The Tyrant Empress is Obsessed with Me - Chapter57

57 – Even if the starlight disappears, new light always emerges.

“Just think of it as a broken knee and keep going. Well, that’s how it is, gently but still causing a ruckus.”

Having obtained the trust of the Star Sect, Ascal, who became a Diamond-grade member, gained even more access privileges.

Sushia, who had sweated a lot from practicing her dance, sat down heavily.

“Cough, cough. It’s not as easy as it seems.”

Ascal handed Sushia a bucket of cold water and a dry cloth.

Gulp, gulp.

Sushia emptied the bucket and wiped off the sweat with the cloth.

“Even if I can’t become a saint, as an Imperial citizen, I shouldn’t be embarrassed when people see me. And I should return to the Empire with dignity.”

Only you.

Ascal had no intention of returning to the Empire.

Once you become a Diamond Grade devotee, you gain the privilege of taking the priesthood examination immediately. And if you pass the examination, you become a priest of the Star Sect.

What Ascal aims for is, in game terms, “Ending No.3: Live a peaceful life as a priest.”

Since ancient times, if nobles or aristocrats feel a little off, they quickly dedicate themselves to the sect to avoid having their heads chopped off. Ascal also intended to follow the precedents set by his seniors.

“Do you have all the hymns memorized?”

“No…”

“Tsk. I thought so. Don’t worry. I’ve memorized them all, so let me teach you.”

Suzia looked at Ascal, who skillfully sang the hymns, with a bewildered expression.

No, he sings quite well, even.

“Just because you’re the High Priest, right?”

“Is that so?”

Ascal smirked.

And he attempted to secretly take out the chicken he fought with earlier, but he quickly hid it again when he saw the practice room door opening.

“There you are. Brothers. And Suzia.”

“High Priest Lael.”

“Now you must prepare for the ceremony. Follow me this way.”

Following the guidance of High Priest Lael, the two walked down a long corridor.

“This is the waiting room. Suzia, please prepare here, and Ascal, would you kindly come with me for a moment?”

“Certainly.”

High Priest Lael guided Ascal to a small prayer room. The quiet prayer room carried a solemn atmosphere.

After closing his eyes and praying, High Priest Lael looked at Ascal with gentle eyes.

“To be honest, I had many concerns when you first set foot in the Holy Empire. Although I hate to admit it, there are rumors that the nobles of the Empire have arrogant temperaments. But seeing you, I realize that was a baseless rumor.”

“hahahaha. The nobles of the Empire do have some of those traits.”

“But you, Brother, have been nothing but sincere and faithful in following the will of the Star. I must say, even I should emulate you.”

“You flatter me.”

The prologue is long, but there is a main topic that follows.

Ascal listened to High Priest Lael’s words with excitement hidden in his heart.

“Congratulations, Brother. You have passed the priest examination. From today onwards, you officially become a priest of the Star Sect.”

“…!”

It’s done!

Ascal held back the desire to shout.

Now, I could live my life peacefully under the protection of the sect.

The Kingdom of Kelli was not the best choice, but it wasn’t too bad either.

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In this era, embracing religion was like having a rainbow shield. There was no harm that could come to my family.

“Follow the guidance of the stars, Piriël.”

“Piriël.”

Ascal, who kneeled and prayed, stood up.

-Bang!

“Oh no. The ceremony of the Holy Lady must have started. Let’s hurry and attend.”

It had been a hundred years since the ceremony of the Holy Lady.

Everyone in the holy nation, whether near or far, would watch that sight.

What a waste of money.

Ascal, who had seen the ceremony of the Holy Lady up close as an official, was the first to evaluate it like that.

They hired a lavish orchestra and priests in sacred robes stood in formation, surrounded by magnificent banners. Ascal nestled himself on a stone bench.

And on the marble staircase, two bishops whispered something to the Pope on both sides. The Pope nodded.

“I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere…”

Soon, the Pope’s sermon began.

My legs went numb, and my eyes felt heavy.

Luckily, the sermon seemed to be short due to a busy schedule. Afterwards, the candidates for the Holy Lady came out one by one to the central seat.

Girls dressed in pure white dresses and white satin.

And a girl with white hair that stood out. She seemed to be among the top candidates for the Holy Lady, not only in appearance. The atmosphere felt holy when she closed her mouth.

“Now, we commence the ceremony of the Holy Lady!”

The Pope’s voice resounded loudly.

It was clearly morning.

But.

It became dark night.

Stars began to appear in the night sky. The starlight illuminated the candidates for the Holy Lady.

The candidates gracefully danced and started singing hymns. As if following a spotlight, the starlight followed the candidates for the Holy Lady.

And one by one, the starlight faded away.

“Have they been eliminated?”

The candidates who were not chosen either remained seated or quietly disappeared.

Sushia still existed.

“No, but why is she dancing so hard?”

If she didn’t want to become a saint, she could just pretend to dance casually. I’m sure she doesn’t have any thoughts.

Finally, only two stars remained.

The candidate for saint from the Medes Kingdom, and Sushia.

Everyone watched their dance moves in silence. And one of the stars, which illuminated the candidate for saint from the Medes Kingdom, suddenly started to move.

Passing over the heads of the priests, it reached Azkal.

“What is this?”

-Will you become a saint?

An immediate voice that seemed to speak directly to the head.

-But he’s a man.

-Hmm… Does it really matter? He seems better than the girl over there.

-I absolutely refuse.

To make a saint who is monitored day and night?

It’s an absurd idea.

-Too bad. It’s been a millennium since we had a candidate.

-And Sushia?

-An ordinary person.

After leaving those words, the light disappeared.

-Let’s wait for the next hundred years.

The star went out.

And the darkness dispersed, and daylight returned.

Buzzing.

“Who became the saint?”

“No one, no one at all. What happened?”

Everyone was confused.

The saint didn’t appear at the saint ceremony.

It was an unexpected outcome for everyone.

“Silence!”

The Pope amplified his voice using the podium.

It was a sound that seemed to burst eardrums.

“It’s just a slight misunderstanding. The Saint has already been chosen!”

And the Pope, striding forward, pointed his staff at the stunned Su-Sia.

“Rise, Saint!”

The rumbling didn’t cease. Everyone had witnessed the lights going out, instinctively knowing that the Pope’s words were lies.

“What if the Saint doesn’t appear?”

“We’ll be ruined. The Empire has gone too far. They dabbled in smuggling and trafficking, making a fortune from the sale of indulgences. If a Saint who can prove their power doesn’t appear, what will happen?”

“Indulgences will become nothing more than pieces of paper.”

The prince chuckled coldly.

“The Empire planned to use our Empire, including their corruption, as a scapegoat as soon as the Saint appeared to play the righteous role. Barenstein?”

“Yes. The airship and printed materials are prepared.”

If the Empire planned to use our Empire as a scapegoat, then we could do the same.

However, instead of being a scapegoat, we would shower them with loads of excrement.

The airship.

The airship was floating in the sky.

People looked up at the sky.

From the painted black airship, the papers began to rain down.

“The Terrible Reality of the Empire!”

“Forcing a kidnapped child into becoming a prisoner!”

“The vile truth of indulgences!”

“A mere charlatan’s ineffective means!”

“The Pope’s secret personal life!”

“The boy sneaking into his room at night!”

Expert forgery and incitement due to the palace scandal!

It fell indiscriminately onto the Empire!

And it was even more malicious as elements of truth were mixed in!

The effectiveness of the Empire’s propaganda was exceptional!

“What… what is this…”

The pope trembled as he read the words of sedition and forgery written on the paper. The kingdom was being condemned with a delicate blend of truth and falsehood.

“I- It’s a lie! If it’s an a- an airship, then surely it belongs to the Empire…”

But now, who would believe the pope’s words?

“M- My… my priesthood.”

Ascal slumped down, fearful.

“I’ve found him, Your Highness.”

A woman dressed in black lightly tapped Ascal’s shoulder. Even though her face was partially hidden, it was easy to recognize her.

“Y- You…”

“Shh. Call me the ‘Princess of the Night’ here.”

As the airship distributed fliers, a group of people secretly dropped in during the chaos.

Lyka was the first to infiltrate the cathedral and steal confidential documents. Cain stood beside her, sorting through important papers. Zelop drew the attention of the guards with his large stature.

Arthur Debra faced the knights of the kingdom alone.

Serena Barba came to rescue Ascal.

And Julia Barba…

She was in the basement of the cathedral.

“You refuse to choose a saintess. What are you thinking?”

The stars were still flickering in the dark sky.

– I used to think that anything was better than the worst, but it has changed.

“…?”

– In this world, we do not need a saintess.

“Do you not care about the fate of your sect then?”

– I can ask the same in return. Do you not care what happens to the Empire?

Julia’s contemplation was brief.

“Yes, as long as it ceases.”

– Vora nevar. Esta kera.

The starlight disappeared.

“Th- Then, the one who came that time… was it him, the Lord?”

Aileen’s voice trembled uncontrollably.

Sirius spoke dryly.

“Yes, Master.”

“Why, why didn’t I recognize it?”

Aileen fidgeted nervously with the bracelet as if it had become a habit. It was a bracelet sent directly by ‘Karl’, the biggest sponsor of Heaven Orphanage, or rather, now Heaven Foster Home. The gold necklace was the same.

“Well, they say people only see what they want to see. Maybe what you wanted to see, has changed a little?”

“Is that so!”

Aileen sprang up from her seat.

She had always thought about it.

There wasn’t enough bread to feed the children.

If the children were sick, there was no way to help them besides being there for them.

She had somehow managed to run the orphanage while working day and night, but even that had its limits.

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She desperately wished for someone to help.

And within that desperation, there was one person who reached out their hand to her.

Karl.

He didn’t ask for anything in return, he only bestowed upon the orphanage.

Thanks to him, the children could avoid starvation. They could study.

“He must be an official from the empire.”

Keen Sirius quickly realized Karl’s status.

The empire.

Aileen thought. If she could teach these children and make them outstanding individuals for the empire, wouldn’t that be a way to repay him, even a little?

And so, Heaven Orphanage became Heaven Foster Home, changing its name.

“Master, wouldn’t it be nice for you to relax a little now?”

She had let herself go too much.

When Aileen saw herself in the mirror, she was shocked.

“Is this me?”

Wearing jewelry that didn’t suit her, carrying around the gifts given by the mysterious benefactor, and a body that had gained weight and was no longer the same as before.

But still.

It wasn’t too late now.

And just as Aileen was about to take off the accessories and go outside, her eyes fell on a document that arrived this morning.

The sponsorship certificate for this month.

There, the name of the sword no longer existed.

“Ah…”

Where did things go wrong?

Did I lose my initial purpose?

“Sirius, what should I do?”

“The answer to that can only be found by the Master himself. You cannot seek it from someone else.”

“I see.”

Irene bit her lip.

“Sirius, take care of the sanctuary. I no longer need to be here.”

“What about the Master…?”

“I’m leaving. I’m going where I’m needed.”

From that day on, Irene wandered through the wasteland. To places where people were hungry, where people were sick.

It was difficult.

There were many days when she couldn’t even have a meal, when her life was in danger. But she continued to walk steadily. There were more people in need of a helping hand than the number of flowers blooming in a garden.

Her cheeks were sunken. Her hair was untidy. Her nails were split. She looked gruesome. There were people who were surprised to see her looking even more emaciated than themselves when they first saw her.

But she didn’t care.

Her presence grew. The number of people following in her footsteps grew.

Before she knew it, she began to be called the Holy Lady of the Wasteland.

And finally, she arrived at Erin Dale, the Land of Death.

It was around that time that plants started to grow wherever she touched.