Chapter – 02
I first regained my memories in this body when I was thirteen years old.
Though I had emphasized so strongly in my previous life not to exploit the commoners but to squeeze the nobles and the imperial family instead, these rotten bastards were using the orphans at the temple-affiliated orphanage for forced labor under the guise of “volunteering.”
“I don’t want to go clean the temple…….”
“What are you saying, Ciela! We have to repay the grace Caritas has bestowed upon us.”
Of course, since I had no memories at the time, I happily let myself be exploited. This is why brainwashing is so terrifying. The orphans were mobilized to clean the temple four days a week. That day was no different.
The place assigned to me that day was the Religious Court, where trials were held after inquisitions. The first thing that caught my eye in that courtroom was a massive mace stuck behind the judge’s bench. It was the very mace that no one could even touch, let alone pull out, which had remained in the same spot for 500 years since the 3rd Saintess placed it there before her ascension. The moment I saw it, I was seized by an intense, overwhelming impulse that swept through my brain.
As if possessed, I approached and gripped the mace. As soon as light burst forth from it, the memories of the 3rd Saintess era came flooding back. The first words I uttered after regaining my memories were:
“I’ve never seen such wretched bastards!”
After all, wasn’t I the living witness currently being exploited by a corrupt temple? The interior of the temple, overflowing with all kinds of art and sculptures, coated in gold and platinum and shining brilliantly, began to look different. I did all the hard work, and these later generations were sweeping up all the money.
“Ciela! What are you doing here? I’ve been looking for you for a while. We have to go now.”
“……Has it already been that long?”
As I stood there grinding my teeth at the growing indignation, a peer from the orphanage called out to me from behind. For your information, my current name is derived from my previous life as the 3rd Saintess, “Sierra,” which I found very satisfying because it was similar to my past self.
Starting the day I regained my memories, I disguised myself as a devout believer and visited the temple every day to grasp the true state of affairs. 500 years had passed, and the temple was no longer a place that represented the will of God.
‘Isn’t the will of the High Priest the will of God? That’s why the nobles are so desperate to build connections with the High Priest.’
‘The College of Cardinals put forward Saintess candidates again, and they’re all relatives of the Cardinals…….’
The clergy was colluding with the nobles to extort the commoners and accumulate massive wealth, while the Saintess was nothing more than a puppet with no real power.
‘Count Gustave’s heir killed a servant, and the Gustave family bought an indulgence with a thousand gold coins. With that, he received forgiveness from God in just three days and was released from prison.’
‘A world where even murder can be forgiven if you have a thousand gold coins, my goodness. I don’t know whether to say God is too merciful or too worldly, tsk tsk…….’
The indulgence business had become completely corrupt, and the donation required to absolve one’s sins had become more expensive than the imperial taxes.
‘If you get on the wrong side of the temple, even the imperial family faces all sorts of headaches. A conflict arose with the temple in the Birenum territory, and because His Majesty sided with Viscount Birenum, the 4th Princess almost couldn’t receive baptism at the main temple that year.’
‘So what happened?’
‘In the end, they recognized the land purified by the temple as the temple’s territory, and the imperial family compensated the land lost by Viscount Birenum with imperial money. They have to receive baptism, after all.’
The imperial family couldn’t keep the temple in check, and the nobles were dependent on the temple’s power. One could tell just by seeing how many second or third sons of noble families were taking lifelong vows that being a member of the clergy was a very profitable business. They wouldn’t even listen when I used to tell them to come to the temple and contribute to God’s will in the past, tsk!
“Does this make sense? How can things become like this in just 500 years!”
There was no trace left of the old temple I had struggled so hard to save. There was only the textbook “Cradle of Corruption and Decadence” from a romance fantasy novel. I felt such shame, wondering what I had sacrificed my whole life for. What infuriated me even more was the fact that all the foundations I had laid for the temple’s revival had ultimately been used to ruin it this way. I had clearly opened the dawn of a golden age, but because you bastards turned the temple into this, I was going to be falsely accused of opening the chapter of corruption.
Oh, Caritas, why did you reincarnate me to see this mess? Do you truly wish for me to throw a firebomb at the temple and destroy everything I achieved with my own hands? If not, please strike down these wretched later generations and give me a chance to pay off my karma.
I prayed like that for five years, and finally, Caritas gave me a chance to settle my karmic debts.
As I finished reliving the past, the shock of witnessing a miracle faded, and the chaotic state of the sanctuary came into view. The fact that God’s sign appeared on my forehead was a monumental religious event, beyond simply being “chosen by God.” Furthermore, a Saintess publicly chosen by God herself is the highest ranking in the temple, with only God above her. Although the position had been relegated to a mere puppet role, the symbolism a Saintess holds in the temple is not something to be ignored.
Since the divine revelation had been delivered so directly, I naturally expected them to stop the baptism ceremony immediately and escort me away, but these later generations were far more formidable adversaries than I had expected.
“Next.”
These people ignored me completely and forced the baptism ceremony to continue. For those who called themselves servants of God after taking lifelong vows to completely ignore the will of God, this was a hanging offense. In my era as the 3rd Saintess, they would have been dragged off to the holy prison in a heartbeat. The world has truly become too lenient, hasn’t it?
Whether or not the divine sign had already descended upon me, the temple seemed intent on moving according to their planned scenario.
“Next, Kalliana Grailton.”
As the priest’s voice echoed, a girl walked toward the altar. The moment the priest’s thumb, soaked in holy water, touched the forehead of the girl who had bowed her head and knelt, the golden lighting stones embedded in the walls of the sanctuary flashed simultaneously, and a halo rose from the altar. Flames of holy fire flickered around her head, where a crest had been engraved.
It was a “miracle” that flickered regularly at fixed intervals, with obvious signs of artificial manipulation that anyone could see. Yet, the inside of the temple was engulfed in cheers.
“A revelation! Another divine revelation has descended!”
Quite the performance……. Still, the acting where they did their best to look overwhelmed was worth watching. They seemed more surprised than when the real divine revelation descended. Of course, no matter how divinely they acted, they couldn’t possibly mimic the sacred sensation of God’s direct intervention, so a subtle look of doubt remained on the faces of the other baptism candidates.
But that doubt was cut short by a bell chime that suddenly rang out. The person who appeared with the bell chime was—
‘To think the stubborn Grand Archbishop would make an appearance himself. I suppose the plans you laid out have gone seriously awry?’
It was Marius Nomendis, the Grand Archbishop, the de facto leader of the temp, le who only revealed himself on St. Sierra’s Day every year. The Grand Archbishop, standing before the altar where silence had fallen, passed over the pre-ordained Saintess and pierced right through me.
I lived as the leader of this temple for nearly 100 years; do you think a fledgling like you scares me? As I stared back without flinching, the Archbishop opened his mouth with a benevolent smile.
“It is truly an extraordinary event that two people have received divine revelations.”
The congregation in the sanctuary stirred. The priests who had ignored the divine revelation bestowed upon me also seemed flustered. It seems the Archbishacknowledged thating even I was not in their scenario. The Archbishop raised his hand to quiet the commotion among the clergy.
“To avoid further confusion, I ask that both of you remain within the temple for the time being.”
It felt as if even this chaotic situation was being tuned like a puppet on the Archbishop’s palm.
“Of course, there will also be a need for a time of prayer and reflection to correctly interpret God’s will and find the true Saintess.”
The Archbishop, having left those meaningful words, spread his arms wide.
“Saintess candidate Kalliana, Saintess candidate Ciela. May the glory of Caritas be with you both. The temple welcomes you both.”
His voice was gentle, but the intention within it was clear.
‘I will control this situation and take back the flow.’
I also smiled softly and nodded.
“Of course, Grand Archbishop. Because I, too, wish to know God’s will accurately.”
A member of the clergy who tries to fill their own belly while engaging in a war of nerves with God and defying God’s will has no place in my temple, fledgling.
As the Archbishop exited, a lukewarm silence settled over the sanctuary. The priests who had finished the baptism ceremony were already starting to clean up, and the congregation was emptying their seats one by one. Just as I was about to turn and follow the guidance—
“Candidate Ciela.”
A resolute voice came from behind my back. I turned my head. It was a face I had already guessed.
Kalliana Grailton. The girl who would have received the staged revelation today and newly ascended to the position of Saintess if there had been no divine intervention. Of course, a puppet fake Saintess who only allowed herself to be swayed by the College of Cardinals had no place in my temple, either.
