Chapter 111: The Secret of the Divine Revelation

“I am afraid I cannot agree to your previous proposal.”

Inside the main hall of the monastery, a faint, lingering fragrance and silence hung in the air; this was the place where the nuns conducted their daily lessons and prayers.

Through a specially designed window, the white daylight poured down, landing squarely in front of the young girl standing before the stone lectern, illuminating her figure with striking clarity.

Kritiya looked at the Bishop standing before her in full vestments, bathed in the heavenly light where countless microscopic dust motes danced and shimmered in the sunbeam like a hazy layer of gold dust. Then—she spoke slowly.

“Please, do not be in such a hurry to reject it.”

She seemed like a completely different person today. Bishop Amelius wore heavy red robes and a liturgical miter, her silver-white hair combed meticulously.

Outside the monastery, the faint signs of the Bishop’s ceremonial guard could be seen; such a grand display seemed almost designed to ensure everyone knew of the arrival of a Cardinal from the Sacred Rites Hall.

With a smile on her face, she drew a wax-sealed letter from her wide sleeve. “I have a letter written in the Duke’s own hand. Recommending you as a candidate for the Saintess is also the wish of His Grace, the Duke of Airandil.”

The mark on the sealing wax was indeed the seal of Airandil. Kritiya studied Amelius’s expression, trying to glimpse the true motive behind her gentle countenance.

“Pardon my bluntness—but you mentioned before that there is more than one candidate, correct? If so, who are the other choices?”

“That is an excellent question, My Lady. However, as of now, even I cannot tell you specifically who the other candidates will be… Nonetheless, it is certain that the Imperial Royal Family will definitely hold one of those seats.”

Bishop Amelius spoke slowly, wearing her usual mild smile. Ever since they met, her face had constantly worn this inscrutable expression. Kritiya fell silent for a moment before finally speaking up:

“It really isn’t my place to remind you of this, but… I must ask, don’t you find this absurd?”

Kritiya raised her eyes, locking onto the Bishop’s grayish-blue gaze, only to find that Amelius neither confirmed nor denied her words. She merely gave a slight nod, as if prompting her to continue.

“Although you didn’t say it outright, from what you imply, I assume the other candidates are… not much different from me.”

Kritiya let out a deep sigh and continued:

“If… if that legendary divine revelation received by His Holiness the Pope is true, and the Saintess is indeed about to descend upon the mortal realm, she will absolutely not appear from among the candidates you have so meticulously selected.”

“If you truly believe in divine will, you should understand. This is not something mortals can orchestrate.”

As Kritiya’s words left her lips one by one, the slight upward curve of Amelius’s lips froze almost imperceptibly. Silence drifted through the dusty sunbeams for a long while before she slowly spoke:

“In his letters, His Grace the Duke once praised you, saying you were diligent and could find joy even in dry theology. I originally thought it was merely parental politeness on the Duke’s part, but seeing you today, his words were indeed true—you really have studied the scriptures thoroughly.”

“And I believe it is precisely because of this that our choice… choosing you is the right course of action.”

Kritiya opened her mouth to speak, but Amelius waved her hand, cutting off her next words.

“Indeed… your view on this so-called ‘Saintess Candidate’ is undoubtedly correct. A Saintess is not a cabinet minister or a Cardinal; she is not someone who can be produced through competition or election… The pure, divine holy light bestowed by God is either there or it isn’t.”

Hearing Amelius speak like this, Kritiya had not expected her to admit this so readily.

“Since you know this…”

“Of course I know this, child—I have been reading the holy scriptures my entire life. How could I not know such a thing?”

Amelius stared forward calmly, and then uttered words that, if overheard by any outsider, would undoubtedly cause an absolute uproar:

“But… what if the divine revelation left behind by His Holiness the Pope is false? What if there is no such thing as a true Saintess at all?”

A fake… divine revelation?

I froze in place, a cold current seeming to surge up my spine. If even a single word of this conversation were to leak out, the very foundations of faith across the entire continent would tremble. Everyone knew that the Pope’s prophecy had already spread throughout the world; even in the remote Northern Territory, whispers about the Saintess filled the air.

Yet now, this absolute secret, capable of upending humanity’s understanding of the world, was being spoken by this Bishop of the Sacred Rites Hall in such a nonchalant tone:

“His Holiness the Pope had two prophecies. The first was the date of his own death, and the second was the return of the Saintess.”

“When one prophecy has already been fulfilled, the world will naturally and devoutly believe in the other—”

A chill like a venomous snake wrapped around my spine—was Kritiya the one feeling fear? I could feel her consciousness lapse into a brief daze, and then, she heard her own voice pressing for answers, carrying an imperceptible tremble:

“Do you mean… the Pope… committed suicide?”

Could it be that the so-called prophecy was nothing more than a meticulously orchestrated hoax?

That everything, from the content of the prophecy to the details of its execution, was a drama manipulated by the high-ranking officials of the Holy See?

The Pope only needed to “return to the kingdom of God on schedule” on the designated date according to the script, solely to elevate an unknown Saintess onto the altar?

“The original plan was indeed so.” Amelius’s gaze felt almost tangible, locking onto Kritiya’s eyes as she spoke slowly and with absolute clarity.

“Unfortunately, someone beat us to it and assassinated His Holiness, preventing him from returning peacefully to the Lord on the date specified in the prophecy.

Fortunately, we sealed off the news in time and did our utmost to maintain the situation. In the end… we managed to drag things out until the prophesied day and announce His Holiness’s ‘return’ to the world.”

A barely perceptible, bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. “That month truly felt like a lifetime.”

‘The Pope… actually died a month ago? His body… was kept for an entire month?’

A mixture of absurdity and disgust welled up from deep within my heart. As one heavy secret followed another, Kritiya was clearly shaken by the sheer weight of this information. She fell into silence, failing to notice the fleeting, almost pitying look in Amelius’s eyes.

“I understand,” Amelius’s voice rang out again, carrying a persuasive tone.

“You may be well-versed in the scriptures and understand the subtle, profound truths within the classics. You might even truly perceive the laws of this world and grasp the treacherous undercurrents within the Holy See.

But both the Church and the Empire currently need a Saintess to unite the people and stabilize the grand scheme of things—this was precisely the original intention behind His Holiness’s sacrifice.

You have only just arrived. Stay a bit longer, and one day, you will understand.”

“I have shared these absolute secrets with you precisely to show our utmost sincerity and to plead with you to stand on our side. In return, we will also protect the absolute safety of this secret at all costs.”

“At all costs… meaning?”

The indisputable threat in Amelius’s words snapped me awake. From the very beginning, this meeting had been a trap designed to lure us in. Kritiya was like a puppet bound by invisible threads, no longer able to escape from this whirlpool.

“Why choose me?” Kritiya asked the core question once more, a trace of exhaustion in her voice.

“We have heard of some of your deeds. Frankly speaking, your initial plan was far from what things have become today, but it has now evolved into a tiger that is impossible to dismount.

Seven grand temples, seven Saintess candidates—behind them lies the power struggle between the Imperial Family, the nobility, the Mage Association, and various other factions, all of whom desire to penetrate their influence into the Holy See. Your father, His Grace the Duke of Airandil, is naturally no exception.”

“But even in such a mire, I still hope that the Saintess who is ultimately chosen will, at the very least… be closer to what people imagine a true Saintess to be.”

“Therefore… please make your decision as quickly as possible. We do not have much time left.”

After leaving this implicit yet meaningful remark, Amelius blinked, slowly stepped down from the lectern, and walked toward the door, her heavy red robes dragging on the ground with a rustling sound.

Kritiya snapped her head up, looking at the retreating red figure about to disappear, and blurted out:

“Wait! Tell me—who exactly was the assassin who killed the Pope?”

“Just an insignificant minor character. They will be dealt with immediately once the interrogation is over. You need not concern yourself with it.”

“Tell me.” Kritiya’s tone was exceptionally firm, carrying a stubbornness that allowed no evasion.

Amelius stopped in her tracks, sighed softly, and rubbed her temples as if troubled. After hesitating for a moment, she finally seemed to pull the information with some effort from the corners of her memory:

“I cannot recall the name clearly. It seems… to be a miserable scapegoat pushed forward to take the blame. In my impression, it was a student from the Knight Academy… and apparently, the apprentice of Grand Knight Kaswin.”

“What was her name… Diya, was it?”