Episode 14
For a moment, I couldn’t understand what was going on between the two of them.
Seria offered me chicken, and Teron offered me pork.
I wasn’t the only one startled by the plates suddenly held out in front of me. The two of them seemed surprised by each other’s actions too, their eyes briefly meeting—but their expressions didn’t look very pleasant.
‘Why…?’
For some reason, I felt like both of them were glaring at Shiro. But it only lasted a second—so short that I wondered if I’d imagined it.
That had to be it. After all, in the next moment, both of them turned to me with smiles.
‘Yes, I must’ve just imagined it.’
I decided to focus on choosing between the two dishes. The one that tempted me more was the juicy chicken leg. So, I picked Seria’s chicken.
Right then, Teron’s shoulders seemed to slump a little. But I ignored it and eagerly bit into the chicken leg.
‘Delicious…’
The perfect balance of juiciness and seasoning created a truly amazing taste.
As expected of Pelles! Honestly, he should’ve been a chef instead of a priest.
“If the number of priests increases in our temple later, maybe I can assign Pelles as our chef… No, would that feel like a demotion to him? Hmm, I’ll have to talk this over with him later.”
With that thought in mind, I quickly finished off the chicken. Just as I was wondering whether to cleanse my palate with a drink before moving on to the next dish, two glasses suddenly appeared before me.
Just like before, Seria and Teron each offered one. Again, they were different.
Seria offered strawberry juice. Teron offered orange juice.
‘Ah… this is tricky…’
It was a hard choice, but I went with what my taste buds wanted. I picked the orange juice from Teron and took a sip.
Then I noticed Seria’s lips sticking out in a small pout.
‘I’ve never seen Seria do that before… Maybe I still don’t know her very well.’
As I was thinking that, I caught sight of Pelles quietly laughing to himself.
So, I kept choosing between the food and drinks the two brought me until the dinner eventually came to an end.
It had already been several days since Teron began staying at the temple. During that time, he had helped me handle many of the temple’s affairs.
He’d worked hard helping with repairs and preparations to reopen the temple.
‘Maybe it’s because he’s a descendant of Piette.’
Even though he was still young, he was strong and full of willpower. Because of that, I was working with him again today.
“Saintess, where should I throw these away?”
He asked while pulling weeds in the temple garden.
“Just throw them in the compost area Pelles set up over there.”
Pelles, having finished clearing a pile of weeds in no time, picked up the bundle and stood up.
‘How convenient.’
Thanks to Pelles taking care of the little tasks, I was able to handle the restoration more easily than expected.
Just then, familiar faces appeared.
“Saintess!”
Beyond the garden stood a cheerful couple—it was Mitchel and James. As soon as Mitchel saw me, she smiled brightly and ran over. James followed behind at a brisk pace.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen James awake before.’
He was still thin, probably from lack of nutrition while bedridden, but even so, he was quite handsome. Mitchel looked especially radiant today too.
“It’s been a while, Sister Mitchel. And Brother James, thank you for coming.”
I set down the weeds I was holding and stood up. As I wiped the sweat from my brow and smiled, Mitchel beamed and hugged James’s arm.
“Yes, James has finally recovered enough strength to go out! James, come on, introduce yourself. This is Saintess Elias, the one who saved us.”
Urged by her, James bowed respectfully to me.
“It’s an honor to meet you. And thank you so much for saving my life.”
At his words, I took off my gardening gloves. James gently took my hand and bowed again in gratitude.
“If it weren’t for you, neither Mitchel nor I would be able to enjoy this happiness.”
“Haha… It’s nothing. I didn’t do it expecting gratitude.”
Honestly, I did it for my own benefit—to acquire materials for crafting the statue of Lady Lillit.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“We’re here to continue work on the statue, of course,” Mitchel replied as if it were obvious.
I was slightly surprised. I had expected it would take longer for her to visit again. After all, her husband had just gotten out of bed after nearly a decade. I figured she’d spend at least a few more days nursing him and enjoying time alone together.
“Ah, I see… You came earlier than I expected. I’ve already prepared the materials, but are you sure? Wouldn’t it be better to spend more time together first—?”
“It’s fine. We have all the time in the world now. That’s why we want to repay the grace we received from you and Lady Lillit as soon as possible. We’ve both decided to devote ourselves to Her will.”
“You mean… Brother James too…?”
“Yes, of course. After receiving such grace, it’s only right to follow Lady Lillit.”
Yes! Just like that, the number of believers increased by two. I smiled in satisfaction and said,
“Then let me show you inside.”
Just then, Teron returned after dumping the weeds.
“Teron, I’ll be back in a bit,” I said, signaling that he should keep working. He seemed to understand and smiled reassuringly.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I led Mitchel and James inside the temple.
“The statue will be placed over there, behind the altar. You see it, right?”
I pointed toward the massive gypsum slab at the back of the sanctuary.
“You can begin working there, Sister Mitchel.”
But Mitchel didn’t respond. She was staring at the gypsum block, then quietly began looking around the temple interior.
Soon, she began taking sculpting tools from her bag and immediately got to work.
Tap. Tap.
“She didn’t have to start right away…”
I tried to stop her.
“Sister, you don’t have to begin right now…”
But James stopped me gently.
“It’s alright, Saintess. Please let her be. Mitchel always starts the moment inspiration strikes. Just bring her some food now and then—she’ll take care of the rest.”
His eyes were full of trust in her, so I simply nodded.
“All right.”
From that day on, Mitchel threw herself into the statue work at incredible speed.
And before long, she completed the face of Lady Lillit.
Tap. Tap.
I stared in awe at the completed statue.
Compared to the sketch Mitchel had shown me, the sculpture was at least twice as beautiful.
It was so vivid, so lifelike—it felt as if Lady Lillit herself might appear at any moment.
‘Truly amazing…’
Her skills were undeniably remarkable. I quietly admired her work for a moment before setting the meal I had brought beside her.
Then, careful not to disturb her, I left the sanctuary in silence.
‘At this pace, the statue should be done in a few days.’
Which meant… it would soon be time to begin that task.
I made mental notes for the afternoon’s duties as I stepped into the dining hall.
“Saintess Elias.”
“Welcome, Elly.”
“Perfect timing. Lunch is ready. Please have a seat, Saintess.”
Inside were Teron and Seria, here for lunch, and Pelles, who had just finished cooking.
I smiled and made my way to the table. Today’s menu was simple: pasta, bread, and salad.
I eagerly dug into my share of pasta. Really, Pelles deserved more recognition for his cooking skills.
Thanks to his meals, I was gaining weight again—and Seria looked like she’d grown taller too.
Seeing the soft, round cheeks on Seria’s face, I smiled fondly.
Children should be healthy and chubby, after all.
I happily continued eating.
Around then, Teron spoke up.
“Saintess, what’s your schedule like this afternoon?”
His expression seemed to be asking—Can I join you again?
To be continued…
