“I’m the real Saintess!”
Yvelina yelled in a painful voice as she was met with cold gazes.
“I’m the real Saintess! You’re all getting tricked by that fake one!”
Her shouts continued again, but no one listened. They simply looked upon her with cold hatred.
It was expected, considering who Yvelina was. She was someone who corrupted the Grand Temple by drowning in luxury and pleasure as soon as she had become the 49th Saintess. That wasn’t all. She acted as if the Grand Temple’s property was hers, and gave things out to those she favored. The people who received these things were usually those who flattered Yvelina or those she secretly called into her bed.
There was no one in the continent that respected her anymore. Everyone spit as if they had said something dirty after mentioning Yvelina, and they wished for her to quickly return to God’s side and receive consequences for her sins.
And today was the day that the people’s prayers would be fulfilled. There was a mountain of firewood below Yvelina’s feet. It was firewood for today’s burning at the stake ceremony. Soon, when the fire is lit, the notorious witch and fake Saintess, Yvelina, will meet the end of her life.
* * *
Since a year ago, there was a rumor that began popping up all over the continent.
“They say the real Saintess appeared.”
This rumor quickly spread throughout the land. A woman from the outskirts of the continent has holy powers so strong that it can’t even be compared to that of the Saintess from the Grand Temple. She fights off monsters and heals the injured people before disappearing.
“I heard the real Saintess’ name is Iris.”
“The monsters that attack whoever they see all run away when they see that Saintess, and she heals tens of people who are injured at the same time!”
The people who had excitedly been spreading the rumors they heard became more and more cautious. Then they spoke in a lowered voice.
“But there should only be one Saintess.”
“Which means… Saintess Yvelina from the Grand Temple is…”
A fake Saintess.
The people exchanged looks, not able to say the words.
The rumors kept growing, and finally reached Yvelina’s ears as well.
“Go find that girl immediately!”
The temple’s army that reluctantly followed Yvelina’s orders found Iris. Right then, Iris, who was healing the injured people, spoke quietly to the temple’s army.
“There is no need to capture me. I will not run. But will you wait a bit until I finish healing the people here…? Latban.”
Latban, the commander, and Iris already knew each other, and so he commanded the army to hold back. After Iris was finished, the people blocked her way as she approached the temple’s army.
“Run away, Saintess! The fake Saintess will try to kill you!”
“Yes! We’ll stop them, please run!”
Iris smiled and shook her head at the people blocking her.
“I promised the knights that I would go with them. I must keep my promise.”
Iris kissed the forehead of the child clinging onto her skirt after she said this.
“Don’t cry. We’ll meet again.”
The people swallowed back their tears as Iris tried to calm them down, despite the fact that she must be the one who felt most nervous. The people began begging the knights once they realized Iris would go with them no matter how much they blocked her path.
“Miss Iris is the real Saintess!”
“You saw it right now too. Miss Iris healed us with her holy power!”
“If you are knights whose duty is to protect the Saintess, you must protect Miss Iris! The Saintess at the Grand Temple is fake!”
The temple’s army felt baffled at the people’s begging. Before coming here, they did not doubt the fact that Iris was a fake Saintess. Which was expected, since there has never been a case where a different Saintess appeared while another existed in the past thousands of years. There were a few who claimed to be Saintesses, but they were all fake. So they had believed Iris would be a fake as well.
The army escorted Iris politely. The power Iris had used just now to heal the people was most definitely holy power. They could be sure of it because as the army of the temple, they could feel it more clearly. On top of it, their commander, Latban, escorted Iris in the most respectful way he could.
When Iris arrived at the Grand Temple, it was Yvelina who greeted her before anyone else.
Yvelina approached Iris, who had her gaze lowered and was staying silent, and scanned her before she commanded,
“Raise your gaze.”
At these words, Iris raised her gaze. Yvelina sneered. In the next moment, Iris’ face was turned roughly along with a loud slapping noise. A red handprint was left on Iris’ fair skin.
“Are you prepared to receive your punishment for pretending to be the Saintess and for fooling the people?”
“Saintess!”
Commander Latban, who had brought Iris, shouted in surprise at Yvelina’s actions. But Yvelina didn’t stop there. She continued to slap Iris, and Iris ended up fainting. Then Yvelina became more enraged and began kicking her as well.
“You bitch! People call you the Saintess? Did you think I wouldn’t know that your holy power was created by the spells of evil heathens?!”
Unable to contain her anger, Yvelina kicked Iris’ stomach. The priests, shocked at Yvelina’s actions, tried to stop her. But this only helped Yvelina’s anger grow.
“Cut her head off immediately! She’ll have to pay with her life for pretending to be the Saintess!”
But Iris did not die that day. It was because the commander had stopped that order by putting his life on the line. The priests also quietly supported the commander.
“Please calm down, Saintess Yvelina. I think it would be better to look into the matter a bit more.”
“What good would that do?! She dared to tell the people that I’m a fake…!”
“If it’s the spell of heathens, it could happen again. So it would be right to look into it now.”
Yvelina grimaced when he said it could happen again, and reluctantly made an order.
“Alright. I’ll let her live. But imprison her in the basement prison of the Grand Temple.
The basement prison of the Grand Temple. This was where the monsters captured by the holy knights were kept. There were all sorts of bugs, not a single ray of sunshine, and it was so wet and humid that it was hard to breathe. The people began talking when they heard Iris was imprisoned in such a place.
“I saw it clearly. Miss Iris really used holy powers.”
“You’re right. And in contrast… has anyone seen Saintess Yvelina use her holy powers recently?”
Everyone felt that something was wrong after hearing these words. Everyone had seen Iris’ holy powers, but no one had seen Yvelina use hers since some time ago. Suspicions became convictions. It wasn’t just the common people, either. Even the priests of the Grand Temple began raising their voices.
Saintess Yvelina’s holy powers are suspected of not existing.
Yvelina became pale after hearing this, and went down to the basement prison. Then she raised the dagger she had hid and attempted to kill Iris, who was tied up in chains. If commander Latban hadn’t become suspicious and followed her, Iris could’ve died at Yvelina’s hands at that moment.
Yvelina began shouting when her attempt to murder Iris failed.
“That girl! She stole my holy powers! There’s no way all my holy powers could’ve disappeared otherwise…!”
All the priests, who had belatedly come down, heard Yvelina’s shouts. The priests asked with rigid expressions.
“Is that true? You don’t have holy power anymore? Since when?!”
The priests were now calling Yvelina “you” instead of “Saintess”. Yvelina trembled at the priests’ reactions, and escaped after pushing them away. After escaping the Grand Temple, Yvelina seeked help from those she had given her favor to. But there was no one who helped her.
Meanwhile, the coronation of a new Saintess was held at the Grand Temple.
The 49th Saintess, Yvelina, no longer existed.
That name had been erased, and the name of Iris, the 49th Saintess, was being spread all over the continent.
And today was the day Yvelina, who targeted Iris’ life even as she ran away, would be burnt at the stake.
“Kill the fake Saintess!”
The gathered people spit at Yvelina, who was still claiming to be the real Saintess. Then they began talking among themselves.
“Anyway, it’s a relief that the real Saintess is safe. I heard commander Latban protected Saintess Iris.”
“Yup, I heard it too. On top of it, I also heard his highness the crown prince of the empire, Leon, also helped out Saintess Iris. Apparently he showed respect for the Saintess’ benevolence, and is staying in the Holy Nation to help her out.”
“That’s not all. Even the king of mages, who despises temples, attended the coronation to congratulate Saintess Iris.”
Soon the executioners and priests appeared. When the priest standing in front began reading out the sins Yvelina committed, the people began roaring even louder for the fake Saintess to be killed. When the priest finished reading her sins after a long time, the executioner finally approached Yvelina and lit the fire below her feet.
The wood began burning quickly thanks to the oil. Yvelina’s voice, claiming that she is the real Saintess, faded into the flames.
This was the last of the fake Saintess.
* * *
The fake Saintess, who continuously committed sins, was dead. Normally, one would clap in satisfaction, but I was unable to do so.
Yvelina, whose sins were exposed and was burnt at the stake for it.
This was the future I, who had transmigrated into Yvelina’s body, would meet in 2 years.