"Ah, you've arrived."
A chubby priest rushed out and greeted with a bow.
"I am Pheron, the Head Priest. It's a pleasure... Whew..."
"Hello. I am Astina Persia."
The priest, having introduced himself as Pheron, caught his breath and looked at Astina.
Astina Persia.
Her fame was widely recognized throughout the empire.
The position of Head Priest held some prominence and power.
However, one couldn't act recklessly before such talent who bore the name of the Persia family.
Even now, despite her young age, she held both power and fame.
It was unpredictable how influential she would become in the future.
Thus, making a good impression was essential.
"It seems this is my first visit since becoming the heir. I had always intended to visit at least once; apologies for the delay."
"Hehe... No need for apologies. Given your busy schedule, we are just grateful for your visit."
This was a temple located in the Persia territory.
A temple dedicated to the deity, Karua.
In the empire, they worshipped only one god.
The deity believed to oversee and create the world, Karua, was revered, while other gods were deemed heretical.
Of course, this didn't mean those worshipping other deities faced persecution.
It was just the general belief.
One of the reasons for this was the relatively weak influence of religion within the empire.
The empire relied on the power of magic.
They revered the tangible and boundless power of magic, not relying on something like religion.
Therefore, even if the temple of Karua deemed others as heretical, there wasn’t much they could do.
"Shall we proceed inside?"
Pheron gestured towards the temple as he spoke to Astina.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Astina looked at him and smiled.
'Hmm, was it good that I came out?'
Pheron, seeing Astina's smile, breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Astina's reputation was lofty, but she was still young and had only recently become the heir.
Before receiving her inheritance, she hadn’t been in the spotlight much.
The Head Priest had personally come out, hoping that this kind gesture would favorably influence her perception of the temple.
However, contrary to Pheron's expectations, Astina was quite displeased.
When you observe someone long enough, even in silence, their true nature becomes evident.
Someone who flatters the strong and is deceitful.
He seemed like a corrupt priest.
Of course, having already researched this Head Priest, she might have been biased.
Still, Astina did not show her discomfort.
After all, her current visit wasn't to confront this man.
Normally, temples were affiliated with the central temple in the empire.
However, temples located in territories were, in effect, no different from businesses under the territories.
As the acting lord, Astina could easily deal with these people with a flick of her wrist.
She didn’t want to show displeasure from the start and give them an opportunity to respond.
Astina followed the high priest Pheron into the temple.
The inside of the temple was adorned with lavish decorations.
Huge windows stood out, and the ornaments on the ceiling made one wonder how they were installed.
Astina exclaimed in admiration as she observed the interior.
This exclamation was not because the inside was beautiful, but because she could imagine how much money was poured into it.
'It seems they've really splurged.'
The power of the temples might be waning now, but during times when magic hadn’t advanced, their power was immense.
Even now, they were living off the wealth amassed during those times.
However, they couldn't foresee the future even with all this wealth.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Even during the rise of magic, they were just busy taking money from their believers, and this behavior continued until now.
They were soon left behind.
People began to praise magic, not the gods.
They tried to catch people's attention with their lavish buildings, but the masses weren't swayed by mere appearances.
As a result, temples held a lower position within the empire.
There wasn’t anything a temple without any special power like magic could do.
"The architecture is beautiful."
Astina praised it without mentioning these thoughts.
"Hehe, isn’t this what one must do to house our God?"
Pheron responded with a pleased smile.
"Now, shall we go in?"
Pheron led Astina to a reception room inside the temple.
The interior of the reception room was even more luxurious than what typical nobles used.
But by now, nothing could surprise her.
Why would priests need such a luxurious reception room for entertaining guests?
Astina, tired of such thoughts, just let it go.
"Over there, bring some tea. Since Lady Astina is here, it must be made well. Hehe..."
"Yes, understood."
Pheron jokingly said to the nearby priest.
As soon as the priest left, Pheron turned to Astina.
"Hehe, lately, Lady Astina's reputation is so great that it's all I hear about."
He immediately started to butter up to Astina.
"Enough of that."
Astina waved her hand dismissively.
"I’d like to get straight to the point."
"…The point?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Pheron's eyes widened at Astina's words.
He had heard that Astina was coming, but he hadn't heard why.
He had assumed she was just checking the temple's status, so he hadn't given it much thought.
However, when she mentioned getting to the point, Pheron's expression hardened.
'What is she talking about? There have been rumors lately about increasing taxes... Could this be related to that?'
The political climate was chaotic lately due to various issues with the rebels.
As a result, most territories increased their tax rates.
Amidst this, the temple's situation began to become more challenging.
Originally, temples benefited from tax exemption and didn't need to pay any taxes.
However, recent laws began to impose some taxes on temples.
This has become a significant concern for the temple.
'We absolutely cannot pay these taxes...!'
Pheron shouted internally.
The donations which were already dwindling, if it was taken away by the territory, he would have even less money.
Pheron had no intention of sitting by and watching this happen.
But, as someone who has been in the clergy for a long time, he quickly regained his composure and smiled again.
"If you're talking about the main issue..."
Pheron pretended to be oblivious.
It wouldn't be beneficial to bring up the tax issue first.
Nevertheless, being a clergyman, he tried his best to hide his worldly concerns.
Astina, noticing Pheron's behavior, crossed her legs and said,
"I want to know about the Saint."
"The... Saint?"
Pheron looked baffled by Astina's question.
It was completely unexpected.
"Why are you suddenly asking about the Saint...?"
"Oh, just personal curiosity. Is it difficult to share?"
Pheron pondered for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.
"Heh, what secrets could there be between you and me?"
At that, Astina's expression slightly soured.
'What does he think our relationship is?'
However, she quickly changed her expression and moved on.
"I've been reading the empire's history and the holy scriptures of Karua."
"Oh, you're interested in theology?"
To Pheron's question, Astina nodded.
"You could say that."
"So, what about the Saint...?"
Astina grinned as she began to speak.
"In the historical records, it's said that the Saint is a being from another dimension."
"…Dimension?"
"Yes, they say that God created not just our world but multiple worlds..."
"Ah..."
"…?"
At Astina's words, Pheron burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Dimensions? What are you talking about! Hahaha... The Saint coming from another dimension? Lady Astina, you're so naive!"
Astina's expression darkened at his words.
“What are you talking about?”
Pheron laughed heartily, patting his large belly.
"The Saint is from our empire. She's not an entity from some other place!"
“... What about the first Saint?”
“I wasn’t alive during the early days of the empire, but as far as I know, she was just a regular citizen of the empire. Moreover, she was a commoner…”
Astina narrowed her eyes.
"How can you be so sure?"
“I’ve had many conversations with the Saint, Haruna. Being the head priest of a significant territory, I had many chances to speak with her. Through these, I was able to gather more information about her.”
Pheron continued,
“However, there was nothing unusual about her. Her background was clear, and there was no indication that she came from another dimension or any peculiar place. The same was true for the previous Saint.”
Astina rubbed her chin and replied,
“From what I've heard, she has this peculiar ability to see the future?”
Pheron shook his head at Astina’s comment.
“Do you truly believe that the Saint can foresee the future?”
Astina didn’t reply.
Many know and have experienced that the Saint isn't always accurate in her predictions.
In the past, there were many instances where the areas the Saint deemed dangerous experienced no issues at all.
While similar events have occurred, there was never a time when an exact prediction came to fruition.
Most of her prophecies were vague, hinting at outcomes without clear details.
‘However, based on what Rudy said…’
She recalled a conversation she had with Rudy in the North.
Rudy mentioned that he avoided danger during the Winter Ball based on the information she provided.
He overcame danger based on the future the Saint mentioned…
‘Just who is this Saint, really?’
“Heh, still, it's refreshing to see your innocent side, Lady Astina. It feels like a return to simpler times."
Astina shot a glare at the slightly teasing Pheron.
"Is it alright for us to discuss this?"
“It’s alright. Those who need to know, already know. Besides, while the Saint is technically affiliated with the temple, she is somewhat separate from it."
"Separate, you say?"
Pheron chuckled, rubbing his hands together.
“The one to appoint the next Saint is the previous Saint. As to how and why the role is passed on, even we aren’t quite sure. But it’s always handed down by the previous Saint.”
“Hmm…”
Astina rubbed her nose, deep in thought.
She came seeking information about the Saint, but ended up with more questions than answers.
Then, she remembered something Pheron said earlier.
“Didn’t you say earlier that the background of the Saints are clear?”
“Yes, that's right. We know exactly where they come from and who their parents are.”
Astina smirked.
“Then, can I meet the current Saint's parents?”
-Hello, are you Haruna? I came to see you.
-Have you ever considered becoming the Saint? It would be a good opportunity for you.
-You want to become the Saint? Great choice!
-This is the essential knowledge you need to become the Saint.
-The essential... 'magic' the Saint must learn.
“Ugh…”
Haruna held her head as she sat up in bed.
After getting up, Haruna sat still for a moment and sighed.
“It's been a while since I had that dream…”
It was about the time she inherited the role of the Saint.
Haruna looked at the blindfold placed beside her.
“Sigh…”
Picking up the blindfold, she let out another sigh.
“It's about time to leave.”
She got out of bed and stretched.
“Ugh!”
Then, she pulled back the curtain to look outside.
“Ah, what lovely weather!”
She commented, admiring the sunlit, vibrant trees.
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