Chapter 214

A letter flew in from the Eternity Clan. Well, to be precise, from Yoo Ju.

Looks like she’s more worried than expected about the prolonged trip to the Holy Kingdom.

‘…What the heck, there’s not even a single word about worrying for others.’

The letter is filled with nothing but concerns about me. And how hard it is not seeing me for so long.

From reading the letter, it strongly feels like Yoo Ju wants to come over to the Holy Kingdom.

‘That can’t happen.’

Not just because Yoo Ju is the Clan Master, but the most important reason is that this is the Holy Kingdom.

If the higher-ups are keeping an eye on Yoo Ju, bringing her to the Holy Kingdom, where the administrators’ influence is strongest, is something I want to avoid at all costs.

‘I miss her too, but I’ll be back soon, so there’s no need for her to come.’

Honestly, looking at the current situation, it doesn’t seem like I’ll be back soon, but the problem is that it’s not something I can resolve on my own.

‘Damn it…’

Yoo Ju must be frustrated, and I’m equally annoyed with the current situation.

If the Saintess hadn’t helped me before, I might have slapped her.

Even the new kids at the church, who looked uneasy at first, now seem to be full of smiles.

From the outside, the nuns seem to be treating the kids very well, and the church provides them with space to stay, clothes, and meals, so it’s only natural.

‘…Only one month left, just one month.’

After investigating in various ways, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly strange about the church.

If the Saintess’s request for investigation is related to those kids, then it all comes down to the new education they’re supposed to receive in a month.

“Lee Yun-seong, I’ve looked into the new task you requested.”

“Ah, Choi Ga-in.”

I thought Choi Ga-in would be faster at investigating than Yoon Yeon or Wi Ho-yeon, so I personally asked her for a favor.

“As you said, last year the church took in orphans at regular intervals. However…”

“Is there something strange?”

“…Yes. The nuns and priests believed the children were sent to other churches, but according to my separate investigation, no one has seen the children since.”

‘No one has seen them since…’

“I even personally visited other churches to inquire, but I couldn’t find them either.”

“…If what Choi Ga-in says is true, that’s definitely strange.”

‘Definitely smells fishy.’

It seems like we need to have some insurance to investigate the church more deeply.

‘I need to send a letter to the Saintess.’

In case things go wrong or escalate, I need to clearly establish responsibility with her.

‘If she’s putting me in danger, she should take responsibility, right? Right?’

******

A month has passed since the children at the church started their nun training.

Since I heard that after this, only a few related personnel would be able to see them, it was only natural to attach a chimera in advance.

‘…Did the church have a basement?’

Now, the children are being led by two knights into the church’s underground.

Despite moving underground, the children don’t seem bothered, probably due to the kindness the church has shown them over the past month.

There’s no trace of anxiety or wariness on their faces.

‘Well, they were clothed and fed.’

Soon, they arrived at an entirely white underground.

It was a white spectacle to the point of feeling alien.

‘…Are those statues carved to resemble gods? And what’s with the pipes?’

The statues aside, the large pipes connected to the exterior don’t match the place.

“Bishop, we’ve brought the candidates.”

“Good. All six seem to be in good condition.”

The bishop spoke to the children.

“Welcome, holy children.”

One of the children raised her hand and cautiously asked.

“Um… Are we receiving our training here?”

She seems puzzled about receiving training in such a suspicious underground.

“No. You’re not here for training. You’re here to receive a blessing.”

“A… blessing?”

“Yes. But not all of you will receive the blessing.”

“Huh?”

The children are murmuring, as this is different from what they’ve been told.

But the bishop continues without minding their reactions.

“It’s truly a gracious thing. Out of many children, only you six have the potential to receive the blessing. Rejoice.”

“Wh-what do you mean? A blessing? I don’t understand…”

“You’ll find out soon. Which one of you is most suitable to become the next Saintess.”

‘What?’

Even I’m baffled by the conversation, but the most baffled must be the children there.

“Th-the Saintess?”

“Yes, depending on your qualities, one of you may become the Saintess.”

‘So, the candidates weren’t for nuns but for the Saintess?’

“W-we never heard about this. We were just here for training to become nuns…”

“Forget that. The month we gave you was just to let you adapt to the church.”

“B-but…”

As the children grow uneasy with the sudden revelation, the bishop twitches his eyebrows and speaks again.

“What? Are you refusing the grace of becoming the Saintess?”

It’s only natural that the children are scared by the bishop’s changed demeanor.

“Becoming the Saintess is the closest one can get to God. Refusing this opportunity is unthinkable.”

Naturally, the children couldn’t easily speak up.

The alien space, the different story, the bishop’s changed demeanor.

“Do you see that device?”

At the bishop’s words, their gazes all turn to one spot.





And what’s there is…

‘A bathtub?’

A device that looks like a giant bathtub. The only weird thing is that huge pipes are connected to the bathtub.

“Over there, we will carve holy marks into your bodies for a year. It will be painful, but it’s a necessary process for you to become Saintesses.”

‘These guys, seriously…’

Before I could even continue my thoughts, the eldest-looking child among them asked the Bishop a question.

“…Bishop. You said only one of us can become a Saintess… Then what happens to those who don’t become the Saintess? Do the rest become nuns?”

“……”

The Bishop didn’t answer their question. He just hardened his expression and maintained his silence.

“…Bishop?”

“…It’s not guaranteed that there is someone among you who can become a Saintess. Even if there is, only one of you will become the Saintess. However, even if all of you fail, you will become the material for the next Saintess, so this is also a truly gracious thing.”

‘Ha, these crazy bastards.’

“…What?”

They all looked dumbfounded, as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

‘So this is why they bring orphans here periodically.’

Now I finally understand why the Saintess didn’t like her position and why she said those things.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly while watching that situation. Knowing the dark side of the Holy Kingdom made everything seem ridiculous.

‘What’s the difference between those bastards and Bahan or Rekalux?’

It’s not my place to say, but those involved in this matter seemed no different from dark sorcerers who use people as test subjects.

“What do you mean… material…?”

It’s not an overreaction to feel strange when someone refers to people as material.

“It means you will abandon your flesh and become the material for the holy marks. There’s no need to be afraid. This is all part of God’s plan.”

‘Ugh… crazy bastard.’

I was utterly shocked by how calmly he said such things in front of the people involved.

“The blood and magic you shed to carve the holy marks will create the Saintess. You are all contributing to a great and sacred cause.”

After hearing the word “material,” anyone who isn’t a fool would understand what that means.

The children’s faces turned pale, and some of the more sensitive ones were even trembling.

‘Ha, these bastards who serve God are doing this kind of stuff.’

I couldn’t see any difference between them and the dark sorcerers who believe in demons and conduct horrific experiments.

‘Is this why the Saintess sent me here?’

Suddenly, I had a question. The Saintess must have gone through this process herself, so what exactly does she want from me?

‘To expose this? Or…’

If the process of creating a Saintess were to be exposed, the Holy Kingdom would suffer irreversible damage.

No, it’s not just that. The higher-ups would definitely be affected too.

‘Then why? Does Aitas also want this to be exposed?’

Soon, one of the children, with a terrified face, shouted.

“I, I don’t want to!”

“What did you say?”

“If I have to go through that to become a Saintess, then I don’t want to be one!”

Right after the girl finished speaking, the Bishop hardened his face and approached her.

“Ah… B, Bishop?”

Snap –

“How dare…! How dare you refuse the blessing?! How dare you commit such blasphemy by rejecting the grace bestowed by the gods! You have been chosen! Among many, you have been chosen!”

“P, please stop… Please, Bishop…”

“You are a heretic, a heretic! How dare you utter such nonsense! Even the current Saintess went through this process to reach her position! You must understand pain to comprehend and empathize with the pain of others!”

“Ahh…”

“Say it again! Refuse? You don’t want to be a Saintess? Say it again, I dare you!”

‘Crazy bastard.’

I agree that you need to experience pain to understand others’ pain, but it’s absurd for someone sitting comfortably in a high position, enjoying all the perks, to say such things.

The girl, frightened by the Bishop’s intimidation, trembled and spoke.

“S, sorry… I, I’m not a heretic. I…”

“Then never utter such words again! I’ll let it slide this time since it’s your first offense, but if you say something like that again, I’ll severely punish you!”

“Sniff…”

The Bishop turned his gaze away from the girl he had been intimidating and shouted at the others.

“The same goes for all of you. You are Saintess candidates. Becoming a Saintess means being reborn as the protector of this continent. If you dare to utter such blasphemous words, I will not forgive you!”

“Hiccup…!”

The Bishop’s eyes were not normal. I remember seeing people with such eyes back on Earth.

‘People who fanatically believe in something.’

Whether it’s money or God, people who are fanatically obsessed with something and focus solely on it had those kinds of eyes.

Soon, the Bishop pointed at a girl and spoke.

“Ella, get into the bathtub. And take off your top so your back is visible.”

“…What?”

“Do you see the nun over there? She will carve the holy marks on your back. Of course, this won’t end today. It will be painful and agonizing. But endure it. Only then can you become a Saintess.”