Maris prayed today because it marked one year since her mother's death.
At first, she was afraid to come here and hesitated many times before gathering the courage to do so. She was glad the priest didn't tell her to leave because of her shabby and dirty appearance. She knelt and prayed for her mother, hoping she was having a good time in heaven.
Lucan watched her and decided that he would train this girl. Maris had the potential to be the strongest, and Lucan wasn't going to send her away.
In the game, when it was revealed that Maris was a saint, Lucan's game version informed his family, and soon Maris was sent away for training. Lucan got nothing but a small amount of money.
The money wasn't much, as most of it was taken by his family. So informing his family or any authorities that Maris was a saint was not beneficial for him.
He decided to keep this secret, train Maris, and form a good bond with her so that when she became famous and powerful in the future, he would have someone to take care of him.
Lucan looked at Maris. Suddenly, the light around her intensified, and many visions flashed before his eyes. All of these visions were beautiful. Lucan smiled as he looked at these visions, then at Maris, understanding that from this day, his life was going to change. He hoped that in the future, he would get a significant return from Maris.
Maris opened her eyes, got up from her kneeling position, and bowed to the goddess statue.
She turned and bowed to Lucan. "Thank you very much."
Lucan looked at her and thought that he should be informing his family, the grand temple, or some authorities about her. But if he did, he would lose his chance to rise to the top of this world.
Sorry, but you won't get the glory you might have if I tell others, he thought. However, he didn't feel guilty. After all, while it was true that Maris gained glory and reputation worldwide, she also had to go through tough training, and it took her years to form meaningful friendships.
Not to mention, the life Maris would have with him would be far better than what she would have if he told the authorities and sent her away.
How did he know? He didn't know for sure; he simply believed in this.
"Little girl... Why did you come here?" Lucan, still sitting on the chair, asked.
"Um, I... came here to mourn for my mother."
"Oh, you look poor... How about having tea with me? I want to talk with you."
"Huh?" Maris was stunned, then shook her head. "I'm dirty. I haven't bathed... for some days," she said quietly.
"Even..." Lucan stopped himself from saying that he hadn't bathed for some days either. "It's okay. I'm a priest; I don't care about such things. So come with me."
Lucan stood up and headed to his room. He knew Maris would follow him. She was submissive and easily agreed to others' requests or orders.