Chapter 122: Goddess Maha

Rosetta’s widened eyes reflected her inner turmoil. Her trembling lips barely managed to utter two words.  

“That’s… impossible.”  

She was angry at the thought of being deceived and resented her.  

However, the image of Yuria, the Duchess, apologizing to her at the banquet hall haunted Rosetta every day.  

The warmth of Yuria’s embrace would unexpectedly surface in her memory. Despite her naturally spiteful nature, which led her to torment Yuria, she couldn’t shake the uneasiness in her heart.  

Hesitation was written all over Rosetta’s face.  

Arthur, noticing this, felt the faint glimmer of hope in his chest extinguish completely.  

“See? You’re not the same Rosetta you used to be.”  

Walking past Rosetta, Arthur stopped in front of the door to the main palace, where a servant quickly ran up to open it for him.  

Rosetta hurriedly ran after him and grabbed his arm.  

“I’m the same as I’ve always been. Arthur, who are you even talking to?”  

“I brought something useless.”  

“Arthur?”  

“I hate incompetence more than anything in the world.”  

The pale hand clutching Arthur’s arm fell limply to her side.  

Leaving the stunned Rosetta behind, Arthur entered the main palace. The door shut firmly behind him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  

＊  

The faint smell of milk lingered under my nose.  

“Your Holiness, is this sister dead?”  

“No, Emma. She’s alive.”  

“Your Holiness, she’s breathing.”  

“See?”  

That voice… was it the Pope?  

I twitched my nose and took a breath. It felt as though a blocked passage inside me had been cleared.  

“Ahh! She’s breathing!”  

At the loud exclamation, the presences gathered around me scattered before drawing closer again.  

“Ugh.”  

When I moved my fingers, I felt the smooth texture of a carpet’s threads against my fingertips.  

The floor?  

I wanted to sit up, but my stomach churned as if I were seasick, making it hard to move.  

“Your Eminence?”  

I heard Pope Melvin’s voice once more. As his warm holy power flowed into me, resonating with my own, my heavy eyelids finally lifted.  

“Your Holiness?”  

“Yes, it’s me. Are you conscious now? You appeared so suddenly that I nearly died young from the shock.”  

Feeling lighter, I managed to sit up.  

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t this bad the first time I used the portal, but I must have fainted on the second trip.”  

“Did you use it twice in one day? Xavier must have tried to stop you.”  

“Yes, he did.”  

“You were stubborn, weren’t you?”  

“…Yes.”  

Embarrassed, I nodded slightly.  

“Haha, so even the Saintess is as stubborn as me?”  

“That’s right, she’s stubborn.”  

“Hehehe.”  

The cheerful voices of children filled the air. Looking around, I saw three children surrounding me, all squatting and staring intently at my face. Beside them, even Pope Melvin was crouched in the same position.  

“Uh, what is this situation?”  

“Surprised? The temple often takes in orphans or children with nowhere to go. Recently, with the strange plague spreading alongside the cold, many children who lost their parents have come here for care.”  

Melvin stood up from his crouched position.  

“But this is the Pope’s office.”  

“Haha, the children adore me. I can’t exactly chase them away when they come.”  

“That’s right. The Pope is the best. He plays with us a lot.”  

“Sometimes he scolds us, but we still like him.”  

“Yup, yup.”  

The adorable children, who couldn’t have been older than six or seven, nodded in agreement as they stood up alongside Melvin.  

I see.  

“Here, take my hand.”  

The only girl among the three suddenly extended her tiny hand toward me.  

“Take it?”  

“Yup. Saintess sister, you collapsed because you were tired. I’ll help you.”  

A smile crept onto my lips. I carefully took her small, soft hand, which was less than half the size of mine, and used my other hand to push myself up from the floor.  

I expected to feel dizzy and stumble, but surprisingly, my body felt lighter than I thought.  

Perplexed, I looked at the Pope, who immediately explained.  

“When you crossed the portal, your body’s balance was disrupted, causing you to faint. But since this is the Grand Temple, where holy power is especially strong, you’ve recovered quickly.”  

“I see.”  

“Saintess sister, why did you come here?”  

“Yeah, why did you come?”  

“Are you here to heal people?”  

The little ones began bombarding me with questions.  

“That’s what I’d like to know as well, Your Eminence.” 

Melvin said with his trademark affable smile.  

“Now, children, return to your quarters. The Pope has work to do with the Saintess, so we’ll play hide-and-seek another time.”  

“Yes! Since the Pope is busy, we’ll leave.” 

The girl replied brightly, though the two boys looked sullen.  

“Hurry up!”  

The girl cheerfully grabbed the boys’ hands and dragged them out of the office. Watching the small children toddle away, I couldn’t help but smile warmly.  

Melvin then turned to me and asked, “

You’re here because of the plague, aren’t you?”  

“Yes. And I also have questions for Goddess Maha.”  

“So, you believe in the Goddess now? I didn’t think you were particularly devout.”  

“…How did you know that?”  

“It’s your first time visiting the temple, isn’t it?”  

“Oh, yes.”  

Melvin’s office was unlike that of any noble. It resembled a natural cave, with walls lined with shelves filled to the brim with scrolls.  

“Those are temple records and my personal research notes. If you meet Goddess Maha today, there will be new records to add.”  

“Can I meet her now?”  

“Of course. You’re the Saintess. Follow me.”  

Guided by Pope Melvin, I stepped out of the office.  

“Wow.”  

Massive white columns supported the enormous ceiling of the cavernous temple. Though I had only passed through a single door, the area outside was bustling with people seeking refuge in the temple.  

“Given the circumstances, many have come here with nowhere else to go.”  

Now that I noticed, the temple wasn’t cold. It felt as warm and gentle as a spring day, prompting me to remove the thick coat I had worn.  

“It’s the blessing of the Goddess.” 

Melvin said, making the sign of the cross.  

“Hasn’t Lonicera bloomed here?”  

“That flower blooms in the cold.”  

“Oh, right.”  

“Hundreds of them have bloomed outside the temple.”  

Hearing that the flowers had bloomed even around the temple made me even more convinced that they were not the so-called Flowers of Calamity.  

“Your Holiness, people are terrified of that flower, calling it the Flower of Calamity. What do you think?”  

“Hmm, I believe it’s an opportunity given by the Goddess. Lonicera symbolizes Goddess Maha, after all.”  

“I think so too.”  

“We’re also conducting new research on Lonicera here at the temple. Previously, we only had one preserved specimen, but now that they’re blooming everywhere, we can study them properly.”  

“That’s wonderful news. By the way, thank you for taking care of the storage devices.”  

“Not at all. I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, many lives have been saved.”  

In Melvin’s gently curving gaze, I saw genuine sincerity.  

“Has your holy power been depleted as well, Your Holiness?”  

“Yes, I can only use it once or twice a day now. What I used on you earlier was nearly the last of it.”  

“Ah, it’s the Saintess!”  

“Saintess! Your Holiness!”  

As we walked, people began to recognize me and Melvin, crowding around us.  

“Please save us! My child is quarantined in the temple hospital. Please, just once!”  

“My husband’s lower body has turned black like a corpse, only his upper body is alive!”  

Without hesitation, I pulled out patches imbued with my holy power from my bag and distributed them.  

“I can’t visit everyone personally, but I’ll share these patches containing my holy power.”  

People eagerly took the patches from me. Within moments, hundreds of them were gone. Thankfully, I had enough.  

“Place these on your body and wait a little while. My holy power will heal the illness. I’m also working on creating more cures.”  

“Oh, Saintess! Long live the Saintess!”  

“My husband is saved! Thank you, thank you!”  

The people who received the storage devices bowed deeply to me. They remained on the ground, bowing, until I was completely out of sight.  

Melvin led me to the deepest part of the temple, a place that could be called its heart.  

We stopped in front of a gray door and Melvin said, 

“This is it.”  

“What should I do once I’m inside?”  

“Call her name.”  

“Pardon?”  

“She will appear to those who are worthy.”  

“Do you also pray here, Your Holiness?”  

“No, I have a separate prayer room. This is the sanctuary of Goddess Maha.”  

“Have you ever met the Goddess?”  

“Once, when I became Pope, she visited me.”  

What? Doesn’t that mean meeting her is incredibly rare?  

“Don’t worry. You will meet her, Your Eminence.”  

After finishing his explanation, Melvin bowed politely and walked back down the corridor. His demeanor was unexpectedly composed, far from the cheeky and nosy personality I had come to know.  

‘But… if even the Pope has only met her once, can I really meet her?’  

Shaking off my doubts, I turned my attention to the massive gray door and pushed it open with all my strength. It felt as though sacred air was pouring into my lungs.  

My mouth went dry with nervousness.  

Tap, tap, tap.  

As I stepped inside, golden wall lamps began to light up one by one. The once-dark space was illuminated as brightly as midday, the lights clearly powered by holy energy rather than conventional means.  

The sight of dozens of lamps igniting was so overwhelmingly mystical that I couldn’t take my eyes off them as I walked forward.  

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the sanctuary. White marble walls surrounded the space, and at the very front stood a round altar.  

On the altar lay a white chiton dress said to belong to the Goddess. The long, white hem of the dress was embroidered with Lonicera, just as Xavier had mentioned.  

“It’s real.”  

Before I realized it, I had reached out to touch the hem of the dress.  

In that instant, a blinding golden light filled the sanctuary. I instinctively shut my eyes against the brilliance.  

“Why have you come so late?”  

“…Huh?”  

When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw a woman standing on the altar, wearing the chiton dress I had just touched. Her entire being glowed like gold, from her face to her body.  

“My daughter, Saintess Yuria.”