How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 85
“She definitely had blonde hair. I couldn’t see her face because of the veil, but she wore pure white clothes and had golden hair like perfectly ripened wheat!”
“And what about the monsters?”
“When that woman raised her hand and said ‘Stop!’ would you believe the monsters just froze? And when she waved her hand, saying ‘Begone!’ suddenly this white light started pouring from her hand, and…”
He couldn’t continue speaking, as if overwhelmed by the wonder of what he’d seen. After a moment, he added with eyes full of reverence.
“Then the monsters tucked their tails like gentle lambs and ran away! Wow… That sight was truly like witnessing a god descending to earth.”
“Wasn’t it magic?”
“No way, magic could never be that beautiful and pure! That was definitely holy power. When I saw that pure white light, I felt my own heart being purified!”
“What happened next?”
“After quite a while, the guards finally showed up asking what happened, ugh. It just made me sigh.”
“What about the woman?”
“She was already gone by the time the guards arrived. But you know what I heard…”
He lowered his voice again. This time, he cupped his hands around his mouth to add more secrecy.
“Similar monsters appeared in the lower town too, and they say that woman showed up there as well and saved people.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m telling you, I’m absolutely reliable when it comes to information. I’m not someone who spreads baseless rumors!”
“I see…”
“You know what they’re saying in the alleyways these days?”
He covered his mouth with his hand again and whispered loudly but softly.
“A Saint has appeared.”
For a moment, Angelina’s lips curved up slightly before returning to normal.
“Really?”
When she asked back as if surprised and interested, he added excitedly.
“That’s right! That purifying white light, that power that even monsters dare not raise their heads against. What else could it be but the power of a Saint? Even the priests can’t control monsters that easily, right?”
“That’s true.”
“And ever since these rumors started spreading, the guards have been on high alert, watching like hawks for any monsters to appear! But they’re not really trying to catch the monsters – they’re trying to catch that woman!”
“Why would they want to catch a Saint?”
“Well, I heard something else too…”
This time, he looked around cautiously and whispered in an almost inaudible voice.
“They say this Saint was actually imprisoned in the Grand Temple.”
“Imprisoned…?”
“Apparently, the High Priest was trying to steal her power…”
“That’s nonsense.”
“It’s true! I know some messengers who go in and out of the Grand Temple, and they say they saw a woman who looked similar to that blonde woman in there!”
“Even so, stealing power?”
“Shh! Shhh! You’ll get arrested for talking about this! The Holy Knights are on edge these days…! Already two people I know have been taken away…!”
“But is it okay for you to tell these stories? To someone you just met like me?”
“Someone who travels with a divine beast couldn’t be a church spy, and I’ve got a good eye for people.”
“Do you believe those words? Even though it means the High Priest would…”
“Shh!”
“Right, shh. But do you believe it?”
“Well… I think there’s some credibility to it.”
“Why?”
“You know how the church has become unreliable and strange ever since the current High Priest took office?”
“Did many people think that?”
“I don’t know about other places, but in the capital’s lower town, quite a few people talked about it. Only people who made donations could attend temple ceremonies, suddenly they charged the same price for basic healing as premium healing, and holy water prices increased tenfold, ugh…”
He shook his head and clicked his tongue. Then added in a disapproving voice.
“Things got so bad that rumors started spreading that the way to show devotion to the Sun God was through donations!”
“All this started when the current High Priest took office?”
“We’d been feeling something was off for a while, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly why until these monster attacks happened and that blonde woman appeared.”
What had previously been just a vague feeling of ‘something’s not right’ became a cause for deeper contemplation after the monster attacks.
“It’s ridiculous. The doctrine clearly states that the Sun God gladly accepts prayers even if you’re alone at home with just a cup of water.”
“When you put it that way, the church does sound suspicious.”
“Since this High Priest took office about ten years ago, I’m not the only one who stopped going to the temple. I bet you’re the same, traveling with a divine beast?”
“You’re right. I’m similar. I kept asking questions because it was exciting to meet someone who understands.”
“Sigh, anyway, this High Priest is strange.”
“But would the church really appoint such a suspicious person as High Priest?”
“You must be too young to know about that time. The previous High Priest passed away suddenly due to illness, leaving an unexpected vacancy. Unfortunately, that was when monsters were particularly active, so they must have made a mistake in their rushed appointment.”
“A mistake…”
A faint smile flickered across Angelina’s lips and disappeared.
How perfectly and beautifully everything was unfolding. Every part of the plan was proceeding without a single flaw.
“Mister, I’ll be coming here often, so please tell me more about the Saint whenever I visit.”
Angelina whispered so others couldn’t hear and pulled out a small money pouch from her chest.
Though it wasn’t much for her, it would equal a day’s earnings for the owner here.
“Oh my, to think we had such an esteemed customer!”
“Do you know how much it costs to raise a divine beast?”
The owner grinned at her confident words that clearly suggested she had money.
“Hehe, people like you are always welcome. My ears are particularly sharp, you know.”
He put the money pouch in his chest and stood up with a pleased expression.
Shortly after, he brought out grilled shellfish as service.
“Miss, was that the information you wanted…?”
Laura asked while glancing around. Thanks to Pudding still drawing people’s attention, they could have their conversation in secret.
“Yes. The monsters, the Saint, and people’s perception of the situation. That’s what I needed.”
Angelina took a sip of non-alcoholic beer with a smirk.
“That veiled blonde woman…”
“Yes. It’s Catherine.”
“Then could all this possibly be…?”
Laura trailed off with an incredulous expression, and Angelina flashed her a grin.
“That’s right. It was all on my orders.”
“…!”
“The fake Saint project. It would be a waste to just discard it, right? But we couldn’t use it as is either.”
Angelina’s smile in the candlelight was utterly bewitching.
“I just added some elements to disconnect the church from the Saint.”
No matter how much anyone might claim the Sun God everyone believes in is bad, no one would listen. That’s how religion works.
But what happens when people discover that the organization meant to serve their beloved Sun God has been manipulating that deity and exploiting them?
Those who turn from allies to enemies are always more frightening than those who were enemies from the start.
Attacking a large organization like the church from the outside would only waste energy without much effect. Such things needed to be dismantled from within.
The first step was to separate the ‘bad guys’ of the church from the ‘benevolent deity’ of the Sun in people’s minds, and Catherine the ‘Saint’ would represent that ‘benevolent deity’ side.
“There’s no better bait than a Saint. I didn’t expect the ‘trying to steal her power’ part to spread so quickly, though.”
Angelina smiled contentedly.
“Anyway, Aesi is quite skilled.”
All of this was written on the small piece of paper that Angelina gave to Aesi the night she handed Catherine over to him.
He had simply put it into action.
‘Now I just need to wait for this to reach the Crown Prince’s ears.’
She had already laid the groundwork well when she met with the Crown Prince last time, so he would quickly be convinced by the rumors.
The moment the Crown Prince begins to doubt the church, that would be the cue for the rest of the plan.
“Hmhm~”
Her grand plan was only just beginning.
