Chapter 241
On our way to the Akates Temple to find the prophet, Lilith asks, "Will it be okay? I mean, the professor's portrait."
"What can we do if he wants to have it?"
Even if the mayor's interest in Silveryn went beyond simple curiosity to darker intentions, there was not much we could say about it. With her beauty, it would be stranger if no one had such thoughts. Given that she attracted the attention of male students while teaching at Eternia, it was quite predictable. The mayor's power was unlikely to influence Silveryn. Unless he was acting hysterically towards me out of jealousy.
We returned to the “Street of Light” where we had visited on the first day to see the sky sailship launch ceremony.
The street still bore clear traces of the chaos. Workers were busy repairing damaged buildings and clearing debris.
We stopped in front of the temple.
Bricklayers hanging from ropes were applying mortar to the cracked parts of the temple.
And the cathedral that the sky sailship had crashed into remained exactly as we had last seen it, except for the melted ice. The broken spire precariously balanced on top looked oddly artistic.
The area around the temple was heavily guarded by Guardians.
As we tried to approach the temple, Guardians rushed to block us.
"This area is off-limits. Go back."
"Is it closed today?"
"Get lost. Can't you see? It's restricted until the investigation is over. Are you the culprit? Did you come to destroy evidence?"
He rudely pushed my shoulder. The Guardians who had always been respectful before now respond with sharp hostility.
Suddenly, a basket flew out of nowhere and hits one of the Guardians hard.
"Hey, you blockheads."
The Guardians who were hit turn pale and salute.
"District Captain Mason."
"You're accusing the person who prevented a major disaster? You lot who just stood there gawking even as the sailship was about to destroy everything."
They look at me up and down with surprised faces and stammer, "The one who prevented the disaster... the meritorious... no, ah, we're sorry."
"You go and bring more water and mortar. Get lost."
The Guardians who were on guard leave as if fleeing.
Then District Captain Mason greeted us.
"You're from the Eternia delegation, right? Please understand my subordinates' rudeness. They've been working without sleep since the incident."
"It's fine. It's their job to stop uninvited guests."
"Ahem, may I ask why you've come back to the temple? As you know, entry is only possible if you have a valid reason, given the need to preserve the scene."
"We've come on behalf of someone named Westwood to investigate. We're here to see the priest. It's unrelated to the sailship."
I thought he would ask questions, but he nodded without probing further. It seemed he had no intention of interrogating us strictly despite his words. He signaled to his subordinates guarding the temple door.
Lilith looked up at me with sparkling eyes, as if proud.
I entered the temple.
A chapel with a high ceiling. Colorful light entered through windows decorated with stained glass. Surprisingly, the interior showed no signs of damage.
A priestess sitting alone at the front of the pews rose and turned around abruptly.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"We have permission from the District Captain. We're looking for someone."
"What business do you have with the priests? Everyone else has evacuated except for me."
"We heard there's a prophet named Proxima here."
The priestess's eye twitched slightly. Then she spoke again with a gentle face, "...Ah, please wait a moment."
The priest hurriedly left somewhere. About a minute passed. The priest returned, walking threateningly with a basket.
Splash!
Suddenly, she doused us with water. Then she shouted with a voice full of resentment, "You shameless ones. Did another arrogant city councilor send you? No, looking at your clothes, you're from the Jernia family. Did you think I'd spill everything out of fear! You shamelessly come looking for Priestess Proxima again even knowing her circumstances? Are you determined to suck her dry to the bone now?"
I was hit with water, but looking now, my body was covered with a fine frost-like powder.
Did Priscilla protect me in that instant?
However, Lilith was drenched from the water splash and looked miserable with her wet clothes.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding. We're a delegation from Eternia."
"What nonsense... Huh?"
"We've come looking for Priestess Proxima at the request of old man Westwood."
"Westwood? Oh, my! J-just a moment!"
The priestess ran off somewhere again with a startled face.
Lilith looked at me silently with her soaked face. It was a reproachful look asking why I didn't protect her too.
"My sword defended on its own."
"..."
She must be very upset, having dressed up nicely only to have it ruined. I wiped the water off Lilith's face with my sleeve and said, "You look pretty even when wet."
"..."
Lilith made an even more sullen face, as if asking for more comfort.
Just then, the priest returned with towels. She started vigorously rubbing Lilith's head.
"Kyaa!"
Lilith screamed as if her hair was being pulled.
"I'm sorry. Oh dear, what have I done. I didn't recognize you. If you're the Eternia delegation, you're the group with that special meritorious person, right?"
After drying off all the moisture, Lilith's hair was a mess.
"Meritorious person?"
"I heard someone stopped the sky sailship with mysterious abilities. The priests are so grateful that not a hair on their heads was harmed. Please convey our thanks to that person."
"Well, it's embarrassing to say, but that was me."
The priest covered her mouth with both hands in shock.
***
Lilith changed from her soaked dress into a plain nun's habit and sat at the table.
The priestess served us warm tea and sat across from us.
"High Priestess Proxima isn't here."
"Did she evacuate like the other priests due to the risk of roof collapse?"
"No, the High Priestess disappeared long ago."
"Did she give up her role as a prophet?"
The priest shook her head.
"It's not so much that she gave up, but rather that she couldn't endure it anymore. She said she would save her last prophecy since she didn't have much life left, and then she left."
"Life left? Does prophecy require a price?"
"Everything comes with a price. If you disrupt God's plan... the price is even greater."
"You mentioned earlier that she took on a curse, is that related?"
The priest nodded with a stern face.
"There are many prophets in the world, but none who can glimpse God's plan. Priestess Proxima was a prophet capable of that. She even stayed in the Holy City as a candidate for sainthood when she was young."
"Candidate for... sainthood?"
"Yes, but she quit on her own, saying it wasn't the path she wanted. And she went on the path of a prophet. She turned her blessed divine power into foresight to help the pitiful. Born as God's agent, she rebelled against God and went against all His will. If she had been more ambitious, she might still be in the Holy City now."
A saint. It was hard to believe such a story that seemed so far removed from reality. It was like listening to the boasts of a drunkard claiming he could have become emperor but gave it all up to return home.
"Could you continue with the story about the curse?"
The priest's gaze turned to empty space. It was a look deeply immersed in past memories.
"...A curse falls upon those who disrupt God's plan. We call it the 'Prophet's Curse'. It's not like lightning strikes from the sky and leaves a mark saying 'this is a curse'... but someone who has watched closely for a long time knows it's a curse."
"What happened to make you say that?"
"Priestess Proxima was more beautiful than anyone. She was the kind of person who would make anyone gasp in admiration. That beautiful face, which hadn't aged for decades, slowly lost its light from some point. I remember it started after she helped a village chief who came with his villagers suffering from an unknown plague. God makes prophets who disrupt His plan suffer like that. She lost her family, her fortune, and even her eyesight. What irony is there that someone with the foresight to save those destined to die and rebuild fallen houses ends up losing everything herself? It can only be called a curse."
"..."
"I can't tell you how angry it made me when nobles who had enjoyed wealth and glory all their lives demanded prophecies for trivial matters. The High Priestess knew everything but still tried to help people..."
The priestess squeezed her eyes shut.
"So, I don't know where the priestess is, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you. She's probably quietly helping others somewhere."
"I understand."
I now understood old man Westwood's troubled expression. I also understood the feelings of the priest who threw water at us. My plan to uncover Claridium's secrets using the prophet's power had completely fallen apart.
She said she was saving herself for her last prophecy.
Did that Proxima... see the destruction of Claridium?
If a prophet disrupted God's plan, they paid a corresponding price.
It was a chilling statement. Then was Amaryllis paying the price for telling me the future? Why to me, whom she had never met in her lifetime? Did she also obtain that foresight through divine power?
I cut off the chain of questions in my mind. No matter how hard I thought about it alone, I wouldn't find the answers. Not unless I went to the Land of Death myself.
***
We spent half a day but ended up gaining nothing.
On our way back to the lodgings, Lilith asked, "Damian, you heard about Priestess Proxima, right?"
"Yes."
"It's just my vague guess, but... I have someone I suspect."
"...Yes."
"Maybe that House of Love..."
"We don't know anything. The prophet has nothing to do with us."
Lilith's eyes widened. Then she lowered her head with an expression of understanding what I meant.
"Ah... okay."
I decided to erase the prophet from my mind. If she went into hiding before an important event, she will come to the right person at the right time to deliver her prophecy.
We returned to our lodgings. About an hour later, Zenia and Haley also returned.
Their expressions were gloomy.
They called me out to a separate room and asked, "First-year, did you find out anything?"
I shook my head.
"No, what about you, seniors?"
"We have a few things. Related to the mirror."
"What is it?"
"Have you ever seen someone muttering to themselves while looking at a shop window on the street?"