Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 117
117. Childhood Friend – The New Auditing Student
“Wow! This is it, this is the Cathedral in the capital!”
Lena exclaimed as she arrived at the Cathedral in the capital city on a snowy winter day.
Still struggling to believe if it was a dream or reality, she pinched her cheek hard.
Her cheek turned red from the pinch, protesting to its owner, and Lena rubbed her sore cheek in amazement.
The events that unfolded after were also unbelievably fortunate.
The priestess Ophelia, who had brought Lena here, was astonishingly a high-ranking cleric despite being a woman.
Thanks to her recommendation, Lena was granted the right to audit current classes and received a private room.
Lena’s life at the Cathedral began. She first chose to audit classes she was unfamiliar with or interested in, such as ‘Ancient Theology’ and ‘Arcaea Empire’s Etiquette.’
He was also an outstanding student and could always be found in the library.
They occasionally discussed theological theories while each focused on their studies.
Lena wanted to supplement her weak areas as she would have to take various exams in the regular courses come spring.
Her days of blessed, intense study continued happily. Then, less than two weeks after Lena arrived at the Cathedral, a new auditing student appeared, which was quite notable.
It was rare for someone to enroll mid-term, especially in winter, as the Cathedral’s educational facilities accepted new students in the fall.
The Cathedral was the only institution across the continent that trained priests. While clerics could be educated anywhere, the issue was the baptism.
Receiving the divine power from a priest during baptism was an event presided over by a saint, making it customary for those aspiring to be priests to enroll in the Cathedral’s educational institution.
Thus, the Cathedral accepted students from all over the continent to educate them. The reason for accepting new students in the fall was to prevent them from encountering winter during their travels.
The ceremony to verify whether they could efficiently receive divine power was also held in the fall. During this time, the Cathedral graduated priests or monks from the educational institution and admitted new apprentices to fill their places.
Therefore, having a new student in winter was unusual because the educational facilities were already at capacity.
However, there was always room to admit a few more. High-ranking clerics’ recommendations or nobles suddenly applying for admission were occasional reasons.
Lena herself was admitted through the former and received a private room because of it.
The newly arrived auditing student was also in a similar situation.
After the ‘Ancient Theology’ class, the apprentice hesitantly approached with a question.
“Excuse me. I just got here and wanted to ask... where can I borrow the ‘Ancient Theology’ textbook? Or do I need to buy it separately?”
The question wasn’t directed at Lena. It was answered by an apprentice with two tassels sitting behind her.
“Are you an auditing student? If so, you can borrow the book from the library. In the spring semester, you’ll need to buy it separately. Ah, since you were admitted by recommendation, you might get it for free. You should ask at the office.”
“I see. Thank you.”
The young man seemed to have more questions but hesitated to ask further and turned away.
Lena, who had experienced something similar, immediately understood what he wanted to know and followed him.
As expected, he was wandering around, unable to find the library.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?! Did you call me?”
Startled by Lena’s voice, the young man visibly jumped.
The young man who turned around looked frail and delicate.
His hair was a faded gray with many white strands, and he was about Lena's height.
Despite his feeble appearance, his eyes shone with intelligence, making Lena feel as if he could see through her.
“Are you looking for the library? I overheard your question earlier.”
“Yes, I am. Could you tell me where it is? I just arrived at the Cathedral yesterday and don’t know my way around.”
“I’m heading there myself, so I’ll show you the way. Follow me.”
Though she had not been there long herself, Lena was happy to think she could help someone, just as Daniel had helped her.
They walked in silence for a while. Lena thought she would have asked all sorts of questions in his place, so she tried to strike up a conversation.
“I heard you’re an auditing student. Nice to meet you. I’m actually an auditing student too.”
“Oh, really?”
“...”
“...”
‘He’s a man of few words.’
Though the conversation stalled, Lena shrugged it off.
Thinking of Leo, she realized this situation wasn’t all that unfamiliar to her.
Quietly walking, Lena thought about Leo.
‘Is Leo doing well?’
Leo? Who is Leo?
Lena chuckled in front of the library. She thought she was having light memory lapses lately.
‘Why do I keep thinking of Rev’s name as Leo? What a funny name. The ending "O" sounds amusing.’
She made a mental note to tell Rev later and said,
“This is the library. It was nice meeting you. See you around.”
“Thank you.”
Lena parted ways with the stuttering young man and entered the library, looking for a place to sit and review what she had just learned before her next class. She spotted the same young man again, wandering lost among the hundreds of bookshelves.
‘That's not where the theology books are…’
‘He really needs a lot of help,’ she thought, and called out to him again. Remembering how he had been startled last time, she waved to get his attention, but despite her efforts, he jumped again in surprise.
“Ah!”
“Oh, sorry! Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. What is it?”
“This isn't where the theology books are. You’re looking for the ‘Ancient Theology’ section, right? It’s over there, on the right.”
“Oh, thank you. Thank you for your help.”
But that wasn’t the end of her assistance. After finishing her review and heading out, she saw him again, clutching the thick ‘Ancient Theology’ book and looking utterly lost.
Lena guided him to the librarian and then walked him to his dormitory because he couldn’t find his way there either.
The young man, who looked at least three years older than Lena, stammered his thanks.
“Th-thank you. I won’t forget your kindness. U-um, what’s your name? I’m Veronion.”
Seeing his lips trembling, Lena realized why he stammered and was startled every time she called him. He was shy around women, just like Hans had been a long time ago.
“I’m Lena.”
“Lena?”
“No, Le-na. Nice to meet you. I have to go to class now. See you later.”
“Thank you very much.”
Veronion bowed, but then lost his balance as he pushed against the wall with his rear, causing Lena to laugh.
Thinking he was a bit adorable, she hurried off to her ‘Etiquette of the Arcaea Empire’ class.
Naturally, the noble Gilbert Forte wasn’t there.
“Oh... So you’ve been studying theology since you were very young?” Lena asked while tearing off pieces of rough bread. Veronion, sitting opposite her, was munching on the free potatoes provided by the Cathedral’s dining hall.
“Not exactly studying... I just cleaned the church and read some books while following my father around.”
Lena spent more time with Veronion since they had many classes together, especially the ‘Udean Reading’ class, which was right before lunch, so they often ate together.
Fortunately, as they got to know each other, his stuttering decreased, making conversations easier.
Veronion was a passionate student. Although Lena studied hard, Veronion’s dedication bordered on obsessive. He not only took notes but also summarized all the class and textbook content in his own way, reading and memorizing them repeatedly. He read his notes in the morning, while walking, waiting for the next class, and before sleeping, adding his thoughts and questions like annotations.
In just a few weeks, his notes had grown into a volume that could be bound into a book, showcasing his almost compulsive dedication to studying.
This method was inherited from his father...
“So your father is a monk... I’m not trying to pry, but I’m curious. Are monks allowed to marry?”
“Hmm... I think I may have misled you. My father and I are not related by blood. I was an orphan.”
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry for misunderstanding and asking a pointless question.”
“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. I’m more interested in your question. As far as I know, monks are not encouraged to marry but it isn’t forbidden. This led me to wonder why priests are not allowed to marry and why the Church forbids priests from engaging in sexual relations.”
Veronion’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and his voice grew stronger.
When it came to theology, he would get so engrossed that he seemed like a different person, passionately discussing the topic.
Lena, also interested in anything related to theology, asked,
“What’s your opinion on that? I’d love to hear it.”
Veronion picked at the remaining potato skins in his bowl, gathering his thoughts before answering.
“From what I’ve found, it’s not a divine law but a church custom. The custom was established after many meetings and debates, mainly because a celibate life is seen as more suitable for fulfilling the duties of a cleric. Having a family to support would reduce the time and energy they could devote to their congregation and God. But the puzzling thing is...”
Veronion absentmindedly picked at the bread crumbs in Lena’s bowl while continuing,
“Why is marriage allowed for monks but strictly forbidden for priests, even their sexual relations? As you know, the only difference between a monk and a priest is the baptism, right? In serving God, that seems like a trivial difference.”
He ended his opinion with a question, and Lena felt her curiosity growing. She had never deeply questioned this before, accepting it as common knowledge.
But now that she was curious, her desire to understand grew stronger.
It was because of Rev.
The only man she considered a friend, he had told her he would be happy if she became a priest.
When she was disappointed, he offered her his savings, encouraging her not to give up on her dream and promising to take her to Lutetia.
Despite his encouragement, his tone was filled with hesitation.
She felt his desperate desire to be with her, which made his support even more moving.
Rev didn’t want to send her away but still supported her dream.
She couldn’t betray his feelings. Even though she saw no way to go to the Cathedral, she promised to try and never give up on her dream.
Then she got the chance of a lifetime. Priestess Ophelia, who came with autumn, took her to the Cathedral. As she left, she shouted to Rev, holding back tears,
“Leo! I’ll do my best! I’ll become a priest and come back!”
The first blessing she would give as a priest would be for Rev, who sacrificed so much for her to become a priest...
But,
Why can’t priests marry?
Why can’t I love Rev? Loving him wouldn’t diminish my devotion to God. I would even praise the grace that brought us together!
Fueled by this burning curiosity, Lena stood up abruptly and urged Veronion, who was about to lick his empty bowl.
“You have free time now, right? Come with me to the library. I need to ask someone something.”
“But I haven’t finished...”
“That’s enough.”
Lena grabbed Veronion’s hand and led him to the library.
There, they found Daniel, with his five tassels, diligently studying as usual.