Goddess Libertas burst into a loud, hearty laugh.
At her reaction, Selene felt a little embarrassed.
She had asked the question so seriously.
[What kind of question is that? You are also my child.]
With a gentle hand, the Goddess stroked Selene’s hair.
Her touch was warm, as if it were not a dream but reality.
[My child is entitled to be loved, and to enjoy everything.]
The look in the Goddess’s eyes on Selene was so gentle—filled with affection, as if she were looking at her own offspring.
This inspired an unexpected surge of courage.
The courage to confess an immeasurable sin.
Kneeling on the ground, Selene immediately spread herself out flat.
“Goddess! The truth is, I sneaked into the Arthenian Hall and ended up spilling all the holy water. Won’t you please forgive me, even just this once?”
But the Goddess said nothing.
Could it be that she was so angry that she was at a loss for words?
Selene lifted her head to survey the situation.
Unchanged, the Goddess looked at Selene with warm, gentle eyes.
A pleasant smile graced her lips.
[I truly love humans. There is something so endearing about your earnest efforts.]
Slowly, the Goddess approached and squatted down in front of Selene.
[The divine only helps in the smallest measure. In the end, everything depends on human will.]
Selene sat there in a daze.
She understood that the Goddess had spoken beautifully, but the meaning eluded her.
Was this a sign of forgiveness?
Or was it an instruction to refill the holy water through her own efforts?
Observing Selene’s guilt-ridden face, the Goddess laughed heartily once more.
Then, with a soft gesture, she lightly pressed her lips against Selene’s cheek.
The sensation of her lips touching was vividly real.
The Goddess shifted her position and stood up, gazing at where the full moon rose.
[I wonder when we shall meet again. My powers are so weak at this moment.]
As the moonlight grew stronger, the Goddess’s form began to be bathed in its glow.
When her beautiful smile faded to the point of being barely recognizable, Selene awoke from her sleep.
It was the dim light of dawn outside.
The scene beyond the window was the same as ever, yet something felt different.
The chirping of birds, usually faint, now seemed to come from right next door, and the scent of trees mixed with the wind was unmistakably clear.
The lush greenery of the forest in the distance appeared as vibrant as if splashed with paint.
Everything around Selene radiated a vivid liveliness.
A sensation she had never experienced before.
*** *** *** *** ***
“Goddess Libertas, please refill the sacred water. And please help me save Arpiel.”
After offering a brief prayer, Selene donned her magical cloak and concealed a small glass bottle in her bosom.
Although Kirien mentioned that the potion created by the high priest of the Grand Temple had already been fully used, there was still one person who had yet to make a potion, Selene.
Selene planned to scoop some of the sacred water and craft the potion herself.
She had even considered siphoning off the sacred water allocated to the high priest, but that might raise suspicions among the people.
Requesting it directly from the High Priest was even less likely, certainly not from that old man who wouldn’t approve even a sick leave.
It seemed better to venture to the Arthenian Hall again.
After all, she intended to check whether the sacred water had refilled, and she knew there wouldn’t be any guards.
Selene had never made a potion before.
But Goddess Libertas had said that she loved to see humans put in effort, and that everything ultimately depended on human will.
So, she decided to give it a try.
Even though she had never made a potion, it was more productive to attempt something than to give up before even starting.
“Phew, Selene LeClair. Let’s do this.”
After steeling herself, Selene left her room.
She slipped out of Eleanor Palace unnoticed.
The escape was much easier than before.
Ever since she had met the Goddess in her dream, she could clearly hear the footsteps of someone approaching from a distance.
However, before she fully reached the Arthenian Hall, daylight began to break.
Panting heavily, Selene quickened her pace.
“Hah, I’m… now… starting to exercise.”
Taking a forest path to avoid being seen made the route even more challenging, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on.
She had to retrieve the sacred water before the High Priest arrived.
The entrance of the Arthenian Hall was still unoccupied.
Inside, the sound of snoring could be heard once more.
Yesterday, she had merely noted it as someone snoring, but now she could make out how many knights were inside the tent and how they were spread out.
Selene hurriedly opened the door and entered, proceeding straight to the Holy Grail.
Fortunately, there was sacred water in the Grail.
It appeared to have refilled to a slightly greater extent than yesterday.
“Goddess Libertas, thank you. Thank you so much.”
Kneeling before the Grail, Selene offered a prayer of gratitude.
In that moment, her prayer was more sincere than any before.
Selene then took out the glass bottle she had hidden in her cloak.
But just as she was about to place the bottle into the Grail, she paused.
Something felt off. The sacred water, was it originally supposed to…
Was it not even half-filled in the Grail?
Until now, Selene had only seen images of the sacred water overflowing from the Grail.
She had spilled it all yesterday, and now it was just after sunrise.
This water in the Grail must be newly formed sacred water.
Why wasn’t it even half full?
While Selene hesitated with these puzzling thoughts, she sensed a presence from afar.
“The High Priest.”
She knew he had already crossed more than half of the ridge, a distance she would never have been able to detect before.
Selene quickly ran to the stairs behind the altar.
She opened a window, slipped outside, and crouched inside the railing.
Shortly after, the High Priest’s voice could be heard at the entrance of the hall.
“Before the Goddess Libertas, I swear to love freedom, be wary of indulgence, and respect my neighbors.”
“We swear.”
The high priests who had accompanied him echoed his words.
Then came the creaking sound of the hall door opening.
Selene curled up even more, fearing her shadow might be visible from inside.
But she was startled when she heard an unexpected name.
“Edin, check the Grail.”
Edin?
He’s not a member of the Healing Department, is he?
Unable to contain her curiosity, Selene peeked inside.
She saw Edin examining the contents of the Grail.
Why is Edin checking the Grail?
Isn’t it supposed to be the High Priest who pours the sacred water into silver cups and distributes them to the high priests of the Healing Department?
It seems strange that he only brought Edin.
At that moment, Edin spoke in a casual tone.
“High Priest, it’s still not even half full.”
“This is truly troubling. The Goddess has clearly abandoned us.”
“Shall we fill the silver cups with water again today?”
“We must.”
Suddenly, Edin pulled out a water bottle from his robe.
He filled a silver goblet with water and then hid the bottle back in his robe.
Selene was so shocked by this unbelievable sight that she moved closer to the window.
But then—
“Edin, did you perhaps put on perfume?”
The High Priest sniffed, smelling the air around the Grail.
“No, I haven’t sprayed any.”
“Really? Then this strong rose fragrance… where is it coming from?”
The High Priest raised his head and looked around.
Just as his gaze turned toward the back of the altar, Selene threw herself outside the railing, escaping his line of sight.
“Ahem. Indeed. It smells like the rose oil from the Dillian Temple.”
The High Priest gritted his teeth audibly.
Clear anger settled in his small eyes.
“Contact Mia through the communication crystal. We need to check if the Saint is sleeping.”
“What? Why suddenly the Saint?”
“Have you already forgotten how that woman behaved so indulgently yesterday! I wondered why she suddenly acted that way, she must have had something to rely on.”
Edin’s face instantly hardened.
He hurriedly searched for the communication crystal and rushed out.
*** *** *** *** ***
“Perhaps the Saint is in this vicinity! Search for her!”
The High Priest’s shout echoed as the rapid footsteps of the knights approached.
Although the sound was still distant, it would soon head this way.
Selene, hanging from the railing, contemplated her next move. Should she just jump?
Since she was on the second floor, a fall might only twist her ankle or so.
But first, she had to escape from this place…
Let’s just give up an ankle injury.
With that resolve, Selene released her grip on the railing.
Then, a gust of wind blew from somewhere and carried her along.
Thanks to that, Selene landed softly on the ground without a scratch.
“This way, she’s not here!”
Listening carefully to the knights’ footsteps, Selene crept stealthily toward the tent where they were resting.
Since everyone was busy patrolling around the Arthenian Hall, the tent was empty.
When Selene managed to fully hide herself within a stack of belongings, another gust of wind blew by.
“Chase after the scent of roses!”
At the High Priest’s command, the knights were taken aback.
Out of the blue, he mentioned a rose scent?
We’re not hunting dogs. How are we supposed to track such a thing?
“Damn it. Why is the wind blowing like this all of a sudden?”
While the High Priest was aimlessly cursing, Edin arrived, sweating profusely, exclaiming,
“High Priest, I have brought the communication crystal!”
*** *** *** *** ***
At the same time. Eleanor Palace.
Mia, having received Edin’s message, woke up earlier than usual.
However, his request was utterly ridiculous.
―“Mia! Check if the Saint is still sleeping! No! Take the communication crystal and go to the Saint’s room!”
“What? Why suddenly the Saint?”
―“Ah, don’t ask and just do it. Please, I’m begging you.”
“But the Saint is still supposed to be sleeping!”
Mia only wanted to sleep for ten more minutes.
However, with Edin pleading so insistently, she had no choice but to get up.
Mia stifled repeated yawns as she knocked on the Saint’s door.
“Yawn. Saint, have you awakened?”
―“Mia! Just open the door!”
“Mr. Edin, it’s quite rude to barge into a lady’s room.”
―“Oh, I know. Just this once. Please, just this one time.”
In the end, Mia reluctantly opened the door.
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