19 – The Savior Who Came to Hell
[Advanced magic usage is restricted for 24 hours.]
The usual limitation of abilities appeared. However, the fact that advanced magic is unavailable means that low-level magic can still be used. Moreover, there were no restrictions on physical abilities, so this penalty was quite favorable.
“Not bad.”
After briefly summarizing the current situation, I looked at the saint in front of me.
Holly Trust. Among the ordinary people who are often ridiculed as concept enthusiasts on the online forum, she was one of them.
As soon as I saw her, I could clearly understand the reason why she longed for salvation every day on the bulletin board. With one arm and leg missing, and even one eye absent, she came towards me, dragging her uncomfortable body. Choi Ye-bin, who was standing next to her, didn’t care about her at all and only stared at me.
“You’re the Administrator, right?”
She wasn’t surprised at all by the unfamiliar person warping into an unknown space. The girl kneeled down and began to pray.
“Could it be that my prayers have finally reached you? The Administrator has come to save me.”
“How did you know that I am the Administrator? The friend next to me could also be the Administrator.”
“I feel energy from you. I sense a brilliant destiny from you. The girl next to you is also entwined with your destiny. That’s why I thought of you as the Administrator.”
“Well, I am indeed the Administrator.”
Because she had only one hand, she couldn’t hold her own hand and pray. Instead, she placed her hand near her chest, closed her eyes, and began reciting her prayer with a solemn expression. It felt strange. She was dressed in a nun’s habit, and the energy and dignity she exuded matched exactly that of a saint. However, the room she was in was quite old.
“Do you reside here?”
“This is the temple bestowed by God. It is my only sanctuary.”
She said with a gentle expression. From the corner, the smell of a slum wafted, and the walls were covered in mold. This place, called the temple of God’s house, was something was definitely wrong.
“Do you belong to any group?”
“I am a saint of the Lua Star Church, affiliated with the Lua Star Temple.”
A saint belonging to the temple. Normally, saints receive the best treatment. But it was difficult to understand why she was being treated like this. However, it wasn’t difficult to dispel that doubt.
Bang Bang
Rough sounds started coming from outside, and soon a man entered the room.
“What the hell are these bastards?”
The man holding a sword looked at Choi Yebin with annoyance, scanning her up and down.
[Step back and stay still. We cannot escape from this novel for 24 hours. As the starting point is a closed space, we must act cautiously.]
Using low-level magic, I used telepathy to send a signal to Choi Yebin. She quickly took her arm out of her pocket and stepped back slightly, as if she had heard my words.
Regardless, the man angrily threw a bread at us.
“Today’s ration.”
Holly Trust held the bread tightly and expressed gratitude. However, the man’s reaction was not good.
“Who are these people? Are they followers of the Lua Star religion?”
“No, they are my acquaintances.”
When the girl said that, the man immediately rushed over and slapped her cheek hard.
“You damn b*tch. I told you to sit quietly and charge your sacred power, but you call your friends for no reason. I thought you were a believer who came to offer money like an idiot.”
The man blatantly cursed and showed hostility. I looked at him and asked a question.
“What is your name?”
“Huh? What do you care?”
“I asked politely, why are you so aggressive?”
“Do you need a reason? You damn idiot who came to see the holy woman.”
When the man showed his hostility again, I raised my hand on the sword I had brought.
“I was going to let it slide, but can you handle the consequences of your actions?”
The man wrinkled his face and then examined me closely, asking in a puzzled voice.
“Um… you look like a magician. Are you perhaps acquainted with the priests?”
He seemed to be mistaken about something. But there’s no need to correct him. Seeing his elegant robe, the man seemed to assume that I was someone associated with the Lua Star priests.
“What will you do knowing that? I don’t ask three times. Name.”
“My name is Elcardo.”
“Elcardo…”
I immediately drew my sword and swung it dangerously close to the man’s neck before stopping. He couldn’t move and swallowed hard.
“Elcardo. If it were as usual, I would have cut your neck with this sword, but since you seem quick-witted, I’ll give you a chance.”
Elcardo’s eyes darted around. The man began to judge his situation based on his own circumstances. Despite wearing a mage’s robe, he had impressive swordsmanship. I’ve heard of it before. The high-ranking officials who have a connection with the priests not only have excellent magical skills, but also have a hobby in swordsmanship.
The priests of Lua Star always said so. They said that no matter what happens, never disturb the high-ranking officials during their travels. Elcardo sighed. He accidentally offended a high-ranking official who had a connection with the priests.
He fell to his knees and began to plead.
“Just once… Please, just once. I beg you.”
“Tsk. Get lost.”
As I turned away, the man stood up and bowed his head.
“If… If there’s anything you need, please let me know. I will do anything.”
“Hmm…”
I hesitated for a moment and gestured to Choi Ye-bin.
“Have a conversation with the saint here for a while. I’ll take this guy and explore outside.”
Choi Ye-bin silently bowed her head. She, too, seemed to be quick-witted and understood my play. Holly Trust blinked in confusion, but luckily, that guy Elcardo didn’t notice anything strange.
I went outside with the man.
— — —
“Um… What would you like me to do, sir…?”
“Elcardo. What role does the saint play here? I’m curious about the saint.”
“Are you talking about Fleamia? Why would you bother with such defective goods…?”
It seems that Holly Trust’s name here is Fleamia. I stored her name in my mind for now.
“Do I have to explain to the likes of you why I find it interesting?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant. If you happen to be interested in a woman, I would like to introduce a more beautiful and normal saint…”
“Forget it, just talk about Fleamia.”
The employee became more and more nervous and started to reveal information little by little.
“Fleamia received a divine calling and came to the temple two years ago. At first, she was admired for her exceptional divine power and beautiful face, but as you can see, after losing her arms, legs, and eyes on the battlefield recently, her marketability declined, and she was exiled to this sales booth.”
“A sales booth?”
“Ah… that’s the slang we use here. Do you see the row of houses over there? We gather injured or problematic saints there, and if someone comes to buy, we sell them. Saints are rare and valuable, so they fetch a good price.”
“Aren’t saints chosen by the Lua Star religion’s god? And they sell them as they please?”
“Things have changed a lot recently, so you didn’t know, huh? There have been many changes since the new leader took office. With the new leader, thousands of saints pour in every year, so they decided that it would be more profitable to sell those low-value ones. Saints are pure and beautiful, and they represent the Lua Star religion. There was an opinion that instead of sending those girls to official ceremonies or external activities that could damage their image, it would be better to kill them off. But because wealthy people are willing to pay a lot of money to buy them due to their status as saints, this system was established.”
“I see. They’re dirty scum.”
“Yes, that’s right. The saints here are all dirty scum.”
Elcardo muttered to himself and expressed his disgust. Of course, I wasn’t calling the saints dirty. I was talking about those disgusting people who sell saints based on their marketability.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“No. I’ve satisfied my curiosity enough. Now go. I’ll take a look around here and leave.”
“Understood. Uh, by the way…”
From Noble mtl dot com
Elcardo wriggled like a dog needing to relieve itself.
“Speak.”
“Please, I beg you to keep today’s events a secret from the priest. If the priest finds out about today’s events, I will really die…”
“Make sure of that. I will explain it well to the priest, so go quickly.”
“Thank you! I will make sure to hand over the saint for a low price. Since the marketability has been seriously damaged, I was planning to use her as a scapegoat later anyway.”
I paused for a moment after hearing those words, then turned to the man behind me.
“Oh, I have something to say, so come over here for a moment.”
Elcardo slowly walked towards me.
I plunged the knife directly into his heart.
“Ugh… Why…?”
The man looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it, questioning the reason for his own death.
I borrowed his words and answered briefly.
“Do you need a reason?”