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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 173
“…….”
The priest’s expression subtly changed.
“Bishop, what do you mean……?”
“A doctor’s business thrives when there are many patients. Especially when those patients suffer from an illness only that doctor can cure.”
* * *
There was no additional entry of Sword Master-level warriors.
Why?
The Holy Kingdom still had high-ranking priests and several Sword Masters left.
As of now, only three Sword Master-level holy knights remained conscious near me.
Even they were not completely incapacitated by me; they were simply exhausted but still maintaining consciousness.
“Damn it…… He’s completely toying with us.”
Despite his words, even for me, these harsh conditions were unfavorable.
If not for my overwhelming aura, I would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
If the enemy were foolish, they might dismiss this situation as meaningless and move on.
But the fact that they had already dispatched Sword Master-level forces meant they had deemed this situation critical.
It meant they saw Nadia’s prayers and Diablo’s presence as a significant threat.
And yet, if reinforcements were still not arriving…
There was something else going on.
I lacked the experience to understand what it was.
What I was confident in was fighting.
“Librarian.”
At my call, text appeared before me.
[Confirmed.]
“What’s your take on this?”
[There is only one plausible conclusion to be drawn from the current situation.]
[Even if this situation continues, there must be a move that could instantly turn the tables—or rather, one that could make the current situation favorable to them.]
It was the worst possible outcome.
If Saintess Nadia’s prayers led to a problem, and the Holy Kingdom was the one to resolve it, then from that moment on, no matter what Nadia said, she would be branded as a perfect heretic.
So what exactly had they prepared……?
[A plague is a strong possibility.]
At the Librarian’s words, my eyes widened.
At that moment—
“Aaaaaah!!!”
“Arghhh!!”
Unexpected screams of the Holy Kingdom’s citizens erupted from the distance.
Both Rehelon Ban, who was regaining consciousness, and I instinctively turned our gazes in that direction.
“Hah. So that’s their play?”
Sensing the eerie energy flowing from that direction, I snapped my fingers and dispelled the surrounding barrier.
“What are you doing?”
“Stay where you are. Don’t move.”
Saying that, I swiftly moved toward the central plaza where the saintess was.
The scene there was already pure chaos.
The holy knights and priests guarding the saintess were looking around in shock, and even the saintess herself had stopped praying, staring in horror.
What they were looking at—citizens writhing in pain, their entire bodies emitting a faint glow.
“Ah… so this is how you want to play it?”
Because Saintess Nadia had prayed, divine punishment had befallen the citizens of the Holy Kingdom.
At least, that’s how it would appear.
But something told me this wasn’t divine punishment.
[This phenomenon structurally differs from divine punishment.]
“This is messed up.”
As I muttered this, Rehelon Ban swiftly landed on a nearby rooftop.
All the other Master-level warriors had retired from the battle.
He, too, was utterly exhausted, yet he was still standing—perhaps due to sheer willpower or some remaining energy.
He looked at the people writhing in agony, radiating light, and his hands trembled.
“This… how is this…?”
Covering his face with both hands, he muttered in deep guilt.
“This is divine punishment… Because I failed to stop the heretics, the innocent people of the Holy Kingdom are dying.”
Does he really not understand what’s happening?
His bloodshot eyes burned with rage as he shouted.
“Look! Look at what your actions have brought upon us! This is divine punishment! If this isn’t divine punishment caused by the heretics, then how do you explain this situation?!”
Hearing his outburst, I gazed at him coldly.
“Let me ask you something, Rehelon Ban.”
“I don’t want to hear it! You heretic!”
“Saintess Nadia prayed, and divine punishment was supposedly delivered. But why did it fall upon the citizens instead of the saintess herself?”
“Th-That’s…!”
“You’re not about to spout nonsense about how the saintess is immune because she’s the saintess, are you? Surely, even you must be starting to find this strange.”
To be exact, changes had started occurring not only in Saintess Nadia but also among the holy knights and priests who were protecting her.
However, the faint divine power emanating from the saintess due to her prayers was interfering with it.
Her power was still unstable, so its range was extremely limited.
But this was—
“A large-scale miracle…”
The precursor to a large-scale miracle.
Compared to true saintesses' miracles, it was exceedingly weak.
This was likely the best she could manage.
If this truly were divine punishment, resistance wouldn’t be possible.
A divine punishment is a decree from the gods—if someone could defy it using divine stigma, it would mean the gods intended for that to happen.
And in that case, how could this be considered divine punishment?
No, this was a man-made disaster.
“If it weren’t for the saintess, even the unaffected would have succumbed by now. So let me ask you again—does this look normal to you? Does Saintess Nadia truly seem like a heretic?”
Rehelon, trembling, looked down at the chaotic plaza.
“If we are to resolve this… what must the saintess do…?”
I murmured as I quickly moved toward the saintess.
I knew little about divine magic, and most priests lacked the ability to resolve this.
The only one who might be able to do something was Luna—but she was nowhere to be seen.
“Saintess Nadia.”
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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“Is this… really because of me……?”
Nadia's face was completely stricken with panic, trembling as if she couldn't hold herself together.
"It's really because of me... because of me..."
"Get a grip. This is an artificially induced disaster. They're putting on a show to brand you as a heretic."
I tried to calm her down, but she didn't seem to have enough confidence in herself to escape from the panic so easily.
The humans weren't dead.
But they were suffering.
"You have to do it. I don’t know how to heal."
Using the Machine God's Heart for healing one by one wasn’t just inefficient—it was downright terrible.
Hearing my words, she nodded but still wore an expression of deep uncertainty.
"I... I can't. I'm useless... This isn’t just an act, creating an actual large-scale miracle is..."
She quickly spiraled into panic.
At first, it was just an act.
She only had to pray, and Diablo would take care of the rest—at least, that's what she'd been told.
But now, with things turning out like this, she was under extreme pressure to actually manifest as a true saint, rather than just pretending.
Well, if she’d never done it before, it wouldn’t be easy to suddenly pull it off now.
I understood how she felt.
After all, how many long attempts and hours had I spent mastering aura and learning to imbue my sword with it?
So, I decided to "dope" her in my own way.
"Look into my eyes, Lady Saint Nadia."
I grabbed her cheeks and locked eyes with her.
Her trembling pupils reflected me.
Then, staring straight at her, I activated necromantic magic.
Using necromantic magic—especially a mental spell—on a saint was absolute nonsense. Even a Death Lord would struggle with that.
But according to Luna, I was quite useful in my current state.
[Take hold.]
Since I had reached the peak of elemental magic, I possessed a command spell—something necromancy alone could never achieve.
In an instant, the suggestion magic activated and reached her.
At the same time, a glint of madness flickered in her eyes.
Huh?
[The Hall's power resonates. Fusion ability is created.]
Huh?
That worked way too well.
"Lady Saint? How many fingers do you see?"
I wiggled two fingers in front of her.
She immediately lunged and grabbed my index finger tightly.
"One. Heh... Hehehe... Hahaha."
I had clearly raised both my index and middle fingers.
That’s two, woman.
Something felt seriously off.
I instinctively took a step back.
Even though I had let go of her, her body no longer trembled—she stood firm.
"A miracle... I just need to create a miracle. I am the saint... Saint Nadia Ten Lilibel."
Muttering her name, she opened her eyes wide and scanned her surroundings.
Her gaze, filled with madness, took in the suffering but still-living people.
"A miracle... A bigger miracle! A goddamn huge miracle!!"
Words no saint should ever utter burst from her mouth.
Then, she immediately stretched out both hands and began pouring out an overwhelming amount of divine power.
"Hahaha! I’ll save everyone! I can do it!! Get lost! Don’t get in my way!"
I wasn’t sure if this even counted as prayer anymore, but she wasn’t praying—she was trying to force a miracle into existence.
I wasn’t an expert, but surely there had to be some kind of procedure for this.
Ignoring it would obviously take a toll on her.
"Hey! Lady Saint Nadia!"
Thrown off by her unexpected extreme "doping" state, I reached out to stop her.
"Get your hand off me!! I said I’ll save them, so just shut up and wait over there!"
Whoa... is this all the pent-up frustration coming out?
I mean, it makes sense.
There’s no way an orphan from the slums would have had an easy life.
People have emotions, but a saint probably had to suppress hers far more than most.
"L-Lady Saint Nadia?"
Meanwhile, as if experiencing an unfamiliar shock, Rehelon Ban stared at her in a daze, even dropping his sword.
Just moments ago, he had been calling her a heretic, but now that he was witnessing it firsthand, it was hard to deny.
"Old man! You too! Stop interfering and get the hell out of my way!"
"W-What in the—?!"
The divine power erupting from her body grew even denser and more vast.
The Stigma engraved on her chest resonated wildly, radiating such an immense force that even someone like me, who lacked divine power, could feel it.
So this is the power that comes from a Stigma.
A massive, completed power determined not by effort, but by birth—or talent.
For once, she exuded unshakable confidence as she controlled her divine energy.
But the divine power shook wildly, moving beyond her control.
So, she pulled forth even more power.
"Hehehe... Oh, I see, you're resisting, huh? You think I'm a joke too, don’t you? Since all I ever do is stab dolls with needles, you think I’m pathetic?! Huh?!"
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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