Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 241

241. Childhood Friend - riel's Side Story

Over twenty years ago, riel Bailay was just an ordinary noble lady of the Bailay Barony.

She had an older brother who had married, a younger sister who needed her to set an example, and a younger brother who was obsessed with swordsmanship, determined to beco a knight.

It was an unremarkable family.

Aside from the fact that the Bailay Barony was located in the southernmost part of the Aslan Kingdom, bordering the Bellita Kingdom, there wasn't much to say about it.

Oh, well, it was a fairly respectable knightly family. Due to the strained relations between the Bellita Kingdom and the Aslan Kingdom, the Bailay Barony, which stood on the frontline, received subsidies from the kingdom.

Their stubborn father spent every penny of that money to maintain the small number of soldiers, leaving the daughters of the barony, situated in a mountainous area with no inco to speak of, to fend for themselves. They had to make their own clothes, cook their own als, and even do the shopping.

"Big sister, you'll be getting married soon, won't you?"

On their way to the market, riel's younger sister, Marsha, asked. Since their brother had married, it must be her sister's turn now. riel smiled faintly as she replied.

"Probably."

"Where will you go? Ugh, even if a man marries, he still stays with the family, but you’ll be leaving, right?"

"Oh my, listen to her. So, Marsha, do you want to bring a husband into our house? If so~"

"Kyaa!"

Marsha quickly covered her teasing sister's mouth. Her face flushed bright red at the thought of her future husband, a topic she was clearly embarrassed about.

Though riel’s match had not yet been decided, Marsha’s was sowhat settled. The suitor was the grandson of the chieftain of a native tribe that had settled in the Bailay Barony.

Given the Aslan Kingdom's mix of feudalism and tribal chieftaincy, most of those living in the Bailay Barony were natives, and they were ruled by both the Baron and the tribal chieftain.

As a result, the two families(?) maintained a very close relationship. With Marsha and the chieftain's grandson being around the sa age, the idea of their marriage had been discussed for over ten years.

riel, laughing playfully, couldn’t resist teasing her younger sister, who had her marriage prospects decided before her. Marsha grumbled, wondering how the conversation had turned this way.

"I don't like him. He boasts about becoming a great warrior by slaying demons, but he’s all talk..."

"Then don’t let him go."

"And how would I do that if he insists?"

"Do you think he would ignore the words of such a pretty wife?"

"Eek! If you keep teasing ... huh?"

"Mm? Why are y—"

The bustling marketplace around them fell into an eerie silence. The natives stared blankly at the sky, and the only sound was the clattering of sothing knocked over by soone who had stepped out to look up.

Even the dogs had stopped barking.

The wind had ceased as well.

riel looked up to see the bright autumn sky splitting apart. Through the crack, she glimpsed a massive figure wearing a crown of thorns before a blinding white light poured out.

It was bright.

But not blinding.

riel didn't realize that the light enveloping the entire continent was slowly narrowing down to her. All she could sense was the overwhelming presence—

The presence of the Supre God.

"Sister…!"

"O Lord…"

Everyone except her sister fell to their knees. No, even her sister eventually knelt before the holiness of the newly born Saintess, and it wasn't just the people of the Bailay Barony who bowed to her.

The Cardinal of the Aslan Kingdom rushed over barefoot. The elderly king arrived, not in a carriage, but on horseback, and bowed his head, asking her to bestow the first blessing upon his newborn son.

The Saintess.

There was no one above riel anymore.

Even her strict father and mother bowed their heads, for they were no longer her parents.

How could re humans claim to be parents to the daughter of God?

riel accepted this with ease.

She lost her family na, Bailay, and her parents overnight, but she effortlessly succeeded the recently deceased eighty-sixth Saintess.

This was because she had been overwheld by the fullness of experiencing the Supre God. To her, God beca everything, and human affairs, conflicts, and even love beca irrelevant. She lived only to serve God with all her might.

'My younger brother Jensen and Marsha cried a lot at first.'

But perhaps not even the Supre God could fully govern the human heart. Or perhaps the Supre God allowed the human heart to remain as it was.

It took nearly twenty years for the presence of the Supre God to gradually loosen its grip on the Saintess.

It wasn’t that her devotion to God diminished, but rather that she had grown accustod to it. And with that familiarity, the Saintess began to regain her humanity.

The four avatars of the Supre God: the silent and patient Nar, who upset her; the noble and sacrificial Goddess Boar, who felt like a familiar older sister; the battle and honor-driven God Lachar, who seed like a stubborn older brother; and the admonishing God Binar, whose scolding was starting to sound like re nagging—these feelings marked the mont riel could finally look around her.

After nearly twenty years, she wrote a letter.

She could have contacted the church in her hotown, but after becoming the Saintess, she hadn’t reached out once. What right did she have to ask for a conversation now? A handwritten letter felt much more appropriate.

The reply ca back after several months.

Her younger siblings were overjoyed. Her little sister had gotten married—to the man they had expected—and had a child. But, apparently, he was still dreaming of becoming a great warrior, causing her no end of trouble... Nothing much had changed, riel thought with a contented smile.

Through the letters exchanged over the months, riel learned about the events that had taken place in her hotown.

Her older brother, now Baron Bailay, had safely navigated the civil war in the Aslan Kingdom, and her younger brother had beco the captain of the knights in the Kingdom of Astin. She was pleased, but when she asked about her parents, the answer ca in the form of an obituary, which saddened her. riel prayed for the souls of her parents.

She continued to fulfill her duties as Saintess while occasionally waiting for her sister’s letters. One day, as she finished her usual noon prayers and was moving on to her next task, the sun suddenly set.

For a mont, she thought she had dozed off.

But could she have really fallen asleep while walking? Ti had changed. Not only that, but her clothing had also beco thicker.

It had suddenly shifted from late autumn to winter—no, to the end of the year—and her sister's new letter had arrived.

What on earth was happening?

riel prayed to the Supre God for answers but received no response. Only Binar, who was usually more talkative, said:

["You do not need to know yet. But more importantly, a war will soon break out. The Supre God does not wish for the Church or the Holy Kingdom to be involved in this war."]

However, this did not resolve her confusion.

When she persistently prayed, the Supre God and the other three avatars remained silent as usual, while Binar let slip a few more words:

["The ti is approaching when the evil that has descended upon the mortal realm will be eradicated, so pay it no mind and carry out your duties. Human strength is valuable, but one must be mindful of ti and place. The Supre God, in his rcy, has set three mighty rivers on the continent to flow in accordance with divine providence... (excerpted)"]

...Binar spoke at great length, but the answers were shrouded in taphors and did not help. Figuring she would understand soday, she continued with her life. Then, the following sumr, it happened again. The season shifted from sumr to sumr—but to the previous sumr.

Not just the season, even the ti of day had changed.

It was early morning.

riel changed her clothes, folding the letter containing her parents' obituary neatly on the desk. She had already sent her reply.

"Has ti reversed again?" she wondered. But then, just a few days later, she woke up in the middle of the night, disoriented. It was the early dawn, just before sunrise, when she suddenly found herself seated in the audience chamber.

To her surprise, she was in the middle of receiving a report from Cardinal Mihael, which she had actually received several weeks earlier.

"The task of expelling the natives who worship the Evil God is now complete. Shall we proceed with setting new goals for the Church?"

Cardinal Mihael asked. riel, still rubbing her sleepy eyes, replied:

"Discuss it with the other cardinals. Ah, Cardinal Mihael, you may embark on your pilgrimage as well."

She answered his request before he could even voice it.

Mihael, thinking he had received divine permission, left the chamber with a broad smile, unable to hide his delight.

Imdiately after, riel returned to her room. When she checked the letters she had exchanged with her sister, the letter containing her parents' obituary was there on her desk—unopened this ti.

She had returned to the sa sumr, approximately two weeks earlier. The last ti it had been early morning; this ti, it was midday.

And so it continued, with ti rewinding several tis. riel gradually began to recognize the pattern, though when she would be sent back was never certain.

Sotis it was late at night, other tis she would wake up in the middle of the night, or even during the evening, midday, or noon.

However, the destination tis seed fixed. One was winter at the year's end, while the other two were in the sumr, each about two weeks apart. The sumr rewind included one early morning.

"Winter at the year's end, early morning in sumr, and midday in sumr," riel thought, noting the sequence.

But as to why ti kept rewinding, the gods remained silent, leaving riel with no way of knowing. However, she did co to understand why the average lifespan of Saintesses was so short.

"This didn’t only happen to ."

While so Saintesses seed to live out their natural lifespan, others aged rapidly and died within days of becoming Saintesses.

Outwardly, it appeared that they had lived normal lives, but in truth, they had likely lived out their full lifespans.

Just as ti was now passing for riel.

So riel, too, aged within the repeating flow of ti. But then, strange things began to occur, things that hadn’t happened before.

"The son of the Swordmaster, Gilbert Forte of the Bellita Kingdom has been assassinated. The culprit has not been found."

This was the first ti it happened.

Though riel had no particular interest in the son of a Swordmaster, she rembered him because Gilbert Forte had been a frequent visitor to the capital's church.

He was the son of a notable figure who ca under the guise of political asylum, and his frequent visits were always reported to her. But now, he was suddenly dead.

What was going on?

Then, in the dead of night, an urgent report arrived. A grotesque hole had opened in the sky above Lutetia, a ssage from Cardinal Verke, who was stationed in the Conrad Kingdom.

It was the ergence of the Evil God.

riel asked if he needed assistance, but Cardinal Verke insisted he could handle it. Shortly thereafter, ti rewound again.

"What exactly is happening? Should I not intervene?" riel questioned. This ti, God Binar responded that there was indeed sothing for her to do, but that she should not leave the capital's church until autumn of the following year.

"What could I possibly have to do in autumn?"

All she could think of was officiating the ceremonies for the new apprentice priests. But then, when the Apostle of the Evil God appeared in the Orun Kingdom, riel finally realized what her task was. The only question remaining was...

"Why am I being told to wait?"

Shouldn’t the Apostle be stopped before more harm is done?

Yet, the Supre God allowed it to unfold, almost as if He wanted the Apostle to reach the capital's church...

And eventually, autumn arrived.

The city of Nevis was reduced to ashes, and the Holy Knights and priests who were sent out, along with the knights from the Holy Kingdom of Jero, were annihilated. Even Cardinal Verke from the Conrad Kingdom and the secret priests he had trained were killed.

As things spiraled out of control, the Apostle of Barbatos charged toward the capital’s church at an alarming speed.

It was incomprehensible behavior.

There were countless sacrifices available elsewhere, so why?

The reason soon beca clear.

Lachar, the god of battle, who had returned from an unsuccessful fight, instructed her to retrieve the brass chalice from the library. Today, he said, she would face a battle.

But the Apostle who entered the capital's church was not a woman. It was a young man, staggering, and—what was this?

Instead of heading straight for riel, as expected, the Apostle of Barbatos veered off in a different direction. He unexpectedly headed to the library and encountered a priest apprentice there. It was then that riel understood.

"He’s being punished. And soone is being tested."

Realizing that the Apostle was the first of the three great rivers, riel bestowed a blessing upon the pitiful soul.

The young man, whose body had been twisting into wood, burst into flas from the blessing, and the girl, an apprentice who had been consud by the Evil God, scread with fury.

"You've co, you filthy whore of the Supre God! You will pay for killing my followers on behalf of your god... Ugh! Damn it! I thought not dying would be enough!"

riel could see it clearly.

The souls of the young man and the strange entity soared high into the air, and she understood that this was why ti had been repeating.

- Clink.

The Supre God's twenty-sided die enveloped the two ascending souls. riel braced herself for ti to rewind again...

But it didn’t.

The girl who had beco Barbatos herself spoke in a voice filled with anger. She clutched her (Lena’s) throat and scread in a frenzy.

"Why? Did you think ti would rewind? Hahaha! You know nothing. Nothing at all! Now I understand. This world is in this cursed state because of you! Just because of a..."

"Silence."

riel aid the Holy Scepter at Barbatos. The brass chalice of Saint Azura resonated, cutting Barbatos’s overwhelming divine power in half, and then half again.

A lowly triangle of divine power was no match for her. And the truth was...

Unless the Supre God deliberately caused her to lose, riel could not be defeated.

This world belonged to the god.

Even the Evil God was rely a possession, a pawn, in the divine sche.

*

riel smiled faintly and told the two rivers to take their seats. Lev and Leo Dexter sat down.

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