Time-Limited Saintess, You’ve Been Caught by the Tyrant Once Again - Chapter 44

Chapter 22.2

˚ ･: * ✧ * :･ ˚

‘Why the hell did he ask me to come here?’

Liliana thought irritably as she walked through a dark corridor.

She hadn’t been in a good mood lately.

For some reason, it seemed like Maynard was keeping his distance from her. Even Paul, who used to worship her, was nowhere to be seen.

In the midst of all this, Erich called her to the underground of the closed temple, insisting that she should go down there ‘alone.’ In the past, she might have felt the thrill of going to forbidden places, but now she wanted to take a bath with the expensive bath salts she had secretly brought in while organizing her thoughts.

The staircase was long, and as she descended, the stench grew stronger as she descended.

She disliked dirty things. This nauseating odor was one of the things she detested the most.

‘I should have the priests take care of it properly.’

Even if she punished them, His Holiness would forgive her. Liliana was annoyed by the foul stench that was rising.

The basement of the temple was in the same corridor.

“What? There was nothing here.”

Liliana muttered, unimpressed, as she passed through a place with dimly lit blue lights. The bluish light was bleak, but she made an effort to dispel that thought.

This place was her house, and she was just as much the owner of this temple.

“This way.”

At that moment, Erich’s voice reached her.

Her spirits lifted upon hearing that voice, and she made her way through the wide-open door to find the beautiful priest.

“Erich, where are you?”

“This way.”

Erich replied.

Was it her imagination? Erich’s voice sounded a bit peculiar. It had an oddly smooth and eerie quality, almost like a snake…

“High Priest Erich, where are you?”

At that moment, the lights suddenly turned on.

Liliana’s eyes widened in shock as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing in the now-illuminated space. After blinking a few times, she saw what was on the floor and, as if following a preordained script, opened her mouth wide and let out a scream.

“Kkyaaaaaaaaaaak!”

The man tied up with ropes writhed like a caterpillar. As blood was oozing from his entire body, he was trying to say something with blood-drenched lips.

“Ee… Uelp… Ee…!” (He…Help… me!)

“Wha, what…!”

“Ee…ulp!” (He… help!)

“High Priest Erich! High Priest!”

As Liliana screamed while searching for Erich, she saw him sitting on a stone chair in the room.

Contrary to her excitement and fear, he looked at her with an emotionless gaze, almost like a doll. Next to the writhing figure covered in blood, Erich appeared strangely composed that Liliana couldn’t help but unknowingly feel a chill in the gap between them.

“Hi, High Priest, what the hell is this?!”

“….”

The man, writhing, began to crawl towards her.

She screamed again.

“High Priest, please help me!”

“…Uuuuhhh.”

“No, no… go away! Go away!”

“You want him to go away, huh? He must be sad.”

“What, what are you talking about?”

“Do you not recognize him? It’s Paladin Paul, your lover.”

Liliana looked at the man, her mouth agape. Judging by his face, it was indeed Paul. He was calling out to her desperately with bloodshot eyes. Upon closer inspection, blood was oozing from his mouth. There was no doubt his tongue had been severed.

“Heuuk… why, why?”

She realized that he had deliberately shown her this.

She looked at Erich with tears streaming down her face. The humble and polite priest she knew had disappeared, and in his place, she saw a somewhat arrogant and haughty demeanor.

“Didn’t you speak the harsh truth? Moreover, you even falsely accused an innocent person and drove them away.”

“….”

“This place isn’t just filled with fools who cry out for the Saint.”

Erich chuckled sardonically. The orange-colored pupils resembled those of a predator.

“May, Maynard! Sir Maynard! Is anyone here?!”

As Liliana screamed as she searched for Maynard, Erich, looking towards the door, waited for Maynard with an air of nonchalance. Nevertheless, no one came in despite her desperate calls.

“Someone, please, anyone, please…! Kyyaaaaak!”

“No one will come in, because ‘I’ told them not to.”

“Heeuuk! Please, please, get rid of that thing!”

“Eeuu, eeant!” (No, Saint!)

Paul begged the Saint for mercy.

That was the only way. The only way to alleviate his suffering was through divine power.

…Still, it wasn’t just for that reason. In truth, he loved the Saint to the point of forsaking his beliefs and even mingled his body with her. However, instead of responding to his sincerity, the Saint in front of him screamed as if he were the most horrifying thing and begged for him to be taken away.

In response to this absurdity, Erich spoke with a chillingly amused tone.

“Isn’t it too much to do this to someone who has been loyal to you? Please at least use your divine power to alleviate his suffering.”

“Eeeuu!”

“Don’t you want to? I pity Sir Paul, he sought the Saint so desperately even before his tongue was severed.”

Saying so, Erich clicked his tongue.

Liliana burst into tears.

“Erich, why are you doing this to me? I’m the Saint…”

She was so beautiful as she sobbed with a pitiful face.

Seeing this, Erich took a step or two closer. He leaned down and brought his face to Liliana’s as if he were about to kiss her, then uttered.

“Saint.”

Liliana lifted her head slightly with a gentle voice. His beautiful appearance seemed incongruous with this hideous place.

She looked at him with hope.

Because she was the Saint, could it be that Erich was just trying to scare her temporarily? Maybe he wanted to scare her a little? Then, he would apologize to her, right? After all, she was crying here like this. Didn’t she look pitiful at all?

“Did you really think I would just stand by and watch after you harmed my person?”

There was no warmth in his soft voice.

As she gazed at Erich, he had a rigid expression as if wearing a mask.

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