Episode 15
Since Teron took refuge in the temple, he had consistently and diligently helped with the temple’s work. But this was the first time he had ever asked me a question first.
‘So he wants to come along this time too, huh.’
Then, it suddenly struck me how natural it felt for Teron to be included in this mealtime.
‘Besides…’
Teron had been following my requests well. He kept his quarters tidy and even cleaned up without needing to be asked.
‘Impressive, especially for someone from a prestigious ducal house.’
He was definitely different from other nobles.
‘Then again…’
That might be how he survived in the rotten Piette family in the original story. I gathered my thoughts, ready to tell Teron about the upcoming schedule.
But Seria spoke before I could.
“Brother Teron, since you’re not officially part of our temple but an outsider, there’s no need for you to concern yourself with Saintess Elias’s schedule.”
Seria was smiling. She said it with a smile, but for some reason, the word “outsider” carried a heavy tone.
‘Not just that—she referred to me as “Saintess Elias.”’
Seria had always called me by my nickname, “Elly.” I had never heard her speak so formally before.
As I stood there slightly stunned, Teron, on the other hand, responded as if he had been expecting it.
“No, that’s not quite right. I may be staying here temporarily, but that still makes me an insider for now. That’s why I want to help the saintesses with their work. After all, Saintess Melimas has also treated me as one of her own these past few days, which is why she entrusted me with tasks.”
Then he turned to me and added, “Isn’t that right, Saintess?”
And I couldn’t exactly say no. If I did, I’d be the one treating an outsider as a servant, and that would make me look terrible.
As I hesitated, Seria pursed her lips, seemingly unable to find a counterargument.
‘Her mouth is smiling… but her eyes definitely aren’t.’
And Teron, too, had that same forced smile.
‘Wow… I was completely mistaken.’
I had thought the two of them had fallen for each other at first sight, but that was a huge misunderstanding.
‘I was such a fool.’
The two leads of “Silent Flower”—Seria and Teron—were clearly rivals now.
‘And I seem to be the one they’re competing over.’
Damn it. How did things end up like this?
‘No. I can’t give up hope just yet.’
They were both only seven years old. At that age, fights and squabbles were normal.
‘Besides, there are plenty of love stories that start with bickering.’
It was a classic romance trope I had seen in many stories.
‘I just hope all of this isn’t for nothing.’
I glanced over at Pelles, who was simply chuckling between them, and let out a quiet sigh. Then I turned to Teron and said,
“Our next task is promoting the temple. Once Sister Mitchel finishes the statue, we’ll be opening the temple to the public.”
“Temple promotion?” Teron repeated, surprised.
I nodded calmly and explained,
“Yes. Judging by the current pace, the statue will likely be finished in about a week at most. So I plan to open the temple around that time. Before that, we need to let the nearby villages know about the changes. We also have to make sure they’re aware that the temple is under new leadership.”
Since the Temple of Malianth had now become a temple dedicated to Lady Lillit, a few visitors had come by, only to turn back once they saw the construction. But those who weren’t former followers would have no idea what was going on.
‘That’s why we need to promote it—to spread the word and hopefully gain new believers.’
Especially in a world far behind my modern one in terms of communication, this kind of promotion had to be done on foot.
“Ah, I see,” Teron responded, but then he seemed to fall into thought.
‘That’s understandable.’
Teron was currently in hiding after running away from the Piette family. Even though that family had disowned him, he was still a son of a prestigious ducal house. There were probably people still searching for him.
‘If his identity is exposed during the promotion, they’ll definitely try to retrieve him.’
Worse, they could bring trouble to the temple too. And smart as he was, Teron surely understood that.
“So, will you be joining us?” I asked, already knowing the likely answer.
Just as expected, Teron gently shook his head.
“I wanted to join… but I don’t feel very well today. I think I’ll have to pass this time.”
He looked disappointed, but his gaze remained fixed on me. In contrast, Seria’s expression visibly brightened.
“Then please rest well, Brother Teron.”
Her voice was full of kindness, though Teron’s smile tightened slightly at her words. Still, Seria kept smiling sweetly.
‘They really are just kids.’
After lunch, Pelles, Seria, and I began preparing for temple promotion.
Today’s plan was simple: start by visiting a nearby village called Eden. I figured we could stop by the slums we’d visited before and then head to Eden.
As I finalized the route in my head, preparations were completed.
“Did you pack all the bread?” I asked Pelles, who was carrying the bundles. He replied with a cheerful smile,
“Yes, I packed plenty!”
“Good. Let’s head to the slums first—before the bread gets cold.”
With that, I took the lead, and Seria quickly caught up beside me and grabbed my hand.
“This is our first time going out together, isn’t it?”
Seria smiled brightly. Her innocent grin lifted my mood as well.
“It is.”
Even though this was Seria’s first outing, and we were headed to the slums…
“Are you sure you’re okay with going there?”
“Of course! Lady Lillit loves all people equally—whether rich or poor. Right?”
“Right. That’s exactly what she told me.”
It was something I had once heard from Lady Lillit herself.
‘If that’s what Lady Lillit believes, then I’ll follow her example.’
Seria was always pure-hearted and kind—as long as Teron wasn’t involved.
‘I’m still not sure what happened between those two…’
Anyway, the three of us headed for the slums.
Pelles had packed extra bread to give out to the people there. Since food was scarce in the slums, bread would serve as an excellent promotional tool.
‘Especially since Pelles’s bread is incredibly tasty.’
We descended the hill and entered the slums through the winding alleys of the village.
“There she is! The Saintess!”
“It’s the Saintess of Lady Lillit’s temple!”
The people immediately recognized us and rushed over.
‘Must be because I helped the children last time.’
I had expected a reaction, but being surrounded like this was still overwhelming.
“What brings you here today? Do you need our help?”
“Just say the word! We’ll do anything!”
They were all excited even before hearing what we came for. I raised my hand to calm them down.
“Everyone, please relax. That’s not why we’re here.”
“Then what is it…?”
As they looked on curiously, I signaled to Pelles. He set down the bundle and opened it up, letting the warm aroma of fresh bread spread through the slums.
“We’re here to promote the soon-to-open temple of Lady Lillit. Our temple will be opening its doors soon, so please come visit.”
As Pelles and Seria handed out the bread, I continued speaking.
“Oh my, really?”
“Thank you so much for this delicious bread!”
“We’d just run out of food today…”
I had worried the slum residents might feel offended by the bread giveaways—but thankfully, they all received it warmly.
‘What a relief.’
I smiled and added,
“Do you remember how I helped the children last time?”
“Of course!”
“How could we forget?”
“Thank you again!”
I pointed to the sky.
“That, too, was only possible thanks to Lady Lillit. She told me to care for all of you.”
“Oh… is that so… Lady Lillit…”
“So I hope you’ll visit our temple sometime and pray. Lady Lillit doesn’t ask for money or riches. All she needs… is your faith.”
I didn’t know how many of them would become actual followers.
But maybe… just one or two hearts might be moved today.
With that hope, I kept promoting.
“Also, on every holy day, we’ll be offering a free meal to all who come, so please stop by.”
“Ohh! Then we’ll definitely visit!”
“Me too!”
Thanks to the corruption of the former priests of the Temple of Malianth, we were financially stable enough to afford free meals for at least ten years.
So, after successfully completing the first round of promotion in the slums, we took a short break before moving on to the second round in Eden.
To be continued…
