Kirien moved close to Selene in order to support her.
Then, Kirien’s unmistakably fresh scent wafted over.
Upon inhaling that scent, tears threatened to well up in Selene’s eyes.
She felt so pitifully ashamed for having come all the way here with nothing but lascivious thoughts.
“Is Lady Arpiel your biological sibling?”
Taken aback by the rather absurd question, Kirien nodded obediently.
Upon further thought, although there was quite an age difference, their distinctive eyes seemed to resemble one another.
“How long has Lady Arpiel been ill?”
“About six months.”
“Shall I introduce you to another priest? There’s someone famous from the Temple of the Divine.”
Healing largely depends on the abilities of each priest.
There are some who can cure even severe cases at one pass, while others can barely manage mild conditions.
Although Selene could say her divine power was fairly strong, she never prided herself on being the strongest, and her only experience in healing a patient was with Kirien.
“I’ve already met all the priests who are renowned at healing in the temple.”
“The high priests who oversee the healing department number four…”
“Yes, I’ve met all four.”
“Well then… what about the potion? I could try to get one as soon as tomorrow.”
Most illnesses can be purified by a priest’s divine power, yet there are times when a patient cannot be completely cured.
In such cases, using a potion is the accepted course of action.
Even though the price can be steep, Selene had never heard that a potion made no difference—until meeting Kirien.
“I’ve fed her potions countless times.”
Hearing his words for the first time made every bit of knowledge Selene had known tumble into disarray.
“You’re saying that even after using potions… there was no difference?”
When Kirien reiterated his response, Selene felt her mind go blank.
In that moment, a foolish question burst out.
“What do you plan to do now?”
Under ordinary circumstances, she would never have asked such a foolish question.
For the healing of citizens in the Arthenian Empire is the responsibility of the Arthenian National Church, and asking a priest what he intends to do for a patient amounts to an admission of the Church’s incompetence.
Even so, while thinking that, Selene found herself unable to offer any alternative solution.
This was because she had never learned of any solution beyond potions.
Kirien, being kind, answered each of Selene’s puzzling questions diligently.
“I’m planning to visit the Seth Temple soon.”
The temple in the Seth region, surrounded by mountain ranges, was treated like an oddity within the national church.
Instead of divine power healing that varied with each priest’s capability, they argued that making medicine was more effective, and they actually sold some remedies.
However, it wasn’t profitable at all.
With the Arthenian National Church’s small healing centers scattered throughout the country where even commoners could receive free healing, who would pay money for medicine?
“I heard that young priests at the Seth Temple are researching improvements to potions.”
Selene was greatly shocked by these words.
The ingredients for potions were a drop of holy water from the Atenis sanctuary and a priest’s divine power.
Therefore, pointing out flaws in potions was considered blasphemy.
Was the Seth Temple’s insistence on unprofitable work because they were heretics?
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to tell him not to go.
She couldn’t readily tell him to avoid involvement in potion improvement research because it might brand him a heretic.
Was it truly a priest’s proper attitude to say that beliefs should be valued above family life?
Wouldn’t it be a priest’s true role to say ‘let’s try everything’ and offer to help in any way possible?
“Holy Saint, I would do anything if it means saving Arpiel.”
Looking at Kirien naturally reminded her of her own brothers.
If I were sick, wouldn’t my brothers act the same way?
Conversely, if my brothers were sick, wouldn’t I act just like Kirien?
Thinking this way made her want to help in any way she could.
“Your Grace, is there anything I can do to help?”
Though she hadn’t said anything strange, he looked extremely surprised.
However, he quickly masked his expression and lowered his head.
Kirien fiddled with an ornate glass bottle containing a translucent white liquid for a while before finally speaking.
“How could the Holy Saint help?”
“Um… there is an old healing records archive in the Grand Library. I’ll start by searching there. There should be some materials from the Seth Temple as well. And…”
Kirien was now idly twirling the bottle in his hand.
Selene was inwardly bothered by that action, but she didn’t say anything.
“And I’ll also try to procure more potions. Potions made by priests with strong divine power are more effective.”
At that, Kirien let out a feeble, soft laugh.
“That may render further searching unnecessary.”
Selene immediately grasped the implication of his words.
Bringing the Holy Saint here already meant that he had met with all the high priests of the Temple of the Divine.
“Please don’t be too disheartened. From the start, it wasn’t that we brought you here solely hoping for a cure.”
“Then why did you…”
“Because Arpiel yearned to see the Holy Saint. She hoped that, at the very least, it might lift her spirits.”
Selene was upset by the thought that all she was expected to provide was just a change of mood.
And she felt a bit indignant about it.
“It seems you’ve regained your strength, so shall we head back?”
Kirien lifted Selene up in his arms and started running quickly.
The return journey was so rough and hurried that it made the memory of the two of them holding hands and strolling along the night sea seem like a dream.
Overwhelmed by the intense vibrations, Selene squeezed her eyes shut.
When she opened them again, she found that they had already arrived at Eleanor Palace.
“Thank you for today. Now, please rest.”
Even after exchanging such greetings, Kirien lingered, hesitating.
With his lips twitching repeatedly, as if he had more to say.
He left without uttering one final word.
*** *** *** *** ***
After Kirien left, Selene collapsed onto the bed as if she’d been knocked out.
The familiar scent of soap from the white bedding eased her tension.
“Ha… well, well. Just sleep for now.”
She only had two or three hours available to get some rest.
In order to endure the endless cycle of her days, she had to close her eyes even for a little while.
But sleep simply would not come.
Whenever she closed her eyes, Arpiel’s bright smile would appear in her mind, and then her heart would start aching as if it were being pricked.
Even Kirien’s final farewell haunted her thoughts.
His lingering gaze that seemed to hold unspoken words.
What was that last thing he wanted to say?
Eventually, Selene threw off the bed and got up.
She rushed to the shrine.
“Everyone, I’m here!”
At the sound of Selene’s voice, the spirits of all the former Holy Saints gathered.
Usually, they took their time assembling, but today not one was missing—they all appeared at once.
“Youngest, did you do it? Did you?”
“Was it the royal chest? A man is always after the royal chest.”
“No, it’s the thighs. That’s where the strength comes from.”
“When did you get back?”
When the last of the three Grand Holy Saints, Giana, asked this question, Selene gave an awkward smile.
“Actually… I just got here. I fell asleep on the way…”
The spirits of her older sisters simultaneously covered their mouths.
Good heavens! To lose consciousness so intensely along the way!
“So, how was it? Was it good? Are you dying?”
The rather rough-talking Seventh Holy Saint, Hannah, questioned without hesitation.
Selene gave a downcast, sorrowful expression.
“It hurt.”
At Selene’s answer, her sisters again clamped their mouths shut.
My goodness! Their reaction is absolutely real!
“Normally, the first time it hurts.”
“Yes, it hurts for me too the first time.”
Just as her older sisters were about to start sharing their early experiences, Selene hastily interrupted them.
“No, that’s not it. I mean, my younger self hurt.”
Selene recounted everything she had seen during the ceremony at every detail.
“It seems to be the Rakazuka disease.”
“Rakazuka disease? What is that?”
For the benefit of the early Holy Saints who were not very familiar with Rakazuka disease, Selene began to explain.
Selene’s hobby was reading.
In fact, it was a hobby that developed out of necessity.
Before she knew of her older sisters’ existence, she had no one to chat with, and since she wasn’t free to go out much, she had too little to do even at night.
So she read books.
It had been like that for nine years already.
By now, she had read nearly every book available in the Grand Library.
“Rakazuka disease was first discovered in the year 589 of the Empire.”
At those words, all the sisters turned to Daphne, the Eighth Holy Saint.
“It started with Daphne then. It must have been only a short time since its discovery.”
It is now the year 660 of the Empire.
Up to the time of the Eleventh Holy Saint, Selene, there hasn’t been a single report that anyone with Rakazuka disease has ever been completely cured.
“I didn’t know. I was busy collecting statues.”
Daphne, a fervent admirer of the royal chest, collected artworks sculpted in the form of male nudity.
Even the place where her soul resided featured a bronze statue with the largest chest among them.
“Is it really such a terrible disease?”
In response to Bella, the Sixth Holy Saint’s question, Selene explained in a calm tone.
“At first, it just depletes one’s energy and causes fatigue, but soon severe headaches and fever start. At that stage, vomiting begins, and in severe cases, the patient may even cough up blood. Once black spots appear on the skin, the condition deteriorates rapidly.”
“What a terrifying disease.”
“The patient, tormented by high fever and vomiting, eventually…”
Selene could not bring herself to finish the sentence and bit her lip.
Thinking of Arpiel made her chest ache.
Since the spots had started to appear on her body, there wasn’t much time left.
“Were potions given?”
“They were administered countless times.”
When Felia, the Fourth Holy Saint, asked in astonishment, “Countless times?”
Then Hannah immediately interjected.
“It’s Duke Kylo’s family, isn’t it? With money to spare, haven’t they tried every possible method?”
At that comment, her older sisters fell silent.
A gloomy atmosphere hung over the sacred shrine.
“Dear sisters, is there no way?”
To the eyes of the former Holy Saints, all of whom had long enjoyed their leisure before departing,
Selene was still just a child—only twenty years old.
Feeling frustrated by the harsh reality that her little, squabbling, inefficacious younger self, who resembled a spoiled sibling, could receive no help, her older sisters began to quarrel among themselves, each lamenting.
“You lot, if those Holy Saints were that useless, you should have read some proper books!”
“Those books were left behind by you, sister!”
Leave a Reply