Chapter 481 – Goddess (4)

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Inspector Serena watched quietly as the tea Rebecca had prepared for her was getting cold. I didn’t feel like drinking tea or anything.

Looking back, Serena knew very well that her request was quite rude and forceful.

She came right away and threatened that there would be disadvantages if I didn’t do as she was told, but she didn’t even tell me the whole story.

Serena thought the backlash was natural. So she didn’t bother to complain when the man asked her to wait a moment. He’s probably racking his brain hard by now. Should I do as Serena says, or should I reject it?

But in the end, Serena’s request will be fulfilled.

It was ultimately a bluff to give him a disadvantage, but according to what Serena confirmed, Lenny became independent less than a year ago.

This kind of bluff might not have gone down well with the free priests who pretended that the organization of the religious order had nothing to do with it, but in Serena’s eyes, Lenny was like her country girl who knew nothing.

When she saw the man she was with, it didn’t seem like he was a virgin… But that’s not what matters.

By inserting Lenny like that and using her as Serena’s informant, she will be able to insert herself into places that are difficult for Serena to reach, or divert the attention of her branch.

Of course, it may not be as easy as it sounds, but it is still better than nothing. Then, after finding substantial evidence, they caught all of her associates…

“…”

Suddenly, Serena became sick of all of this.

This is why she didn’t want to come to the city.

It wasn’t like Serena hated the city from the beginning. It’s just that I’m fed up with the city’s numerous interests.

When it comes to rural corruption, the inspector general’s job is simple. Take her down with her authority, and if she rebels, just subdue Serena with her own force.

However, it is not easy to uncover corruption in cities. To put it bluntly, there are so many things involved that everyone is fooling themselves. Therefore, even if corruption was discovered, it did not necessarily lead to punishment.

Moreover, just thinking about where to start solving this case gave me a headache.

First, there was a rumor that the West Keep branch would select a saint, and there were rumors that there was some corruption in passing the agenda of selecting a saint.

There were also rumors that some immoral things were happening in the process of selecting saints.

“…”

Serena felt her head hurt. She came under instructions from her superiors, but none of the stories had a clear basis.

Maybe it’s just a rumor. A malicious rumor spread by someone in political rivalry with the high priest of the West Keep branch just to put a dent in it.

But it could have been true.

There was bound to be some political intention in selecting a saint, and just because she was a religious person did not mean that her desire for power was particularly weak. It is quite possible for somewhat immoral things to happen in the process… Bribery, embezzlement, corruption, collusion, etc.

However, unlike inspections in rural areas where inspections can be done with a few words of warning or force, it is difficult to use similar methods in cities. Most of the corruption that occurs in city branches is possible because there is a backing, and having a backing means that it is difficult to dig into. Therefore, Serena needed an internal collaborator who could sympathize with her.

“Haa…”

Serena, who had lost her mind to that point, let out a sigh.

That rank priest… Looking at Lennie’s condition, I didn’t expect him to be good to me.

When she heard that she had escaped during the selection of saints, she wondered if she had any beliefs, so she hoped that Serena could be a very useful resource if she could just communicate, but…

When I met her, even at first glance, she really looked like a country girl.

How could such a mean girl become a saint…

“…”

Serena buried her body deeply in her chair.

It was real.

Although Leni’s condition was not good, her divine power was real.

A saint who was truly ‘born’, not a saint who was created and selected for political interests.

If her title as a saint was determined by the total amount of her divine power, Lenny was definitely worthy of being considered one of the few.

Perhaps, she thought, the reason the branch abandoned Lennie who ran away was because they were unable to control the qualities of a true saint.

No, it definitely will. She doesn’t need a real saint. What is needed is a saint who can stand out.

In Serena’s opinion, Lenny’s divine power was at a level that was difficult for her branch to control.

If there is a true saint, it is definitely a rank priest like that country girl…

“…”

A self-mocking smile appeared on Serena’s lips.

A saint is determined by divine power.

The official view of the church is that divine power is the grace of the goddess and a reward for a faithful life.

So, the fact that she has a strong divine power to look up to means that the goddess recognized that she lived a faithful life.

But Serena knows.

Although she couldn’t say it out loud, from what Serena witnessed, the manifestation of divine power had little to do with moral flaws or faith.

Serena even saw cases where people with greater divine power committed greater corruption.

However, this does not mean that divine power disappears just because one commits corruption or wields unjust power.

“…”

It’s an unholy thought, but in Serena’s view, her divine power is just one of her innate abilities.

Serena didn’t have this thought for no reason.

Of course, due to its nature, divine power had almost no way of harming people.

But just because she can’t cause direct, physical harm doesn’t mean she can’t cause harm.

There were cases where simple but vicious people deliberately neglected illnesses that could be cured quickly and continued to rip off medical expenses.

People who were a little more careful committed various corruptions using the achievements they had accumulated based on divine power.

In the worst case, there are those who claim to be prophets or apostles of the Goddess and create cults in small remote villages where the attention of religious organizations is barely visible.

Divine power can also be abused. However, even if it is misused, the divine power does not disappear.

Divine power has little to do with morality and faith. That’s Serena’s conclusion. Holy power is just one ability. As if using magic through mana…

“Haa…”

Serena sighed deeply.

It was clear that even now, there are priests who arbitrarily abuse their sacred power and use it for their own self-interest.

Then, why doesn’t the goddess take back that power?

Why does the goddess allow evil people to use her divine power? Maybe the goddess doesn’t care about us?

Perhaps, as the ungodly say, divine power is merely a branch of mana?

So, what if, maybe, the goddess doesn’t exist…?

“…”

Serena shook her head. She thinks it’s overly profane.

For someone who has experienced divine power even once, the absence of the goddess is unimaginable. As if she could not feel her mother’s absence in her mother’s arms.  It is a feeling close to instinct.

Serena was aware that her thinking had become quite pessimistic.

This is a kind of occupational disease.

If you work in a hospital, it seems like there are only sick people in the world, and if you work in a security guard, it’s like all the public seems like criminals.

“…”

Serena rubbed her eyelids.

She even thought that it would be better to give up everything and apply for a transfer to a quiet country church, or to go looking for dungeons or adventures like those immature free priests.

Yeah, I think she better think seriously once this is over.

Like that naive, even fierce-looking priest, I thought it would be okay to live my life just worrying about the things in front of me.

If only this was over…

Serena thought like that and lifted the teacup in front of her.

The tea had already cooled down a long time ago, but the scent was good, as if she had used good tea leaves.

“…”

Even though I emptied the entire teacup, there was still no answer.

Serena’s mood began to become increasingly unpleasant.

If it’s an agreement, I’ll accept it. If it’s a refusal, I’ll reject it. If not, I’ll at least tell you to go back.

She’s already in a bad mood because she’s been fooled so many times just to meet a lay priest, but now that she’s met, they just make people sit around like this and make them wait? Are we protesting now?

It’s not something that vicious rank priest would do…

He will be the man. It seems that the opinion in this mansion is led by the man I met earlier.

What on earth is this man doing?

He did not seem to be the owner of the mansion, and although he seemed to be a fellow adventurer, he did not seem to have any experience.

Nevertheless, I think I had a relationship with the women next to me that was more than just colleagues… And considering their smooth faces…

Serena felt bad again.

As expected, this city is promiscuous.

As a traveling inspector, she visited many cities, including remote areas, resort towns in the north, and ports in the south, but she had never seen a place as promiscuous as this one.

Are people open to sex because of the risk factor of dungeons?

However, in Serena’s common sense, it was incomprehensible that one man could have relationships with multiple women.

Although his face was a bit handsome and had a strangely eye-catching aspect…

“…”

Serena felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

There was something different about him that was more than half-hearted.

Of course, it’s not like I’ve seen him before. But still, Serena had felt something similar somewhere.

It’s not just because the hair and eye colors are uncommon.

A sense of heterogeneity.

Is it because of that strange feeling that the lay priest with the qualities of a saint is with him?

“…”

It’s a waste of quality.

Even if she is not a saint, she has qualities that would not be surprising if she held an important position somewhere.

“… That’s strange.”

Serena suddenly had a question.

Leni’s divine power is clearly outside the standard. He had qualities that were coveted by any department or branch of the Order.

He shakes off all those touches and leaves as a free priest?

There are usually two types of people who become free priests. Either you seek service as a pilgrim, or you immaturely crave adventure.

Either way, you have to be assertive, but the rank priest didn’t seem like that at all. Rather than being an adventurer, he is a passive and introverted type who will accept without complaint even if he is assigned to a small town.

Just a moment ago, didn’t the man next to him have all the say?

So, if he had had strong divine power from the time he was educated, he would have been pushed into the center.

But the rank priest did not do that.

According to the report, Lenny said that less than a year has passed since he became independent. So, did she gain such strong divine power after independence? How? Is it possible for her to gain such drastic divine power?

Could it be that there was something wrong with her training that caused her divine powers to bloom as soon as she became independent?

It wasn’t like that.

Due to the nature of her job, Serena often saw the not-so-bright side of the church, and there were some who were unable to distinguish between education and abuse.

Serena reflected on the contents of her report.

Lenny Liberit. No parents. My hometown is definitely Guardians Fort… I don’t think there were any problems with the branch there.

Guardians Fort…

What is that city doing?

An intuition passed through Serena’s head.

Intuition that Lennie’s qualities are somehow related to that man.

But there is no basis. There was something about her that Serena missed.

It’s clear that Serena missed something…

-Aaaaah!

Serena’s thoughts were interrupted when a scream came from her mansion.

-Kyaaaaa!

The painful scream continued for a long time.

Serena kicked down her door out of reflex.

The source of the scream was coming from the reception room where the conversation with the group had taken place earlier.

“Pfft…!”

A powerful sensation washed over Serena as she hurried to her drawing room.

Serena couldn’t express exactly what she was feeling right now. It’s an unpleasant sensation she’s never experienced before.

But she could tell Serena on an instinctive level. This is an evil energy to the core that goes against the divine power of the goddess.

“!”

Her screams stopped and the discomfort that had been bothering Serena disappeared. Serena opened the door without another thought.

-Boom!

“!”

And what she saw before her eyes.

A man who radiates powerful divine power. And a monster radiating evil energy that seems to directly deny the goddess.

The monster seemed to have been brought down by the man’s hand.

“… What is this?”

Serena was very confused, but because she was, she was able to connect with her intuition.

Strangely high sacred power for an ordinary priest, from Guardians Fort, unusual appearance, sense of heterogeneity.

As far as Serena knows, there is only one type of heterogeneous human being who uses this kind of extra-standard power.

Summoners known to have been summoned by the goddess.

This man was a summoner.