episode_0197
by fnovelpiaCardinal Benedict of the Congregation for Bishops questioned.
“A saint? Cardinal Marsenus, what are you doing out of the blue?”
“It’s exactly as the introduction said. Now that His Majesty is gone, we need a pillar to keep the balance. The Saintess will restore order to the chaotic Holy Land.”
With vampires on the rise and Antonius gone, it was a good time to proclaim Elise as a saint. Naturally, there was opposition.
“A saint? Do you think it makes sense to appoint a woman of unknown origin as the representative of the Holy Nation, Cardinal Marsenus!”
“I understand that you don’t understand. I did at first. But if you see her abilities, you’ll think differently.”
“Huh! A woman with no foundation like that is a saint. It seems that Cardinal Marsenus is also blinded by his lust for power. Haha!”
Marsenus gave silent orders, heedless of the sneers of the others. More people entered through the door through which Elise had come.
“Krrr… .”
“Pear, vampire?”
It’s none other than a vampire. He’s bound so he can’t move a single finger, and his mouth is gagged so he can’t close it.
His pupils were bloodshot red because his blood-sucking urge was at its peak.
“You are allowing a traitor into the sacred hall! What are you doing, Cardinal Marsenus! What are you doing, take him down right now!”
Sling.
Marsenus stared at the paladin who was about to draw his sword. The paladin flinched under the pressure.
“What are you doing without cutting it!”
“You have a short temper. Just watch quietly.”
“What?”
Elise moved as Marsenus nodded. She approached the vampire who had lost his wits and was thirsting for blood.
“Krrr!”
A vampire writhing as if he was going to jump out at any moment, spiting out thick saliva. He thrust his hideously grown fangs at Elise.
Elise looked at him with pitiful eyes.
“How hard must it have been for you. Your family turned their backs on you, and even the voice of God was far away. I can see it. You are shaking with fear, struggling to overcome your impulses.”
“Krrr… .”
“But don’t worry. I’m here. I’ll save you.”
Elise placed her hand on the man’s pale cheek. Her eyes sparkled.
Then, the man’s twitching movements calmed down, and his pupils that had been shaking with madness calmed down. The words of a human being, not the cries of a monster, came out of his mouth.
“Ah… ?”
“Are you feeling calmer now?”
“I hear a voice… I hear a voice… !”
“Thank goodness.”
Elise smiled affectionately at the man who was sobbing with emotion.
People who had been looking at him with eyes like, ‘What on earth are you doing?’ stood up in shock.
“Oh no! A vampire regains consciousness?”
“Ugh… .”
The vampires that appear in the Holy Land are largely divided into two categories.
If a priest who is skilled in using divine powers is turned into a vampire, he or she will remain sane for a certain period of time thanks to his or her resistance, but those who are not will immediately lose their humanity.
Like the man in front of me.
It’s about becoming a monster, not a human.
There is no cure. Because divine power is fatal to vampires, blessings do not cure them but rather cause a purification reaction.
The vampire’s mind was returned to its original state, even without using any special abilities.
It was a miracle that rivaled the power of God.
“Have you seen it? The power of the saintess can overcome the chaos in the holy country. Do you still doubt it?”
“Don’t be foolish, Cardinal Marsenus! Do you think I’d be fooled by such an obvious farce?”
Benedict extends his hand towards the man and radiates divine power in the form of light.
“Eww!”
If he were an ordinary person, he would have been energized by Benedict’s divine power, but he was not a man. The man’s body began to burn as if it was on fire.
It was clear evidence that he was a vampire, not that he had hired an actor with good acting skills.
Bam!
Elise intervened.
He pushed the man back and protected him from the divine power.
He narrowed his eyes and glared sharply at Benedict.
“What the hell is going on now?”
“What, what? Atrocities?”
“This person is a true citizen of the Holy Land and a believer of the church. Even if he spilled blood right away, he is not someone you can treat carelessly.”
“How dare that bitch, who rolled in from nowhere, try to teach the Cardinal!”
“We are all children of the Lord Ordo, who gave us the Lord’s judgment. Any summary execution without the Lord’s judgment is an act that disrupts order.”
“This… !”
As the situation seemed to be escalating, others stepped in to intervene.
“Calm down, Cardinal Benedict. Whatever the purpose, saving a life is praiseworthy.”
“That’s right. It’s fortunate that there seems to be a way out, even though there was no clear solution.”
“Ahem… .”
If it had been only Marsenus, it would have been okay, but since everyone else was supporting Elise, it was difficult for Benedictus to act. He sat down in his seat, feeling displeased.
As the situation calmed down, all that remained was a barrage of praise for Elise, who did not back down even from the Cardinal and protected the man even after becoming a vampire.
“Did you say she was a saint? Certainly, the spirit she just showed was more than enough to be praised as a saint. It was like seeing a mother holding her child.”
“Sure. If there is such a saint, the people will be at ease. As Cardinal Marsenus said, she may be the one who will restore order to the Holy Land.”
“Hehe, where did Cardinal Marsenus find such talent? He has extraordinary taste.”
“Hmm.”
Even amidst the torrent of compliments, Elise showed no sign of reaction.
He stood there with his head slightly bowed. The shadow covered his face like a veil, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
Even the smallest movement.
Everything was as intended.
***
Elise’s debut as a saint went off without a hitch.
This was thanks to the full support of Marsenus, as well as the cooperation of others who were attracted by the charm he displayed at the meeting.
Moreover, the more confused you are, the faster you have to decide to minimize damage.
The inauguration ceremony of the saint who came.
The people of the Holy Land gathered together in one place.
The bustling crowd filled the courtyard in front of the cathedral, the streets, and the square. There was no room to stand. They were all there to see the face of the saint.
“I heard she came from a convent?”
“Hmm. But a saint? Isn’t that a bit out of the blue?”
“What?”
“Someone’s having a blast because of the vampires, it’s like a total festival atmosphere. Is that right?”
“You only know one, but not two? Because of that vampire, the saintess’s presence is more necessary.”
The story of Elise’s good deeds in the conference room spread throughout the entire kingdom in an instant, as if someone had let it go.
Even though the person turned into a vampire, she did not abandon him, but rather embraced him warmly like a mother. Not only that, she even treated him.
It was a pleasant story to hear for the people who were suffering from vampires. They even began to believe that even if they became a vampire, the saint would heal them.
Although it was not officially announced, the people also tacitly acknowledged ‘Saint Elise’.
“He is the one who will bring order to the world on behalf of the Lord. So don’t doubt him without caution. What, where did he go?”
A man looking around.
But the man who had asked the question had disappeared.
Karami, who had missed the citizens’ reaction, took advantage of the gap and made his way through the crowd. He returned to where Antonius was waiting.
“People’s support is stronger than I thought.”
“People always look for something to lean on. Especially in these turbulent times. Marsenus has exploited people’s weaknesses.”
“Hmm… .”
Karami thinks deeply, her voice dripping from her mouth.
“Why are you like that? Isn’t that the picture you were hoping for?”
“At first it was like that… .”
Elise’s story has a lot of variables compared to other slaves. There are more than one or two things to consider, starting with the fact that there are multiple routes.
Depending on the version, the direction of revenge may be different, and there are also routes where revenge is not taken at all.
I understand that it’s a Hansel and Gretel version, so it takes a revenge route, but the fact that it’s a saint itself is a problem. I can’t find the saint in any of the routes.
‘Of course there were variables from the start… .’
Originally, there was a process of making a contract with Elise and obtaining the sect’s holy relics to enter the Holy Nation. This time, it was omitted because Lucas is present.
It really doesn’t matter since it has no meaning beyond just being an entrance. It’s more that Lucas is a famous person in the Holy Land, and Elise was noticed in many ways.
‘And the Reaper’s Church is also a problem.’
The emergence of the Death Sect brought a greater sense of crisis to the already unstable Holy Land.
Previously, Mirabelle had cut down the priests as messengers, but now that the slave messengers and the messenger sect have appeared one after another, it seems that the heretical forces have been stimulated.
So maybe that’s why a saint suddenly appeared?
Even Elise seems to be up to something, so things are complicated in many ways.
“Oh. Here you go!”
Karami’s head turned at the people’s shouts.
The tightly shut door to the cathedral balcony opened, and Elise appeared, escorted by knights, priests, and nuns.
The sight of him wearing makeup and a holy robe was so incredible that it was hard to believe he was a bat that had been eating people until recently. He had made a proper comeback.
‘It’s all thanks to me.’
I never intended to do that.
Elise came outside, looked around, and slowly moved her mouth.
“Dear believers of Cassillon.”
Just one word, but it resonated.
The crowd in the square held their breath. The sound of carriage wheels, the shouts of merchants, and the babbling of children all ceased.
Only Elise’s voice filled the temple and the street.
“My name is Elise. I stand before you today as a saint of the Order and Balance Church.”
Elise lowered her gaze toward the square.
Many people were looking up at her. Some with anticipation, some with wonder, and some with a mixture of fear and doubt.
“I’m not as great as you think.”
Elise put her hand on her heart.
“This body is just a tool of God, a weak woman who can’t do anything on her own.”
There was a commotion at Elise’s words.
But there was no wavering in her expression.
“I cannot hear the voice of God. I cannot perform miracles, and I cannot make your suffering disappear in an instant. Even at this moment, when I am called a saint, I am just one person, no different from you.”
Elise is clever.
Since the slave auction show.
I learned to live.
He is a natural at delving into human psychology.
“I also live with the same anxiety. I am afraid when night comes, and I pray earnestly for the day to come. Just waiting for this nightmare to end.”
The image Elise wants to imprint on people is not that of a holy deity, but that of a familiar, nurturing mother.
It is meaningless to be perceived as a being similar to God. On the contrary, if you instill in them the perception that you are the same as them, they will feel a sense of kinship.
That would be more ‘palatable’.
“I am no different from you. But together, we can make miracles. I will move forward with you, not from above, but beside you.”
Elise reached out from under the balcony, as if to embrace each person.
“So, will you join me?”
There was silence for a moment.
But the silence soon turned into a huge wave that shook the temple.
“Long live the saint!”
“May the protection of Ordo be with you!”
“Order, live forever!”
Elise sighed deeply and looked up at the sky.
‘Are you watching?’
Those many believers are now his.
I couldn’t hide the smile that was spreading across my face.
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