CH 2

In her previous life, Liriette used divine power to save Noelle’s life. However, after that, she never saw Noelle again.

It was because the High Priest locked Liriette in a room and prevented her from meeting anyone.

Instead, the High Priest brought out Noelle’s name as if he was threatening Liriette every time she lost her will to live, eat, and drink.

[If you don’t eat, Noelle will starve, and if you die, Noelle will also die.]

No. Don’t do that.

She forced herself to swallow the food and resisted the urge to injure herself.

And in the distant future, she found out.

The fact that Noelle took her own life a long time ago, knowing that she was becoming Liriette’s shackles.

Liriette heard the news and collapsed.

[Why is it, Lily?]

Noelle approached Liriette with a worried face.

[Are you hurt somewhere? Did you have a scary dream?]

Puppy-like black, clear eyes. Thin white fingers that moved without rest.

Obviously, it was really Noelle.

Liriette hugged Noelle tightly.

Noelle looked at Liriette with a bewildered face, then started stroking her fluffy silver hair.

It’s okay, it’s okay, Lily.

Liriette missed this clumsy and warm consolation so much.

“Huuwaaaaa!”

Liriette buried her face in Noelle’s arms and cried like a baby. Noelle sobbed together, unaware of the reason.

Even so, she didn’t stop stroking Liriette’s small head.

***

Both Liriette and Noelle’s eyes were swollen from crying for an hour.

Noelle asked Liriette one more time, blinking her swollen eyes that caused her unable to see properly.

[Everything is really okay, right?]

“I told you so.”

Liriette didn’t intend to tell Noelle anything.

‘Even if it’s absurd, Noelle will definitely believe my words.’

That’s why she can’t say more.

Noelle will feel great confusion and fear. She didn’t want to upset Noelle with something that hadn’t even happened yet.

‘Above all, I’m not going to repeat the horrible things that happened in my previous life no matter what.’

To do so, she had to get out of the clutches of the High Priest first.

‘But how?’

The High Priest was an absolute presence in the temple. The priests were all loyal to him.

It was impossible to escape from this place in such an atmosphere.

‘Then, how about borrowing outside power, I wonder.’

No matter how much power the High Priest has, it’s a business within the temple.

There were many powerful people who could shake him out of the temple.

‘I’ll be able to get out of here with their help.’

In her previous life, Liriette healed countless people by order of the High Priest, and they all had money and power.

So it wasn’t difficult at all to recall them.

After a while, Liriette muttered, her light blue eyes shining.

“The Duke of Windsorais.”

A man called the Imperial Ice Shield or Monster Slayer.

The territory of the Duke of Windsorais was located in the north, and he protected the outskirts of the Empire by eliminating the monsters constantly flocking from beyond the mountains.

In name and reality, the Duke had the strongest power in the Empire.

However he had a secret.

“The Duke was seriously injured around this time.”

His eyes were injured by a monster’s poison.

Surprisingly, few people knew about it. Because the Duke thoroughly hid it.

‘It went unnoticed for over a decade.’

This was possible because the Duke of Windsorais was confined to a northern castle.

Around the time rumors spread that Liriette could cure any disease with divine power, the Duke came.

He asked her to fix his eyes, no matter how much he needed to pay.

‘Until then, the Duke couldn’t fix his eyes, so this time, too, he’ll definitely need my power.’

She came to a conclusion.

‘Let’s meet the Duke and make a deal.’

However, there was one major problem with Liriette’s implementation of the plan.

The Duke of Windsorais was far north.

To make matters worse, she was unable to even step out of the temple.

There was only one person who could help Liriette in this situation.

***

Noelle opened his eyes wide.

[You want me to send a letter?]

“Yeah.”

[To the Duke of Windsorais in the north?]

“Yeah.”

Liriette was a child under the care of the High Priest.

The priests had an obligation to report everything related to Liriette to him.

[Then I will tell the High Priest and send him a letter.]

“No. He will never allow it.”

[But if you secretly send a letter and get caught, the High Priest will be very angry.]

It wasn’t scary to simply disobey the order of the High Priest.

She was terrified when she thought that Liriette, who was always punished severely, would be severely scolded.

Liriette knew Noelle’s heart, yet once again she said.

“Please, Noelle.”

Noelle’s dark eyes shook at the sound of the earnest voice.

After a moment, Noelle nodded her head.

[Alright. I’ll try.]

“Thank you, Noelle.”

[No. I’m glad I can do something for Lily.]

Noelle’s eyes widened softly. She smiled more childishly than the ten-year-old Liriette.

She put the letter she received from Liriette into her arms.

Noelle also belonged to the temple and wasn’t free to move, but she often went out of the temple to run errands.

She took advantage of the opportunity to send a letter.

Towards the far, far north.

From that day on, Liriette held her hands together and prayed every day.

‘I hope the letter arrives well. Please, I hope the Duke of Windsorais reads my letter.’

And a month after sending the letter, an amazing thing happened.

Knights from the Duke of Windsorais came to the temple.

***

The quiet temple went into an uproar.

It was because of the appearance of knights in silver armor.

The huge man at the head of the knights bowed his head.

“Greetings, High Priest. My name is Villaim, a knight who serves the Duke of Windsorais.”

The High Priest was also perplexed.

As it was rare for a person from the Duke of Windsorais from the north to visit the temple in the capital.

“You have worked hard to come this far. But what brought you here?”

“I have come to meet the child of the goddess.”

Villaim’s words relieved the High Priest’s tension. He then replied with a benevolent smile.

“Ah, you came to see our Liriette. Please wait a moment.”

Not long after, she appeared.

“Hello, I’m Liriette.”

A girl with long, fluffy silver hair, wearing a shabby gray dress.

Villaim asked, looking down at the little girl far below him.

“Do you really have divine power?”

He asked the question to Liriette, yet the answer was heard from the High Priest.

“That’s right. Not only me, but other priests who can detect divine power have also proved it in one accord.”

The High Priest added something he hadn’t even asked.

“Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to manifest divine power yet. But with a little more time, she will unleash tremendous power. She will be able to heal any disease or wound. When that time comes, I plan to dedicate all her strength to the people I’m grateful, for who believe in and support our Liriette.”

He said that if he got paid now, the Duke would be able to use Liriette’s power later.

Villaim said, wriggling his thick eyebrows.

“I understand the meaning of the High Priest. Then I will donate 1 billion gold to the temple in the name of the Duke of Windsorais.”

1 billion gold.

The High Priest’s eyes widened at the staggering number.

Villaim said to the High Priest, who couldn’t control the corners of his lips rising.

“However, I have one request.”

“You can tell me anything.”

He replied with the momentum to remove even the liver from his body.

“His Grace, the Duke of Windsorais, wants to meet the child of the goddess in person. May I take the child to the Duchy of Windsorais?”

“…!”

At the completely unexpected words, the High Priest blinked and then straightened up.

“Liriette is a precious child. In the temple, she’s cared for like a treasure. I’ll be in trouble if something happens to her outside the temple.”

“If that’s the case, don’t worry. Because the Duke of Windsorais has the greatest power in the Empire. Even if a raging dragon appears in front of the child, we will protect her from getting hurt in the slightest.”

Villaim wriggled his thick forearm, the size of the High Priest’s head.

Indeed, with muscles like that, it seemed like he could protect Liriette in any danger.

Even so, the High Priest shook his head once again.

“If His Grace the Duke wants to see Liriette, can’t he come to the temple directly?”

“As the High Priest knows, His Grace the Duke is guarding the northern border. He can’t leave easily because nobody knows when the monsters will attack.”

Before the High Priest could say anything, Villaim continued.

“If the High Priest sends the child, an additional billion gold will be donated as a thank you for sending such a precious child.”

A total of 2 billion gold.

It was a crazy number.

To the extent that even the sum of all the donations that came to the temple last year couldn’t exceed it.