I Only Raised Men for Revenge - Chapter 25

It was understandable. She had confessed, or rather, almost confessed, thinking she was alone with Sesenia.

“Why are you so surprised? I’ve been here from the start. Even when you were committing blasphemy.”

“Ah, no, that’s…!”

Lizbeth waved her hands frantically, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her words.

“But who is this person that we need to protect?”

Realizing the situation belatedly, High Priest Ray stood in front of the High Priest.

“It’s this one we need to protect.”

“A child…?”

Perhaps because Sesenia had completed the transaction, or perhaps because they trusted the High Priest who had sworn an oath before their god, Silian showed them the child in his arms. A child with clear sky-blue hair, like capturing the sky, and snow-white cheeks. The little girl, fast asleep, looked like a doll.

Sesenia, too, was seeing her for the first time, and her eyes kept going to the doll-like child.

“My sister.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Protect this child. No matter who comes, never let them find her, never show her. Protect her until she wakes up.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah. But Sesenia, are these people trustworthy?”

“This is the most perfect place to protect her. You don’t have to worry.”

He had come out in a fit of pique at being called a mad dog, but now, as if overwhelmed with worry, Silian stared intently at the High Priest.

“I’m not just entrusting her without any means.”

“…That’s right.”

“Then, entrusting my sister like that.”

“Saintess Sesenia, shouldn’t you tell us their names or who we need to protect her from?”

“Yes!”

Sesenia nodded with a bright smile. Her innocent appearance left the High Priest speechless.

“Ah… I… I see. Heh heh…”

“Then, I will bring you the item I mentioned soon.”

“Are you leaving like this today? Didn’t you say you had a way?”

“I’ll deliver it through our mad dog. So, don’t worry.”

“Heh heh… Can I trust you?”

“You know me so well, what is there to worry about? Besides, I’m leaving the child here. If there’s a problem, you can just come right away, can’t you?”

She was completely different from when they were negotiating. A bit childish, a bit reckless, a bit carefree, making the High Priest chuckle.

“I see. I understand. I’ll be waiting. Saintess Sesenia.”

In contrast, High Priest Ray’s face hardened.

“If I find that you’ve caused even the slightest trouble to the High Priest, I won’t let it go. Saintess Sesenia. To me, a Saintess with divine power is not important. Only the High Priest matters.”

“Don’t worry. Then, our mad dog.”

“Are you going to keep calling me mad dog?”

“Or mad cat?”

“…Hey.”

“Go do your business and come back. I have something to say. We have something to do, too, right?”

That was all. Sesenia didn’t even try to call him by his name, continuing to call Silian mad dog.

“Then, I’ll be going now. High Priest.”

“Alright. We’ll start the protection right away. That way, I’ll feel a little more at ease.”

Although he said that, the High Priest was quite attentive. Knowing his nature so well, Sesenia smiled brightly and turned away. Silian didn’t follow her anymore. For him, now was the time to do anything to survive.

He had to do anything to survive, even offering a contract with death as collateral, and he didn’t care what he was called. As long as he could protect his sister, his sleeping sister.

“But Saintess Sesenia, don’t you offer prayers to the god?”

As Sesenia reached the door of the prayer room, the High Priest opened his mouth as if amused.

“In my world, I’m going to try to become a god. So, I don’t think I need to pray.”

“Heh heh… in front of me, the High Priest.”

“Just kidding. It’s just that I said I was doing something against God today, I don’t want to pray because I think it’ll be noticeable.”

I don’t believe in God.

If God existed, would he have given me such hardship? Someone said that God only gives you pain that you can bear. But why give such pain in the first place? To make you cry out to God at the end of that pain? That’s a ridiculous thing to say.

God doesn’t exist. Or even if he does, he has nothing to do with me.

Sesenia turned away. Raising her middle finger in her heart.

She cursed God sincerely in the place where God was closest, where God was touching.

‘I don’t believe in God.’

That was all. Sesenia returned to the carriage without hesitation.

**

“Lady.”

On the way back to the guild, with only the two of them left in the carriage, Lizbeth carefully opened her mouth.

“Yes?”

“Why did you leave that man there?”

The strangest thing was the younger sister who had appeared with that man, whom she hadn’t even known existed until now. Contrary to expectations that she would find it strange, Lizbeth, as if knowing that there was a sister from the beginning, didn’t ask about her.

She only asked about things that were different from the past.

“It’s necessary.”

“Why? Are you planning to let the whole world know that he exists?”

In the past, that was definitely the case. It wasn’t Sesenia who brought them to the temple, but they definitely became the temple’s pawns.

“No. I have no intention of letting the whole world know about them under any circumstances. Do you know who they are?”

“…Yes.”

“The Salmon royal family. Fugitives. But stronger than anyone.”

“But aren’t they dangerous?”

“No. Not dangerous at all. They’re people who will be more helpful to me than anyone else.”

Lizbeth grabbed Sesenia’s hand tightly with a worried expression.

“I did think it was strange when you suddenly woke up one day. But you now, you seem so anxious and troubled. Like someone living to avoid death… like someone desperately trying to survive because they’re afraid of dying… you seem so precarious.”

“That’s right, Lizbeth. I’m living to avoid death. And to live without dying, I need the power of the Salmon royal family. Got it? This time too, follow me without asking anything, without questioning anything.”

What if Lizbeth didn’t know anything? Would she have just thought, like the maids of ordinary noble families, that our lady has become strange? Or would she have thought it was strange and told her family?

She would have questioned and stopped everything Sesenia did. In that sense, Lizbeth knowing to some extent was a great advantage for Sesenia, but at the same time, it was also a great disadvantage.

“If you say so, Lady I can’t help it.”

“Just advise me like a friend by my side, and trust me like family. Lizbeth is my only family.”

“…Yes! Don’t worry! I’ll be on your side until the end.”

“Thank you.”

“So, what are you going to do now? Are you really going to make that holy relic? Where can you even make something like that? And what if something really goes wrong?”

Lizbeth looked worried that something might happen to her mistress, that something might go wrong while doing something very illegal.

“You really don’t have to worry. The person who will do it will never be able to say that they made a fake holy relic. And that will eventually lead the temple down a different path. It’s fake but it will become real.”

“Yes…?”

Lizbeth still had an incomprehensible expression, but Sesenia was smiling as if a big picture had already been drawn.

Smiling much more comfortably than before, Sesenia didn’t say anything more and just looked out the window.

**

That evening.

Sesenia’s room on the second floor. Late at night, a dog with silver fur was tapping on the door. Fortunately, only Lizbeth was serving Sesenia, and she had gone to rest, so Sesenia found the dog.

“Silian?”

Silian, whom she thought would take a few days to come, had come to find Sesenia.

At those words, smoke rose from the silver-furred dog’s body, and he transformed into Silian in an instant.

“Did you come in the form of a dog because I called you a mad dog?”

“…Well. Kind of. Since you called me mad dog.”

“You have a cute side.”

Sesenia couldn’t help but laugh for a moment. He came in the form of a dog because she called him mad dog.

“How about living in that form for now? It’s quite cute.”

“…No.”

“Then I could hug you, you know.”

It was just a word to Silian, who had a more adorable side than she thought, but Silian transformed into a dog as if he had been waiting for it.

“…Did you transform to be hugged?”

“What. No. Don’t be silly. Me? No. Not at all. I’m just in this form because it’s comfortable. It’s useful for moving around.”

But unlike those words, Silian’s appearance as he entered Sesenia’s open room looked like a dog walking clumsily. Quite cute. A small dog that she really wanted to hug.

“You walk quite cutely.”

“It’s valiant. So, did you call me here today to make a contract?”

“That’s right. You’ve experienced it for a day, so you know. The Empire’s temple will protect you more perfectly than anyone else.”

“I don’t know.”

Seeing him answer so firmly, Sesenia didn’t back down at all.

“If you haven’t realized that, then you’re not desperate enough.”

“…Are you going to blame me until the end?”

“No. I’m telling you not to deny it. Don’t let go of the only hope in front of you because of your petty pride.”

Silian didn’t say anything.

“In life, pride isn’t that important. Sometimes, you have to let go of that pride to see things. Like you now.”

“Do I look like I’m being prideful?”

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