CH 139

Concerned, Esther quickly ordered the knights to escort the grandmother inside.

“Grandmother, are you okay? Where are you from?”

“Oh, my legs can’t move as they please these days.”

The old woman spoke weakly. She tapped her leg, which had been limping just a moment ago.

“I’ll take a look.”

Esther led the grandmother to a chair and sat down beside her.

Naturally, she was not lowering her guard.

Before she treats a person, she would read their energy first, and if there was anything that bothered her, she would not treat them directly, but would use medicine.

She didn’t feel any malicious energy from this old woman.

“Hmm?”

Esther, holding the old woman’s wrinkled hand and examining her body using divine power, tilted her head.

She thought her legs might be in pain or have blockage, but they weren’t. In fact, there was no part of her body that was hurt.

Besides, the clothes she was wearing were almost rags, but the hand she held was very soft.

Esther began to suspect the old woman when she deduced it was a hand that had never done  rough work.

“Grandmother, are you really sick?”

At Esther’s firm voice, the old woman slowly took off the crumpled hat she was wearing.

The old woman’s face was revealed, and Esther was momentarily startled by the clearness of her eyes.

“…Who are you?”

Sensing that she was an unusual person, Esther hesitated and stepped back.

As soon as he saw that reaction, Victor quickly rushed forward and acted a barrier between Esther and the old woman.

“Is she a strange person?”

“I don’t know.”

As Esther grew more and more suspicious, the old woman straightened her back, which she had been bending all this while. Her eyes shone as she asked,

“How did you know right away that there was nothing wrong with my legs?”

In an instant, the old woman’s voice and manner of speaking changed. Even when she simply corrected her posture, she felt like a completely different person from before.

‘I’m sure she’s a noble.’

Noble mannerisms were naturally permeated into her body.

“There is no blockage, so you didn’t need treatment.”

“That’s right, but it’s not easy to judge that in such a short time. Ordinary priests pour out their divine power once someone says they are in pain.”

The old woman did not hide her surprise and agreed with Esther.

“Are you from the temple?”

Esther was displeased at the thought that the old woman might be a spy sent from the temple.

“Yes, but also no.”

Pink eyes narrowed at the ambiguous answer.

“Can we talk privately for a moment?”

“Tell me who you are.”

“I…”

Sharon took out her identification card and showed it to Esther.

“I am Sharon de Parcendo, a member of the temple elders.”

Esther’s eyes widened when she saw the red card.

‘It’s my first time seeing it.’

This red card was given only to a handful of temple elders. With it, one could freely travel anywhere in the empire.

Esther was also taken aback because it was the first time she had ever seen a member of the elders, who usually kept to themselves and out of sight.

“Actually, I’ve been watching you in the shelter for several days.”

But being surprised was just being surprised, Esther frowned at Sharon when she said that she had been watching.

“Why?”

“I just wanted to check. Are you really the one in the revelation?”

After hearing this, Esther came to the conclusion that Sharon was not a person sent by Rabienne.

If she was really on Rabienne’s side, she wouldn’t be able to speak so openly.

“It’s not the position of the temple. I did this alone because I wanted to meet you.”

Sharon tried hard to express sincerity to Esther, whose eyes still had doubts.

‘Anyway, they have already seen me…’

Remembering the high priests who secretly came the last time, Esther nodded and said she would listen. 

“Follow me.”

She ushered Sharon into a small room where there was no danger of anyone overhearing the conversation, and they sat across from each other.

She asked her brothers to escort her in case of danger, and had Victor stand between Sharon and her.

“Now tell me. Why did you want to see me privately?”

“You already know that you are a saint, right?”

Sharon stared at Esther and asked earnestly.

With an unfaltering expression, Esther pretended not to know.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Those gloves… Aren’t you using it to cover your mark?”

Sharon’s gaze shifted to the gloves the girl never forgot to wear when she came to the shelter.

Instinctively, Esther, who was surprised by her gaze, hurriedly crossed her arms.

“Why didn’t you claim to be the real saint?”

“Because it’s not me.”

No matter how much the girl denied it, Sharon, who watched the shelter for a few days, was already convinced that she was a saint.

Just as Kyle had told her, the girl could use divine power without limits.

In addition, the day before yesterday, she witnessed a large number of flowers going out of the shelter and being sent somewhere via a carriage.

Others would think they were ordinary flowers, but Sharon recognized they were holy flowers.

Her ability to nurture holy flowers was unexplainable unless she was a saint.

“I looked into you before you came. Originally, you were a saint candidate in the temple, right?”

“Yes. The priests sold me. Thanks to that, I am doing well.”

No matter how much Deheen wanted to adopt her, it would not have been established if she had not been released from the temple.

“I am grateful.”

For the first time since their conversation started, Esther smiled at Sharon.

Seeing that smile, Sharon was confused and immediately paled.

“The current temple has deteriorated so much. Where did it go wrong… It wasn’t like this before.”

“I am not interested.”

Esther shook her head resolutely, not even pretending to consider Sharon’s words.

“Saint.”

“Don’t call me that.”

When Esther did not hide her dislike of the temple, sadness crept into Sharon’s eyes.

“Two saints never appear in one generation. The current chaotic empire desperately needs you.”

“…….”

“Right now, it’s an epidemic, but the barrier might break soon. No one knows what will happen when that happens.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Esther didn’t want to think about peace of the empire, sacrificing for everyone, or anything like that.

How hard it was to find happiness, yet now she was needed.

Esther was again unbearably angry at the temple’s one-sided attitude.

“It’s not like that. I just want to return the saint’s position to the original owner.”

Desperation tinged Sharon’s voice.

She sincerely hoped that the real saint would return to the temple.

Having been a member of the elders for a long time, she knew better than anyone how important the role of the saint was.

That position was directly related to the safety of the empire, so it was not a position that a fake could occupy.

The situation was critical. The empire could perish if there was no saint to maintain the barrier.

“Please take back your position as a saint. I will help.”

Having heard such absurd words, Esther laughed.

“Are you going to bring down the current saint?”

“Of course. Soon, she will take the saint qualification test.”

Esther had asked the question with the intention to mock, but her eyes brightened when Sharon revealed that Rabienne’s qualifications would be tested.

“What kind of test is it?”

“It’s to measure the vessel of divine power. We will test whether she can create holy flowers, how long it takes to turn water into holy water, and so on.”

It was certain that Rabienne would never pass that test.

“After that?”

“No matter how she is currently ordained, if she doesn’t qualify for it, she will have to step down.”

Esther’s pink eyes and Sharon’s light blue eyes intertwined innocently, exploring each other’s intentions.

‘It’s not a lie.’

Sharon never lied to Esther.

Her heart pounded for no reason at the thought that Rabienne might be kicked out.

But even so, it was hard for the temple to publicize the fact that a fake saint had been appointed.

The public was in a state of confusion and agitation, so it would not look as good as it would be seen as a belated countermeasure. 

“I’m sure many would argue to leave it as it is even if the saint doesn’t pass the test.”

The power of the Rabienne and the ducal family of Brions, which must have already been planted everywhere, will not be touched.

“That’s why I want to bring you to the temple. Would you like to return to the temple with me?”

Esther was flustered by Sharon’s pleading voice.

“What are you going to do with me?”

“The elders will support you. If we show that you are a real saint, no matter how powerful they are, they can’t oppose it. The cause is here.”

Although it was only for a moment, Esther’s mind pictured the exhilarating moment of taking her place back from Rabienne, who had stolen it.

‘It will be thrilling.’

There were many ways to get revenge on Rabienne, but…

Perhaps the thing Rabienne couldn’t tolerate the most was to be usurped in front of everyone.

But Esther didn’t want to be the saint just for that. 

It was an offer she might have accepted in the past, but now she had a daily life she wanted to keep.

Besides, wasn’t the temple as rotten to the root as Rabienne?

“I like it now.”

Despite the disinterested attitude, Sharon did not give up and continued to knock on Esther’s heart.

“The exam will be held in two weeks. If you change your mind in the meantime, please visit me at any time.”

Sharon gave her address. It was near the temple.

And as she was about to leave the room, she turned around and spoke in a very friendly tone.

“Child of light. People are calling you that.”

Esther’s eyelashes trembled; she was completely unaware of it.

“The temple also desperately needs that light. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Right before Sharon fully left the room…

In the hardened eyes that met Esther’s pink ones, sincere concern for the temple was fully conveyed.

Upon returning home from meeting Sharon, Esther lay in bed without energy.

The conversationsshe had with Sharon at the shelter haunted her.

“Why didn’t I know that the Council of Elders had so much power?”

She vaguely heard of the existence of the elders, but this was the first time she knew the reality.

“Depose Rabienne and take back my place, oh…”

Dorothy approached while Esther was suffering from a headache, thinking that the forces were divided even in the temple.

“My lady, someone came from the temple today.”

“What?”

Wondering if Sharon had been to the mansion too, Esther jumped up and sat up.

“They said it was a very important invitation, and they wanted the lady to attend. They even came with gifts.”

After a brief inspection, Dorothy handed the invitation over to Esther.