The next day, it was still the weekend.
Leo went hunting with his father. Lena didn't want to go to church, but her parents said they would stop by the church today. She couldn't tell her parents that she was going to quit studying to be a priest, so she had no choice but to head to church.
“Lena, you’re here. What happened yesterday? You didn't come to church.”
Monk Lesley strode towards her.
Seeing him in his plain priestly robes and soft wrinkles, she was speechless, as expected.
Lena stammered out an excuse.
“I haven't seen my friends lately, so I went out to play with them.”
She had been with Leo all day yesterday, so it wasn’t a lie. But the thought that she had hidden the truth from the priest weighed heavily on her mind.
Monk Lesley smiled brightly, unaware of her feelings.
“I see. Come on in. What book were you reading last time?”
He seemed to have some free time today, so he took out the book himself and went ahead.
Lena felt like she was going to hiccup. He was particularly fond of Lena and had high hopes for her.
When Lena asked if it would be realistically difficult for her to go to the Holy Cross Church, Monk Lesley patted her on the back and reassured her not to worry.
Lena vividly recalled the experiences and kind words he had shared with her at the time.
+ + +
The priest's room was desolate yet neat.
A few priestly robes were neatly folded on the shelf, and every corner of the room was spotless.
The most untidy thing, if you could call it that, was a small statue of Saint Azura in the room. The statue was worn from the priest’s daily prayers.
Monk Lesley sat the worried Lena down beside him and said in a kind voice.
“Lena, it doesn’t matter if you’re late in becoming a priest.”
The difference between a priest and a monk was simply the presence or absence of divine power.
Divine power was not acquired simply by having deep faith and praying constantly. To gain divine power, someone with divine power had to breathe some of it into another person, and the church called this act baptism.
The Holy Cross Church's educational facilities gathered novices who could be baptized and taught them a variety of subjects, including theology. Over the years, only the best students were selected and underwent a ritual to test their aptitude, and the outcome of that ritual became the dividing line between priests and monks.
“It doesn’t matter if you go sooner or later. A devout and sincere child like you will surely be able to receive the final ritual.”
The newly baptized priest took the small divine power he had received as a seed and nurtured it little by little.
The seed grew in size when he prayed with a devout heart or devoted himself to what he believed to be right.
On the other hand, a priest who breathed in divine power lost as much divine power as he had breathed in. The loss was so great that he could not breathe divine power into just anyone.
Since more than half of the divine power breathed in during baptism evaporated, the church used rituals to verify aptitude in order to minimize losses. If the efficiency was less than half, they would be excluded from the list, judging that they would not be able to develop their divine power quickly in the future.
It was controversial, but there was no realistic alternative.
In the end, the novices who were judged to have good aptitude in the ritual received divine power and became priests, while those who did not became monks.
“I couldn’t become a priest because I didn’t do well in the ritual, but I don’t regret it.”
Monk Lesley took Lena's worried hand.
“Whether you become a priest or a monk is something you can't know, but I don't think it's that important either. Even if you can't go at all.”
Monk Lesley smiled gently. His smile and words shook Lena to her core.
“We are already people who have given our hearts to God.”
+++
She couldn't bring herself to tell the priest, who had comforted her so, that she was going to quit.
Lena hesitated, then followed the priest inside.
As usual, she sat down at the table in front of the altar and opened her book. The priest sat beside her and explained the difficult parts.
The sacred objects placed on the altar enveloped the two of them in a cozy embrace.
***
The monotonous and peaceful daily life continued until autumn.
Lena worked on weekdays as usual and occasionally went to church on weekends. After confiding in him, she spent more time with Leo, and the two even held hands again.
Lena and Leo returned to the village today as usual after gathering food. However,
“Lena! You’re back!”
The priest and the monk were waiting for them at the entrance of the village. Two strangers she had never seen before were with them.
Monk Lesley rushed over, grabbed Lena’s hand, and said,
“Lena! It’s done! It’s done! This must be God’s blessing on you!”
“Wh-what’s going on?”
“This priest here is going to take you to the Holy Cross Church! God be praised! What a joyous occasion!”
He pointed to the two strangers and exclaimed. At the end of his gesture stood a stately old man and a rare female priest.
Lena gasped.
The middle-aged priestess smiled softly at Lena.
“The village priest and monk spoke very highly of you, young lady. We are on our way to the Holy Cross Church. Would you care to join us?”
Lena didn't know if this was a dream or real life.
I can go to the Holy Cross Church!
The sudden realization of what she had been dreaming of since she was a child overwhelmed her.
“This isn’t a dream, is it? Le…”
Lena looked at Leo, who was standing there blankly, and came to her senses. The thought that she would have to leave him behind if she left like this made the excitement she had felt dwindle.
Silence fell as she looked at Leo.
Leo kept his mouth shut.
Lena is leaving.
It was as if cold water had been poured over his head, and he remembered things he had forgotten. He hadn’t thought that Lena would be able to leave the village…
‘Lena had this event.’
Stuck in this remote village, she could never become a princess. She had to go to the capital where the prince was, and the Holy Cross Church was in the capital of the Jerom Holy Kingdom.
This {event} was meant to create a situation where Lena could go to the capital and study. But if she entered a priestly training institution, would she become a priest or a princess? That question also came to mind.
Leo's heart sank, and his desire to live with her grew stronger.
He had long since given up on making Lena a princess. He didn't want to walk such a thorny path, nor did he want to end this game and return to Minseo's harsh life.
But Lena, whom he loved, wanted to be a priest. This opportunity would never come again.
As Leo hesitated and stammered, unable to speak, Lena finally spoke up.
“I won’t go.”
Lena held Leo’s hand tightly.