Chapter: 144
“Liar.”
Phoebe shook her head at the words of the Apostle of Evil God.
There’s no reason to believe what that guy says. He’s trying to deceive me with his silver tongue and swallow me whole. Just as expected from someone serving an Evil God, he’s using dirty and childish tricks.
Phoebe glared at him, but the Apostle of Evil God showed no signs of being flustered. He simply maintained a thick smile.
“I don’t understand why you’re pretending to know nothing.”
There’s no reason to indulge this person’s story any further. I’ll call the teachers patrolling this place and the church people to deal with him.
“Well, do you not remember?”
The Apostle of Evil God suddenly stepped forward and reached out his hand.
His speed was so fast that Phoebe couldn’t keep up with her abilities, and she had to submissively present her forehead to him.
The moment his hand touched Phoebe’s forehead, magic power flowed from him.
“Now you should be able to remember.”
Phoebe couldn’t withstand the wave of headaches and collapsed to the floor.
The identity of the waves was her memories.
Buried deep within the ocean of forgetfulness, the memories returned to Phoebe with the recent wave.
It all started with the smiling face of the orphanage director.
“These new kids are quite something. The amount of divine energy resonating in them is increasing. I like it.”
She was smiling gently like Phoebe remembered, but her eyes were completely different.
The orphanage director spoke as if evaluating Phoebe and her friends like objects.
Others who were conversing beside her were similar. Not one of them regarded the children as beings to be raised and cared for.
Huh? This is strange. The orphanage director clearly said it was a place for us to be together with smiles, didn’t she?
Despite Phoebe’s doubts, the wave of memories continued.
Next was a room in the basement.
In a room devoid of light, a candle illuminated the conversation between the orphanage director and a bespectacled man.
“I remember. This child is the most promising among this cohort. Handle her with care.”
“Don’t worry. You know my skill, right?”
“Still, be careful. We have to produce something that will satisfy our superiors this time. Damn it, do you know how angry I was when I saw that bitch Keppel smile last time?”
“I’ll do my best as my future depends on it.”
Just as their conversation ended, the bespectacled man injected something into Phoebe.
A moment later, a scream escaped from her mouth.
It hurts too much. I feel like I’m going to die. Please, save me. Phoebe screamed endlessly, but the two showed no reaction.
The orphanage director merely looked at Phoebe with a blank expression and said, “Pray. Then God will surely save you. Pray until Armadi takes away your pain.”
It was nonsense, but at that moment, Phoebe had no time to care about him.
She just prayed and prayed until she passed out.
What on earth is this? Countless other memories flooded through her mind.
Someone being dragged away for not memorizing the Bible.
A frugal meal shared with zero conversation.
The atmosphere of the orphanage felt like it was covered in ice. Friends disappearing one by one with each passing day.
“Liar.”
“Do you want to think it’s a lie?”
“There’s no way this could be real.”
“Oh, don’t you know that answer better than I do?”
Indeed. The words of the Apostle of Evil God were right. The one who could answer Phoebe’s questions best was none other than Phoebe herself.
At this moment, she realized that her memories of what she thought was the most precious place were surprisingly vague.
And ironically, the memories swirling in her head were painfully clear.
Cognitive dissonance.
The discomfort of countless facts she had never doubted pressed Phoebe to acknowledge the truth.
Yes.
Why have I never revisited the orphanage I used to be in?
Why can’t I remember the faces of the friends I had while I was at the orphanage?
Why can’t I recall the names of any clergy members from the orphanage other than the director?
Why.
Why.
Why?
Facing the endless waves of memories, Phoebe couldn’t hold it any longer and vomited on the floor.
Her trembling shoulders shook along with her white hair, evoking sympathy, but the Apostle of Evil God didn’t care about that.
“Created Saintess, are you ready to hear the story now?”
Phoebe couldn’t answer.
She was unable to.
Her throat was tight, and she couldn’t voice a single word.
However, the Apostle of Evil God seemed to take her silence as agreement and smiled satisfactorily.
“I will tell you the truth.”
The Apostle of Evil God said, explaining how Phoebe was created and how she had been used up to this point.
The story that followed Phoebe’s actions was so accurate and detailed that even Phoebe herself could not deny it.
At first, Phoebe countered her memories, but as one memory after another surfaced, she had no choice but to acknowledge that it was the truth.
The old memories that surfaced in her mind.
The many discomforts existing between the truths she believed until now.
Her usage narrated by the Apostle of Evil God.
All made her accept it.
“I believe that should sufficiently answer your question.”
“…”
“Why can’t you hear the words of God, even as a Saintess? Naturally, it’s because Armadi has never chosen you. She hasn’t even seen you. Your very existence is an insult to Armadi, so why on earth would she look your way?”
As Phoebe didn’t raise her head, the Apostle of Evil God grabbed her hair and forcefully lifted it.
With her naturally pale skin, Phoebe’s face was ghostly white, resembling a body laid in a coffin.
“Don’t you want revenge? Against those who took away your childhood and have only thought of you as a convenient object up to now? If you want that.”
“Light.”
Without warning, a flash erupted, causing the Apostle of Evil God to stagger back.
Freed from his grip, Phoebe hurriedly fled and looked around.
Something feels off. There couldn’t be this kind of commotion happening in the middle of the academy street without any interference, right?
Phoebe finally faced the darkness surrounding her.
A sky stained black. A quiet street with not a single person in sight.
This wasn’t the academy street.
Where on earth am I? How did I end up in a place like this?
“Bold, aren’t you?”
It was strange. Just moments ago, the Apostle of Evil God, who had been behind Phoebe, was now speaking right in front of her.
Phoebe stopped in her tracks at the figure of a gigantic man blocking her way.
“Is your hostility toward our God greater than your desire for revenge?”
Amidst her confusion, Phoebe heard the Apostle of Evil God’s voice and turned her head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Hmm?”
“I have no intention of seeking revenge.”
It was true that Phoebe was greatly shocked as her long-held beliefs were denied.
Still, even amid the chaos in her head, that didn’t become a reason to desire revenge.
“Because Armadi wouldn’t want that.”
Righting something wrong was necessary.
However, personal feelings shouldn’t get involved.
What is right must be established by what is right.
An improperly executed right can never become right.
Phoebe had learned that and believed it.
“…Are you speaking sincerely?”
“Yes.”
Seeing the determined look in Phoebe’s eyes, the Apostle of Evil God laughed lightly.
“Is it not ironic that a created Saintess like you has never heard the voice of Armadi and will never be able to?”
“Is that the part you’re referring to? I’d like to thank you for revealing the truth.”
What Phoebe had been pondering was whether she was a person worthy of being a Saintess.
Is someone who feels jealousy and hatred toward others and doubts God truly fit for the title of Saintess?
The Apostle of Evil God answered that question.
Phoebe was not a Saintess.
She had received the title of Saintess through human hands, but before God, she was merely one of the most insignificant beings.
For anyone else, this news would have been shocking, but for Phoebe, it was different.
After acknowledging her flaws through countless turmoil, being told she was not a Saintess didn’t feel like a loss of qualification.
It was a pardon for herself.
It was only natural for Phoebe to be an imperfect human not fitting for the title of Saintess. Therefore, she must have many deficiencies.
Which means—
“The reason Armadi doesn’t look upon me is that I am lacking, isn’t it?”
Then the answer was simple.
From now on, all she had to do was take a step toward becoming someone worthy of Armadi.
Just like Lucy, Armadi’s Apostle, she must become someone who cannot endure being unloved by Armadi.
Upon hearing that response, the Apostle of Evil God stared blankly at Phoebe’s face before bursting into laughter.
“You’re properly crazy. After being brainwashed as a Saintess for so many years, you’ve come to genuinely believe you’re one?”
“That might be true.”
“That’s the best answer as a believer.”
As the Apostle of Evil God took a step toward Phoebe, the previously wide distance closed in an instant.
Standing before Phoebe, he looked down at her while floating several spheres around him.
“That’s quite a ways off from what I desire.”
Phoebe sensed the implication of his words hidden behind that statement.
If she didn’t want to end up in a rough situation, she needed to change her answer.
It was such a predictable and dull threat.
Did you expect that I would give you the answer you desire?
Looking into the Apostle of Evil God’s smirking eyes, Phoebe felt annoyed.
And then, realizing why she felt that way, she remembered she wasn’t a Saintess and shook her head.
If she wasn’t a Saintess, what problem would it be to act un-Saintess-like?
How could she rile this guy up?
What could she say to shake the composure of this guy who seemed confident?
How could she land a good hit?
Ah. Speaking of hitting back, I had a perfect manual.
It was the method taught by Armadi’s Apostle.
“Is it because you’re a sloppy Apostle of Evil God?”
As Phoebe moved her lips, mimicking something Lucy, Armadi’s Apostle, would have said, the Apostle of Evil God’s relaxed expression froze instantly.
“…You damn bitch.”
“Pfffft. That was the best answer! Sloppy Saintess!”
The moment the Apostle of Evil God gritted his teeth, another voice echoed from above.
A voice so clear it pierced her ears.
Turning her head to the sound of armor landing, Phoebe faced a wickedly reliable grin that made her smile back just as mischievously.
“Hello♡ Bravado Giant♡ Still think you’re cool, huh?♡ When are you going to grow out of your adolescence?♡ Pathetic♡ Sloppy♡”
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