Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Epilogue: Post-Processing ~Snowball Edition~
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The priest, drenched in sweat, slammed the door shut and crawled into the corner of the room, curling up into a ball. He trembled violently as he prayed.
"Goddess, can you hear me?"
There is no justice here.
There is no salvation here.
There is no holiness here, no mercy.
Here, there is only a madwoman.
Goddess. If that's the case, what am I supposed to pray for?
Look. She's coming. The once noble wicked one, to plunder the grace you bestowed upon me.
If you truly watch over all things and love them, then look upon me trembling in the darkness and take pity. Lower a rope of salvation to me.
My only sin is serving you for so long...
"No."
Creeeak, thud. The door split cleanly in half.
The blood-soaked saintess strode into the opulent room. The walls and corners were adorned with expensive jewels, and gold coins scattered across the floor crunched under her shoe heels, but she paid them no mind.
She hadn't come here for money.
She had come to settle an old grudge.
"Putting 'for the goddess' in front might erase the sin. But hatred doesn't vanish. Take a good look. That's your reason to die."
Thud. The saintess dropped the scroll from her hand.
The bloodstained record of crimes unfurled. The tightly rolled parchment rolled across the floor, revealing its contents. Embezzlement of offerings. Human trafficking targeting children from the temple orphanage. Molesting priestesses. Harboring dark wizards.
Choked by the weight of his sins, the plump priest gasped for air. He raised a holy glow from his fingertips and let out a pig-like squeal.
"The goddess... the goddess permitted it...!! I haven't lost my divine power yet. This is... this is rightful compensation for my miserable childhood rolling in the back alleys! The goddess protects my righteousness—!"
"You're mistaken. You're not dying for being immoral or colluding with dark wizards. Those are indirect reasons. Read the last line carefully."
His eyes darted around. At the end of the scroll listing countless sins, words written in blood stood out. 'Revenge.' A simple, clear form of hatred.
The gaze of long-brewed hatred clung to the priest.
"I tried to spare you. If you'd done a lot of good deeds. Or even if there was some corruption, as long as you'd helped that many people. I would've suppressed my personal grudge. There were plenty of others worth killing."
But that wasn't the case. The saintess drew her demon sword.
"The scales have tipped. Your goodness couldn't block my hatred, and your evil fueled it. You're dying here... because you failed to save my parents."
Desperate to survive, the priest's eyes rolled wildly. But the wealth he'd amassed couldn't block the overflowing hatred. If only he'd bought magic scrolls instead of these gold coins.
If only he'd hired mercenaries for protection instead of shiny jewels!
"『Regret's Thorny Vines』, absorb it all."
⟨ Regret's Thorny Vines ⟩
Crunch, creeeak!
Thorny vines shattered the rotten priest's shield and wrapped around his fat body. Sharp thorns pierced the skin fattened on others' blood and tears. And his divine power was chipped away.
No, it was being sucked out. The saintess was stealing the divine power granted by the goddess! The priest writhed and screamed.
"No, no—!!"
"Now, no more divine power to justify your evil. Try saying it again. 'The goddess permitted it.'"
"Goddess, merciful goddess! Please, please give me back my divine poweeeer...!!"
"Too late again...?"
The saintess sneered.
A moment later, Saintess Tara sheathed her demon sword and slipped away from the scene. In the spot where life and divine power had been utterly drained, only a shriveled corpse remained.
The goddess statue on the wall was the sole witness to the judgment.
Sluuurp.
Tara sucked down her lemonade through a straw and said,
"That's what happened."
[Is that something you can just say lightly?]
"I killed them all, so what? The important part is I can use divine power now! It's stolen, so it doesn't recover naturally, though..."
Tara's fable trait: Absorption.
Instead of praying to the goddess for divine power, she'd extracted and stored it from a corrupt priest. That was how she'd kept up the saintess act.
Tara extended her hand and blasted divine power at Bennett's face. Whiiiir. Without forming a proper healing spell, just raw energy—it offered only a tiny bit of recovery and some eye candy.
Bennett squinted against the blinding light.
"Don't waste divine power."
"Why not? If it runs out, I can just eat another corrupt priest."
[That phrasing might be a bit too graphic...]
"What are you talking about, Niore! You little—!"
As Tara pounced on Niore like a tiger and pinched her cheeks mercilessly, Bennett sipped his coffee and pondered. The goddess and divine power... seemed to operate differently from common knowledge.
She wouldn't cut off the supply, but there was definitely no 'recall' function. Or maybe no intention to use it.
Otherwise, how could Tara, who assaulted corrupt priests and sucked their power, still stand unharmed? How could corrupt priests laden with sins wield divine power so casually? It made no sense.
"...Some secret in the church, maybe."
"Eh, I don't care. Don't wanna know. Doesn't affect using the church at all."
[Let go of my cheeks.]
"So, Second Prince is really... teaming up with us? Right, Bennett?"
Bennett nodded. He'd already shared the full conversation with the mad wizard with the group. Side note: As Bennett predicted, Tara had cried. In her teary tantrum as the fallen saintess, Abraham's necklace ended up with her.
Tara thought for a moment, then swiftly devised a plan based on her hand.
"There are decent priests in the church wary of corruption. They've been gathering people by excommunicating fallen ones... Think it's time to set the board."
"Backing a new church faction with Second Prince's political position?"
[Let go of my cheeks.]
"Yeah. Name it something like... 『Reformists』."
Preparations fell into place surprisingly smoothly. Enough to challenge the stagnant church higher-ups, even.
The fable's power to brand someone 'abandoned by the goddess' by draining their divine power.
Gathering good priests inside for a provisional force.
Political backing from Second Prince.
"...And we'll announce the 『Reformists』' launch by using your name, Bennett. We lack achievements that appeal to the public."
"How exactly?"
[Cheeks.]
"Like the professor said. A double agent secretly dispatched by the saintess. So your achievements... all become mine!"
"Isn't intel from a few interrogations a bit thin?"
"Stopping a vile plot against the academy—that's plenty of achievement, ri—Gah?!"
Bennett's trained dynamic vision reacted sharply. Niore, cheeks still pinched, landed a fatal counter. She shoved both hands through the slit in Tara's saintess robe at her side.
At that point, Bennett calmly closed his eyelids. He foresaw a visual info bomb.
"Wh-what the hell are you groping, you...?! "
[You ignored me because you were enchanted by Bennett.]
"You think I don't have hands?!"
[......!!]
Bennett pondered briefly, then manipulated mana to form a thin membrane over his ears. He gave up hearing too. In the quiet darkness, he enjoyed a brief tea time.
And he thought.
The mad wizard seemed favorable to them. Saving another world held significant meaning, perhaps. But Second Prince was different.
Second Prince Irid—public opinion split evenly. Half saw him as suspicious and cunning; half as caring and competent toward the people. The latter was likely propaganda leaked by his side for image...
Teaming with a wary royal meant showing maximum sincerity for smooth sailing.
Poke. Someone prodded Bennett's cheek. He removed the mana earplugs and opened his eyes. He alternated glances between the two to find the culprit.
Both faces were flushed red, tops wrinkled and disheveled. Niore clutched her whiteboard to her chest; Tara fanned herself furiously.
Bennett closed his eyes again.
"...Should've just patted a shoulder."
"Who was it? Guess wrong, and penalty, Bennett."
"You."
[Wrong, Bennett. It was me. So, time for your penalty...]
"Let's... wrap up... the discussion."
Thud thud thud. Bennett rapped the table. Give them an opening, and attacks would resume. He had to push through. He rattled off the agenda rapidly.
"How about bolstering the mad wizard to indirectly gift Second Prince's faction?"
"Bolster him?"
"Publicize that we awakened our fables through his lectures. His reputation as a professor rises, so does his influence."
[That'd help Tara's faction too? Advertising two fable-level powerhouses already...]
Timing to unveil a new faction. Time to bare claws, not hide them. The three concluded; Bennett fled before retaliation.
Afterward.
Saintess Tara revealed her prior apathy was a facade, announcing she'd thwarted the dark wizards' academy invasion. Simultaneously, she formed the 『Reformists』 to reform the church and declared she'd advance with like-minded souls.
Around the same time, rumors spread of the mad wizard's general education class—famous for illusion magic or dungeon manifestations—producing two students who'd awakened fables.
Tara spread it actively, but it stayed rumor, too hard to believe. Still, public opinion shifted. Where there's smoke, there's fire.
Bennett received contact from the dark wizards. A message threatening to kill the traitor. He replied:
'The mad wizard already captured many dark wizards; the plan's core collapsed. Better to feign defection than get caught with them. I'm still on your side. Don't harm my sister.'
Afterward, the dark wizards pressured Bennett hard. One day, a box with a severed finger arrived.
"......"
Possibly his sister's.
He'd steeled for it. To create openings in the dark wizards, shaking them was necessary. Since his sister's body was the vessel for the 『Fear-Eating Corpse Flower』, they wouldn't harm her, he thought.
But they'd taken it more threateningly than expected. Still, fine. It'd be okay. He could save his sister. Fingers could be reattached later.
Bennett wrapped the unknown finger in clean cloth and stored it preciously.
Bennett waited for the moment. Not hoping to fool them forever. With the academy plan scrapped, dark wizards would act differently... then. He'd seize the one ticket-use chance.
The opportunity was closer than thought.
Soon.
This upheaval caused the greatest chaos, naturally, in the church. The sacred council hall where dignified priests flaunted gold rings had turned into a raucous marketplace.
Amid priests with bulging neck veins, shouts flew.
"What were her handlers doing!"
"They said she was just throwing childish tantrums. No one noticed her plotting in secret?!"
"Excommunicate her now! Plenty of excuses from her conduct!"
In the chaos, old cardinals at the power core conversed quietly. The rabble's crude yelling changed nothing. All church matters turned on cardinals' whispers.
"Tara awakened a fable from academy classes. In two weeks... Believable?"
"...That illusion mage is Second Prince's faction. Probably political ploy to boost him. Fables aren't awakened casually."
"The little brat sharpened her knife in secret. Dressed ridiculously, acted the fool... Hid her fable awakening."
"Thought Second Prince was aloof... No idea when he hooked up with the saintess. Seems he's the mastermind...?"
"Second Prince... Young but scheming."
Whispers.
Cardinals concluded: With growing Second Prince faction's protection, ousting Tara needed cunning prep. Tolerate for now.
They crawled on knees to the child pope, pleading softly.
"Holy Father, set aside Saintess Tara for now. The goddess teaches prudence as virtue."
"Holy Father, tolerate her 『Reformists』, but dispatch watchers to check their path. Good intentions worry if misdirected."
"Holy Father..."
The six-year-old pope, Saint Vecio, parroted like a bird.
"I'll tolerate the 『Reformists』 and dispatch watchers to monitor their path. And..."
Mumble mumble. So it was decreed.
Second Prince Irid couldn't help asking again. Third time hearing it, hadn't forgotten prior. Still, needed one more.
"Say it once more. What?"
"Codename Mad Wizard captured droves of dark wizards. Crushed named dark wizard's academy plot."
"And?"
"Awakened two students' fables. Turned one dark wizard. Gained intel. Formed close ties with saintess, aided new faction against main church."
"More?"
"So church is pressuring us. They think Your Highness is the shadow master. Weird."
Irid pondered, then inhaled deeply from rosemary in his vase. Give me courage, Centra.
"Good, wanted to purge corrupt clergy anyway. Planned sword after throne, but if they come fighting, no dodging. Prepare."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"And..."
Irid pinched his brow. Mad Wizard gave unearned merits and enemies without lifting a finger. Heart sorely troubled.
Clergy with deep-rooted power weren't pushovers. Long war expected even post-throne, but sparring already.
Cleaning dark wizards from academy was big, but irritation outweighed pride. Irid spat angrily.
"Tell Mad Wizard... I want to meet face-to-face sometime."
"Awarding a medal?"
"Yeah. Prep a gold one. Big and heavy."
But he'd have to accept graciously, Mad Wizard.
Same time, Mad Wizard's lab.
The wizard paced long, then confessed to the Magic Tower Master. Long-dormant conscience awakened by events.
"Y'know, thinking back... Feels like I did wrong by Second Prince."
"...Huh?"
"Still hung up on Centra. If he stays bachelor chasing a fictional girl forever... I blocked a fine bachelor from settling down."
"Uh, um. Huh?"
Sin of twisting Irid's fate from happy marriage to bachelorhood. Should fix it? Gave the disease, give the cure.
Second Prince Irid needed healing. Mad Wizard thought so.
"So... Maybe introduce a real girl? Help him find new love."
"......!!!"
The Magic Tower Master silently screamed at the sudden Irid-Centra pure love destruction notice.
Must stop it...!!