Since entering the temple at the age of 11, Selene’s daily routine had always been the same.
Wake up at dawn, meditate, pray three times, eat three meals.
And then, from early morning until sunset, listen to the confessions of nobles.
“I confess my sins to Goddess Libertas. Yesterday, I once again couldn’t help but…”
“Couldn’t help but?”
“I couldn’t resist my instincts and had an affair!”
Perhaps because this was a country that worshipped Libertas1, the goddess of freedom, the nobles of Arthenian were remarkably free-spirited… even below the waist.
Today, Lady Chloe of the Ancy Viscount family, who came for confession, was engaged to the eldest son of the Glowne Count family.
Yet, despite having a diligent fiancé, she was having an affair with her bodyguard.
“Why does God give me such trials? The fierce whirlpool of love just won’t stop.”
Sniffle, sniffle. From beyond the thin wooden wall of the confessional, Chloe’s sobbing could be heard.
Hearing that sound, Selene felt heartbroken…
Not at all. Not even a little.
How many days had it been since Chloe started coming for confession?
Yesterday, the day before, and even last week.
She clocked in with the apprentice priests and confessed the same sin.
“Lady Chloe, you promised yesterday to send the bodyguard away, didn’t you?”
“I just can’t do it. The mere thought of not seeing him makes me feel like I’ll die.”
“Then how about being honest with your fiancé?”
“That’s absolutely impossible. If I break off the engagement, my father will kill me. The marriage with the Glowne Count family has finally been arranged…”
“This is an act of deceiving your fiancé.”
“I know! I said I’d sort it out!”
Selene knew.
She would come back tomorrow to confess the same sin.
Selene was merely going through the motions of lecturing her.
In the past, she had tried to genuinely persuade them.
She even prayed more earnestly, wondering if her lack of saintly qualities was causing them to repeat the same sins.
How naive she had been.
To think that her prayers could change them.
“Holy Saint, you’ll ask Goddess Libertas for forgiveness on my behalf, won’t you? I made a large donation again today.”
Selene wanted to say no, but such words were not permitted to her.
“Yes, Lady Chloe. I will ask Goddess Libertas for forgiveness on your behalf.”
After all, the Saint existed to seek forgiveness on behalf of the nobles who visited Theberon Palace, in exchange for their donations.
The Saint had to remain pure until the moment she left the temple, so that no devotee would be denied forgiveness due to the Saint’s impurity.
“Thank you for the grace of Goddess Libertas.”
Chloe beamed and threw herself into the arms of the bodyguard waiting outside the door.
Having shifted her sins onto the Saint, she already seemed to believe she had been forgiven.
Selene also smiled brightly as she watched Chloe’s retreating figure.
You’re next.
*** *** *** *** ***
“Goddess Libertas, please allow me to be a righteous whistleblower again today.”
Selene offered a short prayer to Goddess Libertas.
But, as always, the goddess gave no response.
That must mean she permits it.
Selene took the silence as a tacit approval.
After all, Goddess Libertas was famously known for not giving oracles.
Just now, in her divine freedom, it seemed she was saying, ‘Do as you see fit.’
Selene didn’t write down everything she heard in the confessional into the Bluebird Letters.
She had her own set of rules.
First: If a serious crime had been committed.
Second: If there was a victim.
Third: If leaving it buried would cause greater harm.
If any of these three conditions were met, Selene would pick up her pen.
This time, the protagonist of the Bluebird Letter was Chloe Ancy.
Selene decided to write the letter for Chloe’s future.
Because in Chloe, she saw the shadow of Countess Persher.
―”I’ve been forgiven for maintaining two households, so now I can start a third.”
Selene intended to help Chloe avoid such a fate.
Selene opened the safe hidden behind her desk.
Inside were blue stationery, envelopes, and magical powders.
Divine power and magic were similar yet different.
Magic used a magician’s mana, while divine power borrowed the strength of a god.
It was common knowledge that magic and divine power couldn’t be used together.
However, thanks to the recent boom in magical artifact trading, Selene had also gained access to magic.
「This letter was first started in the capital and circled once a year, has revealed truths to its recipients. This letter now in your hands must leave your side within four days. Please send seven copies, including this one, to those who need to know the truth.
Lady Chloe of the Ancy Viscount family is cheating on her fiancé. Her partner is a commoner bodyguard.」
After finishing the letter, Selene sprinkled pink and yellow magical powders over it.
Then, she activated two magical scrolls using her divine power.
One spell would create six additional copies of the letter after the recipient read it.
The other spell would ignite the letter in flames once it finally reached the intended person.
She placed the letter into a blue envelope and sealed it with sealing wax mixed with black magical powder.
This ensured that no one but the recipient could open the envelope.
“The recipient… let’s make it the fiancé’s closest friend.”
The Bluebird Letters had another rule.
They were never delivered directly to the person involved.
Selene sent the letters to someone close to the subject.
The letter would pass through several hands before finally reaching the intended person.
This roundabout method was chosen to reduce the chances of the issue being buried.
It also served to confuse anyone trying to trace the sender.
“Perfect.”
Selene looked at the completed letter with satisfaction before placing it in her drawer.
She couldn’t send it out immediately.
Selene was only allowed to leave the temple once a month.
She could only hope that Chloe would repent before her next outing.
*** *** *** *** ***
“Holy Saint, it’s time to meet Duke Kylos.”
Hearing Mia’s call, Selene hurriedly opened the door.
She didn’t forget to put on a surprised expression.
“Oh my, was that today?”
Of course, this was all an act.
She had already memorized his visit schedule.
After straightening her attire, Selene stepped outside.
And there, she found Mia looking distressed.
“Mia, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Holy Saint, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what all of a sudden?”
“The Blood Wolf. I subtly suggested that he might consider receiving healing from another priest this time, but he flatly refused.”
The Blood Wolf.
That’s what people called Duke Kirien Kylos.
Because of the terrible rumors surrounding him.
The most famous one was that he had killed his father to seize the title.
There were also rumors that he smuggled drugs through the port in his territory and that he owned an assassination squad.
“Mia, I’m fine.”
Of course, she had been a bit startled at first.
He was the first person to ever request healing from the Saint.
But after seeing him almost every week for the past three months, she had grown accustomed to it.
No, she actually liked it.
Healing him was practically a break.
He was different from other nobles.
He didn’t boast about how much he donated, didn’t leer at her exposed shoulders or legs, and didn’t confess to sordid private affairs.
Kirien simply received his healing quietly and left.
Even his symptoms were mild.
Headaches, gastritis, overwork, and the like.
Selene even found herself dragging out the time because it ended too quickly.
When she was alone with him, it felt like resting under a serene night sky.
His black hair with a bluish tint, pale skin, deep navy eyes, calm and low voice, and polite demeanor.
“Why does the Duke keep requesting you, Holy Saint?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know either.”
“Do you think he might like you?”
“That’s absolutely not the case.”
Men who used confessions as an excuse to profess their love came to her regularly, but Kirien had never shown any such signs.
“Well, could he even love anyone? Just looking at his chilling gaze, you can tell he has no love for humanity.”
Selene tilted her head.
Was his gaze chilling?
If you looked closely, his eyes were quite beautiful.
The long shape of his eyes and the mole under his right eye…
They were somehow alluring and appealing.
“And the way he always speaks so briefly is scary too. It’s like he’s saying, ‘You’re not worth talking to.’”
Well, during the times he kept his mouth shut, you could just look at his plump lips.
The slight upward curve at the corners gave them a strangely sensual charm.
“And all the rumors about him are terrifying. A few months ago, they say he kicked out all the staff working at his mansion.”
Selene didn’t dislike Mia’s chatty nature.
In fact, it was often helpful.
After all, Selene couldn’t leave the temple.
“They say he even executed the butler who had worked for the Kylos family for over 20 years. Just because he didn’t like him.”
But everything had its time and place.
As they neared Theberon Palace, Selene gently called out to Mia.
“Mia, even if those rumors are true, priests must treat all devotees equally.”
Mia.
Please don’t pay attention to people’s rumors and just trust what you see on the surface.
And the surface is handsome, isn’t it?
“And be careful with your words in Theberon Palace.”
Only then did Mia realize they were near Theberon Palace and quickly bowed her head.
“Holy Saint, I’m sorry. I was careless.”
It was at that moment.
The doors of Theberon Palace burst open, and four Holy Knights came out carrying a stretcher.
Selene immediately ran toward them.
She thought it was an emergency patient, but the person on the stretcher was High Priest Heath, who had turned eighty this year.
Selene wasn’t particularly close to him.
In fact, they were more like adversaries.
Heath was one of those old-fashioned elders who constantly compared her to the previous Saint, Lea.
But seeing his advanced age, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of worry.
“My goodness! Heath, are you alright?”
Heath didn’t answer Selene’s question.
He simply looked up at the sky and wept.
- tn: Instead of Goddess Athena, I switched it to Goddess Libertas since she is the Goddess of Freedom. Goddess Athena is the Goddess of War. ↩︎
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