Ch.108The True Saint – 2

In this world, a Dragon Heart was a medium that could store, release, or amplify magic.

Once magic was stored inside, it could be preserved indefinitely without any loss. Its magic amplification effect never depleted, required no recharging, and could be used permanently.

That’s exactly what the Dragon Heart was—an item that defied common sense. Even in the original story, Aria made excellent use of the Dragon Heart she obtained after killing Mahbat.

My plan was to store my magic in it and have Rozaria pretend to pray while using the stored magic to simulate divine punishment. Just showing that the goddess was no longer turning a blind eye to her believers’ corruption would surely be effective.

“……”

The effect was indeed remarkable.

Everyone was struck with awe at the sight that looked as if the goddess herself had delivered divine punishment from the heavens. When Rozaria, who had finished pretending to pray, slowly opened her eyes and looked around the prison, everyone trembled and averted their gaze.

Seemingly quite satisfied with this reaction, Rozaria’s shoulders tensed up adorably. As she established her presence with an “ahem” expression, Laura approached from the side and whispered:

“You certainly had reason to be confident. Anyone who didn’t know better would truly believe it was divine punishment from the goddess.”

“I deliberately chose that type of magic.”

“Just how many spells do you know?”

“If we’re counting without categorizing by hierarchy, maybe a few thousand? I know an enormous number. Though only a limited selection is practical in actual combat. Still, I definitely know well over a hundred.”

“…If I didn’t have my memories as the crown prince, my eyes would surely have popped out in surprise.”

While we were having this trivial conversation, Rozaria continued surveying the nobles trapped in the prison. Riding the atmosphere, her movements and expressions had become much more natural than before.

“Is there another sinner who wishes to be purified?”

After witnessing someone burn to death horribly before their eyes, of course there wouldn’t be. Everyone was desperately trying to shrink themselves to avoid catching Rozaria’s attention.

When her gaze lingered on one particular spot for quite some time, the person there lowered their head completely and began begging desperately. As the situation unfolded according to my expectations, Rozaria, as if she had seen enough, called for the Royal Guard.

“May I entrust you with the cleanup, Royal Guard?”

“Yes! Understood!”

Leaving behind the tense Royal Guard who had just witnessed what appeared to be a divine miracle, Rozaria strode out of the underground prison. We followed behind her.

We emerged from the underground prison in an atmosphere completely opposite to when we had entered. After confirming that no one was around, Rozaria exhaled her held breath and let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew. I thought I was going to suffocate in there.”

“You seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere quite a bit, though? Did you like seeing the nobles trembling?”

“Oh, that? I recognized a few faces. In the original story, after Rozaria lost her position as a saint candidate, she became Aria’s slave, right? So there were several men who approached me trying to take ownership. Aria rejected them all, of course. They’ll never know now, but I remember clearly, so I got a bit of revenge.”

Considering that the reason Aria never let Rozaria go and always kept her close was because she feared what might happen to her if she did, those nobles had only earned unnecessary enmity.

“If that’s the case, we could have killed them here.”

“Huh? No, it’s fine. We’re going to use those people to make a public example anyway, right? I’ll just pick them first when the time comes.”

It seemed she hadn’t given up on revenge after all.

“So, is the test over now? Can we go straight to the real thing?”

“Of course. We’ve confirmed that the Dragon Heart works properly, and the effect was good enough to fool even the Royal Guard. Now we just need to make other preparations without too much delay. The main point is to quell the chaos, after all.”

The biggest reason for promoting Rozaria as a saint and establishing a new order centered around her is to rally the believers who have lost their focal point before it’s too late, thereby preventing chaos.

There are even reports of people who had suffered under the Starlight Order’s tyranny now committing unspeakable atrocities against church members in retaliation.

If we were to wait until long after events had unfolded and people had already adapted, only to then try to create a new religion, there could be no greater confusion of priorities.

“Um, Mira.”

Suddenly, Priscilla tugged at my sleeve.

“Can I go somewhere for a moment? There’s a place I need to visit. I’ll be back really soon.”

“That’s fine. I can wait, so take your time. You need to go alone, right?”

If it had been a place where company was possible, given Priscilla’s personality, she would have definitely asked if I could come along. The fact that she phrased it this way meant something else.

“…Yes.”

As I expected, Priscilla carefully nodded. Then she gave me a tight hug before scurrying off somewhere, and true to her word, returned in less than ten minutes.

“You’re back early.”

“Yeah. It didn’t take long.”

“What did you do?”

At my question, Priscilla hesitated slightly before answering with somewhat downcast eyes.

“I went to see my sister. She’s still imprisoned.”

Three days later, having completed all preparations with the help of the Mage Association, who had willingly offered themselves as slaves, I made a final check of Rozaria’s attire.

What Rozaria wore was neither the saint’s robe from the Starlight Order nor the sacred vestments woven with starlight threads that she had been wearing lately, but a black nun’s habit that emphasized her figure without revealing anything.

The design was 100% Rozaria’s work from start to finish. She said her divine power had increased considerably due to recent events, allowing her to cover her entire body.

“Whew. Now that we’re about to start, I’m getting nervous.”

“You’ll do fine. We’ve practiced several times, haven’t we?”

“Practice… yes, but the most important thing remains.”

“The most important thing? What—”

Before I could finish speaking, Rozaria pressed her lips against mine. With her arms firmly around my neck and her chest pressed against mine, our tongues and saliva intermingled busily between our connected lips.

Only after my mouth was filled with Rozaria’s taste could I breathe properly again. Breaking the silver thread that connected us with her finger and licking it, Rozaria smiled brightly.

“This.”

“……”

“It was like this when we first met too, right? When I begged you not to abandon me.”

“…Yes, it was.”

“This kind of thing requires mental preparation, you know. Now that I’ve recharged my courage, I’ll be going.”

She moved gracefully toward the altar. An enormous crowd was watching Rozaria as she ascended step by step. Finally, standing at the very top, Rozaria began to speak in a resounding voice.

“Today, we have gathered here to confess our sins.”

Of course, that too was my magic. To those who don’t know the truth, speaking that loudly without a magical sound amplifier would itself appear to be a divine miracle.

Especially considering that everyone except Rozaria and the hero would have lost their divine power.

In a situation where divine power had disappeared throughout the empire, and only a saint candidate could uniquely use God’s power, anyone with faith remaining would have no choice but to follow.

“How have those people been doing?”

I asked the Red Tower Master who had approached from behind at some point. As if expecting that I would have noticed her, she answered calmly.

“Most were wandering, doubting themselves. When they heard that the saint candidate had something to say, they moved on their own. Thanks to that, gathering them was easy.”

The purpose of this action is to bring back such people. People who were enthralled by succubi but were released after being judged to have no major charges, now wandering after having the purpose and reason for their lives denied.

While the leadership was rotten, the lower ranks were functioning properly through the power of faith. If we show them light and provide direction, they can at least return to their daily lives.

It can’t be helped if others look at them with disdain. That will have to be corrected gradually.

“By the way, Red Tower Master.”

“Yes, Mira Crate. What is it?”

“…Never mind. You can go. And stop wearing such clothes from now on.”

“…Yes. Rest well.”

The Red Tower Master, wearing a dress with so much exposure that it was hard to find a place to rest one’s eyes, walked away dejectedly.

‘I told her to try and see if it would work, and she really did it.’

What remarkable people they were. Usually, when someone says something like that, they take it to mean it definitely won’t work and don’t even try.

I turned my attention back to the altar. Rozaria was diligently continuing her performance.

“God has not abandoned us. He is disappointed in our denial and corruption. As proof, we have dared to betray God, fulfilled our selfish desires, and bowed our heads to demons…?”

Just as her voice began to rise slightly, it happened.

“…Huh?”

The clouds gathered above the altar parted, and a beam of light descended, illuminating exactly above Rozaria’s head. Worried that the magic might have gone out of control, I stood up from my seat, but Rozaria was fine.

Rather, she was looking up at her head with a puzzled expression. Her body began to float gently into the air. Her puzzled face showed bewilderment.

A halo of light appeared above her head, radiating brilliance, and a backlight manifested behind her. Her black nun’s habit, woven with starlight threads, turned white, and four pairs of golden wings sprouted from her back.

In this unexpected situation, even the Royal Guard, who were supposed to bring the corrupted priests according to our prior arrangement, were completely frozen. The onlookers were beyond words.

‘That is.’

I knew the meaning of that appearance. Priscilla and Laura probably knew too.

Rozaria had been chosen as a saint.