TGS - Chapter 98
Chapter 98: The Priest Selection
After some discussion, Alyuin and Rhea reached a preliminary consensus.
The Princess would have people compile the young priestess’s hymns into a book for distribution. If they were lucky enough, it would spread to every corner where the Solancian pantheon was worshipped, imperceptibly increasing Rhea’s personal influence.
This was the ideal scenario.
By the time their discussion ended, Lotus was long gone from the hall.
The goddess herself hadn't been able to endure a third poem and had found a random excuse to return to her room.
Alyuin chuckled softly, imagining Lotus’s thoughts as she lowered her gaze and straightened the thick stack of poems.
Suddenly, a rather unremarkable sheet of paper caught her eye. It also bore Rhea’s neat handwriting, but it was not a hymn.
The Princess paused.
It was a long narrative poem, telling the story of how the Goddess Lotus had appeared in the dreams of a timid young priestess, personally bestowing her trust and allowing her to regain her confidence, growing into a qualified head priestess with devout faith in her god.
Alyuin: “…”
She had grown up. She was no longer the little girl who would fret over such trivial matters, feeling lost and uncertain. She was completely unconcerned about Lotus showing special favor to Rhea.
—The Princess calmly placed this sheet of paper at the very bottom of the stack.
Since it was a collection of hymns, a narrative poem didn't need to be included. It was perfectly normal not to publish it.
Speaking of which, Rhea’s skill at writing long narrative poems seemed quite good as well.
“Have you heard about the oath I swore to the Goddess Lotus?”
Rhea said, bewildered, “What?”
The Princess’s oath was already known by everyone in Akhet, but Kadera was simply too remote, and Rhea had not yet heard any news of it.
“I will tell you. In addition, I would like to ask you to write a long poem about this matter.”
“A poem that people will remember.”
Rhea subconsciously fidgeted with her fingers, somewhat hesitant.
“If it’s alright, I’d like to know what it is about first.”
Alyuin gave her a simple account, her tone placid, though a hint of pride could be detected if one listened closely.
“Lotus permitted me to become her dependent and agreed to make the oath public. That is why I have come to ask this of you.”
The young priestess listened, dumbfounded. After a long moment, she said with yearning, “I see, so that’s possible. I am also willing to swear an oath to the Goddess—”
She was cut off mid-sentence by the Princess.
A cold glint flickered in Alyuin’s eyes as she solemnly declared, “No. Only I can do that.”
Her newfound ambition was shattered just as it arose, and the young priestess lowered her head in disappointment.
Despite this, she still promised, “I will do my best, Your Highness.”
Unbeknownst to Lotus, Rhea—a head priestess by trade but a bard by talent, a rising star in the literary world—was already brewing her second piece of fanfiction based on the myths.
The creator herself could not have imagined that this long poem would one day be included in the official collection of myths and, like her many subsequent works, become part of the orthodox mythological canon.
Only Alyuin.
The Princess, not yet twenty years old, tapped the paper twice with her quill. A cryptic smile flickered across her lips and was gone.
It was as if she could already see the connecting thread.
The selection of the High Priest for the River God Temple was arguably the most formal and eye-catching major assessment in years. The candidates came not only from the priestly system, but some nobles also took the opportunity to enter their sons and daughters into the running.
If one of them was actually chosen, they would leap from being the child of an ordinary noble family to one of the few people at the apex of the theocratic system. Who wouldn't want such a wonderful thing?
The first round was a written examination, testing memorization and writing. Unsurprisingly, this was Rhea’s specialty, and she advanced to the next round without any suspense.
The second round was a test of talent, which was also not very difficult. Those who could serve as priests all had some talent. The harp and dance were bonus skills, while singing was a fundamental one. Otherwise, if one struggled even to chant hymns, how could they preside over ceremonies at festivals as the High Priest?
Compared to her competitors, Rhea, who had already served as the head priestess of the Kadera temple for several years, was clearly more at ease.
Furthermore, she had independently presided over a festival, making her far more experienced than anyone else present.
Rhea passed both rounds of assessment.
At this point, only ten of the previous hundreds of candidates remained.
Among the many candidates, Rhea had seemed unremarkable. Now that the crowd had thinned, more people began to notice her.
Where was she from? The border city of Kadera.
Although it was a remote little city, it at least held the title of the “First Temple.” Most importantly, it was where the Princess had been exiled.
Oh… that sounded a bit delicate.
Many people gossiped in private, all feeling that a good show was about to unfold.
Unlike the first two rounds, which tested one’s own abilities, the third round was called “The God’s Will.” There were only two judges. One of them was the current High Priest.
The High Priest of the River, Saige, propped up his ailing body and was helped to the assessment site. He needed to select half of the ten candidates, and his future successor would be among those five.
On the open ground before the River God Temple, the young people stood in a line, anxiously awaiting the verdict.
This was a rather important occasion, so Horst, as the King of Solancia, naturally had to be present, as there was nothing more pressing for him to handle.
He looked at the vibrant candidates with an expectant expression, as if he were very pleased.
Only for a fleeting moment did his gloomy gaze fall upon High Priest Saige’s back, wishing he could pierce him through with his stare alone.
Just last night, Horst had learned that Rhea from Kadera was among the finalists. Without a second thought, he had gone to the River God Temple to visit Saige.
On the surface, it was a monarch visiting a gravely ill subject. In reality, he was telling Saige, both overtly and covertly—do not keep Rhea.
Saige’s health was poor, and his temper was no better. He had immediately retorted with a sneer, “Your Majesty, cough, are you personally teaching me to engage in favoritism and fraud? Cough, cough.”
Horst, who had always maintained a righteous persona, couldn't withstand that. He offered a perfunctory excuse and scurried back to the royal palace.
As it turned out, Saige hadn't taken Horst’s hint to heart at all. In the past, he might have had some reservations, but now that he was on the verge of death, why should he care so much?
Thus, as soon as the straightforward High Priest took the stage, Rhea was among the five people he named. To further annoy Horst, he even gave Rhea a nod and a smile. “I wish you success, child.”
Horst: “…”
He had reason to suspect Saige was deliberately opposing him.
Regardless of his thoughts, the assessment finally proceeded to its last step.
The other judge for the third round was not a person, but the blue herons.
During the warm spring and summer seasons, a flock of blue herons always rested on the lake inside the River God Temple. Whenever they heard the sound of hymns praising the goddess, they would dance gracefully, as if they were truly worshipping the deity.
Because of this characteristic, the final selection was always fixed.
The candidates had to sing a hymn by the lakeside one by one. Whoever could entice more blue herons to dance or draw near would be the final choice for High Priest.
The spectators followed the candidates to the shore of the serene and beautiful lake.
From a distance, they could see a flock of birds with long necks and beautiful figures resting there. Some floated on the water, while others were near the shore, their long legs taking elegant strides.
Alyuin whispered, “Do you remember the giant fish in the lake in Yilulaila?”
…Of course, she remembered.
Upon sensing her presence, they had scrambled to leap out of the water, putting on a unique welcoming performance that had nearly caused a sensation.
Lotus silently shifted behind Alyuin, using her to block her own figure, lest the flock of blue herons flap their wings and come over as soon as they saw her, which would unfairly affect the candidates’ test.
A smile flashed in the Princess’s eyes. She tapped Lotus’s wrist before turning her gaze, now relaxed, toward the lake.
As she looked, she caught the eye of a certain noble. He looked as if he were anticipating something, a poorly concealed glee on his face. Horst was also looking in the same direction, though his expression was much better controlled, revealing only a hint of strangeness.
Alyuin frowned slightly.
“Lotus.”
“Hm?”
“Do you feel that something is wrong?”
Lotus remained behind the Princess, not moving, but her eyes slowly closed as she sensed her surroundings.
In an instant, her eyelashes fluttered.
“That tall, thin man… there’s something unnatural about him.” Lotus paused, then opened her eyes, her gaze turning abruptly cold. “It’s a special incense. Can you smell it?”
Alyuin shook her head.
Perhaps a god’s senses were inherently more sensitive than a human’s sense of smell, or perhaps the scent was difficult for humans to detect.
This candidate was third in line. At the moment, he was deliberately keeping his distance from the lake. The blue herons closer to him were looking around, appearing confused.
“It’s probably something that attracts animals.”
He was keeping his distance so as not to give an advantage to the competitor who was currently singing the hymn.
Alyuin quickly put two and two together.
The noble with the eager expression was the father of this tall, thin man.
Lotus didn’t actually feel angry, just a bit absurd.
This feeling of someone using every trick to cheat, only to be caught by the proctor on patrol… they might even be caught red-handed.
The coldness in Alyuin’s eyes was even greater than hers.
To use such petty tricks in the selection for Lotus’s High Priest was tantamount to writing “disrespect for the gods” on their foreheads. For a devout believer of the River Goddess, this was utterly unacceptable.
“Please rest assured, I will not let them succeed.”
The Princess whispered, already prepared to expose the tall, thin man when he stepped forward.
Lotus said, “Wait a moment.”
Her frost-blue eyes gazed at the lakeside, her expression unreadable. After a moment, she said thoughtfully, “In the end, this round isn't about who can attract the most blue herons, but who is most pleasing to the god, isn't it?”
Alyuin understood what she was implying. Hesitantly, unwillingly, she nodded.
“Then it doesn’t matter,” Lotus said lightly.
Alyuin: “…”
She wouldn’t fret over this, nor would she feel a sense of crisis, but—
The Princess cast a dark look at Rhea’s back.
The young priestess, waiting for her turn, let out a sneeze. “Achoo!”
Rhea looked around in a daze.
On a hot summer day, where did that long-forgotten chill come from?
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