We headed straight to the temple.
The Crown Prince, I, and the Emperor boarded the existing carriage, and Melina was given a separate carriage from the temple.
It was a carriage that women who were chosen as Saintessess rode in to the temple for verification, and I had also ridden in it.
I wasn't feeling too good about the day when Melina would get on that carriage.
While I was unable to loosen my stiff expression, the Emperor sitting in front of me spoke to me timidly.
“I’m sorry, Saintess. I know it’s rude of me to examine another woman while you’re here, but I couldn’t help it.”
Seeing him avoid eye contact and not being able to meet my gaze for more than a second, I knew it wasn't an empty promise.
But this time, he had nothing to feel sorry about.
How could anyone not verify Melina when so many people have seen her perform miracles?
This was not something the Emperor could stop.
But what concerns me is how Melina was able to perform miracles and how she was able to bear the mark of the goddess.
'I'm sure I must have used some trick, like borrowing Delton's power, but who on earth helped Melina?'
I wondered if other beings had made a contract with the goddess like Delton, but there were no other creatures by Melina's side.
'What the heck.'
As I was thinking seriously with a serious expression on my face, someone called me.
“Saintess, Saintess?”
Thanks to that, I woke up from my trance and turned my head. The Emperor was looking at me with a restless expression.
'Ah. I haven't answered yet, right?'
It was just a moment of thought, but it seemed to have made the Emperor feel uneasy.
“Huh, you look really angry.”
He said with the corners of his eyes drooping, as if he had guessed what I was thinking.
“Yes, that would be enough. It’s not that I don’t understand how Saintess feels. But I couldn’t help it. I’ll apologize, so please calm down.”
His voice was trembling, as if he was going to grab hold of the hem of my dress and sag if I didn't accept his apology quickly.
'You're usually so shameless, but when I see you like this, you're really weak-hearted.'
I was clicking my tongue, but I quickly opened my mouth before the unfortunate event of the Emperor bursting into tears occurred.
“An apology, Your Majesty. I fully understand Your Majesty’s feelings, which made it impossible for you to do so. I would have done the same, too, so please don’t worry too much about it.”
When I spoke with a bright smile, the Emperor, who had been wiping his chest with relief, grabbed my hand.
“How can you be so generous? You are truly the daughter of a goddess.”
He was laughing heartily and soon started comforting me.
“Don’t worry. I don’t know what kind of harmony this is, but there has never been two Saintesses in the history of the empire. Furthermore, the other person is the daughter of a sinner who upset the goddess and brought disaster to the empire. There’s no way she could dare receive revelations from the goddess. I don’t know what tricks she’s used, but she will never pass His Holiness’s inspection.”
Hmm, well.
When I thought of Melina, who had been smiling confidently and nodding when talking about the verification of the temple, it didn't seem like it would be resolved that easily.
Besides, the Pope's verification is not that reliable, and I, too, received the Pope's approval despite it being fake.
But that was a secret I had to take to the grave, so I just smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I think so too.”
Now, I could only hope that luck was on my side.
“Yes, I think we will have to wait until His Holiness regains consciousness.”
“Ugh.”
The Emperor shook his head with a troubled expression at the priest's words.
As the verification of her sainthood was postponed indefinitely, Melina's whereabouts were transferred to the imperial family.
Just as there can't be two suns in the sky, Melina and I can no longer live under the same roof.
However, the Emperor could not leave a woman who claimed to have received revelations from a goddess anywhere, so he decided to take her into his care.
So everyone waited for the Pope to rise, one day at a time.
But as a day passed, three days passed, a week passed, and the Pope still did not come to his senses.
Meanwhile, Melina went to see the Emperor every day and begged him.
“Your Majesty, the suffering of the people of the empire due to the disaster is deepening. As a daughter of the goddess, I can no longer stand by and watch their suffering. Please send me out to the scene so that I can fulfill my duty.”
“Nonsense! No matter how urgent the situation is, how can we present an unverified person to the people of the empire? That could cause more chaos in the empire! The Saintess is losing sleep over the disaster, so you should stay silent and wait for His Holiness to wake up!”
The Emperor flatly refused.
But Melina didn't give up.
“Your Majesty, how can you ignore the suffering of the people of the empire? Can’t you hear the screams of the people of the empire shuddering in pain? Please look into it!”
“Wow, have you ever seen such absurdity!”
The Emperor, who was troubled by Melina's repeated appeals every day, eventually summoned his officials.
He thought that since this was an issue, it wasn't something he could decide on his own.
The officials who gathered in the conference hall by order of the Emperor engaged in a heated discussion.
“A woman who has not yet been verified by the temple is showing herself to the people of the empire. That is unacceptable!”
“That’s right, we have to wait until His Holiness rises!”
“But I have been waiting for it to happen. The disaster that started only in the capital has now spread throughout the empire. Hundreds of people are dying every day. How can the Saintess handle it all alone?”
“That’s right. Why should we stop her from helping the suffering people of the empire?”
“And even if she has not been verified by the temple, isn’t that woman’s qualifications already proven? She has performed miracles that stopped disasters and even bears the mark of the goddess, so what more does she need to prove?”
“That’s strange. In the span of over two thousand years, there have never been two Saintesses in the same era. It might be different if the existing Saintesses were nearing their end of life, but Saintess Veloce is not even twenty yet. But how come...”
“That’s right. Besides, isn’t that woman the daughter of the sinner Mushikan? A sinner’s blood can’t become the daughter of a goddess.”
“Yes, she is the daughter of the Mushikhan who murdered the legitimate heir and shamelessly lived in luxury for decades. Where would his bloodline go? She must have used some kind of evil trick.”
The Emperor clutched his head as he watched the officials bickering loudly.
Every word that came out of their mouths was correct.
In these turbulent times, when hundreds and thousands of casualties occur every day, Melina's support would be a great help in stabilizing the Empire.
But if two women could perform the same miracle, it was clear that the empire would be thrown into chaos.
If Melina really is the daughter of a goddess, then that's great, but if not, and if the power she possesses is not a holy power but some kind of evil sorcery...
'Ha, I can't decide what decision to make for now.'
It was at that time that the Emperor kept sighing.
Whoosh, bang! Kwakwang! Kukukung!
As a loud noise like they had never heard before rang out, the marble floor of the conference room split in half.
The Crown Prince, I, and the Emperor boarded the existing carriage, and Melina was given a separate carriage from the temple.
It was a carriage that women who were chosen as Saintessess rode in to the temple for verification, and I had also ridden in it.
I wasn't feeling too good about the day when Melina would get on that carriage.
While I was unable to loosen my stiff expression, the Emperor sitting in front of me spoke to me timidly.
“I’m sorry, Saintess. I know it’s rude of me to examine another woman while you’re here, but I couldn’t help it.”
Seeing him avoid eye contact and not being able to meet my gaze for more than a second, I knew it wasn't an empty promise.
But this time, he had nothing to feel sorry about.
How could anyone not verify Melina when so many people have seen her perform miracles?
This was not something the Emperor could stop.
But what concerns me is how Melina was able to perform miracles and how she was able to bear the mark of the goddess.
'I'm sure I must have used some trick, like borrowing Delton's power, but who on earth helped Melina?'
I wondered if other beings had made a contract with the goddess like Delton, but there were no other creatures by Melina's side.
'What the heck.'
As I was thinking seriously with a serious expression on my face, someone called me.
“Saintess, Saintess?”
Thanks to that, I woke up from my trance and turned my head. The Emperor was looking at me with a restless expression.
'Ah. I haven't answered yet, right?'
It was just a moment of thought, but it seemed to have made the Emperor feel uneasy.
“Huh, you look really angry.”
He said with the corners of his eyes drooping, as if he had guessed what I was thinking.
“Yes, that would be enough. It’s not that I don’t understand how Saintess feels. But I couldn’t help it. I’ll apologize, so please calm down.”
His voice was trembling, as if he was going to grab hold of the hem of my dress and sag if I didn't accept his apology quickly.
'You're usually so shameless, but when I see you like this, you're really weak-hearted.'
I was clicking my tongue, but I quickly opened my mouth before the unfortunate event of the Emperor bursting into tears occurred.
“An apology, Your Majesty. I fully understand Your Majesty’s feelings, which made it impossible for you to do so. I would have done the same, too, so please don’t worry too much about it.”
When I spoke with a bright smile, the Emperor, who had been wiping his chest with relief, grabbed my hand.
“How can you be so generous? You are truly the daughter of a goddess.”
He was laughing heartily and soon started comforting me.
“Don’t worry. I don’t know what kind of harmony this is, but there has never been two Saintesses in the history of the empire. Furthermore, the other person is the daughter of a sinner who upset the goddess and brought disaster to the empire. There’s no way she could dare receive revelations from the goddess. I don’t know what tricks she’s used, but she will never pass His Holiness’s inspection.”
Hmm, well.
When I thought of Melina, who had been smiling confidently and nodding when talking about the verification of the temple, it didn't seem like it would be resolved that easily.
Besides, the Pope's verification is not that reliable, and I, too, received the Pope's approval despite it being fake.
But that was a secret I had to take to the grave, so I just smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I think so too.”
Now, I could only hope that luck was on my side.
But.
.
.
.
“What? His Holiness has collapsed?”
What greeted me when I arrived at the temple was not luck but despair.
I pushed the Emperor forward, who was shouting with a face full of astonishment.
“Say it again. What do you mean, His Holiness is unconscious?”
Then the priest who had brought the news of the Pope's death opened his mouth with a sorrowful expression.
“That is... When he heard the news that a new candidate for sainthood was coming, he was rushing out, but he stumbled on the stairs and...”
“What’s his condition? What’s his condition? Is it very critical?”
“Fortunately, his life is not in danger, but he is so old that he is not able to regain consciousness for a while.”
“So you’re saying that you can’t even predict a rough date when he’ll wake up?”
“I’m sorry to say this, but for now, yes, Your Majesty.”
"Ha."
I touched my forehead at the unexpected news of the Pope's accident.
“Huh, what a bolt from the blue!”
The Emperor, who had been gaping in amazement like me, asked hurriedly as if he had just remembered something.
“What will happen to that woman’s verification? Is it okay for another priest to take charge of it?”
“No. Only His Holiness can perform the ceremony to select a saint.”
“That means...”
.
.
.
“What? His Holiness has collapsed?”
What greeted me when I arrived at the temple was not luck but despair.
I pushed the Emperor forward, who was shouting with a face full of astonishment.
“Say it again. What do you mean, His Holiness is unconscious?”
Then the priest who had brought the news of the Pope's death opened his mouth with a sorrowful expression.
“That is... When he heard the news that a new candidate for sainthood was coming, he was rushing out, but he stumbled on the stairs and...”
“What’s his condition? What’s his condition? Is it very critical?”
“Fortunately, his life is not in danger, but he is so old that he is not able to regain consciousness for a while.”
“So you’re saying that you can’t even predict a rough date when he’ll wake up?”
“I’m sorry to say this, but for now, yes, Your Majesty.”
"Ha."
I touched my forehead at the unexpected news of the Pope's accident.
“Huh, what a bolt from the blue!”
The Emperor, who had been gaping in amazement like me, asked hurriedly as if he had just remembered something.
“What will happen to that woman’s verification? Is it okay for another priest to take charge of it?”
“No. Only His Holiness can perform the ceremony to select a saint.”
“That means...”
“Yes, I think we will have to wait until His Holiness regains consciousness.”
“Ugh.”
The Emperor shook his head with a troubled expression at the priest's words.
***
As the verification of her sainthood was postponed indefinitely, Melina's whereabouts were transferred to the imperial family.
Just as there can't be two suns in the sky, Melina and I can no longer live under the same roof.
However, the Emperor could not leave a woman who claimed to have received revelations from a goddess anywhere, so he decided to take her into his care.
So everyone waited for the Pope to rise, one day at a time.
But as a day passed, three days passed, a week passed, and the Pope still did not come to his senses.
Meanwhile, Melina went to see the Emperor every day and begged him.
“Your Majesty, the suffering of the people of the empire due to the disaster is deepening. As a daughter of the goddess, I can no longer stand by and watch their suffering. Please send me out to the scene so that I can fulfill my duty.”
“Nonsense! No matter how urgent the situation is, how can we present an unverified person to the people of the empire? That could cause more chaos in the empire! The Saintess is losing sleep over the disaster, so you should stay silent and wait for His Holiness to wake up!”
The Emperor flatly refused.
But Melina didn't give up.
“Your Majesty, how can you ignore the suffering of the people of the empire? Can’t you hear the screams of the people of the empire shuddering in pain? Please look into it!”
“Wow, have you ever seen such absurdity!”
The Emperor, who was troubled by Melina's repeated appeals every day, eventually summoned his officials.
He thought that since this was an issue, it wasn't something he could decide on his own.
The officials who gathered in the conference hall by order of the Emperor engaged in a heated discussion.
“A woman who has not yet been verified by the temple is showing herself to the people of the empire. That is unacceptable!”
“That’s right, we have to wait until His Holiness rises!”
“But I have been waiting for it to happen. The disaster that started only in the capital has now spread throughout the empire. Hundreds of people are dying every day. How can the Saintess handle it all alone?”
“That’s right. Why should we stop her from helping the suffering people of the empire?”
“And even if she has not been verified by the temple, isn’t that woman’s qualifications already proven? She has performed miracles that stopped disasters and even bears the mark of the goddess, so what more does she need to prove?”
“That’s strange. In the span of over two thousand years, there have never been two Saintesses in the same era. It might be different if the existing Saintesses were nearing their end of life, but Saintess Veloce is not even twenty yet. But how come...”
“That’s right. Besides, isn’t that woman the daughter of the sinner Mushikan? A sinner’s blood can’t become the daughter of a goddess.”
“Yes, she is the daughter of the Mushikhan who murdered the legitimate heir and shamelessly lived in luxury for decades. Where would his bloodline go? She must have used some kind of evil trick.”
The Emperor clutched his head as he watched the officials bickering loudly.
Every word that came out of their mouths was correct.
In these turbulent times, when hundreds and thousands of casualties occur every day, Melina's support would be a great help in stabilizing the Empire.
But if two women could perform the same miracle, it was clear that the empire would be thrown into chaos.
If Melina really is the daughter of a goddess, then that's great, but if not, and if the power she possesses is not a holy power but some kind of evil sorcery...
'Ha, I can't decide what decision to make for now.'
It was at that time that the Emperor kept sighing.
Whoosh, bang! Kwakwang! Kukukung!
As a loud noise like they had never heard before rang out, the marble floor of the conference room split in half.
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