“Why is the Young Lady here?”

 

‘Can’t I come to the church?’

 

“I can’t even set foot in the church? What a lowly priest.”

 

“No, that’s not true.”

 

When I asked him in a confrontational tone, the priest waved his hand in embarrassment.

 

The cold sweat running down his forehead didn’t seem to be a sign that he was happy to see me.

 

What did Lucy do to make the priest of this large church react like that?

 

The power of a priest from the main church is not small.

 

How could the power of a priest of the most influential church on the continent be small?

 

According to the description in the game, the priests of the main church have the same authority as an average noble.

 

If that kind of person is upset, then Lucy’s atrocities must not have been light.

 

I didn’t even need to ask what Lucy’s reputation was within the main church.

 

Was this a problem that could be solved by removing one of Agra’s curses?

 

It was ambiguous whether Lucy’s original reputation could be offset or not.

 

I felt my head spin as I realized that Lucy’s misdeeds were not limited to the mansion.

 

What the hell has Lucy been doing?

 

I’ve got to accumulate enough karma to either fix it or die trying.

 

Haa.

 

If she was going to swear at the priest of the church, she must have done the same to nobles of lower rank than her.

 

Maybe she even swears at people above her.

 

There must have been a reason why she had nightmares about being cursed at in the social hall.

 

“Ahem.”

 

The priest coughed in vain as if to calm the tense atmosphere.

 

He pretended to have a serious expression, but since he had completely forgotten his image from before, he didn’t look cool at all.

 

“So why did you come here?”

 

“The reason I came here is because of the curse of Agra. Even you, a sly priest, know about curses, right?”

 

“Yes, I know. Is there anyone around you who is suffering from a curse? If so, our church…”

 

‘I cured it, please confirm.’

 

“You foolish priest, since you’re so ignorant and hasty, listen to what I say first. I cured the curse of Agra.”

 

“… What? You cured it?”

 

The priest asked again, as if he couldn’t believe what I said.

 

It was natural for him to disbelieve.

 

How could he believe that a scoundrel and villainess from a noble family cured the worst curse on the continent.

 

If I were in his shoes, I would have told myself not to talk nonsense.

 

“Haa. You’re acting like an idiot. You must be deaf, so I’ll say it again. I cured the curse of Agra.”

 

“Really?”

 

“You don’t believe what I, a noble says? For a foolish priest, that’s a brave statement?”

 

“No! Please wait a moment, I’ll bring the bishop!”

 

The priest nodded and ran away but tripped over his own clothes and fell.

 

He showed signs of pain, but when he turned his head and saw me standing there blankly, he quickly got up and moved his feet.

 

<Girl, what on earth have you done?>

 

I want to know that too.

 

Seriously.

 

What the hell did Lucy do that made the priest so scared?

 

‘Karl what did I do here?’

 

“Sloppy knight, what did I do at the church?”

 

“Miss, did you forget about that?”

 

Karl, who usually kept his composure, looked noticeably embarrassed.

 

I could guess the level of what I had done just from that, but I had to ask anyway.

 

“That’s why I’m asking, answer me.”

 

Karl, watching the other nuns and clergy working in the church, put his head near my ear and whispered.

 

“You used to visit this church to insult God.”

 

Yes?

 

Wait a minute.

 

Sloppy knight.

 

What did I do?

 

Insult God?

 

As I blinked, Karl looked embarrassed but described the situation in detail.

 

One day, I visited the church where I was attending a service and shouted that there was no such thing as God in the world.

 

I visited several times and caused a ruckus in the church despite Benedict’s warning.

 

I then crushed the faces of the priests who tried to stop me with my shoe and then laughed at them.

 

“That priest just now was one of them young lady.”

 

“Sloppy, shut up.”

 

“Yes, I understand.”

 

I couldn’t bear to listen to Karl’s endless testimony, so I half-forcefully covered his mouth.

 

<In the past, you would have been sentenced to death for blasphemy, you know how to commit such acts.>

 

…

 

<You don’t remember doing such acts? I don’t want to say this, but do you have a memory problem?>

 

I couldn’t say anything.

 

Lucy.

 

You crazy bitch!

 

Even if you committed similar acts in modern times, people would say you’re crazy, but you did it in a medieval fantasy world?!

 

Does that make sense?!

 

In this world where the authority of the church is comparable to that of a country, how can you insult God and the church?

 

My head hurt from the unimaginable stories pouring out.

 

How has this girl Lucy survived until now?

 

Is it because Benedict is such an amazing person?

 

That must be it.

 

If Benedict didn’t have his prestige, she would have been beheaded for any crime, whether it was blasphemy or not.

 

Thinking back, wouldn’t that have been better?

 

If she had been executed for blasphemy, I wouldn’t have had to possess her.

 

I could understand why the priest was flustered.

 

He must have been terrified that the person who committed such a crime had come back to the church after not visiting for a long time.

 

He must have suspected that she was coming to cause another mess.

 

Thinking back, being terrified was a moderate reaction.

 

If he had been a person with deep conscience, he would have openly told me that this was not the place for someone like you.

 

Covering my mouth with both hands and looking at the floor, I sighed and summarized the current situation.

 

In a word, the word that best fits the description would be fucked.

 

Curse of Agra?

 

Reputation?

 

It wasn’t that kind of problem.

 

The fact that Lucy was still alive on this continent was a miracle.

 

How should I handle this?

 

The Church of the Lord is a group that is heavily involved in the Soul Academy story.

 

If I lose their support, there could be many difficulties in my future strategy.

 

I’m getting the ire of Agra, and now the hostility of the Church of the Lord?

 

That’s just too horrible.

 

This isn’t a game where you can do concept play.

 

This is reality.

 

I don’t want to live in hard mode, you idiot.

 

Think about it.

 

Think with the same brain that spent 13,000 hours digging into Soul Academy.

 

What difference will it make if I just keep getting frustrated?

 

There has to be a way.

 

While I was desperately racking my brain, a solution suddenly came to mind.

 

If I think about it carefully, my current position isn’t that bad.

 

I guess it’s okay to say that I once disbelieved in God, but repented after receiving revelation from God?

 

That seems okay.

 

It is also possible to prove that I received a revelation.

 

I received the blessing of God.

 

I removed a curse that was normally incurable.

 

I have the weapon of an old hero that was thought to have disappeared.

 

If it were one, it could be considered a coincidence, but if these three things come together, it is not a coincidence but an inevitability.

 

Anyone would think that I received a revelation from God.

 

The knights of the Knights Templar think similarly.

 

Even from the church’s perspective, my repentance is not a loss.

 

Given Lucy’s notoriety, the story of Lucy repenting and believing in God will have considerable ramifications.

 

A story about a scoundrel who spread notoriety throughout the continent believing in God and becoming a new person.

 

Isn’t this the perfect story for the church to use when talking about God’s miracles?

 

Perfect.

 

Let’s go with this.

 

They don’t have to believe that I changed from the beginning.

 

Anyway, I will continue to fight against Agra’s men.

 

If you see my many achievements, you will naturally believe in my repentance.

 

If you receive support from the church, the world’s view of Lucy will naturally improve.

 

Am I a genius?

 

How can I come up with such a plan in such a short time?

 

“Young Lady, it’s been a long time.”

 

I raised my head at the voice from far away.

 

The face of the person approaching me as he walked through the middle of the church was familiar.

 

The wrinkles that stood out because he didn’t have a beard.

 

The hair that had turned white.

 

The eyes that seemed to be filled with kindness.

 

I knew that person.

 

He was one of the NPCs that appeared quite heavily in Soul Academy.

 

How could I not know the old man who you would definitely meet if you were going through a church-related story, whether you were an enemy or an ally?

 

An old man who later ascended to the position of cardinal of the church and became the leader of the hardliners within the church.

 

A man commonly called a foolish priest among users.

 

Contrary to his kind appearance on the outside, he was a prickly person who had a hedgehog inside.

 

Johan Viera.

 

Why is this old man here?

 

Shouldn’t he be struggling to gather his power in the holy grounds of the church you gave me?!

 

“It’s the first time since you splashed water on my face. It’s been about a year.”

 

Johan smiled as soon as he saw me and spoke sharply.

 

Uh.

 

Um.

 

I’m sorry, Bishop.

 

Did I splash water on your face?

 

Hey.

 

I think I was possessed by something that day.

 

Could you please consider me weak-minded and forgive me with kindness?

 

I looked into the bishop’s eyes while muttering nonsense to myself.

 

His eyes were still kind.

 

To put it a little differently, he didn’t seem to have any intention of revealing his true feelings.

 

“Father Felkin said that you cured the curse of Agra, is that true?”

 

‘Yes, that’s right!’

 

“Do I really have to tell you twice, Bishop?”

 

“Haha. I’m sorry, it’s such a hard story to believe.”

 

Even though Johan was insulted by a child much younger than him, he didn’t erase the smile from his face.

 

He looked like a kind old man who would listen to a child’s tantrum, but he was different.

 

I know.

 

There’s an old man inside him who is calculating the pros and cons.

 

Heh.

 

What the heck.

 

This is fucked up.

 

In order for the story to unfold as I planned, I have to persuade this old man.

 

Isn’t the difficulty level too high?

 

“Let’s go inside and listen to the detailed story. I can’t keep the young lady standing there forever.”

 

‘Thank you for your consideration.’

 

“Are you pretending to be considerate by standing here all this time? You’re being so ignorant.”

 

I laughed along with Johan.

 

Ah.

 

Damn it.

 

Why is my Mesugaki skill so fucking bad today?!