Chapter 11
“Is it the priest’s prayer room on the third floor?”
Anette walked towards the large door at the end of the fourth-floor hallway.
Standing before the grand door, she carefully opened it.
Though smaller than the large chapel she had seen on the second floor, the space was still overwhelming.
The walls were lined with large stained-glass windows, and the ceiling was adorned with a magnificent painting, presumably of the goddess Hella.
Candles flickered throughout the room, and at the far end stood a statue of the goddess.
Long benches, similar to those in the main church, were arranged neatly.
After briefly scanning the room, Anette began cleaning.
However, she had failed to notice something—
A figure dressed in a white priest’s robe was kneeling and bowing before the goddess’s statue.
In reality, this was not the prayer room Anette had thought it was.
There was only one prayer room on the fourth floor, and it was reserved solely for the High Priest.
In the Hella Temple Knights, ranks were determined solely by ability, not by social status, so no one questioned the system.
The same rule applied to the priests.
Their ranks were decided based on their divine power alone, regardless of age or background.
Because of this, history has seen cases where even young priests became High Priests.
The man kneeling in prayer before the goddess’s statue in the High Priest’s prayer room was one such case.
Though he was only in his mid-30s, his exceptional divine power had earned him the highest position before he had even reached adulthood.
He was once a war orphan, yet he was regarded as one of the greatest High Priests in history. His divine power was simply unparalleled.
Noah Castus, the High Priest of the Hella Temple, prayed earnestly.
“All-powerful Goddess Hella, please take pity on these suffering souls and grant us rain. Please, bless us with a rain of hope…”
The continent had been suffering from a long drought.
The capital’s situation was slightly better, but the regions beyond were devastated.
The number of children starving to death due to poor harvests was staggering.
Though the Kingdom of Aureolus was experiencing an era of peace with no recent wars, to those struggling, this was just another kind of war.
As a former war orphan, Noah felt deep sorrow, and he prayed desperately.
His childhood, where he had eaten dirt to survive, was no different from the situation these starving children faced now.
It wasn’t just the hungry who were suffering—everyone was growing weary from the prolonged drought.
If this continued, war could break out, and that was something he had to prevent at all costs.
Even worse, some people were beginning to doubt the existence of the goddess.
Fewer people were applying to work at the temple, and the number of worshippers was steadily decreasing.
It was still manageable for now, but if the drought continued, the goddess’s influence would surely crumble.
“I can’t let that happen.”
Noah Castus wanted the temple to prosper again, and for the rain to return.
He was not only a powerful priest but also a skilled strategist.
He had no desire for wealth or power.
However, the temple needed devoted followers and noble patrons who truly believed in the Goddess Hella.
To keep the temple running, it was necessary to secure large donations from the nobility.
That was the only way to feed more starving children.
Rustle. Rustle.
‘What was that?’
A sound disturbed his intense prayers.
This prayer room was for the High Priest alone. No one else was allowed to enter, and Noah usually cleaned it himself.
Frowning, he slowly straightened his upper body while still kneeling.
Turning around, he looked toward the source of the noise.
It was a young maid.
At that moment, a ray of sunlight streamed through a slightly open window.
She stood in that golden light. Then, she said something strange.
“Oh wow, it’s going to rain tomorrow.”
Noah doubted his ears.
How could a mere human shine so brilliantly, even more dazzling than the sunlight?
‘Is this an illusion?’
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
For some reason, she reminded him of the Goddess Hella.
It was an absurd thought.
“Who are you?” Anette asked.
She had opened the window slightly for ventilation and was about to start cleaning when she noticed the man kneeling before the statue.
‘Wait, he wasn’t there before, was he?’
She hadn’t realized a priest was here. The brown-haired man was frowning at her, clearly displeased that she had interrupted his prayer.
‘What, did he not hear about the cleaning day? Why is he glaring at me like that?’
She wanted to say something but held back.
Then, the man stood up and walked straight toward her without hesitation.
Despite kneeling for so long, his legs didn’t seem to be numb at all.
“You… what did you just say?”
“Huh? About what?”
Was he offended that she had asked who he was?
Holding her broom, Anette instinctively stepped back as he questioned her again.
“You said tomorrow… Does it rain?”
“Oh…”
Noah was desperate.
Who was this girl? What was she, to speak of rain so carelessly?
Rain was nothing more than a distant hope.
Not just the temple—everyone in the land wished for it.
It wasn’t something that could be predicted so lightly.
“Do you even know how long this drought has lasted? Do you understand how serious—”
His voice carried a hint of resentment.
Anette replied matter-of-factly, “Well… it’s going to rain tomorrow.”
She was certain.
She had an extraordinary sense of smell.
In her past life and this one, she had never been wrong about predicting the weather.
The meteorologists were often wrong, but she never was.
This morning, the water had tasted slightly briny, which was always a sign.
And the scent of the breeze coming through the window confirmed it.
By early morning or midday tomorrow, it would rain.
She had even won bets against her coworkers using this ability.
But now, she had no money to place a bet.
“Who… who are you?” Noah asked, looking bewildered.
“Anette. Anette Etheled.”
She hadn’t planned to say her full name.
Whenever people heard the name “Etheled,” they reacted with fear.
But now, she was no longer seen as a villainess—she was considered a victim.
There was no reason to hide it.
“E-Etheled?!”
Noah was shocked.
Etheled.
That was the surname of the fallen royal family, the supposed bloodline of the Goddess.
The last surviving member of that lineage was said to be living with the Duke of Royce.
So why was she standing here?
A terrifying realization hit him.
If it rained tomorrow, just as she had said…
Then she was—
“I need to clean. If you’re done praying, could you leave?”
“…”
Rain of blessings. The bloodline of the goddess. The revival of the Hella Temple. The return of divine power.
Noah’s mind raced.
This girl could bring the temple back to greatness.
“If you don’t believe me, wanna bet?” Anette asked.
“…”
She hesitated—she had no money to bet.
So, she sighed and said, “Never mind… it’s going to rain anyway.”
With that, she shooed him away.
And for some reason, Noah obeyed.
As he left, he peeked back into the prayer room, watching her diligently clean.
‘Why is a noble so skilled at cleaning? And why is the last Etheled here, of all places?’
A thousand questions filled his mind.
But one thing he was sure of—
Rain would never come.
The goddess had abandoned them.
Or so he thought.
The next day at noon, heavy rain poured down.
