Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 51
The Saintess is affiliated with the church, but her position is closer to a special role rather than that of a priest.
Sponsored by the Blanchard Ducal Family and managed by the Green Windsor Imperial Family, the “Living Treasure of Humanity” had such a high utility that she couldn’t participate much in the church’s activities.
For half the year, she traveled across the continent for purification, and for half of the remaining time, she was called upon for events hosted by the Green Windsor Imperial Family.
This year, after getting married, she spent her personal time at a separate residence provided by the Imperial Family, leading to complaints within the church about “just cleaning up after the Saintess”.
Even so, Genevieve tried to participate in church events as much as possible amid her busy schedule.
This was because the old Pope, who was over ninety this year, cherished Genevieve like a young granddaughter.
Despite the unspoken rule that “a Saintess cannot be the head of the church,” the Pope wished for her to fill his position. During a private meeting with Crown Prince Edwin, he candidly expressed his desire, stating that it was not only because he cherished her personally but also because Genevieve’s character and disposition were outstanding.
It was a very heartwarming story, but… when looking at the reality, it wasn’t so beautiful.
The Pope was someone who resented that the church’s symbol, the Saintess, had been taken by the Imperial Family and the nobles. He was said to have had several power struggles with the Emperor in his younger days due to his strong greed for power and wealth.
The intention to make the Saintess the church’s leader was to claim a share of the achievements she had established. Even if his affection for her as a granddaughter was genuine, it was hard to believe someone so fond of money and power speaking purely of character and disposition.
The Pope’s love for money was so intense that even the weekday services, which were not open to the general public, could be attended if one paid a fee. However, the amount was so substantial that only nobles and royals who made significant donations could attend the weekday services at the grand cathedral.
Adeline listened to Genevieve’s clear voice, clad in her ceremonial robes, while carefully observing her surroundings.
A sturdy priest stood right behind her, and at the entrance were stationed holy knights. All items going to the Saintess were pre-checked and meticulously inspected by a nun.
Even people with clear identities had to pass through tight security.
‘If the sorcerer was sending people to imperial events, it means they could control not just monsters but humans as well.’
Adeline, who had deleted all thoughts of sorcerers and monsters from her mind five years ago, tried to recall her faint memories.
A sorcerer was a general term for a wizard who used dark sorcery.
Mage, sorcerer, mage, witch and warlock.
There were many names, but they were just categorized based on their traits under the broad concept of a <magician>.
People with little magic who could use herbology, magical potions, and mild jinxes were called witches or warlocks.
A mage primarily used light magic, while a sorcerer primarily used dark sorcery.
Dark sorcery required curses, sacrifices, and offerings with high lethality, so warlocks were generally targets of societal condemnation.
However, because of its cruel nature, dark sorcery was often secretly learned by nobles. If discovered, they would fall into ruin in an instant, but as long as they weren’t caught, they were safe.
Among the spells of dark sorcery, there were hypnosis and curses that could control people.
The assailant who attacked Adeline five years ago, or rather, who attempted to kill Genevieve, was also under the control of a sorcerer’s dark sorcery.
This meant that anyone could be attacked, regardless of any personal grudges.
While it was impossible to know who was being controlled, the awakened Saintess could purify curses. As long as Genevieve knew who was being controlled, she could help them.
This was why the sorcerer tried to kill the Saintess.
Originally, she could purify without even touching them… whether the current Genevieve could still do that was unknown.
‘So the attempts to do direct harm ended with that attack.’
In the healing romance story, the heroine and the sorcerer would share romantic feelings and eventually, the sorcerer wouldn’t be able to kill the female lead, leading to The End.
It was a point that showcased the female lead’s irresistible charm that even those who should kill her could not.
‘I’m the kind of person who isn’t even interested in sub-romances, let alone the main story between the female lead and the male lead….’
It’s unbearable to watch secondary male leads taking up much screen time, let alone paying attention to a romance or personal matters with a villain that would never end up with the female lead anyway.
