Chapter 010
Sonia was earnestly praying to Magnus, the god.
Squeak—the closed door to the prayer room opened, and priests walked in. When they saw Sonia sitting inside, they froze for a moment.
“Oh, it’s Priest Sonia!”
“Hello, Priest Sonia.”
Hearing her name, Sonia’s eyes flickered. The priests who made eye contact with her smiled widely. They were some junior priests she had met a few times before.
“Hello, priests.”
Two of the priests, who had greeted her, beamed with joy.
“Ah, she acknowledged us!”
“Priest Sonia, is the rumor true?”
The priests’ eyes were sparkling with excitement.
Since Schwarz’s visit, other priests had started treating Sonia like a celebrity.
She was the only priest with healing powers, and she had sent back the fierce Grand Duke away.
“What rumor are you talking about?”
“They say Priest Sonia sent Duke Lyndmere back!”
“That’s right. The duke confessed all his sins and was reformed in just three minutes!”
“I bet no high-ranking priests could make him repent that quickly. And the duke was the infamous mad dog of the empire!”
“We’re really curious about how you persuaded him!”
What were they talking about?!
‘Reformed? Repent for his crimes?’
He ran an assassination group and eliminated anyone who threatened him without a trace.
He never regretted anything and was always bold.
The rumor about Schwarz’s visit seemed to be growing more exaggerated.
It didn’t help that, unlike last time, he left peacefully.
If this rumor reached Schwarz’s ears, it would cause unnecessary trouble, so Sonia decided to set the record straight.
“I only served tea to the duke until the conference ended.”
The priests looked at each other with doubt, not satisfied with her answer.
“That’s strange. There’s no way the duke only had tea and left.”
“That’s right. Last time, he threatened to kill the priest who guided him. It was a huge mess.”
“The commander of the knights had to step in and barely sent him away.”
They were talking about how Schwarz, who had been mistreated as an illegitimate child, went wild and threatened to kill a priest.
“It was really just tea. He had one cup and left.”
“Really?”
Seeing the priests’ skeptical expressions, Sonia added another detail.
“Well… I also spoke with him for a brief conversation. Not a prayer, just casual chat.”
At this, the priests’ eyes lit up even more.
“So, did the duke fall for you, Priest Sonia?”
“That’s right! That’s the only explanation!”
Why is this conversation getting so strange?
“No, that’s not it! Absolutely not.”
“Ah, you’re being humble! There’s no way the duke would leave just after one cup of tea. He must have fallen for you the moment he saw you!”
The conversation was becoming more and more bizarre.
Just as things were getting awkward, the door to the prayer room opened, and a new priest appeared.
He was wearing the robes of a cardinal. Sonia and the other priests in the room bowed their heads.
The cardinal spoke.
“Are you Priest Sonia?”
“Yes.”
“The Holy One is asking for you. Please follow me to the Holy Palace. I will guide you.”
Perfect timing!
Sonia saw this as an opportunity to escape the awkward situation.
The priests, surprised, covered their mouths and stared at her as she left.
Oh no, it seems like a new misunderstanding has formed.
Please don’t imagine anything strange!
After Sonia left for the Holy Palace, the remaining priests exchanged their thoughts.
“Did you hear?”
“Yeah, they said the Holy Palace.”
“Priest Sonia is about to be officially promoted. She’s probably going to join the Holy Palace.”
“She has rare healing powers, after all!”
“The Holy Palace really knows how to spot talent!”
Although they whispered so only they could hear, the prayer room was so quiet that it was hard not to overhear.
New priests had entered the prayer room by now.
One of them interrupted the conversation.
“Priests, what were you just talking about?”
“Priest Leia.”
Leia was also from a noble family, like Sonia.
She was also one of the junior priests who was about to be officially promoted.
“Could you repeat what you just said?”
“Oh, Priest Sonia?”
“Yes.”
The two priests, who had been talking about Sonia, exchanged glances.
‘If we had known Priest Leia had entered, we wouldn’t have said anything…!’
She was very competitive and didn’t like having superior junior priests. She would often try to eliminate her competitors.
Most priests were commoners, so they couldn’t withstand her bullying, especially with her being from a prestigious Marquis family.
Priests who got on her bad side often ended up being expelled from the temple.
“It wasn’t… anything special.”
“Don’t dodge the question! Tell me everything right now!”
The priests hesitated, but Leia’s pressure made one of them speak up.
“…A little while ago, the cardinal took Priest Sonia to the Holy Palace.”
Leia’s expression turned even darker.
It seemed clear that Leia had set her sights on Sonia as her next target.
The priests, sensing trouble, quickly fled.
Leia was left alone, biting her lower lip in frustration.
She was the daughter of a marquis family, so she believed she should be the one receiving special treatment, not someone from a mere count’s family.
‘My family has donated so much money!’
To reduce the probationary period, a considerable amount of money had been invested.
Naturally, she was expected to receive the highest evaluation, making her the top candidate among this batch of junior priests.
Currently, Leia held the position of the top-ranking junior priest. However, with Sonia’s rising reputation, it seemed possible that she might lose that top spot and be relegated to second place.
It seemed the Holy Palace was giving Sonia more special treatment, especially after hearing she was summoned there.
‘She doesn’t even have any special abilities!’
Even though healing attributes were rare, if she didn’t awaken her full potential, her powers would be useless.
Small wounds would heal naturally while traveling to the Holy Country, so why bother with healing spells?
Using a holy water that heals wounds would be much more efficient!
Leia had often crossed paths with Sonia.
Sonia didn’t seem to have any exceptional traits.
‘Did she donate more money than me?’
While her family wasn’t as wealthy as the Theodore Count family, they were still quite rich.
At any rate, it was an insult to be rated lower than the daughter of a mere count.
There were just a few days left until the formal priest ceremony.
Leia thought she could somehow find a way to cancel Sonia’s promotion before then.
‘I’ll handle it, but I also need to ask my brother for help.’
On the way to the Holy Palace, the cardinal who had come to fetch Sonia spoke.
“My name is Isaac, and I serve His Holiness. It is said that you know His Holiness’s secret, Priest Sonia?”
Was he referring to Cassius being the Alpha of the supernatural powers?
Sonia knew about it, but she couldn’t just reveal His Holiness’s secret.
After all, only His Holiness himself or someone very close to him would mention such secrets.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Isaac, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned sharply.
“You’re clever. You may respond like this from now on.”
It seemed like he was testing whether Sonia could keep a secret.
She smiled lightly, and Isaac resumed walking, speaking again.
“His Holiness summoned you to the Holy Palace because he wants you to join the Holy Palace.”
Cassius had promised to help Sonia.
Could it be that His Holiness was planning to offer her a position at the Holy Palace so that she could respond quickly if something happened?
If she joined the Holy Palace, she could rise to a high-ranking priest in no time.
That would normally be something to look forward to, but there was an issue.
In order to become a full-fledged priest, Sonia needed to receive a recommendation from the priest in charge, followed by a year of various activities to accumulate points.
Only the top-ranked priest could join the Holy Palace.
For months now, the top rank had been held by Leia, the daughter of the Marquis of Sepentus.
Sonia had been in the position between 3rd and 5th place.
“I don’t have enough points to join the Holy Palace.”
“Priest Sonia, you’ll soon receive special points.”
Was he implying that the points would be manipulated?
Given that it was rumored that nobles’ children easily return to secular life, if Sonia were promoted through manipulation, it would surely lead to gossip and rumors.
Sonia didn’t want a position she hadn’t earned.
“God Magnus will never forgive dishonesty.”
She firmly rejected the idea of point manipulation.
“It is a legitimate reward. The additional points have been requested by other priests, not by me or His Holiness.”
“Who requested them?”
“The priests who accompanied Duke Lyndmere.”
Those were the intermediate priests who had placed Sonia in front of Schwarz. They were the ones who had stayed in the background while Sonia took all the responsibility. It made sense that they would receive points for their efforts, especially since dealing with Schwarz was mentally exhausting.
Sonia thought she could accept this as a legitimate reward.
“I would be honored to be summoned to the Holy Palace.”
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