“Nora, you brought the most! What were you thinking, bringing twelve volumes of erotic novels!”
“And what about you, Sister Giana? You brought a collection of spring pictures! Where on earth did you find such things from that era?”
“Hey, when you say ‘that era,’ there’s only a 40-year difference between us, you know?”
Unable to bear the commotion, the first Saint Eleanor shouted.
“Everyone, QUIET!”
Her voice was so loud that Selene felt as if her hair was blown back.
“You fools! Does fighting among ourselves yield any answers? Instead of fighting, we need to think! THINK!”
At the eldest sister’s scolding, the quarrel quickly subsided.
The sixth Saint Bella spoke in a dejected voice.
“Sister Eleanor, what good will come from us worrying together? We’re all just people who listened to confessions as we were told.”
The eighth Saint Daphne also agreed with this opinion.
“That’s right. The smartest among us is probably the youngest, isn’t it? The youngest has read all the books in the library. What would we know?”
Eleanor glared at the two.
Then she glanced briefly in Selene’s direction.
It was a warning to watch their words in front of the child.
Bella and Daphne nodded sheepishly.
“But it’s really strange. In my time, there were no such serious illnesses.”
At Eleanor’s sudden remark, the second Saint Miriel and the third Saint Giana concurred.
“I’ve never heard of such a disease either.”
“Right. Black spots appearing all over the body? It’s horrifying just to imagine.”
The seventh Saint Hannah, known for her rough speech, spoke her mind without restraint.
“Wouldn’t bathing in holy water help?”
The fifth Saint Nora, who often quarreled with Hannah due to her nagging nature, seized the opportunity to rebuke her.
“Do you think everything you say makes sense? How could anyone bathe in something so precious?”
“Why not?! I heard that in Eleanor’s time, people could freely enter the Arthenian Hall!”
“Hey, we don’t even know if that’s true or not!”
At those words, Eleanor flared up.
“You fool! I’ve told you countless times it’s not a lie! When I first came to the Grand Temple, the doors of Arthenian Hall were wide open!”
Sometimes, Selene felt as if her sisters’ stories were like legends.
After all, the Arthenian Empire had been established for over 600 years.
“Could commoners really enter?”
“Of course. Anyone could go in freely.”
The later Saints found it hard to believe Eleanor’s words.
Currently, access to Arthenian Hall was strictly limited.
Only the High Priest and certain high-ranking priests could enter, even Saints couldn’t come and go as they pleased.
Surprisingly, even the second Saint Miriel and the third Saint Giana couldn’t believe Eleanor’s words.
“No, sister. How could just anyone enter the sacred space where Goddess Libertas is enshrined? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Why not? She’s the Goddess of Freedom, so she probably allowed free access!”
“What if someone took the Holy Grail?”
“Aren’t the Holy Knights doing their job? If they’re getting paid, they should work, right?”
The eighth Saint Daphne, watching the first three generations bicker, tilted her head curiously.
She asked the second Saint Miriel.
“So, Sister Miriel, you couldn’t enter Arthenian Hall either?”
“No, I did enter. In my time, all priests could enter.”
“What about you, Sister Giana?”
“I’ve been inside too.”
Suddenly, everyone’s gaze turned to the fourth Saint Felia.
To the warrior of love who was expelled from the temple after being caught having an affair with a priest.
Hehehe.
The seventh Saint Hannah smiled mischievously.
“Sister Felia. Be honest. You got caught doing it there, didn’t you?”
“Hey! Even I know when and where is appropriate! I didn’t do it there!”
“Someone who knows when and where is appropriate did that in the temple?”
“W-well, at least I didn’t do it there!”
“You did, you definitely did. Because of our sister, we can’t enter Arthenian Hall anymore.”
“I didn’t! Not there, I tell you!”
Felia waved her hands frantically, her face flushed red.
The fifth Saint Nora spoke with a disappointed voice.
“What a shame. I wanted to go in too, to see that Moonlight Flower or whatever it is.”
At those words, the third Saint Giana shook her head.
“Among us, only Sister Eleanor has seen it.”
The first Saint Eleanor often talked about the day she first came to the temple.
And the Moonlight Flower was a topic she never failed to mention.
Eleanor gazed into the distance with a dreamy expression and said.
“I still can’t forget that sight. An aurora spread above the floating Holy Grail, and the Moonlight Flowers that filled the hall sparkled so brightly that night was as bright as day.”
“Sister, did the flowers really glow?”
“Yes, they did. They were exactly the same color as real moonlight.”
“Is it true that eating that flower can cure any disease?”
“Yes. I saw an old man who came into the hall leaning on a cane, chewed on a Moonlight Flower, and then walked out on his own two feet.”
Wow. The seventh Saint Hannah uttered a soulless exclamation and said.
“How does this sound more like a lie every time I hear it?”
“It’s not a lie! Do you all have a death wish!”
Eleanor flared up and threatened everyone.
Then the ninth Saint Sophia, who hadn’t said a word until now, timidly raised her hand.
She was very shy and usually just listened, rarely participating in conversations.
“Um… Sister Eleanor…”
“What! What is it!”
“You can’t kill me… because I’m already dead…”
There was no malice in Sophia’s words.
That’s why Eleanor felt even more deflated.
“Oh… right…”
Just as Eleanor’s spirit was about to return to the massive spider lily tapestry with a whoosh…
The seventh Saint Hannah once again spoke according to her stream of consciousness.
“But if potions can’t cure it… could there be a problem with the holy water?”
*** *** *** *** ***
Blink.
Blink, blink.
Selene was lying in bed.
She had planned to pretend to be asleep until Mia came to wake her.
But her mind was becoming increasingly clear, and her eyes remained wide awake.
―Could there be a problem with the holy water?
Sister Hannah’s final words wouldn’t leave her mind.
She also recalled what Kirien had said about the Seth Temple.
The fact that Seth’s young priests were researching potion improvements essentially meant that potions weren’t perfect.
Thoughts led to more thoughts, steadily increasing Selene’s anxiety.
If there really was a problem with the holy water,
Everyone could die!
Selene abruptly sat up in bed.
Then she took out the cloak she had worn when sending the bluebird letter.
It was a cloak enchanted with a distortion spell that made her appear completely different.
She also took a potion that changed her voice.
―There are places where no one dares to intrude, assuming ‘surely no one would sneak in there.’ Such places tend to have surprisingly lax security.
The time had come to verify if Kirien’s words were true.
She hadn’t expected it to be this soon, but…
*** *** *** *** ***
Arthenian Hall was located at the innermost part of the sanctuary, stretching along the ridge.
This was intended to signify that the Goddess Libertas looked down upon both the sanctuary and the empire.
As Selene climbed the ridge, she rehearsed her act.
She planned to pretend to be a grandmother when she met the holy knights.
With this cloak on, she would appear as an old lady.
“Oh dear, my poor eyesight made me misread the sign. Now, where exactly is this place again?”
However, she soon realized no rehearsal was necessary.
The entrance to Arthenian Hall was completely empty.
Startled, Selene glanced around and discovered a small tent beside the hall.
From within the tent, the sound of snoring could be heard.
It seemed that the holy knights—responsible for guarding the hall—were soundly asleep.
I must inform Sister Eleanor. The holy knights of Arthenia are slacking off.
Without facing any obstacles, Selene boldly entered the hall.
“Wow…”
What is this?
Arthenian Hall contained none of the wonders Sister Eleanor had described.
There was neither an aurora nor the moonlit glow of the Moonlight Flower.
Instead, the empty hall was desolate and barren.
Yet, there was one thing—the Holy Grail floating in midair.
Selene removed her enchanted cloak and cautiously approached the Grail.
It was only slightly larger than an ordinary drinking cup.
She had heard it was small, but she hadn’t imagined it would be this small.
“That’s why the potion is so valuable…”
Every morning, the high priest would pour a measure of holy water into a small silver goblet and distribute it among four high-ranking priests from the healing division.
They would then add their own sacred power to that single drop of holy water to create the potion.
Although the holy water was replenished with sunrise every day, the rule was to take only one silver goblet’s worth each time.
This was because the very first verse of the Arthenian Doctrine stated, ‘Be vigilant so that freedom is not squandered.’
The Arthenian National Church believed that abusing the holy water was akin to indulging excessively in the grace of the goddess, and that if the Holy Grail were ever emptied, it would incur the goddess’s wrath.
Soon, dawn was about to break.
At that moment, the high priest would open the door and begin the ritual of pouring the holy water into the silver goblet.
Selene intended to check the Holy Grail before he arrived.
If the Grail were full, it would mean that there was no problem with the holy water.
The Holy Grail hung within arm’s reach.
Selene stretched out her arm and lightly tapped the Grail with her fingertip, anticipating a tinkling sound.
But…?
No sound came.
Selene grasped the Grail firmly and shook it more vigorously.
Still, she felt nothing unusual—only the cold touch of metal.
There was no noticeable weight, and not even a drop of liquid escaped the Grail.
Could it be… that the holy water had dried up?
No holy water would mean that the Goddess Libertas had forsaken them!
Her heart began pounding furiously.
Selene climbed onto the altar and stood on her tiptoes.
Then, she carefully tilted the Grail.
She felt that if she didn’t verify whether there was any holy water, she would be haunted by insomnia for the rest of her life.
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