A New Life After Divorce - Chapter 125

Deep within the temple lies an artificial garden.

Since this area was strictly off-limits to outsiders, I left Edmund behind and entered alone.

“This way.”

Lova took the lead and stepped into the garden.

“Wow.”

I couldn’t help but marvel at the glass ceiling pouring in pure white light and the breathtaking display of flowers.

Rabbits and deer wandered about, while colorful butterflies fluttered through the air. It was a paradise.

At the center of it all, I spotted a transparent glass coffin and felt irresistibly drawn to it.

Lova seemed flustered and tried to stop me, but my feet refused to halt.

Finally, standing before the coffin, I let out a slow breath at the sight of the person sleeping inside.

A beautiful man with golden hair lays there, his eyes closed in slumber.

For someone who had lived for over a hundred years, his appearance was astonishingly youthful.

It seemed he, like Lova, had maintained his body’s youth through divine power.

Lova, who had approached from behind, began to explain.

“This coffin is connected to the High Priest’s body. The priests use it to check on him periodically. Normally, only those whom the High Priest acknowledges are allowed to see him…”

Lova gave a bitter smile and lowered his gaze.

“He has never acknowledged anyone.”

“I see… Then let me try.”

I placed my hand on the coffin.

Lova scolded me for my recklessness, but his caution only seemed amusing.

Hadn’t he brought me here because he suspected the High Priest might respond to me?

Bzzzz—

The glass trembled faintly at my touch.

Startled, I pulled my hand away, but sensing a familiar energy, I frowned and placed it back.

Lova hesitated beside me, then lowered his gaze.

“As expected, you can’t see—”

“I can see.”

“…What?”

I closed my eyes.

A vision of deep red filled my mind, making me flinch, but I did not retreat.

As my sight pierced through layers of energy, it finally reached a point that made me gasp.

I recognized the ominous energy—I had felt it before.

‘Demonic blood.’

It was a miracle he was still alive; his internal organs were nearly necrotic.

His body had barely managed to sustain itself by forming replacement tissues, but if the root cause wasn’t removed, death was only a matter of time.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

The beautiful greenhouse reappeared before me, almost blindingly bright, as if mocking the vision I had just seen.

‘How has he survived in this state?’

I examined the High Priest’s face carefully. His pale complexion and bluish lips revealed the struggle he had been enduring. A sigh escaped my lips.

‘Ah… I see now. He has been fighting all this time, even unconsciously.’

Fiercely, relentlessly.

I turned to Lova with a heavy heart.

“It’s demonic blood.”

“What?”

“He’s been poisoned by demonic blood.”

The creature that attacked him must have left its blood on him.

Lova’s face turned deathly pale.

“That… that’s impossible. If it were demonic blood, he would have died already. Besides, this is the temple. The divine power should have detected it.”

“What if another divine power was interfering?”

Lova’s eyes widened.

“It… it’s possible. But how could he use divine power while unconscious—”

“He’s unconsciously healing himself with divine power. We need to absorb the blood immediately. Prepare a mana stone.”

Lova was too stunned to respond at first, but then quickly came to his senses and ordered a priest to bring a mana stone.

The priest soon returned, presenting a clean mana stone on a tray.

Once the priest left, I took a deep breath and faced the coffin.

Bang—!

Just then, the artificial garden’s door rattled violently.

Outside, voices of priests shouted that entry was forbidden.

Edmund must have noticed something was wrong after seeing the priest carrying the mana stone.

I bit my lip and gazed toward the door with longing.

‘I’m sorry, Edmund. Just this once… I have to use it.’

I never wanted to use this power.

I wasn’t a philanthropist or a saint who believed in sacrifice. Why would I want to use it?

But instinct told me there was a reason the High Priest had revealed himself only to me.

And…

“Lova, you said that if the High Priest awakens, he will restore the temple’s authority, right?”

Lova, who had been staring blankly at the High Priest, suddenly lifted his head.

“What?”

I had seen so many sides of Lova today.

“Answer me. Am I right?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Then if I wake him up, will you let me go?”

Lova’s eyes shook violently. He hesitated.

“That… You should ask the High Priest once he wakes—”

“Oh. So you’re telling me not to heal him?”

I blinked at him innocently.

Lova groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Fine… I’ll persuade the High Priest if I must…”

He slowly opened his eyes.

“Please, Lady Etricia.”

Satisfied, I smiled and handed him the Pact Stone I had been holding. I had already nullified Edmund’s oath.

‘I brought this just in case, and now it’s coming in handy.’

Lova understood my intentions and sighed, muttering that I had lost my innocence to the ways of the world.

‘Try surviving near-death and going through a divorce. See how long you stay innocent.’

Lova solemnly swore on the Pact Stone and handed it back to me.

“Please keep your promise.”

“Oh, of course.”

Smiling, I pressed the mana stone against the coffin and took a deep breath.

The moment I thought, This is it, I felt a heavy thump in my chest—like when I treated Edmund. It felt like I was falling.

It was like all the strength in my body was being sucked out through a vacuum.

I forced my shaking legs, like those of a newborn deer, to stay steady.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Through the slightly parted lips of the High Priest, drops of a monster’s blood floated up and were absorbed into the magic stone.

As soon as the last drop was completely absorbed, all the strength drained from my body.

“Haa…”

“Lady Etricia!”

Lova caught me as I stumbled. How much time passed like that?

The two of us held our breath and stared at the High Priest.

Then, the High Priest’s long eyelashes, like a fan, slowly lifted.

For the first time in decades, he opened his eyes.

A few hours later, the fully awake High Priest was sitting with a blanket over his shoulders, sipping warm tea.

He looked completely exhausted after using his divine power for so long.

Lova sat beside him, still wiping away tears that wouldn’t stop, tending to him carefully.

I quietly observed the High Priest.

It was hard to believe. This man in front of me had been asleep for decades.

Even the priest who secretly came to examine him had screamed in shock.

And unlike the stern image I had imagined, the High Priest was gentle and friendly. From how calmly he listened to everything Lova told him, he seemed to have a strong inner spirit.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp stare, like a needle, and rubbed my cheek.

Edmund was watching me, either worried or annoyed—it was hard to tell.

“Are you really okay? You collapsed the last time you healed me too.”

“If someone hears you, they’ll think I’m the one who’s been asleep for decades.”

“Don’t joke. Just imagining it feels like hell.”

The High Priest watched us and laughed softly.

“A lover’s quarrel, I see. You both seem very affectionate.”

At his clueless comment, Edmund raised an eyebrow and gave the High Priest a cold look.

“Are you still not fully awake?”

Hey! Even when Lova scolded him and I nudged his arm to stop, he didn’t look away.

He believed the High Priest had purposely revealed himself only to me for healing.

Ahem. The High Priest cleared his throat to hide his smile.

“If I upset you, I apologize, Duke Mipedian. Lady Etricia’s hands were so lovely and warm that I couldn’t help but open my heart. Ah, but don’t worry too much. ‘Purification’ consumes about one month’s worth of life energy, time-wise. But it shouldn’t be used for too long or too often. Like how cotton gets heavy when soaked in water, the weight of the power affects how much life force is drained. That could mean years—or even decades.”

“How do you know that?”

I asked in surprise.

That wasn’t something I ever learned during purification theory classes in the temple.

“I heard it from the former High Priest when I was a professor at the theological school.”

The mood instantly grew serious.

After the current High Priest fell asleep, the theological school eventually disappeared.

I was momentarily flustered but soon smiled.

“Oh my, that’s a relief. I was worried because I didn’t know how much life energy was being used. Right, Edmund?”

I purposely smiled at Edmund, but his tightly furrowed brows didn’t relax.

Because of that, I couldn’t keep smiling either.

“I’m sorry, but thanks to that, the High Priest has promised to lend us the Mirror of the Mind, discuss with the royal family to erase the oracle, and hide the ‘Purification’ ability.”

With his tense expression loosening, Edmund brushed his hair back, like he couldn’t stay angry anymore, and I finally gave a smile of relief.

When the High Priest heard everything that had happened, he scolded Lova firmly.

He also gave a heartfelt apology to both me and Edmund.

He said if he had been awake, the disaster wouldn’t have happened. The determined look in his eyes as he said he would fix things now showed his strong will.

Clack. A soft sound came, followed by a short silence. Then the High Priest set his teacup down and looked at me.

Support