“Episode 54”
Sharo wiped away the tears flowing fiercely down her cheeks.
For generations, the popes had protected the north by driving out the sorcerers who opened the gateway to the underworld. They killed demons and purified the land.
It was a forgotten place in the world. But Sharo had always admired her mother. She respected the pope, who stood in that position like a sturdy winter tree rooted in the mountains, just like her mother.
“If I step down from this position, you will die.”
Neimia said as she wiped her daughter’s tears. She calmly imparted her wisdom.
“If Dorswell’s influence, intertwined with the royal family, grows further, he will covet my position. Oh, he’s already coveting it. What will he do if he becomes the pope? The royal family has already analyzed our faction, found it useless, and won’t invest or protect it. Dorswell won’t hesitate to use you and my priestesses as pawns.”
“Mother…”
“Sharo, I will assist the pope.”
The eldest priest among the priestesses stood by Sharo’s side.
“And if by chance the pope goes astray, I will assist you.”
“Yes, all twelve of us priestesses.”
Silent Sharo realized her own weakness. She despised herself for being so weak that she couldn’t even protect her mother’s position. In her mother’s arms, who had decided to sell her daughter for the sake of saving her and betrayed the name of the pope, only the sound of her sobbing echoed in the silent lake.
***
After that day, whether Sharo was gloomy or not, the wheels of time continued to roll forward.
Enough time had passed for rumors about the secretive group of the pope’s followers reaching the ducal estate.
Ten days were sufficient. During that time, the trial date was also announced. The tension between the ducal estate and the royal family became even more strained.
Evan dissipated his anxiety by focusing solely on winning the trial.
His recent focus was on discrediting Lucian’s saintliness and exposing his folly to the world. To achieve this, he had allied with the pope and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. The gateway to the underworld, firmly established in Emerald Lake, would serve as evidence of their contract.
The polluted Emerald Lake sparkled even more beautifully as the days went by, reflecting the spring sunlight. Every time the lake shimmered more brightly under the spring sun, Evan’s anxiety diminished.
It seemed that only Yuliana Oben and Sharo were becoming increasingly anxious. Although they didn’t disclose the reason for their anxiety, they instinctively realized each other’s vulnerability to the anxiety.
Yuliana got up early in the morning, walked near the lake, and looked through the window at Sharo, who was still with her mother.
“Yuliana.”
Evan, who happened to wake up early and was still wet from the shower, hugged her from behind.
“Evan.”
Yuliana sighed softly as she called her husband’s name and obediently went into his embrace. With his face buried in her lush red hair, Evan spoke softly.
“Are you worried because the trial date has been announced?”
Yuliana couldn’t grasp the underlying anxiety, so she was perplexed about what to do. She shook her head, unable to speak, and lowered her gaze.
“What kind of feeling?”
She wanted to tell him how ignorant and reckless their enemy was, how they would twist so many things to capture her and use her real life as collateral.
But, there was too little evidence to put into words.
Moreover, Evan’s specialty was mental attacks. She couldn’t risk telling him the truth about the ‘story’ that had already taken place in her world. She couldn’t confide in him alone, leaving herself vulnerable.
So instead of expressing her feelings, Yuliana brought up the topic of the unique sacred power possessed by the High Priestess.
“Do you know that once someone has experienced memory loss, they live with holes in their mind, you know?”
Evan suddenly stiffened.
Intentionally bringing up his trauma made Yuliana pause for a moment and lower her head.
“I’m not trying to say you’re wrong twice. I wanted to talk about your health. Ever since you were young, you’ve been conducting various experiments with your mind and memories, right? Maybe you’re in a more vulnerable situation than me, who has actually experienced memory loss. Before the trial starts, I plan to ask Sharo to take care of your treatment.”
The original episode mentioned a story about ‘Shasan.’
The heroine and Evan, who had embarked on a mission to suppress the barbarians, were trapped in Shasan without being able to move and experienced ‘memory loss’ due to the dark sorcerer of the barbarians. At that moment, Sharo appeared and fully restored their minds.
In the original, ‘Sharo’ was described only as a wandering priestess, without any mention of being Neimia’s daughter or a disciple of the Old Faith. Despite the differences in information about her, Yuliana didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have Sharo, who had helped in the original story, whether it was ‘her’ or not. The attempt was worth a try.
Putting aside her complicated thoughts, Yuliana stroked Evan’s cheek and reassured him, saying, “I’m afraid we still have something to worry about.”
“Yuliana.”
“Yes?”
Evan moved his slightly moist lips. His lips, as red as blood, parted, and words slowly emerged from between them.
“I can protect you. I always have. But who is that woman? What is she that makes you so tormented and anxious?”
To Evan’s question, Yuliana smoothly smiled.
Jealous of the torment that completely absorbed all her anxieties, Yuliana felt sorry for him and said again, “Did you forget what I said? You have only one thing you can do.”
“….”
She kissed Evan’s lips gently, almost teasingly.
“You’re a good listener. That’s all for now.”
After pressing her doubts, she ignited his long-standing guilt.
“This is your chance to heal your mind with holes. The man suitable for me is someone who is proper.”
“….”
Evan remained silent as if his throat was blocked. Yuliana brushed his stiff back and whispered.
“It’s someone who properly feels fear and withstands it.”
He had stored memories to escape from the memories of childhood abuse and erased all the emotional storms he had experienced. He had tried to save Yuliana using the same method but failed. His wife was now teasing him, pointing out his old guilt.
Evan realized the torment of that fact. He submitted to his wife’s already closed lips with a trembling gaze.
‘Evan…’
And as Yuliana looked at him, she felt another anxiety within herself.
She couldn’t let her husband’s guilt continue to be the standard for his actions. She hugged him as if he were crumbling, and let out a heavy sigh on his cheek.
She wished she could become salt. Salt that melted in his blue ocean-like eyes for a moment. Then, their mutual anxieties and guilt wouldn’t clash.
After Evan, who got up early in the morning with Yuliana and went to the Royal Palace Knights, Sharo was summoned to the reception room in the afternoon on the same day.
Sharo showed signs of not knowing how to behave in front of the elegant lady. She felt like she was shrinking, often stroking her tousled hair. Even though she was a guest staying in the Ducal Mansion and was receiving a proper compensation, she always felt that way in front of her.
Yuliana Oben was a person who unknowingly intimidated others. It was also because of her remarkable beauty.
Her lips, which emitted a chilly aura when silent, gradually parted. It was quite a while after Yuliana had spoken first and a long time had passed.
“No, I want to borrow the power of the priestess.”
Yuliana said jokingly. She winked as she alternated between sipping tea and nibbling on snacks, as if she were sharing a secret with a friend.
Suddenly, Sharo remembered how susceptible she was to beauty.
Perhaps it was because she had mainly attended religious and priestly classes at Shasan. She was sensitive to external stimuli. There was a reason why her mother and the surrounding priestesses teased Sharo with the sudden arrival of young nobles like a storm.
However, Sharo decided to follow her own heart and not get involved with the noble families anymore. As if rejecting a secret friend, she timidly uttered words of refusal, trying to escape the gaze of the duchess.
“My, my power is too weak to assist the duchess… No, wait, why do you need my divine power?”
“Because there’s something wrong with your head.”
“….What?”
Embarrassed by her impulsive remark, the duchess cleared her throat gracefully and continued.
“In other words, it’s a bit crazy.”
“W-what…”
Sharo was at a loss for words. Seeing her like that, Yuliana secretly chuckled.
Despite being the same age of twenty, their attitudes were quite different.
Having been surrounded by loving priestesses and her mother, Sharo seemed a bit younger even when she was quiet. Observing Sharo like a younger sister, Yuliana calmly spoke. It was time to get to the point.
“The trial date has been set. It’s a trial involving the participation of the sacred priests and the emperor.”
“I guess the nobles refused to participate, as expected?”
“Whose help do you think it was? All thanks to my husband.”
“Haha…”
Sharo awkwardly laughed. She was aware that both local nobles and capital nobles were trembling over which side to take due to the recent fierce struggle between the royal family and the noble families.
Yuliana smiled and continued.
“It might be a difficult situation for the sacred priests as well. I wonder if they didn’t expect it to be so deeply entangled?”
At Yuliana’s words, Sharo furrowed her brow slightly and replied.
“Impossible. The sacred priests and Duswell always coveted the position of the pope. But even so, they didn’t want to get involved in the northern border. It’s because the appearance of demons and magicians was delayed for centuries due to our pursuit.”
Sharo bit her lip thoughtfully.
The greed of the sacred priests was growing day by day. Unable to obtain the position of the pope without ‘justification,’ they planned to ‘create’ their own saint with the help of the royal family and then ascend to the position of pope with the help of that saint.
And when the appalling news from the capital arrived, the nobles, who had been unable to hide their anxiety, were the first to reach out to the aristocrats.
Perhaps it was because the aristocrats had saved them during the suppression of the northern territories. They left with trust in that connection.
And after arriving, they realized that it wasn’t just a fight between the sacred and themselves, but a fight between the royal family and the aristocrats in which they had deeply involved themselves.
Now that they had come this far, there was no turning back. Therefore, Sharo, who had finally decided to use each other and be used, composed herself and spoke.
“Would I be of any help to the duchess and her husband? In ten days, the trial of purity will be held. Preparing for the trial…”
As Sharo asked her question, Yuliana replied firmly, her eyes sparkling.
“I’ll win this trial anyway. A few stupid nobles who followed me will come out and make a few stupid testimonies. Some priests who criticize my sinful past will make a few rude remarks. While this may embarrass the noble families under my command… it won’t be fatal. When I think about it carefully, there are quite a few strange things. Why did the royal family suddenly proceed with this matter, which cannot be a fatal blow?”
