Chapter 62: The Master is secretly crying

The High Priest of the Empire’s Goddess Church, Callisto, had finally returned to the Empire.

Of course, she didn’t bring good news.

“Damn that fox woman. She still refuses to recognize the Goddess Church of the Empire!”

Her anger boiled to the top of her head.

At least the attendant she picked up in Ashtar had taken her on sightseeing trips here and there, which had eased her mood a little.

But when she returned to the church, she was horrified.

Already furious with the Pope, her shock overwhelmed her rage.

Not a single elderly nun could be found anywhere in sight.

She had sought comfort but found no one!

The charming middle-aged women she had painstakingly selected were nowhere to be seen.

‘What on earth is going on?’ she wondered as she searched the church.

Strangely, only young nuns were present.

Even more peculiar, these nuns were… odd.

“Today feels like a good day to hunt some orcs.”

“Shall we go? But let’s catch kobolds too.”

“How about a drinking contest with the knights?”

This was undeniably the Goddess Church.

This was a church!

And yet, the nuns were discussing hunting monsters, as if it were perfectly normal.

‘What are they?’

She wanted to assert her authority as the High Priest, but she was scared.

‘How could nuns sharpen swords, wield maces, and even smoke in corners?’

Some were even burning cigarettes on the Goddess statue.

The High Priest, despite her large build, wasn’t particularly strong.

Besides, she wasn’t exactly clean enough herself to rebuke such behavior.

‘Still, as an adult, wasn’t she obligated to say something?’

With that thought, she approached the nuns.

“Who are you, old man?” one of them asked with a frown, failing to recognize her as the High Priest.

‘Raffel, you bastard!’

The High Priest, having no outlet for her frustration, summoned Raffel and slapped him across the face.

***

[Zerato, a subordinate of the traitorous Four Heavenly Kings’ Clanis, turned out to be a descendant of the Kart royal family, causing massive damage to the Empire. The imperial family has decided to execute him according to imperial law. Despite objections from Pastia, the Emperor’s firm resolve led to the council carrying out the execution.]

Reading the newspaper, I felt a sense of relief.

Emperor Belia was as reliable as ever when it came to executions.

Zerato—what a tragic life that man led.

‘What kind of brainwashing must he have endured to be filled with such hatred for the Empire?’

In hindsight, I could only guess that his hatred had been instilled by Clanis.

‘Which made me wonder—was Clanis connected to Kart as well?’

“But anyway…”

I glanced at the nuns standing in front of me.

The church had undergone a complete transformation in just a few days.

Most of the nuns had been replaced.

It seemed that a former assassin guild member had been indoctrinating the new nuns.

The Goddess Church of the Empire had effectively become Olivia’s Church.

Yes, let me repeat—Olivia’s Church.

“You’re all doing great. Keep your faith in the Goddess.”

And yet, I couldn’t help but think, ‘What’s the point of me being a Saintess anymore?’

I just wanted to live as Olivia the Mage.

‘Should I ditch everything and head straight to the magic tower, concealing my identity entirely?’

That seemed like the best option.

“We exist only to protect Lady Olivia,” the nuns said, bowing before me as if I were their superior.

‘No matter how I look at this, this is not how nuns behave.’

“It doesn’t matter what others say.”

“We are here solely to serve Lady Olivia.”

‘Huh? What? Serve me?’

“What?”

“Our Mistress has instructed us to follow Lady Olivia, the next leader of the Assassin Guild.

Even if any injustice occurs in Ashtar, or even if the Empire itself turns against you, we will stake our lives for you.”

‘No, please don’t! Really.’

This was incredibly overwhelming.

I was going to become the leader of the Assassin Guild without ever having assassinated anyone.

Zero experience, yet I was to inherit the guild.

How absurd.

“Sigh.”

Killing Lily and her mother wasn’t even assassination; it was… something else.

In any case, it seemed inevitable that I would naturally inherit the position of guild leader.

No, it was certain to happen.

There was no way my brothers would take over.

Especially the current head of the family—if he became the leader, it would be a disaster.

They would definitely pass it on to me.

Just then, I felt someone approaching from outside.

“Lady Olivia, the High Priest has arrived and wishes to meet you.”

‘So she’s finally here.’

“Tell her I’m busy and she should come find me herself. Do people think being a Saintess is easy?”

Sipping my coffee leisurely, I relayed the message to the knight.

***

Not long after, the High Priest appeared with Raffel in tow.

I pretended to be busy, shuffling through papers.

“Hmm. Saintess.”

“Yes, High Priest. Did you return safely?”

“I have a serious question for you.”

Judging by Raffel’s red, swollen cheek, I already knew what this was about.

“Yes?”

“There were some nuns I cherished. Did you send them away?”

‘Oh, she found out.’

Well, there was no helping it now.

“Oh, yes. There were unavoidable circumstances.”

“What circumstances?”

I was ready with an excuse.

The High Priest indulged in private relationships with the nuns but hid it in public.

People are like that—they don’t want their flaws exposed.

I already knew all about it.

So, I decided to play the situation to my advantage.

With a look of feigned outrage, I snapped, “Those women claimed you assaulted them! How could they utter such filthy lies about you?”

I pressed the accusation, implying that I had them removed to protect her honor.

“Is that… true?”

“Yes. So, I dismissed them and brought in younger nuns instead. Surely, this is more pleasing to your eyes, isn’t it?”

It might seem like I’m deliberately pushing the younger nuns, but they’ve already completed their training.

The High Priest wouldn’t dare touch them easily, and if anything happens, Nora will handle it.

“But the state of the nuns…”

“Pardon?”

“They seem rather intimidating and completely unrelated to the duties of a nun. Some even appear to lack basic manners. For instance, when I entered the church, I saw one sharpening a sword.”

Ah, so she noticed.

She saw something she shouldn’t have.

“Really? Do we have anyone like that?”

Feigning ignorance, I turned to Casey, who shook her head.

“No, we don’t.”

“Hmm, there seems to have been some misunderstanding. In any case, leaving those older women around could have turned the church into the leader’s private entertainment hall.”

“That’s not true!” he protested.

‘Why? Feeling guilty?’

That’s suspicious.

‘Did something really happen with those older women?’

If so, it’s even more reason to get rid of them.

“So they had to go. If they caused more trouble, it would only damage the church’s image.”

“Cough. Understood. Then fill the positions with clean individuals.”

Oh, that’s already done.

He really has a thing for older women.

“They’ve already been replaced with younger nuns.”

“Already?”

“Yes. After all, it’s better for the church to be led by younger generations. Look at the Holy Land. Isn’t it chaos there because of the elderly clinging to power?”

The Holy Land rarely sees generational change.

Even now, all its leaders are covered in white hair.

“Well… no, we haven’t been acknowledged by them yet.”

“What?”

“The Pope hasn’t accepted us. Perhaps you should visit?”

‘Me? Why? Why should I go there?’

That old fox of a Pope—she’s sly beyond measure.

‘How sly, you ask?’ She deceives everyone into thinking she’s young despite her age.

The Pope herself is worse than the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord’s army.

If a person has any conscience, they shouldn’t walk around in a youthful appearance at her age.

It’s tiresome just thinking about it. I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with her back during Noah’s time.

‘Would the current me be able to communicate with her at all?’

She might not even accept me, calling me a con artist pretending to be a saintess.

If she acknowledges us, the Holy Land may have to surrender the base of the Goddess Church to the Empire.

***

“It seems pointless to try,” I said.

“Why?”

“It won’t work. That old fox of a Pope would never want to acknowledge the Goddess Church.”

I shrugged.

“Ah.”

“Logically, if the Holy Land were to recognize the Imperial Goddess Church, its base would immediately shift to the Empire.”

“That’s true. The Empire is the most dominant nation on the continent.”

The Empire is the leading power in every area—population, culture, politics, and economy.

If the Empire’s Goddess Church were acknowledged, the base of the church would undoubtedly move here.

The Kingdom being the base is acceptable to the Holy Land, but they would never accept the Empire.

The Holy Land still wishes to maintain its status as the sovereign state of the Goddess, but if that is taken away, it will become a hollow shell.

“That’s why they refuse to acknowledge us. Let’s just give up.”

“A saintess saying such things so easily? You’re giving up already?”

It’s not like I wanted to do this in the first place.

“Think about it logically. Is there any reason we need their recognition?”

“Do you have some sort of brilliant idea?”

“Can’t they think for themselves for once?”

“Not that they lack ideas—it might actually be a way to provoke the Pope.”

“If they refuse to acknowledge us, why don’t we establish our own Goddess Church?”

“Hm?”

“Logically, wasn’t the Holy Land originally part of the Kingdom?”

“That’s true.”

“Let’s be honest. If the Empire gathers believers, how many could there be?”

“Even if you combine the Kingdom, the Holy Land, and various small nations, their population doesn’t come close to the Empire’s.”

In that case, it would be fun to create an Empire-exclusive Goddess Church and compete for believers.

“You have a point.”

“With the Empire having the largest population, just increasing our believers will shake the foundation of the Goddess Church.”

“True. And after establishing our own church?”

“After that, it’s up to you, Leader.”

‘Why does this person rely so much on someone young enough to be his daughter?’

After spoon-feeding them ideas, they’ll probably let Nora take care of everything at night anyway.

“Hmm?”

“I’m a saintess. Technically, there are about four saintesses on the continent. So this is something the head of the Imperial Goddess Church, meaning you, should establish.”

“A new religion of our own…”

Technically, there are many gods in the Empire, so we could choose one of them.

However, the Goddess Church is deeply rooted here, and the leader has already spread the name of the Goddess Church everywhere.

At this point, introducing a new god would be difficult.

Fine. Let’s just push this responsibility onto the leader.

I’ll only offer advice occasionally.

“For now, I’ll head to the academy.”

“Already?”

“It’s before summer break at the academy. I need to prepare for exams.”

Not that it matters much.

I just need to escape this dull church.

After all, it’s more of a private soldier training camp under my guise than a real church.

“Is studying even meaningful for you?”

“Maybe not. But at least it gets me away from here.”