Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Saintess
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Saintess.
Saintess.
The power of faith bestowed by the gods—divine power.
The highest rank among priests who wield it.
They are called the beloved of the gods, a title that speaks to just how revered their position is.
Divine power serves as a beneficial force for humanity.
It heals wounds, purifies poisons, and wards off curses.
Naturally, people began to flock to them.
They heal illnesses and injuries without needing any knowledge of medicine.
Volkan had described that divine power as something grotesque.
-It's unnatural. A force that erases the 'impure' perceptions inherent to humans.
However.
That divine power comes with a massive drawback.
The pain it inflicts every time it's used.
Higher-ranking priests experience it differently, but those at the lower levels are usually addicted to drugs or drowned in alcohol to cope with the agony.
Whenever Volkan brought up those cases, he'd smirk crookedly, as if it was all a joke.
-That's why it's grotesque. You don't actually believe there's a power greater than mana, do you?
-Is there?
-Why else would priests suffer using their divine power? The Labyrinths have been around for over a thousand years, but divine power predates them. So why hasn't anyone figured out a way to handle it?
-What are you getting at?
-Aura, mana, stamina. There's a power superior to all those. Divine power draws from that higher force, which is why priests writhe in pain.
Volkan rated divine power as the most bizarre force of all.
'A power above mana.'
My half-serious guess that it might be aura suddenly felt a bit silly.
Still, if there was a power superior to mana or aura, I'd love to get my hands on it.
-Forget it. Those forces only become available at Level 5 or higher anyway.
Volkan would say that whenever he caught that glint in my eye.
Anyway.
Divine power draws on that mysterious higher force.
That's why the pain naturally lessens as levels rise, or so I'm told.
High-level priests even train their mental fortitude through the agony, to the point where the elite ones can heal an entire army single-handedly.
That's the extent of what I knew about divine power.
But what exactly is a Saintess?
She wields divine power so overwhelming that even high priests shake their heads in awe.
And she does it at a low level, no less.
Though she's clearly overexerting herself and complaining about the pain.
That's the kind of existence she is, anyway.
So where might this Saintess be?
'If it's info I need, that place is the spot.'
It was ridiculous to go back after less than three hours, but I wanted information on the Saintess.
"...Info on the Saintess? Here, free of charge."
"Pardon?"
"It's not even real info—most residents know her location anyway."
"..."
"It's good to be dedicated, but don't get tunnel vision. Pay attention to your surroundings too. If you think that's nagging, then yes, it is."
"Thank you."
"Oh, come on now."
After getting an earful from the Pavilion Lord, I headed to the place she directed me.
The temple.
This world has a Goddess of Light, who grants divine power to mortals in the lower realms.
There are other gods, but she's the only one who actually bestows power, making her followers incredibly influential.
The western lands even have the Holy Kingdom, a theocracy overflowing with her subordinates.
Saintess.
I was curious about the woman behind the title.
And so.
When I arrived at the spot the Pavilion Lord mentioned, I laid eyes on her.
"Th-the Saintess!"
"How can she be so divine?"
Silver hair that shimmered like starlight. Golden eyes radiating holiness, just like Rozante's.
Her priestly robes were provocative—flashy, even skimpy by some standards—but harmonized white and black in striking harmony.
A sacred aura enveloped her, and those around bowed deeply or prostrated themselves in reverence.
'It's like royalty has arrived.'
Not an inaccurate comparison.
In a world with divine power, gods, and kingdoms devoted to them, a Saintess—messenger of the divine—holds that kind of status.
"Dear brothers and sisters. The true path of life before us is one of love and service. Even our Goddess of Light in the heavens..."
The Saintess launched into a lengthy sermon.
I watched her, a nagging sense of unease creeping in.
'Something's off.'
It felt like she was acting.
A benevolent expression, a warm and soothing voice. Divine power cloaking her entirely.
She exuded an aura so holy that the whole world could worship her without question.
Before long, the sermon ended, and the crowd chanted praises to the Goddess of Light.
The scene evoked a cult, verging on the unhinged.
'...I need to keep my wits about me.'
No one in our party is exactly normal.
Except me.
So I have to be the brake keeping us from spinning out.
As I steeled myself—
I felt eyes on me.
The Saintess's gaze. Those golden eyes fixed on me.
She smiled at me, her face the picture of benevolence.
But that smile was kind while somehow twisted.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜 [Encounter Quest]
You have encountered ──, Veronica.
Capture her interest somehow, or make her lose it.
🎁 Reward: ???
⏰ Failure: No penalty.
I stared at the encounter quest.
It felt different from any quest I'd seen before.
'No class listed.'
Not absent—hidden.
Why?
I eyed the Saintess suspiciously.
Who the hell are you?
It was the first time the system had ever concealed a class like this.
And.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
-Hahaha! Hahahahaha!
A scene of total devastation unfolded.
Houses lay in ruins, flames everywhere.
Acrid smoke.
Roaring infernos. The fire had raged so fiercely that most of the area was reduced to ash heaps.
-H-help...
-The Saintess, n-no, the witch...!
Faint screams echoed from all directions.
Piles of corpses, severed and mangled, burned under black flames.
'...'
What the hell?
The scenery had flipped in an instant.
But my body wouldn't move. After struggling for a while, realization dawned.
'This...'
This wasn't my body.
What was going on? Had I been possessed? As those dark thoughts swirled—
"...Marcel."
'I' trudged toward a spot. A corpse lay there.
"..."
My mind cooled to ice.
I'd heard it before: when rage boils over, it paradoxically chills you to the core.
I looked at the corpse.
Charred beyond recognition.
Yet a pair of glasses had fallen cleanly beside it.
The gold-rimmed ones Marcel always wore.
"..."
I walked forward.
Toward someone—anyone.
Corpses everywhere. Corpses. Corpses.
Glasses on a corpse.
Rozante's corpse.
Charred armor that looked like Teresa's. Viola's body, the dwarf Durin's too.
Familiar faces among the dead.
And.
A sword impaled in the ground.
One I knew well: the Champion's sword Ermé had gotten from her first Hobgoblin Champion kill.
And blocking it, burned to a crisp—
Volkan's corpse.
I looked up at the sky.
A figure hovered there.
Wings of black flame.
Its body utterly blackened, six arms sprouting from a grotesque form.
A woman laughing vulgarly.
Blood trickling from red eyes as she cackled.
-Hahat! Hahaha!
Her voice sounded like a scream.
Even as I thought she was crying through her howls—
An unbearable hatred surged within me.
A bizarre urge to rush over and grind her corpse to paste between my teeth.
I stared at her and slowly opened my mouth.
"..."
But no sound came out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Excuse me."
My head felt heavy, foggy.
Like I'd slept for days and just woken up.
What was that scene just now?
What the hell had I seen?
-Oh, right. Just in case, stay away from the church folks.
-Spoilers are a pain.
-No, this is a major branching point. To get the true ending, you gotta avoid it or smash it outright.
-...But you never even saw the true ending. You didn't beat the game.
-That's that, and this is this!
A conversation with the bastard who dumped me here flashed in my mind.
'...So that's it.'
I had a hunch.
And it explained the quest's wording too.
No time to dwell, though.
"Excuse me."
Someone was gently shaking my shoulder.
Who?
I shook my head and looked at the woman.
Silver hair shimmering.
Holy golden eyes glowing.
A beauty unlike any other.
The only women who could compare were Ermé, Rozante, Rishiel, maybe the Guild Master.
All with otherworldly allure.
So why was she here in front of me?
"Hehe, it's been ages since I've gotten this reaction. An imperial noble? Or from a kingdom?"
"...?"
What was she on about?
"Ah, judging by your looks, maybe from one of the eastern lands? That could explain it... Oh, dazzled by my appearance? Well, I am the most exalted woman here. Go on, say your prepared line. Who knows? I might actually fall for you."
Was she always this chatty?
I glanced around.
No one else in sight.
Just a bed and table made of wood.
Wait, why was I here?
"What, you actually passed out? Ugh, unbelievable."
"...Did you save me?"
"Yes, the noble, holy, most exalted Saintess saved you."
"..."
She puffed her cheeks and flopped onto the bed, swinging her legs.
What a personality...
"Still, you've got looks. Predictable, but confident for a reason. Those amethyst eyes are intriguing too..."
She stared straight into my eyes as she spoke.
"Thank you for helping me."
"Oh?"
"But my party's waiting, so I should head out."
"Hmm, fine. But you owe me a favor in return."
"What is it?"
"Your tone's a bit rude for someone talking to their lifesaver, don't you think?"
A little.
No, honestly.
This woman was incredibly rude. Not someone I'd want to cross.
'And something's nagging at me.'
That bizarre scene from before.
The bastard's warning about the church's true nature.
So.
"W-wait!"
Whoosh.
I ignored her and leaped out the window.
Landing lightly.
I walked briskly back to the inn.