Chapter 57: Even if the Starlight Disappears, New Light Always Erges
"Just think of it as breaking a knee and turn it around. Why all this fuss over being gentle?
Having achieved Diamond rank, Ascal earned the trust of the Star Church, gaining greater access privileges.
Exhausted from dance practice, Sushia slumped down, drenched in sweat.
"Huff, huff. It's harder than I thought."
Ascal handed Sushia a chilled water bottle and a dry cloth.
Gulp, gulp.
Sushia emptied the bottle and wiped off her sweat with the cloth.
"Even if I don't beco a saintess, as soone from the Empire, I shouldn't embarrass myself in front of others. And then, we will return to the Empire with my head held high.
'Only you.'
Ascal had no intention of returning to the Empire.
Becoming a Diamond rank believer granted him the privilege to take the priest exam imdiately. Passing the exam ant becoming a priest of the Star Church.
Ascal's aim was like achieving "Ending No.3: Beco a priest and live out a peaceful life" in a ga.
Nobles and royals, sensing danger, often quickly sought refuge in the Church. Ascal planned to follow the precedent set by his seniors.
"Have you morized all the hymns?"
"No..."
"Tsk. I thought so. Don't worry. I've morized them all. I'll teach you."
Sushia looked at Ascal, who sang the hymns skillfully, with incredulity.
Actually, he sang quite well.
"Why don't you just beco the Saint, Minister-nim?"
"Is that so?"
Ascal chuckled.
He was about to sneak out so chicken he had brought secretly, but quickly hid it again as the door to the practice room opened.
"Youre here, Brother. And Sushia."
"Brother Rael."
"It's ti to prepare for the saintess ceremony. This way."
Following Priest Raels guidance, they walked down a long corridor.
"This is the waiting room. Sushia, please get ready here, and Brother Ascal, if you could follow for a mont."
"Of course."Priest Rael led Ascal to a small prayer room. The quiet room was enveloped in a solemn atmosphere.
After a mont of prayer with closed eyes, Priest Rael looked at Ascal with a gentle gaze.
"I had my concerns when you first set foot in the Holy Kingdom. To speak frankly, there were rumors about the arrogance of the nobles from the Empire. But seeing you, Brother, it seems those were just rumors."
"Hahaha, the nobility of the Empire does have its share of arrogance."
"But you, Brother, have been nothing but earnest and faithful in following the will of the stars. I should take a leaf out of your book."
"You flatter ."
A lengthy preamble usually hints at a significant matter to follow.
Ascal listened intently to Priest Rael, inwardly excited.
"Congratulations, Brother. You have passed the priest examination. As of today, you are officially a priest of the Church of the Star."
"!"
'Finally!'
Ascal suppressed the urge to shout with joy.
Now he could live a peaceful life under the legal protection of the Church.
It wasn't the best-case scenario of the Kelli Kingdom, but it wasn't bad either.
In these tis, seeking refuge in religion was akin to a rainbow shield. It spared his family from any harm.
"In the guidance of the Star Pireiel."
"Pireiel."
Ascal, who had been kneeling in prayer, rose to his feet.
-Bang!
"Oh. It seems the saintess ceremony has started. Let's hurry and attend."
It was the first saintess ceremony in a hundred years.
Everyone in the Holy Kingdom, whether nearby or afar, would witness it.
****
'What a lavish display.'
As an official observing the ceremony up close, Ascal was the first to make such an assessnt.
An extravagant orchestra was hired, and priests in ceremonial robes stood in order amidst fluttering, brilliant banners. Ascal was tucked away at the end of the row.
And on the marble steps, two bishops whispered beside the Pope, who nodded in response.
"This scene seems familiar..."
The Pope's sermon soon began.
His legs grew numb, and his eyes started to close.
Fortunately, due to a tight schedule, the sermon did not exceed an hour. Afterwards, the saintess candidates appeared one by one in the central seat.Girls in pure white dresses and veils.
And among them, a girl with striking white hair, easily ranking among the top in appearance among the saintess candidates. With her mouth closed, she even seed to radiate a holy aura.
"The saintess ceremony will now comnce!"
The Pope's voice resounded loudly.
****
It was definitely morning.
But then,
It turned to a dark night.
In the night sky, stars began to appear, shining down on the saintess candidates.
The candidates started to dance lightly and sing hymns. As if illuminated by spotlights, the stars followed them.
Then, one by one, the stars began to extinguish.
'A sign of elimination.'
The unchosen candidates either slumped down or quietly disappeared.
Sushia was still there.
'But why is she dancing so hard?'
'If she didn't want to beco a saintess, she could just pretend to dance. I bet she's just not thinking anything at all.'
Finally, only two stars remained.
The candidate from the Kingdom of des and Sushia.
Everyone held their breath, watching their dance. Then, the starlight illuminating the candidate from des started to move.
It passed over the heads of the priests and reached Ascal.
'What is this?'
- "Would you like to beco the saintess?"
A voice suddenly speaking in his mind.
-"But I'm a man."
-"Hmm shouldn't matter, right? You seem better than that girl there."
-"Absolutely not."
Beco a saint, under constant surveillance?
Out of the question.
-"That's unfortunate. A rare find in a thousand years."
-"What about Sushia?"
-"She's a dilemma."
And with that, the light spoke one last sentence and vanished.
-"Wait for the next hundred years."
The starlight went out.
And as the darkness lifted, day returned.
...
Murmurs filled the air.
"Who beca the saintess?"
"Nobody, nobody did. What happened here?"
Everyone was thrown into confusion.
No saintess erged from the ceremony.
An outco no one had anticipated."Silence!"
The Pope amplified his voice using a marble stone.
The sound was almost deafening.
"There has been a slight error. The saintess has already been chosen!"
Then, striding forward, the Pope pointed his staff towards Sushia, who sat dazed as if under a spell.
"Rise, saintess!"
The murmurs did not cease. Everyone had seen the lights go out. They instinctively knew the Pope was lying.
****
"What happens if no saintess erges?"
"It would be disastrous. The Holy Kingdom has crossed the line. Behind the scenes, they've dabbled in smuggling and illicit trade, raking in huge profits from indulgence sales. But what if they can't produce a saintess to validate their authority?"
"The indulgences would beco worthless scraps of paper."
The crown prince laughed coldly.
"The Holy Kingdom planned to imdiately pin their corruption and filth on our Empire as soon as a saintess erged."
"Had they succeeded, our Empire would have been stuck in the muck."
"Exactly. They would have played the role of noble saints at the expense of our Empire. Bernstein?"
"Yes. The airships and papers are ready."
If the Holy Kingdom thought to drag the Empire through the mud, the Empire would do the sa.
Only instead of dragging them through the mud, they would shower them with filth.
****
"Airships."
Airships floated in the sky.
People looked up.
From the black-painted airships, loads of papers began to fall.
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