The Saintess didn't know where she had gone wrong. To think that the people couldn't even trust her the slightest bit.
'What have I done wrong? I just wanted to save them and protect them. The reason I made a Moon Temple here was because they were a city that was suffering due to the demon's siege. I immediately rushed to help them. I even brought four knight divisions.
'Everything I did was for their sake. But why? Why could they not trust me? Please believe me that me leaving this place is for the sake of defeating the demon who causes all this mess, not to save my own life.'
The Saintess' body was trembling because of the shock she received.
Even her faith was shaken for a split second. And it was also the same time she strengthened her faith.
'No, the Moon Goddess is not wrong. She, who can only work during the night, has been helping the people during their sleep. It's a thankless job but that's what my intention is this whole time.
'Even without their thanks and appreciation, I'll help them. That's my mission as the Saintess of the Moon Temple.' The Saintess took a deep breath and prayed, 'Oh, Goddess in Heaven. Please grant this weak person the strength and courage to help them.'
Suddenly, her body was enveloped by the light like when she received the divination from the Goddess.
"Huh?"
"That's…"
The people suddenly stopped screaming. They could see the golden light that emitted from her body but the Saintess was still praying.
"What's happening to her?"
"That golden light…"
There were three Holy Knights that guarded her and all of them immediately kneeled on one knee upon seeing this phenomenon. They even clasped their hands, praying.
"Thank the Goddess. Even with our faith shaken, you don't abandon us."
Their statement shook the entire plaza.
Even Noel felt the power as the Spirit Seal on his hand started emitting heat.
"Kh!" Noel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain from the heat. He wanted to touch the Spirit Seal, but couldn't do it due to the heat.
"What's wrong, Noel?"
"I don't know." Noel shook his head in confusion. Even he wanted to ask Ardagan about this sudden reaction because this was the first time he experienced it. "What is Moon Goddess anyway?"
"Is this a time for that question?" Anna panicked, worrying about Noel's well-being.
However, Noel kept staring at her with a serious expression as if he had to know the truth.
"That's… Logically, the Moon Goddess is a kind of being higher than anyone else and grants the people the Spirit for the Moon Temple. That's why the Saintess is born as she is her representative in this world. Through the Spirit granted by her, the Saintess could understand her intention.
"Although we don't know what kind of being that can grant someone a spirit, we can't dismiss the fact that many miracles have appeared either… So, we don't know what kind of being she is but it's clear that she exists.
"But for the people of the Moon Temple, the Moon Goddess is their symbol… symbol of hope."
When Noel heard it, he fell silent as the pain subsided. He was confused but still muttered, "Symbol of hope…"
He suddenly found the Saintess raising her finger and writing a word in the air. The light in the tip of her finger remained in the air, forming that one word.
Hope.
All the citizens who saw this phenomenon were stunned.
The Saintess opened her mouth. But her voice couldn't be any more different. This time, her voice sounded ethereal as if it didn't belong to this world. Her voice shook their heart to the point they wanted to immediately kneel upon her presence.
However, her words were stuck in everyone's mind at that time.
"The darkness in your heart can be the hope you are searching for and the light in your eyes can be the despair that will haunt you."
The people stopped screaming when they heard this statement. They muttered these words in their hearts.
The meaning was clear. The Saintess was the light that wanted to liberate them, but their eyes turned that light into despair simply because they couldn't believe her.
However, she also reminded them that the darkness in their heart could be the hope they were searching for. That was why she wrote that one word.
The darkness in their heart meant their desperation. The Saintess was their last hope that remained, but because of their desperation, they thought the worst.
So, what the Moon Goddess wanted to say was that the Saintess was their hope. They just had to believe in her.
Noel somehow grabbed his sword at this time while gritting his teeth to make sure he didn't do anything suspicious.
"Noel?" Anna was startled.
But Noel also felt a strange thing. Despite wanting to unsheathe his blade, the desire that had been raising in his heart was not to kill the Saintess but to protect her. "I don't know… I just want to protect her. I don't even understand what's going on."
"Huh?" Even Anna was confused as his action and statement were the exact opposite.
While they were in the confusion, the Saintess finally regained her consciousness.
"This is…" The Saintess' body trembled again, but this time from the confusion because she had experienced the blessing personally.
"Hope…" The Saintess muttered in a low voice. Now that the people were silent, the Saintess lowered her head and said, "I've got a reinforcement earlier and we should have enough water supply for all people for a day. That's why during this one day, I want all people, whether they are women, children and elderly to take parts in the battle.
"I don't mind if you can't fight. You can just support them from the back like tending their wounds, cooking meals, or bringing some stones or weapons to the soldiers on the wall. With your help, you can make them have an easier time.
"I know that you can't trust me, but the hope is there. If our fate is to die in this place, then I want to die while trying to escape death! I want to die while trying to protect all of you. So, please…"
The people couldn't say anything afterwards. Unbeknownst to her, most people in that plaza had been converted to Moon Goddess's believers.
