Chapter 173
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Epidemic Divine Punishment
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"......"
The bishop's expression shifted subtly.
"Bishop, what do you mean......"
"A clinic only prospers when it's packed with patients. Especially ones that only that clinic can cure."
No additional Sword Master-level powerhouses entered the fray.
Why was that?
The Holy Kingdom still had high priests remaining, along with several more at the Sword Master level.
Right now, only three Sword Master-level Holy Knights near me were still conscious.
Even they hadn't been forced into retirement by my deliberate efforts—they were simply utterly exhausted, yet clinging to awareness.
"Damn it...... They're toying with us completely."
Though he said as much, these dire conditions weren't favorable for me either.
Without my vast reserves of aura, I would've collapsed from exhaustion ages ago.
If the enemy were fools, I might've dismissed this as pointless and let it slide.
But the moment they'd committed Sword Master-level forces, such a judgment didn't hold water.
It meant they perceived Nadia's prayer—and Diablo's presence—as a gravely serious threat.
Yet reinforcements dragged on without arriving...
Something was afoot.
What it was, my inexperience left me clueless.
What I excelled at was straight-up brawling.
"Librarian."
[Acknowledged.]
"What do you make of it?"
[Only one inference possible in the current situation.]
[Even if this drags on, they possess a means to instantly reverse it—no, to turn this very situation to their advantage.]
The worst outcome, but still. If an issue arose from Saintess Nadia's prayer and the Holy Kingdom resolved it, she'd be branded a perfect heretic from then on, no matter what she said.
So what move had they prepared...
[An epidemic is the prime suspect.]
The librarian's words made my eyes widen.
That was when it happened.
"Kyaaaaah!!!"
"Aaaah!!"
Screams erupted unexpectedly from Holy Kingdom citizens in the distance.
Rahelon Ban, regaining consciousness, and my gaze both snapped toward the source.
"Ha. Pulling out the big guns, eh?"
Sensing the bizarre energy flow from there, I snapped my fingers to dispel the surrounding barrier.
"What are you doing?"
"Stay put and don't move."
With that, I shot toward the central square where the saintess was.
It was already pandemonium.
The Holy Knights and priests guarding the saintess were glancing around in shock, and the saintess herself had halted her prayer, staring in horror.
What they were staring at were the citizens—emitting a faint glow from their bodies as they writhed in agony.
"Ah...... So this is your game."
Divine punishment befalling the Holy Kingdom's citizens because of Saintess Nadia's prayer.
Anyone would see it that way.
But it didn't feel like divine punishment.
[This phenomenon is judged structurally different from divine punishment.]
"This is insane."
As I muttered that, Rahelon Ban swiftly landed on a nearby rooftop.
The other Master-level fighters had all retired, and he was exhausted to the bone, yet somehow holding on—whether through superhuman willpower or some hidden reserves, I couldn't say.
Gazing at the people emitting light and suffering, his hands trembled violently.
"This... how can this..."
He clutched his face with both hands, his expression brimming with guilt as he muttered.
"Divine punishment....... Because I failed to stop the heretics, the Holy Kingdom's innocent citizens are dying."
Did he really not know what was happening?
Blood vessels bulged in his eyes.
In fury, he bellowed.
"Behold...... the consequences of your vile deeds! This is divine punishment! If not retribution for heresy, then how else do you explain this horror?!"
I stared at him coldly in response to his outburst.
"Let me ask you one thing, Rahelon Ban."
"I won't listen to a heretic!"
"Saintess Nadia offered her prayer, and punishment descends—yet why does it strike the crowd instead of Saintess Nadia herself?"
"Th-that's!"
"You won't spout nonsense like the saintess dodged it because she's a saintess, will you? Surely even you find this suspicious by now?"
To be precise, excluding Saintess Nadia, the changes were beginning to affect the Holy Knights and priests guarding her as well.
But the faint holy power emanating from Nadia's prayer was interfering with it.
Given her unstable state as a saintess, the range was extremely limited.
This was...
"A mass miracle......"
The precursor to a mass miracle.
Incomparably feeble compared to a true saintess's miracles. It was probably the best she could manage.
If it were genuine divine punishment, such resistance would be impossible. Evading God's chastisement via divine stigmata would mean God Himself intended it—which would contradict it being punishment at all.
In other words, this was a man-made calamity.
"Without the saintess, everyone still fine would be like that now too. Let me ask again: Does this look normal to you? Does Saintess Nadia truly look like a heretic?"
Rahelon peered down at the chaotic square with trembling eyes.
"To resolve this, what must the saintess do......"
I muttered as I quickly moved toward her.
I wasn't versed in holy magic, and most priests lacked the ability to handle this.
Luna might've had a shot, but she was nowhere in sight.
"Saintess Nadia."
"Really... really because of me......"
Nadia, unable to hold her nerves, trembled in full panic.
"Really... because of me......"
"Snap out of it. This is an artificial disaster. A show to paint you as a heretic."
I tried to calm her, but her lack of self-confidence kept her trapped in panic.
The people weren't dying.
But they were suffering.
"You have to do it. I can't heal."
Using the Machine God's Heart one by one would be inefficient beyond belief—abysmal, really.
At my words, she nodded, yet her face screamed doubt.
"I...... I can't. I'm useless...... It's not just acting—triggering a real mass miracle is......"
She spiraled into panic rapidly.
At first, it was just pretend.
Diablo had said just pray, and it'd handle itself.
But with things escalating, the pressure to show her true saintess colors—as real, not fake—was crushing her.
Of course it wouldn't be easy. Demanding she suddenly do what she'd never managed before.
Even awakening my aura and infusing it into my sword had taken endless trials and time.
I understood her turmoil.
So I opted for my own brand of doping.
"Look me dead in the eyes, Saintess Nadia."
I gripped her cheeks, forcing eye contact. Her quivering pupils locked onto me.
Then, I invoked command magic.
Casting command magic—mental type, no less—on a saintess was suicidal under normal circumstances. Even a Death Lord wouldn't find it easy.
But borrowing Luna's words, I was plenty useful right now.
[Take hold.]
I wielded a word of command unattainable through standard command magic, honed at the pinnacle of elemental magic.
In an instant, the suggestion magic activated and took hold.
Simultaneously, madness flickered in her eyes.
Huh?
[The Hall's power resonates. Merge ability created.]
Huh? Hit her way too hard?
"Saintess? How many fingers am I holding up?"
I wiggled two fingers. She roughly snatched my index finger.
"One. Heh...... Fuhe...... Fuhahaha."
I'd clearly extended my index and middle fingers.
Two, lady.
This felt terribly off.
I instinctively stepped back.
Her quivering body remained steady even after I released her.
"Miracle...... I just need to work a miracle. I'm a saintess...... Saintess Nadia Ten Lilibel."
Muttering her own name, she flung her eyes wide and scanned her surroundings.
Taking in the sight of those suffering yet still alive, her eyes gleamed with insanity.
"Miracle...... A bigger miracle! A fucking massive miracle!!"
Crude words burst from the saintess's mouth—words she shouldn't utter.
She immediately spread her arms wide and unleashed a torrent of holy power.
"Hahaha! I'll save you all! I can do it!! Get lost! Don't get in my way!"
I questioned if this even counted as prayer—she was straight-up forcing a miracle without it.
There were probably proper rites involved; skipping them would naturally harm the caster.
"Hey! Saintess Nadia!"
Caught off guard by this extreme doping state, I reached out to restrain her.
"Get this hand off me!! I said I'm saving them?! Don't interfere—just hole up over there and wait!"
Whoa...... Was this all the pent-up frustration exploding? Makes sense—an slum orphan wouldn't grow up all prim and proper.
People feel emotions, but a saintess would've suppressed most of hers.
"......Saintess Nadia?"
Meanwhile, Rahelon Ban—stunned by the unfamiliar sight—dropped his sword and stared blankly.
He'd just branded her a heretic moments ago, but seeing it with his own eyes left no room for doubt.
"Old geezer! You too—don't interfere, scram!"
"Wh-what the?!"
The holy power surging from her entire body grew denser, more immense.
The stigmata etched on her chest resonated wildly—even I, devoid of holy power, could feel its overwhelming force.
So this was the power born from stigmata.
A perfected, colossal force dictated more by innate talent than effort—it felt astonishing.
Exuding uncharacteristic confidence, she commanded her holy power.
But the holy power rebelled, shaking beyond her control.
She yanked even more forth.
"Fuhahaha. Resisting, huh? You think I'm a joke? Always stabbing that doll with needles, mocking me?! Huh?!"