Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 102

Morning at the temple was as refreshing as always.

I blinked my eyes open and rose with a body that felt light and free of tension.

Sunlight streaming into a pure white space made the early morning feel even crisper.

“Maybe I’ll go for a walk…”

I tied up my pink hair into a bun and changed out of my pajamas into a priest robe.

The robe seemed to be the design of this temple. It was slightly different in design from the ones I had brought with me.

“Lady Saintess! Good morning!”

“Good morning.”

Dressed properly, I stepped outside for a morning stroll.

As expected, most of the ever-diligent temple clergy were already up and about, doing their duties.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning to you. What is that?”

“Oh! We’re trying to plant some new greenery.”

They chatted with me casually, without any stiffness, as if we’d known each other for months.

These were people who didn’t want anything from me.

They weren’t like the nobles who only ever wanted money or power from me.

I stretched my arms above my head to relieve the stiffness in my shoulders. Glancing at what the priest was holding, I spoke.

“Should I help with the planting?”

The dew-covered grass clung to my feet.

An empty patch beside the walking path looked like it was set aside for new plants. As I looked at the small sprouts brought by four or five people, I slowly approached.

“Y-Your Holiness?! That’s…there’s no way you should—”

“May I help?”

“…Y-Yes! Of course!”

When he handed me a pair of gloves, I slipped the pure white gloves onto my hands and crouched down.

“What kind of plant is it?”

“Just… just a regular tree.”

“A regular tree?”

“Yes, just one of those common trees you’d find in the mountains.”

“Is there a reason you’re planting that particular tree?”

Plants in the temple don’t wither and grow very quickly.

If it’s a tree, it’ll probably grow tall within just a few years.

“Because it’s…pretty, I guess?”

A woman beside me scratched her cheek shyly with a smile.

“It may not be as beautiful as flowers. And it won’t smell as nice either.”

I felt like temple people had a remarkably similar nature no matter where I went.

“But it’ll blend nicely with the other trees back there. It’ll give us shade during our walks.”

“Hmm…”

There probably aren’t many people in the world who could say such things about a simple tree.

“You’re right, it will give shade. Maybe birds will even make nests in it?”

“If they do, we’ll get to hear beautiful birdsong every morning!”

Though I was speaking with several people, it felt like I was having a conversation with just one.

Carefully, I placed a seedling into the earth. It was my first time doing this kind of work, but I thought it wasn’t so bad, and I gently infused it with divine power.

“Your Holiness…!”

“This way, it will grow faster, no?”

Not just anyone could imbue plants with divine energy. It consumed an enormous amount of divine power, after all.

“A tree imbued with divine power will heal you just by resting against it.”

And indeed, the effect was real.

Every tree in the temple carried divine power.

It wasn’t me that did it.

Those trees that healed simply with a touch held the divine power passed down by previous saints, not me, but the saints before them.

“I hope it’ll be of help someday.”

I’d heard that generations ago, people injured during war had rested against such trees to heal their wounds.

Since the tree had inherited a Saintess’s divine power, I hoped it would be useful someday too.

“You know the power won’t work if the tree is uprooted or cut down, right?”

“O-Of course!”

Since these trees could live for hundreds of years, they’d surely be a benefit to this country as well.

After infusing several more trees with my divine power, I dusted off my hands. The gloves, now covered in dirt, were probably no longer usable.

“I hope they grow quickly and stand tall alongside the trees in the back.”

“Since they’ve been blessed by Your Holiness…they’ll definitely grow in no time!”

They saw me not as someone to be obeyed out of status, but as someone worthy of genuine respect.

Something about their natural sincerity made me smile as I stood up.

To finish the walk I hadn’t gotten to earlier, I turned around.

“Alois.”

And when I turned, I saw Alois standing there.

I looked at him, wondering what he was doing here so early in the morning. As the other clergy turned their heads too, he smiled gracefully.

“I was waiting to see if you’d join me for a walk.”

“This early in the morning?”

At this hour, most nobles would still be asleep. I asked, curious, but he responded as if it were perfectly normal.

“Mornings at the temple always start early.”

“Hm… right. Shall we walk, then?”

In the end, Alois and I walked along the neatly maintained path together.

For some reason, he didn’t speak first, so I kept quiet too.

“Lady Emilone, I thought about it last night.”

“About what?”

“About bringing you to the Kingdom of Eseah.”

I looked at him as if to ask, ‘Why worry about that?’ but it seemed Alois had his own thoughts.

“I requested a standard ship. I told them I’d be escorting the saintess to the Kingdom of Eseah.”

“Not bad. Though I do get terrible seasickness.”

How long would I stay in the Kingdom of Eseah, I wondered… Leaving Reneben and the monkeys behind didn’t seem like a bad idea.

The temple clergy here seemed to get along with Reneben. He also seemed to have something he wanted to do here…

As I thought about that, I waved my hands quickly. It’d be better to bring Reneben and return to this country again later.

I dismissed the option of leaving him behind.

“But… one week from now.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to go to the Kingdom of Eseah in a week.”

“…”

“Is that not allowed?”

“Of course it is. Then I’ll arrange it that way, Lady Emilone.”

Alois gave a light nod of his head.

For the next week, I wanted to see a little more of this temple.

* * *

A week passed quickly. Just as expected, when the time came, the Kingdom of Eseah sent a ship, and we boarded it.

“How is your seasickness?”

Reneben held my hand and pressed gently, but I kept feeling like I was about to throw up at any second.

Either way, I had to endure quite a long journey by sea.

* * *

No matter how many times I boarded a ship, I could never get used to it—the joy of stepping off the boat was something I still couldn’t forget.

With Alois’s escort, I was able to disembark.

“Greetings to Your Holiness. I am Ephel Eseah, King of the Eseah Kingdom.”

And so, finally, I met Alois’s father but I was woefully disappointed.

Surprisingly, they looked nothing alike.

If he had resembled Alois even a little, I might’ve been a little charmed…

Thinking it was a shame, I lightly smacked my lips.

“Greetings. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, there is no greater pleasure than having the Lady Saintess visit our kingdom.”

I glanced at Alois, and he was wearing his usual soft and gentle expression like a meek little lamb.

“This is all thanks to Alois. If not for him, what reason would I have had to come to this country?”

His earlobes turned red as if he was embarrassed and his lashes fluttered faintly.

It reminded me of the first time I met Alois. He looked exactly the same as back down.

“I’m glad Alois found favor in your eyes, Lady Saintess.”

“If possible, I’d even like to make him my companion.”

“It would be our honor. If my son could be tied to Your Holiness…”

It was only a joke… but as I caught the greedy gleam in the king’s eyes, I realized I had to choose my words more carefully, so I gave up on speaking altogether.

The conversation didn’t last long. I wasn’t in the mood to keep standing there and entertaining him.

* * *

And just like that, I was able to ride in a carriage with Alois and Reneben.

The royal capital of Eseah wasn’t too far from the coast, and we arrived faster than expected.

After stepping out of the carriage, I decided to walk ahead with the two of them, leaving the king behind.

It was kind of funny, walking in front with the prince and leaving the king in the back.

“While riding here, I noticed that the buildings look similar to those in the Empire.”

The Kingdom of Eseah didn’t look too different from the Empire.

The first reason I thought that was because the architecture seemed quite similar.

“You’re right. Or rather, they’re not just similar, they’re the same. The Empire stole our country’s designs.”

“And you just let them get away with it?”

I paid no attention to the King of Eseah and kept my gaze fixed solely on Alois.

When I glanced back, the king was chuckling awkwardly, though he kept touching his neck and glancing at me nervously, perhaps a little anxious.

“We used it later to extort quite a bit of money, so it worked out.”

Alois tilted his head with an air of nonchalance, as if to say it was only natural.

Because he was whispering in a low voice, I could clearly feel his breath brushing past my ear.

“Oh, by the way, Alois? Your father seemed pretty upset. Are you sure it’s okay?”

It wasn’t even mealtime yet. Maybe now would be a good time to ask him to show me to my room.

“It’s fine. He’s always angry at his children.”

“Is that so.”

As we walked through a well-maintained garden, we arrived before the royal palace. This must be the king’s castle behind me. Then where would Alois be staying?

I took a glance at the numerous castles. There were more than a few.

“My castle is the fourth one over there. Princes and princesses recognized by my father each have their own castle.”

So that’s why there were so many of them.

Alois explained it on his father’s behalf.

“Then I’ll go to yours.”

“…Shall I escort you?”

“Of course. Don’t you want me to give King Eseah a less-than-warm reception?”

He gave a smile that seemed to be tethering on the edge. When I narrowed my eyes, he acted like his expression didn’t change at all.

“You’re right. His pride is sky-high… so we have to at least do this much.”

I felt I should ask a little more about what kind of person the King of Eseah really was. Smiling faintly, I clasped my hands behind my back.

My white priest robe fluttered with each step I took in the breeze. It actually went rather well with the neat and relatively bright aesthetic of the Eseah royal capital.

“Royal father.”

Where had that unstable expression he’d just been wearing gone?

He turned his head, his long lashes fluttering like wings.

Then, slightly pitifully, the corners of his eyes drooped in an exaggerated manner.

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