Teleporting gates were perfect for travelling between distant lands. However, due to its operation requiring a large amount of mana, as well as potential invasion through teleporting, the number of gates was restricted and managed directly by the government. To travel to Isny village, which was near the South border of Lumovas, Eithne must go through the teleporting gate in the capital, then transit the temple of Peace to arrive at the Southern territory.
The temple of War was located on the outskirts of the capital, so it did not take her long to go to the Central teleportation station. The Capital streets were bustling with all kinds of trading and communication, but Eithne did not have time to observe their liveliness. She carried her suitcase and grabbed the ticket in her hand. It was time for her departure.
In front of the teleportation gate that was as large as a castle’s gate, hundred people gathered with their luggage, while some nobles stayed on horse-drawn carriages waiting for the gate activation. The mages who were responsible for the teleportation attached mana crystals to the power storage of the gate, then they made a signal for the train of passengers to begin their journey. The teleporting gate started to shine brightly.
Eithne stood in the horde. Her height was noticeable among common people. Priests in War temple were normally tall because of their martial art training. Hesata Ragnar and Eithne Noceur grew up together and had the same height, so sometimes she even forgot that people of her age might have different physiques.
The experience of only seeing other people’s heads was quite interesting. Eithne thought.
The passengers walked to the gate and disappeared on the other side of it. When it was Eithne’s turn, she felt an embrace of the warm light before everything turned white. After two seconds, she arrived at a vast piazza next to the majestic temple of the Peace God.
The god of Peace had the highest number of followers in this continent. Their donors were also extremely generous, so the temple was built more glorious and extravagant than any other religious constructions. The temple’s huge columns were crafted from expensive mana crystals and the stairs to the main entrance were covered with shining gold tiles. On the front yard, magnificent fountains were ringing a delightful rhythm of water nymphs. Statues of angels in various postures lined up on the temple’s roof. They were sculpted beautifully and sparkled with diamond dust that could be seen from afar.
“Tch, tch. Look at this. The War God is just a country pumpkin to the Peace God.”
The priestess of War temple exclaimed. Somehow, her courage had risen when she stepped in the god of Peace’s territory. It must be the holy aura of richness that drove her innermost feeling out.
“Cough… Why am I talking such nonsense?”
Nonetheless, one could never be too careful. She let out a fake cough and blamed herself just in case the god of War might hear. Afterall, she still resided in his temple.
Ah shit! She felt cold on her back again.
The priestess grabbed her luggage and ran as fast as possible, hoping the chilliness was just her imagination.
While Eithne was running, she noticed a crowd of people in front of the Peace temple. Those people were receiving free food from the priests, so it must be a charity event.
“Hey, do you know that the Saint will come to the charity event today?” “Really?” “…”
Hm?
Eithne overheard the people who were heading toward the temple.
The Saint of Peace? In her memory, the previous Eithne Noceur had never seen the Saint before. She had only heard many good rumors about him, one of them saying he was a kind-hearted envoy of god. Eithne was quite curious what a saint would look like, so she changed her direction to the temple of Peace.
She got a few hours before her next scheduled teleportation. Taking a peek of a celebrity would not be bad, Eithne thought.
When the priestess came close, the crowd before the temple began to cheer loudly. Eithne could see a person step down the golden stairs. His white attire was more fancy than other priests, so he must be the admirable Saint in rumors. The Saint lifted up the hood that was covering his face.
GASP!
Eithne thought she just saw the most beautiful person in this world.
His hair was pure white, the kind of white which seemed unreal in the mortal realm. He had the eyes that carried a heavenly benevolence, of the will that escaped the grasp of time. In the brilliant sunshine, those beautiful irises shimmered in a green hue of a fresh summer lake. His gentle smile was like a blessing from God to his believer, so holy that it would burn any evilness from this world.
Such… such high-quality public face!!
Eithne wiped the sweat on her forehead. He was so handsome that he made everyone look ugly. Now she understood why the Peace temple had so many devotees. Their public image was completely perfect!
“Oh God!”
Speaking of a temple’s representative, the High Priest of the War temple was also handsome. However, he was already sixty and he rarely smiled. Not everybody could withstand his scary face, so it was understandable that the temple of War was less popular.
Urgh. The priestess frowned. She did not want to remember his nerve-racking gaze again.
The charity event continued after the Saint’s appearance. Eithne went on a walking tour around the vicinity of the temple. Nobles visited this place often, so the priests prepared many picturesque gardens and greenhouses for them. The scenery was even more beautiful than the royal gardens in the capital.
After an hour of walking, Eithne returned to the free food stall. She noticed a woman and her daughter were helping to distribute the bread to poor people. Judging by their luxurious clothes, they were probably aristocrats.
Pale blue eyes… Distinctive pink hair… Huh? They matched the appearance of the female lead in the comic!
Was the little girl possibly the main character?
Eithne observed the two nobles happily handing over the food for the people. The little girl smiled brightly when a beggar thanked her. However, the more Eithne looked at the child, the more her eyebrows furrowed.
“…”
Crick. Crack.
Eithne heard some footsteps on dried leaves behind her. By habit, the priestess intended to walk away, but a silvery voice reached her ears.
“Pardon me. You must be a member of the War temple?”
Eithne turned back.
Below the blazing midday sun, a beautiful figure was smiling at her. The person standing there seemed like a hologram of a celestial being, since everything about him was so unreal.
“My name is Raphael Ascian, a humble servant of the Peace God. May I ask your name?” - The Saint introduced himself.
“My pleasure to meet you. I’m Eithne Noceur.”
Eithne shook his hand. The Saint might recognize a follower of the War God by looking at the crest on her sleeve. He must have noticed her for a while.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t greet you sooner. Is the scenery at the Peace temple to your liking?”
“It’s wonderful.”
“Splendid.” – The Saint smiled.
Eithne nodded. Indeed, the best scenery was in front of her eyes right now.
“I see you’re looking at Madam Gynren and her daughter. They come every month to do charity. Madam is a very charismatic person.”
“It was rare to see nobles being so kind to the poor.”
Eithne nonchalantly replied. She glanced at the Gynren people. The little girl being the female lead was confirmed, but the priestess expressed no emotion.
The two priests stood below the large shade of an old oak tree and exchanged some general words. It was mostly the Saint asking and Eithne answering. The priestess in a dark suit with a cold expression on her face was completely opposite to the kind saint who dressed in white and smiled gently. And yet, they conversed smoothly.
Time passed by while they were talking. Eithne looked at the time on her wristwatch.
“It seems I have to go now.” – She said.
“I see. It was a pity that we have to say goodbye this early.”
“I hope we can meet again in the future.”
“You’re always welcomed at the Peace temple.”
The Saint nodded. Eithne observed him one last time before she went. Seeing up close, his eyes were as clear as mist droplets on a sprout. They seemed to be proving the truthfulness of his statement.
A cool breeze swept through them and headed toward the direction of the piazza, as if it was telling Eithne to hurry to the teleporting gate. She brushed her hair backward using one hand, while the other hand lifted the suitcase.
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“Thank you for today.” – She said.
Since the priestess was taller, she could see Raphael’s soft eyelashes lightly fluttering at her words.
“Have a safe trip.” – He smiled, again.
Eithne nodded and left for the Southern teleportation. Raphael stayed at the same spot until her tall figure disappeared on the other side of the teleporting gate. He glanced at the young lady Gynren, then put up his hood before he left for his next schedule.
After an eyeblink, Eithne walked out from the teleporting gate in the Southern territory’s station. The station was more rustic than the previous teleporting spots. Their security was also less strict compared to the Capital. Nonetheless, the signature warm weather of the South already made her feel great. The priestess took off her long coat and put it in her suitcase. Then, she hired a carriage to travel to the Isny village.
The carriage’s driver pulled the lead line of the horse. After a long neigh, the horse lifted its foot and the carriage rolled its wheels. Eithne plopped down on the back seat and let out a sigh.
“What a tiring day.”
She looked out the window to see the scenery outside, placing her chin on the palm of her hand. Eithne thought she was already involved with all important characters in the comic’s plot.
In the temple, there was a person who would murder Eithne Noceur.
Fighting with Hesata, she met the friend of the male lead.
On her way to meet the male lead, she saw the female lead and talked to the biggest villain of this shit show. Was there anything that could surprise her more?
Eithne squeezed her forehead. There was absolutely no other ‘Raphael Ascian’ in the comic, although she did not expect to meet him there. This villain only appeared once and even wore a mask to cover his entire face in the latest update of the comic. He came to declare a war with Lumovas Empire and ran away. After that, the author seemed to forget about his existence, which they only drew boring moments of the female lead and her sweet food, her cute pet, and some romantic scenes with the male lead.
Eithne did not know what would happen with the villain while the female lead was enjoying her life. Although she was already fed up with the female lead, she could not stop herself from reading the next chapter hoping to see the villain. However, she was reincarnated as Eithne Noceur before the new chapter could arrive.
To summarize this shit show, the female lead whose name Eithne had forgotten, the young lady of the Count Gynren was someone chosen by the god of Peace. Young lady Gynren had a short temper and did not want to be sainted, so she caused many ruckuses and troubles to show she was a bad person. Somehow, it made her attractive to the men. The male lead, whom Eithne going to meet, was a young duke that fell in love with the Count’s daughter. After several lead couple’s dates, a villain was added to create a climax. The villain popped in a royal ball to tell his name and announce Lumovas’s future destruction, then he ran away like a silly prank to the emperor.
The author covered Raphael Ascian’s face with a white mask. He looked like the Saint this morning, wearing a pure white hood, having pure white hair, but his face was erased and replaced by a blank disguise. Could it be that the author was too lazy to color this character?
Honestly, this villain felt like an incomplete product to Eithne. He was a mysterious page that fitted in nowhere in the plot, even his debut was incomprehensible to her.
The priestess leaned back and closed her eyes. In the pitch dark, she saw a white villain whom everyone worked together to kill him. It should be the path of righteousness that the author wanted to show.
However, the image of his back lingered in her mind for a long time.
He stood alone.
“Ha! Now I have seen his face… I wonder what will happen next.”
Corners of her mouth curved up, but her expression was neither happy nor bitter. The young woman gazed at the carriage’s window again. The green scenery outside moved backward in Eithne’s golden eyes, it pushed her vision of a colorless character to a corner of her memory again.
Well, if that villain was truly the Saint, he needed to deal with Demir Noceur and the lead couple before he could destroy their home. If this priestess was still alive in the future, she would try her best to enjoy this live-action shitty show.
__
When the sun slowly sank into distant hills, Eithne finally saw the rural Isny village. In the velvet twilight straddling the dreamy blue sky, a small village naturally merged its presence into the vast green valley. Herds of cattle roamed freely on the young grass carpet, they looked curiously at the stranger walking on the dirt road into the village. Eithne lost her way for an hour before she could reach the house of Monre in the evening.
The family of Monre was preparing their dinner when they heard a knock at the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Coming!”
Rogers Monre, a man who spent his retirement years living with his daughter’s family in the Isny village, had a frugal yet upright appearance. His steady steps and strong body were the results of many years’ dedication to the army, which he had not given up training as the habit of a soldier.
The man opened the door, wondering whether it was his neighbor coming over, but he saw an unfamiliar face instead. The young woman standing in front of his door was taller than every man in this village. Her pale skin and formal outfit looked like the people coming from the Capital, and the suitcase in her hand suggested that she had travelled a far distance.
“You’re…?” – Rogers reluctantly asked.
“I’m Eithne Noceur, or you can address me as Eithne Oranim.” - The woman said.
Then she took out the letter sent by Rogers a month ago as evidence. Rogers quickly recognized his handwriting. He had sent tens of letters to the scattered Oranim family around the world for years but there was not a single reply, so Rogers already gave up the hope that someone would come to him.
“It’s really you! Please come in.”
“Thank you.”
The man was overjoyed, so he stepped aside for her to enter the house. The woman had to bend down to go inside, since she was even taller than the door.
Eithne felt like a colossus travelling in a dwarf's village. Everything gradually shrunk starting from the capital to this small village, particularly the size of buildings. The priestess had not yet adapted to the small house, so she clumsily tried to find a place to stand. The ceiling already touched her hair, so Eithne was making every effort to avoid cobwebs.
The priestess suddenly recalled her superior. Demir Noceur was even taller than Eithne, so if he happened to visit the Monre’s house, the High Priest’s head could dig into the ceiling.
“Oh please excuse my small house. The Capital’s people were always bigger than countryside folks.” – Rogers Monre laughed. “Please sit here.”
“Thank you.”
Eithne gladly accepted her seat. It was way better than standing.
The Monre owned a simple wooden house, but it was noisy and full of lively people. Rogers Monre and his daughter’s family were four people in total, including the newborn grandchild of Rogers. It would be five if the male lead, Rigel Oranim was counted. Eithne noticed several army medals hanging on the wall.
‘So Rogers Monre is a veteran… since the last war was about ten years ago, his son-in-law or daughter should not be there.’ – Eithne thought.
“Rigel should be coming home right now. He works as a cowherd. I’m sorry to keep you waiting for him.” – Rogers said.
“That’s alright. I have plenty of time.”
The man offered her a cup of tea. Eithne drank all the tea at once since she was thirsty, then she lightly placed the cup on the table. The priestess looked directly into Rogers’s eyes and asked.
“Sir Monre. I’m curious how you found out about my residence. Can you please tell me about that?”
“Please call me Rogers, esteemed priestess. I used to be a soldier serving the army under previous General Demir Noceur. Thanks to my connection with my old comrades, I knew the previous general had personally brought a little girl whose last name is Oranim into the temple of War.”
He stopped a bit to slip his tea.
“But I never thought she had grown up this much. Ha ha ha!”
Eithne slightly nodded her head, but quickly, her face stiffened up. Wait what? The High Priest brought her to the temple himself?
How… How ironic! But her memory contained no information about that.
In any case, Demir Noceur being Eithne’s adopter was extremely scary. No, it was horrible to even think about it. The priestess’s eyes were shaking with fear.
Eithne wanted to ask more, but a fragrance of beef soup coming from the kitchen caught her attention.
“You must be hungry. The dinner is ready so would you like to eat with us?”
“It’s my honor. Thank you so much.”
“Oh it’s nothing. Please feel free to make yourself at home.”
Clack!
The house’s door suddenly opened, and a boy cheerfully shout from the doorway:
“I’m home!”
However, he froze immediately at the sight of a stranger sitting in the house. Rogers called him over and pushed the boy in front of Eithne. The priestess tried to smile as friendly as possible, although it was a bit awkward.
“Hello. My name is Eithne Oranim.”
She decided to use her true last name to increase friendliness.
“Nice… Nice to meet you. My name is Rigel Oranim.” – The young boy nervously greeted her.
This child’s hair was as black as charcoal, but he had the eyes of an Oranim, which were bright in golden color. Rigel was shy around the stranger, but as soon as he heard her last name being the same as him, the young boy plucked up his courage to ask the priestess.
“A…Are you my mother’s family?”
“I am a distant relative of your mother.”
Eithne calmly answered. She did neither affirm nor deny him, as Eithne Noceur was no family with the Oranim. She and Nesta Oranim were strangers, but the fact that they share the same blood was undeniable.
Rigel was still astounded that his mother’s relative came here. However, the Monre did not know he was also the son of the late Duke Solinue, since Rogers mentioned Nesta had been hiding the information about Rigel’s father until her death. Eithne did not say anything after that. The priestess guessed Nesta was trying to protect her son from assassination or something, so she should not ruin Rigel’s mother’s effort. If the Monre family had known the blood of late Duke Solinue running inside the orphan, they would not have to find the Oranim day after day.
Actually, Eithne had not been sure what to do with the male lead. There were two years left until the ducal household came to pick him up, so should she help him prepare for that? Well, the comic did show some backstory about the male lead having a hard time to adapt with the etiquette and full-time education.
Nonetheless, they had dinner together and Eithne slept at the Monre’s house for a night. She had to sleep on the floor, since she was too tall to fit in the tiny bed. In the next morning, Eithne followed Rigel and Rogers to the old house of Nesta Oranim. The priestess helped clean the house and decided she would stay there for the next month. Little Rigel also wanted to move back into his mother’s house, so he decided to stay with Eithne.
In the next month, everything happened smoothly. Eithne’s daily routine was helping the Monre family with heavy chores since she was strong, while Rigel continued to herd the cows. In their free time, Eithne would teach him some basic knowledge about etiquette and tell him some random stories about the War temple. The male lead’s inquisitiveness did not let her down. They had become much closer since the first day. Even Eithne could not believe it, she did not know she had such an amazing babysitting skill to properly communicate to a child, but she doubted it was Rigel being tolerant of her…
Hesata face- called Eithne several times to see how she was doing, using his magic calling orb. The orb projected his face into a rectangular screen above it, so Eithne could see the red-haired man on his patient bed.
His face always frowned like a dried raisin whenever he complained about the new peach-related dish of the War temple.
“Peach fried rolls are the most disgusting thing in this world!” – The dried raisin screamed.
The priestess felt sorry and funny at the same time, but above all, she wanted to laugh at his face. However, Hesata threw her a bomb.
“The High Priest is asking about your situation.”
Now Eithne was the second dried raisin.