Chapter 25
“Are you two brothers?”
They didn’t look alike at all. Could this be possible…?
Noah smiled and explained, “All priests who dedicate themselves to the goddess abandon their previous family names and become brothers.”
Wow, how beautiful. Does that mean I’m now Anette Castus too?
Anette’s mind was spinning. Looking at Enoch made her feel peaceful, almost like she was becoming a devoted believer in this religion.
But the moment she turned her head, she remembered her lost money and jewels, making her frustrated all over again.
She needed some peace of mind.
After everything that happened yesterday and this morning, Anette was feeling extremely unstable. She tried to calm herself as she followed them to the main building.
But it wasn’t easy.
It was all because of Enoch’s back.
Even from behind, he was perfect. His broad shoulders and strong build didn’t match the usual image of a priest.
Whoever designed that priest robe saved this world.
And Enoch wore it better than anyone else.
One day, she wanted to see him praying with his eyes closed.
As she walked behind them, Anette couldn’t take her eyes off Enoch’s back.
Eventually, they arrived at the reception room on the first floor of the main building.
Passing by a grand statue of the goddess, Anette, and Noah stepped into the elegant reception room.
Everything about the place was refined, fitting for a temple.
Noah gestured for her to sit. He looked slightly nervous as he smiled.
A little later, Enoch walked in, carrying a wooden tray with teacups. He must have gone to get tea.
He carefully placed a warm cup of tea in front of Anette.
His graceful and polite movements made it impossible for her to look away.
Tea from Enoch… Can I drink something so precious?
“This tea will help calm your mind,” he said.
Oh, perfect. That was exactly what she needed right now.
Anette blew on the hot tea and took small sips. She did start to feel calmer.
For a while, they all drank their tea in silence.
What’s going on?
Anette glanced at Noah.
He was looking down as if trying to find the right words to say.
In the end, Anette, who wasn’t good with silence, spoke up first.
“What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Ah… Well… Do you remember when you told me it would rain?”
“Oh, of course! If we had made a bet, I would have won.”
Not that it would have mattered.
If she had won money, it would have been stolen anyway.
It was better not to bet at all. Losing money would have made her even angrier.
“Yes, you would have won. To be honest, I didn’t believe you. But the next day, there was a huge downpour. It was a blessing after such a long drought.”
But it hadn’t rained again since.
Even though a lot of rain had fallen that day, it still wasn’t enough.
After that, Noah had been thinking a lot. She predicted the rain once, but one time wasn’t enough. He needed more proof.
“Can you tell when it will rain again?”
“Huh?”
Anette stared at Noah in disbelief.
What is this guy saying? Does he think I’m a weather forecaster?
Sure, she could sometimes predict rain with her keen sense of smell, but only a day or two before it happened.
“…I don’t know.”
But judging by the sky, it looked like the rainy season was coming.
Wait, is there a rainy season in this world?
She scratched her cheek, wondering. Even if there wasn’t a proper rainy season, there had to be a wet period.
But she wasn’t sure how long it would last.
“Then how did you predict it last time?”
“I just kind of feel it a day or two before.”
“A day or two before… I see.”
Noah sounded disappointed.
Seeing his reaction, Anette felt a little bad.
Wanting to cheer him up (and maybe impress Enoch), she offered, “If I think it’s going to rain again, should I tell you?”
“Would you?”
Noah’s eyes lit up with hope.
If it rained again, and she could predict it, reviving the temple’s influence wouldn’t be difficult.
Noah was thinking big.
Most people in this continent believed in the Goddess Hella, but the ongoing drought was making them lose faith.
At the same time, the royal family was at its weakest. In times like these, the temple had to take control.
Many nobles, especially those who had a strong chance of inheriting the throne, didn’t trust the temple much.
They donated large sums of money but didn’t truly believe in the goddess.
If the rain returned, Noah had a plan.
He would use Anette.
“The Living Oracle.”
That was the name of his plan.
Anette Etheled had a reputation as a wicked woman, but that didn’t matter.
It was better. Fear could be used to their advantage.
Noah planned to use her influence to strengthen the temple politically—just like when the goddess had first come to this land.
But if it didn’t rain again… If she couldn’t predict it again… His plan would fall apart.
Everything depended on Anette.
“If you predict rain again, would you be willing to pass the message through Enoch?”
“Enoch? How…?”
How was she supposed to contact him?
It would be easiest to just get his phone number, but this world didn’t have phones.
Maybe she could find out where his room was instead…
As if reading her mind, Enoch smiled kindly and said, “I’m usually in the temple’s library. You can always come find me there.”
The library?
Ahh… That suited him so well.
Anette bit her lip and glanced at Enoch again.
His soft brown hair was such a warm and comforting color.
She imagined him sitting alone in the quiet library, sunlight streaming onto his desk as he read a book.
Perfect.
Meanwhile, Noah was observing Anette’s reactions.
Even if she could predict the rain, there was one more problem.
What if she didn’t want to go along with his plan?
But… judging by the way she kept staring at Enoch, convincing her wouldn’t be hard.
That hadn’t been his original intention when bringing Enoch along, but it seemed like Anette had taken a liking to him.
Enoch was the most powerful priest in the temple, second only to Noah.
One day, he would surpass Noah.
And since they had the same goals—to revive the temple and spread the goddess’s influence—Noah trusted Enoch more than anyone.
Feeling confident, Noah said, “If you predict the rain again, I might have a job for you.”
“A job?”
Anette blinked at him.
“Are you offering me a job?”
“Haha, a job? You’re quite funny. But… in a way, yes.”
“Hmm…”
Anette narrowed her eyes.
Judging by the size of this temple, the pay would probably be good.
While she was thinking, Noah added one more thing to seal the deal.
“As a priest, I hesitate to say this, but… It will likely be a lot of money.”
If everything went as planned, this temple would gain enormous wealth and power.
“Oh, then I’ll do it! As long as it’s nothing illegal.”
“Of course.”
Anette answered confidently. If it paid well, she was in!
She loved money, but she would never earn it through illegal or unethical means.
As she listened to Noah, she kept sneaking glances at Enoch.
Every time their eyes met, he smiled warmly at her.
Noah kept talking about the temple’s history, but Anette wasn’t listening.
She was too busy evaluating Enoch.
He seemed perfect.
But could she trust it?
Every attractive man she had met in this temple so far had been weird in some way.
Still, Enoch seemed nice.
She had planned to focus only on making money, but now… things had changed.
She needed to save up enough to buy a house.
And after that, she would find someone kind, handsome, and tall—someone exactly like Enoch.
But something felt off.
It was too perfect.
She had met too many crazy people to believe it so easily.
Could there be a normal man in this temple?
Deep in thought, Anette finally arrived back at the knights’ quarters.
