Tiendavis - For Perfect Salvation - Chapter 56

The noble Manyana Tower has an underground.

Only Sedro and the past holy maidens know of its existence.

It was the common fate of those who became holy maidens to be utterly despaired by its not-so-special reality.

“You’ve been hiding this all along?”

And Roble Tuha was a holy maiden who was enraged by this extreme deception.

That unusually brave holy maiden resisted the reality of the tower she faced.

“I can’t accept this, how could this…!”

“Oh? Then why don’t you try saving them yourself.”

But what came back was the mockery of her friend who had become the tower master.

“If you can replace those children, I’ll let all those poor kids go. But if you fail, keep your mouth shut and behave like the other holy maidens.”

Rohika whispered sweetly like a demon.

Roble still regretted falling for that voice.

If she didn’t have the strength to fight till the end, it would have been better to submit from the beginning.

The holy maiden still regretted foolishly stepping up, only to leave everyone hurt.

9 years ago, Bis suffered a severe drought.

It was because Manyana had fallen into unprecedented silence and purification had stopped.

“Please, Lady Manyana. Please listen…”

On a dark night, the holy maiden Roble, who visited the tower’s sanctuary alone, desperately whispered towards the lake.

It had been half a year since the new holy maiden was born. During that long time, Tienda’s lake had never been properly purified.

As a result, the floodgates of the lake did not open, and the rivers and wells of Bis turned into muddy puddles, exposing their bottoms, and even the nobles of Tienda complained of thirst.

Last month, the impatient nobles urged the tower to release unpurified water into Bis.

Although vegetation withered and humans and animals fell ill from that saltwater, fortunately, the nobles of Tienda were able to quench their thirst somewhat by buying back freshwater filtered and boiled from Bis.

As discontent grew over this terrible thirst, all blame was eventually directed at the holy maiden.

Everyone blamed one person, saying that the wrong holy maiden had been chosen, causing this to happen.

Enduring that pouring resentment alone, the holy maiden sang crying every day.

Towards the cruel dragon sleeping deep down there, with a voice completely hoarse.

Desperately begging for mercy, completely unaware that her young sister was watching from afar.

Rio still remembered the sight of her elder sister like that.

That pitiful, noble, and sacred back view.

That’s why she couldn’t tolerate it.

Everything about Ibi Ariate.

.

.

.

“Was it really you who slandered Marquis Montra?”

Rio, who had dragged Ibi into an empty room, fired off before they had even sat down.

“No.”

So Ibi shook her head with clear, innocent eyes. A flicker of doubt crossed Rio’s face, and Ibi honestly added to such a Rio.

“Rather than slander, I just revealed the facts. If someone got their foot stepped on there, it’s their own fault, so it’s certainly not my responsibility.”

“You…!”

Rio was shocked by Ibi’s brazen and cheerful confession.

“Are you crazy?”

This is a phrase I’ve been hearing quite often lately. Ibi thought this and shook her head again.

“No, I’m in my right mind.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, how could you do such a thing in your right mind…! Do you really deserve to be a holy maiden!?”

“I think I’m more than qualified. If the role of a holy maiden is to purify water, that is.”

Rio seemed at a loss for words at Ibi’s confident answer and glared at her.

So Ibi took this opportunity to quietly examine this fussy young lady’s face.

Luscious brown hair and eyes of an even brighter color. Dark eyebrows, round eyes.

Rio really resembled her elder sister a lot. However, unlike the holy maiden who seemed to embrace the whole world, Rio’s expression was sensitive and stubborn from the start.

They’re sisters, but their personalities can be complete opposites, Ibi thought and secretly chuckled.

No one would know. Even the holy maiden might be a picky and stubborn person like Rio, but constantly acting.

After all, being the tower’s holy maiden is a job of deceiving the whole world.

“Isn’t this actually good for Miss Tuha?”

“What did you say?”

“Following the Grand Duke, now the Marquis has decided to support Miss Tuha, so perhaps Miss Tuha might become the holy maiden.”

Of course, I absolutely won’t let that happen.

Ibi swallowed these last words and smiled brightly.

Ibi meant it as encouragement for once. But Rio’s face rather turned pale.

“You, how can you say such a thing now…”

Rio recoiled as if insulted. So Ibi rather tilted her head.

“Don’t you think like this?”

“I don’t!”

“Then why did you want to see me?”

When Rio Tuha set the mood and asked to meet, Ibi naturally imagined this kind of dialogue.

Now that the Marquis is on my side too, know your place, you commoner!

But far from it, Rio just snapped like this, as if displeased.

“It’s because of your conduct! If you might become the holy maiden, maintain at least a minimum level of dignity, the position of holy maiden is not something to be made light of like that!”

What is this about now?

Ibi blinked at the unidentified lecture, and Rio burst out again.

“Really, do I have to say even this?”

“No, you don’t have to. And if Miss Tuha has an idea of how a holy maiden should be, become the holy maiden yourself and do it. Don’t do this to me.”

Although still bewildered, her mouth moved automatically when asked.

The curse skillfully brought out what Ibi wanted to say, and so Ibi was beginning to think this curse was convenient.

Meanwhile, Rio seemed surprised to see Ibi calmly arguing back. But only for a moment, she raised her eyebrows again and demanded.

“Are you mocking me?”

“Yes, I’m mocking you.”

“What did you say!?”

“Yes, I am mocking you. I’ve always had a mocking attitude when dealing with Miss Tuha.”

No, cancel that.

This curse is indeed ruined. Even if I decided to be honest, there was no need to be so sarcastic at every turn.

Having unintentionally provoked, Ibi looked at Rio with an ‘oops’ expression.

As expected, Rio’s face had turned red and her shoulders were trembling.

“No, I mean…”

“Do you find me that funny?”

“Honestly, you are quite funny.”

I tried to make an excuse, but the curse once again brilliantly ruined Ibi’s character.

“You…!”

And at the continued insults, Rio finally raised her hand.

Bang!

Before Ibi could react, Rio’s firm hand passed by the side of Ibi’s head and struck the wall.

So Ibi was genuinely surprised.

‘…Bang?’

Why does it make such a sound when hitting the wall with a hand? Hands are made of flesh. They’re supposed to be soft.

Ibi looked blankly at the hand placed beside her head.

The hand of this young lady, with whom she had never even had tea time together due to their indifferent relationship, was much larger and sturdier than Ibi had expected.

So Ibi raised her head again to look up at Rio, who was looking down at her coldly.

With an immense sense of crisis, Arco’s voice flashed through her mind like a fleeting image.

―You know, Miss Tuha is a talent our eldest sister has her eye on. She might recommend enlisting after her period as a purifier ends.

Belatedly recalling those words, Ibi smiled with a pale face.

‘Ah, what’s this. She’s just an ordinarily dangerous person!’

I had completely forgotten because she trembles at the slightest thing. That Rio Tuha is a young lady with extraordinary physical strength.

The certainty that if we fought, I would definitely lose, and if I got hit, I would surely bleed, came to me.

So as Ibi was cowering, even thinking about secretly putting her to sleep and running away, Rio gritted her teeth and said.

“You… Do you need to make even me a holy maiden in name only to feel satisfied? Isn’t it enough that you pushed out my sister?”

“What do you mean by that…”

“Don’t play dumb! Whose place was it originally where you sing, and because of whom does my sister have to wear a veil!”

Rio shouted, overcome with anger.

So Ibi finally realized what Rio Tuha wanted to say.

As Rio said, the front seat where Ibi sings during the purification ceremony was originally the holy maiden’s place. However, with Ibi’s appearance, the holy maiden naturally lost that place, and afterwards wore a thick veil and disappeared from official occasions.

Rio knew this was unavoidable.

But she couldn’t shake off the thought that Ibi had destroyed everything about her sister.

Her sister was the noble holy maiden who endured everyone’s criticism alone and struggled when Manyana was silent.

But Ibi Ariate made such a sister look ridiculous.

She easily accomplished what her sister had desperately clung to, and while being modest as if it were nothing, permanently buried Roble Tuha, the holy maiden.

Ibi, who smiled and mingled in social circles after doing that, Ibi Ariate, who mocked the careful demeanor of past holy maidens and displayed her own specialness, was really detestable to Rio.

“Don’t act so smug. Just because you were luckily chosen, when it’s just luck and nothing more! Why of all people, someone like you…”

Rio stopped mid-sentence while shouting, unable to control her anger. Because she felt it would be more miserable if she finished this last part.

But even though she stopped midway, Ibi had already understood those words. So she felt dumbfounded.

She had expected it. The reason why Rio hated her.

But she never imagined that words like ‘why you of all people’ would come out of that Rio Tuha’s mouth.

At this coincidental situation, Ibi was pulled back to the past.

It was 9 years ago. Ibi was looking at the holy maiden who had come down to Bis. And looking at the girl her age sitting next to her, she thought like this.

Ah, why am I me and you are you?

But now she’s hearing those same words instead. From that Rio Tuha who didn’t even know I was looking at her 9 years ago.

Ibi didn’t find this fact very pleasant. Rather, it was baffling. She felt it was too selfish for you to envy even this.

“Did the holy maiden say that? That I took her place so she wore a veil?”

“My sister would never say such a thing!”

“Then ask her this time. Whether I took the holy maiden’s place, or if it was the opposite.”

Ibi said, neither smiling nor angry. Then she calmly slipped out of Rio’s arms.

Rio disliked Ibi. It was for her sister’s sake.

But Ibi disliked Rio just as much. It was also because of her sister.

Ibi rather thought it would be good if Rio Tuha became the holy maiden.

Then after seeing the underground of the tower, would she still be able to shout so confidently?

It’s hard to say. Perhaps she might adapt as if it’s natural, like that sister.

The noble Manyana Tower has an underground.

And in that underground, while the nobles divide honors calling themselves holy maidens and purifiers, there are young girls who sing dedicating their lifespans.

Ibi was one of them.