The Fortune-Teller Saintess - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Fortune Teller Saint

 

Chapter 54

 

We returned straight to the temple.

 

And in just one day at that.

 

The reason we could shorten the distance that had taken a week into just one day was none other than thanks to Jacad’s consideration.

 

‘Since we’re heading to the same destination anyway, how about traveling together with us…’

 

‘Thank you!’

 

‘…I haven’t even finished speaking yet.’

 

Anyway, we were able to return comfortably to the temple using the Royal Mages’ spatial movement magic.

 

Of course, there were some complaints from within about how priests could use magic. But everyone was already exhausted from the long schedule.

 

When we casually mentioned ‘the Crown Prince’s consideration’ and ‘Founding Festival preparations,’ everyone eventually complied and stepped onto the magic circle.

 

Having returned to the temple like that, I headed straight to my room.

 

Seeing my bed, which had absorbed sunlight and become even more cozy and fluffy, tears involuntarily flowed from my eyes.

 

“Huuuh… Bed, have you been well? I missed you!”

 

I threw my body onto the bed just like that…

 

“Ria! Cardinal Barion is calling for you.”

 

…or tried to, but stopped at Robelina’s call.

 

When I turned my creaking head to look, Robelina flinched.

 

“Ria, are you crying?”

 

“…No. Let’s go.”

 

I secretly wiped away the tears gathered at the corners of my eyes and left the room with Robelina.

 

Before closing the door, I sent telepathy to my bed with eyes dripping with regret.

 

‘Bed, I’ll be back soon. Wait just a little. Got it?’

 

But contrary to my wishes, the reunion with my bed had to be postponed for quite a while.

 

“…Who became what now?”

 

I asked back with a dazed expression.

 

Cardinal Barion enlightened me to reality with a smiling face.

 

“I said that Priest Sierra has become Cardinal Dail’s exclusive Holy Prelate.”

 

At those words, I quickly turned my head to look at Dale.

 

Dale also nodded with a benevolent smile like Barion’s.

 

“If it’s Priest Sierra, I can trust and entrust her with the work.”

 

“No, Your Eminence. Since I still have many shortcomings, I need Your Eminence’s teachings.”

 

And Sierra was acting coquettishly beside him.

 

Holy Prelate. Simply put, it was an assistant. Mainly helping Cardinals with their work under them.

 

There were largely four positions within the temple.

 

Cardinal, Cardinals, Priests, Apprentice Priests.

 

The further left, the higher the position, and the Holy Lady was classified as a separate position not belonging to these.

 

If I had to fit into that system, it would be similar to Cardinal, like the temple’s two tops.

 

And Holy Prelate belonged to duties rather than positions. Just as Robelina is my Holy Prelate but her position is Priest, Holy Prelate was the same. Just with slightly higher authority than other priests?

 

…The problem was this ‘authority’ granted to Sierra.

 

“Therefore, Holy Prelate Sierra will help Holy Lady Ellia a lot with the divine ceremony at the Founding Festival.”

 

I almost distorted my face at Barion’s words.

 

When I looked at Dale silently, he misunderstood my gaze and said with a smile.

 

“Don’t worry, Holy Lady Ellia. If it’s Priest Sierra, she’ll help you well from the side, and since this is your first time with such work, I’ll also watch over you carefully from nearby.”

 

‘This place has already fallen to Sierra.’

 

I swallowed a sigh inwardly and forced my lips to curve upward.

 

Actually, Sierra helping with Founding Festival preparations wasn’t much of a problem. Sierra is very sensitive about getting flaws, so she’d probably prepare even more perfectly.

 

What I was worried about was that Sierra had become a Holy Prelate. And specifically, Dale’s exclusive Holy Prelate at that.

 

Dale was the person helping me, who was new to Holy Lady duties, from the closest position. If she became Dale’s exclusive Holy Prelate, I would encounter Sierra frequently from now on.

 

‘Just thinking about it is tiring.’

 

“Ria, are you okay?”

 

When we left Cardinal Barion’s office, Robelina asked worriedly.

 

I didn’t bother hiding my fatigue and said with a deep sigh.

 

“To be honest, no. Of all people, why does it have to be Sierra…”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Robelina also seemed troubled, knowing Sierra’s personality.

 

After a brief silence, she spoke up.

 

“If it’s really uncomfortable, how about telling His Eminence? That Priest Sierra won’t do.”

 

I was surprised by Robelina’s words and opened my eyes wide.

 

It wasn’t impossible. As I mentioned before, the Holy Lady was like one of the temple’s two tops along with the Cardinal.

 

I had simply delegated work authority to Barion because I didn’t want to lead temple affairs proactively.

 

In other words, I could step in and interfere with work whenever I wanted.

 

It might even be possible to push Sierra out of the Holy Prelate position.

 

‘The problem is that the risks I’d have to bear would increase if I did that. The temple people might develop resentment toward me.’

 

And Sierra is excellent at handling work. Honestly, I have to acknowledge that.

 

If we didn’t get emotionally entangled, Sierra might become the best assistant.

 

“Never mind. Doing that would just create more trouble, and above all, it’s true that Sierra works well.”

 

When I spoke cheerfully after making my decision, Robelina’s expression became even more worried.

 

Robelina probably thought the same as me. The reason she made such a suggestion despite that was because she was that worried about me.

 

‘I’ve made her worry.’

 

Feeling unnecessarily sorry, I was about to make a joke.

 

But then the office door opened and Sierra came out.

 

As soon as she saw us, she immediately frowned.

 

“Hmph!”

 

…And then disappeared far away.

 

Seeing that, Robelina asked with an even more worried face than before.

 

“Ria, will it really be okay?”

 

“Um…”

 

This time, even I couldn’t answer easily.

 

***

 

The temple was in the midst of Founding Festival preparations.

 

On Founding Festival day, not only the Imperial Family but also nobles and citizens of the Empire were scheduled to flood into the temple, so thorough preparations were absolutely necessary.

 

Here, there were good and bad points for me.

 

First, the good point was that I was excluded from this busy preparation process.

 

Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t work. Instead, I was given other important duties.

 

Specifically, creating sacred relics to be used in the Founding Festival divine ceremony.

 

Sacred artifacts and sacred relics are different. Sacred artifacts are items directly bestowed by gods, while sacred relics are items imbued with holy power.

 

There were two ways to obtain these sacred relics. One was finding items that had naturally become sacred relics. Of course, this was a method with extremely low probability.

 

And the other method was exactly.

 

“Uuuum. Kuuuing…”

 

…the method of pouring divine power into specific items like I was doing now.

 

And this was exactly the bad point given to me.

 

To artificially create sacred relics required sufficient time and divine power, but the problem was that my divine power wasn’t abundant, so there were no signs of sacred relics being created.

 

Even now, after a whole week had passed.

 

“Robelina, how is it? Can you feel some divine power from the cup?”

 

While infusing divine power into the silver cup that needed to become a sacred relic, I asked Robelina.

 

Robelina looked carefully at the cup in my hand, then answered quietly.

 

“I can feel it.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. Ria’s divine power circling around the surface of the cup.”

 

“Argh!”

 

I finally exploded in anger and threw the cup backward. The cup that flew through the air landed on my bed.

 

Robelina, who had been shocked watching me throw the cup, felt relieved seeing that. Then she narrowed her eyes and scolded me.

 

“Ria! You can’t just throw around sacred objects!”

 

“Sacred object my foot! That thing doesn’t even deserve the ‘sacred’ in sacred object!”

 

“That’s…! Well, that’s true though.”

 

Robelina, who had been about to argue back, ended up agreeing with my words.

 

I let out deep sighs while holding my head in my hands.

 

“What should I do? At this rate, we won’t have a sacred object ready by the Founding Festival.”

 

“That’s definitely a problem.”

 

Robelina agreed with a serious expression.

 

The sacred object was one of the essential elements in the Founding Festival’s religious ceremony. This was because a ritual where the Imperial Family representative offers the sacred object to the gods would be held.

 

In other words, without a sacred object, the Founding Festival’s religious ceremony itself would collapse.

 

The Empire’s future(?) was in my hands.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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