It was the day after the short discussion between House of Count Cladir and House of Count Cervan.
Amalda was taken aback when she heard what the priests, who also came today as usual, said.
“So there had been sightings of Filth aside from Rozalie’s incident… This is terrible. What happened to the filth of this kingdom?”
It was understandable for other kingdoms, but unimaginable for this kingdom blessed by the deities.
What might be causing this? — she said, as if it was somebody else’s business. The priests shook their heads in response.
“We do not know. However, ever since the incident of Rozalie Faure occured, we recevied several reports from outside the Shrine. There were also some who said that filth has appeared within the Shrine…”
Even though the gazes directed at Amalda were filled with deep affection and concern, they didn’t have any trace of optimism.
They probably truly came here to report to the [Saintess of the Supreme God] and not just an excuse to see Amalda herself.
The reception room on the first floor of the mansion faced a huge window.
One of the priests heaved a sigh while sipping a cup of tea served by the maid.
“The Royal Family is trying to probe the Shrine in order to check whether there is something strange happening to the Deities. Those bunch suspects that the Shrine did something to offend the Deities… Amalda-sama, the Saintess of the Supreme God, is here with us, so such a thing is unimaginable, and yet they —!!”
Amalda was the one and only woman chosen by the Supreme God, who never had a saintess since the founding of the nation, to be his saintess.
With such a great saintess coming into the Shrine, the deities shouldn’t have any reason to be offended; they must be overjoyed instead.
They must be mistaken! — The priest exclaimed in indignation. Another priest, who sat beside me, interjected.
“However, we cannot refute that Filth had indeed appeared. If the filth continues to increase at this rate, the Royal Family will definitely intervene by force.”
Even though the Royal Family and the Shrine were both located in this kingdom, they couldn’t co-exist peacefully.
The Royal Family viewed the Shrine’s political influence as an eyesore, while the Shrine thought the royalty’s status was a nuisance. Despite that, both parties didn’t meddle with the other’s affairs.
They knew that if they didn’t handle it well, the whole kingdom would be thrown into chaos.
That was also the reason why the kingdom was always watching the Shrine for any weakness.
They were looking for a good reason, a pretext, that they could use to accuse the Shrine and weaken their power.
The priest implied those thingsin his words as he irritably tapped the table.
“Of course, the Shrine is upright and clean of this matter as always! However, we cannot let them do what they want! If the Royal Family meddles, they’ll fabricate crimes allegedly committed by the Shrine — and if worse comes to worst, the Shrine will be disposed!”
“No way…”
Swayed by the priests’ momentum, Amalda shook her head in horror.
She plumped down on the sofa by the window, cowering a bit as if trying to escape, when the priest stood up and leaned closer to her.
“We must find the source of the filth before that happens! There is nothing wrong with the Shrine and the Deities, so something else must be generating them!!”
“Something generating filth… is it?”
“Indeed!”
The priests vigorously nodded their heads.
They continued to speak, eager to show off to Amalda.
“Considering Rozalie’s incident, it must be something within the Shrine! There must be something evil generating the filth within this holy Shrine!”
“Oh dear…!”
Amalda raised her voice amidst the clamoring voices of the priests.
She couldn’t believe that something could produce filth within the Shrine where the deities lived.
It was — much too blasphemous towards the deities.
“This is terrifying. For such a horrible thing to exist…!”
Amalda hugged her body, shivering while saying those words.
Her flaxen hair swayed, and her tiny body seemed even more frail.
‘What on earth can that evil existence be?’
Amalda imagined such a blasphemous thing while trembling.
It was so evil to the point of contaminating the Shrine — must be something so horrible.
If it was a human then —
“…Such a pity.” “Huh?”
Amalda unwittingly muttered, making another priest blink in confusion.
She shook her head once, then turned her gaze towards the priest who raised his voice.
“It’s such a pity that it doesn’t have a choice but to generate filth. It’s heart must be filled with grudges. And yet, it has to live that way…”
‘So pathetic.’
A faint smile appeared in her pale, frightened face.
She narrowed her blue eyes as if pitying someone unknown. The priests gasped.
It was truly the smile of a pure, saintly woman filled with mercy and compassion.
“In that case, I have to pray, as the Saintess of Supreme God Granverite-sama. This is the duty of the number one saintess supporting this kingdom.”
Her words were filled with deep compassion, and she seemed so pure, free from any taste of ill will. The priests sighed in admiration.
She looked so mesmerizing as she stared a head, her head held high with dignity, the bright sunlight from the window shining behind her.
— Only those who thought she was beautiful were invited into this room.
“… As expected of Amalda-sama. You truly are the chosen one of Granverite-sama.”
“As long as Amalda-sama is here, filth is nothing but a trivial thing. I don’t know the specifics and details of the method, but it is said that Saintesses are endowed with the power to purify filth, after all.” “Even if that isn’t the case, the Deities will surely devote their power to you. The Deities will never allow you to get hurt. They will definitely protect your body and heart.”
The priests seemed to compete with each other as they heaped lavish praises on Amalda.
Even though they were moved by Amalda’s words, they weren’t as pure as her.
Jealous of the priests that garnered Amalda’s attention, they exhausted all the words they could while trying to put the others in check —
“ — speaking of protection.”
An obstinate voice resounded.
“That young master isn’t here today, huh.”
“Young Master?”
“Yes, from the Count’s family.”
Overjoyed that he managed to catch Amalda’s attention, the priest continued with a smirk, his words laced with the sense of triumph and his inward impure thoughts.
He was standing in front of the huge window, and because of the heat, he opened it. An arid breeze blew into the room.
“That person stayed beside you since yesterday, acting like a knight. He was there, right? You looked quite intimate with him, so we felt jealous.”
“Intimate… Oh dear! Priest-sama~!”
Amalda let out a strained laugh at the priest’s teasing tone, seemingly troubled by what he said.
Her hair swayed in the breeze.
She hurriedly pressed on it, recalling the young man who came all the way from Count Cervan’s mansion just to visit her.
“That’s not true at all. Even though I’m with Granverite-sama, he kept on coming at me, saying that it’s fine.”
However, she couldn’t remember what his face looked like.
They only met three times, and he was to return to his home tomorrow.
She just treated him the same as others, and she didn’t think of keeping him at bay, but —
“— The truth is, I was troubled.”
What was his name again?
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