Chapter 215

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

“Ha, but…”

As the girl named Ella hesitated, the bishop spoke with a cold expression.

“…Ella. You’re not thinking of defying Metatron’s will, are you?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that…”

“Then go in. Ella, if you’re not a heretic, go in there and offer your blood. Offer your magic.”

As the girl named Ella, on the verge of tears, tried to take a step forward, the girl who seemed to be the eldest sister pushed her back and spoke.

“…Bishop. I’ll go first.”

“…Lisa. You’ll go first?”

“Yes, Bishop. As the eldest sister, I’ll go first. So today…”

“Hahaha! Good! That’s the right attitude! Yes, that’s it! It’s a gracious act. Truly gracious. Lisa, you’re excellent. Truly excellent.”

“…Yes. Thank you, Bishop.”

“Good, step into the tub. And then show your back.”

The girl named Lisa didn’t hesitate and took a step forward.

Well, at least her feet did.

Her face betrayed the fear of what she was about to endure.

‘It’s only natural to be scared.’

In that situation, it’s impossible not to be scared.

At least this girl, being the eldest among the children, was stepping forward while suppressing her fear.

“Lisa, what are you doing? Show your back to the nun.”

“…Yes.”

Sssk—

The scene that followed made even me frown.

“Ugh… N-nun?”

“Endure it, Lisa. You must endure it. To become a proper saintess, you must go through this.”

“B-but… that’s…”

The girl named Lisa was trembling uncontrollably as the blade touched her back.

Sssk—

“Ahhh! Wait, wait! It hurts—!”

“Don’t worry. It won’t leave a scar. This is a process you must endure for a year. If you endure for a year, a holy mark will form on your back.”

“Sob… No. Something’s wrong! How can this keep going…”

‘Ha, these guys are seriously insane.’

The sight of a blade cutting into flesh made me doubt if I was seeing this correctly.

The fact that such barbaric acts were being carried out in the basement of a church building was just absurd.

Soon, red blood began to flow into the large, white tub.

In an entirely white space, the girl’s screams and the red liquid flowing into the tub created a bizarre and chilling scene.

Even I, watching through a chimera, felt uneasy. Those present must have felt extreme terror beyond discomfort.

“This, what is this…”

“This is weird… This is, this is wrong…”

“What do you mean it’s wrong? Did you think you could become a saintess without any trials?”

“W-we were told we’d become nuns…”

“Ella, what did I say earlier?”

At the bishop’s cold words, the girl named Ella closed her mouth with a pale face.

“All of you, look at Lisa. Are you just scared by what you see? Lisa is taking her first step to become a saintess.”

“…Send us back.”

“What?”

At the words of another girl, the bishop widened his eyes and turned his gaze.

“…If we have to go through this, I don’t want it… Send Lisa and all of us back… Please…”

“You cannot leave this place. Until the holy mark is complete, no one is allowed contact with the outside world for a year.”

“T-that’s insane! That’s kidnapping! Abduction! How…!”

“…….”

“Please send us back… I won’t even come near the church. I beg you… Please…”

“…This won’t do, this won’t do. Plue, you’ve blasphemed. You’ve defiled the sacred process of becoming a saintess. You dared to say what should never be said.”

“…What?”

“Two knights, take that girl to the punishment room.”

“…Yes, Bishop.”

Two men who appeared to be knights grabbed the girl’s arms and began dragging her away.

“Huh? B-Bishop?!”

“You must repent. Child, you must repent. With that mindset, you can never become a saintess…!”

“No! No! Let go! The punishment room? I don’t want to go! Please—!”

‘……’

As one girl was dragged away, the other girls remained silent, trembling in fear.

On one side, screams of pain echoed, while on the other, a girl was being dragged away by knights.

These children, barely even adults, didn’t dare to resist.

“Did you all see? I understand screaming in pain. But if you utter blasphemous words, you’ll be dragged to the punishment room like that girl.”

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, the bishop’s expression softened, and he began to speak kindly.

“Children. I don’t hate you. Neither does Metatron. In fact, I love you. You are vessels who can become the protectors of the holy kingdom, and even this continent.”

“……”

“If you quietly fulfill your duties, I won’t say anything harsh to you. I am a bishop. A clergyman. Just a faithful believer who loves children.”

‘Insane bastard.’

I felt an intense disgust. This guy does these things? No, that wasn’t the issue.

In a way, I’ve also committed countless evil deeds. I don’t think of myself as a good person.

If I had to lean towards good or evil, I’d definitely be the villain.

But the reason I felt such loathing towards him was that his face looked like he genuinely believed he loved those girls.

Unlike the intimidating glare from before, the face he was making now was that of a benevolent clergyman.

‘…This is annoying.’

Coming to the holy kingdom, seeing this spectacle, the saintess’s request—everything was starting to piss me off.

‘So, what do you want from me?’



I feel like grabbing the Saintess by the collar.

‘Is this my call? You said I could decide for myself, right? Huh?’

I got a clear promise about responsibility. If my investigation blows up, the Saintess herself will take full responsibility.

‘You bitch, you said it yourself. Whatever I do from now on, you’ve already accepted it.’

I didn’t need to watch that bullshit anymore.

I immediately cut off the connection with the chimera, got up, and started moving.

Sure, I planned to flip everything over, but realistically, I couldn’t do it alone.

If I tried to do something by myself, I’d just get caught instantly and branded a heretic.

As I approached the group, they reacted before I could even open my mouth.

“…What? Why do you look like that?”

“…Lee Yun-seong?”

“…..”

They must’ve sensed something was off from my expression.

“…I’m about to do something big. Are you two okay with that?”

“What?”

“Lee Yun-seong, what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me. I’m just annoyed.”

Yoon Yeon looked me in the eye and asked seriously.

“What’s going on? Why are you acting like this? Explain properly.”

“I’m just going to flip everything over.”

“What?”

“Yeon noona, you’re from another clan, so you don’t need to get involved in this. It could seriously backfire on you.”

“You…”

“I’ve got insurance, but in the worst-case scenario, I might end up making enemies with the Holy Kingdom. There’s also a good chance I’ll be labeled a heretic.”

“……”

“What I’m about to do is a bit extreme. I thought about it, and this seems like the fastest and most accurate way to solve things.”

“…So? You’re saying I should back off because it might hurt me?”

“Yeah. If you join me, we might end up killing a few people today. Holy Kingdom folks, of course.”

“…..”

“So, there’s no need to follow me now. Wi Ho-yeon, same goes for you.”

What I said was sincere, but I could only say it because I was confident.

Confident that both Yoon Yeon and Wi Ho-yeon would follow me.

‘As for Choi Ga-in…’

Choi Ga-in was just watching the situation with a confused look on her face.

“Choi Ga-in, just stay back. You don’t need to get involved in this.”

“But…”

“Not getting involved won’t put you at any disadvantage.”

Choi Ga-in was hesitating, clearly conflicted. She’s not alone, after all.

As a woman with children, she wouldn’t want to get tangled up in something like this.

Even though I hadn’t explained the details, she could probably tell from my demeanor that things were serious.

Leaving the conflicted Choi Ga-in behind, Wi Ho-yeon spoke up first.

“…I don’t know what’s going on, but if it’s Lee Yun-seong’s decision, I’ll follow. I’m sure there’s a reason.”

‘Good.’

Wi Ho-yeon following me was good news. Sure, she might be in danger, but the Church didn’t seem to have any particularly strong figures.

‘But the knights are tricky.’

The knights weren’t overwhelmingly strong individually, but they weren’t weak either. At least average.

And there were at least a dozen knights in the Church.

“…Little brother.”

I turned to Yoon Yeon when she called me.

“…I’ll come too. But what’s going on? You need to explain.”

“It’s complicated. You’ll understand when you see it.”

“Sigh…”

Yoon Yeon didn’t seem too happy with my attitude.

‘I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s better to just see it with your own eyes.’

They’d understand once they saw it anyway.

******

“Ah, you’re here again today.”

“…Sister Res.”

“But I see some unfamiliar faces. Fellow adventurers…?”

“…Sister Res, do you know what kind of education the children are receiving?”

“Huh? What are you talking about…?”

Maybe it was because of my unusual demeanor, but Sister Res looked puzzled.

“Well, they’re receiving nun education. Though I’m not the one teaching them right now…”

‘As expected, it’s clear that only a few people know.’

Sister Res might be lying to me, but from what I’ve seen, she doesn’t seem like the type.

“Sister Res, leave the Church right now. Take the other sisters with you.”

“…What? What are you talking about? Leave the Church?”

She looked at me like she couldn’t understand what I was saying. Her usual gaze was replaced with confusion.

But I had no intention of convincing her. Even if someone got caught up in my mess, it wasn’t my concern.

The three beside me also looked bewildered. They probably expected me to take a more peaceful approach.

‘Peaceful methods are a waste of time.’

Peaceful methods sound nice, but the approach depends on the opponent.

No matter how much you try to resolve things peacefully, it’s just a waste of breath if the other side won’t listen.

But for those unrelated to this, it’s just an opportunity. A chance to get out of the way.

“If you don’t leave the Church right now, you’ll witness something unpleasant. I’ve warned you clearly.”