Chapter: 22
Saint. The only being who has been granted the power and the name of Ernest directly from God, alongside the Pope.
If the Pope is the representative of God, then the saint of the cathedral is referred to as God’s daughter.
Thus, the saint symbolizes nobility, and is respected and revered even by those who are not believers of the Church of Ernest.
“Nice to meet you! Brother Ai, Sister Astrea, Sister Garmatoa. I am the Saint, Hera Jan Ernest.”
However, I am suspicious, very suspicious.
‘I wonder what kind of essence is hiding inside her…’
With hair as blue as the sky and the pure white robe of a saint, what truths might be concealed there?
It’s not that I hold prejudice because the screams I heard in the treatment room still echo in my ears.
But, in such an environment, even a normal person would go insane, or at least that’s what I guess.
I don’t think the Archbishop thought lightly of the Imperial Palace’s archives from the start.
If even the assistant beside him is like that, how much more concerning is the saintess, who is directly involved?
“First of all, I must apologize for the minor friction that arose during the process of checking the recommendation letter.”
Now, they gracefully bow their heads, saying that they are the ones who feel sorry for the obvious overreaction from us—rather, from Sephiroth.
Of all the high-ranking officials I’ve met so far—the Emperor, the Princess, the Knight Commander, the librarian, and even the Celestial Horse—the ratio of normal people has been quite bleak.
What the heck happened that among them, the most normal one is Izuri, who is tipsy from knight fantasies? Next is Yuri, who openly fought with herself at the auction. Honestly, it’s enough to make my imaginary heart feel constricted.
“No… We are the ones who didn’t even dream the Chief Secretary would come out to that extent.”
“However, it is also true that the commotion was caused by our side at the Trans Cathedral.”
Suddenly, Saint Hera, who had been controlling the atmosphere, pulled out a dagger from her bosom.
It was rusty and the blade seemed deliberately neglected.
Out of nowhere, she forced the dull dagger against her palm and made a cut.
“W, Your Excellency??”
“Thus, it is only right and fitting for me as the Saint to apologize by being injured on behalf of others.”
Bright red blood seeped out from her delicate, pristine white hands that starkly contrasted with the hard work.
A head that couldn’t keep up with the situation gazed at this and momentarily felt it was beautiful, even divine.
Soon, a clear divine power began to gather around the wound, visible to the naked eye.
Crack-!!
It burst and the area above my wrist transformed into mere chunks of meat.
Thud- Thud-
Fragments tumbled here and there, staining the pure white room with red. The Saint’s Room transformed into a crime scene in the blink of an eye.
At the epicenter of the explosion, the saint wore an expression that was both proud and relieved.
“I ask for your generous understanding that I substitute my hand for head or heart, as there is still a young sister present.”
If you’re going to care for the child, shouldn’t you have refrained from pulling a body explosion stunt in the first place? At the very least, a warning would have been courteous.
The suddenness left the group speechless and bewildered…
“Maria, why are you licking that?”
Well, I didn’t do it.
“The saint’s blood is excellent for enhancing magical power. Wizards can’t get enough of it.”
Well, that’s true… but am I the only one who finds this abnormal? Is that really the case?
Now that I look closely, Astrea is not any different; she was watching the saint with keen interest.
“She is indeed a robust woman. I wonder if by any chance she is affiliated with the Heaven Demon Church…”
“Don’t say that.”
I shut down the mouth of calamity and took a moment to gather my thoughts.
Let’s calm down. I already had a hunch the saint wasn’t a normal person. At this point, she’s still on par with the Crime Emperor.
However, when I noticed Maria casting a grooming spell, I couldn’t help but shoot her a resentful glance.
“Worry not! This level of injury can indeed be treated in an instant, but that doesn’t mean there’s no pain involved.”
I’ve lost.
I won’t meddle any further, so just finish what you need to do quickly and let me return.
I set Maria, who had started licking my robe, back in her seat. Shortly after, the person who came to clean up the blood stains looked utterly familiar with the scene.
—
“Did you come to ask God a question?”
They somewhat calmed down. Yet, Hera, staying true to her main job, stepped forward, returning to the main topic.
By the way, her hand was still in a tangled mess. If treated immediately, the meaning of the apology would seem trivial.
If she were a modern person, I’m terrified she might have ordered her subordinates to grill something. She even demonstrated it herself, leaving no room for rebuttals.
“Yes, yes…”
The answer I finally managed to string together came laced with quite a bit of my own anxiety. I wasn’t still shaken from what had just unfolded.
Usually, once one thing goes wrong, a chain reaction follows. I was worried about being told I couldn’t do it now.
What if I mutter that talking with God wasn’t my specialty, as if I specialized in one thing and couldn’t handle anything else?
“…I apologize.”
“Pardon?”
What’s this? Why in the world does “I apologize” come out first? Could it be that she actually can’t do it?
“Actually, I’ve been experiencing difficulties in communicating with God lately.”
“A difficulty, you say?”
“Yes. A complete impossibility is not the case, but… I think you will have to wait at least a day.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t a complete no, but skepticism stirred within me.
The saints of yore, even the one I met 100 years ago, could get in touch with God anytime they wished, regardless of location. Though the quality varied, contact was always possible.
Yet now, a being capable of real-time conversation faces the same difficulties. It doesn’t seem like she lost any divine power, but rather some other issue arose instead.
‘Perhaps the issue resides with God rather than the saint herself. Has something triggered massive power that could strike the divine itself?’
“All of this might be due to my incompetence. I shall apologize for that as well.”
“Why is the conversation heading there?! Maria, Astrea, you need to intervene too!!”
I was engulfed by the saint’s overflowing divine power, making it difficult to approach, let alone stop her.
Maria seemed intent on drinking blood again, while Astrea watched out of mere curiosity. The two girls stood there, each with their own reasons for their gaping mouths.
Thus, Saint Hera started a new trend, coming off as the one-armed and blind—names for which one might stutter awkwardly to refer.
—
From this point onward, I was obliged to endure the preaching of the saint’s personal values disguised under the doctrine of the Church of Ernest.
To summarize in one sentence, despite the lunacy that self-harm is noble, I couldn’t dare interrupt the words of a saint who firmly believed in such a notion.
By the time we received our assigned rooms, it was already dark outside.
‘So, whatever happened to Ernest in the end?’
Assigned separately from the women and forced to bear Maria’s tantrums, I utilized the overflowing time in solitude to reflect on the current state of affairs.
Ernest is an absolute god over the continent, so much so that all deities aside from him are viewed as heretics, barring peculiar cases like the World Tree.
A believer, faith, and the divine power derived from these cannot possibly be in short supply. If some issue arose that could trouble such a god, the scope would be severely limited.
‘Is the Demon King planning a comeback?’
The first image that flitted across my mind was a being from distant history who even dared to blaspheme against God—the Demon King Sadist.
In terms of the game, aside from the name and various ambiguous hints, nothing substantial is known. Even gaming enthusiasts worldwide have probably never laid eyes on such a character. Truly a mystery.
If such a clearly endgame problem were the opponent, even the sole god would surely find it daunting.
‘Or could it be that a human from another world has been brought over, transcending time and space…’
Neither situation was particularly enticing.
If it’s the former, the entire continent is perilously at risk; if it’s the latter, there must have been some special reasons behind bringing them here.
In the worst case, we can’t rule out the possibility that it could be both.
‘If this goes on, I’ll be awake until morning, with a clear mind…’
It’s particularly frustrating that I feel wide awake and can’t get to sleep.
While everyone else sleeps, I’m left to kill time alone. It’s not just lonely; it’s downright boring.
I need to find something to occupy my time soon.
Bang-!!
“You, the child’s condition is strange!”
Astrea broke through the wall.
This wasn’t what I envisioned when I thought of “getting things done.”
“What on earth?? Did you fight with Maria?!”
Maria was exceptionally down due to needing to bunk in separate rooms. Her gaze was sharper than usual, maybe 15 degrees more!
In some sense, this made it impossible for Astrea to use the excuse that sleeping together was permissible due to them being kids. The quarrels had probably escalated beyond the usual bickering.
“…It would be faster to see it in person.”
With a nod from Astrea, I directed my gaze to the hole she had made.
As the dust settled, it gradually revealed Maria, who had completely deployed all six of her special dolls.
“Maria…?”
As soon as I saw her, something felt incredibly wrong.
Her eyes were devoid of expression, yet filled with undeniable vitality, but they were unfocused and frozen in stillness. Most alarming was the vibe of murderous intent—
Slice-
“…!!”
Astrea dodged the blade swung by the white knight while carrying me.
The sections of the wall that were either cut or ripped off vividly showcased the gravity of the situation.
“What, what is all this…”
The outside scene visible through the opening was even more astonishing.
They seemed to be smashing everything in sight, and it was not uncommon for them to bite each other as well.
Moreover, the obliviousness thus far implies that regional-scale group brainwashing occurred simultaneously.
“Astraea. First, let’s head to the saintess, the saintess!”
“Understood.”
Boom-!
The place where the saint resides is just a floor below. Without hesitation, Astrea struck the floor, creating a makeshift disposable elevator.
“That way!”
I’ve only seen similar symptoms, but surely the saint would have some countermeasure.
Even if she doesn’t, we need to ensure Maria gets subdued without harm done to her, which will at least increase safety greatly.
—“This particular generation’s saint has not been bestowed with the grace to combat diseases or curses.”
‘…’
A foreboding memory flitted across my mind. It shouldn’t be. It can’t be.
No matter how much of a non-special skill it may be, she is still a saint. The weight that name carries is significant.
Clack-
As we were nearly there, the sound of heels echoed from the other side.
The only person in the cathedral wearing shoes was none other than the saint herself.
“…Saint?”
Hera stepped out from around the corner of the hallway.
Upon spotting us, she slowly raised her handless arm, aiming directly at us.
“Oops.”
Pew!
She fired a beam.
“This is insane…!”
As the divine projectile whizzed right past me, I couldn’t hold back a curse.
The Celestial Horse is right here, so why on earth is she shooting death beams over there?! What if even the saint has fallen victim to brainwashing…?!
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