Chapter 16: Now, the toast is a kettle!

Truly magnificent.

Many followers were bowing to the statue.

Around them, voices echoed, “Oh, Etherion…”

Rebecca dragged me to a temple decorated with stars on the roof.

A woman stood there, giving a speech.

Long, white hair.

Gray eyes.

And a luxurious saint’s dress.

I recognized her instantly.

Belladriel Dresia.

The target of my redemption stood before me.

“Is she in the middle of a trial?”

Rebecca clicked her tongue and glared at the gatekeepers.

“Step aside. I have brought a sinner by the Shine Order’s command.”
“A trial is in progress. No one, not even Knight-Captain Rebecca, may enter without permission.”

Two gatekeepers blocked Rebecca’s path.

“I said, step aside.”

Rebecca’s sharp glare made the gatekeepers fidget.

“We cannot disobey the Shine Order’s command…”

–Let them in.

A gentle and soothing voice.

At the sound, the gatekeepers naturally parted, and Rebecca dragged me before Belladriel.

“Apologies for the interruption, Shine Order.”

Rebecca knelt, showing respect to Belladriel.

“It’s alright. I was about to conclude.”

The female knights beside her also knelt.

‘Should I kneel too?’ I wondered.

“I will now deliver the final verdict in this sinner’s trial.”

The sinner’s trial.

A form of execution where those who displease are unilaterally branded as devils and judged.

Sometimes by dismemberment.

Sometimes by burning.

Sometimes by the sinners’ feast.

A filthy trial, ending in various forms of death.

“Before that, who is this you’ve brought?”

Belladriel pointed at me, and Rebecca answered.

“The heretic, Shine Order. The one you spoke of.”
“The one posing as Etherion’s messenger?”
“Huh, that heretic…!”

It seems I’m known as a heretic here.

I looked up at Belladriel and smiled.

“Greetings.”

Belladriel returned the smile.

“Welcome. You are the ‘Messenger of Etherion’ who performs miracles, I hear?”
“Indeed. I am Isabel Leonhardt, Shine Order.”
“Oh…?”

–Impudent! How dare you speak the Shine Order’s name so casually!

The surrounding people glared at me.

Here, Belladriel was to be addressed as “Shine Order.”

“Shine Order” meaning “one who guides the light.”

It was the title given to the leader of this cult.

“We must execute this fiend at once!”
“No, no. Burning at the stake…!”

They pointed at me, clamoring for my death.

The frenzy was chilling, but ultimately, the decision to execute me rested with Belladriel.

What would she say?

I calmly observed her.

Belladriel looked at me expressionlessly, then quietly replied.

“Hold on. We will interrogate him thoroughly after this trial.”
“P-Please, spare me! I, I just…! I have a skin disease, that’s all!”

The middle-aged woman’s desperate plea caused Belladriel to stiffen.

“A skin disease…?”

Belladriel’s expression darkened.

To her, a skin disease meant corruption.

“So, you’ve lain with a devil.”
“Yes! This skin disease! It’s proof of my dalliance with a devil!”
“Burn her at the stake!”

The crowd’s fervor for execution intensified.

As if mirroring this, the interface updated with a new message.

[Belladriel Dresia is about to commit an evil act!]
[Belladriel Dresia intends to sentence the woman before her to the sinners’ feast!]
[Belladriel Dresia’s Malice Gauge is at 100%.]

The sinners’ feast.

Throwing a woman into a prison filled with vicious criminals.

After gang r*pe,

her eyes would be gouged out,

her nose cut off,

her tongue severed,

her ears removed,

transforming her into a human pig…

A brutal punishment.

It appeared Belladriel intended to carry it out.

A dark shadow fell over Belladriel’s face, yet she maintained a gentle smile.

“I deliver my verdict. Mirarion has consorted with a foul devil, proven by the corruption of her skin. Therefore, I sentence her to the sinners’ feast.”
“No! Wait! This, this is…!”
“Oh, Shine Order!”
“According to Etherion’s will!”

The crowd was consumed by frenzy. The woman, ordinary.

I laughed.

“Hahahaha!”

My laughter made them frown.

“What’s with him?”
“What’s so funny?”

One or two stood up.

Rebecca silently drew her sword and held it to my throat.

“Do you want to die?”
“No, of course not. Who wants to die? I just heard Etherion’s voice.”
“What…?”
“What’s that heretic saying!?”

Ignoring their reactions, I continued.

“Etherion says this.”

I walked forward and stood before the condemned woman.

“He says to show the light that can save this woman.”
“How dare he speak such blasphemy before the Shine Order!”
“Kill him now!”

The atmosphere was murderous.

However, this was the only way to stop Belladriel’s evil act.

I calmly looked up at Belladriel.

“Shine Order, Etherion speaks to me. Will you not grant me a chance?”

Did my words sound ridiculous?

Belladriel chuckled.

“Interesting. You claim you can purify this one?”
“I will show you. The grace bestowed upon me by Etherion.”

My arrogance fueled their outrage.

“Such a madman!”
“Shine Order! There’s no need to listen to him! Execute him now…!”
“Wait.”

Belladriel raised a hand, silencing them.

The atmosphere became solemn once more.

Belladriel smiled faintly.

“Very well. If Etherion has spoken, then purify this sinner.”
“Gladly. Then, would you remove these first?”

I held up my wooden shackles.

Belladriel nodded, and a woman approached to unlock them.

“If your purification fails, you will be burned at the stake.”
“Oh, how exciting.”
“The nerve of this man!”
“Go ahead, heal her.”

At Belladriel’s command, I took the bruised woman’s hand.

‘Seraphina’s Purification.’

With this skill, something like this…

A red light flared, emanating warmth.

After a few seconds, the blue marks on the woman’s arm vanished.

“M-My arm…! How…!”
“It is all thanks to Etherion’s miracle.”
“Th-Thank you! Thank you! Etherion, thank you!”

The woman beamed.

The onlookers gaped, bewildered.

While they exchanged confused glances, I spoke softly.

“Etherion saves everyone. Isn’t that right?”

Belladriel chuckled as I looked at her.

“The messenger of Etherion, you say?”
“Yes, Shine Order. I wish to serve here as Etherion’s priest.”
“Oh? A priest. Then let me ask you this. She is unclean. How was she saved?”

I had to choose my words carefully.

If I cast doubt on her authority, I’d be branded a traitor.

She had judged based on Etherion’s will.

If I implied she was wrong, I’d be deemed a heretic and killed.

So, I smiled and said, “She was indeed unclean. But I’ve heard that saving sinners is also a divine mission according to Etherion’s teachings. I heard this mission and received a message from you, Shine Order, to demonstrate my abilities and work here.”
“Hmm, is that so? Then let me ask, by intending to punish this sinner before saving her, does that mean I was wrong? I too, judged according to Etherion’s will.”

A pointed question.

I put on a nonchalant smile.

“Not at all, Shine Order. You intentionally brought me here because you heard the divine message. You wanted to test me, and you pretended to be harsh to this poor lamb. Your acting was superb, Shine Order. Hahahaha.”

The crowd murmured.

“As expected of the Shine Order…”
“Could it be she planned all of this…?”
“She pretended to deliver a harsh judgment to that woman.”

They admired Belladriel, who seemed displeased but hid it well.
“Interesting. Very well. As you say, I awaited this moment according to Etherion’s will.”
“Oh! As expected of the Shine Order!”
“Magnificent!”

I played along, but her gaze felt hostile.

“This sinner is no longer a sinner. She is free to go.”
“Th-Thank you! Shine Order!”
“And Etherion has a new message for you, Isavel.”
“Oh, Etherion speaks! Everyone, kneel!”

As everyone knelt in reverence, Belladriel approached me quietly.

“Let me tell you what you must do next.”
“What…?”

Just as Belladriel was about to speak, the system notified me.

[You have prevented Belladriel Dresia’s evil act!]
[Belladriel Dresia’s Malice Gauge has decreased by 1%.]
[Belladriel Dresia’s Malice Gauge is at 99%.]

“Isabel, from now on…”

I listened and readily agreed.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Stay here for a moment. Come in when I call you. We have things to discuss.”
“Yes, I understand.”

Belladriel entered the room, leaving me at the door.

I was now in Belladriel’s private residence.

A mansion fit for nobility, but according to the game, she lived here alone at night.

For her private prayers and meditation, she claimed.

Followers stood guard outside, while she ate and slept here alone.

‘Just like in the game…’

Belladriel’s mansion was identical to its depiction in Lilith Tycoon.

Grand and luxurious, yet lonely in its vastness.

I was now living here as her assistant priest.

Things were going according to plan, but…

The next step was the problem.

If I remembered correctly, this woman…

Was two-faced.

And why the silence?

It had been over 30 minutes.

I knocked softly.

“Excuse me, Shine Order…”

–Come in!

‘Huh…?’

Her voice and tone were strange.

I opened the door slightly and entered.

…A different scene unfolded.

Her holy vestments lay discarded on the bed like a snakeskin.

She wore short dolphin shorts and a white t-shirt.

She held a wooden tankard, like a modern beer can, filled with alcohol.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing? Come in, come in.”

She chewed on squid legs.

‘Damn, just like the description…’

Belladriel Dresia, the cult leader from Lilith Tycoon.

Her true nature could be described as…

A 40-50 year old man’s soul trapped in a 20-year-old woman’s body?

A character that defied expectations. That was her charm.

“Ugh, damn it. This squid is so tough!”
“…”

Before me stood a long white-haired beauty in dolphin shorts and a white t-shirt.

CG version Belladriel Dresia Casual Wear ver.

“Ahhh! Refreshing! Nothing beats a drink after a day of playing saint! Don’t you think?! Huh?!”

But the moment she opened her mouth, the atmosphere shifted.

A woman chugging beer and chewing on squid.

‘Ugh… makes me want to rewrite her personality.’

“Hey, hey, don’t just stand there. Sit down, sit down.”
“Haha, yes, yes.”

I sat down, and Belladriel offered me the wooden tankard.

“Have a drink, have a drink!”
“Uh, yes. Sure.”
“The toast is ‘kettle’!”
“Excuse me?”
“Keep ownership, keep professionalism, and keep confidence! Let’s go!”

We clinked tankards, and she chugged hers.

“Ahhh! Refreshing. That’s the stuff! Hey, hey! Black Hound, drink up! Aren’t you drinking?”
“…”
“Here comes the booze-!

Booze-! Glug, glug, glug!”

‘Damn. I don’t even know where to begin.’

She called me Black Hound, so she recognized me.

‘Sigh…’