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Side Story – mories of a Princess (51)
#66 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Saintess
"Why are you stopping ?!"
I glared at the holy knights holding back. I had to judge that wicked follower of the evil god right now. Such a vile being must be removed from this world imdiately.
"He's a key figure in the Empire, a close aide to the First Princess!"
"You must restrain yourself. If you kill him without solid proof, we don't know what might happen."
"Please, control yourself."
No solid proof? No, there was definite proof. What better evidence than that wooden stick?
"Bring the stick. Now."
"Your speech is changing again, Saintess!"
"Please stop, Saintess."
"Please, uphold the dignity of our church."
"Please…"
So were trying to calm down, so were desperately pleading. Others were trying to reason with , while so just silently blocked my path. Among all these people, none were on my side.
"Sigh…"
I couldn't help but sigh. If only they had experienced it themselves, they would understand. Why couldn't they see what I saw?
"Ah…"
Then, it dawned on . The reason for our differing opinions was simple: they hadn't felt the sa pain I did from that cursed weapon.
"Fine. If that's what you all believe…"
"Do you understand, Saintess?"
"Let's present the evidence, then."
"What?"
I pushed past the holy knight blocking my way and headed to the tent the Empire had lent us. The knights who had tried to stop realized I wasn't heading towards the vile person and followed closely.
In the tent, I retrieved the cursed weapon I had taken from that wicked being. It looked like an ordinary wooden stick, but its malevolent power was undeniable, even to , the Saintess of the Church of Peace.
"Of course…"
This ominous feeling, the stick fitting perfectly in my hand—it was uncanny.
"That won't serve as evidence, I told you, Aaaaah!"
Without hesitation, I swung the stick at the doubting holy knight.
"Aaaah!"
"Aaaah!"
Even though I was now the Saintess, I was a forr candidate for a holy knight just three years ago. If I hadn't beco the Saintess, my talent would have made the youngest holy knight of the Church of Peace.
"Saintess!"
"What are you doing?!"
As three knights writhed on the ground in pain, the other knights stared at in shock.
"I am bestowing faith upon the unfaithful."
"What do you an by that?"
"I learned the truth when I struck myself with this vile weapon."
"No way…"
One of the knights seed to understand what I ant.
"Yes, exactly."
"What are you talking about?"
The other knights still didn't get it.
"The Saintess… intends to…"
"Indeed. I plan to…"
Shlick—
Holding the stick, I felt as if I hadn't missed a day of practice. Was this also the weapon's power?
No, that wasn't important now.
"I plan to beat the faith into you all."
"Everyone run! The Saintess has gone mad!"
I struck the knight who understood first. Screams filled the air as more knights were hit, and soon everyone was either fleeing or trying to defend themselves.
"Peace be upon you, grant strength to protect the world."
A short prayer. That was enough to make feel lighter.
Invocation.
With this ability, one can borrow divine power through prayer, and those who can't use it aren't considered priests. Using invocation signifies that one's prayers reach the gods, and not being able to use it ans a lack of faith.
Invocation grants power proportional to one's faith, and my faith…
Thud!
"Run away! Aaaah!"
As one of the strongest in the Church, alongside the priests traveling with the Hero, my invocation was powerful.
"Everyone, repent and be saved!"
"Stop her!"
"Argh!"
"She's unstoppable! She's the Saintess! Run!"
So knights tried to stop while others fled. But anyone hit by the cursed weapon fell imdiately.
Within a short ti, I had subdued everyone and stood triumphantly, holding the stick.
"Do you still think there's no evidence?"
There was no response. The knights on the ground only groaned in pain.
"Your faith is lacking."
What distinguishes a knight from a holy knight? Many answers might co to mind: skill, affiliation, mindset, or their protector. But my view is different.
Holy knights and knights are essentially the sa. Just as knights swear loyalty to their lords, holy knights swear loyalty to their gods.
The holy knights of the Church of Peace must protect all that exists in the world, as the gods' people.
"To protect the world, holy knights must heed the world's cries."
"Argh!"
I swung the weapon at a groaning knight on the ground.
"They must detect the world's threats faster than others."
"Aaaah!"
Another knight scread as I swung again.
"Please, have rcy!"
"Rember your mistake and repent!"
"Kill …"
"I'm sorry, Saintess. I'll never doubt you again, please have rcy!"
After an hour, with all the knights down, I finally sat down and sighed.
"Have you repented?"
"Yes…"
"The Saintess is right…"
"I understand…"
The knights' hollow eyes now reflected the truth.
"That man is…"
"An evil being…"
"He must be eliminated…"
"An apostle of the evil god…"
It was a mont of triumph. My efforts had paid off. The knights now saw the truth.
"Let's execute the sentence tomorrow."
"Yes, Saintess."
"As you wish…"
Finally, the vile being would be eradicated.
#67 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Villain
"I will judge this vile being!"
The Saintess returned. This was similar to yesterday, but sothing had changed.
"Uoooo…"
"Kill him! Kill the vile being!"
"He's definitely an apostle of the evil god!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
"He must not be allowed to live!"
The holy knights who had previously restrained the Saintess were now advocating for my execution.
"What do we do, Ast? The holy knights have discovered your true nature."
"…Your Highness, I'm really going to die at this rate. Can we stop joking?"
What is this princess relying on to joke around like this? Surely, she doesn't an it won't matter if I die, right?
"Your Highness, you wouldn't really abandon , would you?"
The princess before wasn't just a wicked noble but a truly wicked royal. Rumors had said that those working under the princess couldn't last a month, and only a handful had survived three months.
The epito of an evil royal!
"Hmm… I need to think about it."
"Your Highness!"
Her wicked smile made her look like a true evil royal. I couldn't trust her at all.
Fine, the old saying goes that if you trust soone, they will stab you in the back. I should trust myself, not her.
"Objection!"
I declared, hoping to reverse the trial.
Yes, even in a tiger's den, if you keep your wits, you can survive. Though I had never seen soone survive a tiger's den, the saying existed for a reason.
"We do not accept objections from an evil being."
"What?"
My attempt to turn the tide was imdiately dismissed by the Saintess.
"Shouldn't I be allowed to speak?"
"We should not let evil beings speak. I grew up in the church from the age of four, and I know this."
"What do you know…"
"Evil beings are excellent speakers. They turn nonsense into truth. They are skilled at deceiving others."
"Oh…"
The princess and Sir Lea looked shocked as if wondering how she knew this. I was probably making a similar face.
"In the church, we are educated to beco righteous people to fulfill the will of the gods and maintain world peace. But evil beings change people through their deceptive words. Hence, I will not let you speak."
This was absurd. To demand my execution without allowing to defend myself was outrageous.
Yet, there was nothing I could do.
"The Saintess is so firm…"
"Has she ever been like this before?"
"But if he made that cursed weapon… isn't she right?"
The other church mbers were just as taken aback by the Saintess's resolute attitude.
Why was she using such determination against ? Because I hit her with a bat? I didn't even hit her myself!
"She won't let speak!"
"Keep your evil mouth shut!"
"Oh…"
Her intense spirit made fall silent. If I were an innocent person, I would be speaking up out of sheer frustration, but I had too much to hide.
"You spoke so well before. Why so silent now?"
I could only put on a falsely aggrieved expression.
"Is the Saintess higher than the princess?"
"Why are you competing over this?"
The princess, smiling despite her irritation, made uneasy. She was the only one who could save now.
"Could you please save ?"
"I'd say no, but I don't like giving away what's mine."
She spoke in a reluctant tone. Even the most wicked princess wouldn't abandon a servant who had worked for her for years.
I had to trust the princess. Even if I couldn't speak, she had the power to defend .
She was a genius, capable of persuading anyone with her words.
Show them, princess! Show them your power!
I watched the princess walk towards the Church of Peace with hopeful eyes.
She stopped and confidently declared,
"Yes, this guy is very evil."
She admitted I was a wicked being.
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