LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 147
“I thought I must have misheard. It was such a vulgar term for a clergyman to describe another clergyman.”
Of course, it’s a fact that ministers in the church engage in shameful acts without hesitation, but that’s just a matter on Earth.
It was simply not fitting for a seasoned clergyman to speak like that about another in the same line of work.
“…But is it okay for you to say that?”
“What are you talking about…?”
“No, you just mentioned there’s a clergyman with a big chest…”
However, the clergyman looked at me with wide eyes, as if I had grown a second head, and waved his hands frantically.
“Brother? When did I say anything like that…? I simply mentioned that there’s a busty, cute, angel-like Saintess in the neighboring city!”
“…Again.”
“Huh? Brother, it seems like there’s something wrong with your ears. I strongly recommend you visit a hospital…”
Watching the clergyman who looked utterly innocent as if he had no clue what he was saying, I couldn’t help but think of numerous others who acted without realizing they were brainwashed. Just like those under the sway of devils, fairy queens, or divine spirits…
Even this clergyman standing in front of me seemed to be under some sort of manipulation.
‘It’s not severe, but the way he refers to the Saintess is a bit strange…’
Of course, that manipulation seemed so trivial that I couldn’t imagine it being used for anything serious. Changing a title at best could only lead to this clergyman’s social demise, right?
Moreover, I hadn’t tested whether he spoke the same way to others either. With just this, it was hard to say the Saintess was hiding something.
“So, have you ever seen the Saintess in person?”
“No… Unfortunately. But Brother, if the hospital bills are a burden, you can receive support from our church’s welfare program—”
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly okay.”
Having figured out what I needed, I immediately left the chapel and sought out the location of that Saintess. There was a place famous for being a religious city. It was so small that it was dubious to call it a city, so it went by the name ‘Religious City’ without any attached names…
Coincidentally, since it was quite close to City E, I hopped into my car and headed there right away.
‘What am I doing here?’
I had sought out religion for psychological comfort, only to discover issues within that realm? At this rate, I might just become a walking disaster like Conan, stirring up chaos wherever I go.
…Surely not.
Trying to dismiss the thought that had popped into my mind, I set off in search of the Saintess.
***
【Religious City Attraction! The chapel where the Saintess resides is this way!】
「Warning, from here it’s a 5-day wait」
“What the heck is this?”
As I sped toward the religious city, I stopped short at the sight of a long line. After parking in a nearby lot, I cautiously approached the end of the line and struck up a conversation with a woman who had a twinkle of madness in her eyes.
“Are you here to see the Saintess too?”
“Um? Yeah… but what’s with this line?”
“What do you mean? This is the line to see the Saintess!”
“…This?”
“Of course!”
I sneaked a glance at the queue. It was an endless line. It was hard to believe it led to a woman called a Saintess.
What on earth had this Saintess done to warrant such a massive line on a weekday? Was I really going to have to camp out for nearly a week just to catch a glimpse of her face?
I couldn’t fathom that the Saintess had such value.
“Is she really worth all this effort?”
“─What?”
The moment I uttered that, the woman in front of me, along with the guy ahead of her and the middle-aged man before them, as well as everyone who could hear me turned to stare.
Even though I knew they meant no harm, it was a nerve-wracking sight. I almost jumped out of my skin.
“Young man. You’ve never seen the Saintess, have you?”
“Um? Yeah… I just found out today that someone like her existed.”
“Good call! The Saintess is someone who, thanks to her, my business has thrived, my kid got into college, I swapped my husband, my back pain disappeared, and my skin got better…”
As the stories flowed, which seemed more like the ramblings of a cult than anything religious, the woman kept on preaching the greatness of the Saintess.
What I gathered from her account was that the Saintess possessed special powers, and any wish could be fulfilled with a prayer to her.
‘What kind of nonsense is that…’
Is she a watered-down version of a divine spirit? But the scope was awfully wide. Didn’t that mean everyone in line had prayed and received benefits? That in itself was hard to believe.
If this many people had made wishes, wouldn’t they clash with each other or contradict? Just gathering the wishes of those who wanted to win the lottery would lead to hundreds winning each week!
And I had never heard of that many lottery winners up till now. This implied one of two things.
‘Either the Saintess is a wildly powerful ability user who can grant individual wishes without conflict… or, they’re simply people brainwashed into believing their prayers were answered.’ I was leaning heavily toward the latter as I returned to my car.
Ignoring the lady and the men who tried to grab me, once I reached the car, I called someone who was likely relaxing at home.
[Hello-.]
“Oh, hey. What are you up to? If you have a moment, could you come out for a bit…?”
Not long after, Six, fully made up, appeared in front of me. With her forehead slightly damp, she glared at me as if questioning why I had called.
“What is it? Calling someone on their day off during the day…?”
“I need you here.”
“Hmm- Is it work?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“You called me on my day off for work?”
Six looked at me as if she couldn’t believe it. But there was no way I could wait in line for five days just to see the Saintess’s face!
Seeing her increasingly frustrated expression, I swiftly latched onto her arm. Surprised, she began flailing her arms wildly.
“W-What are you doing? You just suddenly hold my arm…”
“Use your abilities. We’re going in from here.”
“Ah, no. I don’t think it’s necessary to hold arms for that…”
Six fidgeted uncomfortably as she moved her arm here and there before finding a comfortable position, pressing my arm right against her chest. It made it rather inconvenient for me to move.
But given that I was making her work on her day off, I couldn’t complain about the uncomfortable position. After a while, I started breaching the line with her.
The ultimate stealth of humanity went unnoticed. Thanks to Six’s capabilities, we quickly slipped inside the chapel and infiltrated the VIP seats overlooking the stage where the Saintess was to appear.
“Church? What on earth are we doing here?”
“I’m here to see someone…”
“Huh? You’re a scientist, and you’re seeing someone in the religious sector?”
Though confused, Six followed my gaze and looked down. Soon, the waiting worshippers began streaming into the chapel.
More people squeezed around us, yet they bumped into us without acknowledging our presence.
Thanks to that, while I was getting jostled and bruised, I finally found my way to see the face of the Saintess.
[─Greetings, dear worshippers.]
With the Saintess’s appearance, the worshippers erupted with cheers. She looked like a genuine angel with wings and a halo around her.
Just as the clergyman from City E had said, she certainly had a large bust as well.
“…Are you here to see that woman?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Haa… I never wanted to become an executive of Evil just to do this…”
As Six sighed and voiced her dissatisfaction upon seeing the Saintess, the Saintess suddenly opened her eyes and looked our way while starting to pray with the worshippers.
When her gaze met mine, she flashed a wide smile. It was as if she could see right through me.
‘No way-.’
I thought I might have misinterpreted things, but just as I was about to brush it off, the Saintess began pointing at us.
[Dear worshippers, I’m sorry. A nuisance has intruded.]
Shwa-shwaak-!
At that moment, spotlights illuminated us.
Up until this point, I didn’t mind. Six’s abilities were something else.
But to my surprise, the Saintess exceeded my expectations.
[No one can escape her gaze…]
Before the Saintess’s words had even finished, thousands of worshippers turned to stare at us simultaneously.
Sharp, icy glares. The kind of looks that could strike a person down.
“Uh, uh oh…”
“…I think we’ve been discovered.”
I looked around at the thousands of worshippers surrounding us, breaking into a cold sweat.
Her gaze alone had thrown us into sheer terror.