I Only Raised Men for Revenge - Chapter 23

“Miss Elzer’s world?”

“Yeah.”

The question that should follow was, “Why?” To the current Sesenia, Elzer hadn’t done anything significant. It was the future Elzer who tormented and troubled Sesenia.

She was shameless and made every moment of Sesenia’s life painful.

Preparing for the question, Sesenia gripped her skirt tightly. But there was no next question. As if she already knew everything.

“Lizbeth.”

Was it because this was the temple where the god’s words of truth resided? Sesenia’s lips, who had vowed countless times not to ask Lizbeth anything or tell her anything, slowly moved.

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you ask?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s something you’d be curious about. Why don’t you ask anything? As if you know everything.”

“…Well, I just want to trust you, Miss. I’m just a maid who makes sure you’re not in danger and that you’re always happy. Do I need a reason?”

The sight of her maid smiling brightly was quite different from the past she knew.

“I see.”

“Is there anything you want to ask me?”

“No. I just want you to trust me too. Even if something is strange, even if something doesn’t make sense. I just want you to trust me and keep trusting me. Because in this world, things happen that even God doesn’t know.”

Lizbeth’s hand touched Sesenia’s hand, which was gripping her skirt tightly.

“Yes!”

Lizbeth returned to the bright, cheerful girl Sesenia knew. She was smiling brightly, and the anxiety in Sesenia’s heart subsided with that smile.

What was important?

‘Rather than knowing something, being there even knowing is more important.’

In the meantime, the two arrived at the Prayer Room of the Third Moon. And then, a priest who had gone to report to the High Priest came running. Sweat was pouring down his forehead.

“The High Priest said he’s coming soon. But since he’s the High Priest, he said other senior priests will come with him, so please wait.”

“They gave an answer faster than I thought.”

“Ah! That’s right. I was so eager to let you know that I ran here, so the High Priest will take a little longer.”

“I’ll go inside.”

“Yes.”

With those words, Sesenia entered the prayer room. The relic of the god Lowick, said to be in the form of a child. As it was a prayer room, it was placed in a small form in front, and there were about five chairs.

Light filled the prayer room through the colorful stained glass. Perhaps thanks to that, just entering the prayer room made her feel like her faith was filling up.

“Miss.”

It was then. As if trying to interfere with the god’s mercy, Lizbeth stood before her.

“Yeah?”

“In your world, Miss, I hope you were God.”

“Huh…?”

“This is quite a blasphemous statement but I still wanted to say it. I hope that you won’t be swayed by anyone, that the steps you take become the path, that the world is created, and that the day awakens. I just wanted to say that. Actually, the only one who can be completely free in this world is God. That’s why I said it.”

After saying it herself, Lizbeth twisted her body as if she was embarrassed.

“P-Please just take it as nonsense.”

“Thank you. I really wish that were the case. A world where everything goes my way.”

In such a world, she could take revenge to her heart’s content. Without having to weigh and measure everything, she would just achieve whatever she wanted. If she were God, she could do that.

It was then.

As if such a thought itself was absurd, a piece of the relic modeled after the god Lowick fell with a thud. It wasn’t a big sound, but because the prayer room was so quiet, the sound was very clear.

“It seems God is quite angry.”

“…Am I going to be punished?”

“No. If you get punished for something like that, God would be petty. Don’t worry. God isn’t so free that he can look down on each and every one of us. And if you are punished, I’ll take it for you instead.”

From the moment she vowed revenge, she had somewhat expected God’s punishment. Harming someone is ultimately an act against God’s will. No matter how badly her sister treated her, according to the temple’s teachings, she had to forgive everything.

And Sesenia had no intention of forgiving at all.

‘I just hope that if God reaches me, I just hope that moment is a little further in the future.’

What Sesenia feared was not the punishment that would befall her, but a future where she would end up doing nothing.

In the meantime, someone knocked on the door of the prayer room.

“Yes.”

“Saintess Sesenia. It’s the High Priest.”

“Come in.”

As soon as those words were finished, the prayer room door opened. A man so old that it was impossible to guess his age. Sesenia bowed her head at the sight of the High Priest, whom she had seen before.

“Sesenia Bestel. I greet the High Priest, the apostle of God.”

“It’s been a while, Saintess Sesenia Bestel. Unlike others, you didn’t even come to see me when you came to the temple, so I was quite disappointed.”

The man who walked in, chuckling, was quite energetic, contrary to his appearance. He looked like he was about to go to God’s side soon, but surprisingly, he wasn’t that old. He was 70 years old this year.

Compared to the previous High Priests who lived to be 100 years old, he was still young. Also, he may have lived until the day Sesenia died, or even longer than her. That’s how different he was from what he seemed.

“I apologize.”

“What brings Lady Sesenia Bestel to the temple?”

“Since God has bestowed power upon me, shouldn’t I offer a prayer of gratitude?”

“For that, it seems like you wanted to see me right away?”

With a rather pleasant smile, he stared at Sesenia intently. Hair that had turned completely white. Wrinkles all over his face. Like the saying that a person’s character is revealed on their face as they get older, the High Priest’s impression was good, despite his many wrinkles and old age.

And he was quite sharp-witted than he looked.

“Is that so? Then, in that case, it would be better to get straight to the point, High Priest.”

“Hoo. So, there was a direct reason why you wanted to see me.”

“Yes.”

Sesenia’s gaze turned to the senior priest next to the High Priest.

Among the priests of the temple, there were those who followed the High Priest with extreme devotion. People who didn’t want reform and wanted the temple and the High Priest to be maintained peacefully. So, even though the moment when God resided had passed, they didn’t believe it. Among them, Senior Priest Ray was particularly severe.

He became a senior priest at the relatively young age of 40, and he was one of the most stubborn people among the priests. He was one of those who protected the High Priest excessively.

Ray had a story that anyone could have, that he was able to grow up safely with the help of the High Priest and the temple when he was young. Perhaps that’s why he was quick to block anyone who could harm the High Priest, even in advance.

And in his eyes, Sesenia, who had suddenly asked to see the High Priest, didn’t seem very welcome.

“Rather than hiding and beating around the bush, I think it’s better to just say it.”

The High Priest’s lips turned up slightly. Like someone who had heard something quite interesting.

“What are you trying to say by saying this?”

“I will be the voice of the High Priest, of the temple. So please help me.”

“Haha. A voice, you say. What do you mean by that?”

“A temple that is cleaner and more innocent than anywhere else.”

But the problem was that the temple was too clean.

Sesenia stared intently at the High Priest, who was sitting in the chair.

In the past, the temple had gained a lot of profit by revealing the twins. The reason why the temple, which should be cleaner than anyone else, introduced the royal families of other countries as being under their protection was to maintain their steadfastness.

The Magic Tower and the Temple. And the Imperial Family. The Empire had three powers. If you go into detail, the Imperial Family was divided into the aristocratic faction and the imperial faction, but roughly speaking, that was the case.

In that situation, the situation of the temple was very bad.

Thanks to the Magic Tower constantly creating magical tools, the people of the Empire had a good impression of the Magic Tower, whether they liked it or not.

Of course, except for a few cheap magical tools as bait products, they were so expensive that ordinary commoners couldn’t afford them, but humans originally tend to remember positively if something has helped them even a little.

The Imperial Family was solid because they were the highest-ranking beings leading the country, but the temple was not.

Although the majority of the people of the Empire believed in Lowick, the god of the beginning, it had been a long time since a divine revelation had been given. Because of that, the faith in the temple and the power of the priests who had received blessings from God had faded. That’s why the saintess system was created. To keep those with the remaining power of God in the temple, even if only in that way.

‘The temple once received attention by protecting the twins of the Salmon Kingdom… but that was all.’

In the end, the problem was that the temple had become so weak that it was said that God had abandoned the Empire. The matter of the royal families of other countries, which was just a source of entertainment, didn’t last long.

A desperate situation where they could only rely on the power of God.

‘Eventually, I’ll get another chance, but this time there’s no Salmon royal family, so I have to use another method.’

Knowing that, Sesenia had come to this place to help and use the temple, which had attracted attention in the past by showing the Salmon royal family.

“And the temple is only relying on the power of God. Is that okay?”

“Haha. You don’t have to worry about such things, Saintess. No matter what people say, God will eventually come again.”

That was not true.

God has left us. Everyone who believed in God thought so.

The god of the beginning enjoyed watching.

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