The priest slammed the door shut, sweat dripping down his face, and huddled in the corner of the room. He prayed, trembling. Goddess, can you hear me?

 

There is no justice here.

 

There is no salvation here.

 

There is no holiness or mercy here.

 

There is only madness here.

 

Goddess. Then what should I pray for, what should I wish for?

 

Look. She is coming. The once-noble evil who comes to plunder the grace you have bestowed upon me.

 

If you truly watch over and love all things, please look upon me, trembling in the darkness, and take pity on me. Please cast down a lifeline of salvation.

 

If I have sinned, it is only that I have served you for so long…

 

“No.”

 

Creak, thud. The door was lightly pushed open.

 

The blood-soaked saintess walked into the luxurious room. The room was adorned with expensive jewels everywhere, and the gold pieces scattered on the floor were trampled under her heels, but she paid them no attention.

 

She did not come here for money.

 

She came to settle an old grudge.

 

“If you put the words ‘for God’ in front of it, your sins may disappear. But hatred does not disappear. Look at this. It says why you must die.”

 

Thud. The saintess dropped the scroll from her hand.

 

The bloody evidence of sin was spread out. The tightly rolled scroll rolled away and revealed its face. Embezzlement of donations. Human trafficking of orphans from the temple’s orphanage. Molestation of priestesses. Concealment of black magicians.

 

The priest, who was fat and fleshy, gasped at the weight of the sins that strangled his neck. And with a holy glow blooming from his fingertips, he squealed like a pig.

 

“The Goddess, the Goddess has permitted it…!! I have not yet lost my divine power, this, this is just compensation for my miserable childhood when I was rolling around in the back alleys! My righteousness, the Goddess is protecting it-!”

 

“I think you’re mistaken. The reason you’re dying isn’t because you’re immoral or because you’re attached to a black magician. That’s an indirect reason. Read the last sentence carefully.”

 

His eyes turned. At the end of the scroll, which was filled with countless sins, there was a sentence written in blood. ‘Revenge’. It was a simple and clear form of hatred.

 

The gaze of long-held hatred clung to the priest.

 

“I was going to spare you. If you had done a lot of good deeds. Or… even if there was some corruption, if you had helped that many people. I would have suppressed my personal hatred. There were many other people I could have killed besides you.”

 

But that wasn’t the case. The saintess drew her demon sword.

 

“The scales have tipped. Your goodness could not stop my hatred, and your wickedness fueled my hatred. You… are dying here because you failed to save parents our.”

 

The priest rolled his eyes around to survive. But the wealth he had accumulated so far could not stop the overflowing hatred. Instead of gold coins, these shining gold coins, if only he had bought and prepared magic scrolls.

 

Instead of shiny jewels, if only he had hired mercenaries as escorts!

 

“‘Watchdog of the Goddess’…!”

 

The priest drew out his divine power. Even though he had committed all sorts of sins, the Goddess did not take away his power. So this time, too, he believed that the Goddess would look upon him. He was a chosen being.. .!

 

The saintess, who was looking down at the shining shield, quietly chanted.

 

“‘Remorseful Thorns’, suck it up.”

 

Creak, creak!

 

The thorns broke the corrupt priest’s shield and wrapped around his fat body. The sharp thorns dug into his skin, which had been fattened by someone’s blood and tears. And, the divine power was being cut off.

 

No, it was being sucked out. The saintess was robbing him of the divine power that the Goddess had given him! The priest screamed, twisting his body.

 

“No, no──!!”

 

“Now, the divine power that justified your evil deeds is gone. Let’s hear you say it again. The Goddess has permitted it.”

 

“Goddess, merciful Goddess! Please, please give me divine power…!!”

 

“Will you be late this time too…?”

 

The saintess scoffed.Moments later, Saintess Tara escaped the scene, leaving behind the cursed sword. In the place where her life and divine power had been drained, only a withered corpse remained.

 

Only the statue of the goddess on the wall was the sole witness to the judgment.

 

* * *

 

Slurp.

 

Tara spoke as she sucked on a straw, drinking lemonade.

 

“That’s what happened.”

 

[Can you say that a little more lightly?]

 

“I killed them all, so what? The important thing is that I can use divine power! I took it from them, so of course it won’t recover, but…”

 

Tara’s unique trait, Absorption.

 

Instead of praying to the goddess to receive divine power, she extracted and stored divine power from corrupt priests. That was the reason why she was able to continue acting as a saintess.

 

Tara reached out and poured divine power into Bennett’s face. Ziiiiing. Since she was emitting the energy itself without constructing divine magic, there was only a very slight healing effect and a blinding light.

 

Bennett frowned, his eyes dazzled.

 

“Don’t waste your divine power.”

 

“Why? If I run out, I can just eat another corrupt priest.”

 

[That’s a bit of a crude way to put it…]

 

“What are you talking about, Niore! This bastard-!”

 

As Tara pounced on Niore like a tiger and began to squeeze his balls, Bennett took a sip of coffee and thought. The goddess and divine power… seemed to work in a different way than what was commonly known.

 

It was certain that there was no ‘collection function’, even if the supply was cut off. Or perhaps there was no intention to do so.

 

Otherwise, it would not make sense for Tara, who had attacked and drained the divine power of corrupt priests, to be standing there unharmed. It also did not make sense for corrupt priests who had committed all sorts of sins to be able to use divine power so nonchalantly.

 

“…There must be a secret. In the Church of the Goddess as well.”

 

“Whatever, I don’t care about that. I don’t want to know. Even if I don’t know about it, there’s no problem at all in using the Church of the Goddess.”

 

[Let go of the ball.]

 

“So, really, the Second Prince… has decided to join hands with us? Bennett.”

 

Bennett nodded. The contents of the conversation he had shared with the mad mage had been fully shared with the party. As an aside, Tara had cried, just as Bennett had expected. At that time, Abraham’s necklace had ended up in Tara’s possession due to the corrupt saintess’s sobbing.

 

Tara thought for a moment, then quickly devised a plan with the cards she had in her hand.

 

“There are also priests within the Church of the Goddess who are wary of corruption. They were gathering people by ‘excommunicating’ corrupt priests, and I think it’s time to lay out the board.”

 

“Are you trying to create a new faction within the Church of the Goddess, using the Second Prince’s political position?”

 

[Let go of the ball.]

 

“Yeah. The name is… something like ‘Reformist’.”

 

The preparations were being made at an astonishing pace. It was to the point where they thought they could somehow stand up to the long-stagnant upper echelons of the Church of the Goddess.

 

The power of the trait that could brand her as ‘abandoned by the goddess’ by absorbing divine power.

 

The forces that had been temporarily assembled by gathering the good priests within the church.

 

The political backing provided by the Second Prince.

 

“…And when we announce the formation of the ‘Reformist’ faction, I plan to sell your name, Bennett. We don’t have enough achievements to appeal to the people.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

[The ball.]

 

“It’s like that professor said. A double agent secretly dispatched by the saintess. So the achievements you’ve earned… will all become my achievements!”

 

“I don’t think it’s enough to just ask for a few pieces of information.”

 

“If you stop the evil plan to target the academy, that’s enough of an achievement, isn’t it… Huh?!”

 

Bennett’s trained dynamic vision reacted quickly. Niore, who had been caught by the balls and was being teased, unleashed a deadly counter. He thrust both hands through the hole in the side of Tara’s saintess’s dress.

 

At that moment, Bennett calmly closed his eyelids. He could anticipate that a visual information bomb was about to explode.

 

“W, w-what are you rubbing there…?!!!”

 

[You didn’t listen to me because you were so infatuated with Bennett.]

 

“I, I don’t have hands, you know?!”

 

[……….!!]Bennett pondered for a moment, then manipulated his magic to create a thin membrane over his ears. He had given up on his hearing as well. He Enjoyed a brief tea time in the quiet darkness.

 

And he thought.

 

In the case of the Mad Mage, he seemed to be in their favor. Did saving another world have some kind of meaning? However, the Second Prince was different.

 

Second Prince Irid, his public evaluation was mixed. Half of the evaluations said he was suspicious and cunning, and the other half said he cared for his people and was competent. The latter was likely propaganda deliberately leaked by the Second Prince’s side to create an image…

 

If he had formed a cooperative relationship with a suspicious royal family, it would be smoother if he showed as much sincerity as possible.

 

Thud. Someone poked Bennett on the cheek. Bennett released his magic earplugs and opened his eyelids. And he looked at the two people alternately to find the culprit who had poked his cheek and ran away.

 

Their faces were flushed red, and their uniforms were wrinkled and disheveled. Niole was holding a whiteboard in her arms and covering her chest, and Tara was fanning herself vigorously with her hands.

 

Bennett closed his eyes again.

 

“…Shouldn’t you have tapped my shoulder?”

 

“Who did that? If you can’t guess, there’s a penalty, Bennett.”

 

“It must be you.”

 

[You’re wrong, Bennett. I did it. Then I’ll take the penalty⋯⋯.]

 

From Noble mtl dot com

 

“Let’s, finish, the discussion.”

 

Bang, bang, bang. Bennett pounded on the table. If he showed any gaps, he would be attacked again. He had to push through. He quickly spat out the agenda.

 

“How about giving the Mad Mage some power, which would indirectly give a gift to the Second Prince’s faction?”

 

“Give him power?”

 

“We’ll let everyone know that we’ve enlightened the fable after listening to his lecture. If his evaluation as a professor goes up, his power will naturally increase.”

 

[That would also help Tara’s forces, wouldn’t it? It would be a publicity that there are already two fable-class powers⋯⋯.]

 

It was time to create a force and make it public. Now was the time to show their claws rather than hide them. The three of them finished their discussion, and Bennett ran away before he could be caught.

 

After that.

 

Saintess Tara revealed that her previous apathetic attitude had been a disguise, and announced that she had defended the Black Mage’s plan to invade the academy. At the same time, she declared that she would create a new ‘Reformist’ group that would advocate for the transformation of the Goddess’ religion, and that she would move forward with those who shared her vision.

 

Around the same time, rumors spread that the Mad Mage’s liberal arts lecture, which was famous for being either a fantasy magic or a dungeon implementation class, had already produced two students who had awakened to the fable.

 

Tara actively talked about it, but it was a story that was hard to believe at once, so it remained a rumor. However, public opinion had definitely shifted. No, it meant that there was smoke coming out of the chimney.

 

Bennett was contacted by the Black Mages. The message was that they would kill the traitor, but he made the following excuse.

 

‘The Black Mages had already been captured by the Mad Mage, and the core of the plan had collapsed. I judged that it would be more advantageous to pretend to convert than to be captured with them. I am still on the side of the Black Mages. Please do not harm my sister.’

 

After that, the Black Mages put strong pressure on Bennett. One day, a box containing a severed finger was delivered to Bennett.

 

“…”

 

Perhaps, it was his sister’s finger.

 

He was prepared for it. He had judged that it was necessary to shake things up in order to create an opening for the Black Mages. Since his sister’s body was the flesh of the ‘Horror-Eating Corpse Flower’, he thought that they would not harm her.

 

However, did the Black Mages take this situation more threatening than he thought? However, it was okay. It was okay. He would be able to save his sister. The finger could be attached later.

 

Bennett wrapped the finger, which he didn’t know who it belonged to, in a clean cloth and kept it safe.

 

Bennett waited for the right moment. He didn’t want to keep deceiving them. Now that the plan to invade the academy had failed, the Black Mages would definitely take a different course of action… and then. He was waiting for the one chance to use the ticket.

 

The opportunity would be closer than he thought.

 

Now, soon.In the midst of this cataclysm, it was only natural that the chaos was greatest within the Goddess’ Church. The sacred assembly hall, where once the noble and lofty priests had flaunted their golden rings, had become as clamorous as a marketplace.

 

Loud voices echoed between the priests, their faces flushed with anger.

 

“What are those who were supposed to be managing the Saintess doing?!”

 

“They said that she was just acting like a rebellious child, didn’t they? Are you saying that not a single one of you noticed that she was planning something like this in secret?!”

 

“Excommunicate her immediately! It’ll be easy if we use her past conduct as an excuse!”

 

Amidst the chaos, the old cardinals who were at the heart of power spoke calmly. Nothing would change even if they barked like uneducated dogs. In the end, everything in the Goddess’ Church was decided by the cardinals’ secret talks.

 

“Tara, that child attended the Academy’s lessons and learned the Fable. And she did it in just two weeks… Can you believe that?”

 

“That… The Illusionist is known to be a faction of the Second Prince. Perhaps it’s a political ploy to bolster the Second Prince’s power. After all, the Fable isn’t something that can be mastered so easily.”

 

“That sly little thing must have been sharpening her sword in secret. She deliberately dressed in ridiculous clothes and pretended to be an invalid… All the while hiding the fact that she had awakened the Fable. That’s what she did.”

 

“The Second Prince was known to be a fool… But I wonder when he started colluding with the Saintess behind the scenes. Judging by the circumstances, it seems that the mastermind is not Tara but the Second Prince…?”

 

“The Second Prince… That young man has a fearsome mind.”

 

Whispers.

 

The cardinals came to a conclusion. As long as they were under the protection of the Second Prince’s faction, which was growing stronger by the day, they needed to prepare carefully to expel the Saintess Tara. For now, they had to tolerate her.

 

They crawled on their knees to the young Pope and whispered to him in low voices.

 

“Your Holiness, let us put aside the matter of Saintess Tara for now. The Goddess has taught us that prudence is a virtue.”

 

“Your Holiness, let us tolerate Saintess Tara’s ‘Reformist Faction’, but let us send someone to observe whether they are truly on the right path. Their intentions are deep, but we worry whether those intentions will be used correctly.”

 

“Your Holiness…”

 

Then, Saint Beccio, who had ascended to the papal throne at the tender age of six, repeated the words of the old cardinals like a parrot.

 

“We shall tolerate the ‘Reformist Faction’, but we shall send someone to observe whether they are truly on the right path. And…”

 

Muttering. That was how it was done.

 

—- —-

 

Second Prince Irid couldn’t help but ask again. It was the third time he had heard it, and it wasn’t that he had forgotten the previous content. Still, he felt like he needed to hear it one more time.

 

“Tell me again. What did you say?”

 

“Codename Mad Mage has captured a large number of black mages. And he has thwarted the plans of a Named black mage who was targeting the Academy.”

 

“And?”

 

“He has made two students into Fables. He has converted one black mage, obtained information, and has played a part in forming a new faction in close cooperation with the Saintess. That faction is on bad terms with the existing Goddess’ Church forces. “

 

“What else?”

 

“That’s why the Goddess’ Church is sending points at us. It seems that they think Your Highness is the mastermind. It’s absurd.”

 

Irid thought long and hard, then brought his nose to the rosemary that decorated the vase and inhaled deeply. Give me courage, Centra.

 

“Well, I wanted to get rid of those corrupt priests anyway. I was going to draw my sword after I ascended to the throne… But if they’re going to pick a fight, I won’t shy away from it. Prepare yourself.”

 

“Understood, Your Highness.”

 

“And…”

 

Irid rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. Thanks to the Mad Mage, he had gained credit without doing anything, and thanks to the Mad Mage, he had gained enemies without doing anything. His mind was greatly troubled.

 

The priests, who had been amassing power for a long time, were not easy opponents. Even after he had seized the throne of the Emperor, he had been prepared for a considerable long-term battle, but he had never expected to be forced to fight so soon.

 

It was certainly a great achievement to have wiped out the black mages from the Academy… But he felt more annoyed than impressed. Irid spat out his words with anger.

 

“Tell the Mad Mage… that I want to see his face sometime.””Are you going to give him a prize?”

 

“Oh, yes. Prepare some gold bullion. Something big and heavy.”

 

But I have to accept it with a straight face, you crazy wizard.

 

—- —-

 

At the same time, the Mad Wizard’s laboratory.

 

The wizard paced around for a long time, pondering, and then confided in the Demon Lord. It was because his conscience, which had been dormant for a long time, had awakened because of this incident.

 

“You know, when I think about it… I think I did something wrong to the Second Prince.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“He still can’t forget Sentara. If he gets caught up in a fictional girl who doesn’t exist and ends up living his whole life as a bachelor… then I’ve blocked the marriage path of a perfectly good young man .”

 

“Oh, uh. Huh?”

 

The sin of twisting the fate of Irid, who would have met a good bride and lived a long and happy life. How should he solve it? Since he was the one who gave him the disease, shouldn’t he be the one to give Him the medicine?

 

The Second Prince Irid needs treatment. That’s what the Mad Wizard thought.

 

“So… I think I’ll introduce him to a real woman. So he can find a new love.”

 

“…!!!”

 

The Demon Lord let out a silent scream at the unexpected announcement of the destruction of Irid-Sentara’s pure love.

 

I have to stop it…!!