а∨天堂在线青天葵

Sizzle-!

As if to thank her, it flicked its tail a few times and then skittered away. Marietta smiled and looked around her.

Stone wall and iron bar that make you feel entrapped just by looking at them.

A prison with no ventilation, damp and uncomfortable.

In addition, her wrists were clamped in shackles, so there was an additional weight tugging.

“It reminds me of the old days…”

Marietta, a candidate for the Sainthood affiliated to Hero Lorian’s Party.

She was born as the fourth daughter of a poor peasant family. Her memories of her childhood were so messed up that she didn’t want to recall those.

She worked all day to the bone and ate only a single potato. She’d, at times, struggled to eat more of that, but was severely scolded.

Home?

It was a narrow, decrepit wooden house with a thatched roof.

The space was too cramped for husband and wife and their four boys and four girls to live. Thanks to which, when they were to sleep, the brothers and sisters had to play rock-paper-scissors to see who would sleep in the bed.

If she were unlucky enough to sleep on the floor, such inconveniences were ubiquitous.

All sorts of bugs would stick to her body and bother incessantly.

Sometimes, on days when bugs get into her clothes and die…

Those were terrible days.

Marietta couldn’t stand such a life anymore. If she had lived so, she would have one day either starved to death or failed to some disease. She escaped her house and put her mind and body to the servitude of the church.

And she deeply regretted it.

Why hadn’t she ran out sooner!

The quality of life at home and at church was so different.

From basic daily necessities, a private bed, and three meals a day to many others.

For Marietta, who ate only one potato a day, the church was literally heaven.

Of course, the church also has its downsides.

First of all, because it was a closed organization, the hierarchy was strong.

They interdivided into factions and conducted politics among themselves, and above all, religious education was hard and difficult.

But it didn’t matter much to Marietta.

Strong hierarchy?

More so than societal order, where landlords towered farmers cruelly?

Clique? Politics?

Funny, the thing you can get from politics is to be assigned an easy job.

The real problem was faith education…

Marietta had gritted her teeth and studied.

A nun who couldn’t radiate her goddess’s blessing, divine power, didn’t deserve to remain in the church.

She didn’t want to get kicked out of the church and live that necessitous life again.

Fortunately for her, she had talent, and it wasn’t long before she invoked and radiated divine power higher than those of her predecessors.

After that, there was nothing special.

She followed orders faithfully and was treated accordingly.

The end result was the candidature for sainthood, a position that ordinary nuns could never have dreamed of.

‘At that time, I really thought I could become the Saintess.’

Because the Empire did not promote candidates for saints, and her hero, Lorian, was superior to the other heroes, Gis and Cloud.

But in the end, here she was.

Imprisoned in a dirty, poorly maintained dungeon.

‘I really hate this…’

Marietta has gotten used to her life in the church.

It meant that she was spoiled with comfort and leisure and opulence.

So she couldn’t stomach it now that she was experiencing the same discomfort as when she was a child.

Eventually she looked across from her empty cell with an annoyed gaze.

This was the place where her Hero, Lorian, was imprisoned not too long ago.

‘So, why did you do this for nothing…’

Why do something you can’t take responsibility for.

As she was about to click her tongue in displeasure, a soldier approached and opened the bars of the prison where she was imprisoned.

“Lady Marietta, Archbishop Vedic summons you.”

* * *

“How does tea taste?”

“It smells really good. Not to be rude, but where did you come across such exotic produce?”

“These are the tea leaves that were grown in the garden of the royal palace of Lupus. That was until something unpleasant happened.”

“Ah…”

Marietta put down her teacup and bowed her head quickly.

“I am sorry for what our hero did this time. I should have stopped it, but the hero pushed so hard…”

“Oh, hold your head high. If the Saintess Candidate bows her head, I would feel uncomfortable. And I’m sorry I couldn’t get you out right away. I beseeched Hero Cloud several times that such a place was not fitting for a Saintess candidate to put in, but the Hero’s conviction was firm, so it took me a while to convince him.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you, Archbishop, for your grace.”

“No, no. You must have faced a gruelling time living in such a shabby environment.”

“…I honestly can’t say no.”

A harsh environment that reminded her of her childhood.

She didn’t want to experience that again.

“It’s okay though. It was our fault in the first place.”

That’s why she wanted to get into the good graces of Archbishop Vedic. And even as a Saintess candidate was showing deference to the Archbishop.

Because if he thought she had gotten cocky, he might order her to be dragged back to the dungeon after this conversation.

Looking at her, Archbishop Vedic gave her a satisfied smile.

“Thank you for saying that. Then, I should soon tell why I invited you, Lady,” said Archbishop Vedic after taking a sip of tea.

“Miss Marietta. Have you ever considered an option other than Hero Lorian?”

“…yes?”

The archbishop’s proposal was unexpected even to Marietta; she was surprised. On the other hand, the Archbishop continued with a warm smile as if he had expected her reaction.

“You are very kind, Miss Marietta. Don’t you have any intention of serving Hero Cloud?”

“Oh no, wait a minute. I can’t follow the conversation. Isn’t there already another Saintess candidate serving Hero Cloud?”

“That would be incorrect.”

“Huh?”

What?

Wasn’t Hero Cloud assigned with a Saintess candidate?