on our services, we must strive to become stronger!

So thats what the High Bishop meant with more aggressive.

A few priests did turn their eyes to me, but I mostly ignored them. There was nothing I could do about their opinions right now.

After the sermon was over, we left the basilica and began heading down the street, where Master announced how much he liked the session, mentioning how much he learned how an actual preacher behaved. I stated how perplexed I was about it, though, feeling how awkward it was that the cardinal was pushing priests to better themselves in such a strong manner. They were all part of the clergy, not pure mages.

Its for the war effort, essentially, Fleindia answered. Since Aureolis is so far away from the frontlines, some of the members of the imperial Church of Aurena do believe our Holy Capital takes on too much of a managerial and preaching role, instead of supporting the armies with their magic. Unfounded, of course, since many bishops and priests who learned and lived here had joined the war and ended up dying. Sadly, people will make their opinions even with such evidence. Maybe the leadership is pivoting because of these opinions?

Doesnt help that we Heroes arent doing anything yet, right? Asaka frowned.

Correct. Your classmates over in the Empire havent participated in any of the battles yet; then again, sending such young warriors to the front lines after only a year of training is little different from sending fresh levies straight into war. It wont work, Fleindia replied. Unlike a farmers children, though, the Heroes are celebrated as the Goddesss chosen, brought to this world to turn the tides on the war. Haste makes waste, but I believe Ive heard whispers how the military were impatient. Maybe it wont happen this year, but maybe in the next.

The professors dont like late comers. Elrick always forced me to come early to make sure we didnt lose any spots. In fact, Tatsuya came late once and you wouldnt believe the shouting contest. He wanted to listen in since the lecture on that day was about spear techniques from around the continent, but none of the professors allowed it, even if the instructor did.

Because sloth is sin! One of the priests working inside the office shouted at us. For you especially, Lady Asaka! I had hoped you stopped taking naps!

Oh shut it, prof! I still learned enough to function. See, Im alive?

More like you should thank Captain Yorshka and Sir Elrick! An elderly white-robe interjected. Pah, Pope Gwyn sent you kids out too soon. The accomplishments weve heard about you have been nothing! Just like those kids in the Empire. All of you needed more time to learn.

Asaka scowled, but that didnt dissuade the many priests inside from speaking up.

Were heard more about the two new Champions! News about them spreads like wildfire, especially about her. Another glared at me. Champion, next time, come on time. Learn and become better. Maybe you could have stopped Saintess

Krk

Nonsense! Master roared out, hissing like a snake to interrupt the priest from finishing his sentence. All of you call yourself professors and this is what you say to my apprentice? The nerve! Ive seen raptors more able to read the mood. Pah! You think you can teach her anything? Anything at all? None of you have the qualification to teach her!

And who are you? An elderly man stood up, glaring back at Master. I recognized that man he was one of the cardinals. A Saint of Plesia, correct? What does a water mage have to teach to a holy and fire mage? To a dragon? If you call yourself her master, then you should live up to the responsibility and take on her failures. She let a Saintess die under her watch, and now she comes here and demands us to abolish the system our church has functioned upon for two millennia? For whom? A young child who knows nothing of Aureolis? Nothing about humans? Nothing about our culture? Let a dragon rule over us? We are not Kargryxs pawns!

Master walked up to him, looking down as he towered over the grey-haired, slouched man. And you think you can show her what she needs to learn? I do not need to be a holy mage to teach her the basics and advance techniques of magic casting, nor how to mold her mana into custom spells. Nor about ways to increase her strength. A teacher is a guide, so I guided her. However, if you want me to take resp

Master, no. I grabbed his sleeves, stopping him. I then turned to the rest of the clergy members. Thats correct. I failed. Instead of protecting her, I left to deal with the attack on Griffonpeak. She was my teacher and friend and in her time of need I was not there. I could not protect her

My admittance caused some of the priests to scuff at me and turn away, almost as if they were forsaking me.

I did not let that deter me, assuring me to get my message across. However, I am still a blessed of the Goddess. She, nor the other subordinate gods, have told me in my face that I should stop. None. Not even Goddess Erithia who condemned me for that failure like you just did. Even if she was harsh, she told me to improve. And I did. I wont let that mistake happen again.

You are a blessed of the Goddess. You admitted that, but you are telling us you spoke with Goddess Erithia? I say you are delusional now!

But she is correct. Fleindia stepped in. The Goddess herself told me as such, that she would speak with Lady Hestia. For she is the perfect blessed. I believe every word she told me. Regardless, her qualification is not up for debate. She is a Champion and she deserves your respect for all she did. She saved my life.

Lady Fleindia, please, we know this dragon can control minds. Enough playing around with her, let us bring you to Pope Gw

None of you deserve to speak another word! Ellaine shouted. This has gone too far now. Besmirching her reputation?

I agree Master growled. I see some of you call yourself professors, but you do nothing but make demands from atop your ivory thrones. You old men and women you are an embarrassment to other priests. You should teach these young adults, not insult them! Theodore, enough! I will not let my apprentices or her friends continue listening inside these halls of petty bastards! Call it off and tell High Bishop Rasheid I am at fault!

Theodore sighed, massaging his temples, while Asaka laughed out loud and smacked Masters back. She shouted, You heard the big scale-kin! Bye bye, assholes!

Master then turned to the board and pulled off a parchment. Kri, this young scale will do what she does best, not lounging inside some dusty hall.

He handed it to me, allowing me to see he wanted us to go to the lower city to help a few people there. It was as he said, this was my bread and butter when it came to my duty as a Champion. I smiled, happy to not have to go to school! Learning from other people? No way, my only masters were Master Kush and Mother! And also Farron, Yorshka, and Sis for my physical stuff. And Tasianna for language. And let's leave it at that.

As we left the silenced office, I noticed a few baffled young priests and mages just standing in the hallway, looking at me with widened eyes. None of them said anything, but it somehow felt awkward for me. Good thing I wouldnt have to meet them again!

Thank you, Master. For standing up for me. I gave him a quick hug once we were outside.

Nonsense, young scale. Really. If Saori was here, she would be the one to do it! I couldnt just let those ignorant morons belittle you that much! Damn the way they perceive you; it would take a rock to change their minds. His agitated state made him spit like crazy, but this gesture stuck with me.

As we left the gates, showing the guards the request, Amalee told us this was where she would leave us. She looked a bit weirded out from what happened, so I hoped she wouldnt turn on us. Ha, this entire place was so annoying to navigate through. Why did I have so many haters?

In any case, to the good of my heart, once we got a bit deeper in, people began to notice Fleindia and me, telling me how they didnt have the chance to thank us for the [Prayer]. It was so simple but hearing people actually being grateful to me made me almost want to cry.

A girls heart can only take so much negativity!

As Saori stated, there wasnt much poverty to be seen, even as our group went even deeper into the slums. Sure, some people were struggling, but it seemed neighbors would help each other out of the good of their hearts. I would hear Aurenas name whispered here and there, always accompanied by a small prayer.

Our request led us to a small eatery with a chef wanting to learn some noble cuisine to help them think of a new dish for their menu, telling us their customers had gotten a bit bored since they always used the same ingredients.

To keep things cheap for our regulars, getting the fresh produce from the farms outside the city makes everything very liveable. My lady, would you possibly know any dishes we can make with the local produce? Importing from the merchants would be too expensive for us.

That was when I had the most brilliant idea. Dishes? Didnt we have two great chefs in our party? How did I usually make followers?

Yup, time to call in a feast and have the entire neighborhood participate!

We need to get rid of her. That is my Lords command.

Yes, Lord. A priests voice resounded within the mansion of the Church of Aurenas pope, located at the far end of the church area. Silence was all that greeted him during this night, but he kept his head down, bowing towards the shadow of a person.

It took two minutes to pass before a reply was spoken. Remember. In the new world to come, your family will find a place through your worth. The value youve brought to BoleTaria will shape your future. The Edjurl gods are not merciful like Aurena, but they will not interfere. We demonkin will rule and you will be one of us.

Yes, Lord. The priest was loyal.

The false goddessthat weak excuse of a divine beingwill be gone. Plesia and Marsven will not care. They will leave the world to us once they deem this world unworthy of their time; anger them too much and the Origin Gods will vanish. These words come from our princes and the knowledge passed down to them through history. From the very first demonkin prince. Do you understand?

Yes, Lord. The priest was willing.

As such, you must rid us of her. Once her presence is gone, all of this will fall apart. Without her support, our Pope will continue to rule everything and their support will falter until they have nothing left. Everything will be ruined once she is dead. As such, follow her and find a way for us to do it.

Yes Lord. The priest was afraid.

Vicar, do this, and Lord Envy will ensure your place in the new world. You will have nothing to be jealous of under our command. Will you do what is right?

The priest hesitated, but nodded anyway. There was no need to overthink things.

Yes, Lord.

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A note from AbyssRaven

I hope you guys all had a good first day 2024! Happy New Year!

Another year is upon us and what a wonderful 2023 it was for Dragon Idol since the first book finally came out this year! Book 1 on Amazon, KU, and Kindle did pretty well for a new series, and I can't help but thank all of you for that success for supporting me, whether by just reading and loving the story, the Patreon support, or simply buying the book when it came out. It all mattered to me.

Now, do you guys know what year it will be this year? The Year of the Dragon! And what better way to start the year out but to announce that Book 2 of Dragon Idol is now ready to be pre-ordered on Amazon and Kindle! I will make a proper announcement later on, but this should act as a warning for everybody that it will mean that some chapters will soon be removed for the Amazon release. Specifically, Chapter 36 all up to Chapter 68 will be gone when it releases.

Here has been your heads up! I do hope you guys will show interest in the next Book!

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For two dollars, for the cost of a coffee, you can read up to four chapters! You will have my eternal gratitude for any support you can give me! Please.

Thank you for reading this chapter.