The first time Arianne truly believed in Gods was when Saint Bernadette was born. Anyone, even an atheist, would have embraced religion if they had witnessed that silver-haired, peacefully sleeping baby and the subsiding blizzard. On that day, she offered prayers of gratitude to Goddess with all her heart.

Arianne had decided to stay by Snow’s side, and she had cared for her since she was a red, wrinkly newborn—feeding her, bathing her, changing her diapers, holding and comforting her. Arianne was there when Snow’s first tooth came in, when she first babbled, when she took her first steps, and when she first rolled over.

When Snow babbled and called Arianne’s name for the first time, Arianne decided to become Snow’s mother. The first word Snow uttered wasn’t “mama” or “papa.” Though Snow’s voice was clumsy and unclear as she moved her mouth saying “Ari, Ara,” it was unmistakably “Arianne”—her name.

In truth, Snow was the daughter Arianne had raised with her heart, not her womb.

If forced to choose between Goddess and Snow, Arianne would choose Snow without a moment’s hesitation. It was because of Snow that she had come to truly believe in the Goddess in the first place. If Snow were suffering because of the Goddess, Arianne was the kind of person who could turn against that deity.

Ceres was the person with the greatest power to save Snow. If Ceres Martadia immediately ordered everyone to leave the temple and search for the Saint, even those who were now opposing would have no choice but to follow her command. That’s why Arianne would have unhesitatingly licked Ceres’s feet if ordered to do so right now.

Something remarkable happened. Another priest stood on the opposite side from those arguing that they should not search for the Saint. He too bowed his head deeply like the previous priest. However, he said something completely different from the earlier priest.

“You may dismiss me later for insufficient faith if you wish. But please, just this once, allow us to leave the temple and search for the Holy Maiden. Ceres, please…!”

Then several others followed that priest. Now the priests were divided into two groups on either side of Ceres, making completely opposing arguments.

Ceres looked at the two groups of priests and then closed her eyes entirely.

Ceres Martadia knew that she herself desperately wanted to find the missing Saint safely. Very desperately.

As Ceres, if she had firm faith in Goddess, she should also have faith that the Saint would return safely. Her desire to search for the Saint herself was tantamount to not fully trusting Goddess Amir.

It was then that it happened.

“What use is such a Goddess!”

Arianne, looking at the people divided on both sides, finally cried out with tears streaming down her face. At that outburst, even those who had been arguing that they should search for the Saint froze white with shock. That was truly something that should never be said, even as a last resort. If Ceres excommunicated Arianne right now, Arianne would have no grounds to object.

But for Arianne, this last resort was precisely now.

‘What use is such a Goddess…’

Ceres unconsciously repeated Arianne’s words in her mind, then covered her mouth in shock at herself.

Ceres took a somewhat rough breath. In that moment, she realized she had been weighing something that should have been obvious.

Whether they searched for the Saint or not actually had nothing to do with Ceres’s faith in Goddess. From the moment she worried about the Saint’s safety, her faith in Amir had already been shaken. Even if they didn’t search for the Saint now, the fact that her heart had wavered remained unchanged.

If they searched for the Saint outside the temple, that would prove that Ceres lacked faith in Goddess.

If they didn’t search for the Saint and remained shut in the temple, agonizing and worrying, that too would be evidence that she lacked faith in Goddess.

If the result was the same either way, it would be more beneficial to first arrange for the priests to search for the Saint and then think about it.

Martadia knew her reasoning was sophistry. She also knew that one should not dare to think this way when dealing with God. She might be committing an even greater sin against God than Arianne, who had just openly cried out, “What use is such a Goddess!” But there was no other choice.

The worry was entirely her burden, and the Saint should not be sacrificed for it.

Ceres opened her closed eyes. All the priests, even Arianne, held their breath and waited for Ceres’s command. Ceres called out loudly and clearly:

“Gather people to search for the Holy Maiden right now! Whether they are holy knights, ordinary priests, or high priests doesn’t matter. However, apprentice priests must be over 15 years old. Spread the word throughout the Grand Temple. We will turn the capital upside down until we confirm that the Saint is safe!”

And that was the first moment when Ceres, the head of the Amir religion, acted entirely based on human will rather than Goddess’s will.

♣ ♣ ♣

The temple mobilized a full two hours after the Saint’s disappearance. The fact that the Saint had disappeared was not something that should easily leak out. Since they couldn’t hire people with money in this situation, those who set out to find the Saint were all priests or holy knights affiliated with the temple.

They all wore ordinary civilian clothes instead of priestly robes as they trudged through the snow.

In truth, there was no guarantee they could find the Saint this way. The capital was too vast, and the number of priests was limited. The blizzard obstructed visibility so much that they couldn’t see even a foot ahead.

The first day yielded no results. When night fell, they could no longer continue the search, and the priests returned to the temple, stomping their feet in frustration.

In the case of Priest Arianne, they said that several priests had to forcibly drag her back as she refused to return to the Grand Temple, calling out for the Saint on the snow-covered streets. She would die if she wandered outside in this night. The priests kept watch to prevent Arianne from going outside.

“We must find the Holy Maiden! Let me go!”

Arianne screamed all night long. The priests were no less troubled.

They resumed the search the next day. The situation worsened. Around just past noon, the weather began to deteriorate rapidly. It had already been tremendous enough to be called a calamity before, but now it became even worse. The falling snow prevented proper visibility.

The priests barely managed to return to the Grand Temple. The returned priests gathered in Dianasha, one of the largest temples within the Grand Temple complex.

If they went out again to search for the Saint in this condition, the searching priests themselves might go missing. Snow was falling everywhere, pure white, and they could only see as far as they could reach with outstretched hands.

But one of the priests who had volunteered to search for the Saint did not return. Just as people were anxiously wondering if he had lost his way in the blizzard, he returned, leading a horse.

A person was slumped over the horse’s back. Thick white snow had accumulated on top of the many layers of winter clothes. The priests immediately rushed over and lowered the person. The clothes were cold, but the body inside was a burning hot mass like red-hot coals. The fever was raging.

“Oh, dear God.”

Patrick, a high priest of noble birth, recognized the person lowered from the horse’s back and sighed. It was a member of the imperial family who used to come and go from the temple as if it were his own home. Several other priests soon recognized that familiar face.

It was Elios Riman Akelan, the Emperor’s eldest son.

The priests stirred. Camellia, a high priest with quick judgment, gave instructions to the group of priests.

“Please take the Prince to a warm room immediately. You there, please call for Priest Deon.”

Priest Deon was a former court physician. After becoming a priest a few years ago due to a chance opportunity, he had been dedicating himself to providing free medical care. Several ordinary priests and apprentice priests moved efficiently according to High Priest Camellia’s orders. However, many priests still remained in the temple for the rescue of the Saint.

High Priest Camellia called aside the priest who had returned with Elios on the horse. She asked him about the circumstances of rescuing the Prince.

“Ah, High Priest. Well, I could barely see a foot ahead of me in the blizzard and almost passed by, but this clever fellow approached me first and gently pushed my arm with its head.”

He pointed to the brown horse tied beside a massive pillar, shaking off melted snow. It was the horse that had saved its master. It showed only slight signs of fatigue despite having broken through that blizzard. It was undoubtedly a horse of excellent lineage.

“I was startled to find a person collapsed on its back, so I led the horse here. That’s why I arrived a bit late. But I never imagined it would be the Prince.”

“I see. You’ve done a great deed. You may rest now after taking the horse to the temple stable.”

“Thank you for your words, but I cannot rest. After taking the horse to the stable, I will rejoin the search for the Holy Maiden.”

The priest said. They still hadn’t found even a trace of the Saint. He was one of those who had argued that they should save the Saint when the priests divided into two groups before Ceres the day before.

It had been quite some time since the Saint disappeared. She had been wearing only thin indoor clothes. In truth, unless Goddess’s protection was with her, it was difficult to believe she could be alive and well after all this time in this blizzard.

Even the most faithless person would need to forcibly acquire faith to hope for the Saint’s safety.

Priest Arianne, who had shouted “What use is such a Goddess!” just yesterday, was now praying with tears streaming down her face, pressed close to the ground as if begging Goddess desperately.

In her case, it was a wonder that she was still standing without collapsing from exhaustion.

The priest who had gone to rescue the Saint but ended up saving Prince Elios felt overwhelmed at the thought of what might have happened to that gentle person in this raging blizzard. So he absolutely could not rest.

High Priest Camellia certainly understood his feelings. She easily gave her permission, saying, “Very well.”

♣ ♣ ♣

Ceres sat quietly in her room, waiting for the priests who had gone to search for the Saint to bring good news. She was the head of the temple. It was unimaginable for her to leave the Grand Temple herself. It had always been that way.