Fluffy silver hair. Sky blue eyes visible through the rich eyelashes. A skinny body contrasted with soft cheeks.

The child blinked and murmured.

“Why am I alive?”

The child was obviously dead.

At the age of less than thirty.

***

In the pouring rain, a baby wrapped in an old blanket cried sadly.

“Wuaaah!”

Priestess Noelle, who discovered that figure, took the baby in her arms with a surprised face and went to the High Priest.

Noelle, who has injured her vocal cords and is thus unable to use her voice, moved her hand.

[High Priest. A baby was abandoned in front of the temple. What should we do?]

The temple’s truth of loving and embracing everyone in the world has long since become a thing of the past.

The fat High Priest had no interest at all in anything other than money and power.

“You’re bothering people with trivial things. Send them to a nearby orphanage…”

However, the moment his eyes met the baby in Noelle’s arms, they changed.

“That baby, it has divine power…!”

Divine power.

It was the power to heal any disease or wound, and it was a power possessed only by the selected few.

“To think that a baby abandoned in front of a temple possesses such a precious power…”

This is a chance to reclaim the authority of the crumbling temple!

The High Priest said as he took the baby and brought it to his arms.

“From now on, I will raise this baby.”

The High Priest named the baby ‘Liriette’. It was the name of a saintess who saved the continent long ago.

The High Priest spread the news about Liriette.

“A baby with divine power came to me. It’s a baby sent by the goddess.”

Countless people visited the temple to see Liriette. The High Priest held Liriette in his arms and condescended.

“She’s still too young to show her divine power, but when she gets older, it will be great. She will be able to heal any disease or wound.”

At those words, people scrambled to donate money.

“If the power of the child is manifested, please surely use her strength for me.”

Seeing the money piled up, the High Priest was delighted.

However, contrary to the expectations of the High Priest and people, Liriette couldn’t use divine power even after several years.

The High Priest took a baby without divine power in and lied.

As the word went around, the High Priest was on the verge of going crazy.

“Why the hell! I’m sure you have divine power, but why can’t you manifest it!”

At the High Priest’s wrath, young Liriette trembled with her small body.

“I-I’m sorry, High Priest. I will try it once again.”

Liriette held back her tears and remembered the method the High Priest had told her.

Gather the divine power in your body and send it out. Then the divine power will be manifested in pure white light.

However, no matter how hard she tried, the power didn’t appear.

“Useless thing!”

Impatient with it, the High Priest swung the staff he was holding in his hand. Terrible pain ran over Liriette’s tiny body.

It was a hellish time.

Even so, the reason Liriette was able to endure was thanks to the priestess, Noelle.

She sobbed as she applied medicine over Liriette’s scarred body.

[I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Lily.]

If she hadn’t brought Liriette to the temple, she wouldn’t have suffered like this.

Liriette shook her head.

“Don’t say that. I would have died in the rain if it wasn’t for Noelle. Thanks, Noelle.”

Tears fell from Noelle’s dark eyes at the kind girl’s words.

Noelle wanted to protect Liriette.

However, she was a timid and weak low-ranking priestess, and the High Priest was an absolute power holding the temple tightly.

All Noelle could do was shed tears and heal Liriette’s wounds.

It was the day Liriette turned 17 years old.

Noelle said, holding out a heavy pocket and moving her hand.

[Leave the temple with this money, Lily.]

Liriette opened her eyes wide and said in a trembling voice.

“Then Noelle will go with me.”

[I swore to dedicate my body and mind to the High Priest in exchange for his great favor. I can’t leave this place.]

“…”

[But not you. Get out of here and live freely, Lily.]

Liriette nodded her head through tears.

That night, she decided to escape the temple.

[I’ll lure the priests watching over Lily to another place. Take your chance of the gap and leave the temple.]

With Noelle’s help, Liriette slipped out of her room and walked towards the exit.

The moment she thought that she could leave the temple safely, the High Priest appeared.

“Where do you dare to go without my permission, Liriette?”

“H-How…”

“This temple is mine. Did you think I wouldn’t even notice a kitten running away?”

The High Priest took a step towards Liriette with his face full of rage.

“Liriette, I cherished you like my own child. I fed you food and treated you when you were sick. Although you couldn’t use it properly because you were incompetent, I even taught you how to use divine power.”

Liriet couldn’t bear to say anything, and she trembled, taking a step back from him.

“Then, you did something like this in the end. I’ll scold you so that you will never do such a shameful thing again.”

It was the moment the High Priest was about to swing his staff at Liriette.

Noelle appeared out of nowhere and quickly moved her hand, blocking him from Liriette.

[High Priest. Liriette did nothing wrong. I’m the one who encouraged Liriette, who stayed still. So if you want to punish someone, do it to me.]

The High Priest knew that the relationship between Liriette and Noelle was quite special. But he never imagined that they would be friendly enough to do such an outrageous thing.

And Noelle, who followed him to the point of death if he were to die.

He was so angry that he couldn’t stand it.

“You wicked bastard!”

Whackㅡ!

The High Priest’s staff began to strike Noelle down without mercy.

Liriette ran up to the High Priest and desperately grabbed his hand.

“Stop it!”

However, the High Priest pushed Liriette away and continued to wield his staff. Like a child trying to kill a bug by stepping on it.

While doing that…

Crack!

There was an unpleasant sound, as if something was exploding.

“Cough.”

Dark red blood leaked from Noelle’s mouth. Then, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, all her movements stopped.

Only then did the High Priest come to his senses.

‘I didn’t even mean to kill her…’

Well, even if he kills her, there’s no big problem.

Because this was the temple where the High Priest reigned with absolute power.

Asking about the killing of a low-ranking priestess wasn’t difficult.

The High Priest pointed the staff stained with soggy blood to Liriette.

“Take a good look, Liriette. It’s all because of you that Noelle suffered such a meaningless death. Because you had a sneaky idea…”

At that moment, Liriette pulled out a small knife from her bosom.

The High Priest, frightened for a moment, shrank.

However, the place Liriette headed with the knife was not the High Priest. It was Noelle, who was lying down.

Kneeling next to Noelle, Liriette slashed her palm with the knife. Soon, red blood pooled.

Liriet brought it to Noelle’s mouth.

Drip. Drip.

Drops of red blood began to enter Noelle’s slightly parted mouth.

Liriette prayed with a teary face.

“Please… Please…”

After a while, a miracle happened.

“Haaㅡ”

Noelle, whose breath was once stopped, began to exhale again.

Liriette, who saw that her dying life had returned, shed tears and hugged Noelle tightly.

From behind Liriette, the surprised voice of the High Priest was heard.

“So you were able to use divine power?”

No. Liriette still couldn’t manifest divine power with white light. But she found out by accident.

That the blood in her body can heal the wounds of others.

However, Liriette desperately hid that fact.

Because she knew how the High Priest would deal with her.

Clomp, clomp.

At the sound of his footsteps approaching, Liriette slowly turned her head.

The High Priest looked down at her and raised the corners of his lips.

“Now I can use you.”

It was a devilish smile.

***

Liriette’s long eyelashes trembled.

“After that, the real hell began.”

The High Priest imprisoned Liriette within the deepest room of the temple.

Then, whenever those whose bodies wanted to be healed came, they mercilessly wounded Liriette’s body and drew her blood.

No matter how much Liriette screamed in pain, no matter how she cried, they never stopped.

Just as Liriette expected.

Liriette lived like that for 10 years, and she died before she was thirty.

Liriet murmured as she cradled her tiny body with both of her trembling hands.

“I’m certain, I was dead. But how in the world am I still alive?”

That wasn’t all.

Liriette didn’t look like what she did at the end of her life now. She was much younger

‘Am I about ten years old?’

Liriette looked at the mirror with a confused look.

Then, the door opened.

The moment she saw someone entering her room, Liriette’s heart sank.

It was Noelle.

In her previous life, Liriette used divine power to save Noelle’s life. However, after that, she never saw Noelle again.

It was because the High Priest locked Liriette in a room and prevented her from meeting anyone.

Instead, the High Priest brought out Noelle’s name as if he was threatening Liriette every time she lost her will to live, eat, and drink.

[If you don’t eat, Noelle will starve, and if you die, Noelle will also die.]

No. Don’t do that.

She forced herself to swallow the food and resisted the urge to injure herself.

And in the distant future, she found out.

The fact that Noelle took her own life a long time ago, knowing that she was becoming Liriette’s shackles.

Liriette heard the news and collapsed.

[Why is it, Lily?]

Noelle approached Liriette with a worried face.

[Are you hurt somewhere? Did you have a scary dream?]

Puppy-like black, clear eyes. Thin white fingers that moved without rest.

Obviously, it was really Noelle.

Liriette hugged Noelle tightly.

Noelle looked at Liriette with a bewildered face, then started stroking her fluffy silver hair.

It’s okay, it’s okay, Lily.

Liriette missed this clumsy and warm consolation so much.

“Huuwaaaaa!”

Liriette buried her face in Noelle’s arms and cried like a baby. Noelle sobbed together, unaware of the reason.

Even so, she didn’t stop stroking Liriette’s small head.

***

Both Liriette and Noelle’s eyes were swollen from crying for an hour.

Noelle asked Liriette one more time, blinking her swollen eyes that caused her unable to see properly.

[Everything is really okay, right?]

“I told you so.”

Liriette didn’t intend to tell Noelle anything.

‘Even if it’s absurd, Noelle will definitely believe my words.’

That’s why she can’t say more.

Noelle will feel great confusion and fear. She didn’t want to upset Noelle with something that hadn’t even happened yet.

‘Above all, I’m not going to repeat the horrible things that happened in my previous life no matter what.’

To do so, she had to get out of the clutches of the High Priest first.

‘But how?’

The High Priest was an absolute presence in the temple. The priests were all loyal to him.

It was impossible to escape from this place in such an atmosphere.

‘Then, how about borrowing outside power, I wonder.’

No matter how much power the High Priest has, it’s a business within the temple.

There were many powerful people who could shake him out of the temple.

‘I’ll be able to get out of here with their help.’

In her previous life, Liriette healed countless people by order of the High Priest, and they all had money and power.

So it wasn’t difficult at all to recall them.

After a while, Liriette muttered, her light blue eyes shining.

“The Duke of Windsorais.”

A man called the Imperial Ice Shield or Monster Slayer.

The territory of the Duke of Windsorais was located in the north, and he protected the outskirts of the Empire by eliminating the monsters constantly flocking from beyond the mountains.

In name and reality, the Duke had the strongest power in the Empire.

However he had a secret.

“The Duke was seriously injured around this time.”

His eyes were injured by a monster’s poison.

Surprisingly, few people knew about it. Because the Duke thoroughly hid it.

‘It went unnoticed for over a decade.’

This was possible because the Duke of Windsorais was confined to a northern castle.

Around the time rumors spread that Liriette could cure any disease with divine power, the Duke came.

He asked her to fix his eyes, no matter how much he needed to pay.

‘Until then, the Duke couldn’t fix his eyes, so this time, too, he’ll definitely need my power.’

She came to a conclusion.

‘Let’s meet the Duke and make a deal.’

However, there was one major problem with Liriette’s implementation of the plan.

The Duke of Windsorais was far north.

To make matters worse, she was unable to even step out of the temple.

There was only one person who could help Liriette in this situation.

***

Noelle opened his eyes wide.

[You want me to send a letter?]

“Yeah.”

[To the Duke of Windsorais in the north?]

“Yeah.”

Liriette was a child under the care of the High Priest.

The priests had an obligation to report everything related to Liriette to him.

[Then I will tell the High Priest and send him a letter.]

“No. He will never allow it.”

[But if you secretly send a letter and get caught, the High Priest will be very angry.]

It wasn’t scary to simply disobey the order of the High Priest.

She was terrified when she thought that Liriette, who was always punished severely, would be severely scolded.

Liriette knew Noelle’s heart, yet once again she said.

“Please, Noelle.”

Noelle’s dark eyes shook at the sound of the earnest voice.

After a moment, Noelle nodded her head.

[Alright. I’ll try.]

“Thank you, Noelle.”

[No. I’m glad I can do something for Lily.]

Noelle’s eyes widened softly. She smiled more childishly than the ten-year-old Liriette.

She put the letter she received from Liriette into her arms.

Noelle also belonged to the temple and wasn’t free to move, but she often went out of the temple to run errands.

She took advantage of the opportunity to send a letter.

Towards the far, far north.

From that day on, Liriette held her hands together and prayed every day.

‘I hope the letter arrives well. Please, I hope the Duke of Windsorais reads my letter.’

And a month after sending the letter, an amazing thing happened.

Knights from the Duke of Windsorais came to the temple.

***

The quiet temple went into an uproar.

It was because of the appearance of knights in silver armor.

The huge man at the head of the knights bowed his head.

“Greetings, High Priest. My name is Villaim, a knight who serves the Duke of Windsorais.”

The High Priest was also perplexed.

As it was rare for a person from the Duke of Windsorais from the north to visit the temple in the capital.

“You have worked hard to come this far. But what brought you here?”

“I have come to meet the child of the goddess.”

Villaim’s words relieved the High Priest’s tension. He then replied with a benevolent smile.

“Ah, you came to see our Liriette. Please wait a moment.”

Not long after, she appeared.

“Hello, I’m Liriette.”

A girl with long, fluffy silver hair, wearing a shabby gray dress.

Villaim asked, looking down at the little girl far below him.

“Do you really have divine power?”

He asked the question to Liriette, yet the answer was heard from the High Priest.

“That’s right. Not only me, but other priests who can detect divine power have also proved it in one accord.”

The High Priest added something he hadn’t even asked.

“Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to manifest divine power yet. But with a little more time, she will unleash tremendous power. She will be able to heal any disease or wound. When that time comes, I plan to dedicate all her strength to the people I’m grateful for, who believe in and support our Liriette.”

He said that if he got paid now, the Duke would be able to use Liriette’s power later.

Villaim said, wriggling his thick eyebrows.

“I understand the meaning of the High Priest. Then I will donate 1 billion gold to the temple in the name of the Duke of Windsorais.”

1 billion gold.

The High Priest’s eyes widened at the staggering number.

Villaim said to the High Priest, who couldn’t control the corners of his lips rising.

“However, I have one request.”

“You can tell me anything.”

He replied with the momentum to remove even the liver from his body.

“His Grace the Duke of Windsorais, wants to meet the child of the goddess in person. May I take the child to the Duchy of Windsorais?”

“…!”

At the completely unexpected words, the High Priest blinked and then straightened up.

“Liriette is a precious child. In the temple, she’s cared for like a treasure. I’ll be in trouble if something happens to her outside the temple.”

“If that’s the case, don’t worry. Because Duke Windsorais has the greatest power in the Empire. Even if a raging dragon appears in front of the child, we will protect her from getting hurt in the slightest.”

Villaim wriggled his thick forearm, the size of the High Priest’s head.

Indeed, with muscles like that, it seemed like he could protect Liriette in any danger.

Even so, the High Priest shook his head once again.

“If His Grace the Duke wants to see Liriette, can’t he come to the temple directly?”

“As the High Priest knows, His Grace the Duke is guarding the northern border. He can’t leave easily because nobody knows when the monsters will attack.”

Before the High Priest could say anything, Villaim continued.

“If the High Priest sends the child, an additional billion gold will be donated as a thank you for sending such a precious child.”

A total of 2 billion gold.

It was a crazy number.

To the extent that even the sum of all the donations that came to the temple last year couldn’t exceed it.

The High Priest had an ecstatic expression on his face without even realizing it.

Soon he nodded his head as if he couldn’t help it.

“I understand. I will send Liriette for His Grace the Duke of Windsorais, who always strives to protect the Empire.”

“Thank you for the favor of the High Priest.”

The two didn’t know.

That Liriette, who had been standing quietly in the corner, clenched her fists with a slightly flushed face.

‘Everything is going according to my plan.’

Villaim said.

“As the High Priest knows, His Grace Duke Windsorais is very curious. He doesn’t like to wait.”

The High Priest smiled and nodded his head.

“Alright. I will make arrangements, please come pick up Liriette in three days.”

After Villaim left, the High Priest spoke to Liriette.

“Liriette, you shouldn’t be excited about going out then talk nonsense. Stories like how you sometimes get whipped because you don’t listen to me.”

“…”

“If you say anything like that, it will reach me immediately. So you know what will happen, don’t you?”

The High Priest looked down at Liriette with a grim face and waved his cane.

It was a fierce threat that if she didn’t listen to him, she would be severely punished.

Liriette held her hands together and nodded her head.

“Yes, I will be careful.”

He gave a satisfied smile.

It was the expression of a loyal dog who would obey anything he said.

“Enough. Go and get ready before it’s too late.”

“Yes.”

Liriette answered obediently and left the room. She then entered hers and covered her mouth.

“Eugh.”

She felt like she was going to vomit at any moment.

It was a phenomenon that only appeared when looking at the High Priest after regressing.

‘Still, I’m glad I can pretend nothing’s wrong.’

Thanks to that, the High Priest thought that Liriette was an innocent child who followed him unconditionally as before.

That’s why things went so smoothly.

‘He must think that I will return to the temple after meeting Duke Windsorais.’

It’s a stupid misunderstanding.

Liriette will not return to this hellish place.

Never.

Then, knock, knock. A slow knock was heard. Soon the door opened and Noelle entered the room.

She moved her hands and said.

[Lily. I heard the story. You’re going to visit the Duke of Windsorais?]

“Yeah. That’s what happened.”

Even the dullest Noelle could tell.

That all of this happened because of the letter sent by Liriette some time ago.

However,she didn’t ask what Liriette was doing.

‘Unlike me, Lily is a clever child. She must be thinking about great things that I don’t know about. I’m sure I won’t understand even if I hear it.’

Instead, Noelle did what she could.

She draped a white scarf over Liriette’s slender neck.

Liriette’s eyes widened.

Liriette always wore nothing decorative, only a stiff gray robe like the priests. It was the first time she wore such a soft scarf around her neck.

Noelle smiled and moved her hands.

[I bought it as soon as I heard you were going to the north. I heard it’s very cold there.]

The High Priest strictly prohibited priests from owning personal property or objects. That’s why the priests couldn’t buy anything without his permission.

Noelle, who read Liriette’s thoughts, moved her hands.

[Don’t worry. Because I got permission from the high priest. I said that Lily is going to a cold place and it would be a big deal if you caught a cold, and he agreed.]

Noelle said it insignificantly, yet Liriette could tell.

The High Priest must have been irritated, asking why she cared about such things. Although Noelle was terrified and trembling, she must have persuaded the High Priest several times.

“…Where did you get the money from? Noelle has no money.”

The High Priest never spent money for others. It was the same even with Liriette.

[That…]

Noelle laughed as if she was embarrassed.

After a while, Liriet, sensing something strange, removed the hood from Noelle’s head.

Her long, ebony-like black hair had been snipped off.

Looking at Liriette’s stiff face, Noelle hurriedly moved her hand and said.

[It’s fine. The High Priest allowed me to cut my hair. Don’t get mad. Really.]

Noelle didn’t know what to do, afraid that Liriette would be anxious because of her.

‘Noelle is as kind as a fool.’

Liriette looked at her with a complicated look and asked.

“Noelle, if there is an opportunity and you can go out to the temple with me, would you like to come with me?”

Noelle’s eyes widened at the sudden words.

After a while, she moved her hand with a face about to cry.

[I’m sorry, Lily. I can’t.]

Noelle has been wandering the streets alone since her childhood, which she doesn’t even remember. The High Priest brought young Noelle, who was about to starve to death, to the temple.

It wasn’t pure goodwill. It was just hypocrisy to show people.

Nonetheless, it was a salvation for she.

After that, she came to hold the High Priest like a god.

‘Noelle will never leave this place. Just like in my previous life.’

Liriette looked at Noelle with frustrated feelings, then she dug into her arms.

Noelle hugged Liriette tightly, and she said several times, difficultly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Lily.”

***

The High Priest called Liriette every day and said.

“Never say anything useless.”

“No matter what you say, say at the end that it’s thanks to the High Priest.”

“No matter what His Grace the Duke says, smile and be courteous.”

He smiled and continued.

“So, if he likes it, he will make a donation again, won’t he?”

Liriette barely held back the vomit that was about to explode.

After three days, the Knights of Windsorais arrived.

Unlike before, there was a huge white carriage in the center.

Villaim, who was at the front of the knights, moved his long legs and approached the High Priest.

The High Priest smiled brightly and greeted Villaim.

“Welcome.”

Villaim nodded, handed over a huge box to the man. The corner of the High Priest’s lips, who opened the lid of the box, went up to the tip of his ears.

It was the 2 billion gold Villaim has promised.

The High Priestess brushed Liriette’s hair with a happy face.

“Then go, Liriette.”

The part the High Priest’s hand touched was likely to rot and become filthy.

“Yes,” she replied, barely holding back the intense discomfort.

Then she walked in front of Villaim, who was waiting on the other side.

It’s already their second meeting, yet she still hasn’t adjusted with Villaim’s big body.

‘He’s really big. Just like a bear.’

Liriette thought so, put her hands together and bowed her head.

“Please take care of me, Sir Villaim.”

As she greeted him, he stared at the round top of Liriette’s head, which was clearly visible.

Divine power or something, in Villaim’s eyes, Liriette was just a small, fragile child that could be lifted with his little finger.

‘I can’t imagine that a child like this would be of any help to His Grace the Duke.’

Soon, however, he erased the thought from his mind.

‘It’s not for me to judge.’

He just did what his master told him to do.

Villaim said to Liriet with a blunt face.

“Get on the carriage.”

It was so scary that an ordinary child would burst into tears saying, “Huwaaaa, don’t take me!”

Yet Liriette nodded her head politely and climbed into the carriage. No, she was trying to get on.

Even though there were auxiliary stairs, the carriage was too high for her to climb easily. Villaim approached and heard Liriette whining.

Before she had time to say anything, Villaim gently lowered Liriette into the carriage.

Contrary to his formidable appearance, his movements were infinitely cautious.

Liriette’s face turned red all the way to her ears.

“Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

Villaim closed the door after giving a short answer.

Liriette, seated in the chair, looked out of the window. Her eyes soon widened.

Through the pillars in the distance, Noelle was sticking her face out. She couldn’t quite see her because of the distance, but she could tell.

Her eyes were filled with concern for Liriette.

Liriette muttered in a trembling voice.

“I’m sorry, Noelle. I’m leaving this place.”