Chapter: 29
“Why is the Young Lady here?”
‘Is it forbidden for me to come to the church?’
“Am I not allowed to set foot in the church? You fool of a priest?”
“No, that’s not it.”
As I asked the question with a hint of an accusation, the priest panicked and waved his hands.
The cold sweat dripping from his forehead didn’t exactly give off the impression that he was happy to see me.
What kind of trouble did Lucy cause to make the priest of this grand church react like that?
The power held by the priest of the Church of the Lord is not small.
How could the strength of a priest from the most influential church on the continent be anything less than significant?
According to the depictions in the game, a priest of the Church of the Lord wields authority comparable to that of a noble.
If his reaction is this shocked, that means Lucy’s mischief must be anything but minor.
I didn’t even need to ask what kind of reputation Lucy had earned in the Church of the Lord.
Is it really going to be solved just by one curse of Agra?
Is it even possible to offset Lucy’s original bad reputation?
Realizing that Lucy’s mischief extended beyond the confines of the mansion, I felt my head getting fuzzy.
What on earth has that Lucy girl been up to?
One must accumulate karma within reason; else, handling the fallout becomes impossible.
sigh.
If she’s causing a stir with a priest, it’s safe to assume she’s been up to similar antics with nobles of lower rank.
Perhaps she even spouted nonsense to those above her as well.
Was there a good reason for me to have nightmares of being ridiculed at social gatherings?
“Ahem.”
The priest cleared his throat, trying to soothe the tense atmosphere.
Though he wore a solemn expression, it didn’t look impressive at all after forgetting his image already.
“So, what brings you here?”
‘No…’
“No, the reason I’m here is because of Agra’s curse. Surely, even you, fool of a priest, know about curses?”
“Yes, I do. Is there anyone around you suffering from a curse? Then our church can…”
‘I confirmed the curse was lifted. Please check.’
“Fool of a priest. You don’t need to show off how stupid and hasty you are. Just listen to what I’m saying. I lifted Agra’s curse. Confirm it.”
“…What? You lifted the curse?”
The priest, hearing my words, asked again, as if he couldn’t believe it.
It was only natural for him to doubt.
How could anyone believe that a reckless villainess from a noble family lifted the curse of an evil deity?
If I were in his position, I would have told myself to shut the hell up too.
‘Yes, that’s correct.’
“sigh. You sure are showing off your foolishness. Since it seems like your ears aren’t working, I’ll say it again. I lifted Agra’s curse.”
“Is that true?”
‘Absolutely.’
“Are you saying you don’t believe the Countess’s words? That’s oddly brave for a fool of a priest?”
“No! That’s not it! Please wait a moment. I’ll fetch the Bishop!”
The priest gave a slight bow and then hurriedly ran off, only to tripping over his own clothes midway.
He showed signs of pain but, after spotting me standing blankly, hurriedly got back on his feet and started moving again.
[Young Lady, what in the world did you do?]
‘That’s what I want to know.’
Honestly.
Just what kind of havoc has Lucy wreaked for the priest to be so terrified?
‘Karl…’
“Fool. Did I ever cause any trouble at the church?”
“Miss, you really don’t remember that?”
Normally calm Karl bore an expression of noticeable astonishment.
Just that alone hinted at the severity of my past actions, but I still needed to ask.
‘Yes.’
“Then I’m asking. Answer me.”
Karl glanced around to see if any other nuns or laypeople were watching, then leaned close to whisper in my ear.
“Didn’t you come to the church and insult God while worshipping?”
What?
Wait a minute. Fool of a knight.
What did I do?
Insult God?
As I blinked in surprise, Karl looked astonished but continued to detail the incident.
One day I came to a church where I was calmly worshipping and shouted that there couldn’t possibly be a god in this world.
Despite being reprimanded by Benedict, I returned several times to cause chaos in the church.
I even stomped on the faces of priests trying to stop me and mocked them.
“Just moments ago, that priest…”
‘Karl. Shut it.’
“Fool. Just shut up.”
“Yes, understood.”
I couldn’t bear to listen to the continuous testimony from Karl and ended up forcibly closing his mouth.
[Back in the day, you were lucky not to have been executed for your blasphemy.]
‘…’
[You did that and forgot? I don’t mean to be harsh, but do you have issues with your memory?]
I couldn’t say a word.
Lucy. You crazy girl!
Doing something similar in modern times could drive someone mad, and yet you’ve done it in a medieval fantasy world?!
Does that even make sense?!
In a world where the church holds authority comparable to that of a nation, is it truly acceptable to insult the gods and the church?!
My head was spinning from the relentless cascade of unimaginable news.
How on earth has Lucy survived until now?
Is Benedict such an amazing person?
I guess that must be it.
If it weren’t for Benedict’s influence, I’d probably be on the guillotine for blasphemy or worse.
Looking back, maybe that would have been better.
If I had been executed for blasphemy, I wouldn’t have gotten caught up in this.
I could now understand why the priest was flustered.
Someone who committed such heinous acts hadn’t visited the church in ages and then suddenly shows up again; it’s only natural they’d freak out.
One could assume he’d be suspicious, wondering if I’d come to create more chaos.
Thinking of how shocked he was felt like a mild reaction.
If he were a deeply pious person, he might have openly claimed that someone like me had no business being there.
With both hands covering my mouth as I looked down at the ground, I sighed and tried to summarize the current situation.
To put it succinctly, the word “screwed” fit best here.
Agra’s curse? Reputation management?
That really wasn’t the issue.
For Lucy, simply being alive on this continent was nothing short of a miracle.
How am I supposed to handle this?
The Church of the Lord plays a significant role in the Soul Academy storyline.
If I lose their support, I could face numerous obstacles in future quests.
With Agra’s wrath directed at me, is the Church of the Lord going to turn against me too?
That would be absolutely horrific.
This isn’t just some concept play from a game.
This is reality.
I don’t want to live in hard mode.
You idiot. Think.
Use that brain of yours, which has spent 14,000 hours delving into the Soul Academy.
What’s going to change if I just sit here and despair?
There’s got to be a way.
As I desperately racked my brain, a thought suddenly popped up.
Upon reflection, my current position doesn’t seem that bad, does it?
Having once doubted the gods, I could claim to have repented after receiving a divine revelation! That could work, right?
…This actually seems pretty good.
I can also prove that I received a revelation.
I’ve been blessed by the gods. I removed a curse that’s normally impossible to lift, and I even possess the weapon of a long-lost hero thought to be missing.
If one of those elements is a coincidence, having all three seems far too much to dismiss.
Anyone who looks at it would assume I received a divine revelation.
Even the knights in the order likely think the same.
From the church’s perspective, my so-called repentance would be advantageous for them.
As Lucy’s infamous behavior grows, the narrative of Lucy, the once-reckless noble daughter, repenting and believing in God would create a significant impact.
It’s a story befitting the church when they talk about God’s miracles.
How perfect. Let’s go with this.
They don’t necessarily need to believe that I’ve changed right away.
Anyway, I’m going to end up battling Agra’s subordinates in the future.
By showcasing my various achievements, they’ll naturally come to believe my change of heart.
If I can gain the church’s support, the world’s perspective of Lucy will also improve.
Am I a genius? How could I come up with such a plan in such a short time?
“Lady Countess, it’s been a while.”
I looked up at the voice coming from afar.
Walking through the church’s center towards me was a face I recognized.
An old man with no beard, prominent wrinkles, snow-white hair, and warm, gentle eyes.
I knew who he was.
He was one of the important NPCs featured prominently in the Soul Academy.
How could I not know the elderly gentleman who, whether friend or foe, one invariably encountered while dealing with church-related storylines?
One day, I would bear the title of Cardinal in the Church of the Lord and become a leader of its hardline faction.
A man commonly dubbed the “Foolish Priest” among players.
Beneath his seemingly kind exterior lay a prickly, difficult character.
Johan Viera.
What on earth is this old man doing here?
Shouldn’t he be busy gathering followers at the holy site of the Church of the Lord by now?!
“It’s our first meeting since you splashed water on my face, so it’s been about a year.”
Upon seeing me, Johan smiled and shot a remark that sharpened my senses.
Oops. Uh. My apologies, Bishop.
Did I really splash water on your face?
Wow. What must I have been under the influence of that day?
Could you kindly consider it a lapse in judgment and forgive me with a gracious heart?
As I thought this through, I looked into his eyes.
They still exuded warmth.
To put it differently, he didn’t seem inclined to reveal his true intentions even a tad bit.
“Father Felkin has just informed me that you lifted Agra’s curse. Is that true?”
‘Yes, that’s right!’
“Do I truly need to repeat myself? Foolish Bishop?”
“Haha. My apologies. It’s just such an unbelievable tale.”
Despite having been insulted by a much younger girl, Johan’s face still wore a smile.
He looked like a kind old man indulging a child’s tantrum, but I knew better.
Deep down, he was calculating his gains and losses.
Oh damn. This is bad. To unfold the story just as I planned, I need to convince this old man.
Isn’t the difficulty level way too high?
At this point, it would require a lightning strike rather than just some charming wordplay?!
“We will head inside to discuss the details. I can’t keep the Young Lady standing here indefinitely.”
‘Thank you for your consideration.’
“Stand here and pretend to be considerate? That’s quite foolish of you.”
As Johan smiled, I chuckled along.
Oh, good grief.
Why is my Mesugaki skill acting up so much today?!
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