Chapter 25
"Witch Tudel. Are you still doubting? We've examined both memories and soul. The Silent Order couldn't find any malice or blemish in the saint's soul," High Priest Gerson of the Silent Order said to Tudel.
"You, who doubted the most, directly saw the memories, so if there was anything even slightly suspicious, you would have shown it right away. Were there such scenes? Was there even a single moment in his memories that could be used as evidence that the saint was an evil god worshipper or a demon servant?"
Witch Tudel was flustered.
She rolled her eyes, sweating profusely.
This isn't right.
This can't be.
Her expression was full of determination to make me out to be a bad guy somehow.
"Speak!! Witch Tudel!! As you said, were there memories of worshipping evil gods or demons in Saint Amael's memories!! Or were there not!!"
At Gerson's booming voice, Tudel screamed and pointed at me, "Does this make sense??? How can it make sense!! There's no way a saint without holy power can exist! This is a fraud!! A fraud!! It's a fraud!"
At her childish insistence, all the believers of the Lilia Order exploded in unison.
"The Magic Tower's witch is crossing the line!"
"She must have become arrogant from walking the path of magic!! Her disrespect for the Grace Order has reached its peak!!"
"Tower Master!! Call out the Tower Master!! Tower Master!!"
Especially the bald grandpa Yodel had perfectly become Mozgus.
With his eyes completely rolled back, spewing anger with a red face, he looked like he could be used in a scene from a certain warrior monk comic right now without any problem.
As the Lilia Order's reaction became ominous, it seemed the mages and witches couldn't stay still either.
"Tudel!! Stop it now!! We've examined memories and soul! We've even done the most humiliating self-verification that's only done to evil god worshippers or demon servants!! There's nothing more to cling to!"
"Stop it now!! Are you trying to tarnish the Magic Tower's name!!"
Several witches and mages surrounded Tudel and said that, but Tudel didn't back down.
"No!! I'm not wrong! He's definitely an evil god worshipper! Don't you all see? How cunningly he's deceived everyone? He has no holy power!! No holy power!! Has there ever been such a saint before? No!! He's a con artist!! He’s a fraud!!"
At those words, Gerson approached her with a hardened face and began to explain, "The Saint of Healing was only recorded in the Book of Grace, and had never actually appeared before. Witch Tudel. So it's natural that he looks different from the saints known until now."
"But the holy power…!"
"Saints and holy women are not beings who should take the form that humans want. It's right for them to take the form that the god who sent them wants. If the Goddess of Grace wanted a saint without holy power, wouldn't it be right to call him a saint even if he doesn't have holy power?"
At those words, Tudel seemed to be completely at a loss for words, trembling and looking down at the floor.
Gerson glared at her for a moment before continuing, "How can inadequate humans understand the will of God!! How could chosen saints and holy women only appear in forms that fit human standards!! Only con artists are obsessed with proving divinity! True saints are naturally accepted the moment their existence is seen!! Wasn't that exactly how it was with Saint Amael!!"
The Lilia Order members raised both arms and shouted, "Right!! Those words are truly right!!"
"Without any sacred marks! Without holy power! But he healed the poor and raised the sick with the lowest posture than anyone else, just as written in the Book of Grace! Hasn't the saying 'When the saint comes, you will know him' been fulfilled exactly as it was written!!"
"That's right!!"
Once again.
Everyone in the courtroom started to applaud.
Gerson looked at Tudel.
"Only you are rejecting the saint's divinity. If you still insist, I can't stop you, but I can make sure the Pantheon doesn't accept your objection. Witch Tudel. It's your freedom to insult Saint Amael further, but..."
Gerson quietly looked at the old man who seemed to be the Tower Master.
"The Pantheon will never overlook this. I believe you know what it means to insult a saint recognized by the Pantheon. Tower Master Yorgen."
The old man called Tower Master Yorgen closed his eyes tightly and bowed his head.
"I apologize. We had no intention of insulting the saint. Once again, I apologize…"
"You'll regret not listening to me!! Everyone will pay the price for accepting that con artist!!"
Tudel struggled to the end.
At her statement, even the witches and mages seemed to have reached their limit.
"Just shut up!!"
"Be quiet!! Anyone can see he's a saint!!"
"Why do you keep making trouble!!"
Even amidst the colorful criticisms that had thrown away all pretense, Tudel was still glaring at me.
At this point, I became curious too.
I carefully came down from the defendant's stand and walked towards Tudel.
Seeing me, Tower Master Yorgen carefully approached and tried to bow his head.
"Please forgive the slip of the tongue of our witch. Saint Amael…"
"It's alright. Don't worry about it."
I gestured to Tower Master Yorgen to relax, then approached Tudel.
People naturally made way.
Tudel was glaring at me with an expression full of venom.
I calmly met her gaze and asked a question, "Why are you criticizing me so much? Why are you trying so hard to bring me down?"
No matter what nonsense I did, people called me a saint.
There was no way to avoid the divine punishment of Goddess Lilia.
The world was treating me unfairly.
I was already on edge, and the witch in front of me openly nagging at me wasn't going to look good.
I was grateful when you reported me, but it ended up failing!!
They still say I'm a saint!!
Damn, I'm already feeling shitty, but what's with that vicious gaze?
It's making me feel worse!!
"I know your true nature. You're just a lucky con artist."
That's correct.
But, why aren't you answering the question?
[Skill Absolute Hypnosis is activated!!]
"Answer my question. Why are you trying so hard to bring me down? Speak only the truth!"
At my words, Tudel opened her mouth as if to spew out vitriol with a mocking expression.
"You need to be a fake saint for that bitch Erpha to fall... Hup!!"
Tudel was startled and covered her mouth.
But I wasn't going to let that slide.
She was already under hypnosis.
I had rested well for two months, so my mental power was at its peak, and I aimed very accurately.
"Don't move. Don't run away either. Look at me straight and keep talking. Only the truth! What do you mean by 'for Erpha's downfall'?"
Tudel's mouth opened automatically.
With a shocked and surprised expression, she continued to spill out the truth, "It's exactly what it means. You healed Erpha. So if you're branded as a fake saint or an evil god worshipper and judged as a heretic, Erpha could become an abomination again. I was planning to move the White Order once more to bring down that spider bitch and become the next Tower Master myself."
Everyone had conspiracies and plans.
But the moment those conspiracies and plans were honestly spoken out loud.
Sometimes humans became too ugly.
At the unrestrained truth bursting out, the faces of the Magic Tower's mages and witches contorted, and even High Priest Gerson of the Silent Order.
The believers of the Lilia Order too.
The Supreme Court, the Senate, and all others.
They all frowned.
Tudel looked like she wanted to run away.
But under my hypnosis, unable to escape and frozen in place, she was spilling out every detail of everything inside her.
"Why… Why did you try to harm Erpha, even to the point of attacking me?"
"Because I can't stand the sight of her!! Because she's better than me! It hurts my pride!! I wish she didn't exist!! If it weren't for her, I would have been the top talent in the Magic Tower!! Everything ended when she appeared!! Everything ended!! That's why I wanted to get rid of her!! I tried to eliminate her by any means necessary—"
"Stop!! Stop!!" Tower Master Yorgen shouted.
He covered his face with one hand, looking devastated.
"At the academic conference. Gathering the witches and mages. Moving the White Order. Was it all your plan? Tudel?"
Tudel was now crying.
Unable to bear the truth bursting from her mouth, she seemed to be desperately trying to close her mouth to stop speaking, but the power of Absolute Hypnosis lived up to its name and was absolute.
"It was all my plan. Most people were very actively supportive of my plan. Many people in the Magic Tower envied and were jealous of Erpha. I thought if I just gave a little reason, everyone would agree and move to drive Erpha out. And that's exactly what happened."
"Oh Dullaneer."
The priests of the White Order bowed their heads as if ashamed.
The mages and witches of the Magic Tower were also looking down at the floor as if ashamed.
The truths nakedly revealed from Tudel's mouth were as humiliating as it could get.
After finishing speaking, Tudel desperately shook her head with a pale face.
"N-no!! T-this... T-that saint must have used some evil... I-I…!!"
"Tudel."
Tower Master Yorgen looked at Tudel with a cold face.
"You're tarnishing the entire reputation of the Magic Tower with your personal selfishness and jealousy. On top of that, you've invited the anger of the Pantheon with your endless unreasonableness. The Magic Tower has no intention of taking responsibility for your actions. You alone will have to bear the anger of the Pantheon."
"Tower Master!! Master Yorgen!! M-Master!! W-wait!! No!! No!! Please listen to me…!!"
"I declare here with the authority of the Tower Master. You are expelled. You are no longer affiliated with the Mars branch of the Magic Tower. Find another Magic Tower to continue your research."
Tower Master Yorgen turned away.
The witches and mages turned away too.
They left the courtroom without saying a word, looking only at the floor as if ashamed and humiliated.
The only witch left in the room was the nuclear bomb four-armed witch Erpha.
The priests of the White Order stood up and approached her.
"Once again. We apologize for our foolish actions. Witch Erpha. The Saint of Healing has opened our eyes. Please forgive..."
Erpha nodded.
"I accept your apology. I believe you will be careful not to repeat such a case like mine again."
"We will... We will certainly do so."
The priests of the White Order made the sign of the cross respectfully towards me, then quickly left, looking only at the floor like the Magic Tower's mages.
But no one else seemed to have any intention of leaving the courtroom.
No.
Rather, they were watching the situation with expressions that looked like they were dying of interest.
Why?
Because High Priest Yodel of the Lilia Order was now approaching Tudel with an expression that looked like it could give even Mozgus a run for his money.
Just as I slightly released the hypnosis on Tudel's body, High Priest Yodel reached her.
"W-wait... I-I... I..."
"You used and insulted and belittled the Saint of Healing, even the first saint given to us by the Goddess since the establishment of the Grace Order, for your disgusting selfishness?? Can there be a greater blasphemy than this!? High Priest Gerson!!"
Gerson approached Yodel with the masked and black-robed priests of the Silent Order.
"Speak, High Priest of the Grace Order."
"The witch before us is the true heretic!! The Lilia Order officially requests a Pantheon heresy inquisition against Witch Tudel!"
"Conveniently, everyone is still present. You've all directly witnessed the scene, so we can omit all the troublesome and time-consuming procedures. So we'll move straight to voting. Please raise your hand if you think Witch Tudel's actions just now were blasphemy against the Grace Order."
The Supreme Court.
The Senate.
The representatives of the 23 remaining orders, as the Magic Tower had disappeared and the White Order had left.
They all raised their hands in unison.
Tudel's face rotted.
"Ahhh!! W-wait. No! I-I'm not like that!! I-I just wanted to be sure!! Don't do this!!"
While she was rambling.
Erpha carefully approached her.
And she delivered a piercing one-liner.
"I pity you, Tudel."
At those words, Tudel's face contorted.
With a demonic anger on her face, she screamed, "Get lost, you fucking bitch!! You spider bitch!! You fucking bitch!! Die! Die! Someone like you should never have been born! I curse you! I curse you! Die! Die!"
"Drag her away! Cut off her magic circuits and lock her in the filthiest and dirtiest underground prison to live out her life! On charges of insulting the August Pantheon's saint!"
At Gerson's words, the priests of the Silent Order cast a miracle on Tudel's body.
Instantly subdued, she was swallowed by shadows and disappeared from the courtroom.
And it was over.
The long, long heresy inquisition was finally all over.