Saintess - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Translator: Yonnee
—
At the underground prayer room of the count’s manor—
Gold candlesticks were positioned throughout and lit up the room with a gentle glow. And Raon, who was kneeling upon the velvet carpet, was absorbed in prayer.
This basement had once been the cellar of this manor before, but the moment Raon had decided to serve God, he converted this place into a prayer room.
With a cross in His embrace, the giant sculpture of God quietly looked down at the praying Raon.
As such, God always looked so benevolent to him.
The temperature inside the prayer room was low.
There was a fireplace here, but Raon did not light up a fire whenever he prayed, even if it was the middle of winter.
This was because he thought that warmth made humans complacent and slothful.
Raon closed his eyes.
His straight forehead, raised brow bone, angular nose, and sun-like blond hair were enough to exhibit that he was of noble blood.
He wore only a simple white shirt and formal pants, and so compared to other high-born aristocrats, he looked relatively modest.
The only accessory that he wore was a modest emerald on a bolo tie over his shirt. Even so, the emerald too was to symbolize God.
This was so that each and every moment in Raon’s daily life was in contact with God.
Soon, his heavy voice resounded throughout the underground prayer room.
His prayer to God was more pious and virtuous than ever.
“O Almighty God, I believe that You are always with us, and as my weak heart dares to stray foolishly, I humbly beseech Your merciful grace.”
Raon’s prayer was like a perfect masterpiece.
His appearance as he prayed was so elegant that it was clear how any painter would want to capture and immortalize him and this moment in a painting.
It was of no exaggeration to say that he looked like a saint from heaven itself.
Due to his heavenly appearance, there was also a plethora of noble young ladies from various households who adored Raon.
There were even some of them who stopped by the church every day for worship just in case they might be able to see him.
The young ladies couldn’t help but sigh and feel bitter regret when Raon, who suddenly started living at the capital, suddenly announced that he would serve God wholeheartedly.
If a man were to walk down the path towards becoming a true priest, he would completely lose his reproductive abilities as a man through chemical castration.
Faced with the reality that Raon would soon become unable to take a woman, the noble young ladies felt utterly disappointed.
But Raon himself minded not other people’s regrets. Instead, he steadily built his faith.
He continued his life of asceticism by divesting everything, whether it be appetite, sleep or sexual desire.
He stayed away from any and all greasy food, so his meals were mostly comprised of oatmeal, bread or soup—only enough to abate his hunger.
He slept only four hours a day at most, and whenever he was awake, he attended worship, read the Bible or was out on volunteer work to hand out food. It was to help his fellow men who were suffering from starvation due to the long drought.
Of course, the most difficult thing to control among human urges was sexual desire.
Raon, a 25-year-old hot-blooded young man, could not feel any more disgusted by his own genitals, which stood prominent every morning.
Whenever his manhood was erect, he subjected himself to flogging until it would go down just so he could control his lust.
The wounds and scars around his groin were all self-inflicted.
It had already been half a year ever since the prophecy about the saintess’s conception had been announced.
Raon remained single for all his life and he had promised God his purity and cleanliness.
However, God’s response was the opposite.
It was for the saintess herself to partake in intercourse and to let a child be formed inside her stomach.
At first, Raon felt frustrated.
His faith faltered because he could not understand God’s will.
He dared to question why He was giving such a harsh punishment.
All of the empire’s people were eager to find the saintess.
However, the woman whose appearance and circumstances matched the prophecy had yet to appear.
In the meantime, the people suffered more from the ensuing famine, and more and more deaths from starvation continued.
After witnessing such a tragedy with his own eyes, Raon realized one important fact.
It was grace, not punishment, that God had given him.
It was clear that the one and only God was no longer able to watch humanity’s suffering.
So, He gave him the opportunity to apologize for humanity’s crimes himself.
Raon finally accepted that it was his fate to conceive with the saintess.
Even if he could not become an ordained priest, he vowed to continue to serve God forever and live the rest of his life as such.
Raon’s prayers rarely ended before half a day had passed.
He constantly uttered prayers, sang hymns and recited the Bible.
Despite the freezing temperature of the prayer room, drops of sweat had formed upon Raon’s forehead.
Then, the door to the prayer room suddenly opened, and Clovis, the household’s butler, entered distraughtly.
Whenever Raon was in the prayer room, it was always his dedicated time to God, so he specifically asked that nobody disrupt him.
Clovis had been serving the countdom by Raon’s side for a very long time, and he was very well aware that the only time the master’s temper would rise sharply was if his time with God were to be disturbed.
Nevertheless, Clovis determinedly walked further into the room.
With a deathly pale face, he said,
“M-Milord. The S-S-Saintess, she has been found.”
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