Merchant Noble is out (3/3 chapters for today)
Saintess’ Resistance
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“Please help us! We are believers of the Holy Church! Why are we being killed?” (??)
“You lived under a heathen lord. You must be contaminated by demons.” (Cyan)
The purification of the people in the territory of Count Shinri was progressing smoothly. In this town, many holy believers were about to be killed. They begged for their lives desperately, but the holy knights and soldiers paid them no mind as they continued their work.
“Please help us! Please help us!” (??)
The desperate voices of the villagers did not matter to them at all. It was simply an order from the High Priest. That alone turned them into a cruel massacre unit. The villagers were being herded into large houses one after another. Killing them individually was too much trouble, so they locked them all in the house and burned them alive. This allowed the purification to proceed efficiently.
“Alright, everyone’s inside. Set the fire.” (??)
When the soldiers approached the house to set it on fire at the holy knight’s command…
“Wait!” (Marie)
With the sound of horses neighing, a person came between the soldiers and the house.
“Who is it? …Ah, it’s the Saintess.” (??)
The soldier, who had been glaring at her with suspicion, hurriedly bowed when he confirmed that it was indeed the Saintess.
The house where the voices of many people could be heard had not yet been set on fire. Marie had arrived just in time. She stood firmly in front of the house, blocking the way.
“Whether heathens or believers, I will not allow any more innocent lives to be taken.” (Marie)
“Saintess, please calm yourself. Step aside.” (??)
The soldiers were frightened by Marie’s rage for a moment, but then, tried to calm her down. To them, Marie was “a Saintess in a state of madness who is disobeying the orders of the High Priest”. However, Marie refused to budge. With resolve, she spread her arms wide.
“It is you who need to return to your senses! Do you truly believe that God will be pleased by such cruel acts?!” (Marie)
“Saintess, this is our duty as commanded by the High Priest. No matter how much you are a saintess, you have no authority to intervene.” (Mother)
A cold voice echoed, and from among the holy knights, Mother appeared. Her expression was the complete opposite of the gentle face she had shown when she had fervently prayed with Marie. To someone like her, who was a fanatical follower, defying the High Priest was a sin heavier than any other. The anger of knowing that Marie would never be forgiven in her life was palpable.
“Mother…” (Marie)
“Continue the work, holy knights.” (Mother)
The Holy Knights, who had come to their senses after hearing Mother’s call, ignored Marie and approached the house. Marie was a weak girl. If the soldiers had their way, there was nothing Marie could do.
“Don’t come near!” (Marie)
The knights’ optimistic predictions were wrong. Marie drew her dagger. The approaching knights hurriedly distanced themselves from the house and Marie. But she did not attack them with the dagger. Instead, she quietly placed it against her own throat.
“If you come even a step closer to the house, I will take my own life with this dagger.” (Marie)
The knights murmured in shock. Even Mother, who had previously maintained a cold and ruthless expression, started to panic. A Saintess committing suicide was unthinkable.
“P-please, Saintess, calm down. If this becomes too much of a disturbance, the High Priest will hear of it.” (??)
“I am calm. I will not move from here until the torches the knights are holding go out.” (Marie)
Thus, Marie and the soldiers entered a stalemate, maintaining a small distance between them. This distance remained unchanged for several hours. Both sides were drenched in sweat, their faces marked by the heat and tension. Yet neither side could move.
As hours passed, the villagers who had been locked in the house began to pry open windows and slowly began to escape. The soldiers tried to chase after them, but whenever they were glared at by Marie, who was holding the dagger to her own throat, they could not move. They were forced to silently watch as the villagers escaped one by one.
By the time most of the trapped villagers had escaped, High Priest Cyan arrived in the town, having been notified of the situation.
“What is happening here?” (Cyan)
Cyan was confused as he saw the Saintess with a dagger at her throat, glaring at the soldiers.
“High Priest… actually, the Saintess is not moving…” (Mother)
Mother explained to Cyan. The villagers they were supposed to kill had escaped because of the Saintess. To protect themselves, she shifted the blame to Marie, explaining the situation to Cyan. Cyan’s face turned red with fury. He glared at Marie with a frightening expression, his voice trembling with anger.
“Saintess! Do you even realize what you are doing? You are going against God’s will and siding with demons!” (Cyan)
Seeing Cyan trembling with rage, the holy knights distanced themselves from him so as not to get caught up in his anger. However, Marie suppressed her instinct to run away and furiously retorted.
“Most of the people trapped in this house are holy believers. Do you think God wants to see His believers die?” (Marie)
“How dare you…! God desires this! There should be no doubt about it! You are an apostate!” (Cyan)
Cyan’s anger exploded at Marie’s rebuttal. His roar shook the air, causing the surrounding soldiers to shrink in fear.
But Marie did not take a step back. She held up a holy scripture in her hand and showed it to Cyan.
“Read the holy scripture! When did God ever desire His believers to have their hands stained with blood? When did God ever desire innocent lives to be killed? You kill and harm innocent people in God’s name and try to justify it. Is this not blasphemy against God?!” (Marie)
A loud sound rang out. In his rage, Cyan snatched a sword from one of the nearby soldiers and threw it at Marie. The sword, thrown with the strength of an old man, missed Marie and struck the ground. Marie, still holding the dagger to her throat, did not flinch.
“Th-this woman! This woman is a witch! Holy knights, capture her! Take her to the church!” (Cyan)
Cyan was breathing heavily in anger, and after labelling Marie a witch, she left the place in a rage.
At Mother’s command, the holy knights rushed at Marie. Caught off guard for a moment, Marie was subdued by the knights before she could stab herself with the dagger. She was then dragged to the town’s church, where Cyan had returned.
Marie was arrested that night, and an inquisition, disguised as a trial, took place throughout the night. There were no lawyers for Marie, and the High Priest himself passed judgment. It was not a trial, but a one-sided show.
The more Marie spoke, the more enraged Cyan became, and their argument grew fiercer, eventually becoming nothing more than a shouting match. To the sisters and knights who knew Marie well, she must have appeared like a completely different person, one who was possessed by a witch.
And then the verdict.
Marie was stripped of her title as Saintess. She was also declared a witch for misleading people and casting doubt on the church. Witches were excommunicated and sentenced to burn at the stake. In other words, a death sentence.
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