“Saintess. Please, according to God’s will, let the devils in human form stand under the light and receive their just punishment.”
Saintess Beryl.
The hem of her pure white dress that reached down to her knees was swaying in the wind blowing from outside.
[God does not reject creatures.]
The temple built with that meaning was wide open.
As if to speak of God’s authority, the scenery outside could be seen under the sky-high pure white ceiling. The brightly blooming greenery was turning brown.
The seasons were passing and the wind was blowing outside.
'I think it's just a few steps outside.'
Saintess Beryl.
The hem of her pure white dress that reached down to her knees was swaying in the wind blowing from outside.
[God does not reject creatures.]
The temple built with that meaning was wide open.
As if to speak of God’s authority, the scenery outside could be seen under the sky-high pure white ceiling. The brightly blooming greenery was turning brown.
The seasons were passing and the wind was blowing outside.
'I think it's just a few steps outside.'
I withdrew my gaze that had been focused on the outside.
I've never been outside in half my life.
Since an oracle designated me as a Saintess and came here, I had never been outside that temple.
It was because a Saintess would become corrupted if exposed to the winds of the secular world.
But that would not be the case anymore.
I had a mission.
[The Saintess is the world’s hope for recognizing and blocking demons.]
Demons who had been hiding in the human world for a long time.
Those who secretly manipulated humans behind the scenes caused conflict and took advantage of it.
The temple wanted to root them out.
So they finally selected three families with ‘inhuman power and influence’ and presented them to the Saintess.
“Which of these families seems to be the family of demons?”
Three pieces of paper waved in front of me.
I knew.
I would marry the head of the family I had chosen here. My mission was to watch over the demons, purify their power, and on the ‘special day when the power of the Gods descends’ that only the Saintess knew, offer them up on the altar and seal the gates of hell forever.
[Orobas]
[Yubar]
[Vine]
I looked at the pictures of the heads of the families on the paper.
“We await your choice.”
The priests all bowed their heads.
They didn’t know it, but this was the third time I had faced this moment of choice.
This meant that this was my third life.
And the previous two lives had been nothing but hell for me.
Even though the two families I had chosen were not demon families.
'Orobas.'
First, the first life.
The first one she had pointed out as a demon was Orobas.
They were not a demon family. However, the Duke of Orobas had accepted me as his bride.
'A Saintess. A noble Saintess, that is. Untouched by anyone.'
He had terrible qualities.
When the servants exposed this fact, he was branded a demon.
And before he was executed.
'I can't let someone else touch what's mine.'
I looked at the pictures of the heads of the families on the paper.
“We await your choice.”
The priests all bowed their heads.
They didn’t know it, but this was the third time I had faced this moment of choice.
This meant that this was my third life.
And the previous two lives had been nothing but hell for me.
Even though the two families I had chosen were not demon families.
'Orobas.'
First, the first life.
The first one she had pointed out as a demon was Orobas.
They were not a demon family. However, the Duke of Orobas had accepted me as his bride.
'A Saintess. A noble Saintess, that is. Untouched by anyone.'
He had terrible qualities.
When the servants exposed this fact, he was branded a demon.
And before he was executed.
'I can't let someone else touch what's mine.'
He killed me for such an absurd reason. He was human but worse than a demon.
However, when I opened my eyes after death, it was this moment again.
That was how my second life began.
'Yubar.'
The next one I had chosen was Yubar.
However, the Duke of Yubar was not a demon either. Instead, he was a demon believer who wanted to become a demon.
'Wouldn't a Saintess be a perfect sacrifice to hell?'
I ran away from him who revealed his true feelings like that. I ran away with my pure white feet bleeding and arrived at the temple to ask for help.
'Yubar is trying to become a demon!'
'Saintess?'
The temple did not welcome me who ran away but rejected me.
'A Saintess running away from a demon!'
'Didn't you lose your power as a Saintess because you fell!?'
That was the last cry I heard from the priests before ending my second life.
Even though it was the temple's will that I married and that I was with a demon believer, they doubted me.
And they offered me up as a sacrifice, saying that I should offer 'the remnants of the demon' to the Gods and ask for forgiveness.
―Phuuk!
The eerie feeling of the dagger approaching my heart at the altar was still vivid.
And I saw my blood touch the altar, and through my blurred vision, I saw the gates of hell open.
At the forefront of those walking out was a man with green eyes.
He was the Duke of Vain.
The demon...
When I realized that fact, my life was already fading away.
The people of the temple who offered .e as a sacrifice were running away in panic.
They had no intention of helping me or catching the devil from the beginning. They were simply looking for a sacrifice, obsessed with the belief that if they offered someone who was tainted by evil to God, they would be able to go to heaven.
“Saintess?”
That was how my third life began, now.
I now knew not only where the real devil family was, but also that these priests were only thinking of offering me as a sacrifice.
It’s not even funny.
Do you want to catch an evil devil?
A human in devil’s skin. A devil in human skin.
Who could be truly evil?
“Devil...”
However, when I opened my eyes after death, it was this moment again.
That was how my second life began.
'Yubar.'
The next one I had chosen was Yubar.
However, the Duke of Yubar was not a demon either. Instead, he was a demon believer who wanted to become a demon.
'Wouldn't a Saintess be a perfect sacrifice to hell?'
I ran away from him who revealed his true feelings like that. I ran away with my pure white feet bleeding and arrived at the temple to ask for help.
'Yubar is trying to become a demon!'
'Saintess?'
The temple did not welcome me who ran away but rejected me.
'A Saintess running away from a demon!'
'Didn't you lose your power as a Saintess because you fell!?'
That was the last cry I heard from the priests before ending my second life.
Even though it was the temple's will that I married and that I was with a demon believer, they doubted me.
And they offered me up as a sacrifice, saying that I should offer 'the remnants of the demon' to the Gods and ask for forgiveness.
―Phuuk!
The eerie feeling of the dagger approaching my heart at the altar was still vivid.
And I saw my blood touch the altar, and through my blurred vision, I saw the gates of hell open.
At the forefront of those walking out was a man with green eyes.
He was the Duke of Vain.
The demon...
When I realized that fact, my life was already fading away.
The people of the temple who offered .e as a sacrifice were running away in panic.
They had no intention of helping me or catching the devil from the beginning. They were simply looking for a sacrifice, obsessed with the belief that if they offered someone who was tainted by evil to God, they would be able to go to heaven.
“Saintess?”
That was how my third life began, now.
I now knew not only where the real devil family was, but also that these priests were only thinking of offering me as a sacrifice.
It’s not even funny.
Do you want to catch an evil devil?
A human in devil’s skin. A devil in human skin.
Who could be truly evil?
“Devil...”
[Vine]
The answer is here.
Vine is the devil’s family.
If I choose this person, I will walk into hell on my own two feet.
However, if I have to marry one of the three heads anyway. And if two of the choices are no different from hell descended upon the human world.
Wouldn’t real hell be better?
At least in the last two lives, Vine had never raised their voice to kill the Saintess.
Even though they were devils.
“I.”
My mouth opened.
“I’ll go to Vine.”
This time, I would really go to hell, but it would be better than my previous life.
They are demons, so they would hate the Saintess, but what if I didn’t realize that they were demons?
What if Vine was cleared of the accusation of being a demon?
It would be easy to pretend not to know. After all, only the Saintess had received the oracle that ‘she would lead everyone to the demon.’
[Belled von Vine]
My pure white fingertips touched the photo of Duke Vine, Belled.
His jet-black hair, which seemed to absorb even the light, stood out against my fingertips.
“Understood.”
“Get ready! Contact the royal family!”
A kind of joy appeared on the faces of the priests who shouted that.
“Please catch the demon!”
“Please lead us to heaven!”
They were filled with the thought of catching the demon and offering it on the altar to go to heaven. The oracle had clearly said that. The Saintess would lead them to where the demon was. But...
‘You won’t be able to go to heaven.’
Instead of letting out a cold thought, I pressed my fingertips against the photo of Duke Vine.
This life will be different.
***
[Being misunderstood as a demon family is probably Vine’s karma.
Vine humbly accepts the Saintess’s suspicions and choices and declares that she will take the test.
Until the day when Vine’s innocence shines through the Saintess’s fingertips, I will serve you with all my might.
- Belled von Vine]
Rumors that one of the three families was a demon family had already spread widely.
That’s why Orobas and Yubar, who had been suspected of my life before, showed their displeasure.
However, the demon Duke Vine was different.
“...The handwriting is more neat than I thought.”
There’s no way that handwriting can express everything.
However, since I was going to spend this life with Duke Vine... a real demon, smiled and wanted to find as many positive aspects of him as possible. I thought that if I didn’t try hard to think about it, I wouldn’t be able to bear the anxiety.
Rumors that one of the three families was a demon family had already spread widely.
That’s why Orobas and Yubar, who had been suspected of my life before, showed their displeasure.
However, the demon Duke Vine was different.
“...The handwriting is more neat than I thought.”
There’s no way that handwriting can express everything.
However, since I was going to spend this life with Duke Vine... a real demon, smiled and wanted to find as many positive aspects of him as possible. I thought that if I didn’t try hard to think about it, I wouldn’t be able to bear the anxiety.
I held the letter I received in return with both hands and let out a short breath.
***
The Saintess’s movement was the talk of the empire.
The temple refused, saying that they would send a carriage to prepare to welcome the bride.
'The Saintess must still stay away from the secular world.'
This was because the Saintess belonging to the temple should not touch the secular world until the wedding.
On the day the carriage to the secular world departed, I, who had wrapped my entire body in a cloth made of thread soaked in the morning dew, stepped onto the beautiful white silk that stretched out to the bride's carriage.
My toes were wrapped in pure white stockings.
This seemed to be the 'noble divinity' that the temple wanted to force upon me.
'It's not even funny.'
I had no intention of giving them what they wanted.
Since marriage was impossible for those belonging to the temple, I had originally been able to marry only after staying in the secular world for more than three months.
However, this time, because it was urgent to stop the demon, I was given special permission to marry if I was exposed to the winds of the secular world for a week, including the time of travel.
'It all depends on the will of humans.'
There was no way I wouldn't know this, living my third life as a Saintess.
The fact that what they bring up as the will of God was made up by the high-ranking priests to benefit them.
There is no God in this world.
If there were, even God has abandoned them now.
It would be worth abandoning them. There is no way he would take away the humans who are turning into the devils he so hated.
“Lady Beryl, this is also a holy war.”
The priest spoke reverently before I got on the carriage.
“...”
At those words, I tightly shut my mouth.
I thought it was fortunate that my expression was not visible due to the white veil.
Otherwise, this disgusted expression would have been revealed as it was.
The one who talked about a holy war in front of me was the one who took the lead in killing me, saying that I would have to be sacrificed for my second life.
Why didn’t I know then?
They wanted to purify the Saintess by marrying me to the devil to stop the devil.
Then why didn’t they know that they would no longer view the Saintess who had spent time with the devil as holy?
They were people who considered it ominous to even touch the collar of a devil.
At that time, I didn’t know because I was just being dragged along.
But not anymore.
“Yes, I will engrave it in my heart.”
The priest shouted with a face full of joy at my words.
“Please catch that wicked devil! God will lead us to heaven!”
Instead of answering, I glanced at his face and turned my head away.
“Heaven to the end.”
No one was interested in my safety when I went to someone who might be a devil.
I who realized that fact anew, made up my mind completely.
Rather than die a holy death for such people, I would rather become a devil.
The fact that what they bring up as the will of God was made up by the high-ranking priests to benefit them.
There is no God in this world.
If there were, even God has abandoned them now.
It would be worth abandoning them. There is no way he would take away the humans who are turning into the devils he so hated.
“Lady Beryl, this is also a holy war.”
The priest spoke reverently before I got on the carriage.
“...”
At those words, I tightly shut my mouth.
I thought it was fortunate that my expression was not visible due to the white veil.
Otherwise, this disgusted expression would have been revealed as it was.
The one who talked about a holy war in front of me was the one who took the lead in killing me, saying that I would have to be sacrificed for my second life.
Why didn’t I know then?
They wanted to purify the Saintess by marrying me to the devil to stop the devil.
Then why didn’t they know that they would no longer view the Saintess who had spent time with the devil as holy?
They were people who considered it ominous to even touch the collar of a devil.
At that time, I didn’t know because I was just being dragged along.
But not anymore.
“Yes, I will engrave it in my heart.”
The priest shouted with a face full of joy at my words.
“Please catch that wicked devil! God will lead us to heaven!”
Instead of answering, I glanced at his face and turned my head away.
“Heaven to the end.”
No one was interested in my safety when I went to someone who might be a devil.
I who realized that fact anew, made up my mind completely.
Rather than die a holy death for such people, I would rather become a devil.
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