Chapter 97: Things that never change (13)

The interior of the towering cathedral was filled with various lights passing through the stained glass.

A piece of glass art expressing a part of the Bible so that even people who couldn’t read could easily understand.

In front of it, the central aisle was lined up, and as expected of the widest area in the cathedral, many holy people were gathered.

As I entered in my prostitute-like clothes, the holy people sitting on the long chairs looked at me.

Some were putting their hands together and praying, and others had their eyes full of respect.

Seeing that there were so many people but no one was surprised by my outfit, I wondered about the standard of ‘obscene’ in this world.

A world where even the first saintess, Lina, thought it was natural for a saintess to expose her cleavage and wear string panties…

It’s not like I wanted to do this. I’ll have to explain it well to Su-hyeon later when I have time.

Thinking that, I took one step at a time carefully, and in the distance, I saw Kaellia waving her hand at me from the second floor.

“Wow! Nice to meet you, Saintess!” she shouted, making a fuss.

In the cathedral, where there was only the sound of soft music, it was inevitable that she would stand out, and Su-hyeon and Natalia quickly blocked her mouth, but it was natural for the holy people to glare at her.

I felt a chill as if an electric current was flowing through my body.

When I turned my gaze to the right, an old priest was glaring at me, feeling a tingle.

It was Bruno Benent, who had been waiting for me in the apse.

“What are you thinking about?”
“Ah, no… I’m not thinking about anything.”
“I thought so. It would be a big problem if you started a holy fire again, so let’s pretend I didn’t say anything.”

I thought so… What does this person think of me?

I understood that he felt uncomfortable because of the commotion Kaellia caused for a moment, but since it wasn’t my fault today, I decided to be a little more confident.

“Hehe, it’s the day the hero came to the Holy Kingdom. It’s natural for me, as the saintess, to lead the worship.”
“That’s a big problem.”
“It’s tradition, isn’t it? It would be a bigger problem if I stayed still…”

Yes, it’s perfectly natural for me, as the saintess, to lead the worship.

To give the representative prayer, to spread the word of God, and then to guide the holy people on the right path.

I had forgotten because of the holy fire that I spectacularly ignited when I first went on stage, but I am the saintess.

I am the pillar of the hearts of the holy people.

“Huff, I can’t take responsibility for whatever happens.”
“…But why are you preparing water?”

No matter how much he opposes, he can’t do anything without justification. In the end, Bruno gave up, raising both hands.

Bruno quietly prepared water next to him, and I didn’t like that at all.

“You can’t put out the holy fire with water anyway.”

“…I know. However, an old man’s heart is very uneasy. Can I be by the saintess’s side without this?”
“…”

Damn old man. He never gives in, whether it’s in the past or now.

Even if he’s a cardinal, is it okay for him to be so rude to me, the saintess?

I’ll have to send him away for blasphemy someday when I get a chance.

When I can perfectly control black magic, I’ll be able to hide the magic of Su-hyeon and my body, and then I’ll be able to meet Maleus.

So I decided to endure until then, and quietly took the prepared Bible in my hand.

‘Lina, but how did you worship 300 years ago?’

[Ah, back then? Because the demon king was running rampant, cults that rejected divine power were rampant… Thanks to that, I had a lot of trouble.]

When all the hymns are over, the saintess’s prayer signals the start of the worship.

So, before it was my turn, I tried to talk to Lina to wake her up.

In response to my question, Lina continued to speak in a tone that was both nostalgic and tired.

[Actually, before the saintess and the hero appeared, the Holy Kingdom didn’t have much influence either. Well, you learned the rest in history class, right?]
‘I don’t remember well…’

[…Yeah, I didn’t expect you to. You’ll be able to find out later when you hand over the initiative.]

I heard that they used a slightly radical method to gather the holy people… Well, there’s no need to ask about it now since I’ll find out soon anyway.

By the way, Su-hyeon is looking at me in front of me… Why is that b*tch Kaellia sleeping using Su-hyeon’s shoulder as a pillow?

A little annoyed, I went up on the stage with a nervous motion. Then, the holy people and priests looked surprised.

…I think I made another mistake.

Still, I can just say the prayers I memorized in advance. Taking a deep breath, I put my hands together and closed my eyes.

“Today, may God’s blessing be with all the holy people who have gathered even in this busy time…”

From now on, automatic saintess mode ON. Lina will somehow take care of the rest. Believing that, I quietly entered the mental world.

What wind has this tomboy saintess taken?

When Bruno heard that Sera would lead the worship herself, he felt that another incident had occurred.

When he first discovered Sera, he thought she was a pitiful girl being bullied in an orphanage, so he gave her all the consideration he could, but the girl spectacularly betrayed his expectations.

There was no way to know how her train of thought worked, and the incidents Sera caused, who dropped bombs whenever she opened her mouth, were not one or two.

Starting with causing a holy fire during the sacred worship, and smiling brightly at the holy people who asked for help, saying that they didn’t need to ask God for help if they had divine power.

Even so, she didn’t admit her mistakes, and Sera would run to Maleus whenever she was scolded.

That Sera is leading the worship?

It’s more reassuring to entrust a fish to a cat.

In fact, the guys called the hero party were already causing a commotion, and Sera, who was going up on the stage, was moving her body nervously.

What is she so angry about…? Thinking that she was going to start another fire, Bruno didn’t let go of the water cup in his hand.

“Today, may God’s blessing be with all the holy people who have gathered even in this busy time…”

The prayer ends, and the saintess’s words begin. It’s time to spread God’s teachings for the holy people.

Please, please don’t cause any accidents.

Bruno, who was already racking his brains because of the illegal drugs and traces of cults that had been circulating in the Holy Kingdom recently, put his hands together and prayed.

“Everyone, what do you think is the work that God has entrusted to us?”

“…”

When Sera, or rather Lina, first opened her mouth, a question echoed through the central aisle instead of a teaching.

What is the work that God has entrusted to us? A new form of sermon was beginning at the worship service, which only vaguely spread the words left by the saint and the teachings of the Bible.

“Priest Yoel. Can you tell us once?”

“…Isn’t it to spread the word of God and protect this world from the demon king?”

In the end, when no one answered, Lina picked a priest who was waiting in the aisle and asked a question.

The answer that anyone could think of came out of his mouth, and many holy people nodded.

“To spread the word of God… Everyone, there is a saying in the words left by the saint. ‘My Father is always at work, and so am I.’ Long ago, the saint knew clearly what we had to do.”

Lina didn’t deny it, but she criticized the priests and holy people by speaking indirectly.

Her gaze was not at all intimidated, and her hands were moving like a person giving a speech.

“Everyone, do you know what darkness is cast over this world? It is the darkness in our hearts that doubts God and does not understand God’s will correctly!”
“Saintess, you’re getting a little excited…”

Lina is raising her voice more and more. Some priests tried to stop her, but they couldn’t arbitrarily stop the worship led by the saintess.

“‘Do not turn my Father’s house into a market!’ God has clearly said!
But what about the fence we live in now?
All kinds of cults are rampant, and merchants who only think about making money by selling God’s name dare to call themselves clergy!
Everyone, now is the time to repair the fence of laws that God made! That is what we must do!”

Whether the clouds had cleared outside, iridescent light began to come down to Lina’s body through the stained glass.

Then, Lina took a moment to catch her breath and looked into the eyes of each and every holy person.

Long ago, when the demon king descended on this land, it was a time of chaos, and the influence of the Holy Kingdom was not strong either.

They refused treatment through divine power, and even new religions called the demon king God… No matter how much I spoke the word of God in the midst of those many heretics and cults, it was useless.

In the end, the method Lina chose was to strongly criticize those who refused God’s will and appeal to emotions, and that was a kind of incitement.

“Also, God said! The first teachings I have given are what you have already heard, what you have already seen and touched. That’s right. God’s teachings are not something you can learn at your desk, but something you can see and touch directly.”

True salvation cannot be achieved just by praying. Lina, who claimed that, pointed her hand out the window.

“What is happening outside the Holy City right now? If it is our job to spread the word of God, then why is the light not reaching outside? Everyone, where is God’s teaching… What should we do? The pain that can be seen and touched still remains in places where the light does not reach, and that is what we must do and what God’s teaching is!”

The priests, who knew about the movements of the cults that were active in the Holy Kingdom recently and the existence of drugs that were being secretly distributed, began to nod at Lina’s words.

On the other hand, the priests who were first pointed out by Lina had red faces as if they wanted to run away right away.

Anyone who knows the situation would easily be able to guess what the saintess is trying to say.

“On the day of judgment that God said, wolves and merchants who impersonate that name will flock, and the lambs must be able to distinguish the shepherd who will lead them from the wolf who hides his hungry stomach.”

Until the very end. Lina gave a speech that swayed the hearts of the holy people rather than a worship service, and the holy people, who were initially embarrassed, gradually raised their voices.

“Huff, what has happened in the meantime…”

And Bruno, who had been watching all of this, thought.

Sera, no, the saintess has completely changed.

The idiot who only knew the holy fire was nowhere to be found, and she was giving a worship service… no, a speech that I had never seen before.

Although there was radical and one-sided criticism, in reality, many priests were embezzling donations in the middle or selling their conscience for money.

Rather, I thought that Sera, who had been with the Inquisitors, had grown in her own way by experiencing hardships with the hero party.

“Maleus, that old man was right… It was truly a judgment from God.”

When I think about it, Sera was the first to notice the existence of the fallen hero and saintess, even though I hadn’t taught her, and she sent a letter.

I began to think that maybe the foolish appearance she had shown so far was acting.

Besides, in another six months, there will be a vote to elect a new pope.

I couldn’t figure out why she visited the Holy Kingdom with the hero party, but seeing her now, everything began to be explained.