Chapter 5: The Saintess’s Unkept Promise

The Holy Church, a neutral power, spanned the entire continent. It faithfully adhered to the doctrines of the Goddess of Light.

Grand cathedrals were erected in every kingdom, making the Church a prolific source of the continent’s exceptionally rare Priest profession.

Priests, unlike other professions, did not pledge their allegiance to any single nation.

Even during periods of widespread continental warfare and inter-state civil strife, Priests were universally regarded as untouchable.

After all, accidents could befall anyone. Offending a Priest, given the continent’s rudimentary medical capabilities, was tantamount to a death sentence.

Within the grand cathedrals, the lowest ranks were held by low and mid-tier Priests from various regions. Above them were the High Priests and Bishops.

Each kingdom with a cathedral also had its own Pontiff.

Yet, there was only one Saintess.

This was because the Saintess was the Goddess of Light’s chosen emissary in the mortal realm. She delivered divine oracles, judged sin and evil, and bestowed salvation upon humanity.

Alice was the Saintess of the Holy Church.

Her position within the grand cathedrals was transcendent, unbound by any earthly constraint.

Not only within the Church, but even the kings of various nations were obliged to treat her with the highest state guest protocol upon her arrival.

This reverence extended even to non-human races, including the Beastfolk, Elves, and Merfolk.

Virtually no one dared to intentionally provoke this neutral power.

Alice was, in the truest sense, the foremost individual on the entire continent.

Yet, at this very moment, this esteemed Saintess, revered above all others, sat before a desk.

Several yellowed annual ledgers lay quietly before her as she stared absently out the window.

A trace of sorrow shadowed her exquisite face, a visage untouched by the passage of time.

“Has it truly been so many years…”

“Eve…”

The role of Saintess imposed no restrictions on romantic relationships. Many pursued Alice, including a former Hero, yet none had ever stirred her heart.

The world lauded her as the most aloof and sacred Saintess in history, oblivious to the fact that she had long harbored someone special in her heart.

Before her selection as Saintess, she had been a mere pariah in the slums, a child without even a name.

Her days were a relentless struggle against hunger and constant displacement.

It was during that arduous period that Alice encountered a young girl named Eve, the eldest daughter of a Duke.

Eve provided aid to many in the slums, including Alice, offering her a soft piece of bread and a bowl of rice porridge after two days without food.

In Alice’s eyes, that girl was an angel sent by the Goddess of Light herself, an angel come to save her.

Once sated, Alice mustered her courage and expressed her desire to follow the girl.

For a noble of such esteemed standing, taking in someone of unknown identity and origin was clearly both improper and perilous.

Yet, the gentle girl smiled and agreed to Alice’s request, which could only be described as utterly presumptuous.

Upon learning that Alice had no name, Eve even bestowed one upon her.

From that moment on, the life of the girl named Alice underwent a profound and revolutionary change.

Though outwardly they were mistress and servant, they confided everything in each other.

They even shared a bed, just like sisters, and privately, Eve had even insisted that Alice address her as ‘older sister’.

Those were truly heartwarming times.

Alas, their good fortune was fleeting. After only about a year of living with Eve, representatives from the Holy Church arrived.

The previous Saintess had reached the end of her lifespan, and the Church urgently needed to find her successor.

Alice was the Saintess foretold by the divine oracle.

Alice was only fourteen at the time. Confronted by a formidable host of white-armored guards, it was Eve who shielded her, preventing her from fleeing in terror.

After the Pontiff and Duke Wells intervened to clarify the situation and resolve the misunderstanding, Eve was utterly astonished. The girl she had taken in was, in fact, the future Saintess.

As a Duke’s daughter, Eve was well-informed and understood the immense prospects and importance of the Saintess’s position.

The Church could no more exist without a Saintess than toast could exist without jam.

Alice would undoubtedly be taken by the Church.

Despite her profound reluctance, Eve spent an entire day comforting Alice, offering her heartfelt blessings.

For the last time, they slept together, pulling the covers over themselves as they made a solemn promise in the darkness.

Eve would wait for her here, until Alice had matured into a worthy Saintess.

Humans were not immortal, yet Saintesses, favored by the Goddess of Light and blessed with divine gifts, were indeed long-lived.

At the time, however, neither girl was aware of this profound secret.

Becoming Saintess, the blink of an eye transformed into centuries.

Hundreds of years swiftly passed amidst ceaseless study and a myriad of demanding duties.

She learned the sacred rites and laws, delved into holy scriptures and doctrines, mastered Light Magic, and participated in campaigns to vanquish demon lords.

Alice successfully became a truly qualified Saintess, revered by all.

She had fulfilled the promise made in her childhood.

Yet, the angelic girl seemed to have vanished without a trace, her whereabouts unknown.

Her familiar name could not be found, no matter how thoroughly Alice searched through annual ledgers, the Wells family genealogy, or the census records of the Kingdom of Norlandia.

It was as if…

…she had simply vanished from the face of the earth.

All the memories of their past together felt like a shimmering, dreamlike illusion.

Every detail hinted at a flawed, unsettling strangeness. Alice refused to believe these cherished experiences were mere figments of her imagination.

This time, after diligently handling the Church’s myriad trivial affairs, she granted herself a much-needed leave of absence.

Taking only a small retinue of trusted guards, she journeyed to the city-state where they had first met and last parted: Yarokan City.

She went both to fulfill their old promise and to investigate Eve’s final whereabouts.

Alice had already resolved her plan. Tomorrow morning, she would first visit the ancestral home of the Wells family, then proceed to the city’s cemetery to search for clues.

With these thoughts, the weariness from her long journey began to settle in.

Alice tidied up briefly, then climbed into bed, ready for rest.

Yet, just as Alice lay flat on the bed, her eyelids fully closed, she suddenly detected a potent concentration of magic gathering in the distance.

Someone must have cast a spell. Ordinarily, a magical flux of this magnitude, at most a mid-tier spell, would never have captured Alice’s attention.

However, the familiar, repugnant magical aura was, without a doubt, the unmistakable scent of dark magic.

As the Saintess of the Goddess of Light, her formidable professional integrity compelled Alice to bolt upright, almost instinctively, her brow furrowed.

“Damn it all! I’m on vacation, why do I have to work overtime in the middle of the night!”

Though she hadn’t fully fallen asleep, Alice felt an inexplicable surge of resentment.

Swiftly, she changed into appropriate attire and performed a quick check in the mirror, ensuring nothing was amiss, before pushing open the door.

As the Saintess, no matter the circumstances, she had to maintain her sacred image at all times, even when abroad.

“Your Holiness! The Silverwing Iron Cavalry stands ready, awaiting your command!”

The two white-armored warriors stationed outside the door, upon seeing Alice emerge, stomped their feet with vigorous resolve.

Their fists clenched at their chests, they stood at rigid attention.

As the personal guard of the Saintess, they were elites chosen from tens of thousands. Having accompanied her on countless missions, their sensitivity to magical fluctuations was exceptional.

Naturally, they had already detected the sickening, evil aura gathering in the distance.

Alice nodded, her ethereal, indifferent voice drifting like a breeze into the ears of the silver-armored warriors. “Come with me, warriors.”

“Let us go punish the sinner who has strayed from the path.”