Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 337: Childhood Friend - Divinity
336: Childhood Friend - Divinity
---
"What... What is this?"
A strange new sensation had arisen. It felt as though an eyelid had grown beside her heart.
Surprised by the unfamiliar feeling, Lena repeatedly ran her hands over her chest.
"What’s happening to me?"
The staff she had been holding had already fallen from her grip. Even so, the awakened {Divinity} only accelerated, spreading swiftly through her body like an unstoppable contagion. It bubbled up from her heart and coursed along her veins.
It reached her entire body.
Bubbling. Bubbling. Bubbling.
Lena felt an unfamiliar tickling sensation under her stomach lining, in her armpits, by her right kidney, through the bones of her thighs, inside her eyes, and down to her heels. No, it wasn’t exactly tickling—just a misconception because she wasn’t accustomed to the sensation yet.
She was terrified. It wasn’t a matter of whether the feeling was good or bad—it was the sudden and inexplicable change that shocked her. Without hesitation, she dashed out.
Her destination was clear: the church.
Whether her condition was due to an illness or the work of a demon, it didn’t matter. In this village, the only one who could resolve such a matter was the priest. While running, Lena couldn’t help but worry about the cost of treatment.
---
“Watch your step! You’ll trip!”
Brother Leslie called out as Lena dashed into the churChapter
He had been busy preparing for the evening mass, carrying a large armful of ceremonial tools.
“Brother, something’s wrong with me. I’m not in pain, but—”
“What?”
“It’s like... I feel all hot inside, and there’s a ticklish... no, not ticklish, but a bloated sensation, like steam rising through me.”
“Do you have a fever?”
“A fever? I think I might have one, maybe...”
“If you’re feverish and feel bloated, hmm! You’ve probably been overheated. Sit here for a moment; I’ll fetch you some cold water.”
He spoke casually and walked off, the tools clinking as he went. Lena thought, “That’s not it, though...” Still, she decided to follow him. Though she felt bad for troubling Brother Leslie, she knew she had to speak to the priest directly.
---
In the main chapel, the priest was lighting candles on the altar. It was evening, and twelve candlesticks stood in a row, their flames flickering in unison.
Perhaps thinking Lena had come to borrow a candle for studying again, the priest gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. But Lena wasted no time. She approached him quickly and spoke.
“Father! Something’s wrong with me.”
“Where does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt exactly, but inside, I feel all hot and...”
She repeated the same words she had told Brother Leslie.
Brother Leslie, still busy setting the ceremonial tools on the altar, paid her little attention.
However, Lena felt increasingly uncomfortable. Despite both being clergy members, there was an undeniable and ingrained disparity between them.
Even though they had undergone the same education, some were blessed with divine power while others were not. This distinction formed the delicate tension between priests and monks.
While the priest lit the sacred flames, the monk carried ceremonial tools and fulfilled physical labor. Despite Brother Leslie having served this church for nearly twenty years, he had no prospect of promotion. Naturally, the role of abbot went to the younger priest.
Monks like Leslie remained as lower-ranking clergy, often staying in a single parish their entire lives. Priests, on the other hand, moved from post to post every few years, rising steadily in rank.
Feeling guilty, Lena’s voice grew softer. Brother Leslie, however, silently continued his duties.
“Whether you become a priest or a monk, it’s hard to say what’s more important—or if it even matters at all. What does matter is that we’ve already dedicated our hearts to the divine,” he had once told her.
For him, divine power or the lack thereof didn’t define devotion to God.
But the priest, now examining Lena’s wrist, quickly lost his composure.
"Let me see... Wait! What is this?"
His voice rose in shock as he shouted,
"How can this be? Divine power?!"
“W-What?”
“You... you have divine power! This is divinity!”
---
Clang!
The bronze bowl fell to the ground, rolling noisily as the monk froze mid-task, his attention drawn by the priest's exclamation.
The priest’s gaze bore into Lena as he pressed her further.
“Lena, have you met any other priests recently? Anyone besides me?”
“N-No.”
The priest had known the answer before asking. In this small, isolated village, any visitors would have been ed to him.
“How could this happen...” He murmured, turning Lena’s palms over in his hands, deep in thought.
Then, he made another startling discovery.
“Her divine power... it surpasses mine? And why does it feel like it’s pulling?”
Unlike mana, which dispersed freely, divine power tended to gather. When he touched her hand, he could sense the divine energy within her. However, instead of being drawn to him, as it should have been, it seemed to repel him.
A young girl—one who hadn’t even reached adulthood—had more divine power than he did?
Suspicion clouded the priest’s thoughts.
“Is this... the divine power of an evil god?”
Such a possibility felt plausible. Here, in this remote village, he was the only priest present. Divine power, after all, was not something one could possess independently—it had to be granted by God.
Still, he didn’t know that the absolute power of the supreme deity would never be attracted to a lower-tier evil god like Ashin.
---
“What should I do? Should I try to bless her?”
That was what he’d been trained to do. However, this was his first posting, and he was young, lacking experience. He didn’t know much about evil gods either.
But there was one thing he remembered clearly:
The church’s mission of purging non-believers who refused to convert.
The Crusader Church had conducted its aggressive campaigns for decades, purging pagan tribes from their lands. Although such efforts had waned recently as fewer pagan settlements remained, the process continued nonetheless.
Its purpose, as often stated, was to eradicate any foothold for evil gods.
---
The priest dismissed Lena with a few instructions: not to worry too much, not to share this matter with anyone, and to come back the next day.
The young girl obediently complied.
In this remote and isolated mountain village, where even the village chief was barely literate, the priest's knowledge and authority were absolute. Trusting his words, Lena trudged back home.
---
“...What are you doing?”
Brother Leslie, who had been standing silently, finally spoke to the priest, now bustling about. The priest was rummaging through an old, dusty stool.
“I’m calling for an inquisitor,” the priest replied. “I’m sure their contact information is here somewhere...”
“An inquisitor?”
“Yes. Just in case. If I recall correctly, the Nevis Church handles these matters. Do you know where their contact information is?”
Leslie didn’t need an explanation to understand what an inquisitor was. Such people reeked of arrogance, rigidity, and cruelty.
The Nevis Church, notorious for its zeal, had spearheaded many of the Crusader Church's purges, particularly in the mountainous Aslan Kingdom, where numerous pagan tribes had been exterminated.
---
Snap!
Before the priest could react, Brother Leslie’s hand darted out, snatching the church’s contact directory from him.
“Brother Leslie! What do you think you’re doing?”
“I won’t allow it. Summoning an inquisitor is out of the question.”
Clutching the document to his chest with a resolute expression, Leslie stood firm.
The priest sighed in exasperation.
“Brother, you don’t seem to understand the gravity of this situation. Lena possesses divine power. Do you know what that means?”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t. Your actions show you don’t comprehend. From what I’ve observed—”
“Lena is not that kind of person.”
Leslie’s sharp rebuttal was unyielding.
Though he lacked divine power, Leslie had something else: an unerring sense of people.
“But... we can’t rule out the possibility! This could be disastrous if left unchecked. Hand that over now.”
“I won’t. You’re making a mistake, Father. If you insist on handling this on your own, I’ll have no choice but to bring this to the village chief and call a town meeting.”
---
The clean, white robes of the priest clashed with Leslie’s humble, gray monk’s attire. Yet, in this standoff, Leslie had the upper hand.
Born and raised in this village, he had once been in line to become its chief. Instead, he had pursued a dream of joining the clergy. His family’s sacrifices to send him to the cathedral city had left them destitute, and Leslie had returned not as a priest, but as a monk.
Despite his misfortunes, the villagers respected him deeply, especially regarding Lena. Many were contributing to a fund led by Leslie to send her to a cathedral for education—a modest but steady collection born of goodwill.
In a matter involving Lena, public sentiment was firmly on Leslie’s side.
The priest, though well-respected, was still an outsider. He couldn’t dictate matters concerning a local child without the village’s support.
Realizing this, the priest relented, though with visible frustration.
---
“What do you propose we do then? It’s undeniable that Lena harbors an unidentified divine power. Ignoring this is not an option.”
“You’ll have to it, of course. But not to the Nevis ChurChapter I suggest you send the to Lutetia.”
Lutetia was the cathedral city of the Crusader ChurChapter While bypassing Nevis Church would be irregular, Leslie was adamant. The Nevis Church, with its history soaked in blood, was the last place to seek assistance.
The priest hesitated but ultimately conceded. He prepared a formal to the central church in Lutetia, though he suspected it might not stop Nevis from intervening.
As the priest prayed for Lena’s safety, he began the communication process. Using the holy relics of the church, he connected to Lutetia. The device glowed faintly as his thoughts translated into text.
---
“Eh?”
A sudden exclamation escaped the priest. Normally, such communication didn’t involve spoken words.
“What’s wrong?” Leslie asked, alarmed.
“...Has this church done something wrong? Or is something unusual hidden here?”
“Of course not. Why do you ask?”
The priest remained transfixed on the glowing relic.
“The was intercepted. A saint has ordered this church to be monitored. The connection is being redirected to... the Saint herself!”
“...!”
Before the priest could elaborate, the holy relic blazed white, illuminating the entire chapel. It felt as if a vast, overwhelming presence had turned its gaze upon the remote Demos Village ChurChapter
The air grew thick with tension, signaling that something far beyond their understanding was about to unfold.
.
!
Chapter 337: Childhood Friend - Divinity
Comments