I stared at the words written on the leaf with a stern expression.
The constellation mentioned there refers to a holy place, that is, a Saintess.
In short, that phrase is hitting me squarely.
The empire is in chaos because I am taking the position of a Saintess without the goddess' permission.
I wondered if I was the only one who noticed the meaning as I heard voices muttering here and there.
“Is this unauthorized person speaking of the Saintess?”
“Then who else can be called a constellation other than the Saintess?”
“Huh, then does that mean our Saintess is fake? What is this...”
As soon as someone among them muttered a sigh, a scolding came flying.
“Hey, you bastard! How can you say such irreverent things to the Saintess who runs around day and night for us even though she is not in good health!”
“That’s right, and if our Saintess is a fake, then how do you explain all the miracles she has performed so far? That’s ridiculous!”
“No, who really said that the Saintess was fake? That’s what the writing on the leaf means!”
The man who had been protesting as if he had been wronged raised his voice exaggeratedly, perhaps because he felt burdened by the glares directed at him.
“No, but who would have done such a low-level prank? Why would you have nothing better to do to frame our Saintess?”
“That’s what I’m saying! The Saintess has worked so hard for us, and yet we’re like humans who don’t know gratitude!”
“We must catch the culprit who moved that plant immediately and punish him severely!”
Sympathy poured in from here and there.
But not everyone has the same opinion.
Some people raised cautious questions.
“But isn’t something strange? Such a huge plant just appeared overnight. And this is right in the middle of a road where so many people pass by. Even if they worked secretly late at night, there should have been witnesses, but no one has seen it.”
“That’s right, and look at the roots of that plant. They’re poking through the rocky ground. Where in the world can a plant grow through rocky ground? This is impossible for human power!”
It was a legitimate question.
Those who took my side, saying that it was a bad accusation, kept their mouths shut as if they had nothing to say in rebuttal.
At that time, everyone was just looking at the plants with a bashful expression.
Beep-
Security guards in white uniforms came running, accompanied by a sharp, ear-splitting whistle.
“Get out of here!”
“Everyone, make way!”
They were the temple guards.
Those who noticed this quickly split to either side, and a figure appeared along the path between them.
It was the Pope, an old man with white hair wearing white clothes embroidered with gold thread.
“Sir, Your Holiness!”
The crowd that recognized the Pope bowed their heads without hesitation.
The Pope, who had been staring at the plants with a stern expression, without even thinking of greeting them, suddenly shouted.
“What is this? Since when did such an unpleasant thing appear in the middle of the capital?”
It was an angry voice that was not usually heard.
Those gathered gasped at the ominous voice.
“Why is no one answering? Why is no one asking how long this seditious monster has been occupying this place?”
As the Pope's voice grew louder, the surroundings became increasingly silent.
As the Pope furrowed his brow as if displeased, a man stepped forward, hesitating.
“Well, we don’t know exactly when it started, Your Holiness. It was just that when I came out this morning, this happened...”
“If it’s morning, does that mean this plant wasn’t there until yesterday?”
“Yes, yes. That is correct, Your Holiness!”
He answered immediately with a pale face and quickly added something else.
“I sell fruit at the store right across from here, and there was nothing like this when I left work last night.”
“That’s right, Your Holiness. I was drinking with my colleagues last night and passed this street around midnight, but I hadn’t seen any plants like this until then.”
“I, I also passed this road around 6 in the morning on my way to work at a construction site, but I didn’t see any plants like this.”
I was quietly listening to the testimonies flying in from all over the place, and my eyebrows furrowed.
If that was something someone had put there to harm me, it would have been natural for them to move secretly on a deserted night.
But if you didn't see it even at 6 in the morning... it means that it wasn't something that someone did intentionally.
And that wasn't all that was strange.
“And, Your Holiness. I have one more thing to report to you.”
“What is it, brother? Please speak.”
“The words written on that leaf were not there this morning.”
“It wasn’t there? What are you talking about?”
“I first saw this strange plant around 8 in the morning, and until then, the leaves were smooth. There were no unpleasant words written on them. But after about two hours, the leaves suddenly started to burn, and these words appeared.”
“What is that...”
The Pope's expression became even more serious at the unbelievable testimony.
After staring at the monster for a long time with a hardened face, he bit his lips and gave instructions to the guard.
“This foul plant must be uprooted immediately. And a thorough investigation must be conducted to determine who attempted to harm the Saintess and by what means.”
“Yes, Your Holiness!”
At the Pope's command, the guards began to break the stone floor with hammers.
The Pope, who had been rubbing his throbbing forehead as he watched the scene, soon opened his eyes wide. He had found me among the crowd of people.
“No, how can a Saintess be here...”
At those words, everyone's eyes turned to me.
“Oh my, you really are a Saintess?”
“No, why is the Saintess here..."
“Oh my, how upset must our Saintess be that such a strange thing has caught her eye.”
They looked at me with a helpless look on their faces, but I just smiled and answered.
“I was on my way back to the temple after stopping by the Duke’s residence for my first vacation.”
Pretend like nothing happened.
Pretend not to care at all.
But, as expected, my insides were burning black.
Whether the appearance of this plant was someone's scheme or the actual will of the goddess, it was certain that my position would be shaken.
Meanwhile, at that time.
Melina was washing the rag and venting her frustration.
“This damn thing just keeps on going on and on!”
After dying from Shayne's ill temper for a whole week, she felt like she was finally alive when she was transferred to another place.
Of course, the only thing that changed was the person giving orders from Shayne to someone else, and the fact that she was a slave of the temple did not change, but she was still relieved.
'Whoever the new boss is, I don't think he'll be as vicious as that bitch, Shayne.'
She didn't think she would have to polish one hundred and four individual goddess statues, three hundred and fifty pillars, or disassemble all the furniture to polish every screw.
But what the heck?
Even after leaving Shaybe, her life was still hell.
“Melina, your job today is to clean the windows! It will take a whole day to clean all the windows in the temple, so move quickly!”
“Melina, isn’t that mop so dirty? I wish you had boiled it once... While you’re at it, boil all the mops in the temple!”
“Melina, the ceiling moldings seem a little dirty. Get a ladder and have them clean it one by one.”
Melina, Melina, Melina!
The officer kept calling her name until his mouth was dry.
She tried begging to be given less work to do as the workload was too much for the human body to handle, but all she got in return was ridicule.
“If a slave of your blood dares to live in luxury as the daughter of a Duke, you must endure this much. It is all to cleans the sins engraved on your soul. Don’t complain and work!”
Thanks to that, her once pretty hands had become rough like the hands of a middle-aged serf in his fifties.
'It's all because of that damn bitch, Shayne! If only that bitch hadn't framed me with such ridiculous accusations, I wouldn't be in this much trouble!'
Instead of Shayne, she took out her anger on the rag and soon dragged her exhausted body to her room.
But today, the atmosphere inside the temple was particularly chaotic.
'What's going on? Did something happen?'
Melina was curious, but she didn't dare ask.
Because most of the temple people didn't like her.
Eventually, Melina decided to hide in the corner of the hallway and eavesdrop on their conversation.
'What? There's a rumor going around that Shayne is a fake Saintess?'
Melina gasped and covered her mouth after learning of Shayne's situation through the temple maids' conversation.
She was wondering if there was anything fun to be had, but it was really such fun and refreshing news that it cleared up her stuffy mind.
'Yeah. Shayne, that damn bitch can't be a Saintess!'
If Shayne was truly a Saintess, she would not have harbored such a grudge and taken such petty revenge on herself.
Melina laughed quietly in relief.
Of course, the Pope came forward and ordered the plant to be pulled out, and everyone was in disbelief, so the chances of it actually being proven to be fake seemed slim, but so what?
Just knowing that Shayne, who made her like this, was having a little trouble made Melina feel like all the fatigue of the day was gone.
“Shaynr, you little girl. You’re a total idiot!”
Melina hoped that this scandal would not die down any time soon and that it would continue to haunt Shayne for as long as possible.
At that time, she was giggling in shame.
“It seems that the Saintess’s misfortune has made you happy.”
Melina's shoulders jumped at the flat voice coming from behind her.
The constellation mentioned there refers to a holy place, that is, a Saintess.
In short, that phrase is hitting me squarely.
The empire is in chaos because I am taking the position of a Saintess without the goddess' permission.
I wondered if I was the only one who noticed the meaning as I heard voices muttering here and there.
“Is this unauthorized person speaking of the Saintess?”
“Then who else can be called a constellation other than the Saintess?”
“Huh, then does that mean our Saintess is fake? What is this...”
As soon as someone among them muttered a sigh, a scolding came flying.
“Hey, you bastard! How can you say such irreverent things to the Saintess who runs around day and night for us even though she is not in good health!”
“That’s right, and if our Saintess is a fake, then how do you explain all the miracles she has performed so far? That’s ridiculous!”
“No, who really said that the Saintess was fake? That’s what the writing on the leaf means!”
The man who had been protesting as if he had been wronged raised his voice exaggeratedly, perhaps because he felt burdened by the glares directed at him.
“No, but who would have done such a low-level prank? Why would you have nothing better to do to frame our Saintess?”
“That’s what I’m saying! The Saintess has worked so hard for us, and yet we’re like humans who don’t know gratitude!”
“We must catch the culprit who moved that plant immediately and punish him severely!”
Sympathy poured in from here and there.
But not everyone has the same opinion.
Some people raised cautious questions.
“But isn’t something strange? Such a huge plant just appeared overnight. And this is right in the middle of a road where so many people pass by. Even if they worked secretly late at night, there should have been witnesses, but no one has seen it.”
“That’s right, and look at the roots of that plant. They’re poking through the rocky ground. Where in the world can a plant grow through rocky ground? This is impossible for human power!”
It was a legitimate question.
Those who took my side, saying that it was a bad accusation, kept their mouths shut as if they had nothing to say in rebuttal.
At that time, everyone was just looking at the plants with a bashful expression.
Beep-
Security guards in white uniforms came running, accompanied by a sharp, ear-splitting whistle.
“Get out of here!”
“Everyone, make way!”
They were the temple guards.
Those who noticed this quickly split to either side, and a figure appeared along the path between them.
It was the Pope, an old man with white hair wearing white clothes embroidered with gold thread.
“Sir, Your Holiness!”
The crowd that recognized the Pope bowed their heads without hesitation.
The Pope, who had been staring at the plants with a stern expression, without even thinking of greeting them, suddenly shouted.
“What is this? Since when did such an unpleasant thing appear in the middle of the capital?”
It was an angry voice that was not usually heard.
Those gathered gasped at the ominous voice.
“Why is no one answering? Why is no one asking how long this seditious monster has been occupying this place?”
As the Pope's voice grew louder, the surroundings became increasingly silent.
As the Pope furrowed his brow as if displeased, a man stepped forward, hesitating.
“Well, we don’t know exactly when it started, Your Holiness. It was just that when I came out this morning, this happened...”
“If it’s morning, does that mean this plant wasn’t there until yesterday?”
“Yes, yes. That is correct, Your Holiness!”
He answered immediately with a pale face and quickly added something else.
“I sell fruit at the store right across from here, and there was nothing like this when I left work last night.”
“That’s right, Your Holiness. I was drinking with my colleagues last night and passed this street around midnight, but I hadn’t seen any plants like this until then.”
“I, I also passed this road around 6 in the morning on my way to work at a construction site, but I didn’t see any plants like this.”
I was quietly listening to the testimonies flying in from all over the place, and my eyebrows furrowed.
If that was something someone had put there to harm me, it would have been natural for them to move secretly on a deserted night.
But if you didn't see it even at 6 in the morning... it means that it wasn't something that someone did intentionally.
And that wasn't all that was strange.
“And, Your Holiness. I have one more thing to report to you.”
“What is it, brother? Please speak.”
“The words written on that leaf were not there this morning.”
“It wasn’t there? What are you talking about?”
“I first saw this strange plant around 8 in the morning, and until then, the leaves were smooth. There were no unpleasant words written on them. But after about two hours, the leaves suddenly started to burn, and these words appeared.”
“What is that...”
The Pope's expression became even more serious at the unbelievable testimony.
After staring at the monster for a long time with a hardened face, he bit his lips and gave instructions to the guard.
“This foul plant must be uprooted immediately. And a thorough investigation must be conducted to determine who attempted to harm the Saintess and by what means.”
“Yes, Your Holiness!”
At the Pope's command, the guards began to break the stone floor with hammers.
The Pope, who had been rubbing his throbbing forehead as he watched the scene, soon opened his eyes wide. He had found me among the crowd of people.
“No, how can a Saintess be here...”
At those words, everyone's eyes turned to me.
“Oh my, you really are a Saintess?”
“No, why is the Saintess here..."
“Oh my, how upset must our Saintess be that such a strange thing has caught her eye.”
They looked at me with a helpless look on their faces, but I just smiled and answered.
“I was on my way back to the temple after stopping by the Duke’s residence for my first vacation.”
Pretend like nothing happened.
Pretend not to care at all.
But, as expected, my insides were burning black.
Whether the appearance of this plant was someone's scheme or the actual will of the goddess, it was certain that my position would be shaken.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
Melina was washing the rag and venting her frustration.
“This damn thing just keeps on going on and on!”
After dying from Shayne's ill temper for a whole week, she felt like she was finally alive when she was transferred to another place.
Of course, the only thing that changed was the person giving orders from Shayne to someone else, and the fact that she was a slave of the temple did not change, but she was still relieved.
'Whoever the new boss is, I don't think he'll be as vicious as that bitch, Shayne.'
She didn't think she would have to polish one hundred and four individual goddess statues, three hundred and fifty pillars, or disassemble all the furniture to polish every screw.
But what the heck?
Even after leaving Shaybe, her life was still hell.
“Melina, your job today is to clean the windows! It will take a whole day to clean all the windows in the temple, so move quickly!”
“Melina, isn’t that mop so dirty? I wish you had boiled it once... While you’re at it, boil all the mops in the temple!”
“Melina, the ceiling moldings seem a little dirty. Get a ladder and have them clean it one by one.”
Melina, Melina, Melina!
The officer kept calling her name until his mouth was dry.
She tried begging to be given less work to do as the workload was too much for the human body to handle, but all she got in return was ridicule.
“If a slave of your blood dares to live in luxury as the daughter of a Duke, you must endure this much. It is all to cleans the sins engraved on your soul. Don’t complain and work!”
Thanks to that, her once pretty hands had become rough like the hands of a middle-aged serf in his fifties.
'It's all because of that damn bitch, Shayne! If only that bitch hadn't framed me with such ridiculous accusations, I wouldn't be in this much trouble!'
Instead of Shayne, she took out her anger on the rag and soon dragged her exhausted body to her room.
But today, the atmosphere inside the temple was particularly chaotic.
'What's going on? Did something happen?'
Melina was curious, but she didn't dare ask.
Because most of the temple people didn't like her.
Eventually, Melina decided to hide in the corner of the hallway and eavesdrop on their conversation.
'What? There's a rumor going around that Shayne is a fake Saintess?'
Melina gasped and covered her mouth after learning of Shayne's situation through the temple maids' conversation.
She was wondering if there was anything fun to be had, but it was really such fun and refreshing news that it cleared up her stuffy mind.
'Yeah. Shayne, that damn bitch can't be a Saintess!'
If Shayne was truly a Saintess, she would not have harbored such a grudge and taken such petty revenge on herself.
Melina laughed quietly in relief.
Of course, the Pope came forward and ordered the plant to be pulled out, and everyone was in disbelief, so the chances of it actually being proven to be fake seemed slim, but so what?
Just knowing that Shayne, who made her like this, was having a little trouble made Melina feel like all the fatigue of the day was gone.
“Shaynr, you little girl. You’re a total idiot!”
Melina hoped that this scandal would not die down any time soon and that it would continue to haunt Shayne for as long as possible.
At that time, she was giggling in shame.
“It seems that the Saintess’s misfortune has made you happy.”
Melina's shoulders jumped at the flat voice coming from behind her.
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