Chapter 13 The Origin and End Part 3
The Church should have killed her the moment she refused to become a saint.
I mean it seriously.
Those high-ranking officials living in the Holy City were clearly overly confident in their outdated and rigid methods of indoctrination. They did not recognize the severity of the situation immediately. After Teresa told them that she could not accept and was unable to bear such a heavy responsibility, and only wished to continue living as before, obediently performing her duties as a nun, no one could see the thorns and brambles already rooted and sprouting in her heart, destined to cover her entire path.
The young Pope handled the matter very mildly; he chose to follow her wishes.
Perhaps the Pope had his own considerations. He was not a foolish person at all. On the contrary, I have studied him. He is undoubtedly a bold and meticulous ambitious man. Perhaps he still wants to use this woman to achieve more of his goals.
But regardless, a devout believer like Teresa, who does not act for personal gain or benefit, but preserves a pure heart, once her faith is destroyed, will inevitably choose another path. Those saints will also have to bear the consequences.
And I will guide her onto the most extreme path.
I want her to become the Church’s most terrifying enemy.
I have confidence in this.
Nowadays, Teresa has lost her qualification to succeed the eighty-ninth Saint. She approached me a year after losing her qualification.
In this year, Teresa continued to work diligently as an ordinary nun, day after day, fulfilling her responsibilities under the strict surveillance of the Church. Not only did she show no abnormal behavior, but she even regained the trust of some of the higher-ups.
Soon, she will be transferred back to the capital of Isenbel to oversee important religious activities there. While handling these matters, she was secretly manipulated behind the scenes. In just one year, she managed to find us through the clown and reach the Gate of Truth.
Impressive!
I revised my previous assessment of her in my heart. This is a cunning woman, especially skilled at disguising herself, a frighteningly persistent woman.
She knows exactly what she is doing. She always knows her goal and desired outcome, never swayed by any temptation.
I need someone like her to work for me. I already have an idea.
But the biggest problem currently lies with the clown.
November 20, 1182
I successfully convinced the clown.
Controlling that madman, making him act mostly according to my will, is difficult, yet simple.
I understand what he desires most. It took me a long time to tell him about my series of plans. I told him that keeping Teresa alive and making her our senator would be far more interesting than tormenting an ordinary nun stripped of her saintly status by the Church.
I also told him that I plan to let Teresa undergo the ritual of the Goddess first. This is the prerequisite for her to cooperate with us. I want to make her a true “heretic,” allowing her to embrace the power of the fires of sin. This is a crucial test of Teresa’s sincerity; I cannot simply believe her words alone.
Once she survives the ritual, gains the identity of a “heretic,” and acquires the power of the fires of sin, it will be nearly impossible for her to betray us.
Teresa possesses a physical “gift.” She is the kind of person I desperately need right now. I urgently want the ritual to truly succeed on her. For this, I am willing to
I buried the last Angel Egg inside this woman’s body — of course, without her knowledge.
I needed her to possess the power of the raging fire; I needed to use her success as a sacrifice to stabilize people’s hearts.
And the clown needed the essence of this matter.
A devout saint, revered by millions, privately held the identity of a Truth Gate council member. This identity would certainly be revealed in the near future. It would be best if it happened just before the war arrived, so it could deal a greater blow and cause more chaos to the church and the deceived masses. This was what he most hoped for.
The clown said he could hardly wait to see that day come.
To deal with this man, one must follow his desires, or the situation would become uncontrollable.
November 21, 1182
Theresa agreed to my request very straightforwardly, leaving all my prepared arguments useless.
I had underestimated the twisted belief in this woman’s heart. I hadn’t expected her reason for agreeing was that after knowing the truth, she would never again use the profane, forcefully obtained power. In fact, she hadn’t used any faith-based power in the past year, but at the same time, she understood that without power, it would be impossible to truly change the future and quell the terrible disaster.
The power of the Truth Gate was granted by the true deity, Lady Sins.
Moreover, the cost would be borne more by herself rather than affecting innocent civilians — this was something she could accept. I merely guided her slightly with words, but it was indeed the case.
I couldn’t quite understand her thoughts and logic. What we were doing was difficult; even if we gave everything, our path ahead remained uncertain, and every bit of strength was precious. To be overly cautious, setting unnecessary boundaries for oneself, was foolish.
But I knew that Theresa was not a foolish or soft-hearted person.
Yet, she did set boundaries for herself, perhaps for redemption or some other reason. In any case, I could see her determination.
After much thought, I could only tell myself that this woman was probably a madwoman.
A determined and calm madwoman.
But such a madwoman might be the most terrifying.
December 28, 1182
After returning to Epilista, instead of going to Messer Town, I brought Theresa and Sebastian directly to the Sand Valley, to the place where the essence was located, to meet the goddess.
I needed Theresa to believe that what I said was not a lie.
In front of the essence, Theresa knelt down and prayed for a long time. I heard her constantly apologizing.
I buried the Angel Egg inside her body.
January 1183
The sacrifice was successful!
Remarkable, Theresa is truly remarkable! No wonder the church hailed her as a genius of a hundred years; her receptivity is too strong, undoubtedly the best vessel among humans, almost comparable to me!
From then on, she will become a true heretic, becoming the third council member of the Truth Gate. Soon, I recalled everyone and informed them of this matter, and told Theresa about my next plan…
Creak—
Just as I was intently and quickly browsing through the content of my notes, the door was pushed open again.
I turned around, rubbed my eyes, and saw the little girl carrying a large plate, moving with an unwilling small step, timidly approaching me.
“Grandpa said to bring you food…”
