Chapter 199: Second Saintess (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: Second Saintess (7)
Goddess of Light - It's Unfair...
A god is a being destined to be eternally resented.
People offer prayers for granted, and when those prayers aren't answered, they resent the gods just as naturally.
As the Goddess of Light—the one who wielded the greatest influence over humanity and possessed an entire nation united by faith alone—she was resented practically every second of every day.
That was why she could simply smile and brush it off even when some punk hanging around her precious Daisy flipped her the bird.
If she were the type to get hung up on every little thing, the Goddess of Light would have fallen from grace long ago, joined hands with the Evil God, and brought about the end of the world.
As is the case with the life of a celebrity, doing well is considered the bare minimum.
One mistake, and you're cursed as if you've committed a mortal sin.
And even when things are truly difficult, people just say you shouldn't worry about celebrities.
However, the Goddess was able to endure because of friends like Daisy, who truly believed in her.
That was why, looking at the raw gem she had discovered through a previously opened rift—a girl whose potential as a Saintess didn't fall short of Daisy's at all—the Goddess thought:
...Could it work?
There can only be one Saintess.
That was a rule that even the Goddess of Light, who had reigned as the supreme deity of humanity for ages since sealing the Evil God, could not break.
A Saintess was the only way for her to spread her power upon the earth.
She had tried every possible method to increase that number and failed every single time, so she knew better than anyone that there couldn't be two.
But look at that sparkling talent.
Was it not wagging its tail as if to tempt her?
Furthermore, didn't it feel like the hole created by the child named Violet using sorcery hadn't been completely filled yet?
Yes, it was literally just a feeling.
The rules of this world were laws that even the Goddess of Light did not fully comprehend.
Some called her a god and claimed she could achieve anything.
But the Goddess knew all too well that she was merely one of the inhabitants living in this world, just like humans and other races.
Yet, for some reason, she felt like it would work.
Her intuition was telling her so!
And most importantly, even if she was just swinging blindly...
There was no harm in trying!
She had nothing to lose.
If she succeeded, she would gain another Saintess.
If not, she had simply found another individual who required close management.
With talent like that, that damn Evil God bitch would be salivating and trying to tempt her.
In fact, upon a brief investigation, there was even a record of the girl almost crossing over.
So, she attempted contact.
And she succeeded.
Now, as long as she got the girl's consent, she would provide all kinds of support alongside Daisy and raise her into a magnificent Saintess...
—No.
Or so she thought, until the Goddess was flatly rejected by Delmoa.
The Goddess's train of thought came to a screeching halt, but she could understand.
If you suddenly heard someone's voice, you might mistake them for a suspicious entity.
Besides, wasn't that area teeming with so many dark mages that even she found it questionable?
Be careful of dark mages, whether awake or asleep.
Even a dead dark mage warrants a second look.
With that mindset, the Goddess hid her trembling voice and introduced herself.
And the response that came back was:
—Piss off.
It was a voice even colder than before, sounding as if her likability had dropped by another 50%.
At that, the Goddess spat out the sincerity welling up from the depths of her heart.
"Hey, you son of a—!"
It was rare for a god to speak aloud.
Of course, the Goddess of Light did have a recent record of speaking, but it hadn't been that loud.
This time, however, was different.
She screamed in a rage for the first time since the Evil God disappeared, so loudly that other gods rushed to her domain in a panic.
"These damn bastards are no help to my divine life at all!"
In truth, the Goddess knew why Delmoa was reacting that way.
She had simply been trying to look away and ignore it.
Had the girl never caught her eye, it would be one thing, but from the moment she became aware of her existence, Delmoa's entire life was laid bare before the Goddess's eyes.
She saw how hideous the deeds of those damn self-proclaimed Cardinals were.
She saw how much Delmoa and her family had searched for her during that process.
To be honest, she felt it was unfair.
At that time, there were far too many people seeking her because of the Cardinals.
If not for the laws of the world, the Goddess herself would have wanted to descend and beat those bastards up personally.
But the Goddess was powerless.
There was nothing she could do.
Until the existence of Daisy appeared, all she could do was watch with tears in her eyes and occasionally visit the God of Lightning to ask if he could drop a single bolt on those bastards' heads.
But for that snowball to roll all the way here...
Good heavens, what kind of total BS was this!
However, even the Goddess of Light could not undo what had already happened.
If she could, she would have been the Goddess of Time, not Light.
Thus, through the gap that was slowly being repaired...
As she continued to witness Delmoa's resolve—that she would rather die than become a dog of that damn Holy Kingdom...
Just as the Goddess of Light's legs were trembling, an opportunity arrived.
"......D-do you need power?"
Knowing that the opportunity came at a truly garbage time, the Goddess's voice shook violently.
She could feel Delmoa's likability, which had sunk even lower than the Evil God's, echoing in her mind!
I-I can just treat her better later!
Swallowing her tears, the Goddess managed to obtain her second Saintess.
It was a pyrrhic victory, to be sure.
But the Goddess had no choice but to console herself that a win was still a win.
Goddess Church - It's a Holy War!
The Holy Kingdom was turned upside down at the news of a second Saintess's appearance.
Some called her a false existence.
Others claimed that for the sake of the recently chaotic world, the Goddess had bestowed a second Saintess upon them.
Thus, the Holy Kingdom, which would normally have been filled with chaos, was settled much faster than expected.
—Give the second Saintess, Delmoa, the finest treatment!
The Goddess's will had been delivered to everyone from the Pope to the high priests.
Among them were those hearing the Goddess's voice for the first time, and they wept tears of joy while blessing the birth of the new Saintess.
However, all of this was merely the result of the Goddess doing everything she could before the rift Violet created was repaired—realizing that Delmoa's likability, which she thought had hit rock bottom, actually had a basement level.
Therefore...
"Ah, I see. I understand!"
If the Goddess was this desperate with the general believers...
How would it be for the Pope, the communication channel who could actually get things done?
Listening to the Goddess's continuous voice with a reverent heart, the Pope's eyes sparkled.
"I shall visit the Academy personally to meet the new Saintess on behalf of the Goddess!"
A question mark momentarily popped up over the Goddess's head at the Pope's words, but she could tell what the Pope really wanted.
She just wanted an excuse to use the Goddess's command to go play at the Academy.
After all, not only were Violet and Daisy there, but also the princes of various nations who had helped save her!
It hadn't been that long since they left the Holy Kingdom.
But to the young Pope, even that short time felt incredibly long.
So...
—Go ahead.
The Goddess indulged the Pope's whim.
No, in truth, she had no choice but to indulge her.
The Pope was also a victim who had suffered at the hands of the Cardinals, just like Delmoa.
If even the Pope turned sour like Delmoa...
She would have to bear the brunt of all that karma!
The Goddess couldn't understand why she had to take all the responsibility when it was those other bastards who caused the trouble and enjoyed the pleasure.
But she knew better than anyone that there was no god above her to listen to her complaints.
Thus, the Goddess had to steel herself.
She would grant every request she could.
She would use everything at her disposal!
Come to think of it, those damn Cardinals used the Holy Kingdom's wealth like their own pocket money.
Why shouldn't she use it? It was offered to her by the believers in the first place!
—Do your absolute best to serve the Saintess and her friends.
A half-hearted offensive wouldn't open Delmoa's heart.
Therefore, she had to target those around her—the ones she had already opened her heart to.
...Come to think of it, the humans around her didn't treat her very well either.
But they seemed to like money, so perhaps she could solve it by presenting them with an amount too large to refuse.
Still, it wasn't as if the Goddess had nothing to believe in.
And that was...
"It's not like things can get any worse."
No matter what she did, Delmoa's likability couldn't possibly drop any further.
There was nowhere left to retreat!
She was already stuck in the basement; surely she wouldn't be buried alive beneath it!
......
Wait, why does it feel like she could actually do that?
The Goddess of Light flinched for a moment, but it was too late to stop.
The elite of the elite of the Holy Kingdom were already preparing to soothe a wounded soul!
Empire - Gods Don't Know the Human Heart.
The Empire also learned the news that the Pope and high priests of the Goddess Church were heading to the Imperial Academy en masse.
In fact, they couldn't help but know.
"They aren't even trying to hide it anymore..."
With the Holy Kingdom making such a public fuss about heading to the Academy, the Imperial intelligence officials would have to walk to the guillotine one by one if they didn't know.
"Still no word?"
"That is correct."
"Even for the Holy Kingdom, isn't this a bit much?"
They had already heard that the advance party was preparing to depart from the Holy Kingdom.
Yet, the Empire had received no official contact.
No matter how much it was a nation built on religion, it was still a sovereign state.
If the Pope (the equivalent of a King), the high priests (the nobility), and even an army including Holy Knights were moving, it was only normal to inform the Empire of the reason for the visit and ask for permission in advance.
To ignore the Empire like this...
The Director of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau muttered with a scowl.
"This is clearly a show of force by the Holy Kingdom. They are undoubtedly expressing their dissatisfaction with us."
The others had no choice but to remain silent at his words.
At that, the Director frowned even deeper and whispered.
"Just... what is it?"
Countless incidents and accidents flashed through his mind.
Each one was a major disaster that should never have happened.
And they all occurred around the Saintess, Daisy.
Of course, some might say...
That these events happened because Daisy was there.
But unlike Aeryun, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, which had not even vaguely grasped the fragments of the truth, could not reach that realization.
Thus, they could not reach the truth that 'the Goddess was so scared that she declared a Holy War just to raise Delmoa's likability.'
Of course, if they had reached that truth, it would have been an even scarier story.
Therefore...
"Since we cannot know what they want, we shall respond defensively for now."
"She may be a Saintess, but she is a noble of the Empire. We also have something to say..."
"To say that, the Academy's security was bypassed far too easily..."
The Empire, in its own way, had no choice but to prepare for the Holy Kingdom's visit.
And naturally, that mission fell to the one working on the front lines.
"Who and who are coming?"
—The Emperor and the Pope.
"......I'm resigning."
—As if I'd let you.
It had no choice but to be directed at Aeryun.