[Vol. 8] Chapter 114: Saintess, Please Don’t Say Nonsense
As the Judgment Saintess, she had personally experienced the power within the sacred statue ahead of time. She also understood very well why so many people were failing the trial so easily. The Goddess had designed this test very cleverly, perfectly following Her belief that "strength alone is not enough to succeed."
The reason she spoke those words before the trial began wasn’t because she had nothing better to do. Even before the official start, she had already used her speech as a quiet warning to all the participants. If you didn’t come with true determination and strong will, you had no chance of passing this first round. Going up there would only waste your time and embarrass you in front of everyone.
But people ignored her kind advice and thought they could sneak through with tricks or shallow confidence, as if they could fool the Goddess Herself. Now, after failing, they had the nerve to blame the church and her? How ridiculous…
And so, after 127 candidates were eliminated one after another, the noise and complaints from the crowd grew louder and more chaotic. Even the onlookers outside the square started whispering and talking among themselves…
Then, at last, something changed.
“ZZzz!!!”
The moment a new figure placed his palm on the glowing symbol of the statue, a golden light far brighter than anyone before him suddenly burst out from the statue and formed a powerful beam of light that surrounded him completely!
Five seconds... Ten seconds...
The person stood tall and firm, unmoving. As the light slowly faded, it gathered into a glowing mark on the back of his hand. The mark looked like one-third of a golden ring, shining brightly like it was alive.
There was silence for a moment, then the entire place exploded in noise!
“W-What is that?!”
“You fool! Don’t you get it? He passed the trial!”
“Hey, did any of you notice how long he touched the statue?”
“I think… exactly ten seconds, no more, no less?”
“I get it now! That must mean if someone can hold on for ten seconds, they pass! Some of those earlier people were really close!”
“Praise the Goddess! See, the test isn’t impossible after all! It’s just that those other guys didn’t have the willpower! Becoming the Chosen of the Goddess was never supposed to be easy!”
As the crowd shouted and argued in excitement, the gray-haired young man standing under the huge statue of the Goddess, with seven swords hanging at his waist, finally snapped out of his shock. He looked at the glowing, breathing pattern on the back of his hand, then turned to the blonde girl beside him.
“Your Holiness Frederica… may I ask, what is this?”
The Saintess smiled and nodded at him, then turned to the crowd and loudly announced.
“Candidate number 128, Mr. Dead Soul, has shown great mental strength and has earned the Goddess’s recognition. Congratulations! He is now allowed to move on to the next round of the trial!”
As she spoke, Frederica gestured for the swordsman to raise his hand. No one knew what kind of magic circle was on the stage, but the golden mark, shaped like one-third of a ring, rose into the air as a huge glowing image above his head, so that everyone inside and outside the square could clearly see it.
“As the Judgment Saintess, I can promise you all this: the trial of the Goddess is truly difficult, but it is not impossible. Please look at this mark, it is not just a symbol. It is a blessing given by the Goddess Herself, and it is also the first step in becoming one of Her Chosen!”
“Becoming one of the Chosen Heroes of the Goddess is not something that happens overnight, and it’s not just a title. Only by passing the many trials set by the Goddess can one truly receive Her full blessing and eventually reach the highest level of honor.”
“Even if someone doesn’t pass all the trials, the glory and blessings they have earned will not disappear. The power given by the Goddess will stay with them for life, and may even benefit their children. Just like Mr. Dead Soul now, who has already received the permanent Holy Blessing because of his strong will and determination.”
“With this mark alone, he will be treated as a special guest at any temple around the world and receive free medical care for life. But please understand, this is not the most important part. It is simply the Church’s way of showing respect and kindness to those blessed by the Goddess.”
“Also, for each trial someone passes, even if they don’t become one of the final Chosen, the Church will give them 100,000 Holy Light Coins as a reward and encouragement. We hope all of you will give it your best effort!”
“You are not just background characters for a few lucky winners. Protecting our home takes unity from all of us, it’s not something six people alone can handle. In these times of chaos, this is also the best chance for true heroes to shine… isn’t it?!”
“OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!!”
“Praise the Goddess! Long live the Goddess!!!”
Thanks to the excitement caused by the first person who passed, Frederica’s perfectly timed speech and promises quickly turned the quiet and nervous mood of the crowd into excitement. The people, who were once uncertain and uneasy, suddenly became full of energy.
Even though the Saintess never clearly explained what the so-called ‘Holy Blessing’ actually does, just knowing that it lasts forever and is given directly by the Goddess was more than enough to make 99.9% of the people in the world go crazy trying to get it. Not to mention the mark also came with big rewards and deep meaning.
No speech about justice or honor could compare to the huge prizes and real benefits she just revealed.
After all, not everyone in the world can be like a certain priestess who doesn’t care about money at all. In fact, as the currency of the richest and most powerful Holy Empire, 100,000 Holy Light Coins is more than most people could spend in their entire lifetime.
At first, people like Ayla thought they were just taking part to “gain experience” while the final six would be the real winners. But now that the rules include rewards for each step, the entire meaning of this trial to become a Chosen Hero has completely changed.
Frederica really is something else… As the head of practical affairs in the Holy Empire, she sure knows how to use every resource to get the most results.
Looking at the Saintess giving her speech on stage, and the crowd cheering around her, Violet couldn’t help but shake her head with a mix of laughter and disbelief.
Even Miss Dragon God standing next to her, who had come to watch the show, leaned in and quietly asked.
“Master, did you really put a blessing in that mark? I don’t think there’s a spell like that in Holy Light magic… and I didn’t feel you do anything either. Did you get a new power?”
“…Of course not,” said the priestess helplessly.
“I don’t have time to cast a permanent spell on every single person who passes a trial. Those high-level spells cost a lot of energy. Doing it once or twice is fine, but doing it hundreds or thousands of times would be a nightmare. That mark? It’s just a tiny bit of my SP, or maybe a trace of my divine authority, that naturally stayed on them after touching the statue for a while. It has nothing to do with an actual blessing.”