Chapter: 334
I originally asked for an investigation into the church’s corruption because of Phoebe.
At that time, Phoebe seemed shaky, so I wanted to gradually reveal the truth to lessen the shock she would face.
But my plan got wrecked because of Nakrad’s trolling. That guy dumped red medicine all over Phoebe.
Fortunately, Phoebe didn’t crumble after learning the whole truth.
After coming to terms with everything, she stood up with confidence, truly deserving the title of Saintess.
With the unease related to Phoebe gone, I continued to ask Alsatine to gather evidence of the church’s corruption.
It dawned on me that even with the knowledge in my head, if there’s no concrete evidence, it means nothing.
Since I’m an Apostle of Armadi and a friend of Phoebe, I’ll eventually sound hostile towards the church—what good will it do to blabber about corruption then?
Unproven claims would just be conspiracy theories, after all.
So, I kept asking Alsatine to continue investigating the church.
After the events in Menestel wrapped up and Karia joined, the information gathering accelerated.
Alsatine’s master, a shadow of the former kingdom who spun webs across this continent, flaunted her awe-inspiring abilities, having once stood by Benedict’s side.
The end of those webs reached the orphanage where Phoebe had grown up a long time ago.
‘It wasn’t that hard. The noble who cooperated here was desperate to show off his achievements.’
The one intoxicated by the fact that he made the Saintess was itching to spill secrets that should’ve remained buried, and eventually, that bait got caught in Karia’s web.
‘I was thinking of slowly digging for church information through that guy. But wow, the Jushin Church folks are sharp. As soon as they sensed something off, they clammed up.’
But there wasn’t much to gather from that bait.
Before I could properly dig anything out, the parasites inside fled after murdering their prey.
Still, Karia managed to gather quite a bit and said if she kept investigating, she’d discover something entertaining.
‘I know this isn’t something the employer would particularly like, but how about testing what kind of person the Saintess really is?’
She was worried about Phoebe being a constructed Saintess.
Since Phoebe was created by the church’s higher-ups, wouldn’t there be a chance of trouble during critical moments?
Knowing how upright and sincere Phoebe is, I found the suspicion itself unpleasant, but Karia was stubborn.
She insisted it wouldn’t be believable unless she captured the whole scene with her own eyes.
‘It’s just bringing up something you’ll have to face eventually now, Employer.’
In the end, I raised my hands in surrender.
My ability to persuade Karia amid all her accusations was lacking.
Even the grandpa, who would have typically helped me, sided with Karia’s opinion this time.
[Don’t think everyone else possesses the same steadfastness as you do. Ordinary humans are weak.]
‘I doubt Phoebe is weaker than me.’
[In that case, she’ll manage to stay sane even after facing her nightmares.]
So, a plan was set to take Phoebe back to the orphanage she grew up in, and a few days later, seeing Phoebe stagger with a pale face at night didn’t make me feel good.
Despite countless trials and rising once more to fight against the corrupt church, she had forgiven rather than punished those who created all those lies.
A character that’s both frustratingly naive and endlessly innocent, Phoebe was a person of nobility far beyond someone like me.
How could she ever be an object of suspicion?
I think it’s understandable to doubt since everyone doesn’t know the Phoebe in this game.
The Apostle of God is vouching for her, isn’t she?
Why not trust the Apostle’s insight?
It’s so unfair!
“Young Lady.”
In the midst of venting my anger toward the grandpa, who was keeping silent, and Karia, who was secretly observing from a distance, I heard Phoebe’s trembling voice and turned my head in a hurry.
“I’m aware it’s shameless, but I have one request.”
It wasn’t the first time seeing Phoebe trembling with anxiety.
She had already wavered several times in the face of early truths.
But seeing her unable to contain her own shivers made me think many things.
…Once this is over, I’ll take care of Karia and the grandpa.
“Could you go inside the building with me?”
Having heard she couldn’t move forward first because she considered herself insufficient, instead of replying to Phoebe, I opened the orphanage door.
I had no desire to throw even gentle taunts at Phoebe in her current state, so I kept my lips sealed.
I pondered how she took my actions. Phoebe slightly lifted her eyes, then awkwardly smiled as she approached me.
“It’s not a cheerful place.”
The moment I stepped inside the orphanage, the smell of blood hit me.
It wasn’t just the stench of fresh blood, but the rancid odor that had piled up over a long time and stuck around.
If I hadn’t acclimated to this world, I would have already puked; the smell made me feel like it was describing what this place had been.
“…I’ll pray later.”
Trying hard to act calm while smelling the blood, Phoebe awkwardly showed me around here and there.
“This is the dining area. We always had to pray at length as the adults instructed before eating. Meals were always scarce, and the kids’ stomachs were always growling.”
“This is where we studied the Bible. During the day, we had to stay cooped up here. Everyone did their best not to doze off, but when screams rang out from the side, that was inevitable.”
“This is… the room used by the adults. This place had better facilities than where the kids stayed, so many wished to live here one day.”
“This was our dormitory. Dozens of us had to sleep in this cramped place. Back then, I thought it was normal, but looking back now, it wasn’t.”
As we moved further, Phoebe’s tremors kept growing.
The smile she forced faded to a burden, her handshaking intensified, and her steps grew slower.
It became apparent to anyone watching that Phoebe was crumbling.
“This is…”
Yet, despite everything, Phoebe bravely pressed on with her explanations about the orphanage until she stopped in front of the stairs leading down to the basement.
“This is.”
I knew without Phoebe needing to explain what happened down in that basement.
I knew even better than Phoebe, the person involved.
So, despite grinding my teeth, I gently held onto Phoebe’s hand as she struggled to continue speaking.
‘It’s alright.’
“You don’t have to say it if it’s too hard. For a sloppy person like me, that would be normal.”
Phoebe looked at my hand, still clasped with hers, took a deep breath, and spoke again.
“…No. I’m fine, Young Lady. I just needed a moment to collect myself.”
The blood scent grew stronger as we descended the stairs, confirming that this was the source of the awful smell in the orphanage.
“…It’s locked. Just a moment. There should be a key…”
‘We don’t need that.’
“Forget it. Why would we need a key to open a sloppy door like this?”
No mace is needed to break down this kind of iron door.
Stepping in front of Phoebe, I gathered divinity into my fist.
As the divine level rose, I became more adept at handling it, making the effort to concentrate on the divinity unnecessary.
Why would there be a reason to struggle with making divinity move as I wished?
After finishing the concentration, I threw my punch, smashing the magic embedded in the iron door first, then the door itself, sending it flying into the dim corridor of the basement.
With a crash echoing, I turned my head and walked over to Phoebe, who stood in a daze. I took her hand again.
Feeling her touch snapped Phoebe back to reality; she looked down at me and managed a stiff smile.
“This is where the adults called the prayer room. We had to come here every evening, a place everyone dreaded. Because coming here meant we had to go into different rooms and face torture.”
Phoebe struggled to narrate her memories while trying to appear indifferent.
Forcing friends into torture while another would heal them.
Administering unknown drugs that would leave them parched forever.
Making them call out to God amid excruciating pain.
“The kids here envied friends who found eternal rest rather than mourning their deaths. Such was this place.”
As Phoebe gazed at the space that still held traces of torture, many emotions that I couldn’t guess brewed on her face.
What is she thinking now?
Does she hate the adults who inflicted pain upon her?
Does she hate the Lord, who never helped her despite all the prayers?
Does she weep for the friends who had to die in agony?
“Young Lady, I have something I must ask.”
Hearing Phoebe’s call, I stood quietly, waiting for her next words.
Now, I could fulfill everything she wished for.
If she wanted revenge on the adults of the orphanage, I could gladly grant that.
If she asked why those villains were infused with divinity, or why the Lord only bestows divinity but offers them no help, I could faithfully reveal all truths.
If she wanted me to bear the grudge on behalf of the Lord, I would silently listen to her fury.
Right now, I was free from the influence of Mesugaki Skill.
I had to follow what she said.
“While I pray here, please stay by my side. Listen to my prayers.”
However, Phoebe didn’t blame anyone.
She didn’t hate anyone.
She simply thought of those who had drifted away into eternal sleep.
Even though she wasn’t yet a true Saintess.
Even though she didn’t understand the Will of God.
Phoebe. You’re giving the same answer.
Ah, really.
No matter how you see yourself, you’re still a Saintess to me.
You’re such a noble person that I feel it’s a shame for a sloppy God.
I smiled back at Phoebe’s smile, gathered her two hands together, and placed my hands over them, finally closing my eyes.
Before long, Phoebe’s soft yet heavy voice flowed out.
“O Lord in Heaven.”
Not long after, her voice filled with warmth that contrasted the night.
“Please take notice of the place where your Apostle resides.”
The warmth emanating from around Phoebe dispelled the unpleasant scent of blood.
“Please hear the voice of this blasphemous child, who has unwittingly become your insult.”
At that moment, the cold basement was enveloped in warmth, like dawn.
“Look upon the place of those who wished for your salvation but faded away without receiving it.”
“This is.”
“Carry the grudges of those who have not gained your protection.”
“Save their souls.”
It was the prayer of a Saintess.
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