Chapter 13

“The Chosen of the Goddess shall come with the purest of bodies.”

Without any marks or signs, simply pure and oh so pure.

This is because grace does not discriminate, and her Chosen understands this.

You will come to know the Chosen not by marks but by the laughter of young children and the screams of the wicked around you.

– Scripture of Grace Chapter 32, Verse 17 –

***

“Aaaah! Ahh!… Saint! Saint!!”

At the filthy entrance of the sewer.

All sorts of muck mixed on the ground while priests and knights in white robes bow towards me.

I was still just blinking in bewilderment.

What in the world is happening here?

Didn’t they say I had no marks?

So why are they acting like this out of nowhere?

“Please, give me something to wear.”

I’ve got to put something on.

Honestly, looking down, I realized…

The clothes I had on.

They were absolutely filthy.

Hearing that, the priests and knights sprang into action.

“Please, wear this!”

A bald old man, whom they called the High Priest, tearfully presented me with a pristine Lilia priestess robe. I had to change in front of everyone while they all watched me like hawks.

Even after changing, the gazes filled with admiration and longing didn’t stop.

Please, stop looking at me like that!

I’m just a lowly commoner, and those looks are way too much pressure!

“Take care of the children. They are poor and pitiful.”

“Of course! Of course! Saint! We shall take care of them.”

Once I handed over 15 young girls to the Lilia Church’s priests, an awkward silence settled between us.

“Nuhhh!! Uuhhh! Aaaahhh!!”

Only the frantic screams of the thief who had just tried to stab me echoed in the alley.

“The laughter of young children and the screams of the wicked shall surround you. Aaaah! Just like the words of the scripture!!”

“Saint! Saint! What should we do now? Lead your humble servants!!”

The knights and priests, especially the bald old guy, looked at me with tears of joy.

It’s so burdensome, I’m about to lose it.

But on the flip side, at least I won’t be burned at the stake, right? Isn’t that a sweet deal?

Yeah. Since this is how it’s turned out.

Isn’t it okay to keep pretending to be a saint while enjoying this life?

And maybe I can scrape a little treatment fee here and there.

That doesn’t sound half bad.

If I switch to paid treatment and charge a little for each session, wouldn’t I become a rich man in no time?

As I was lost in these thoughts, feeling a little smug,

The High Priest cautiously approached and grabbed my hand tightly.

“Glory to the Goddess of Grace!! Lilia watches over us!! Saint, say anything. We shall listen and follow.”

Yeah, right. The Goddess of Grace watching over me is a load of crap.

I’m not even religious, you know?

While I was thinking that, a chilling thought struck me.

A non-believer.

And here I am, pretending to be the saint sent by the Goddess.

Lucky for me, those in front of me are mistaking me for a saint so I’m escaping a burning at the stake.

But……..

What about Lilia? The Goddess of Grace herself?

In this world, gods aren’t just some abstract concept.

They are real, living beings who grant miracles and divine powers to their followers.

A being who knows everything about my thoughts and past wouldn’t be fooled.

She must see right through my identity.

At that moment, I felt all the blood drain from my body.

I’ve miscalculated.

This is not the time to be thinking about happily making money pretending to be a saint.

I’m asking for divine punishment.

This is no joke, I could literally get fried by lightning.

I needed to get out of here.

I had to escape these people, run as far away as possible and live like I’m dead.

That way, I might avoid the wrath of the Goddess.

But wait, what about tracking miracles and whatnot?

If I run, won’t they just track me down with some divine magic???

Plus, I just realized something.

Even if I use Time Stop to escape, I can’t go very far.

Being stuck walking drains my mental energy severely, and there’s a limit to how long I can use the skill, so I can’t get far.

And even if I could escape, looking at the zealots in front of me, I can bet they would passionately pursue me, even if I fled to the ends of hell.

As long as these guys see me as a saint, the anger of the Goddess over my false claims will certainly follow me too.

So what’s the conclusion?

I need to make the Lilia Church folks give up on me.

They need to curse me out and go away!!

And while doing that, I need to avoid being burned at the stake for heresy……..

Is there no way?

Suddenly, an idea crossed my mind.

You know, those corrupt and incompetent priests that show up in novels or anime.

They lounge around with a potbelly, indulging in women and meat, and when someone rubs them the wrong way, they’re like, ‘You blasphemous sinner!!’ while burning people at the stake, only to end up getting retired by the protagonist.

That’s exactly the kind of person I’ll become!

Acting like an incredibly greedy person, I can make everyone disappointed enough to leave me be, and then I can sneak away once they do!

Of course, I have to be careful not to cross the line while being a corrupt priest.

You know, one of those cases where a kid is nice, but their behavior constantly makes you want to strangle them.

And when they disappear, you still remember them as a good kid.

That’s the level I need to toe!

After everyone moves on, I’ll quietly disappear and drop the whole saint act!

Yeah!

This is the only way!!

“Please guide me to the temple.”

After a minute of frantically thinking, that was what I blurted out.

I was planning to go to the temple and spend all the saved money there.

Donations too! I’m going to live the most corrupted and debauched life possible!!

Until they’re all cursing and leaving me behind!!!

“I’m sorry, Saint. The Lilia Church has spread mainly in the southern region, not the capital. We haven’t established a temple branch there yet.”

Ah.

Well, if there was a temple in the capital, there wouldn’t be a reason for it to take days to get here, huh?

I momentarily forgot because I’m such an idiot.

Then what should I do…….

No, wait.

There’s a way.

“Why do you say there’s no temple? Follow me.”

If there’s no temple, I’ll just buy some land and build one!

Let’s purchase some utterly useless land at an outrageous price!!

Then build a temple and live off the donations while becoming flamboyantly corrupt, just enough to avoid burning or divine punishment!

Pretty soon, you’ll be spitting curses and leaving!

I stepped away from the stinking sewer with the Lilia Church members and the knights of the Sun Church.

“Saint! Saint!”

“Guide us! O Grace!”

The Lilia Church members followed me with eager expressions.

The more I thought about it, the more cold sweat I broke into.

The Lilia of Grace is probably watching all of this unfold from the heavens in real-time, right?

To survive, I have to make these people leave me somehow.

Otherwise, I’ll face divine punishment and perish!

***

When Erpa stepped back into the Mage Tower with the White Church priests, many mages and witches within flinched and avoided her gaze.

Some couldn’t even manage a proper eye contact, while others wore awkward smiles.

But Erpa paid no heed to those gazes and headed straight for the Mage Master’s office on the top floor.

“Er… pa?”

Jurgen, the Mage Master, stood up in shock upon seeing her enter the room.

But whether the Mage Master was shocked or not, Erpa acted like it was none of her concern.

“Please, speak.”

At her words, the priests of the White Church stepped forward cautiously and bowed towards Jurgen.

“Through the miracle of the Saint of Healing, she has fully recovered. She is no longer an abomination. She is a testament to miracles.”

“The White Church will no longer question Erpa. Please forgive us for the chaos we caused.”

Jurgen, dazed, looked at them blankly before nodding.

“I’m glad everything has been resolved.”

“Erpa has something to discuss with you. We shall take our leave then, but if you could allow us to attend tomorrow’s regular academic conference, we would appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

So the matter between the White Church and the Mage Tower was smoothed over. After the priests expressed their gratitude repeatedly and exited, the door closed behind them.

Now, there were only Jurgen and Erpa left in the room.

“You’ve become beautiful.”

Jurgen spoke cautiously after a long pause.

Erpa didn’t even smile at that.

But she didn’t cry or spit out anger either.

She looked peaceful and calm, as though she had transcended something.

“Mage Master.”

“Yes, Erpa. Speak.”

“Am I still a witch of this Mage Tower?”

Jurgen nodded at her question.

“If you wish.”

“I’m relieved to hear that. I want to continue my research here.”

“……..Is that so? If you wish, then do so.”

“And one more thing. Please officially name me the next Mage Master at tomorrow’s regular academic conference.”

Jurgen was startled by the sudden request.

“You?”

“Although it has never been officially declared, weren’t you going to appoint me anyway? Or is this just another baseless rumor?”

Jurgen shook his head.

“It’s not a rumor. In fact, you were the only one suitable to be my successor.”

“Then appointing me as the next Mage Master shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Yes, I can do that. But I’m worried. There are many mages and witches here who have already abandoned you once. You must embrace all of them. If you plan to use your position to settle personal grudges, then I cannot name you as my successor.”

“Mage Master.”

Erpa’s expression was remarkably calm.

“I want to continue my career well. I’m going to make the Mars Division the greatest Mage Tower of all.”

Her expression was serious.

“I won’t make the foolish choice of giving up an incredible opportunity just for a personal grudge. I wish to become a witch who will be remembered in the magic history for ages. Revenge is too trivial to even consider compared to that goal.”

Her eyes were hauntingly calm.

Not just her eyes.

The mana radiating from her body was also remarkably calm and well-contained.

Jurgen suddenly felt an incredibly unfamiliar sensation.

It wasn’t just her appearance that changed.

It felt like she was an entirely different person.

“Erpa, how have you changed so much? What on earth did the Saint of Healing do to you?”

At the Mage Master’s words, Erpa smiled brightly.

In that radiant smile, there wasn’t a trace of shadow, anger, or hatred.

“She healed both my body and my heart. She gave me a purpose in life: to help her and live by her side. For that, I will love myself. I will diligently continue my career. And I won’t be shaken or broken.”

With her brilliance, Jurgen found himself smiling uncontrollably.

“I see. As you wish. The research on trichromatic theory was a great study. It shouldn’t be a problem to name you as my successor.”

“Thank you, Mage Master. Oh, and…”

Her clothing had four armholes.

The two lower holes were empty.

Those empty holes wriggled, and soon, two new arms sprouted forth.

It was a remarkable feat that one could expect from Erpa, who was one of the top authorities on body modification magic.

“It was quite inconvenient having no arms. When researching or writing, having extra arms certainly helps.”

Erpa calmly folded her four arms as she spoke.

“Are you sure? There may still be insults directed at you again.”

At Jurgen’s words, Erpa shook her head.

“What others say no longer matters to me. I’ve been recognized by her. I’m no longer ashamed of having these four arms.”

“…….”

“I’ll take my leave now, Mage Master. See you tomorrow.”

She bowed politely and walked out of the room.

Jurgen sat in silence, as if possessed by a ghost, before breaking into a smile.

“The Saint of Healing, huh.”

Having scoffed at religion and faith his whole life, Jurgen, for the first time, pondered whether faith might be necessary in this world.

“Was it the Lilia Church they called it? Should I pay them a visit?”

Jurgen muttered softly.

He was a researcher.

Satisfying his curiosity was extremely difficult to resist.