The temple, nestled deep in a secluded corner of Mount Aurelia, was shrouded entirely in mystery. Not only was the terrain so closed off that even the faithful could not easily set foot there, but few had ever laid eyes on the High Priest, the supreme authority who guarded the temple. Rumors coexisted side by side: that he was strikingly handsome, and that his face was so hideous he deliberately kept himself hidden.

Word also spread that he never walked about in the bright midday sun, only treading along dim paths at night. On top of that, whispers about his mysterious and secretive whereabouts had silently layered themselves one upon another: that he was a reincarnation of a god, and that he was someone who had no business being in the temple at all.

Beyond the rumor-laden High Priest, there was something else that made the temple remarkable. Children with exceptionally pure and unblemished souls were selected as servants of the god. In time, they became Saints devoted to his service. The children chosen to become Saints were bound by a divine covenant and could never leave the temple for the rest of their lives.

Layla, too, had been chosen as a Saint of this temple at the age of seven, and this year she turned twenty, yet she had never once seen the High Priest, who was the subject of all those rumors.

Layla washed herself clean before sunrise and stepped into the main hall of the temple. She dipped her fingers into the holy water basin, the vessel that held the sacred water, and made the sign of the cross. The moment she settled into her usual spot at the far corner and looked up toward the altar, she heard the sound of footsteps scraping along the floor.

She rose tidily from her seat and lowered her head toward the ground, and in that instant, a flurry of priests swept past in billowing white robes. A cleric followed after them, his black robes sweeping behind him as he walked.

Layla moved her head subtly, observing their movements with a curious gaze. Today, too, the High Priest would not come to the main hall, and it seemed the assigned prayer cleric would be the one to lead the prayers. Another day, no different from any other, had begun.

Yet before even half the day had passed, a startling piece of news arrived. The Kingdom of Fortuna had declared war on the Kingdom of Cordelia. The village of Diligachi, where the temple was located, sat near the border between the two kingdoms, so the news spread quickly, and the Saints and priests bustled about with hurried steps.

Layla pushed the curtain of the window aside slightly and peered out at the situation outside.

“War? So suddenly like this?”

Layla turned around in surprise at the commotion and found it was her friend Maris. She must have run with all her might, for her breath came in rapid gasps. Without even a moment to catch her breath, Maris poured out words in a rush.

“Hah, hah, Layla, I just heard something absurd. Word has it that somnium, which grows everywhere around here in abundance, has become the tea of immortality.”

“What? What on earth does that mean?”

“I overheard the priests talking, so I don’t know the exact details yet. But one thing is certain.”

“What is it?”

“You know how the faithful said His Majesty the King came here not long ago, saying the cypress trees here bring peace to the mind and body? From what I heard, the viscount offered His Majesty a tea made from somnium at that time. And it turned out to be a miraculous remedy, just like that.”

“Good heavens!”

Layla moistened her dry lips at the astonishing news. She had vaguely heard that the King had been suffering quite a great deal from a chronic illness. But she had never imagined that somnium, so common and abundant here, could be such a special plant. Immortality, of all things: it was a jaw-dropping story.

“Maris, but then why are they fighting with the Kingdom of Fortuna? It seems like His Majesty should be dancing for joy.”

Maris explained with great enthusiasm.

“Layla, that’s a good point. Rumor has it that the Queen of Fortuna has been wasting away from a difficult childbirth. There are even grim rumors going around that she may die soon. I mean, what harm would it do to share a little?”

It was absurd: even as the King himself had long been suffering from a chronic illness, he was turning a blind eye to the Queen of the neighboring kingdom, who was practically dying from a difficult labor. And not just a handful of the plant, but an amount that covered the entirety of Mount Aurelia here. It was truly a wretched disposition.

With war having broken out, they needed to escape the village of Diligachi as soon as possible, but the problem was that the Saints of this temple could not leave the village. Only with the High Priest’s permission could one leave the village, and this was a special power unique to the High Priest as the representative of the god. The Saints did not know this fact.

“Layla, so what is going to happen to us?”

It seemed Maris had been thinking the same thing as herself. Just like her, there was no sharp solution to be found, so Layla shook her head. Maris, who had been buzzing with excitement the whole time, pulled a long face and spoke. It was unlike Maris to lose her energy so quickly.

“Don’t tell me, are we going to die here in a mass sl*ughter?”

“The High Priest, the supreme authority of the temple, must have a plan to overcome this crisis. Would he put the priests and Saints in danger? I never even dreamed in my sleep that the village of Diligachi would become the center of a war. It gives me chills.”

“I was so shocked my hair stood on end. War, of all things. I still can’t believe it.”

Layla rubbed her arms, and Maris gave a shudder. Surely he would not simply let all twenty Saints in this temple die. Even if he lived in seclusion, the Saints were precious beings, so the High Priest would surely step forward. After all, when one was chosen as a Saint, it was made clear that one was a special existence. Even the faithful who visited the temple treated the Saints with great respect. Besides, how many years had they spent together here with the High Priest? Surely he would not turn a blind eye. Layla had lived in the temple for so long that she knew nothing of the outside world, but she understood at least the basic duties one owed to others.

“Don’t worry, Maris. We’ll be safe.”

“Thank you. Hearing you say that puts me at ease now.”

Layla pressed down her anxious heart while searching for reasonable grounds. Though she had never seen the High Priest, he had at least been running this temple well. Leaning on that, she forced herself to smile brightly. A High Priest who fulfilled his duties thoroughly would surely help the Saints.

The shadow that had fallen over Maris’s face finally lifted. Maris trotted over and hooked her arm through Layla’s, pressing close against her. At her familiar gesture, Layla let out a small laugh. It was a laugh like a brief rest in the midst of not knowing what lay ahead.

But within a few days, Layla’s expectations were overturned as easily as flipping a palm. The High Priest appeared to be abandoning the Saints here. The two kingdoms were beginning to clash in fierce confrontations, and she had heard there were times when fire engulfed everything in all directions. Since the temple was set apart from the village, they would not be harmed immediately, but they needed to escape as soon as possible.

The thought that the High Priest might abandon the Saints made her lips burn with anxiety. Grim rumors were spreading with each passing day, and a full week had already gone by since the war broke out.

The temple stood at the far edge of Mount Aurelia. The Saints could only move about in areas close to the temple, and the Lenitas shortcut was a path they were forbidden to set foot on. During their Saint education, they had pledged this in the language of the gods countless times a day and had made a vow to the priests.

Before that very forbidden shortcut, Layla, Maris, Nihil, and Salina stood in taut tension. It was best not to go where one was told not to go, but for some reason, this place felt like a key. There must be a clear reason for the stern warning not to go there. It felt like a zone that held the key to leaving the temple and the village of Diligachi. Or perhaps something like a secret passage.

Having spent their whole twenty years seeing only familiar priests and faithful visitors, they had no immunity to dangerous situations. Their bodies stiffened preemptively at the thought of any emergency that might arise. Their feet, hardened like stones, kept making them hesitate. Salina, who had been holding her breath the whole time, opened her mouth with halting reluctance.

“I really can’t do this. They strictly warned us not to set foot here at all, and there must be a reason for it.”

“Do you think we came here not knowing that?”

Maris snapped back with an exasperated sigh. The anxiety that they might be buried alive in the temple had made Maris rough around the edges. The three who had grown up together since childhood did not bother to point out Maris’s attitude. They all must have been feeling the same way right now.