Chapter: 527
“So, you’re telling me the church sent someone to tail me?”
“…They wanted to keep an eye on the Young Lady.”
After explaining what just happened, Karia scoffed in disbelief, while Phoebe spoke in a somewhat cold voice, unable to hide her displeasure.
“What was that inquisitor’s name again?”
“You think I’d remember the name of that lunatic?”
“Nian. Nian, that is.” ahem “Saintess.”
Thanks to my Mesugaki Skill, calling someone’s name was nearly impossible for me, so Benedict, who was standing next to me, spoke up instead.
“If it’s Nian, he’s one of those who are directly under the Pope’s secretary. I know he has some extreme views, but otherwise, he’s not lacking in any department.”
…Under the Pope!?
No. Wait a second. Does this mean I’m currently under the Pope’s radar!?
Did I catch his eye because I performed a miracle?!
Gyaaaah! I’ve thought I’ve hit rock bottom countless times since I came to this world, but this time I feel I’ve really hit rock bottom!
It’s still too early to deal with that guy!
Shoddy God! Why did you give me such miracles that ended up with this happening!?
Why did you set this trap!?
Was my life lately looking too easy for you to shove this mess on my plate!?
Did it bother you to see me strut around with my nose up in the air?!
“No, Saintess. Right now, the situation is different.”
“Huh?”
“Have you heard about the strange atmosphere within the Jushin Church recently? His Holiness is in the middle of reorganizing the interior powers.”
I think I heard that last time. They said the church is in chaos, right?
It was a few months ago, and it still hasn’t settled down? What on earth are they doing?
“I’ve heard about it. However, he’s just trying to make the current church operate more efficiently.”
“People who purge always use those excuses.”
The moment the word ‘purge’ was mentioned, the air in the room instantly got chilly.
It was a word that should never come out of a church that speaks of love and mercy, but it fit the current reality more than any other word.
“They said the same during the uproar in the kingdom a while back. Suppression of rebellions, standardization of districts. But just because they throw around those excuses doesn’t change reality, Saintess.”
“…”
“It might have been tolerable back in the day, but now you know that the church isn’t as clean as it seems, right?”
“…I was somewhat aware of that.”
Even if she was a fake saint created by the church, she couldn’t erase the path she had walked under the name of a saint up until now.
Through the grateful people standing beside her, Phoebe had heard enough stories to not be completely disconnected from the state of the church.
“However, I understand that the conflicts going on in the church right now are to address the internal corruption.”
The ones disappearing by the hands of the inquisitors were those taking advantage of the church’s authority.
Those who couldn’t even find a seed of faith were noticing the signs of purging and were screaming as they vanished one by one.
“Those purgers always say something like that. I wish I could reply.”
“In this case, it’s different. Because those people truly… lacked faith.”
Phoebe, who hesitated momentarily in her words, bit her lips and continued with a firm voice.
“I know too, Saintess. This time, it’s an exception.”
And Karia didn’t deny Phoebe’s statement at all.
Phoebe, who had revealed her surprise at the decisiveness of Karia’s response, looked completely flabbergasted.
“Banna Renat. Second son of the Renatro family and bishop of the Navedo territory. There are various crimes including child abduction and rape. Recently found beheaded.”
Speaking slowly, she pulled out a notebook from her pocket and flipped through the pages, mentioning a few names.
“Pravi Kena. Third son of the Kena family. Currently stationed as a bishop in Kena’s territory. He’s been embezzling taxes within the territory under the guise of donations with the family. Recently arrested by church personnel, and the Kena family is also under investigation.”
Karia continued to mention a few more names while flipping through the papers and shrugged her shoulders as she put it back into her pocket.
“There are many who’ve been purged beyond them, and they were all nothing but trash with black hearts, just as you said, Saintess.”
In other words, the current church had sunk low enough to commit such crimes openly, but Karia didn’t touch on that and returned to the original topic.
“Now, speaking of inquisitor Nian. This guy is among the more extreme of the harsh interrogators. He’s been reprimanded several times for exceeding assigned actions, yet instead of changing his ways, he chose to handle things quietly to avoid getting caught.”
Nian’s discreet methods were quite decent. In fact, there were even those who believed he had changed his ways after receiving the grace of the Lord.
However, his cruel nature didn’t just disappear, and within the church, the records of his transgressions kept piling up.
“And recently, someone who did something similar to Nian ended up in prison. With multiple charges, he’s probably facing the death penalty.”
The targets of the purging weren’t just those lacking faith. The blade was also aimed at those with distorted beliefs.
“He’s someone who looks like he’d never think he did anything wrong, so he likely wanted to prove he was right by any means. Then, when the reports of miracles surfaced, he must’ve acted, thinking that if he got confirmation from the person granted a miracle by the Lord, he could prove his righteousness.”
Karia’s words indicated that she had paid considerable attention to the church’s turmoil, with no gaps in her reasoning.
“Is this information trustworthy?”
Nevertheless, Benedict did not jump to conclusions and asked for proof.
“I’ve spread a few lines through Bishop Johan. The reliability is sufficient.”
“Is there any evidence to confidently assert it’s the inquisitor’s unilateral decision?”
“For now, the fact that there hasn’t been any news from Bishop Johan, who’s expected to be the next cardinal. Not to mention that both the Saintess and the Soul Academy’s personnel were completely unaware of it. The Pope and those below him are too busy dealing with the chaos in the church to even show their faces after the events at the Soul Academy.”
Come to think of it, that’s true.
It’s rare to have something happen that allows one to hold their head high, and yet, the higher-ups of the church haven’t shown themselves.
Normally, there’d be at least one cardinal standing next to Phoebe.
To think they’re too busy to even send an inquisitor to keep an eye on me is nonsensical.
“In the first place, it’s a miracle that happened almost a hundred years later. You’d expect that lunatic to come rustling over to find the person involved, right? It would make sense for someone at least the level of a cardinal to come officially to discuss this.”
<You understand now? Why I said things would go downhill, right?>
As soon as Karia finished her explanation, Grandpa piped up. Compared to Karia, he probably had less information available, but did he make that deduction just by seeing the inquisitor’s face?
‘Of course, Grandpa! You’re a natural politician! If you weren’t a hero, you’d’ve founded a kingdom!’
<…Is that meant as a compliment?>
‘Absolutely! If this isn’t a compliment, then what is?!’
<I’m not so sure. It sounds more like sarcasm to me.>
Ignoring Grandpa’s ambiguous tone, I sighed with relief inside.
Hah. So I haven’t been marked by the Pope yet?
That means I don’t have to face that lunatic just yet.
Phew. Thank goodness. If I had been marked by the Pope, I would’ve been ready for a time attack in reality.
…But it seems the situation within the church has changed quite a bit from what I knew. The purification of the church’s internal corruption was supposed to happen after Phoebe awakened as the true Saintess.
To be precise, the story I knew had Phoebe at the forefront, leading the pure-hearted individuals in the church to start a civil war.
However, the reforms happening now seem unrelated to Phoebe. What the heck is going on?
What exactly is the Pope thinking?
Uurgh. Just like the First Queen, I can’t keep up with the thoughts of that real lunatic.
“So, if you notify the church of this matter, it will be settled, right?”
“Yes. I will inform the actions of inquisitor Nian through the bishop of the Academy Church. I believe that with my name involved, his extreme actions will be suppressed soon enough.”
Geez. I don’t know. Anyway, at least this problem is resolved. If the Pope really intends to do something, that Shoddy God will surely let me know.
The trouble that guy stirs up is bound to be a grand event that ends with the phrase “Game Over” written all over it. For now, what I must think about is still the First Queen…
Knock knock. Hearing a knocking sound, I turned my head to see a voice from beyond the door.
“It’s Prete. May I come in for a moment? I believe Lady Allen is in here.”
…Has that guy already woken up!? How is that even possible?! I was planning on flinging my feet at him to make him my servant?! Are the strong ones in this world training there too!?
“What’s up? What do you want?”
“I’ve finished adjusting your clothes, so now it’s time to paint.”
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