Chapter 13
{The Goddess' chosen one will come with the purest body.
Without any sacred marks or signs, just pure and pure again.
This is because grace does not discriminate among people, and her chosen one understands this.
You will know the chosen one not by sacred marks.
But by the laughter of children and the screams of the wicked around them, by this, you will know.}
– Book of Grace, Chapter 32, Verse 17-
***
"Ahhh!! Ah...! Saint! Saint!!"
At the entrance of a dirty sewer.
Priests and holy knights in white clothes prostrated themselves towards me on the ground mixed with all kinds of filth.
I was still just blinking my eyes.
What kind of situation is this?
No, you said there was no sacred mark.
So why are you suddenly acting like this?
"Please give me some clothes to wear."
I needed to put something on for now.
Honestly, now that I was naked, I had realized…
The clothes I was wearing.
They were really dirty.
At those words, the priests and holy knights moved hurriedly.
"Please wear this!"
The bald old man called the High Priest offered me a set of pure white Lilia priest robes with tears in his eyes. I had to perform a humiliating changing show in front of everyone staring at me intently.
Even after I had changed clothes, the gazes of admiration and longing towards me didn't stop.
No, please stop looking at me like that!
A mere man like me finds such gazes too burdensome, you know?
"Please take care of the children. They are poor and pitiful children."
"Of course! Of course! Saint! We will take care of them."
After handing over the 15 young girls to the priests of the Lilia Order, an awkward silence fell between us.
"Nueeurk!! Eueurk! Aaaah!!"
Only the convulsive screams of the robber who had just tried to rob me with a dagger filled the back alley.
"The laughter of children and the screams of the wicked will be around. Ahhh! It's exactly as the scripture says!!"
"Saint!! Saint! What should we do now!? Lead us lowly servants!!"
The holy knights and priests, especially the bald old man, were looking at me with tears of emotion.
It was driving me crazy with pressure.
At the same time, I also thought.
Isn't it great that I won't be burned at the stake?
Right. Now that it had come to this.
Wouldn't it be not bad to keep pretending to be a saint?
While receiving a modest treatment fee, that was.
It didn’t seem bad.
Now if I changed to paid treatment and said I'd receive a little money for each treatment, wouldn't I become rich in no time?
While I was imagining various things and feeling slightly pleased inside.
The High Priest carefully approached me and held my hand tightly.
"Glory to the Goddess of Grace!! Lilia is watching over us!! Saint. Tell us anything. We will listen and follow."
The Goddess of Grace is watching over, my ass.
I'm telling you, I don't even have faith!?
While I was thinking that.
Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed my mind.
A man without faith.
Such a man was going around pretending to be a saint sent by the Goddess.
Luckily, those in front of me misunderstood me as a saint, so I could avoid the burning at the stake ending.
But...
What about Lilia herself, the Goddess of Grace?
In this world, gods weren’t some abstract concept.
They were clearly existing beings who breathed and actually allowed miracles and holy power to their believers.
An omniscient and omnipotent being who could know all my thoughts and past actions wouldn't be fooled.
She must be seeing through my identity.
At that moment, I felt like all the blood in my body drained at once.
I thought wrong.
This wasn't the time to think happily about making money while pretending to be a saint.
I'd receive divine punishment.
No joke, I might literally be struck by lightning and physically fried.
I had to run away.
I needed to get away from these people and live as if I were dead, no matter what.
That might be the only way to avoid the Goddess' wrath.
But didn't they say there was something like a miracle of tracking?
Even if I ran away, wouldn't they chase me with the miracle of tracking???
And the fact I just realized earlier.
Even if I used Time Stop and run, I couldn't go far.
I could only walk, and because the mental energy consumption was extreme, the time I could use the skill was limited, so I couldn't go far.
And even if I could go far, looking at the state of these fanatics in front of me, they seem like they would passionately follow me even if I ran to the ends of hell.
As long as these people followed and treated me like a saint, the Goddess' wrath for impersonating her saint would clearly follow me too.
What's the conclusion?
I needed to make the people of the Lilia Order give up on me.
I needed to make them leave me while cursing!!
And while doing that, a way to not be burned at the stake on charges of heresy........
Isn't there something?
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind.
You know, in novels or anime, there's always that corrupt, depraved, and incompetent priest.
The third-rate villain with a potbelly who indulged in women and meat, shouting, "You blasphemer!!" at anyone he didn’t like while handing out burnings at the stake left and right, eventuating being retired the protagonist.
I'd become exactly that kind of person!
I'd act like an extremely greedy person so that everyone became disappointed, and when they wouldn't chase after me even if I disappeared, I'd quietly run away.
Of course, even if I became a corrupt priest, I shouldn't become a real bastard who crossed the line.
You know that kind of guy, right?
The kind of bastard who was actually good but kept doing useless things so one wanted to tear him apart.
But when he actually disappeared, one remembered him thinking he was still a good kid.
I'd do just that level of tightrope-walking trolling, and when everyone left, I'd quietly disappear and stop being a saint!
Right!
This is the only way!!
"Please guide me to the temple."
That was what I said after about a minute of frantic contemplation.
I planned to go to the temple and use up all the money saved there.
I'd use up all the offerings and live a completely corrupt and depraved life!!
To the point where you all leave while cursing!!
"We are ashamed, Saint. The Lilia Order is an order that has spread mainly in the southern regions, not the capital. A temple branch has not yet been established in the capital."
Ah.
Right.
If there was a temple in the capital, there would have been no reason for it to take days to get here, right?
I forgot for a moment because I was a stupid idiot.
Then what should I do…
No.
There's a way.
"Why do you say there's no temple? Follow me."
If there was no temple, we just needed to buy some land and build one.
Let's buy some useless piece of land at an outrageously high price!!
After the temple was built my goal would be to become just corrupt and incompetent enough to not get burned at the stake or receive divine punishment while enjoying the sweet life there.
Soon, I'll make you all spit and leave!
I left the smelly sewer with the people of the Lilia Order and the holy knights of the Sun Order.
"Saint! Saint!"
"Lead us! Oh, Grace!"
The Lilia Order members followed me with expectant expressions.
The more I thought about it, the more I broke out in cold sweat.
Lilia of Grace must be watching all this in real-time from the heavens right now, right?
To survive, I needed to make these people abandon me and leave somehow.
That was the only way I could avoid getting divine punishment and dying from the Goddess!
***
When Erpha re-entered the Magic Tower with the priests of the White Order, many mages and witches inside flinched and avoided her gaze.
Some couldn't even meet her eyes properly, and some smiled awkwardly.
But Erpha didn't pay any attention to all those gazes and headed straight for the top floor of the Magic Tower, to the Tower Master's office.
"Er... pha?"
Tower Master Yorgen stood up from his seat in shock as he saw her enter the room.
But whether the Tower Master was shocked or not, Erpha seemed not to care at all.
"Please speak."
At Erpha's words, the priests of the White Order carefully stepped forward and bowed their heads toward Tower Master Yorgen.
"She has been completely healed by the miracle of the Saint of Healing. She is no longer an abomination. She is a living witness to the miracle."
"There will be no more questioning of Miss Erpha by the White Order. Please forgive us for causing confusion."
Yorgen nodded blankly at their polite apology.
"I'm glad things worked out well."
"Miss Erpha said she had something to discuss with you. We will take our leave now. If you allow, we would like to attend the regular academic conference tomorrow again."
"Of course."
And so, the matter between the White Order and the Magic Tower was smoothly resolved. After the priests expressed their gratitude repeatedly and left, the door closed.
Now only Yorgen and Erpha remained in the room.
"You've become beautiful," that was what Tower Master Yorgen carefully said after a while.
Erpha didn't smile at those words.
But she didn't cry or express anger either.
A calm and quiet face, as if she had reached enlightenment.
"Tower Master."
"Yes, Erpha. Speak."
"Am I still a witch belonging to this Magic Tower?"
Yorgen nodded at those words.
"If you want to be."
"That's a relief. I want to continue my research here."
"...Is that so? If you want to, then do so."
"And one more thing. Please officially designate me as the next Tower Master at tomorrow's regular academic conference."
Yorgen was surprised by the sudden words.
"You, you say?"
"You've never officially announced it, but weren't you going to designate me anyway? Or is this also just a groundless rumor like many others?"
Yorgen shook his head.
"It's not a rumor. You were essentially the only one. The only person suitable to be my successor."
"Then there should be no problem in designating me as the next Tower Master, right?"
"Yes. I can do that. But I'm worried. There are countless mages and witches in here who have already abandoned you once. The role of the next Tower Master is to embrace all of them and move forward. If you're planning to use the position to settle personal grudges, I can't designate you as my successor."
"Tower Master."
Erpha's expression was surprisingly calm.
"I want to continue my career well. I will make the Mars branch Magic Tower the greatest among all Magic Towers."
Her expression was serious.
"I won't do something foolish like throwing away the opportunity to become much greater because of my personal grudges. I want to become a witch who will be remembered in magical history for a long time. Revenge is too trivial compared to that goal to even be worth considering."
Her eyes were terribly calm.
Not just her eyes.
The mana waves flowing from her body were also incredibly calm and well-contained.
Yorgen felt a very unfamiliar sensation for a moment.
It wasn't just her appearance that had changed.
It was as if the person herself had completely changed.
"Erpha. How have you changed like this? What on earth did the Saint of Healing do to you?"
At the Tower Master's words, Erpha smiled brightly.
In that incredibly bright smile, there wasn't even a trace of shadow, anger, or hatred mixed in.
"He healed my heart along with my body. He gave me a purpose in my life. A purpose to live by his side and help him. For that, I will love myself. I will continue my career diligently. I won't waver or break."
At her radiant smile, Yorgen found himself smiling along without realizing it.
"Alright. I'll do as you wish. The Three Primary Colors Research was an amazing study. There should be no problem in designating you as the next Tower Master."
"Thank you, Tower Master. Ah, and."
Her top had four arm holes.
The two lower holes were empty.
Those empty arm holes wriggled and then two new arms grew out.
It was a skill that Erpha, who was arguably one of the top authorities on body modification magic, could perform.
"It was too inconvenient without the arms I used to have. Having more arms is helpful when researching or taking notes," Erpha said calmly while folding her four arms.
"Will you be alright? Insulting words might fly towards you again."
At Tower Master Yorgen's words, Erpha shook her head.
"Whatever others say doesn't matter to me anymore. Because I've been recognized by him. I'm no longer ashamed of these four arms."
"..."
"I'll be going now, Tower Master. See you tomorrow."
Erpha left the room after politely greeting him.
Yorgen sat still as if bewitched, then smiled.
"The Saint of Healing, huh?"
Yorgen had always thought of religion and faith as ridiculous throughout his life.
But for the first time.
He thought that perhaps faith was necessary in this world too.
"The Lilia Order, was it? Should I go visit once?" Yorgen muttered quietly.
He was a researcher.
He found it hard to resist curiosity.