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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 22: The Saintess of Radiance
Through the underground prison bars, moonlight and torchlight illuminate hair of pure, unblemished silver.
In stark contrast to her hair color is her pitch-black religious habit. And covering her pale skin is an equally black eyepatch.
The lace eyepatch covering both eyes seems like it might allow her to see through it. But there's something more important here.
'What's with that soul?'
More jarring than that, however, is the bloody hammer and chisel in hands of such a pure soul.
The black habit seems designed to hide blood spatters.
The purity of her soul and this brutal scene don't match at all.
"Um... is this room B112?"
"Yes. And you are?"
"Ray Anderson. I'm an apprentice member of the Armed Organization."
"Ah... you're Ray Anderson?"
She seems to recognize him, making Ray tilt his head curiously.
"You know me?"
"Yes. Yes. You killed a demon, right? And received stigmata too."
'Since she knows both, she must be quite a high-ranking priest...'
Despite the brutal situation, the woman greeted Ray with a bright demeanor.
What's frightening is that despite such a bright aura, her face remains unsmiling.
"How did you kill it? I'm curious about many things."
"I don't really... I was just lucky."
He naturally doesn't mention seeing souls, physically interacting with souls, or being able to possess others.
He's uncertain how abilities like spiritual sight and possession would be judged in this era.
"By the way... who might you be?"
"Iris. Call me Iris."
"Ah, yes... Lady Iris..."
He added the honorific because she clearly seemed to be of unusual status.
Like Erdio, and now Iris before him, people with such pure souls seem strangely free-spirited.
"But this room was assigned to me, so why are you here, Lady Iris?"
"Interrogation. There's something I need to find out before he's processed."
Interrogation... which meant Iris was likely affiliated with Eclipse, the Inquisition Organization.
"Did you come to interrogate too? Sorry I went first. He's a bit... broken."
Ray looked at the man who had been slumped over, drooling blood and saliva.
Dark crimson evil deeds. He'd heard this confirmed heretic was exceedingly wicked, supposedly an apprentice to a warlock.
'Ugh...'
Crouching down, Ray peered into the man's pupils, which were open but lifeless.
Such wicked people usually have eyes glinting with murderous intent and hatred. But this man's gaze lacked even the luster of a living being.
"Save me, save me please... save, save me... don't want to die... don't put it in... don't put it iiiiin..."
'She really cut him up thoroughly.'
In this medieval era, interrogation essentially means torture. Even in an age where criminal rights mean nothing, what Iris had done to this death row inmate seemed to cross some kind of ‘line.’
"I got everything I needed. Do you want to continue, Ray? Have any experience? Want me to teach you? If you poke right here, it's more effective..."
"No, that's alright."
"...Really?"
The woman seemed dejected.
To be disappointed about not getting to teach torture techniques - the disparity from her soul's color is jarring.
"I didn't come to interrogate."
"...I see."
Disappointed about not teaching torture? She's truly stone-cold.
'Despite her good deeds, I shouldn't get involved with her.'
Ray had no desire to get entangled with a fanatic who had so meticulously carved up a person from ankles and knees to spleen and collarbone, hands and wrists.
"..."
"...Lady Iris?"
"What?"
When Ray addressed the blankly standing Iris, she merely tilted her head curiously.
Ray carefully spoke to Iris, who was clearly his superior.
"Are you going to stay?"
"Yes."
No backing down.
Iris showed no intention of leaving.
Finally, Ray decided to ignore Iris's presence and do his job.
"Sir? Uh, your name is... Gallaghan? Mr. Gallaghan. Try to focus."
Tap, tap, Ray patted the cheeks of the unfocused Gallaghan.
He's completely lost it.
Ray decided to proceed without seeking the subject's consent.
"Here's some holy water. This is ordinary holy water used for hand washing in churches. And this is holy water blessed in the cathedral ritual."
Ray lined up beakers one by one. Iris watched with extremely curious eyes.
"And this is sacred blood diluted with vinegar, this is sacred blood diluted with honey, and this is sacred blood diluted with saline solution. Now, I'm going to try these on Mr. Gallaghan."
"Try... them?"
Without waiting for Gallaghan's answer, Ray dropped some regular holy water on him.
"Argh...! Nnngggghh!"
Gallaghan writhed in pain as the holy water touched the wounds Iris had inflicted.
Ray exclaimed with an apologetic tone, "Oh no!"
"Salt water in wounds naturally hurts. Sorry. Hmm, holy water on uninjured skin doesn't seem to do anything."
"Nnnggghhh!"
Ordinary holy water is just salted water. It became holy water only through the special nature of the Theocracy.
Next, Ray dropped cathedral-blessed holy water on the man.
"Gaaah...!"
There was a reaction.
It seems holy water blessed in cathedral rituals has an effect on people tainted by evil.
'The pain reaction is rather mild, so some processing might be needed.'
Such things typically amplify in power when combined with other elements.
Even the flaming armor-piercing bullets used by London demon hunters combine holy water with pure silver.
'What about sacred blood, then?'
They say stigmata only perform true miracles after awakening.
But wounds from stigmata still produce what's called sacred blood.
What effect would inherently sacred sacred blood have, compared to holy water?
With a curious expression, Ray dropped sacred blood onto the man's skin.
"Ugh...!"
There was a reaction. Was it as strong as cathedral-blessed holy water? If so, he wouldn't have to worry about carrying holy water around.
"Grk, grk! Kaaah, kaaaaaaah!"
"Huh?"
Gallaghan screamed in agony. Ray was rather taken aback.
"Sir? Sir? You're not exaggerating, are you?"
Really, such a reaction from just one drop of blood?
"Kaaaaaaah! Mel, melting! It hurts! It hurts! I'm telling you it hurts!"
"Um... you need to hold out a bit longer. Let's skip the vinegar-diluted one, and try the honey and saline solutions..."
Ray quickly continued his experiment. The man screamed his throat raw, and Ray realized that sacred blood was like poison to those tainted by evil.
"Ahem, sorry about that. But I only dropped one drop each, you're overreacting. I don't understand why someone who kill and torture several people can't handle their own pain."
How conscienceless.
Ray decided further experiments were meaningless and was about to stand up. But then...
"Oh no. It burst again."
Blood from the stigmata on the back of his hand was staining his bandage. As Ray removed the bandage to stop the bleeding...
Splat! Blood droplets flew out, landing on Gallaghan's face.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!
Screams erupted.
The man whose entire body had been carved up and numbed by Iris now screamed in terrible agony as if his entire body was melting.
"K-kill me! Kill me! Kill meeee! Kill meeeeeee!"
Gallaghan was in such extreme pain. Ray froze.
'He's convulsing like I splashed him with alien acid blood.'
Is he really not exaggerating?
Rather than that, his flesh was physically melting. Ray hadn't expected pure sacred blood to have such an effect.
Should he just kill him? No, that's beyond Ray's authority.
He was authorized to conduct "practice" interrogation, not to kill.
Ray finally left the room, leaving the man writhing in agony.
"Well. Not my business."
Anyway, it's not his concern. Heretics having seizures for no reason isn't uncommon, is it? It's all that man's fault.
"Wow~"
Just then, an admiring voice came from behind.
"That's impressive. I never thought of that."
At first Ray thought she was criticizing him for trying to ignore it, but that wasn't it.
She was excited.
"Um... Lady Iris?"
"Yes. What?"
"About the sacred blood... could you pretend you didn't see that? It's not really something to... report, is it?"
"Right. Nobody punishes you for interrogating a heretic a little."
That wasn't really interrogation, though.
"I'll... take care of the cleanup. Should I write a report?"
"No, no. Let me, I'll do it. I want to experiment with sacred blood too."
"..."
‘I see. So she wants my sacred blood in exchange for silence.’
Ray, not knowing that Iris was also a saint who produced sacred blood, carefully handed over three beakers containing sacred blood.
"I'll... give them to you."
"Hmm? Thanks?"
Iris smiled brightly. When a smile appeared on her previously expressionless face, Ray thought she must indeed be a great beauty.
"I feel like I've pioneered a new path thanks to you. I'd have liked to have a deeper conversation if I wasn't heading to the north for work."
"Ah, yes..."
For whatever reason, Ray seemed to have earned Iris's favor.
***
The Saintess of Radiance, Iris, watched Ray leave.
"Ray. Ray Anderson..."
She mulled over his name, recalling the recent memory.
'Using sacred blood as poison. I never thought of that.'
A saint's sacred blood carries many meanings.
sacred blood flowing from stigmata—symbols of God's miracle.
But for saints themselves, it's just an annoying phenomenon that constantly spurts out and scabs over.
To think of diluting it and using it as poison.
Iris is a saintess from Eclipse, the Inquisition Organization.
Her methods as a former inquisitor were infamous for their cruelty even within the Theocracy, making her colleagues uncomfortable around her.
This saddened Iris.
To be ostracized by her brothers and sisters in faith for torturing heretics who deservedly should suffer, die, and be burned.
Many called her a fanatic, which wasn't incorrect.
'He's... the same type as me.'
And the methods Ray showed today weren't much different from her own.
The cold-heartedness of treating heretics as experimental subjects, and immediately applying undiluted fresh blood once he realized sacred blood worked.
Even to Iris, a master of torture, those methods seemed quite cruel.
And now he had left her his sacred blood to finish the job.
"Ray Anderson. Ray Anderson..."
Perhaps Iris wasn't alone in this religious nation after all.
Nnnngghhhh...
She gazed at the heretic still groaning in pain.
What crime had he committed again?
Trying to summon a demon from hell using an infant's heart?
Iris approached the heretic who didn't even have the strength to scream anymore, grabbed his head and looked down at him.
Then she removed her eyepatch with one hand.
This revealed unblemished, pure blue eyes.
"...!"
In those clear, transparent pupils, Gallaghan saw it.
The stigmata clearly engraved in both of Iris's eyes—〈The Stigmata of Radiance〉.
"Fresh blood was definitely most effective, right?"
The next moment, tears began to flow from her clear eyes.
Not clear, transparent tears, but eerie tears of blood. They formed along her white, clean skin, dripping... dripping...
"No, don't. Please... please...!"
"Yes."
The next moment, Iris's bloody tears fell following the pull of gravity.
***
The Armed Organization's main duty is to receive missions to thwart heretical plots across the continent or eliminate those who contract with demons.
The core missions are classified from Special Grade to Grade 5 based on difficulty, with members able to take on missions according to their rank.
The mission the three had performed was a Grade 2 mission.
Interrogate and escort someone accused of being a witch. Because of the possibility they might be a real witch, at least a Grade 2 armed priest had to accompany them.
In any case, since completing missions leads to promotion and rewards, the three looked for missions they could perform.
"Harder than I thought. We're Grade 4, so the missions aren't very substantial."
"It's better than being an apprentice, but if we hadn't been promoted after the last incident, we wouldn't have any options at all."
"Yawn~ Low activity support funds, low rewards~ These leftover missions aren't worth it~"
The three had shed their apprentice status from their previous exploits.
To be precise, they were apprentice members, treated as Grade 4 armed priests in the Armed Organization.
Becoming Grade 4 gave them slightly more authority, but it was still just apprentice level.
If they could become Grade 3 official members, their options would widen considerably.
As the three were examining lists even in the communal dining hall, someone approached.
"Brother Ray, Sister Jenny. What are all three of you looking at?"
"Oh, Henry."
Ray raised his hand in greeting. Henry was a monk from the Granville Monastery with whom Ray had been friendly since before the entrance exam.
"May I join you?"
Henry put down his tray and joined them.
He glanced curiously at the parchments the three were examining.
"Going on a mission?"
"Need to earn some points if we want to be promoted to official members."
"Wow~ Already aiming for official membership while still an apprentice? All three of you are amazing!"
Henry looked at the three with admiring eyes.
Aaron spoke up.
"Aren't your training scores good enough to go on missions too? I heard you got top marks in combat training."
"Haha~ I learned a lot at Granville Monastery. But it's nothing compared to the brothers at our monastery."
Henry scratched his head sheepishly.
"Actually, I'd like to go on missions too, to catch heretics and make a difference, but I don't have anyone to go with. So…!"
Henry looked at the three with eager eyes.
"Could you take me along on your next mission? I want to do a holy deed too!"
In truth, Henry had been filled with admiration and envy upon hearing that the three had eliminated a witch in the north.
Having grown up learning doctrine among monks, Henry had always waited for the day he could serve the religious nation, along with a desire to distinguish himself as an armed priest.
So when he heard these three peers had eliminated a witch? Henry could barely contain himself.
I want to eliminate heretics and make his name like that too!
But Henry was still an apprentice. apprentices didn't have the authority to select and perform missions.
Even the three had only been able to go because they accompanied Father Moro, a Grade 2 armed priest.
To be promoted through the ranks, apprentices had to complete systematic training curricula, which was still far off.
"..."
"..."
The three assessed Henry, who was asking to be included in their mission.
Henry, from the Granville Monastery famous for its combat monks, was reportedly quite formidable with his fists.
Even experienced mercenary apprentices supposedly lost to Henry in one-on-one combat.
'The recommended party size is five.'
'We are short on people.'
Henry is a promising candidate despite being an apprentice. With him being so eager, wouldn't it be fine to include him?
"Well, if he doesn't perform well, we can kick him out."
"Consider it temporary."
At Aaron's words, Henry's expression brightened considerably.
"Yes! I'll work hard!"
"Lower your voice. You're being uncouth in the dining hall."
"Hup!"
After accepting Henry as their fourth member, the party members began reviewing the list again.
"Cemetery purification ritual... perfect for Ray, but doesn't sound pleasant."
"Ugh~ I absolutely hate ghosts. Pass."
Moreover, it was quite far away. Following Jenny's opinion, the three removed that mission from their options.
"How about missionary work in this pagan-concentrated area? It would be an opportunity to teach the pagans about Sol Invictus's grace!"
"That's absolutely out of the question."
Ray firmly refused.
"Do you know how nasty those pagans can be? Doing missionary work there would be like jingling a bag of gold coins in a slum."
Ray pushed forward another request form.
"How about overseeing a festival ceremony in the neighboring city? Seems like we just need to say some prayers and return."
"No, the reality of that festival is collecting cheap labor."
"How does Aaron know that?"
"My Graham family oversees that festival."
"Ah..."
If he evaluates his own family's event so poorly, it must be truly terrible.
As they continued examining missions, one caught Ray's eye.
"Campbell Cathedral Volunteer Service."
The content was simple.
A request for workers to help with various chores at the large cathedral.
"Campbell was the free city to the east, wasn't it, young master?"
"Don't call me young master. And what free city? It's a city of debauchery and depravity."
Aaron clicked his tongue.
Uninterested in the reason, Jenny focused on the mission's bonus points.
"Why are the points so high for this? Seems excessive for just some volunteer work."
"Probably because of the city's special nature and the distance. Campbell is quite far."
"It's the highest-scoring mission available to us. Worth considering?"
"Yes, brothers and sisters! This looks good! I might even become an apprentice member in one go!"
It was certainly a lucrative mission.
For mere volunteer work.
"Let's go with this one then. Better one big mission than several small ones. Ray Anderson, what do you think?"
"..."
"Ray Anderson?"
"..."
Aaron narrowed his eyes at Ray, who didn't answer despite being called repeatedly.
Ray was trembling.
He was looking at the detailed content of the request.
"Postscript:
Recently heretics have been luring believers from the cathedral. At first, they don't reveal their true intentions, approaching and inviting people to study scripture together, drawing them into heretical sects.
Some monks have also been recruited, so please send only those with steadfast faith."
'This, this is!'
Ray was familiar with this method.
After all, any pastor of a sizable church would encounter such situations.
'These damn cult heretics!'
A method where they initially disguise themselves as ordinary believers infiltrating the Theocracy, then subtly teach twisted doctrines under the guise of Bible study.
Then they'd draw believers to their sanctuaries to build their forces - a cult religion.
Churches called them Harvesters.
"These damn bastards!"
Bang!
Ray slammed the table, drawing everyone's attention.
"I won't forgive you, cultists! We need to resolve this immediately!"
Pastor Kim Gwango.
For someone in his profession, harvesters were something to bristle at.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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