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𖹭 Chapter 2 𖹭
Helicia’s first life crumbled under the Estar Empire, which had rotted from within due to the tyrant’s rule.
Unable to endure it any longer, rebels eventually rose up—but Helicia never lived to see how it ended.
To be honest, the war had nothing to do with her. She was never meant to step onto the battlefield.
The problem was—
She was the one who lost her head because of that war.
The temple was a neutral ground.
It never expressed political opinions and was meant to remain equal to all nations.
Having lived there since she was eight, the Estar Empire was no different from a foreign country to Helicia.
‘If there was anyone I paid a bit of attention to… it would be Prince Arpessian.’
Arpessian was the Third Prince, overshadowed by Crown Prince Arzen Estar.
The throne had never been within his reach.
There was nothing particularly remarkable about him.
If he hadn’t been sent to the temple during the war, she might have gone her whole life without ever knowing him.
His sharp features and narrow eyes gave him a cold impression.
If she hadn’t known his identity, she might have mistaken him for a rebel.
And yet, there was still a faint noble air about him.
Still—
She had only ever seen him die.
So she felt nothing in particular.
‘To be honest… Prince Arpessian is pitiful too.’
For two years, the Saintess had secluded herself in the Holy Empire.
Since losing her divine power, Helicia had never once stepped forward to heal anyone.
Sending a wounded man to the temple in that state—
was practically the same as telling him to die.
After all, no one would entrust a royal to mere priests.
‘Sending the Third Prince instead of the Crown Prince… that was intentional.’
In the end, he too had been discarded.
It left a bitter taste.
They really were companions on the road to hell.
When Arpessian died, the truth about Helicia losing her divine power was revealed.
The rebels used it as justification—claiming the gods were angered by Emperor Pero’s tyranny.
Enraged at being blamed, Emperor Pero declared Helicia a witch.
And so—
she was burned at the stake.
When she opened her eyes, she had returned for the first time.
In her second life, Helicia shouted openly,
“I will lose my divine power when I turn twenty!”
And for that—
she was poisoned by someone unknown.
The birth of a Saintess always came with the death of the previous one.
It was an unchanging law of the temple.
A cursed Saintess had no place.
That was her second life.
It wasn’t until her third life that Helicia realized something strange.
She could hear things—far beyond the people kneeling and crying before her.
Exceptional hearing.
That was the ability she gained.
But it was useless.
At night, she could hear distant dogs barking clearly.
In summer, the sound of cicadas was unbearable.
Mosquitoes were even worse.
They didn’t cry consistently like cicadas—they came out at night in swarms.
Because of that, her third life was filled with endless sleep deprivation.
Using all the information she gathered, she hired an assassination guild to kill Arpessian.
“If I can’t save him, I’ll kill him first!”
The result?
She was executed for attempting to assassinate a royal.
At that point, stubbornness took over.
She tried everything.
She ran away from the temple, plotted to assassinate Emperor Pero, funded rebellions to end the war early, and even trained in swordsmanship and magic.
She had no talent—only theory.
Whether she conserved her divine power or used it recklessly,
once she turned twenty—
nothing remained.
The gods had turned her into a Saintess, only to force her to repeat the same life.
Perhaps out of guilt, they gave her a new ability each time she regressed.
The problem was—
it was always random.
A dice roll. A whim.
Maybe it depended on the god’s mood that day.
At the very least—
any god who killed her 17 times was trash.
“If I ever meet them, I’ll grab them by the collar.”
“…Pardon?”
Lato looked startled.
The 14-year-old standing under the tree looked much younger than the dependable knight she remembered before death.
Dark blond hair. Bright blue eyes.
He had always taken pride in being assigned to guard the Saintess.
Which was why—
he looked uneasy now, having secretly followed her out of the temple.
Helicia, sitting atop a sturdy tree branch, tied up her platinum-blonde hair and smiled brightly.
“Nothing. Just talking nonsense.”
‘Careful. I need to protect Lato’s innocence.’
Unlike her, Lato had been devout since childhood.
No matter how many times she regressed—
Lato always stayed on her side.
In a world where people changed every life—
he alone remained the same.
She wanted to ensure his safety before leaving the temple behind.
“Lady Helicia, if you do this… I’ll be in serious trouble.”
His sword clinked at his waist.
Helicia raised a finger to her lips.
“Shh. Want to go meet God in one hit?”
“If the High Priest finds out, I’ll be punished.”
“Hmm… if Verdic finds out, I’ll knock him out for you. Then you can run.”
Lato’s eyes trembled.
Helicia laughed.
“The coronation will begin soon. We have to go back.”
“Just a moment. If you keep nagging, I’ll grab your ankle and swing you around instead of this branch.”
“I cannot maintain a straight posture for that long.”
…Was he saying she could swing him?
Helicia glanced at him.
“What exactly are you planning…?”
“To save someone?”
“I’ve never heard of saving someone with a tree branch.”
“I’m not going to kill someone while being called the Saintess.”
(Well… she had tried before.)
“When I give the signal, go call the late Estar army. Got it?”
Lato sighed deeply.
It had been ten days since she was brought to the temple.
In her past lives, she would have quietly prepared for the coronation.
But not this time.
The power she had now—
was real.
Not useless abilities like unrotting teeth or glowing halos.
This was something she could actually use.
She had tried running before. It always failed.
So this time—
she would do something different.
Nobles, royals, and imperial family members from across the continent would gather for the coronation.
According to her memory—
Prince Arpessian, traveling separately from Crown Prince Arzen, would be ambushed on his way to the temple.
It wasn’t unusual. The imperial family had many enemies.
But because of that attack—
he would be severely injured and fail to attend the coronation.
In her past attempts, she tried to get him out before the war began.
But strangely—
after this incident, she could no longer approach him at all.
So this time—
he had to attend the coronation.
Key figures of the future rebellion would also be there.
Though still young—
they were important.
Helicia smiled faintly.
This time… she would connect them herself.
Because opportunities like this—
were rare.
