C160
"What the hell does that mean…?"
The judge, upon hearing Liena's surprising declaration, seemed baffled.
"What, what did she just say?"
"Did she say she's a saint?"
"A saint? How absurd."
"Has she lost her mind?"
The same sentiment echoed among others gathered in the outdoor courtroom.
Fortunately, the hostility was less than expected thanks to Liena's divine power, but they weren't foolish enough to believe everything she said.
The judge instructed the police officers to check if it had been determined that Liena had a mental problem.
"Please, securely restrain the defendant so she can't interfere until the trial is over."
It was then that the inspector carrying the rope and gag was about to approach Liena.
"Excuse me, but I also want to say something!"
Cardinal Morton suddenly stood up and shouted loudly.
"Liena is a Saint. I saw it with my own eyes."
The surroundings were in uproar. It was a completely different reaction from when Liena spoke.
The influence of the temple, or Church of Miella, in the Asteroth Empire was enormous.
All imperial citizens were believers of the Miella religion, and naturally, pagans were discriminated against.
In the Church of Miella, these were the words spoken by a cardinal who held the highest position among the priests, excluding the Holy Father.
Though it may seem foolish, you have no choice but to listen.
Cardinal Morton stepped out, politely glanced at Liena, and then spoke to the judge.
"Therefore, I request that this trial be halted."
"W-what are you talking about! Cardinal!"
"You know very well. The fact that the Saint, a noble messenger spreading the word of the Goddess, has absolute immunity."
As Saints are people of the Goddess, they are not punished by human laws. It was common sense in this world.
Furthermore, those with immunity included the emperor, the empress, the crown prince, and the prince.
"I believe the saint is innocent and was part of a conspiracy. But even if that weren't the case, one should never commit the disrespect of daring to bring a Saint to trial."
"No, that's true, but…"
The judge hesitated with a perplexed expression and then pointed out the most significant issue of this situation.
"How can a defendant be a Saint? Saint Arsia is alive and well with both eyes open!"
That was why no one believed Liena's words and the question everyone wanted to ask at that moment.
There already existed a saint in this world.
Saint Arsia. Over ten years ago, the current Holy Father found a girl in a rural village and brought her into the temple.
Because she spent most of her time silently praying inside the main sanctuary, she was not talked about often, but many revered her.
In "Return and Walk Along a Path of Flowers," only her name was often mentioned, but halfway or at the end of the story, Liena conflicted with the temple and quickly rose as a character.
Cardinal Morton seemed rather grim.
"Yes, I know. There can't be two saints under heaven. Therefore, my remarks now will be extremely disrespectful to Arsia."
"Then why…?"
"But as I said before, I confirmed with my own eyes that Liena is a saint."
He spoke resolutely, as if he were a devout priest.
"I'm sorry, Arsia, but I can't bear to ignore the truth, what I saw with my own eyes."
Shortly after, Morton quickly pulled out a palm-sized stone from his pocket and showed it to me.
Judging by the patterns engraved on the exterior, it seemed to be part of a fallen sculpture.
"This is a piece of the 'Verification Gate.'"
"If it's the verification gate… Isn't it a sacred object ?!"
Many people, including the judge, stared wide-eyed at the stone sculpture.
Verification Gate. It was literally a verification gate. If a person can open the gate, they are a messenger of the Goddess.
The saint was the only person who could open the gate located deep within the main temple.
It is said that each generation of saints leaves prophecies about the next saint before dying.
Then, the priests bring candidates who fit the prophecy and open the verification gate.
However, sometimes the subject of the prophecy is so broad that it is physically impossible to bring so many people to the main temple.
For example, even if there was a prophecy that the next Saint would come from a certain city, it was not possible to call all the children of that city to the grand temple.
To prepare for such times, priests in high positions receive pieces that have fallen from the Verification Gate.
Though the accuracy is low, it was possible to determine whether they were a saint or not by looking at the sculpture.
"This piece glows when touched by a saint."
The cardinal said and handed a piece of the relic to Liena with a courteous gesture.
As Liena held it proudly, at the moment the stone piece began emitting a bright blue light.
The light was so large and clear that even people sitting at the back could see it with the naked eye.
In an instant, the courtroom became as noisy as a marketplace.
"Is that woman truly a saint…?"
"Then, what about Arsia?"
"If what the cardinal said is true, Arsia must be false."
"Nonsense! What a wonderful person she is!"
"But the relic glowed."
"Wait a moment, there's no way a saint commits fraud."
"I don't know. How the hell did this happen?"
People were confused.
"Something happened."
Isaac, who had been drinking his drink behind me, spoke in a very serious tone.
"It would be a big problem if Liena were accepted as a true saint."
Roland cursed softly.
"Damn it! There must have been some kind of curse that made the sacred object shine. Just wait. Because it will definitely be revealed to be a lie."
"Well. Is it really the case? If she really is a saint, it would be better for my father and me to flee as fast as possible."
"Why us?!"
"Think about it. Basically, people firmly believe that a noble saint could not do anything wrong. That's how high the status of the Saint is. Besides..."
Full Chapter Here☜ (AntiC0pyr1ght)