Picking Up the Abandoned Healer (7)

"Administrator!" Leana came running up to me, jabbing her finger wildly toward the entrance. "Over there, over there!"

In the direction she was pointing stood the Celestine saintess. She'd stepped a few paces inside the guild and was kneeling with her forehead pressed flat against the floor.

What? Kneeling with her forehead to the ground? So she's... doing dogeza? A saintess with a halo floating over her head?

"I'm not seeing things, right? Right? You're seeing this too, Administrator?" Leana shook my arm frantically.

"Doesn't look like an illusion."

"Brother... please, show mercy to this wretched soul..."

"Hngh...!" Leana sucked in a sharp breath at the saintess's utterly unimaginable plea.

I stood there gaping in disbelief when Leana shoved my arm, as if urging me to do something. I cleared my throat and spoke up.

"I have no idea what you're doing here. Did you come for the demon's head?"

"Yes... that's right..."

"To dodge responsibility for those priests' deaths? Or pad your record?"

"It's neither achievements nor evasion... Those priests from yesterday were already marked for death anyway..."

What kind of crazy talk is this?

"I have no clue what you're getting at." The saintess lifted her head from the floor and rummaged in a small pouch at her waist. "This..." She held out a piece of paper that looked like an official document, folded over multiple times. I took it and unfolded it, my eyes going wide as I stared back at her.

"What the hell is this?"

"It's an order from the sect. Everything will make sense once you read it..."

I wasn't doubting her word. The bottom of the document bore the signatures of several high priests and a large, unmistakable seal of the Ascetic Sect—one I'd seen a few times while playing the game. The document itself wasn't fake. And no one would forge something this insane anyway.

What puzzled me was the insane content itself. Was this really an order issued by the church sect?

"What is it?" Leana peeked over from the side, then jolted upright, staring up at me. "Administrator... what is this...?"

"Beats me. Seems legit, though."

"From the church? The holy servants of the Goddess?"

"Don't ask me—ask the saintess."

While we exchanged glances, the saintess had pressed her forehead back to the floor. I scratched my head at the sight and spoke up.

"Get up first. Let's sit down and talk."

Her face as she staggered to her feet shocked me a second time. Ashen gray skin and cracked lips—she looked like a corpse after just a few hours. Leana rushed over and supported her. We led the saintess to the consultation room.

Leana sat her in a chair and headed to the kitchen for tea. I took the seat across from her and quietly gazed down at the crumpled document.

"So... they were all death row convicts, huh."

"Yes..." Her bowed head trembled, her voice cracking harshly.

"What kind of 'major violation' gets people turned into a suicide squad?"

"Homosexuality among the male priests..."

"Ah."

The male priests of the Ascetic Sect had their testicles removed to eliminate sexual desire. But desire didn't just vanish like that, so I'd heard rumors of secret affairs among them. I hadn't known they handled it this way, though.

"So you were one of the supervisors, then."

"No, Brother..."

"Explain in detail. I don't get it."

"I'm sorry... I wasn't clear enough... Let me explain again..."

"Drink some warm tea first." Leana came in right on cue, setting a steaming cup in front of the saintess.

"Thank you..."

Clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter. Her hands shook so badly that the cup rattled loudly against the saucer. Leana watched anxiously from the seat beside me.

The saintess took a tiny sip, set the cup down, and spoke.

"The priest you killed yesterday... he was the supervisor."

"I figured. But something was off. He didn't have a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠halo or anything. How does a regular priest without one supervise a saintess?"

"Supervisors don't use holy power—they're just watchers. The sect appoints priests with exceptional combat prowess for the role."

That made sense. A sword could kill, but holy power couldn't. And from what I knew, church priests weren't much for fighting—a guy who'd swung a blade a bit could cut down several of them solo. Attaching a good swordsman made control way easier, regardless of rank or holy power.

Sure enough, the supervisor's name was listed at the bottom. Below that, in tiny print, was the list of convicts—including "Responsible Saintess Celestine" clear as day. I'd been too shocked by the main text earlier to notice.

"We pursued the demon under the supervisor's control—from the Empire onward, for quite some time. We finally found traces of its blood here."

She meant our first encounter.

"Got it. Then yesterday's mess happened. Fine. But one thing's bugging me."

"Yes, Brother...?"

"What did you do wrong?"

"I was a whistleblower..."

"Whistleblower? How big a scandal did you blow open?"

"Have you never wondered, Brother...?"

"Wondered what?"

"Why the Ascetic Sect never dies out. There are plenty of sects on the continent. If someone wants to devote themselves to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Goddess, why choose castration when there are other options?"

I hadn't thought deeply about it while playing, but yeah, that tracked.

"Why, then?"

"Most of the sect's male priests... come from orphanages the sect secretly runs..."

It clicked instantly.

"Don't tell me they forcibly castrate orphans and turn them into sect priests...?"

"Yes... If they had overflowing faith to volunteer for castration, why would they break the church's ban on homosexuality...?"

What fresh madness is this? Wait— Rifling through my mental lore archive, I recalled a vague hint: something like "The truth of why so many join without fearing castration is known only to a tiny few." So that was it.

"I found out the truth and reported it to church headquarters... I was too naive to think that if the sect had continued like this for centuries, HQ must have known and turned a blind eye..."

"They don't execute for whistleblowing."

"They just fabricate a crime and pin it on you."

"Fair enough..." Leana stroked her chin gravely at the bombshell. Any other woman might've gasped and covered her mouth.

"So, for whistleblowing, the sect sentenced you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to death alongside the homosexual priests, shoving you all into this unspoken death trap of demon hunting—under the executioner's so-called supervision?" Leana summed it up neatly.

"Yes, Sister..."

One key question hit me then.

"If that's the case, why not just tell me? Even if the supervisor stopped you at first, you could've explained after I killed the demon. Why not?"

"Because..." The saintess let out a thin, trembling sigh. "You killed the supervisor who claimed ownership of the demon's head... It terrified ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me so much I couldn't speak... I feared I'd end up the same..."

"I see."

Timid? Or just dumb...?

"Not all clerics are wise scholars... I was lucky enough to manifest holy power and become a saintess... My stupidity got me executed for rash whistleblowing, and my fear kept me from telling you the truth, Brother..."

She slammed her forehead on the table, voice breaking into sobs.

"So please... help me... Save me, I beg you..."

Watching her, a brilliant idea struck—one that'd save this cornered saintess and boost our guild big time.

Yeah. That'll work perfectly.