Saintess - Chapter 17 - Belle Reservoir

Chapter 17

Translator: Yonnee

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Many years ago, missionaries came to distribute bread in her village. Only, the people who were given bread were just the ones who could memorize the Ten Commandments and recite them without a single mistake.

Of course, the nation’s treasury had become so increasingly scarce that donation drives like that had become difficult to do, and they had been suspended for a long time now.

At that time, Agnes made sure to memorize the Ten Commandments with all her heart.

Even if she couldn’t remember all its contents completely anymore, she could recall this one point for sure.

—A married person must never commit adultery.

There’s no way that the saintess sitting in front of her did not know this fact.

Wasn’t the saintess someone who constantly studied the sacred doctrines and was in contact with God more than anyone else?

In the end, as if she could fully understand Agnes’s concern, Veronica nodded.

“Agnes, have you forgotten that you have sinned and incurred the wrath of God by the very act of adultery in the first place?”

“But…!”

She could say nothing back.

No matter how much Agnes screamed and shouted that she was not a saintess, no one believed her.

Even the count, the master of this huge manor, told her to repent for her sins.

“You know about the prophecy to capture the obscene saintess, don’t you?”

This time, Agnes nodded slowly.

It was a widespread fact that there was one particular saintess who had committed adultery with another man and betrayed God.

So, as everyone had been hellbent on capturing that saintess of the prophecy, Agnes had been suddenly mistaken for that saintess and was dragged away.

However, the general public did not know the rest of the prophecy.

Even at this moment, it was clear that they would be looking forward to the tragic downfall of that obscene saintess.

Agnes did not know what her fate was either.

As she had been branded as a saintess, she assumed that she would be burned at the stake like the witches before her. Fortunately, the count had denied this.

However, what ended up being in store for her was even more unfortunate.

It was a hundred—or perhaps a thousand—times better for her to just be burned at the stake, for the flames to devour her entirely and leave nothing but her ashes left.

Rather than to be raped by a man who was not her husband and conceive an unwanted child.

Even so, Veronica’s subsequent words were enough to tear her heart apart.

“It is the prophecy that has come down upon us. Agnes, you must carry Count Toulouse’s child to relieve God’s wrath and end the long drought.”

“W-What nonsense… I, I am… I really am not a saintess, I’m not, I’m not. Please believe me!”

Agnes’s eyes trembled as tears flowed down.

She had repeated the same words so many times already, but once again, she cried against the injustice being served to her.

Even if it was futile, she couldn’t just give up like this.

“Hiiicc, Saintess Veronica, please. There must be some mistake. If it is the Almighty God… He can’t be this cruel. It is said that God loves us all! Or is it because I have sinned so much?”

“Have you sinned, Agnes?”

“I-I’m… I really am not the saintess, but… it’s true that I have committed sins in my life. When I was very young, I stole a piece of bread… I, I also once blamed my husband whenever he struggled with his illness…”

“Agnes, those kinds of sins are committed by all humans.”

Veronica’s solemn voice resounded low.

Her unwavering gaze was directed on only Agnes.

She looked into Agnes’s eyes for a long while, but eventually bowed down.

From her, the mysterious scent which Agnes also smelled in the temple lingered at the tip of her nose.

“I am here to help you.”

“Help… me…?”

Agnes did not expect Veronica to say this.

Just a moment ago, she had asked Agnes to carry another man’s child, yet this time, she’s telling Agnes that she would help her.

“It’s regrettable, but… No one knows better than I do that you are not a saintess.”

“You… believe me?”

Reaching forward, Veronica’s long, slender fingers gently caressed Agnes’s cheek.

For a moment, Agnes was mesmerized by the simple and pious movement.

Veronica’s eyes were filled with compassion and sympathy.

“Dear Saintess! I truly am not a saintess. It’s absolutely impossible. I have a family I need to care for. My husband is sick, and my mother-in-law is blind. Besides that, her mind is not completely sound. So, please… Please send me back to my family…”

Agnes had no other choice.

All she could do was cling to the hand of the one person who’s saying that she trusted and believed her.

Agnes’s face was filled with desperation.

Veronica held Agnes’s hand tightly back.

She lowered her voice even more.

Agnes and Veronica were the only two people inside the drawing room, but she seemed to be worried that her words could be heard, that the walls might have ears.

“In one hundred days, it will be the period of penance.”

Whenever the period for the sacrament of confession were to approach, the churches would always be crowded with visitors.

On the surface, anyone—regardless of their status—could confess. However, most of the chances to do so were occupied by aristocrats because they were capable of giving high donations.

Therefore, the church made up for this by holding the period of penance twice a year. The church would not receive any donations during this time, and this would ease the people’s pain at the same time.

Still though, such irregularities still persisted. Somehow or another, tickets were being sold on a first come, first serve basis to the nobles, so it remained the same that very few commoners could confess.

In all her life, Agnes had also never confessed.

“Find me at the cathedral then. I will help you run away.”

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