<Chapter 17>
‘Of course, this isn’t just for revenge. It’s also me doing my job.’
I rationalized belatedly, wondering if I was acting out of personal feelings.
Right. My job was to dismantle the temple with Theodore and tear down the fabricated faith.
To shift the faith and attention focused on the High Priest back to the gods. That’s how I would gain more abilities.
Well, initially, I had no choice but to focus on the Saintess rather than the gods.
[Agatha, I need you to-]
I made an urgent request to Agatha. It was an impromptu method, but it seemed viable.
[What?! With so many people around?]
[That’s why we have to do it. The more witnesses, the better.]
I looked around at the crowd.
The desperation of those deceived by the temple, their yearning directed towards the temple… it was pervasive. A surge of irritation washed over me.
People were offering money, calling out not to God, but to the High Priest and me.
Looking down at them, my heart felt heavy. They were being swindled, yet they looked so desperate.
Unlike my previous life, I had been interacting with many people in this world, and as a result, I often empathized with their emotions.
Seeing people freed from their suffering after hearing my fortune-telling made me feel good.
Come to think of it, it was strange.
In my past life, I was ostracized by many. I was bullied quite a bit as a child.
Because of that life, I wasn’t the type to have much faith in humanity… so why did I feel good?
Moreover, now, witnessing the human suffering created by the temple right before my eyes, I even felt sympathy.
My mother’s words came to mind.
‘A shaman must have compassion. Seon-nyeo, have pity on people and help them.’
I had dismissed her words as nonsense, thinking, ‘Why should I help them when everyone ignores me?’
But it seemed I had been influenced by my mother’s nagging.
Or maybe…
Seeing people who didn’t ignore me, who called out my name and wanted me, made me feel excited.
I shook my head to clear my increasingly complex thoughts.
This was just me helping someone while getting back at the High Priest. It would be beneficial if my reputation improved as a result.
[Dorothy, are you ready?]
[Yes, Agatha.]
Agatha asked at the perfect moment, and I replied in a determined voice.
My body floated upwards.
“Wh-Whoa…!”
Surprised gasps erupted from the crowd. A natural reaction.
“The… the Saintess… is flying!”
Indeed.
I asked Agatha to carry me from this high balcony to that woman below. I also asked her to lift me as high as possible.
“She’s coming down- Gasp!”
“S-She’s fast!”
“Like… a bird!”
It was terrifying to descend quickly from this height, especially since I only had 30 seconds of airtime.
But I was born into a thrill-seeking nation in my past life and endured the 180-degree Viking ride at Wolmido. I took a deep breath and widened my eyes.
[I can maintain it now!]
[Then I’ll keep you floating!]
And when we reached a height Agatha could maintain for a longer time, I hovered in place.
I showed off my showmanship, in case anyone missed it because I came down too fast.
“N-No way.”
“A person…”
I could float as high as the Grand Temple’s high ceiling, so I was at a height where everyone in the plaza could see me.
Murmurs rippled through the entire plaza. Astonishment, bewilderment, awe.
Every emotion associated with shock swept through the crowd. I decided to give them time to calm down. That way, my words would reach them.
“She’s beautiful…”
“Ah, Saintess!”
“Truly divine!”
Since the balcony was high, they wouldn’t have seen me clearly. Now that I was closer, I felt even more nervous, as they could see me much better.
The sheer number of gazes focused on me from close range was overwhelming.
I briefly regretted not asking the god of beauty for a blessing.
“Quiet, quiet. It seems she’s about to speak.”
“A person is floating. This is-”
“Be quiet. You can’t hear the Saintess!”
As I stood there awkwardly, voices calling for calm rose from the crowd. After it quieted down a bit, I spoke.
“Maryanne.”
I used the gentlest voice possible. Like a Saintess, like a Saintess.
“S-Saintess- Hic! …! How do you know my name…!”
The person I called was the woman I saw from above.
“Is your child… alright?”
“Oh, Saintess…! I… I… I haven’t eaten anything, so I can’t produce milk. My… my baby hasn’t eaten anything for two days.”
Maryanne collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
“How pitiful…!”
“The Saintess will save you. Be strong!”
“Saintess!”
The baby in her arms, seemingly too weak to even cry, just whimpered. And even that was a very faint sound.
I approached her. I asked Agatha if she could amplify my voice so it could reach the entire plaza, and she said she would try. This was the most important part.
“The god Agatha, the god of the hearth who protects families, Vesta, will watch over you.”
I spoke emphatically, hoping that the name of God would be remembered by the people again.
Indeed. Although not incredibly loud, my voice echoed repeatedly throughout the plaza.
“I-Is it true? Saintess, my child…”
Maryanne’s tears fell onto the baby’s cheek. The baby, as if finding the sensation strange, moved its arms and legs. But only briefly. It was too weak.
“The temple will take care of you. Priest, please escort Maryanne. Prepare milk and food for the baby.”
I called out to the priest stationed at the entrance to control the crowd.
The priest’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked up at the Grand Temple. It was a very natural reaction. As if he was used to looking to the High Priest for guidance.
“Priest, what are you doing?”
“Ah, y-yes. Saintess.”
I urged the priest, and he hurriedly approached and escorted Maryanne.
The temple outwardly claimed to “care for the people” and “save the devotees.” It would be a disaster for their image if they refused here.
The reason this hadn’t happened before was that the High Priest had prevented anyone from stepping up to offer relief.
Providing relief for just one person didn’t make sense. Helping one person meant they had to help all the devotees in the empire.
“S-Saintess, my husband had an accident yesterday, and we don’t have money for the hospital-”
“Saintess, please save me. I’m going to starve to death.”
Just like this situation. It would never end with just one person.
As soon as I helped Maryanne, people started rushing towards me as if they had been waiting. It was a natural progression.
I extended my hand to them with a sympathetic expression.
“Don’t worry. The temple will take action. For urgent cases, please see the Grand Temple’s medic.”
After sending a few more critically ill people inside the temple, I declared in a loud voice,
“God wishes to be by your side. Everyone, please come to the temple. The god ‘Agatha’ will welcome you.”
The High Priest had always demoted or secretly pressured any priest who mentioned relief efforts.
And relief was only provided very briefly, to a limited extent that wouldn’t cause them losses, when the temple’s image or public opinion was unfavorable. All under the High Priest’s schemes.
For a temple priest to declare relief efforts in front of such a large crowd without prior consultation would undoubtedly infuriate the High Priest.
It was no different from saying that a significant portion of the donations extorted from the devotees would have to be returned to them.
Amidst the chaotic situation, I became curious about the High Priest’s expression.
She still maintained a gentle facade, but I could tell.
Her gaze was sharp enough to pierce through me. As if saying, ‘How dare you betray me like this?’
How horrifying must it be for her to see the wealth that should be piling up in her secret vault flowing away because of a single word from a newly appeared Saintess?
And then, a chilling voice from behind.
“…Indeed, the Saintess…”
I turned my head towards the voice, and the High Priest was looking at me with a forced smile.
“…is overflowing with compassion.”
My mother told me to have compassion, but the High Priest was saying, ‘How dare your compassion touch my wealth.’ Shamans and High Priests seemed similar in that they served God, but could their thoughts be so different?
“Isn’t it only right to return the devotees’ offerings, which were dedicated to God?”
I replied in a gentle voice.
[‘That crazy bitch…’ she says.]
“The trainees of the temple should go to the lowest places, and the devotees should go to the highest places, as the god Agatha instructed. Isn’t that right, High Priest?”
I asked confidently, emphasizing my point. The temple was built upon people’s faith. In reality, the High Priest’s biggest weakness wasn’t the secret vault, but the public.
“…That’s right, Saintess.”
I could sense the High Priest gritting her teeth as she replied.
“Everyone who is struggling, everyone who needs help, please come to the temple!”
I shouted again. Cheers erupted simultaneously.
The reason prayers weren’t properly conveyed and faith couldn’t reach heaven was entirely due to the temple’s interference.
To redirect people’s faith from the ‘temple’ to ‘God’ itself, I had to first keep the temple busy and in disarray, preventing them from freely using the overflowing donations.
For example, with a massive crowd flocking to them for relief.
“Waaaaah!”
“The Saintess has returned!”
I bowed to the crowd in respect and then descended to the ground. Agatha had told me that bowing was a sign of respect here as well.
“Saintess, Saintess!”
“The god Agatha is watching over us!”
I turned my back on the cheers and returned to the temple.
[Dorothy! The mentions of the High Priest have completely disappeared!]
Good. All the spotlight was on me and my gods.