Episode 12| The High Priests dilemma
The High Priest stood alone in his private chamber late that night.
The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by several flickering candles placed carefully around the large oak desk. Outside, the temple halls were silent, most priests already asleep after the long day.
Yet the High Priest could not rest.
Something was wrong.
Ever since Priest Ryan had entered the temple… things had begun to change.
At first, it had been subtle.
Small things.
More villagers reporting successful recoveries.
Fewer desperate pleas for healing reaching the temple gates.
Orphanages somehow receiving supplies even when the temple had not officially approved them.
The High Priest’s fingers tapped slowly against his desk.
This was not the outcome he wanted.
The temple’s power depended on dependency.
People had to believe that healing was rare… precious… something only the temple could grant when it deemed someone worthy.
By controlling healing, the temple controlled the people.
But recently—
More people seemed to be recovering.
And he had no idea how.
His sharp eyes narrowed.
“Ryan…”
The young priest had only joined the temple recently.
Yet ever since his arrival, the balance had begun shifting.
There was no proof.
No evidence.
But the High Priest could not ignore the feeling in his chest whenever Ryan was nearby.
Unease.
Discomfort.
Almost like standing near something… dangerous.
Then there was the matter of Countess Marilyn White.
The High Priest himself had examined her condition.
She should have died within days.
And yet suddenly—
She had recovered completely.
When questioned, the Countess merely smiled and claimed that fortune had smiled upon her family.
Then, almost immediately afterward, she had used her influence to push for Ryan’s promotion.
From a low-ranking priest…
To a Mid-Level Priest.
The High Priest’s suspicion deepened.
“…Interesting.”
He leaned back slowly in his chair.
If something unusual was happening within his temple…
Then perhaps it was time to seek guidance.
The High Priest rose and walked toward a hidden panel behind one of the large bookshelves.
He pressed his palm against it.
The shelf shifted aside, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness.
Moments later, he stood in an underground chamber carved from black stone.
Ancient runes were etched across the walls.
In the center of the room lay a summoning circle.
The High Priest stepped inside it calmly.
Then he began chanting.
Dark energy gathered in the chamber.
The air grew heavy.
Shadows twisted and stretched unnaturally along the walls.
Suddenly—
A deep voice echoed through the room.
“High Priest… you summon me again.”
Black smoke poured from the center of the circle, forming the vague shape of a towering figure with glowing crimson eyes.
The demon he had formed a contract with.
The High Priest bowed slightly.
“My lord.”
The demon studied him lazily.
“You rarely call upon me without reason. Speak.”
The High Priest folded his hands behind his back.
“Something within the temple has begun to change.”
“Oh?”
“More people are recovering from illnesses. Situations that should have resulted in death are resolving themselves unexpectedly.”
The demon remained silent.
“And there is one priest,” the High Priest continued slowly.
“A newcomer named Ryan.”
“Does this priest possess unusual magic?” the demon asked.
“I cannot confirm it.”
The High Priest’s eyes darkened.
“But his presence unsettles me.”
The demon hummed thoughtfully.
Then its red eyes flickered with strange light.
“…Interesting.”
“What do you mean?”
The demon leaned forward slightly.
“There is a prophecy tied to your fate.”
The High Priest stiffened slightly.
“A prophecy?”
“Yes.”
The demon’s voice grew quieter.
“One day… a Saintess blessed by the Goddess of Light will appear.”
The chamber grew colder.
“She will become the catalyst for your downfall.”
The High Priest’s expression hardened.
“A saintess?”
“Yes.”
The demon continued calmly.
“My prophecies are never wrong.”
The High Priest crossed his arms.
“And this saintess…?”
“Should have already appeared by now.”
Silence filled the chamber.
The High Priest frowned slightly.
“But no saintess has appeared.”
“Exactly.”
The demon’s eyes narrowed.
“That is what troubles me.”
Its voice carried a faint irritation.
“The prophecy states that by now… the saintess should have already been discovered by the temple.”
Yet no such discovery had occurred.
No divine revelation.
No holy child brought forward by the church.
Nothing.
The demon’s smoky form shifted uneasily.
“My prophecies are never wrong.”
Yet something felt… off.
Like a missing piece of a puzzle.
The demon slowly leaned closer to the High Priest.
“Find her.”
The High Priest’s gaze sharpened.
“The saintess?”
“Yes.”
The demon’s voice became cold.
“If she exists… she must be located and killed before she realizes her power.”
The High Priest nodded slowly.
“If she is destined to destroy me… then she will not live long enough to try.”
The demon’s red eyes gleamed darkly.
“Good.”
The smoke began dissolving slowly.
But before disappearing completely, the demon murmured one last thing.
“…Still…”
The High Priest looked up.
“What?”
The demon’s voice echoed faintly.
“…Why has she not appeared yet?”
Then the chamber fell silent.
The High Priest stood alone again in the darkness.
His thoughts slowly returned to one particular priest.
Golden hair.
Green eyes.
And a presence that made his hidden demonic magic recoil.
“…Ryan.”
For reasons he could not explain—
His instincts were beginning to whisper something dangerous.
Meanwhile, several floors above in the temple dormitories—
Riley slept peacefully in her room.
Completely unaware that somewhere in the shadows…
A prophecy had just marked the Saintess for death.