CHAPTER 29
. The High Priest’s Plan (5)
Once again, I’ll probably end up spending my whole life serving others, letting my soul be worn down in the process.
I’m so afraid of that kind of life now.
‘Then wouldn’t it be better for a child this earnest to inherit my divine power instead?’
Whatever Talos is planning, he won’t be able to harm her if she receives it.
I took a deep breath and cleared my mind.
If I’m going to be selfish, I should go all the way.
‘Alright, go! My hand, move!’
I gripped Armene’s hand tightly and whispered with all my heart.
“…Sister, you can do it.”
If I have any power left, it’ll surely help her.
Go on, my divine power. Go to your new master.
Armene blushed and hesitated.
“A-Actually, before I came here…”
“Hmm?”
“I was really scared of demons. My hometown is in Karon, you see…”
“Mhm.”
“But now that I’ve met you, Princess… I think… my opinion of demons might change a little.”
“Mmhmm…”
It was a touching story—but I was only half-listening.
Why?
Why isn’t anything happening?
‘Why? Power, move! Flow through these joined hands!’
I wasn’t trying to cast healing or a barrier. I was just ordering it to flow naturally, like pouring water.
But the divine power that always responded to my consciousness didn’t budge.
It refused to leave my body.
It refused to acknowledge Armene as the 14th Saintess.
‘Are you saying a child like her still can’t become the Saintess? Or…!’
Suddenly, I remembered the room the 12th Saintess had dragged me into.
‘That room with the jewel! Could it be that the divine power can only be passed down there? But still…!’
That means if I want to pass it on, I’ll have to return to the Holy Nation.
That realization crushed me.
“I’m really glad I got to meet you, Princess—Princess?”
“Hh-huuuhhh…”
“Princess, what’s wrong?! Was it something I said?!”
“Snff… N-no…”
Even though Armene was flustered, tears pricked my eyes.
I clenched my teeth and shook my head furiously.
“Y-your s-story w-was just… s-so touching…”
“Oh my! Even the Demon Princess has such a kind heart!”
Armene exclaimed in awe, and fresh tears rolled down my face.
Someone save me…
“Princess, are you feeling a little better?”
“Y-yeah…”
Embarrassed, I wiped my eyes in front of Armene.
‘God, how humiliating…’
I actually cried in front of a much younger girl.
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been holding everything in for so long?’
Ever since I awakened as ‘Elysion,’ the burden had been pressing down on me.
Still, I changed the subject to avoid showing it.
“Sister, what about your family?”
“Oh. Um…”
“Will it be okay to live in the temple, away from them?”
“…They were already gone before Karon burned.”
Armene lowered her gaze.
“My mom, my aunt… they’re all dead.”
“…”
“I guess I’m lucky I could live in the temple…”
A girl like her… it really would be better if she had my divine power.
I wiggled my fingers again.
‘Hey, divine power! Please, just go to her! I’ll accept it!’
But the divine power only swirled inside me.
So damn stubborn.
When I looked distressed, Armene gave me a gentle smile.
“Well then, shall we return to the banquet hall, Princess?”
“Huh?”
“Your maid is probably waiting. I think more guests have arrived too…”
Just like she said, I could hear faint voices beyond the door.
It sounded like Rete arguing intensely.
“…Such insolence!”
“Step aside, daughter of demons.”
“You can’t enter without Her Highness’s permission—!”
Bang! The door burst open.
Armene shrank back when she saw who stood on the threshold.
“Sir Talos…”
“Saintess.”
The bastard I hated more than anything had shown up again.
‘Talos… wow, I’ve never seen him look this disgusted before.’
He often looked displeased when dealing with me, but now—his face was filled with contempt as he looked at Armene.
Even I was shocked by the sheer hatred on his face.
Then he turned to me with a look like he’d bitten into a rotten fruit.
“Princess of Tartarus. If your conversation is finished, we’ll be taking our Saintess now.”
“What? Wait—!”
“Let’s go, Fourteenth.”
That bastard just cut me off?!
I was about to explode when the girl beside me slowly stood up.
To my surprise, she was trembling.
Still, Armene managed to give me a polite smile.
“Well then… I hope you enjoy the rest of the festival.”
“Ah…!”
I reached out, but Talos stepped between us.
“Then we’ll be taking our leave—”
“Waidd!”
Talos froze mid-step at my shout.
A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
‘Ugh, I still sound like a toddler when I’m upset. So embarrassing!’
But I lifted my reddening face proudly and stared him down.
I’d always wanted to ask this.
What is a “Saintess” to you, that you treat her like this?
What the hell was I to you?
“…Why don’t you treat the Saintess with care?”
“What…?”
“The last one… died, right?!”
“…”
“Then you should treat this child well!”
Talos opened his lips slightly, then smiled as if amused.
“My, my. It seems the Princess of Tartarus has grown quite fond of our Saintess.”
“…!”
“Though I may seem harsh…”
His smile twisted into something strange.
The kind that said, “What would a brat like you know?”
“I care deeply for Her Holiness.”
“…”
“But… no one can replace the 13th.”
He turned his head away from me.
‘Is he looking at Armene?’
But his eyes were fixed on some far-off place.
His final words were soft, without sarcasm.
“…She was like the moon in the night sky.”
My face twisted at that ridiculous lie.
Liar. Your mouth is full of nothing but spit and nonsense.
As Rete glared at him and came to my side, Talos and Armene finally left.
Rete picked me up with a grinding of her teeth.
“That rude little bastard. He leaves without even being dismissed.”
“…It’s fine. What good would catching him do…”
“Sigh. You’re right. Shall we return to the Persen Palace now—”
That’s when we heard someone running down the corridor.
The intruder had left, but now our resident menace showed up.
“Master Rete! There’s chaos outside!”
“Young Master? What happened?”
“My brother just arrived on a dragon!”
“The Archduke and his dragon don’t even count as ‘big news’ anymore…”
“But he brought a bunch of weird humans with him!”
Rete held me tighter at those words.
Then she rushed down the corridor with Ares.
“Young Master, where are those people now?”
“I saw them in the garden!”
“Don’t tell me what Prince Alcyone said was true…”
The three of us ran to the garden, where people were already murmuring.
We could overlook a dragon in the garden.
What really mattered was—!
‘Those guys! The ones Drakon and Minte captured…!’
I recognized them immediately.
Some were unconscious, their faces swollen, but I could never forget them.
‘That one! That’s Sisyphus! The bastard who ditched me!’
He was one of the Ninth Priests who vanished while I was suffering in Karon.
And judging by their clothes, they were all from the Holy Nation.
‘But their outfits aren’t standard temple garb…?’
Almost like they were trying to hide where they came from…
‘And they have high sensory abilities.’
The puzzle pieces clicked into place.
They hadn’t come to attend the banquet.
‘They’re here to find something in demon territory. But the only thing worth leaving the capital temple for is…’
…my power.
