Chapter 6
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 6 - Saintess Azelia
'Azelia Wisp'
The Saintess chosen by god who appeared after 100 years.
Although she bears such a flashy modifier, she was a girl born into an ordinary farming family.
In the deepest part of her memories, the fishy smell of dirt from that day always remained.
That day too, the nobles' knights had no mercy.
For the reason that they couldn't pay taxes, for the reason that they couldn't pay interest, they threw the household goods out into the yard, and her father begged and begged, grinding his head against the floor.
"Please, anything but this! These are the seeds for next year's farming!"
Her father made a final resistance against the bastards trying to take even the seeds left in the house, but what returned to her father was only the kick of a cold military boot.
The moment the sound of her mother crying, trembling while hugging her young siblings in the corner, tore at her heart, and she realized that the laws of humans had abandoned them, she knelt on the dirt floor and screamed in despair.
'Oh God, are you watching? Please... please save them...'
Them...
As if god was answering her desperate cry to save the knights who had no choice but to do such things because they were used by the nobles, a dazzling stigmata was carved onto her hand.
"Th... this light...!?"
"It's the Saintess..."
"The Saintess has descended!"
When the dazzling stigmata shone on her hand and the knights who had been threatening her knelt down in astonishment, Azelia thought the hell had ended with this.
However, reality was not that easy.
When the commoners united around Saintess Azelia, the nobles began to respond with rumors that the Saintess was being brainwashed and used by the ignorant commoners.
Because she was a Saintess who had not yet been officially appointed, the church also could not provide much help, and eventually, she had to continue a lonely fight.
In such a situation, what tormented her even more was the ugly inner thoughts of humans.
One of the authorities she gained upon becoming a Saintess, the .
It was an ability that allowed her to know whether people were telling the truth or telling a lie.
"Saintess, we believe in the Saintess."
"All of this is a struggle for everyone to live well."
"If the Saintess takes the lead, we will follow."
Lies! Lies!! Lies!!!
Everyone was telling lies.
It wasn't just the nobles who were lying.
The comrades suffering together were also lying.
Outwardly she smiled and tried to bless and understand them, but at the ugly truth visible every moment, she was on the verge of feeling nauseous.
The loneliness and stress she couldn't tell anyone about were breaking her down.
In front of such a her, Edric Noel appeared.
When he first came up on the podium, Azelia was terrified.
Flaming red hair and snake-like eyes that seemed ready to devour others; it was definitely the appearance of a typical villain.
But when he opened his mouth in the plaza, Azelia doubted her own eyes.
"I have come here on behalf of His Highness the Prince! His Highness the Prince commanded me to realize justice and save the people who have fallen into misery!"
Throughout his voice ringing out, Azelia did not see any darkness in his eyes.
It was the first time since gaining the authority of a Saintess.
Every sentence he spat out was shining with a clear 'truth' without an inch of falsehood.
'That person... is truly speaking only the truth...'
Every single word he spoke on the podium was sincere.
He sincerely came here on behalf of the prince, and he said he would act to save the people who had fallen into misery.
Azelia was overwhelmed by that dreadfully straight truthfulness.
"My goodness... to think there could be such a person."
That night after Edric's speech ended, Azelia, who was praying alone, thought.
A person who seems more wicked than anyone else, yet is more truthful to goodness than anyone else.
Perhaps... there are more truthful people in the world, but she had misunderstood that?
Although they tell lies due to momentary impulses, isn't it true that the world is made of light just as god said?
Having such thoughts, Azelia thought of Edric.
"I would like... to meet him once."
Like that, Azelia was praying alone in the ruined church.
From behind such a her, the sound of someone's presence was heard.
"Who would you like to meet?"
"Kyaaaaaah!!!"
She was startled and looked back.
Then, one of her comrades, Sister Cale, was there.
She was one of the leadership members who led the commoners together with her.
"I... you startled me, Cale!"
"I am sorry, Lady Azelia. It seems you were concentrating too much on your prayers."
Cale, who was the only one truly working for the sake of the commoners, was one of the people she could trust and rely on.
However, there had never been a case of her visiting at such a late hour.
Except for when there was an important matter to discuss.
"Is something the matter?"
"The prince's Chancellor, Sir Edric, says he urgently wishes to have a private meeting with Lady Azelia tonight."
"With me!?"
At the words that Edric wanted to meet her secretly, Azelia felt her heart pounding.
She hid her pounding heart and spoke calmly.
"For what matter... does he want a meeting?"
"According to the messenger's words, they say Lady Azelia's power is needed for the peaceful future of the South."
At Cale's words, Azelia felt both expectant and worried.
It was the truth that Edric pursued justice on the podium.
But that was only the truth in front of the public.
There could be something she didn't know, and that could be revealed in front of her.
Azelia was afraid of seeing that.
However...
"I understand. I will meet with Lord Edric."
Azelia decided to meet with Edric.
When Azelia consented, Edric's side sent the location for the meeting.
It was an abandoned ruin on the outskirts of the village.
If it was here, they would be able to do secret things while avoiding everyone's eyes.
Azelia waited for Edric Noel in the cold silence of the ruins.
In that place thickly covered with night fog, Edric appeared, fluttering his flaming red hair.
The intimidating presence she faced up close was on a different level from when she saw him from afar in the plaza.
Azelia felt her breath hitch as if those snake-like narrow and sharp eyes were piercing through her.
'I'm scared... I feel like I'm really going to be devoured.'
She instinctively focused magic power into her stigmata and examined his truth. But it was strange.
The man in front of her was emitting a sense of pressure, but there was no murderous intent whatsoever.
While she was feeling confused, Edric gave a perfect greeting befitting the son of an Imperial Count Palatine.
"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Saintess. I am His Highness the Prince's Chancellor, Edric Noel."
He bowed his head in greeting and opened his mouth.
Azelia calmed her trembling voice and answered.
"Ah... I am Azelia Wisp. I look forward to working with you."
Azelia was nervous.
Edric's gaze seemed to continuously pierce through her heart.
The fear of having her inner thoughts found out by another; Azelia was confused by that fear she felt for the first time since becoming a Saintess.
"Please do not be too nervous... I have not come to cause harm to the Saintess."
Edric's words were the truth.
There was not a single drop of murderous intent or deception mixed in his words. Only then did Azelia exhale her suppressed breath and nod her head.
"Yes... that is certainly true. Ah... before that, thank you very much for today."
At Azelia's unexpected words of gratitude, Edric's eyes widened.
"Gratitude?"
"Saying that you would save us during the speech earlier today... Thanks to Lord Edric's words, my comrades were able to get a comfortable sleep for the first time in a while. Thank you... very much."
Azelia sincerely bowed her head.
However, Edric rather calmly shook his head.
"Not at all. Everything is the will of His Highness the Prince. It is not something I should receive gratitude for."
That too was the truth.
He was trying to realize all that justice by the will of His Highness the Prince.
However...
"E... even so, I want to express my gratitude to Lord Edric!"
Azelia wanted to say thank you to Edric, who had said such things for their sake.
At Azelia's words, Edric smiled as if embarrassed and spoke.
"If the Saintess says so, I will only accept those feelings."
"Yes... thank you."
As they exchanged words of gratitude like that, the atmosphere became quiet.
The time had now come to truly talk about why they had come here.
"I heard you wanted to meet with me... What is it about?"
At Azelia's words, Edric's gaze instantly turned sharp.
A business-like coldness seemed to freeze the air of the cathedral.
"I will speak honestly. The Saintess's power is needed."
"My power?"
"Yes, the Saintess's power is needed."
Azelia was flustered at the words that her power was needed.
Is he trying to use her again to disperse the people?
When she was having such thoughts, Edric spoke.
"Currently, we are conducting an investigation for the fair execution of the law according to the words of His Highness the Prince. However, the Southern nobles are bastards whose brains turn very well. Almost all the evidence has either disappeared or been downsized. If I execute the law as it is, the bastards will exploit the South again in less than a few months."
"Th... that can't be..."
Azelia's complexion turned pale. She thought hope was finally visible.
But when she heard that the nobles' greed was deeper and wider than the net of the law, she heard the sound of hope disappearing.
"To prevent that, we absolutely need a weapon to bring down the Southern nobles, Saintess."
"W... weapon, you say?"
"Yes, the evidence to 'bring down' the Southern nobles."
Edric took a step closer.
His snake-like eyes dug deep into Azelia's pupils.
"I... I don't have such evidence!"
Azelia unknowingly stepped back.
However, Edric did not miss her panic and drove in a wedge.
"Saintess... you are clumsy at lying."
"!?"
Azelia felt like her heart had stopped.
Cold sweat flowed down her back at the fact that she, who distinguished lies better than anyone else, had conversely had her own lie seen through.