episode_0007

Katarina Natalia Christina Elizabeth Rosa Camilla Justina Bridget Cecilia Helena Juliana Martina Joanna Josefina Beatrice Victoria Ethelburga Maria.

It was not a sentence listing several names meaninglessly. This name was the name of the 18th saint. A saint was a being who was born without a last name, offered herself to the world, prayed for the world, continued asceticism, and then returned to God. The name of such a saint was created by adding a new name to the names of previous saints. Most people simply called the saint ‘Saint’ and did not even know of her existence, let alone remembering her long name. Even the bishops who memorized old-fashioned doctrines did not say the saint’s full name and therefore did not try to memorize it. Since the saint’s name was not passed down by word of mouth anyway, it was only necessary to look for the saint’s full name when needed.

For that reason, the only person who remembered the saint’s long, long name was none other than the saint herself.

Like Mary, the first saint, saints were born in the humblest places and humble bodies. In the past, there were rare saints who were nobles, but they were nobles who fell into ruin before they could even learn to speak, and even those exceptions disappeared as generations of saints passed.

Moreover, even when there was no war against demons, humans were always fighting, plundering, and killing among themselves, so it was common for girls to be born into miserable circumstances. Among the women who would not have been surprised no matter when or how they died, the one who was chosen by the church to become a saint was at least spared the fate of living a private life.

Anyway, Saints Catherine Natalia Christina Elizabeth Rosa Camilla Justina Bridget Cecilia Helena Juliana Martina Joanna Josefina Beatrice Victoria Ethelburga Maria, or ‘Catherina’ for short, had nothing even after becoming a saint and made the narrowest room in the church her residence. Moreover, because the room was located deep underground, it was a single room with no windows, let alone sunlight. Fortunately, Katharina rarely had to stay in the cramped room other than bedtime.

Anyway, as soon as this poor saint woke up early in the morning, she said a prayer for all the sinners in the world and left her single room. She walked up the long stairs in her pajamas and started her day by taking off her clothes and washing herself in cold water in front of a large bathtub located in a secret outdoor space connected through the back door. The sight of washing one’s body in water so cold that it makes one’s teeth tremble in the cold early morning when the sun has not risen yet reminds me of the sight of a stepmother or stepfather abusing an illegitimate child, but this is not someone’s abuse, but a penance that a saint of the church must perform. was part of

What helped Catherine, who was indistinguishable from other nuns because she was wearing a nun’s uniform made of rough material, be recognized as a saint, was the hood she wore. A white hood with the saint’s name embroidered with gold thread covered Catherine’s dark brown hair. Although people did not see a dazzling halo or divine revelation in her, they prayed earnestly, complained about their difficult life, and asked for salvation. But there was no one who could listen to the saint’s suffering.

Three meals with poor taste, aroma, and texture, prayers to the point where their mouths are sore, endless confessions, and corporal punishment to bear their sins. The life of a saint could not be said to be comfortable even with empty words. According to the doctrine, the saint, who is believed to have been born bearing all the sins of the world, had to live a life of penance, asking God for forgiveness and earnestly praying for those who had sinned to be forgiven. Therefore, no one was dissatisfied with the life of a saint who performed penance to forgive her sins. Moreover, even the saint herself could not express her dissatisfaction. If you look at her status as a saint who had no special powers and was nothing more than a bright apricot, she was just a woman with a needlessly long name.

Even though she went through those days of asceticism, Katharina always had a smile on her face. Of course, no matter how saintly she was, her expression inevitably changed when she washed her body with cold water in the early morning or when she was beaten, but other than those unavoidable cases, she always smiled kindly and warmly.

Even if the person you face is a trash person.

“Saint. I committed a sin. Every time I saw a saint, I got excited and thought, I really want to fuck her.”

“Yes. Dear believer. You won’t think like that anymore, right?”

There was a thin partition between the believer doing the confession and the saint, so they could not see each other’s faces. Of course, it is impossible for a believer to not know the saint’s face, but the saint could only recognize the voice of the believer who was confessing. Catherine did not try to find out the identity of the believer across from her. Not only was there a duty of confidentiality, but hearing all kinds of confessions made it difficult to recognize the other person as an individual.

“Thank you, saint. If you don’t mind, we can hold hands…”

Katarina no longer listened to the loud voice coming from beyond the partition.

“Your sins will be forgiven. Reflect and repent.”

When the sound of smacking one’s mouth became distant, a moment later, a gesture of acceptance was made and the confession began. There were cases where people gained peace of mind by confessing to minor sins or mistakes, but most of them went away after being comforted after freely spewing out words or thoughts that they should not say in front of others. People who spat out as much as they wanted, as if they were using a toilet, disappeared, and only the saint was left to digest the waste. In order to keep the secret, without anyone’s help, just on my own.

Finally, the confession, which was a big part of the schedule, ended with the woman’s confession that she had secretly killed her jealous neighbor’s dog. As soon as Katarina left the narrow confessional, she tried to erase everything she had heard before. If I left things in my head, such as the pain of a child being abused by his parents or the pain of an innocent dog that died, I would break down.

‘It would be correct to think so.’

Katarina subconsciously thought that even that logic was just for her own comfort, but she quickly turned away from it. I couldn’t bear it if I didn’t think it was inevitable. She unconsciously clenched and unclenched her fists and placed her hands on her stomach. As she came out of the confessional and was catching her breath, two nuns approached her.

“It is time for repentance. Holy woman.”

They were nuns belonging to the Ministry of the Liturgy of Saints. The Department of the Liturgy of Saints, the only department in the church comprised entirely of nuns, was in charge of all matters related to saints. Ironically, although the saint herself had no power, her symbolism and image were real, and there were many people who needed her. In order to show a saint outside the church, anyone had to seek the cooperation of the Saints’ Liturgy Department. This was the reason why the Director of the Department of the Liturgy of the Virgin Mary, who was merely a nun based on her status as a priest, was able to speak out within the church.

“It’s time for that. Sister.”

Catherine headed to the penance room with the nuns without any change in her expression. The penance room was not much different from ordinary rooms in the church, except for the stand in the middle of the room and the cane hanging on the wall. The head of the Saints’ Liturgy Ministry, who was waiting in the penance room, greeted them.

“Welcome. Holy woman. It is a time of repentance.”

After hearing the words of the bespectacled nun with a stern look, Katarina followed suit.

“Yes, sister.”

The nuns of the Saints’ Liturgical Department, who assisted the saint nearby, all kept quiet as much as possible in front of the saint. The saint was accepted as a being who was not human but not a god, and it was a principle created to not dare to feel sympathy for the saint or interfere with her asceticism. In the silence, Katarina approached the pedestal placed in the middle of the penance room. As soon as I placed my lower abdomen on a pedestal reminiscent of a piano chair and put my hands together with my elbows on the pedestal, the nun standing next to me lifted up her nun’s skirt to reveal white drawers. It was an embarrassing position, with both legs pulled out to the side of the stand and the stand between her thighs, but none of the nuns looking at her felt embarrassed.

“Excuse me. Holy woman.”

The nun opened the slits of Katarina’s dwarfs wide on both sides. After the nun who showed off Catherine’s plump buttocks retreated to the end of the penance room, the director of the Divine Liturgy began to pray. A phrase for repentance was added to the end of the ordinary prayer.

“Please forgive the sins of all those who have committed sins in the world, and the saint who is closest to God asks for punishment on their behalf. Therefore, we will follow God’s will and punish the saint.”

Katarina crossed her fingers together and strengthened her resolve in a praying position. Today too, marks were going to be engraved on her innocent buttocks. The director of the Saints’ Liturgy, standing next to Catherine, raised the cane in his hand high.

The sound of an arrow being fired was followed by the sound of flesh being struck. The saint prayed for herself, not for anyone else.