The Returned Saintess’s Exorcism Broadcast - Prologue
I died. Or rather, I had died.
No one could understand the joke, but the moment I returned with the memories of my previous life, I found myself in a woman’s body. Not in the Earth I had once known, but in a fantasy world called Kristia Holy Kingdom.
“Hanai. I swear to uphold the will of the Goddess and become an Inquisitor.”
Every child born in the Holy Kingdom was taken by the Church at a certain age to be raised as a useful asset. Thanks to my memories from before, I was deemed exceptionally talented even as a young child, and was groomed to become an Inquisitor.
Just before I came of age, I received the title of the Holy Kingdom’s Greatest Inquisitor and began rising through the ranks, slaying heretics one after another.
All of that ended before the catastrophe struck.
[Whosoever reads this door, cast away all hope.]
The Hell Gates had truly opened. The moment the demons burst forth from the Gates, just as the words on them foretold, people began to give up hope.
“Do not abandon hope! To defeat the demons, you must have rock-solid faith!”
To defeat the demons, we had to prevent the corruption and pollution of the surface world before they could take root. And faith was the only weapon we had. That was why Inquisitors like me fought day and night, slaying heretics and demons alike, binding the people’s faith together.
“You’re too late… This village is already lost.”
“…We must burn it.”
“Understood.”
But every human body can only carry one rider, and time is limited. By the time we could reach a city or village invaded by demons or heretics, many had already fallen. Nations that had turned their backs on us, falling to the side of the demons, kept appearing one after another.
“It’s over, Hanai. Humanity is finished.”
“Do not give up, brother.”
“No matter how much we run, time and manpower are running out. In the end, we have no choice but to believe in the Great Demon Lord.”
“…You have become a heretic. You have labored well until now.”
Because hope had been lost—or perhaps because the abyss had swallowed those who gazed too deeply into it—Inquisitors and priests alike began to fall. With our already scarce manpower even thinner, our victory cries could not be heard. Slowly, slowly, the Holy Kingdom had been pushed back until only the capital remained.
“A Hell Gate has even opened in the Holy Kingdom.”
“It’s over now.”
“Do not lose hope! Hold on, everyone!”
While I slaughtered the endless stream of demons pouring out of the Hell Gate and the heretics scaling the walls, the call of the Archbishop came through.
“Inquisitor Hanai. I have come here at the Archbishop’s summons.”
“Inquisitor Hanai. I never imagined an outstanding Inquisitor like you would fall and become a heretic.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your black hair and red eyes are proof of your heresy.”
Of course, the people of this country mostly had blonde, red, or orange hair—bright tones—and red eyes were rare. But for me, the only one with red eyes, to suddenly be branded a heretic? In the face of death, at this moment? Yet when I saw the Archbishop’s eyes, I understood.
“The Archbishop has fallen as well.”
“Arrest this young fool who does not believe in the Great Demon Lord Beri’al!”
The people surrounding me had all fallen. They lunged at me. But I could not die here. Drawing my rapier and musket, I fought desperately, purifying the Archbishop and the entire heretic group in the room.
“Hah…”
My body no longer obeyed. I leaned against the wall and slid down. Outside the door, demons and heretics who had come to capture and kill me were smashing against it.
So what happens to me now?
If I die, where do I go? To another dimension? Back with these memories again?
If this is truly the will of the Goddess… it’s truly cruel.
If the God who sent me to this past world with my memories, and made me a woman instead of a man, is no different from a demon, then the Goddess is just like the demons.
Ah. So this is how He corrupts people.
The dangerous thought flashed through my mind. With the Goddess’s power, I had escaped countless dangers and saved many lives. Yet if the only remaining Inquisitor was me, I would die fighting to the end.
The moment I rose with my lighter body, a blinding light burst from the window beside me. It was definitely night.
Impossible.
The light vanished. When my vision cleared, I was back in Korea.