MLWDP CH 18

Chapter 18

The next day.

Just as her mother had said, the High Priest from the temple came to visit.

He was someone who had often come by to check on Idette’s illness before.

Although she wasn’t sick anymore, Idette still lay in bed to greet him.

“It’s been a while, Lady Lushe.”

“Yes…”

It seemed he had come straight here just to see her.

The uncomfortable expressions on her parents’ faces behind him made that clear.

“I heard you’ve gotten much better.”

“Yes… thanks to everyone…”

“What have we done? It’s all by the will of God.”

‘If it’s God’s will, why don’t you just stay locked up in your temple instead of coming to check on me?’ Idette thought.

“May I examine your condition?”

“…Go ahead.”

Even though she knew the temple was the dark power behind everything in this world, she couldn’t suddenly refuse their help after all the times she’d received it.

All the temple really did was restrict commoners from getting medical treatment, so that people would depend entirely on them—and that power had cost countless lives from illnesses that could have been easily cured.

“Hmm…”

The priest took Idette’s hand to check her pulse.

‘Huh?’

Something felt strange.

That way of checking health—by feeling the pulse—was something apothecaries did, not priests.

And it was also a method written in the interdimensional traveler’s medical book.

“You’ve really improved—so much better than before!”

“…”

‘Why would the temple know that method?’

“It truly must be God’s blessing.”

“…Thank you.”

Idette quickly hid her surprise and politely thanked him.

“How about becoming a priestess now?”

The High Priest smiled kindly as he brought it up again.

“Last time, I couldn’t strongly recommend it because of your health,
but now that you’re well, I think you should seriously consider it.”

“…No, I’m sorry.”

If she became a priestess, she’d have to live in a monastery, cut off from the world forever.

That was not something a noble girl could easily agree to.

And the priest must have known that.

“Actually, it’s because I sense the qualities of a Saint in you.”

‘What?’

An overwhelming divine power,
and a sudden recovery—he said those were signs of sainthood.

But as far as Idette remembered, there had never been a Saint in the original story.

So it was clearly just a lie to lure her into the temple.

“A Saint…?”

Her parents looked at the priest in shock.

“I know it’s surprising. But we wouldn’t recommend priesthood without reason.”

“Even so, it’s impossible,” her father, the Count, interrupted firmly.

He knew Idette had recovered thanks to the apothecaries, not the temple,
so he could be firm about it.

“You’re refusing quite decisively. Almost as if there’s another reason,”

the High Priest said sharply.

Idette realized then that he was testing them.

But—

“I already said I hate the temple.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’ve been sick all my life. Now that I can finally move freely, you suddenly want me to live as a priestess? I don’t want that life.”

The temple was still full of mysteries.
And now, she was being treated with the apothecaries’ help.

If the temple somehow found out about their knowledge of medicine, things could get dangerous.

So she had to avoid them as much as possible.

“…Becoming a Saint is an honor—”

“I said no! It’s already suffocating enough here—what do you think the temple would be like?”

Idette shouted.

The High Priest blinked, genuinely startled.

“Have you ever been sick your whole life? Lying in bed, unable to move, barely blinking? Do you know what that suffering feels like? And now you tell me to live in the temple until I die? I said I don’t want to!”

“…L-Lady…”

Idette, who had always been gentle and obedient, was now shouting and shaking, so even the Count, his wife, the knights, and the servants looked at the priests with clear hostility.

“…We’ll take our leave for today.”

“Waaah!”

Idette burst into loud sobs.

The priests, flustered, hurriedly left the mansion, as if their feet were on fire.

For now, she had managed to drive them away—but since they said “for today,”
they would probably come back.

And since the Lushe family had long received the temple’s help, if Idette kept getting better, they might not be able to refuse the temple’s offer forever.

The temple could even start a rumor campaign. If that happened, Idette might be forced to become a Saint against her will.

Her parents’ faces turned grim.

“Idette.”

“Yes.”

“…If you become a Saint or a priestess,
you’ll never see us again. You don’t want that, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Alright then…”

They both looked like they had made a firm decision.

***

For now, the temple’s influence was too strong. Every noble depended on divine power—because without it, they couldn’t survive.

Even the Emperor was cautious around the temple.

So if the temple declared that Idette had the qualities of a Saint, the nobles would wonder why she refused such an “honor.”

That meant the only way to avoid becoming a Saint was—
marriage.

But Idette was only twelve years old.

Way too young to marry.

“Actually, we’ve already started getting marriage proposals.”

“Are you crazy?”

“What?”

“How can I get marriage proposals at twelve!”

She couldn’t help but shout.

“It’s about securing a match early. Everyone knows how amazing you are.”

‘Not me—Lushe is amazing. They’re all just after our wealth.’

And besides, every noble knew Idette had been sickly.

They’d probably think:

If she survives long enough to marry, great. If not, even better.

Her father surely knew that, so he would pick someone decent.

Still, Idette couldn’t help but feel the future was spiraling out of control.

In the original story, Idette was supposed to live weakly until about eighteen and then marry Brinnen.

But thanks to the temple’s meddling, the timing had moved forward.

“Of course, an actual wedding is impossible now. But we can arrange an engagement.”

“That’s no different from pretending not to see what’s going on. The temple will see through that too.”

“…Hmm.”

“What?”

“…Was my daughter always this smart?”

“It’s better than being dumb, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

The Count nodded, half amused, half impressed.

Before she regained her memories, Idette hadn’t been stupid—but her long illness had kept her from studying or speaking much.

So it made sense that her father found her sudden sharpness surprising.

“Maybe my daughter’s a genius who just couldn’t use her head because she was sick.”

“Yeah, that sounds right.”

She went along with his easy acceptance.

But the real issue wasn’t her intelligence—it was who she’d get engaged to.

“Don’t worry, my dear. Your father wouldn’t push this without finding a good man. Trust me, okay?”

“Yes, sure.”

Idette had no intention of getting married anyway.

She’d just evaluate whoever her father brought and find a way to deal with him.

After all, what was the point of surviving,
if in the original story, she’d die giving birth?

…Wait.

Her father wouldn’t seriously choose Brennen as her fiancé,

would he?