Ch.119119. Contamination

Saintess Gang Hannah was currently staying in the imperial capital.

Unfortunately, she had not been able to participate in the mission to arrest the con artist Iclit.

This was because the Hero had said, “There’s no need for you, Saintess, to get involved,” and only took the Elder Priest, Lord Ordellon, and Professor Weaver with him.

Still, she thought that a Hero’s party should move as a unit, but the Saintess simply acquiesced.

She knew perfectly well that her presence would slow them down.

The Hero’s party moved at an astonishingly fast pace.

The Saintess didn’t know much about horseback riding, but she was aware that horses couldn’t gallop at full speed for more than a few minutes. Yet strangely, the Hero’s pursuit team could ride at a trot for half a day without difficulty.

At first, she wondered if this kind of sustained galloping was natural in a world with magic and divine power, but when she asked the female knight Katie, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

“No, Saintess. In fact, there weren’t even clergy who could use holy magic on horseback before. But at some point, they naturally started doing it. Of course, there’s no one as exceptional as the Elder Priest or Bishop Rowan… I mean, His Holiness the Pope. But still.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve used magic inside a moving carriage before.”

“You’ll soon be able to do it on horseback too. Even the Elder Priest was just elegantly conducting services before Cordana. But the world has become so harsh… Oh, of course, it’s nothing compared to where you lived, Saintess!”

“…Haha. Yes.”

Being treated as a Saintess summoned from hell was already familiar to her, so it didn’t bother her.

However, she couldn’t slack off just because people looked at her with pity.

Especially when she considered why the Hero had left her in the imperial capital.

‘He probably couldn’t afford to slow down for my sake. He needed to catch Iclit quickly.’

If she received such consideration again, it would be a burden on others.

That’s why the Saintess was trying to spend her days productively during her stay in the imperial capital.

Learning to ride horses, practicing holy magic, and even attending Sunday services.

The churches were quite empty, suggesting the people of the imperial capital weren’t very devout, but the Saintess still prayed diligently to strengthen her faith.

Today, she was even fulfilling another obligation.

She was having a meeting.

She was now sitting face to face with Prince Simon in a church.

Despite being the second most noble person in the Empire, she didn’t feel any sense of intimidation from him. Not because he was approachable, but rather because he seemed prematurely aged.

With his graying hair, dark circles under his eyes, and habitual sighs, it was admirable that he was still trying to do something.

‘I guess that’s why he came to see me.’

She should try to be helpful if possible. The Saintess listened attentively to the Prince’s words, despite feeling nervous.

“Saintess. I hear the Hero will arrive soon.”

“Ah, that’s good news.”

“But I’m ashamed to say we haven’t even figured out exactly how many people were victims of the deed certificate fraud. I ordered the lords to compile the information, but…”

“It’s not going well, I see.”

“Yes. There must be countless citizens wandering the roads in rags, and we can’t even account for them. …We only have rough estimates.”

“You don’t need to blame yourself. This all happened so suddenly. But I’m not sure how I can help.”

The Prince then explained the refugee response plan he had developed with his officials.

“According to Viscount Hyde’s report, the number of refugees who have arrived in Count Wellesley’s territory already exceeds eight hundred.”

“Ah…”

“We’ve explained the situation to them and informed them that the fantastic houses they dreamed of don’t exist, but most can’t let go of their hopes.”

“And so?”

“We’re bringing some of those refugees to the imperial capital now. It wouldn’t be right to place all the burden on the Hero. We plan to temporarily protect them here and then send them back home… I’d like to know the Saintess’s opinion on this.”

The plan was to take in the refugees, protect them, give them some compensation, and then send them back to their hometowns.

It was a very noble idea. Until now, the Empire that the Saintess had experienced was not a country that valued human rights at all, especially those of rural commoners. She had expected them to be driven away harshly.

‘Rather than worrying about individual commoners, they’re probably concerned about the Hero.’

Though the intention was admirable, the Saintess saw this measure as potentially harmful.

“Um, Your Highness? There’s something I’ve noticed since coming to the imperial capital.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an incredibly developed city.”

She meant it sincerely.

All the roads in this massive city were paved, and almost every house had running water. She’d heard that even middle-class households had refrigerators. When she saw the lower officials pouring out during lunch hour, she even felt a sense of déjà vu.

“Is there only one city like the imperial capital?”

“There are a few prosperous cities, though none match the imperial capital. But why do you ask?”

“I think commoners who have lived in one village their entire lives would be shocked when exposed to the imperial capital. Wouldn’t this place be similar to the paradise that Iclit of the Tetrad elaborately described? If you’re not planning to settle all those people in the imperial capital…”

“…You mean it would only increase their sense of deprivation.”

“Yes. Especially considering these people have already experienced disappointment in Count Wellesley’s territory.”

Her point was that unless they could fully take care of everyone, it would only extend their despair. The Prince nodded in agreement.

“I see your point. Then, Saintess, do you have any other suggestions?”

“We can’t turn back those already on their way to the imperial capital. But perhaps you could station personnel along the routes connecting to Count Wellesley’s territory? They could politely persuade anyone carrying deed certificates. Give them travel expenses to return home, and instruct the lords to help mediate conflicts with their neighbors.”

“…That’s helpful advice. Though I doubt the refugees will readily agree.”

The Saintess felt sorry for the refugees.

But she couldn’t irresponsibly say, “They’re pitiful people, so you should accept them all.”

If things went wrong, it could spiral into an unmanageable situation.

Issues that in Korea might just make the news briefly before being forgotten could escalate into catastrophic events here.

It was like a three or four-year-old child exposed to and addicted to alcohol and tobacco. If the Hero hadn’t been running around single-handedly, the country might have truly collapsed.

‘Sigh, the Hero really has it tough.’

After seeing the Prince off, the Saintess strolled around the church grounds to calm her troubled mind.

After walking slowly for a while, she suddenly stopped in front of the chapel. She remembered what an old nun who had educated her in the Papal State had told her.

Though no trace remained now, this was actually where Gwon Heejin had met her end.

False hope, a one-person play, a stake, flames and divine power.

She had burned for hours in front of thousands of spectators. Though no trace could be found now, perhaps Gwon Heejin’s finely ground bone ash lay beneath the cobblestone floor where the Saintess stood.

The Saintess looked down at the ground, filled with mixed emotions.

Just then, several carpenters entered the church grounds, guided by priests.

“Oh…! We pay our respects, Saintess.”

They naturally showed respect to Gang Hannah before efficiently beginning to set up a stake.

The way they carefully adjusted the position and height, presumably to ensure spectators’ visibility, clearly showed this wasn’t their first time. Though she hadn’t been told explicitly, the Saintess could guess for whom the stake was being prepared.

It seemed she would soon witness an execution by burning.

***

When I entered the imperial capital, the stake for Iclit had already been set up.

The location was in front of the chapel where Gwon Heejin had spectacularly burned. Soon, the two would meet, if only in the form of bone ash.

I couldn’t tell which of them would find this more unpleasant.

Though it seemed inappropriate to compare anyone to Gwon Heejin, if counting the number of people killed directly and indirectly, Iclit might have the upper hand. Even now, various nations were being treated as feeding grounds by dragon turtles and other dragonkin.

‘Is there any need to rank them? They’re the same kind.’

I shook off these idle thoughts and immediately entered the palace to convene the ministers.

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had happened, but the court had transformed into an institution that assisted the Emperor’s rule and supported my political maneuvering.

The only difference from when I was just a count and master was that I now naturally took the seat of honor.

“Hero. We’re bringing some of the refugees who were camping in your territory to the imperial capital. The Saintess pointed out that this might be unwise, but we can’t turn back people who are already traveling by carriage…”

“That’s fine. Those people should see Iclit’s execution too. We can discuss the aftermath later.”

I could roughly guess why Gang Hannah had given a negative opinion, but this was actually for the best.

“But Hero, unlike when we executed Gwon Heejin, I don’t think we can combine this with healing.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. How about involving the fraud victims in the execution process? They could add firewood, or perhaps we could give them time to vent their anger before lighting the fire.”

“What about the succubi captured with Iclit? Should we burn them together?”

“No, they have different roles to play. The first is to watch Iclit’s execution up close. It will serve as an example to the succubi, and it will also deal a greater blow to Iclit.”

“Yes, then…”

While we were discussing Iclit’s execution in this dry manner, an unexpected piece of intelligence was timidly placed on the table.

This was also related to the deed certificate fraud.

However, these weren’t certificates issued by Iclit.

“…Hero. A student from the Academy’s Administrative Department was caught preparing a real estate scam. It seems he was planning to deceive wealthy farmers in the provinces by spreading rumors about a new residential district being built in the imperial capital.”

A student, what?

A chilling silence fell over the meeting room.

Copycat crimes were already appearing.

Though this attempt had ended in clumsy failure, it wasn’t a situation we could be complacent about. The disease spread by Iclit was likely still spreading throughout the Empire.

While there probably wouldn’t be anyone who could operate on the same scale as Iclit, there was a high possibility that smaller scammers, difficult to catch, would flourish.

‘Huh. He really was worthy of competing with Gwon Heejin.’

Why didn’t I feel victorious despite having overwhelmingly defeated him?

With this level of malice, he certainly deserved to have his ashes mixed with Gwon Heejin’s.