Chapter 419: The Saintess

The remembrance soon ended.

The formal farewell for that Saintess candidate would be held after all subsequent matters regarding Kanteville were settled. By then, bearing the honor of ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) having fought against Evil Gods, she would gloriously return to the Goddess’s embrace amid the golden orchids she loved.

For now, everyone understood that something even more important was about to begin.

...

The church was solemn and austere; the Goddess’s light still shone down with mercy. The Saintess stood within the radiance, lowering her gaze, her eyes gentle as she looked at each person.

After a journey to the Lost Land that was both brief and interminable, everyone here had changed, more or less. Some of those changes came from a shedding of old mindsets; others came from a growth in strength. But all of them were a firm step these Saintess candidates had taken toward that position.

Unfortunately, no matter what, only one person could ascend to it.

“I won’t say any more sappy things. You’ve probably outgrown the age where you’d sit and listen to my long-winded talk.”

Facing two faces full of expectation, one of loss, and one of total give-up, the Saintess’ lips curved as she spoke softly:

“The so-called Sanctification Ceremony is both a rite of transformation and a trial of qualification. You grew within it and you gained something from it. Now, under the Goddess’s gaze, please bring out your results.”

Setting aside a certain salted-fish who quit halfway and utterly gave up, three crystals slowly rose into the center of the church.

Two were shrouded in crystalline radiance.

The other brimmed with pitch-black filth.

The Saintess’ gaze swept over the two brilliant crystals, then quickly came to rest on the one and only filthy crystal. Her eyes flickered as she let her sight linger there, as if to see through that fathomless darkness.

Liya mischievously lowered her head; her little head nearly sank into the grandeur of her chest. She didn’t quite dare to look at the Saintess’ expression.

She did not regret her choice; when she made it, she had also followed her Saintess teacher’s instruction. But whether viewed from the Church’s standpoint or her teacher’s, that act of laying down her own duty was, indeed, rather self-centered.

So she had already abandoned all hope. The reason she was still here was merely to put a period on these ten years for herself.

“You okay?”

Beside her, Muen scratched Liya’s palm with a fingertip. Under the Saintess’ very eyelids, he didn’t dare go too far—he could only sneak in this kind of furtive affection.

“I’m okay.”

Liya shook her head lightly and, as always, revealed that cute and captivating smile.

“I’m just fine.”

“Is that so...”

The comforting words that had reached his lips, Muen swallowed back again. The girl at this moment no longer needed soft words.

She was very strong.

So—just watch.

Muen’s attention returned to the Saintess. The brilliance of Margarita’s and Anne’s crystals was evenly matched, so he was very curious about the outcome.

Tap...

Under several tense gazes, the Saintess finally moved.

The hem of her long white skirt rose and fell with her steps, like the suddenly quickened heartbeats of those present. Likely not only here—in the outside, in the Holy City, even across the entire continent, the faithful who knew a new Saintess would be born this very night were lying awake, awaiting the result’s arrival.

Just like waiting for a new sun to rise.

“How beautiful... You must have worked hard.”

The Saintess came before Anne and, regarding her crystal, offered a soft admiration.

In that instant, everyone saw this loli girl lift her swan-like neck with force, thrust out her unruffled chest, and rise up high on her tiptoes.

“Not hard at all—done easy-peasy!”

The proud, show-offy loli got even more show-offy.

If not for her height, she would probably be casting a condescending gaze right now, looking down smugly at everyone. Her eyes burned as she watched the Saintess approach, thinking that the wish she had harbored for so long could finally be fulfilled! So long as she led trends as a Saintess, then small could also be very cute!

Anne waited, waited for that moment to come!

But...

The Saintess did not pronounce the result then and there; she merely expressed admiration.

That was all.

She gave Anne a light hug, but her steps did not stop. In the end she passed by the haughty loli whose toes were trembling from tiptoeing too long... and came before Margarita.

Margarita froze for a beat, then the corners of her lips lifted. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Anne—face stiff, whole person petrified.

So the winner is still me... Don’t worry, I’ll carry on your last wish along the way.

Compared to the show-offy loli, Princess Margarita was much more reserved. She suppressed the excitement in her heart, though the joy in her eyes still slipped out, hard to control.

“Yours is beautiful as well—like your heart: pure, flawless, bright as the starry sky.”

The Saintess praised her just as sincerely.

But hearing that praise, Margarita’s mouth froze on the spot. This scene was almost identical to the last...

Sure enough.

The Saintess gently drew her into an embrace—just admiration. Then, without pausing, she passed by her as well.

“Eh?”

Anne and Margarita both let out bewildered exclamations at the same time.

At present, the suitable choices for Saintess were only the two of them. If not them, then...

The two turned back in a daze—and saw the Saintess’ lotus steps carry her to... Muen.

“Ha?”

“Mm?”

“What?”

Several cries of surprise rang out; even Phil, a certain salted-fish who’d just been enjoying the show, bounced up from the pew in shock. Liya fell into a daze, mind overloaded.

“What the hell?”

Staring at the Saintess’ half-smiling face before him, Muen’s eyelid began to twitch out of his control.

Wait.

Your Holiness, you’re not... choosing me, are you.

What a joke!

Sure, he was handsomely rakish; sure, if he cross-dressed he’d be devastatingly beautiful—but a male Saintess...

In his mind rose an image of himself wearing a white long gown and veiled in white gauze, sitting cross-legged on a hazy grand palanquin, passing through the Holy City and receiving the worship of countless devout faithful... He’d probably also have to imitate the Saintess’ current demeanor: elegant, sacred, bashful and coy... No. Absolutely not!

Absolutely impossible!

Muen set his face in stone, signaling he would never lightly yield to the Church’s tyranny!

“You really are interesting, Muen Campbell.”

Fortunately, the Saintess did not suddenly proclaim any shocking, wolf-tiger declaration. That meaningful gaze of hers actually lingered on Muen only a short time. Rather than studying a future Saintess, it was more like taking a closer look at which pig had the guts to root its snout into the Church’s cabbage patch.

Very soon, she turned her head, her gentleness falling upon the last Saintess candidate—Liya.

“And you, little Liya.”

The Saintess sighed softly, moved:

“You keep doing things that even I, your teacher, don’t expect.”

“I—I’m sorry.”

“Chin up. I’m not scolding you.”

The Saintess extended her soft palm and gently lifted Liya’s little head, looking into her eyes with tenderness.

In that instant, Liya suddenly realized that deep in her teacher’s eyes there was not only gentleness. There was a sighing sense. There was wistfulness. There were mixed thoughts. There was also a certain lightness—and relief.

“Saintess Teacher...?”

As if reading that complex gaze, Liya’s voice trembled.

“In truth, I hadn’t imagined this scene before. In my view, the kind and utterly pure you would find it very hard to walk to this very step.”

The Saintess stroked Liya’s small face and said:

“Surprised?”

“...Mm.”

Liya nodded, still bewildered all over:

“My crystal...”

“Yes. Your crystal has been stained with filth and no longer shines. And a girl who has already borne sin is not qualified to be a Saintess... That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”

“...Is that not correct?”

“Do you think it’s correct?”

The Saintess blinked and countered. In the final moment of playing this role, she finally let a touch of playfulness peek through her usual elegance:

“Have I ever said that? Has the Church’s Holy Canon ever recorded that? Quite the opposite, Liya—if a girl doesn’t even have the courage to step into darkness and be stained by filth, how could she become a Saintess? The Saintess’ duty is to lead countless faithful forward. And the road ahead is always dark—that is precisely why there must be a light brighter than anyone.”

“A bright light, but I...”

Liya grew even more lost. A bright light? Even her crystal was so dim.

“You still don’t understand? The one who chose you... isn’t me.”

The Saintess suddenly reached out and took hold of Liya’s crystal.

The crystal wrapped in filth flickered with a light as faint as candle-flame; it was far less dazzling than Margarita’s or Anne’s. Yet it was still lit.

Stubbornly lit.

The Saintess suddenly pressed hard; the crystal shattered with a snap.

Freed of its restraints, the clinging filth dissipated—and from the spreading seams of darkness there bloomed... light.

Dazzling light.

Brighter than Margarita’s. Brighter than Anne’s.

Brighter than anyone’s.

It came from the monsters, from the prisoners, from the many people Liya had saved.

And more than that, it came from Liya’s heart.

That light had not been absent; it had only been covered by darkness. Yet even when it existed within darkness, people could still see that flickering gleam. What of bearing countless sins—this light had never been defiled by filth and darkness.

“Tch.”

Gazing at that blinding light, Anne clicked her tongue and turned her head away with willful poutiness. Margarita forcibly turned her face back and sighed:

“Truly impressive...”

...

“So then, Liya Angel, I’ll ask you once more—the very first question.”

Bathed in Liya’s light, the Saintess looked into Liya’s eyes and solemnly asked:

“Even after witnessing the deepest darkness in this world— even if you stand amid heavy sin and filth—will you still... remain kind?” “I will.”

The girl answered thus. No hesitation was needed; she had long since carved that answer into the depths of her heart.

“Very good.”

The Saintess smiled, patted her shoulder:

“Then turn around and look. Go receive what is yours.”

The church’s great doors boomed open.

Light from the entire world surged in tyrannically and, in an instant, submerged the whole church. Outside, it was already day. At the highest point of the Holy City, that colossal statue of the Goddess looked down upon all things in the world.

The sun was rising. In the bright morning, the Pope stood in solemn stillness.

Liya saw many silhouettes behind the Pope, but she could not clearly see a single face. Her legs suddenly went weak. She knew what she had to do now; she knew, too, that what she had pursued for ten years was within easy reach. Yet in that moment, she instead grew fearful of gain and loss. This dreamlike scene appearing before her eyes—did it mean...

“Go forward, my Lady Saintess.”

Then that familiar, mellow, warm voice sounded by her side.

Liya turned her head in a daze and saw that handsome figure who seemed always to remain at her side, still watching her with a smile:

“You should stand in the light.”

The words felt familiar. Liya wavered for a heartbeat. But this time, she needed no one to push her. Courage had already returned to the heart that had been filled to the brim.

Liya hesitated no more. She sketched a captivating smile, straightened her back, and walked forward with resolve.

She walked into the gaze of countless people.

The Pope gave Muen a chilly sidelong glance, then withdrew his look and lifted the crystalline crown in his hands, placing it solemnly upon Liya’s head.

“By the Goddess’s oracle.”

“Liya Angel, thou... shalt be the Saintess.”

Holy rain of light fell from the heavens, like the Goddess’s grace.

From near to far, countless faithful faced their new Saintess and knelt in waves like the tide.

Then her eyes paused, as if gazing upon a Saintess candidate who was no longer here and her knight.