“It seems you were too eager to see me for that to be the only reason.”

The High Priest, smiling pleasantly, stared intently at Cesenia. Despite his white hair and wrinkled face, his countenance was kind. And he was sharper than he appeared.

“Is that so? Then let’s get straight to the point, High Priest.”

“Ah, so there was a direct reason for wanting to see me.”

“Yes.”

Cesenia’s gaze shifted to the senior priest standing beside the High Priest.

Among the priests of the temple, there were those who were doggedly loyal to the High Priest. They preferred a conservative and moderate approach, wishing for the temple and the High Priest to maintain their status. Thus, they didn’t believe in changes even after the divine moment had passed. Among them, the senior priest Ray, particularly rigid, had become a high-ranking priest at a relatively young age of 40. He was known for being stubborn and overly protective of the High Priest.

Ray, who had been able to grow safely with the help of the temple and the High Priest in his youth, was one of those who preemptively blocked anyone who might cause harm to the High Priest.

And to Ray, Cesenia, who had abruptly asked to see the High Priest, did not seem very favorable.

“I think it’s better to just speak plainly than to hide and beat around the bush.”

The High Priest’s lips curled up slightly, as if he found the conversation interesting.

“What are you planning to say?”

“I will become the mouthpiece of the High Priest, of the temple. So please help me.”

“Ha ha. A mouthpiece, you say. What do you mean by that?”

“The temple, known for its utmost integrity.”

But the problem with the temple was that it was too pure.

Cesenia stared intently at the High Priest sitting on the chair.
In the past, the temple gained much benefit by publicly revealing the twins. The reason they introduced the foreign royalty under their protection was to maintain their steadfastness. The empire had three powers: the Mage Tower, the Temple, and the Imperial Court. The Imperial Court itself was often divided into the Noble Faction and the Emperor’s Faction, but broadly speaking, these were the three powers.

In this situation, the Temple was not in a good position.

The Mage Tower, continuously producing magical artifacts, had ingrained a positive impression in the minds of the empire’s citizens, whether they liked it or not.

Of course, except for a few low-priced, bait-like magical artifacts, they were too expensive for ordinary citizens to afford. However, humans tend to remember positively anything that benefits them, even a little.

The Imperial Court, being the highest existence leading the nation, was solid. However, the Temple was not.

Most of the empire’s citizens might believe in Rowric, the primordial god, but it had been a while since any oracle was received. Therefore, the faith in the Temple and the power of the priests, who were believed to be blessed by the gods, had waned. That was why the institution of the ‘Saint’ was created – to somehow keep those who still possessed the god’s power within the Temple.

‘The Temple gained attention for a while by protecting the twins of the Kingdom of Salmon, but… that was it.’

The problem was that the Temple had weakened to the point where people said the gods had abandoned the empire. The interest in the foreign royalty, nothing more than a diversion, did not last long.

In a dire situation where they could only rely on the power of the gods.

‘Eventually, I’ll get another chance, but this time, without the royalty of Salmon, I’ll have to use a different approach.’

Knowing this, Cesenia came to this place to help and use the Temple, which had gained attention in the past by revealing the Salmon royalty.

“And the Temple, solely depending on the power of the gods. Is that okay?”

“Ha ha. You need not worry about such things, Saint. Regardless of what is said in the world, the gods will eventually return.”

That was not the case.

The gods have left us. Everyone who believed in the gods thought so.

The primordial god enjoyed being observed.