Chapter 372 Sanctity and Freedom
Elisa still feels like she's dreaming, even though it was once the deepest dream buried in her heart.
Two weeks ago, Elisa, who was just an ordinary temple student, was summoned to the house at the highest point of the temple mountain. After various examinations by several high priests, she was confirmed to be a holy person.
Then she met the highest authority in the temple—Elder Ashif, and became a candidate for the next saintess of the temple.
"If you can comprehend the mystery of light, you can become the most sacred woman in the world!" Elisa would never forget Elder Ashif's words. Her heart trembled, her heart... was filled with fear.
She idolized Princess Heatherine when she first met her, and now that she was about to become a saint, she trembled with joy.
But Elisa was not one of those ignorant commoners. Coming from a noble family, she knew that there were many unspeakable things behind the seemingly sacred temple.
The temple has been passed down for thousands of years, and most of the saintesses have remained saintesses until their death. The few saintesses who were replaced midway through their lives were basically due to one reason—impurity.
"Impure" is a judgment that the temple can impose on a saint at any time. It may be impurity of the soul, impurity of the body, or even a saint who was once declared "impure" for being drunk and then disappeared forever.
Once you've been identified as a candidate, you'll be bound by this "impure" status from now on, and your days of freedom will be gone forever.
But that's not the most important thing.
If one cannot comprehend the purest light befitting the identity of a saintess, then what awaits them?
The Temple Elders are infallible; the fault must lie with you. Since you cannot comprehend the light, you are not holy and must have been tainted by something "impure." Therefore, you can disappear forever, just like Saintess Thea several years ago.
This terrified her!
Even though her family was one of the most powerful and established noble families in Venice, and even though her uncle was a Knight Commander of the Temple, she was powerless to resist the Temple Elders and could only passively endure their presence.
“Uncle Wenger, how can I comprehend the light? I’m just a priestess now! I can’t possibly fathom the mysteries of the light!” Elisa went to her uncle, the Grand Master of the Inner Temple Knights, and told him her troubles.
"You are free to study the Book of Light at will, and... Heather will also guide your cultivation!"
To let someone who might be "impure" guide you? Then... was Princess Heatherine wronged?
"Alas! Perhaps... Princess Heatherine's greatest 'impurity' lies in her commoner origins!" Elisa had already received a subtle hint from her family that the competition for the saintess position was extremely fierce, and her family's support was undoubtedly a factor in her being selected as a candidate.
In the past, if Elisa knew she would receive guidance from her idol, she would be so excited she couldn't sleep. But now, she felt guilty, as if she had stolen her idol's status and position.
Elisa moved into the inner sanctuary she had longed for, into a place known as the "Practitioners' Quarter," the courtyard in the center of the first row of houses, which was said to be the former residence of the saintess.
The courtyard walls and house walls were covered with wisteria vines that the saint herself had transplanted. These plants love to absorb dust, making the whole courtyard look exceptionally clean and quiet.
During dinner, she received strange looks from a group of inner temple practitioners as a "transfer student." Her identity has not yet been revealed, and everything will have to wait until the day she masters the light.
The hard bread paired with the coarse porridge was hard for Elisa to swallow. She mentally encouraged herself, "This is a trial I have to go through. Everyone is watching me, and in the future... even more people will be watching me!"
"Hi! I'm Clya from Britain. You're new here, right? Are you going to choose the Temple of the Priests?" A spirited young woman walked up to Elisa and sat down opposite her, asking her cheerfully.
Why don't you think I'll choose the Knights' Hall?
Elisa coldly retorted with a slightly haughty air. Since half a month ago, she had unknowingly changed her attitude towards interacting with people. Although she was not yet a saintess, the identity of a saintess candidate was enough to draw a chasm between her and the country bumpkins like the Britons.
The spirited Claire didn't notice Elisa's distant tone. Instead, she pointed to Elisa's white robe and veil and laughed, "Judging from your attire, you must be a follower of Her Highness the Saintess! Why would you choose our Knights' Hall?"
“Oh! My name is Elisa Stellia, from Venice! I will not choose the Temple of Knights, nor will I choose the Temple of the Priests.”
Keria blinked, as if she understood something, and asked cautiously, "You're from the Stellia family, so what is Knight Commander Wenger's relationship to you?"
Elisa, suppressing her anger, said, "I am here in the inner sanctum because of myself, not because of anyone else!"
She abandoned her unfinished meal and stormed back to her own yard.
She hated that British country bumpkin, and she hated those annoying, strange looks.
Elisa's residence contained a huge mirror, a glass mirror that Venice was proud of, and it was her most prized possession, which she would take with her wherever she moved.
In the mirror, Elisa, with her face veiled and dressed in a white robe, looked exactly like a young girl version of Princess Heatherine.
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