Saintess - Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Translator: Yonnee
—
At Raon’s question, Veronica replied.
“Even such a devout believer like you is being tested by God. How would others feel to watch your struggle?”
“Ha…”
“Their fear of God will only grow. And with that, they’re going to believe in God even more desperately. They shall clasp their hands together and say, ‘Please, Almighty God, I pray that I will not be put unto trial as much as him.’”
As people’s fear of God grew, so too would religion grow in power.
Pope Andreas and all the popes before him had used this tactic to maintain religiosity’s power for centuries on end.
Raon closed his eyes.
Back then, when he had suddenly heard the prophecy, his long eyelashes had trembled as though they were a butterfly’s fragile wings.
“Then tell me. In the first place, does God even exist?”
“If you believe in God, then He shall exist. If you don’t believe in God, you shall perish forever. …This is what His Holiness told me.”
Veronica recalled the time when she had been anointed as a saintess.
When Pope Andreas had reached out to her, as an orphan, he had become her only salvation.
She was a lowly girl wandering the streets, yet she became a saintess overnight. People praised her.
Veronica then served God to the best of her abilities, although she had never been vocal when preaching the scriptures.
This was because she had kept in her heart the Pope’s words—he said that God exists, thus she believed wholeheartedly that He does exist.
Therefore, she sincerely prayed for those who were suffering, and she tried whatever she could to relieve the burdens they carried within their hearts.
In the end, she dared believe that it was possible to achieve peace.
“How dare you all cover those people’s eyes with your clever tricks, practicing such a grave sin of deceiving them all? How could you possibly seek forgiveness from all the women who perished despite their innocence?”
“Raon. I once asked His Holiness the same question. That was when I first realized that the ritual of distinguishing a saintess from a witch was all a trick.”
“And what did he say?”
“…He said that this, too, is also a part of God’s will in maintaining faith.”
Veronica blurted out the truth as though she was on the verge of tears.
Certainly, she had once believed in God.
However, as droves upon droves of women were killed under the stigma of being ‘witches’, her firm belief shattered little by little.
“The prophecy in particular had made me think it through a lot. That’s why I showed you the truth, Raon. I can’t help but admit that this religion is headed nowhere but the wrong direction.”
Raon was confused.
He had given his unconditional faith in this religion, yet despite having relied and believed it for such a long time, it was revealed to him that everything was just a lie.
However, even with all that in mind, the first and only person he could think of was… none other than Agnes.
“Agnes, she… Why did she come back.”
Agnes, who had cried out so forlornly that she was not a saintess.
Agnes, who had begged so desperately to return to her family.
Once faced with the whole truth, Raon was not unable to understand Agnes as she had recently confessed that she was, in fact, a saintess.
“It is human nature to seek happiness. Agnes might have thought that becoming a saintess would lead her down a happier path in life. That’s why she chose to become a saintess.”
Veronica knelt before Raon. She did so before he could even stop her.
And there, she began to sob.
“Raon. Please, save Agnes. Don’t ever let her die. I only wish, with all my might, for her to be blessed with happiness. Please… Please prove to me that God truly exists.”
Even if her faith in this religion had become shaken, Veronica’s prayer to God remained unchanged.
Dear Benevolent God.
If mercy is something that truly exists, I beg of thee, please stop this tragedy.
* * *
When Agnes opened her eyes again, it was dark all around her.
She blinked slowly, thinking that her journey back to the count’s residence truly was all a dream, even as the experience of risking her life was much too vivid.
“Ah…”
However, she soon realized that it was not a dream. She breathed out a sigh of relief.
High ceilings, large and magnificent chandeliers, fluffy and spacious bed.
This cozy, tranquil place.
She smiled and buried her face in a soft pillow.
However, right then, the door suddenly burst open.
Surprised, Agnes hurriedly sat up.
The person who was standing by the door and was watching her quietly was none other than Raon.
Even in the deep darkness, his sharp eyes glinted distinctly.
“…Count.”
“Let me ask you again.”
He strode up to Agnes with determined steps.
Straight down, he met her at eye level.
“Are you truly a saintess? Are you truly admitting to being that obscene saintess?”
Agnes looked up and met his eyes. Her gaze was without a single hint of worry or hesitation.
There was no lie in those eyes full of resolve.
Even still, it was ridiculous for her to admit that she was someone obscene.
In no time, cold cynicism hung around Raon’s lips.
“Then, Agnes, you must be cleansed of your sins before you shall conceive.”
“……!”
Firm arms dug beneath Agnes’s back and knees as she was carried up.
Suddenly hoisted into the air, Agnes let out a faint shriek in her surprise. She wrapped her arms around Raon’s neck.
She did not know where he was taking her so she couldn’t help but feel frightened at first. However, soon enough, she calmed down.
And this was because Raon’s body scent, which she had become so accustomed to now, lingered at the tip of her nose.
Meanwhile, as Raon was carrying Agnes, he walked silently.
“Today henceforth, God is dead to me.”
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