NOVEL WEB Chapter 13
“The selector of the goddess shall come in the purest of bodies.”
Without any stigma or sign—just pure, and even more pure.
This is because grace does not discriminate, and her selector knows this.
You will recognize the selector not by a stigma, but by the laughter of young children and the screams of the wicked around you.
– Scripture of Grace, Chapter 32, Verse 17 –
***
“Aaaah!! Aah!…….Saint! Saint!!”
At the entrance of a filthy sewer.
Priests and Knights in white robes are bowing down to me on the floor mixed with all sorts of filth.
I was still blinking in confusion.
What is going on here?
No stigma, you said?
So why all the fuss now?
“Please give me something to wear.”
I really need to put something on.
Honestly, when I took a good look, I realized… my clothes.
They are absolutely disgusting.
At that, the priests and knights spring into action.
“Please wear this!”
A bald grandpa, who I assume is the high priest, hands me a pristine white Lilia priest’s robe with tears in his eyes. I had to do the shameful changing show while everyone stared at me.
Even after changing, the gazes filled with admiration and longing didn’t stop.
Seriously, please stop looking at me like that!
Such looks are too much pressure for a guy like me!
“Please take care of the children. They are poor, pitiful children.”
“Of course! Of course! Saint! We will take care of them.”
After handing over 15 young girls to the Lilia Church priests, an awkward silence settled between us.
“Nhuuuh!! Ugh! Aaaaaah!!”
Only the frenzied screams of the thief who had just tried to stab me filled the back alley.
“You will recognize the laughter of young children and the screams of the wicked around you. Aah! Just like the words of the scripture!!”
“Saint! Saint! What should we do next? Lead us, humble servants!!”
The knights and priests, especially the bald grandpa, are looking at me with tears of joy.
This is getting unbearable.
But on the flip side, at least I won’t be burned at the stake, right? Sweet deal?
Yeah. Since it’s come to this.
Maybe I should just keep pretending to be a saint, it wouldn’t be so bad, right?
I could charge a small fee for healing on the side.
Doesn’t sound too bad.
If I switch to paid healing and charge a little for each session, wouldn’t I become rich in no time?
As I was lost in these thoughts, feeling a bit smug inside.
The high priest cautiously approached and grabbed my hand tightly.
“Glory to the Goddess of Grace!! Lilia watches over us!! Saint, say anything! We shall listen and follow.”
Like hell the Goddess of Grace is watching over me.
I don’t even have faith!
As I pondered this.
A chilling thought crossed my mind.
A guy without faith.
That guy walking around pretending to be a saint sent by the goddess.
Lucky for me, these people mistook me for a saint, so I could avoid the burning stake.
But……. what about Lilia? The Goddess of Grace herself?
In this world, gods aren’t some abstract concept.
They are living, breathing entities that grant miracles and divine power to their faithful.
An omniscient being who can see all my thoughts and past actions wouldn’t be fooled.
She must be able to see through my true identity.
In that moment, I felt blood drain from my face.
I shouldn’t have been thinking about making money while pretending to be a saint.
I’ll get smote down.
Not joking here, I could literally get fried by lightning.
I have to get out.
I need to break away from these people and run far away, playing dead until it’s all over.
That’s the only way to avoid the goddess’s wrath, right?
But didn’t they mention some miracle tracking me down?
If I run away, won’t some tracking miracle come after me???
Plus, I just realized something.
Even if I use time stop to escape, I can’t go too far.
I can only walk and using the skill drains my mental energy, so I can’t use it for long.
And even if I could go far, looking at the zealots around, even if I fled to the ends of hell, they’d still passionately follow me.
As they follow, the goddess’s wrath over my impersonation would surely follow me too.
So what’s the conclusion?
I need to make the Lilia Church folks give up on me.
I need to make them curse and leave me alone!!
And find a way to avoid getting burned for heresy…
Is there no way?
Suddenly, an idea struck me.
You know how in novels or anime, there’s always that corrupt, useless priest who indulges in debauchery?
The kind who has a huge belly and chases women and meat while shouting ‘This blasphemous sinner!!’ to everyone he dislikes, indiscriminately burning them at the stake, only to get retired by the hero?
That’s what I need to become!
Act like a super greedy person and if everyone gets disappointed and leaves, I can slip away quietly.
Of course, even though I’d be a corrupt priest, I shouldn’t go too far down the rabbit hole.
You know the type.
A kid who’s fundamentally good, but constantly acts like a loser, making you feel like tearing your hair out.
Then when they finally leave, you’d still have some good memories of them.
Just that level of skating on thin ice, causing mild trouble until everyone leaves, then disappearing quietly and quitting the saint act!
Yes!
This is the only way!!
“Please lead me to the temple.”
After a minute of frantic thinking, this is what I blurted out.
I was planning to go to the temple and spend all the savings there.
I’ll spend all the donations and live a life of utter debauchery!!
Enough for them to curse and leave!!
“I am ashamed, Saint. The Lilia Church is centered in the southern region, not the capital. There is no temple branch established in the capital yet.”
Ah.
Right.
If there was a temple in the capital, it wouldn’t have taken days to get here, would it?
I momentarily forgot due to my thick skull.
So what now…
No, there’s a way.
“Why do you say there’s no temple? Follow me.”
If there’s no temple, I’ll just buy land and build one.
Let’s buy some utterly useless land at an absurd price!!
Then build the temple and live decently corrupt and useless there, just enough to make people leave without facing the stake or divine punishment.
Soon, they’ll be hurling curses and leaving!
I escaped the stinky sewer with the Lilia Church members and the Knights of the Sun.
“Saint! Saint!”
“Lead us! O Grace!”
Behind me, the members of the Lilia Church followed with expressions full of hope.
The more I thought about it, the more I started to sweat.
The Goddess of Grace Lilia is probably watching all this unfold from the skies in real-time, right?
If I want to survive, I have to make these people abandon me somehow.
Only then can I avoid the goddess’s punishment and my own demise!
***
When Erpa stepped back into the Mage Tower with the White Church priests, countless wizards and witches inside flinched and averted their gazes.
Some couldn’t even make eye contact, while others awkwardly smiled.
However, Erpa paid no mind to any of the gazes as she headed straight for the top floor of the Mage Tower, to the Tower Master’s office.
“Er…pa?”
Jurgen, the Tower Master, stood up in shock upon seeing her enter.
But no matter how horrified the Tower Master was, Erpa didn’t seem to care.
“Speak.”
At her command, the White Church priests cautiously stepped forward and bowed to Jurgen.
“Thanks to the miracle of the Saint of Healing, she has fully recovered. She is no longer an abomination. She is a living testament to miracles.”
“The White Church will no longer inquire about Erpa. Please forgive us for the confusion we caused.”
Jurgen nodded, still staring blankly at them.
“I’m glad everything turned out well.”
“Erpa has something to discuss with you. We will take our leave now. If you permit it, we would appreciate the chance to attend the regular academic conference tomorrow.”
“Of course.”
Thus, the matters between the White Church and Mage Tower were resolved smoothly. After the priests expressed their gratitude repeatedly and left, the door closed behind them.
Now only Jurgen and Erpa remained in the room.
“You’ve become beautiful.”
It was only after a long while that Jurgen cautiously said this.
Erpa did not smile at these words.
But that didn’t mean she was crying or bursting with anger.
She had a peaceful, quiet expression, as if she had reached some form of enlightenment.
“Tower Master.”
“Yes, Erpa. Speak.”
“Am I still a witch belonging to this Mage Tower?”
Jurgen nodded at this.
“As long as you wish.”
“That’s a relief. I wish to continue my research here.”
“…….Really? If that’s what you want, then do it.”
“And also, please officially designate me as the next Tower Master at tomorrow’s regular academic conference.”
Jurgen was startled by this sudden request.
“You?”
“You’ve never announced it officially, but wasn’t it your intention to designate me anyway? Or is that just another baseless rumor like many others?”
Jurgen shook his head.
“It’s not a rumor. There was essentially no one else suitable as my successor.”
“Then there shouldn’t be any problem if you designate me as the next Tower Master?”
“Right. I can do that. But I have worries. There are countless wizards and witches here who have discarded you once. It is the role of the next Tower Master to embrace all of them. If you plan to use your position for personal vendettas, then I cannot designate you as my successor.”
“Tower Master.”
Erpa’s expression was surprisingly calm.
“I want to continue my career properly. I will make the Mars sub-branch Mage Tower the greatest of all the Mage Towers.”
Her expression was earnest.
“It would be foolish to miss a chance to become greater just because of personal grudges. I want to be a witch etched into the history of magic. Revenge is simply too trivial to waste effort thinking about.”
Her eyes were remarkably serene.
It wasn’t just her eyes.
The mana emanating from her body was also extraordinarily calm and well-contained.
At that moment, Jurgen felt an unfamiliar sensation.
It was not merely her appearance that had changed.
It was like she had completely transformed as a person.
“Erpa, how have you changed so much? What exactly did the Saint of Healing do to you?”
At Jurgen’s words, Erpa smiled brightly.
In that brilliant smile, there was not a single shadow of darkness, anger, or hatred.
“She healed my body and my heart. She gave my life a purpose. A goal to help her and live by her side. For that, I will love myself. I will diligently continue my career. I will not waver or break.”
Against such radiant laughter, Jurgen found himself smiling unconsciously.
“I understand. Do as you wish. The tricolor research was a remarkable project. Even if I designate you as the next Tower Master, there won’t be any issues.”
“Thank you, Tower Master. Oh, and.”
Her attire had four armholes.
The two lower ones were empty.
Suddenly, the empty armholes twitched, and two new arms sprouted.
As one of the foremost authorities on body modification magic, it was a skill Erpa could pull off effortlessly.
“It was so inconvenient without my arms. Having more arms helps when I research or write.”
Erpa calmly folded her four arms and said so.
“Will you be okay? There might be more insults hurled at you.”
At Jurgen’s words, Erpa shook her head.
“I no longer care what others say about me. I have been recognized by her. I’m no longer ashamed of these four arms.”
“……..”
“I’ll be going now. Tower Master. See you tomorrow.”
After offering a polite farewell, Erpa left the room.
Jurgen sat there, as if possessed by a ghost, before breaking into a smile.
“The Saint of Healing, huh.”
Having always found religion and faith laughable, it was the first time he thought.
“Maybe faith is necessary in this world after all?”
“The Lilia Church, was it? Should I check it out?”
Jurgen mused quietly.
He was a researcher.
It was hard to resist curiosity.