episode_0083

93.

“Such a profanity!”

“As expected, the corruption was true. How could that…”

Bishop Inari opened his eyes wide as he heard repeated sighs of astonishment coming from behind him.

It was Bishop Inari who instigated the people, saying that the saint was on a wrong path and that she should be corrected, but Bishop Inari himself was not seriously thinking about the saint’s corruption.

After returning from defeating the demon lord, he suddenly announced a new interpretation of doctrine and all, and seemed to be trying to throw her out, but that was it. Even though he turned his back on Bishop Inari himself for unknown reasons, he really showed his faith in the goddess. I didn’t think there was a problem.

But what exactly is the sight that is visible to my eyes now?

Those who entered the priesthood tended to avoid flashy decorations and therefore wore plain, black clothes without decoration.

In order to set an example by being frugal and frugal, it was also established as a doctrine to wear the same clothes regardless of whether it was hot or cold all year round.

The saint was no exception, but now was different.

Clothes that should not be loose and reveal the body become tight and emphasize the chest and buttocks.

The waist was especially clearly tied to make it look thinner, emphasizing the curves of the body.

It’s ugly and embarrassing.

What was even more annoying was the side slit that went beyond the thighs and showed all the way to the buttocks.

The only similarity to the original was that it was black and had no other decorations.

However, that was just disgusting for the same woman to see, and not enough to make her question her faith.

The problem was that there was a full-length mirror in front of the saint, and it was tilted at an angle, using the goddess statue as if it were a pedestal.

A saintess who dares to use a life-sized statue modeled after the divine goddess as a pedestal, leaning against a full-length mirror and examining herself in vulgar clothes in front of it.

It was a scene where there was absolutely no faith or respect for the goddess.

“You’ve finally arrived. It’s too late.”

The saintess, who spun around, calmly accepted the gaze mixed with shock and anger and spoke as if giving a light reprimand.

And at the same time, Bishop Inari, who made eye contact with the saint at the forefront, felt a chill run down his spine.

The saintess’s face was slightly smiling and her tone was even, but I could faintly sense that there was an underlying hostility that I could barely discern because I had known her for a long time.

It was as expected, but no matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure out the reason, so Bishop Inari carefully opened his mouth, trying to suppress the surging feelings of puzzlement, embarrassment, and finally, resentment.

“Did you know we would come?”

Even though she seemed to have abandoned her faith and become corrupted, the saint kept her mouth shut and stared at Bishop Inari, who respected her and did not say it carelessly even though she was a saint and a teacher.

Time passed as the saint remained silent and did not respond to Bishop Inari’s words, and the voice behind Bishop Inari that was angrily criticizing the saint gradually decreased with the atmosphere slowly subsiding, and it was only when there was silence that the saint finally spoke. ‘s mouth opened.

“I’ve been thinking about whether it’s okay to judge people based on things that haven’t happened yet.”

Bishop Inari frowned and said something absurd, like a Zen question, that had nothing to do with the question.

“What does that mean all of a sudden?”

“So I thought. Even though I denied it at the time, I eventually understood and accepted it because I understood and knew everything. It was natural because he was a close person, right? So… I was thinking that if I act the way I know and understand, I guess I can consider myself the same person who just hasn’t taken action yet.”

Emotions have no volume, weight or form. Of course, it cannot be seen, touched or felt.

But now, Bishop Inari and those behind her, who were listening to the saint, felt like denying such an obvious fact.

The saintess still had a faint smile on her face, and her voice flowed leisurely and calmly.

However, as the saint continued to speak slowly, the faint hostility that only Bishop Inari had noticed at first gradually expanded and pressured everyone who stood in front of the saint.

A heavy hostility that felt like it was suffocating, and a deep and vivid emotion that could be called hatred, pressed down on the shoulders of the women, including Bishop Inari.

“What on earth do you want to say!”

Ignoring Bishop Inari, who was screaming like a scream, the saintess turned around and stretched out her hand toward the goddess statue.

On top of the full-length mirror, the end of which was placed near the chest, the head of the goddess statue was caught in both hands of the saint, and the neck broke with a snapping sound.

“Boo, it’s disrespectful!!!”

“Saint, no, you evil witch! You’re possessed by a demon!!”

“Ah, ahhh!!!!”

Shouting and screaming in anger, some people even rushed towards the saint with tears streaming down their eyes.

“What is this?”

With a short mutter, the corners of the saint’s mouth twitched up, creating a sneer.

And in the next moment, divine power burst out from the saint’s body.

Enormous divine power pouring out explosively like a waterfall.

Those who were running toward the saint came to a halt at that sacred sight.

Divine power was given by the goddess and was not completely proportional to faith and faith in the goddess, but at least it was common sense in this world that someone who turned his back on the goddess and openly insulted her could not use divine power.

When everyone, including Bishop Inari, was momentarily distracted by the scene of the collapse of truths they believed to be self-evident, the saintess threw forward the head of the goddess statue that had just been torn off.

With a short pop, the head of the woman standing next to Bishop Inari disappeared.

A sound so insignificant and light as to have taken the life of a human being. The saintess rushed forward, kicking the floor hard in front of Bishop Inari, who blinked.

94.

“Nonsense, nonsense. This can’t be happening….”

A headless goddess statue, dark red blood everywhere, torn flesh and body parts strewn here and there.

In a landscape that would be more appropriate to call a serial killer’s slaughterhouse or the altar of some heretical cult, let alone a temple,

Bishop Inari, whose arms and legs were all broken and unable to use them, was sprawled on the floor stained with things that once made up humans, muttering helplessly with his mouth open.

Then, at some point, Bishop Inari turned his head and screamed in a sharp voice.

“You! you! Elise! What on earth have you done!”

“What?”

Despite the terrible scene, Saint Elise, who was calmly standing in front of the mirror, examining her whole body and fixing her clothes and hair, asked Bishop Inari in a calm voice without even looking at her.

“What? What?! Divine power!! How did you make all of us unable to use our divine powers! How on earth! only you! Just make sure you’re fine!!!”

Bishop Inari and others lost their minds for a moment when they saw Elise radiating divine power despite insulting the goddess, and because of that, they lost the player to Elise.

After one person was hit, he finally came to his senses and tried to fight back right away, but it was already too late when he was shocked to realize that he could not use divine power.

Those who came to visit Saint Elise, including Bishop Inari, were all priests of the church that worshiped the goddess, regardless of their positions.

Of course, all priests’ abilities are based on divine power, and priests who cannot use divine power are no different from ordinary people.

The situation was slightly better for the paladins who paid attention to physical training, but in front of Saint Elise, who was the only one who could use divine power, it was not a big difference.

Needless to say, the result was a one-sided massacre.

“Tell me! What have you done! Did you really sell your soul to the devil?! How could this happen! how! How!!!”

“No way. Could it be that there is just a problem with your faith?”

“Don’t be funny!! That can’t be possible!!”

“Why is that impossible? I don’t know about anyone else, but Bishop Inari, didn’t you dare try to harm me, a saint, for personal reasons? It wouldn’t be surprising if the divine power disappeared, right?”

Bishop Inari’s mouth, which had been shouting with a blood clot in his throat, closed like a mute in honey.

It was because Elise’s words made more sense than just denying it.

It is said that Elise first made a move as if she would cut off Bishop Inari, but in the end, it was more of a political issue between humans.

Since he was trying to hit the saintess Elise directly, it didn’t make sense for him to get the attention of the goddess.

Bishop Inari, who was silent for a moment, spoke in a weak voice, unlike before.

“But, in the history of the church, such a thing has never happened…”

“Just because it has been the same up until now, there is no way that it will be okay this time either.”

Bishop Inari knew that there had been several instances in the past of detaining saints and forcibly educating them, as she had attempted to do, and that those who had done so had never lost their divine powers.

However, since the goddess exists, if for some reason she took special action this time, as Elise said, it would be meaningless to say that there was no precedent in the history of the church.