[Vol. 8] Chapter 39: What Exactly Was Written in That Book?
The girl froze for a moment in surprise, but soon, determination appeared in her eyes. Under the moonlight, she knelt on one knee in front of the black-haired girl in white robes. As if making a solemn vow, she drew the holy sword from her waist and held it up with both hands.
"Your Divineness, your status is too important to risk yourself. I, though not a chosen one of the god, am still one of the three Saintesses born of divine blood. Now that this evil god is bringing chaos and harm to the world, how could I, as a Saintess and the current keeper of the Judgment Holy Sword, turn a blind eye?"
"If Lady Violet wishes for me to fight the evil god, just give the order. Even if it costs me my life, I, Frederica, will give everything I have to fulfill the mission, no matter what happens!"
“……”
Hearing the deeper meaning behind her words, the priestess finally turned around fully for the first time. Her soft golden eyes, glowing faintly in the moonlight, met Frederica’s. She raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Frederica, do you remember the question I once asked you?”
The Saintess nodded slightly, her expression unchanged.
“I understand your meaning. That’s why this isn’t a prayer to the goddess. It is a vow, made in the name of the Holy Sword, witnessed by the Primordial Light. Miss Violet, you are the person I respect most in this world. In my eyes, you are even more noble than us three Saintesses, you walk among mortals like a true messenger of the divine. So I believe you have every right to listen to this vow and give guidance in the goddess’s place.”
“That’s why I hope you will be the one to decide what we should do about the evil god.”
“…Sigh.”
Violet let out a long, thoughtful sigh. Seeing the girl in front of her gather her courage and speak all in one breath, though still looking a bit unsure, Violet waved her hand. An invisible force gently lifted Frederica back to her feet.
“If this isn’t a prayer to the goddess, then don’t kneel like that next time. I don’t like it. Let me make this clear once more, Miss Frederica. No matter what you think, please always remember this. I, Violet, am not a goddess of the Holy Empire, not a figure to be worshipped by the Church, and definitely not an embodiment of the Primordial Light.”
“You may believe in the goddess if you want, that’s up to you. But don’t spread my name as part of that faith. Don’t tie me to it without asking. Don’t pray to me, and don’t treat me like a symbol of hope. I will not respond. Do you understand?”
Logically speaking, her words were very blunt, even a bit cold. No matter what kind of image Frederica had built of her in her mind, her expression should have turned unhappy after hearing all that.
But to Violet’s surprise, Frederica didn’t look disappointed at all. In fact, her face lit up with excitement, as if something had just been confirmed. She nodded again and again, clearly thrilled!
“Yes! We completely understand! The Revelation has already shown us the truth! Please don’t worry, Miss Violet, we’ll never let you down!”
“...Huh?”
Violet looked at the Saintess again, whose strange behavior was starting to resemble her younger sister’s. Though she still felt something was off, she decided not to waste any more time on this topic. After all, she had already made her position very clear. Saying anything more would just repeat what she’d already explained.
Still… if she had the time, she really should read that Revelation book written by Edwina. She was starting to get curious. Normally, Violet had no interest at all in religious texts like holy scriptures…
She turned her thoughts back to the main issue.
“In short, don’t go getting involved in fighting the evil god. I’ve already made arrangements for that. Tomorrow morning, just follow the original plan, lead the delegation and try to cross the Iron Ridge Fortress. Do your best to return to the Holy Capital before the Hero Selection begins.”
“Now that evil gods are showing up more often, the most important task is to quickly choose heroes who can fight them and help those heroes grow stronger. It’s not about stopping for every little injustice along the way.”
“There’s an old saying in your Holy Empire, ‘If a blacksmith wants to forge a good weapon, he first needs a strong hammer.’ The fights between the tribes in the buffer zone and the Austre Empire can’t be solved by a small group like yours. You only have a few hundred people, it’s better to focus on what you need to do, instead of getting caught up in things that are too big for you to handle.”
“If you want my advice, that’s it.”
Hearing the honesty in Violet’s words, Frederica was briefly surprised and hesitated.
“Uh… you mean… we’re just going to leave like this?”
The priestess smiled and asked in return, “Or should you stay? What good would that do? To be blunt, with only a few hundred people, danger in front and behind you, and so much on your plate already, can you really handle this situation?”
“……”
The Saintess quietly looked at the black-haired girl’s pure and beautiful face under the moonlight. Her golden eyes sparkled as if she were reviewing everything they had just talked about, trying to find some hidden meaning beneath the surface.
After a long silence, the sharp light and sense of justice in her eyes slowly faded. In its place was a look of realization and a hint of helplessness after accepting the truth.
“I understand. You’re right. I’ll take your advice seriously and make a new plan for tomorrow’s actions. It’s already late… please allow me to take my leave for now.”
The black-haired girl nodded slightly and calmly turned to look up at the silver moon in the night sky. Only after the sound of the Saintess’s footsteps had faded into the distance did a dragon girl step out from the golden flames and walk over to Violet.
“Master, it seems like she didn’t really want to follow your plan?”
Violet turned her head slightly, still sitting on the large rock, and gently patted her pet’s head. She nodded with a smile.
“It’s normal that she doesn’t want to. Frederica is the Judgment Saintess of the Holy Empire. She has a strong will and a strong sense of justice. She loves to step in and fix problems, just like her sister. Seeing that [Wild] is sacrificing countless lives, of course she won’t be able to ignore it.”
The dragon girl naturally sat beside Violet and leaned her head lightly on her shoulder. Her fluffy platinum tail curled around Violet’s slim waist and rested on her lap. Once she got into a cozy and close position, she asked curiously,
“Then why did Master tell her the truth, but still not let her get involved?”
Violet didn’t mind her closeness. She just rubbed the dragon girl’s head again, then looked up at the stars and the moon in the sky with a helpless shake of her head.
“If I hadn’t told her, do you think Frederica would never find out the truth on her own? She’s a capable and responsible Saintess. When she crosses Iron Ridge Fortress tomorrow, she’ll definitely pay close attention to the undead problem...”
“...Once she meets with the leaders of the tribal alliance, news of the evil god will reach her sooner or later. Rather than letting it hit her suddenly and risk unexpected problems, it’s better to explain things clearly to her ahead of time.”