A Saint Who Was Adopted by the Grand Duke
chapter-143

★★★

That evening.

Kyle left the temple and went to visit Sharon, his godmother.

Sharon, who was in the midst of her usual evening prayers, greeted him warmly.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to see you a few days ago. But you were away. Did you go to Tersia by any chance?”

“Yes.”

Sharon didn’t deny it, and for a second, Kyle’s eyes sparkled.

“You must have seen her.”

“I did.”

“…How is it?”

“Kyle, if you have seen her, you would know the answer. She is a girl who shines.”

A perfect saint without a doubt.

After hearing what Godmother Sharon said, Kyle’s heart grew even more frantic.

“Godmother, actually, the current saint will hold a tea party soon, and she seems to have invited her there.”

Sharon’s complexion darkened when Kyle said he secretly found out that Esther was on the guest list.

“It’s absurd to have a tea party at a time like this, but isn’t it possible since she’s the daughter of the grand duke?”

“No. She invited her, pretty much convinced that she is the subject of the revelation. She worried about what to do at the tea time.”

“Then we should protect her even more.”

Sharon continued in a clear voice.

“As you know, light like the sun cannot be covered by hiding it. Someday, everyone will know. It’s still not too late.”

“…You’re right.”

Kyle, who had been constantly confused, eventually made up his mind.

“I will not condone it any longer. Even if I lose my position as high priest, I will no longer cover the sky with my palm.”

“Good idea.”

Sharon had a proud expression as she patted Kyle on the shoulder with her wrinkled hand.

“Among the other high priests, there is someone who shares the same mind.”

It was the one who went to Tersia with Kyle, Joffrey. He compared Rabienne and Esther, and did not like the former, believing that her holy power was too insignificant.

“I will convince him.”

“I can move the elders at any time. When it’s determined, I’m ready to help…”

Inside the temple, the number of people trying to stand on Esther’s side was increasing one by one.

After Kyle left…

Sharon looked at the small statue of the goddess and prayed earnestly.

‘I will gladly accept any punishment, so please return him to us.’

She wished for Esther’s light, so bright that it felt dazzling, to illuminate the entire empire.

★★★

Two days passed.

In order to arrive a few days before Rabienne’s tea party, Esther decided to leave at dawn.

“Ha. I can’t sleep.”

Her heart was pounding incessantly, making it difficult for her to fall asleep.

As she lay tossing and turning, she suddenly remembered the ancient language book she had read last time.

“Will I fall asleep if I read a book?”

Esther took out a book from the drawer, turned on the light, and sat down on the bed.

She slowly flipped through the pages, but her hands stopped when she came across a page she hadn’t found before.

“…Huh? What… making a living snake into a sword and using it? How is that possible?”

The book contained a spell to turn a living snake into a sword.

With the additional point that it should not be any snake, but a mythical creature.

An anecdote was introduced of how the first saint used a snake sword in an emergency.

“Ah, that’s nonsense.”

But… How could a living being become a sword? For Esther, it was something that was hard to believe easily.

Thinking that it must have been a book made by weaving together myths that had been passed down here and there, she shook her head.

“Hiss.”

At this moment, Shur, who had been sleeping alone in the corner, woke up and approached Esther leaning on the bed.

Seeing Shur at her feet, mischief kicked in.

“Shur, can you become a sword too? It says that only mythical creatures can do it, would you like to try it?”

Shur stared at Esther, blinking his big yellow eyes as if he didn’t know what she meant.

“No. What am I saying?”

Esther was dumbfounded just thinking about it, so she closed the book with a smile.

However, she decided to try just one time, just in case, and stretched out her palm toward Shur.

“Egos.”

She recited the spell written in the ancient language in the book, concentrating divine power on her palm.

Of course, Esther, who thought nothing would change, was shocked by what happened next and was frozen.

“Oh my god. It’s real?”

A bright light had burst out, and Shur really turned into a sword.

Esther panicked and picked up the sword while glancing around.

Perhaps because it was originally a snake, the handle was made of the same material as Shur’s body.

Although it was thin and long, it was much smaller than those used by men, so it was just the right size and weight for Esther to hold with one hand.

In particular, it fit snugly in her hand, as if it was made for her.

“But how do I get it back?”

She opened the book again, feeling restless, fearing she would lose Shur like this.

Fortunately, it was written in the that if she pressed the core of the sword, it would return to normal.

Examining the sword she was holding, there was a round yellow jewel the size of a fingernail on the handle.

Esther gulped and pressed down on it. Then, thankfully, Shur returned to his original form.

With a sigh of relief, Esther tilted her head.

“Should I take this to the temple?”

It was unexpected, but she thought it would be good—an additional protection—to take Shur disguised as a sword to the central temple.

Shur, who must have understood Esther’s words, suddenly hissed and came closer. It was kind of affectionate.

“Do you want to do that?”

“Shh-ik.”

“Good. Then let’s go to sleep.”

She did have worry about leaving Shur behind, who was said to not eat and only sleep when she was not around.

Thinking that everything worked out, she turned off the light and fell into a short but sound sleep.

★★★

Esther finished all the preparations to depart for the temple and exited the mansion.

It was early in the morning, but Deheen and the twins were all gathered in the yard to see Esther off.

“Esther, you have to be very careful. You know, right?”

“If you think it will be dangerous, never enter the temple.”

“Of course. It’ll take a week if it’s short, but it’ll be two weeks if it’s long. Don’t worry too much.”

Esther comforted the three of them, telling them to not be sad; her family were behaving like they would not see her for a month.

“Whether it’s one week or two weeks… it’s all too long.”

Judy claimed he couldn’t let Esther go, constantly grumbling and tightening his hug.

“I prepared this just in case. Always have it on your arm.”

Dennis added that it was difficult to find as he placed a bracelet for self-defense on Esther’s wrist.

“If you pull this part, it makes a very loud sound.”

Esther smiled gratefully at the bracelet.

“I’ll be wearing it well.”

Behind the twins stood Deheen, who had the most serious expression. He let out a deep sigh.

This image stuck in Esther’s mind as she walked towards the carriage.

Suddenly, she remembered what his father had asked her when she went to the temple to meet Cespia.

“Are you going to come back?”

How did he feel when he asked that?

At that thought, Esther didn’t want to get into the carriage. She turned around and scanned the faces of her father and brothers.

Then she hurriedly ran toward Deheen, who looked the most gloomy.

“S…!”

When Esther jumped into his embrace, Deheen was surprised, but lifted her up and gave her a hug.

The corners of his mouth twitched because he liked it, and his face relaxed at once, as if he had never been depressed.

“What, me, me too!”

The jealous Judy interrupted, wanting to hug her too.

Dennis didn’t say anything, having already slipped his arm around her.

“Thank you for sending me off. I will come back safely.”

Deheen stroked Esther’s head several times, unable to hide his delight.

“Yes. Don’t make us wait.”

As Esther heard the gentle voice that spread over her head, she recalled the memories of her last visit to the Imperial Palace.

It was just a little later than the scheduled arrival time, but they were worried and huddled outside waiting.

It made her happy to have someone waiting for her.

“I’m going now.”

Esther grinned and slipped out of Deheen’s arms, and this time, really got into the carriage.

And as the carriage moved smoothly, Esther’s heart began to beat rapidly.

“What are you thinking?”

Esther’s eyes sank deeply as the carriage began to rattle.

Rabienne, who has set a trap and was waiting for her to attend the tea party.

If she noticed that she was the owner of the revelation, she would be frantic to get her blood somehow.

“Whatever you’re thinking, I won’t be hit. Now it’s my turn to give it back.”

Esther’s clear voice resounded firmly in the carriage.

★★★

After passing through the guard post at the entrance to the area where the central temple was located, Esther pulled back the curtains and looked out the window.

“You will soon know that I am here.”

Anyway, it was nothing strange to come three days before the tea party.

In fact, it was better for her arrival to be reported to Rabienne.

‘Then you’ll expect more.’

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Esther looked out the window, mulling calmly, then her expression hardened.

The situation in the alleys was too serious. It was also not difficult to find patients left unattended on the road.

“…There are so many patients near the temple. It’s worse than I thought.”

Esther couldn’t help but frown.

It was likely they came all the way here to seek treatment, but there was no one who helped.

“I can’t believe this is what the central temple looks like. Isn’t it different from our Tersia?”

Victor seemed as shocked as Esther by the sight outside.

“I know. Has it reached the point where the temple cannot handle? If left like this, the disease will continue to spread.”

The atmosphere here was completely different from Tersia, which had regained vitality as there were no more confirmed cases of the disease.

“What is Rabienne doing?”

Even if Esther tried not to blame, she couldn’t help but pinpoint Rabienne’s incompetence.

If it was something she couldn’t solve on her own, she would have to ask for help from the imperial family, but it must have come down to this due to her stubbornness and recklessness.

While looking at the streets filled with confusion, Esther arrived at a villa she would be staying in for the next few days.

‘I should see Sharon right after I unpack.’

But as soon as she opened the door and entered, Noah, who was sitting in the chair at the entrance, jumped up and ran out.

“Welcome, Esther. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Even though they had seen each other a few days ago, he had a pretty smile on his face.

It looked like a puppy waiting for its owner to return, so Esther rubbed her eyes.

She felt like she could see a fluffy tail wagging behind the running Noah.

Ame:lol we finally know what is the significance of the pet snakes… but where’s BamBam? the lingering spirit of the first saint’s snake?