…No way. Wait a second.
The salary was an amount I could never even dream of in my original world, so there was no disagreement here. I had no intention of refusing, and demanding more might even provoke backlash, so staying silent was beneficial for me.
What I was distracted by was the fact that I had just been captivated by my bank balance and hadn’t paid much attention to something else.
“Treatment fees?”
“…Yes, the Cardinal did make such a demand.”
What? Treatment fees?
Tchih-ryo-bi-i↗?
Ah, of course, if I got beaten up and injured, it would be appropriate for the person who hit me to cover the treatment costs. Anyway, in that situation, I had no right to hit the Cardinal.
But aside from that, there was no reason to charge for ‘treatment fees’ at all.
Back then, I had poured an immense amount of Holy Power to save the fainted Cardinal who crashed to the ground after a drop kick and a spin in the air.
I was much less skilled back then, having panicked and dumped a ridiculous amount of Holy Power. Even if he was injured at that time, it wouldn’t be surprising if his overall health improved.
No, more than that.
“Is he still a Cardinal?”
Not ‘former’ Cardinal, but just Cardinal. That’s at least how the Mother Superior worded it.
“Yes, he is still there.”
Huh.
It’s surprising that a person who reported the Saintess to the Inquisition still holds that position.
Seeing my expression, the Mother Superior let out a light sigh.
“Clara sister was officially recognized as a Saintess afterward. The accusation at that time was a legitimate report that any believer could make. Sister Clara’s canonization came after that. Since her canonization, the Cardinal hasn’t mentioned her even once.”
So, she’s saying that if I say one more word, she doesn’t know how I might react, so it’s better for her to keep quiet.
The last time we met was during the canonization ceremony. I was so tense then that I didn’t even think of teasing him.
Hmm.
By the way, wasn’t the status of a Saintess similar to that of a Cardinal?
It’s said that the actual power could rival the Pope’s.
Oh ho.
What should I do with this young Saintess?
Mother Superior Eliza Bianchi gazed troubledly at the Saintess, who was lost in her thoughts.
It had been thirty years since she became a nun and embraced her faith—a path that was longer than the entire life of the Saintess. She might not know the purity or depth of faith she held, but she had a fair understanding of how the church operated.
Of course, she didn’t have such a high status to work at the Central Church, but she was treated almost on par with a priest at the largest cathedral in the 21st District. Priest Nguyen was purely a faithful believer without much interest in practicality or status, so she was essentially the one managing the cathedral.
Thus, there were stories she could hear, and information she could gather.
Cardinal Kwon In-Soo Barchenko from the 21st District was, in many ways, malicious. He would send anyone he didn’t align with to the Inquisition for restraint or take advantage of being the most powerful in Holy Power to secure his standing in various places. According to rumors, his reach extended beyond the church to the government as well. The truth of this was uncertain.
The biggest issue was that the Cardinal truly believed all his actions were for the sake of God. This ‘sincerity’ is evidenced by the powerful Holy Power he possesses.
One common misconception about Holy Power is that those with it are inherently good. That the gods take an interest in the good and grant their power in return.
No, absolutely not. What one needs to handle Holy Power is a firm belief in the existence of the gods. Rather, it’s often the good who falter in their faith and lose their Holy Power.
How many of the priests who went out to save the suffering lost their faith? How many lost their Holy Power along with it?
Watching the hell manifested on earth, how many people bore resentment towards God?
Yet, how many are still willingly sacrificing their lives to protect and save others?
When this small, innocent child right in front of me boldly declared her desire to go to the battlefield, how worried I was.
Another good believer will be lost. Another pure soul will lose their faith.
But that child returned as a Saint. Performing miracles and bearing the stigmata as proof.
Her faith had not wavered. If anything, it had grown stronger.
However, that did not mean my worries had completely vanished.
There were still those watching her cautiously. Cardinal Kwon In-Soo had not relinquished his power. Even if I reported him to the Inquisition, Sister Clara would surely find a way out unharmed, just as she had proven her Holy Power. Even if he couldn’t rise to the Pope, there was no reason for him to give up his already elevated position.
The Central Church was not making any significant movements yet, but there were rumors that they were working in the background—trying to pull the Saintess into their convent or using her as a face during negotiations with the government.
In reality, the Saintess, Clara Anderson, seemed completely uninterested in such power. She just appeared to want a normal, joyful life like any other girl her age.
Every time Eliza looked at her, she wanted to protect that life.
She had a deep faith, wanting to help others more than anyone else. She was just a normal girl blessed by the gods.
What had happened to the numerous Saints and Holy Ones who had appeared over the last 500 years? What kind of end had they met?
“…”
If so, perhaps it might be better to throw off all those chains.
A nun gets to choose for herself when she turns twenty. Whether to continue on the path of a religious or to go out and lead a normal life.
It’s the same for the Saintess.
“Clara sister—”
“Is it possible for me to meet the Cardinal?”
But it seemed the Saintess had different thoughts.
*
Ah, no matter how I go, I have to do what I need to do first.
I plan to quit in five years, but I don’t intend to leave without accomplishing anything during that time.
No matter how rigid the church society is and how vital Holy Power is to determine one’s position within it, having someone with a rotten character at the top is not acceptable.
I’m not thinking this way out of some great love for the church or loyalty.
In this world, the church isn’t just a religion. It doesn’t just provide peace of mind to believers; it’s also an important institution responsible for healthcare and welfare in society.
Such an institution must not be led by a fanatic with a deranged mind.
If I had been in the world I once lived in, I wouldn’t have pushed forward. Alone, there wouldn’t have been anything I could change. If the government messed up or politicians committed crimes, I would have just cursed and forgotten it, and thought to not vote for those politicians again in the next election.
But here, it’s different. I have an undeniable social position. There are certainly places where I can intervene and make a change.
Thus, it is right to change what can be changed.
Holy Power is undoubtedly important in a religious sense. It is proof that the gods exist and that believers can draw on those gods’ power. It is also proof of the believer’s faith and that they have no connections with demons.
But one should not hold a higher position just because of exceptional ability alone.
The church is already closed off. It is an organization that exerts influence across society yet restricts voting rights, and aside from the Pope, the remaining positions are appointed through internal meetings and decisions. Unlike a government that can easily shift power through democratic methods, the church has very little need to heed the eyes of citizens.
One might say it’s due to the specificity of religion—but then it would just rot from the inside.
Although I am a Saintess, I have only lived in this world for less than six months. So I don’t know the exact reasons for the church’s operation. If I say, “it should change through democratic procedures,” I can anticipate being met with countless arguments and logic. The ones who hold the high positions in the church have been gaming this board for decades.
If so, what I can do is to seize on the blatantly wrong parts—those that can’t be countered from the other side.
I happen to have several strengths that no one in this world can surpass.
One is that I can communicate directly with the goddess.
Another is that I am the one who has woven the fabric of this world.
Of course, neither can provide physical evidence—
But isn’t it the ‘church’ I’m up against?
Oh, if you’re so confident, try excommunicating me.
I bet there isn’t a single person out there with greater Holy Power than mine willing to engage in a mouth battle with me. If there was, they would have already been canonized before me.
Along with a little education for the Cardinal.
“…”
When I requested to meet the Cardinal, the Mother Superior momentarily wore a stunned expression but soon smiled slightly and nodded.
“If the Saintess wishes so.”
This was her attitude as a believer meeting the Saintess, not as the Mother Superior.
…Hmm. Still, this does feel a bit overwhelming.
*
To cut to the chase, I was refused.
The fact that ‘the statuses are equal’ is both an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time.
The reason the Cardinal and the Saintess are treated as ‘equal beings’ has to do with the fact that the highest practical position a cleric can reach is that of a Cardinal. It’s not that no one can rise above that.
There’s the Pope, and there’s the Chief Cardinal who can temporarily take on the Pope’s role during the election. However, the Chief Cardinal is merely an interim position, and reaching the Pope’s seat is extremely difficult.
Furthermore, while the government does not recognize this, the church regards the Pope as equivalent to the president. Therefore, if they were to acknowledge Saints or Holy Ones, even if not noble, as greater than the Pope, it would completely mess up the command structure.
Moreover, there’s no guarantee that Saints and Saintesses will always come from educated religious figures. There have been cases of those who traded their bodies becoming Saintesses, and ordinary believers went on to perform miracles and were canonized after death.
If they were to insist that Saints or Saintesses hold the Pope’s position, it would greatly risk altering policy.
In fact, there have been instances where those who were said to be anointed directly by the goddess took the Pope’s seat. I don’t know the details on how their reigns went because I didn’t look it up.
Anyway, Linnea was right about almost everything she had previously told me.
But at the same time, what the Mother Superior said—that the position of the Saintess is treated equally to that of the Cardinal—was also true. According to church law, that cannot be prevented.
So, is there really no way around this?
Of course not.
Evidently, the Cardinal seems to have no clue about my personality. Although I may seem this way, I’m actually quite clingy. I had expected a refusal, and I brought out my premeditated countermeasure.
I summon the application for an audience with the Pope as an attack declaration and end my turn!
Considering the Pope’s position, of course, not just anyone can apply for an audience.
Ah, the application itself is possible; it just gets denied in the middle.
In most cases, it doesn’t even get that far and is rejected outright.
But who am I? Am I not a Saintess that has appeared after fifty years?
Applications for an audience must go through several approvals before finally getting the Pope’s consent.
Most requests for meetings are filtered out from the start, but occasionally there are unavoidable requests that cannot be ignored. Requests from regional legislators, notable figures, or significant donors to the church will be relayed to the respective local priests, as the church cannot afford to ignore these figures.
If the request can be resolved at the priest’s level, meaning it can be settled or addressed through negotiation or a meeting without needing to ascend to the Pope, the priest resolves it. But if it’s an issue that even the priest cannot settle, it has to be escalated to the Cardinal.
Of course, this process isn’t needed for genuinely famous people. Presidents, ministers, and high-ranking officials just directly contact the Vatican to set appointments.
Naturally, I could do the same.
However, my original purpose was not to meet the Pope.
It was to meet the Cardinal, which is why I chose a method typical for a layperson to apply.
If he doesn’t want to meet me and simply escalates my application upward, then I’ll go straight to the Pope. What I decide to tell him from there is entirely up to me.
However, if he tries to prevent me from going to the Pope, he’ll have to meet me himself. Naturally, he wouldn’t know what I’m going to say. Meeting notes for high-ranking clergy are fully recorded, making it impossible for him to go back on his word later.
No matter how you look at this, it’s the perfect move!
To summarize, it’s a call-out card. No matter what choice he makes, he’ll take a hit.
Which option brings him less damage is… well, that will be for him to decide.
Just so you know, I’m not planning on smoothly letting either side off the hook.
*
And a week passed.
Oh, so this guy is trying to ignore me.
The Cardinal had a heavy workload. If I were to count it, it would be quite substantial. If there were a lot of priests reading or writing something at any given moment, how much more work would a Cardinal overseeing an entire region have?
But even understanding that doesn’t quell the doubts rising in my mind.
What if he’s just stalling for time?
He was a man who sent everyone he didn’t like to the Inquisition before considering his own work. Since it was a request ‘written by the Saintess,’ it was obvious it had been reported separately, and I wouldn’t expect a response if he was solely ignoring my request and buying time.
Just as I was about to start whining, “He’s not reading my request!” and directly push my complaint to the Vatican—
“Clara sister, this way.”
While I was furiously filling out a 5700-character complaint letter by hand, I heard a voice from behind.
Turning around, it was the Mother Superior. The door was open, and Linnea and Aurora were standing awkwardly.
“It’s alright. It seems the meeting request I submitted a while ago has finally been accepted.”
I reassured the two of them, who alternated glances between the Mother Superior and myself. No, actually, I was trying to calm them down. However, when they heard I had requested a meeting, their expressions grew even more serious.
In this world, I had no family. The only people I could meet for a meeting were church figures, and if it’s a church figure I’d meet, it must be someone of high status.
“It’s alright, I said. This time, there’s nothing dangerous.”
“But that…”
Aurora pointed at the complaint letter in my hand. It clearly read ‘Complaint’ in big letters at the top, with tiny print flying around below, seemingly full of rage.
“I won’t be using this one today.”
I folded the complaint letter in half and tucked it deeply into my desk drawer, planning to save it in case I needed it later.
“Then I’ll be off.”
I waved goodbye to the two of them and stepped out with a relaxed expression.
Honestly, I didn’t think such a method would work.
The Mother Superior said without an expression, but I felt her voice was tinged with amusement.
“I’m just grateful that it got conveyed properly. I simply submitted an ordinary request form.”
I said calmly, and the Mother Superior let out a small breath.
“But… please be careful. There may be those who are not frightened at all by your status as a Saintess.”
In truth, I had met many people like that, so I wasn’t too frightened anymore.
The Mother Superior, who knew very well that I had been to the battlefield and the elf village, didn’t bother to say more.
After that, we walked in silence. School had already been over for a while, and extracurricular activities had ended long ago. The light visible from outside was merely that of the nearby streetlamp. It’s quite amazing that someone like the Cardinal is still working this late into the night, but considering it’s Kwon In-Soo, he might’ve intentionally chosen to create an atmosphere of intimidation by coming at this hour.
…Even so, is it too much to speculate when someone comes at midnight?
I grasped the doorknob of the meeting room I had now grown accustomed to after several visits, and the Mother Superior spoke once more.
“While the statuses are equal, between you and the Cardinal lies an unbridgeable gulf of time. Just because someone is older doesn’t mean they are always wise, but most of them certainly have more experience than young people. Please be cautious.”
“Yes, understood. Thank you for the advice.”
I bowed respectfully. The Mother Superior nodded once and opened the door.
Inside, which had seemingly been oiled recently as it opened noiselessly, was a stern-looking old man sitting with a very displeased expression.
As soon as I saw the old man sitting upright, I felt my slight misgivings from moments ago vanish completely.
Uh, it seems I absolutely cannot grow fond of this person.
That sentiment was reciprocated, I’m sure.
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