Saintess - Chapter 39 - Belle Reservoir

Chapter 39

Translator: Yonnee

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“Dear Saintess, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for absolving me of my sins.”

A devotee bowed to Veronica and left the cathedral.

Even though today’s last guest had already left, Veronica did not even think of leaving the confessional booth. She was waiting for someone.

But gradually, a question started plaguing her mind.

Because today was the last day for the sacrament of confession.

“Saintess Veronica, I’m here to lock the confessional’s door.”

When the priest outside the door said this, Veronica’s eyes shook uneasily.

However she soon regained composure and slowly rose from her seat.

“Saintess, are you waiting for someone?”

“By any chance…”

Veronica was about to ask the priest if he had heard anything about Agnes, but she stopped herself.

It was clear that the pope would be the first to make the announcement if Agnes had become pregnant and was unable to come here.

The people started to clamor, asking why the saintess had yet to become pregnant after all this time, but the pope continued to keep silent about the matter.

“No, never mind. After everything, she must not have chosen to come.”

Murmuring to herself, Veronica looked up at the statue that’s been nailed to the wall.

No one had the right to reproach Agnes, whichever path she’d choose.

Even so, Veronica prayed briefly.

I pray that she will be happy.

But at that moment.

An unexpected person appeared.

The person striding across the wide corridor of the cathedral was none other than Count Raon Toulouse.

For an instant, Veronica’s eyes grew wide.

“What brings you here, Count…?”

“The Saintess has repented.”

“……!”

Even if Raon had said merely four words, Veronica instantly understood the whole situation.

In the end, Agnes had directly confessed that she was the saintess of the prophecy.

Veronica did not feel surprised to hear this. At the back of her mind, she was already expecting it.

And here, Veronica made a different decision.

“…Count. May I ask that you follow me for a moment? There’s something I’d like to show you.”

The place where Veronica led him was in a prayer room at the top floor of the cathedral.

Let alone the general public being allowed to enter this place, and only those who were in the most contact with God amongst the clergy were given permission to enter.

“This is…”

Raon stopped in his tracks.

He had a hunch that this was a place where ordinary people should not enter.

Noticing Raon’s reaction, Veronica nodded slowly.

It was an implicit permission for him to come in.

The two of them approached the raised platform.

And there, perched upon a podium, was the silver basin that had been used to identify Agnes as a saintess during the ceremony.

With the sound of a splash, the plate was soon filled with pure holy water.

“Look closely, Count.”

“Saintess…?”

Right then.

Veronica bit down on her finger, made it bleed, and let her red blood trickle down into the holy water.

In an instant, Raon’s eyes grew big.

“……!”

It was unbelievable.

From where Veronica’s blood touched the holy water, black smoke rose.

This was the very sign of a witch—the proof of evil.

At the bizarre phenomenon, Raon was in a daze, looking as if he could not comprehend what was occurring right in front of him.

Droves of women who’d been proven to be witches had been dragged to the gallows, to be dealt with by the executioner. Hadn’t they all been named as ‘witches’ in the first place through mixing their blood with this holy water?

Utterly taken aback, Raon asked Veronica.

“Why did black smoke…”

“I can be a saintess if I so wish. And I can also be made a witch.”

“…I don’t understand what you mean.”

“It would be the same if you mix your blood in it, Raon.”

“……!”

“This is what I mean to say. Everything is a lie.”

Raon’s expression hardened.

The faces of countless upon countless women who lost their lives to the widespread witch hunt flashed before his eyes.

Even until just before they were set ablaze at the stake, their voices rang loudly behind his ears.

I am not a witch! I am not a witch!

“How could you do this in the name of the Almighty God…!”

“Listen to me, Raon. Religion is built upon fear, not faith. It is for this reason that theocracy has managed to hold its ground and compete against the imperial family’s might.”

“Why are you showing me the truth? If it was such a detestable, despicable truth, it would have been better not to know!”

The Devere Empire had been suffering under a long, long drought.

As public sentiment plummeted, so did the power that was held by the imperial family.

Religion was the only thing left that could salvage this, but this, too, gradually became useless in the face of detrimental hunger and strife.

The theocracy had repeatedly sought solutions to divert the anger of the masses, misleading them willfully.

As a result, witch hunts became massively widespread.

However, there was a limit to those witch hunts.

Even after thousands of women had become ashes against the wind, the drought showed not a single sign of abating.

After this, what came forth as the next ‘solution’ was the obscene saintess of the prophecy.

The obscene saintess, a woman who had committed the unforgivable sin of adultery against God.

Taking after the Almighty God’s features, the saintess was a woman who had beautiful silver hair who was living with her family—a blind old woman for a mother-in-law, and a leper for a husband.

The church had created such an existence that could very possibly be found somewhere out there, but could hardly be found that easily.

“Do you know why you have been pointed out as the man who must conceive a child with the saintess?”

“Do you think I have not been asking that same question? Why me? Why was it me?!”

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