YCKTML Chapter 91
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She merely made me sit on the sofa, seemingly used to reactions of surprise. Then, she prepared tea without a word.
Meanwhile, I looked around the house for a while. The inside looked like a normal family home, except for the holy relics hanging here and there.
Watching Christina bring tea, I cautiously said, “I…”
“Are you wondering which is the real one?”
“Yes.”
Christina sat on the couch across from me and stared at me. It was definitely the face of a young woman, but the traces of the long years remained in her gaze.
“Of course, my appearance on the outside is real. You’re not normal if you’re over ninety and look like this,” the Priestess sighed and murmured.
But she was beautiful. So much so that I couldn’t help but stare blankly at her.
“Why does your appearance change?”
“I don’t know too well, but they said the protection of the goddess becomes stronger when you enter the temple. By the way, I sense a special power from you. Did you come because you wanted to become a priestess?”
Christina recognized my ability at once without needing any special verification.
“No, I don’t want to become a priestess.”
Christina didn’t speak, waiting for me to continue.
“But I have something to use the Priestess’s power. The Demon King…”
“Even if you don’t have to become a priestess, there is a way to catch the Demon King.”
“How?”
“Cough, cough. Priests and the military go out together, cover themselves with holy water, and defeat the Demon King. As long as you have holy water and blessings, you will be strong anyway.”
Cristina sighed and took a sip of her tea. Although she physically looked young, her frailty showed how old she truly was.
“Of course, sacrifices on both sides are inevitable in this process. The army must be mobilized, and the body that the demon king descended will face death. The army that fought against the demon king will also be destroyed.”
As she told the story calmly, I thought of Rupert and the soldiers bleeding to death. The thought made my heart feel heavy.
“Will it be different if we use the priestess’s power?”
“You must have been born with the ability to purify.”
The anticipation of the Priestess who received the prophecy was surprising. I felt like I was in front of a brave fortune teller, but Priest Christina’s expression remained calm.
“When the Demon King ascends, they always appear together–Cough, cough.“
“Priestess, are you all right?”
She waved her hand and continued. “Weapons containing the power of purification can minimize damage to the descending body and purify evil. This is how Emperor Rikephoros and the first Priestess defeated the demon king together in the old days.”
I bit my lower lip. If I become a priestess, I might be able to save Rupert. Could this be why I came to this world?
“But isn’t that enough to become a priestess? This life is not always easy.”
She coughed, her bloodshot eyes filled with remorse.
“I still regret coming here because I couldn’t stand hunger when I was young. I can’t even dream of a normal life. If it hadn’t been for him…”
Agreed. What’s more, my crazy husband I was about to divorce now has become the Demon King. It’s not my fault he became the Demon King, and it’s ridiculous to sacrifice my life for him.
But just in case, I spoke up. “I heard that there’s one way to get out of the duties of a priestess.”
Christina’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she shook her head. “There is one, but it’s not something I’m willing to do.”
“What is it?”
“There was a priestess who received the protection of the goddess and the party of the great wizard who defeated the demon king in the past. The two got married after defeating the Demon King.”
“The priestess and the first emperor were married?”
It was the first time I had heard of it. My eyes were wide as I listened intently to her story. However, her intermittent cough kept interrupting her.
“Of course…Cough, that only happened once. Anyway, just once, but that’s a historical fact, cough, cough.”
I understood what she meant. And now, I got why Enoch was so hesitant to speak in the carriage.
“Priestess, you look tired.”
I sat beside her and put my hand on top of her thin, white hand. Then, I felt something flow.
Little by little, Christina’s ragged breathing calmed.
“…I know my fate. I don’t have much time left. But thanks to you, I feel a little more comfortable.”
She didn’t look sad at all when she talked about her own death. Rather, she looked relieved.
She looked at me with those calm eyes, and I hesitantly opened my mouth for one final assurance, “Can I escape the fate of a priestess if I marry someone from the royal bloodline of Rickephoros?”
Her pupils seemed to shake for a moment at my question, and the corners of her eyes softened.
“Yes, since they are of the same rank, the goddess will release them only when they reach that level. But didn’t you love the guy who is now the Demon King? Everyone talked about it so much that I heard it all the way here. The current Crown prince…”
“Priestess.”
News of the outside seemed to arrive late at the temple. I smiled at her. But the truth was, it was very complicated.
‘…I have to marry Enoch.’
“A priestess and high priest are of the same class. So you don’t have to be swayed by his words.”
Priestess Christina, who had become an old woman again, went out to the garden and pointed to the High Priest.
The high priest looked troubled. “Did you talk? Is she really a priestess?”
“Are your eyes ornamental? You’ve built that much divine power yet asked someone else to do it?”
Well, the High Priest also looked old.
Priestess Cristina felt especially cold towards the High Priest than to others.
“How can I compare myself to the Priestess? The air outside is cold. Now go in and get some rest. I will prepare the medicine for you.”
“How long are you going to keep this old woman alive…?” Priestess Christina grumbled as she glanced at the garden. “I can’t pick it up because my back hurts. Take as much as you need.”
After staring at the High Priest, Priestess Christina went inside with a cough.
Only then did the High Priest sigh in relief as he stared in remorse at where she entered.
“Count, you must have seen what the Priestess looked like inside.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Is she still…”
In that gaze, I could see a faint heat and longing.
“She was so beautiful.”
At that, the High Priest’s face brightened noticeably. And he murmured in envy, “That’s why His Majesty, the previous Emperor, fell in love at first sight and proposed to her.”
“Yes?”
I blinked at his words. Inside, Priestess Christina spoke as if she had no ties to the Imperial family.
“The Priestess refused.”
And Priestess Christina spoke as if she wasn’t satisfied with her life. But why didn’t she accept the previous Emperor’s proposal? Could it be that she didn’t want to be an empress?
Just then, I saw Priest Antonio picking up the fruits grown in the garden. It was the one I had tasted before.
“What’s that?”
“I have had severe anxiety and insomnia since I was young. This fruit has a calming effect, but it is said to be the fruit of the goddess, and only the Priestess can grow it.”
The High Priest looked at the plants bearing fruit and smiled bitterly.
“It’s okay to stop now… You’re not feeling well either.”
I looked at him, and a sudden thought passed me. Perhaps the reason the Priestess remained here was because of this person.
And because of that, I felt certain I wouldn’t be able to live as a priestess. There was nothing here to hold me for the rest of my life.
But they said that if I didn’t become a priestess, there would be a lot of sacrifices. I remained silent for a while and followed the High Priest.
Naturally, I easily passed the verification process of the remaining priestesses.
Along with Priest Antonio’s statement about seeing with his own eyes how I purified the blood of the devil.
Then, the priests knelt before me while the High Priest lightly bowed.
“Meet the new priestess.”
When the High Priest sprinkled holy water in front of me and prayed briefly, something suddenly overflowed inside my body.
“Do you feel it? That is the divine power latent in you.”
“Then I’m really…”
I knew I had that kind of power, but I didn’t know that I, who came from the outside, was really a priestess.
And what was surprising was that Enoch’s words were not entirely wrong. As the divine power moved, a reverent heart soared.
I felt like bowing my head in front of the goddess. But that’s it, that’s it.
‘I don’t want to live here forever. I don’t want to pray for ten hours. However…Marrying Enoch.’
My thoughts didn’t go further. After all, this wasn’t something I could think of on my own.
As the High Priest recognized me as a priestess, I looked for Enoch even while receiving their greetings. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen him since he disappeared.
“I, High Priest. His Highness, the Crown Prince…”
“His Highness went to see the holy relic. Would you like to go there?”
“Oh, can I?”
“Of course, this is the priestess’s house now.”
“Not yet, not quite yet.”
The High Priest didn’t comment on my rebuttal.
Priestess Christina did mention a while ago that I clearly had the qualities of a priestess, but I had to go through a special ceremony to really use that power.
Until then, this divine power was only intermittently exercised, and it was far from enough to kill the Demon King.
And if I really went through that ceremony, my destiny as a priestess would be set in stone. That’s why, I still had a chance to escape.
As I walked through the temple’s corridors, I thought, ‘I don’t want to become a priestess.’
But then I thought about why I had to save the hateful Rupert.
The answer was set anyway, but it still wasn’t easy to readily decide.
A large door in the basement of the temple opened, and Enoch was there.
“Your Highness.”
At my call, Enoch slowly raised his head.
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