About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 153
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 153. What Will Be, Will Be
“We should formally proclaim you as the Saint with an official ceremony. Are you truly leaving as things stand?”
I was immediately recognized as the Saint, and with my permission, Sir Jester was able to obtain the Eye of Truth in his hands.
I had already seen everything there was to see.
When I spoke of departing, the High Priest and the other priests expressed their deep regret.
But now that the Eye of Truth was in hand, there was no time to linger here any longer. I needed to depart for the Doorban Empire to seek the Eye of Insight.
Before leaving, after a moment’s consideration, I asked the High Priest to write me a letter of introduction to present to the Doorban Temple.
I heard the Doorban Temple was three times the size of the Arde Temple. With such a letter, I would surely be able to meet their High Priest with ease.
The High Priest readily agreed to write the letter of introduction I desired.
“With that letter of introduction, you should be able to meet the High Priest of the Doorban Temple immediately. Still, it is a pity that you are leaving so soon.”
He then suggested that it would be good to wait for a journalist to arrive and have them take photographs for the newspaper.
“It would be an excellent opportunity to publicly announce your status as the Saint.”
It was a sound idea.
Though a Saint’s influence among the nobility was limited, it would be different for commoners. In times of need, it could help shape public opinion.
However, there was one decisive problem—I had no Saint’s vestments.
“If you could wait just one week, we will have them prepared at once.”
I had neither the time nor the peace of mind to don the raiment of a Saint and pose for photographs.
More importantly, it seemed far better to seek the Eye of Insight quickly.
I gazed at Sir Jester, who stood several paces away from me. In his hands lay a stone tablet carved in the shape of a human eye.
Sir Jester, who had been gazing endlessly at the Eye of Truth, seemed to sense my gaze and lifted his head. The moment our eyes met, a gentle smile bloomed across his face.
My decision was made.
“I think we should seek the Eye of Insight first.”
Upon hearing my wishes, the Temple ultimately decided to publish only the identity of the Saint who had appeared in the Arde Empire in the newspapers.
According to Luderne Sellen, there should be photographs of me taken by journalists previously at the newspaper office.
Luderne Sellen wrote a letter on the spot and handed it to the High Priest.
“Why not commission a religious painting or have a statue of the Saint sculpted and erected, using the face in the photograph as reference?”
“A portrait or sculpture of the Saint, you say?”
“My beloved is beloved by the noble ladies. Once her status as the Saint is revealed, her every move will become a matter of public interest.”
Luderne Sellen gestured toward the window.
“So if you erect a statue of the Saint in a place of beautiful scenery and establish a prayer site there, donations will surely increase. With increased donations, the expansion of the Church’s influence is inevitable.”
At Luderne Sellen’s words, the priests drew in sharp breaths. Their faces looked as though they had been struck by lightning.
Seeing their reaction, Luderne Sellen took a step back.
“In any case, if you proceed with this, I shall cover all related expenses. However, if it troubles you from a religious perspective, we need not speak of it further.”
The High Priest then quickly embraced Luderne Sellen’s proposal.
“Not at all. The moment Your Grace spoke, I heard the divine revelation to expand the Church’s influence together with the Saint.”
The High Priest bowed deeply.
“They say that when the Lord sends a Saint, He also sends an angel alongside her. I scarcely know how to praise this glory.”
As the High Priest raised his head, his face was flushed with joy.
His eyes gleaming with hope, he wrote a letter of introduction to the Doorban Empire and handed it to me, then bowed respectfully once more.
“How could this humble servant obstruct the work of the Saint, who stands closest to the Lord, and her angel? Do as you wish in all things.”
* * *
The next day, we made our way to the Doorban Temple.
As I’d heard, the Doorban Temple was three times larger than the Arde Temple. Yet it was so poorly maintained that weeds ran rampant throughout.
Whether Empire or Kingdom, the state religion seemed equally neglected.
It was merely a religion in name—so much so that even believers appeared to be few and far between.
“I’m genuinely curious—are there no religious ceremonies at royal or imperial events?”
Luderne Sellen shrugged.
“None whatsoever. What god exists in this world?”
Sir Jester nodded in agreement.
“This world contains only civilization—science, magic, and the like. Divinity is merely fortune-telling that the common folk speak of when they have nowhere else to place their faith.”
Both spoke with absolute conviction.
I was taken aback.
I had assumed that in a world where magic existed, divine influence would be overwhelming. But clearly, that wasn’t the case.
‘In comparison, the modern society I came from seemed far more sincere about religion.’
Then Luderne Sellen asked me a question.
“I’m curious what you think.”
“Well, I do think gods might exist, but….”
I hesitated for a moment, then found my reasoning—and the hidden gap in Luderne Sellen’s words.
“…At least, I don’t think it’s Diebus. Even if a god exists, it would be a different one.”
Luderne Sellen smiled and gestured toward the temple.
“Precisely my point. Shall we proceed with our religious enterprise?”
With the letter of introduction in hand, it didn’t take long to meet the High Priest, who had few believers and plenty of free time.
They immediately recognized me as a saint, dazzled by the miraculous mountain of brilliant gold coins.
The same conversation that had occurred at the Arde Temple unfolded here as well.
The proclamation of the saint’s manifestation.
Naturally, there was no time for delay, so the subsequent arrangements proceeded identically to those at the Arde Temple.
The High Priest of the Doorban Temple likewise welcomed the creation of a saint’s statue.
Afterward, the High Priest guided us to the Holy Sanctuary.
“Everything is within. The items inside have been passed down through oral tradition as something no one but the saint may touch. Therefore, as a servant of the divine, I shall wait outside. Please, enter.”
The Holy Sanctuary that I, Luderne Sellen, and Sir Jester entered was a small, white chamber.
Upon the altar in the center lay an object identical to the Eye of Truth and a single grimoire.
“This must be the Eye of Insight.”
At that moment, light emanated from Sir Jester’s chest.
“Wait, it’s already reacting?”
The moment Sir Jester drew forth the Eye of Truth, the Eye of Insight on the altar rose into the air and adhered to the Eye of Truth, dissolving into it.
The Eye of Insight vanished.
What remained was the Eye of Truth, now beginning to glow with radiant light.
“What kind of impatient magical artifact is this….”
Sir Jester muttered to himself in bewilderment as he opened the grimoire.
The moment I turned to the final page of the grimoire, a brilliant light burst forth from the Eye of Truth, engulfing us before fading away.
And then… nothing happened.
“What is the meaning of this?”
At Luderne’s question, Sir Jester let out a long, exasperated sigh.
“Sigh… I’ve never seen such an unreliable magical artifact before. If I’d known it would be like this, I should have left the Eye of Truth outside and brought it in separately. According to the grimoire….”
Sir Jester’s explanation that followed was as follows.
The Eye of Truth and the Eye of Insight possessed the power to perceive hidden truths, just as the mages had said.
The targets of the effect were those present when the Eye of Truth and the Eye of Insight merged together.
“But apparently, no one knows when it will actually activate.”
“No one knows when it will activate?”
Sir Jester closed the book.
“Yes. It says there’s no warning. According to what was written, if you’re unlucky, you might never know until the day you die. It seems increasingly likely that this is just a deceptive magical artifact.”
I felt a sense of deflation at Sir Jester’s conclusion.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
All that remained was to assess the situation at the Imperial Palace and then return to the Bilsty Estate.
* * *
While Luderne went to assess the situation at the Imperial Palace, I explored the recently opened Raber Salon in the capital of the Empire alongside Sir Jester.
Perhaps because the population was so much larger, this salon was enormous in scale.
There was a separate space dedicated to the nobility. It was thriving in an elegant and private atmosphere reserved solely for them.
I wanted to explore that area further, but it had become somewhat ironic.
It was a salon expanded because of me, yet as an exile, I still couldn’t reveal my identity.
Fortunately, there was a large separate building available for commoners as well. As long as one adhered to the dress code, anyone could enter regardless of status, making entry convenient.
The garden arranged at the entrance was quite beautiful.
Venturing further inside, I discovered a cafeteria. The seating was completely full.
Going deeper still, I found a dress shop and all manner of boutiques. The interior design was as elegant as those catering to the nobility.
The salon itself was located at the very back.
While it differed significantly from the services offered to the nobility, the beauty services available were impressive enough to captivate any commoner.
The moment I saw it, doubt crept in.
‘Can this work? It still shouldn’t be cheap, though?’
As expected, the prices were far from modest.
Yet despite this, reservations were backed up. Apparently, many people wanted to experience the aesthetic culture of the nobility.
What’s meant to happen will happen, as they say.
I became somewhat curious and explored more of the available spaces.
Then, upon seeing that there was even a salon culture exhibition hall, I realized something. The Raber Salon established in the Empire was on the scale of a small theme park.
It seemed I would spend the entire day here at this rate.
Despite the facilities being newly established, the operational system was remarkably clear, and I was impressed.
“Wow, so that’s why Your Highness invested in this. Madame Raber’s capabilities are truly remarkable.”
At my words, Sir Jester chuckled softly.
Finding his reaction unexpected, I looked at him, and he corrected my misunderstanding.
“Everything except the salon catering to the nobility was directly ordered by His Highness the Grand Duke.”
* * *
The day after spending a night at the Temple, Luderne Sellen returned.
His expression was rather grave.
“The Former King hasn’t awakened from his sleep. Apparently, it’s been that way since recently.”
Then he produced a letter bearing the King’s seal.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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