142 – Judgment of the Ripple. (1)
Adrian sighed. Indeed, the impact was extraordinary. It felt like the judges had spread how much they disapproved of her, to the point where everyone looking at her could sense it.
But then, wasn’t this what they were aiming for? They couldn’t miss the opportunity to publicly criticize themselves.
To eliminate the rooted corruption in the Holy Empire, there needed to be a public place to pin it on them. Simply relying on the opinions of the Pope and the saint wouldn’t make it easy to convene a trial of the judges. Even if there was evidence.
Perhaps those within the Empire who favored them would oppose a public trial.
Therefore, putting all the judges on trial… was even more challenging than she had thought. So, she decided to sacrifice herself willingly.
When the saint herself ascended the judgment seat, she would, in turn, place the judges on trial. Despite the risk of weakening due to the vacancies left by the judges and several priests and holy knights… it was inevitable.
After all, the Holy Empire was powerful, and talent abounded. The judges had a tendency to pick and choose capable individuals as they pleased, so she intended to bring forth competent individuals who hadn’t caught their eye.
It was absurd to confine oneself in fear of rumors. She put on her ceremonial attire and reverently stepped out of the room.
She headed towards the Pope’s office. There were matters to discuss later.
As soon as she left the room, the gazes of many people were fixed on her. A feeling different from the reverence she used to feel… something like that.
This, too, was something she had to endure. Who else but herself would overturn disgrace to handle corruption.
Above all, she didn’t feel particularly remorseful about what she had done. What’s wrong with someone loving another?
In the first place, the fault lay in the laws of the past. Adrian didn’t want heavy authority imposed on her. What’s so enjoyable about a life without a single friend.
Likewise, lovers too. What nonsense is it that saints and holy men shouldn’t even love someone.
Even if the former saint Maria didn’t marry, it was absurd to expect other saints and holy men to do the same just because she did.
She wanted to ask the heads of the Holy Empire at that time if they were in their right minds when they institutionalized that.
At any rate, she had already made up her mind. For those who would be favored by another god after her, she would correct the flawed laws and change perceptions.
Entering the Pope’s office, the Pope greeted her with a pained expression.
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“You’ve come, Saint. Truly. Thanks to you, my head is throbbing.”
“hahahahaha. You already expected that, didn’t you?”
“That may be so… But of all places, it had to be Hongdeungga. Thanks to that, all sorts of speculations are spreading throughout the Holy Kingdom.”
“Actually, that was what I aimed for.”
“I don’t know what your intentions are. After all, I agreed to it as well. However, when faced with it directly, it’s no laughing matter.”
The Pope sighed. It was a task he had undertaken willingly, but facing it head-on was more than he had imagined.
“By the way, will the Archbishops start moving soon?”
“They will. They want to undermine the authority of the Saint.”
“Hmm… Actually, it wouldn’t matter much if they did.”
“Don’t say that. You know that position is burdensome, and not entirely free… But it is essential for the Holy Kingdom. Of course, there may be a need to revise certain strict laws for the Saint.”
“hahahahaha. I see. I was just joking. I have no intention of abandoning what I need to do. So… I took on this task as well.”
Adrian chuckled as he spoke, and the Pope, smiling, asked, “But deep down, wasn’t it sincere?”
“Well, I can’t deny that.”
“That’s a good sign. The Saint wasn’t born a Saint, but as an ordinary person… Now is the time to do what you want to do.”
“Even if it’s love?”
“Go ahead and do it freely. How can someone who has never loved convey love to others? The Holy Kingdom has been wrong all this time. Even the former Saint Maria never advised otherwise.”
“To be honest, I was skeptical at first too.”
“I know. Have you forgotten that I raised the Saint?”
“…You’re right.”
“So, I knew. But in the end, sincerity always gets through. So I consider it fortunate that my sincerity reached the Saint.”
“Indeed.”
“By the way, was that rumor true in the end?”
“No. It was false. Senior Prahl already has someone in his heart.”
Adrian smiled bitterly.
“You’ve been in a difficult love from the start.”
“Yes. It’s late, and yet still challenging. But… I have no regrets. You have to keep confronting sincerely. Just like you did, as sincerity always gets through.”
“You’ve grown a lot recently.”
“I had to. Anyway… The Archbishops will probably request a severe judgment, right?”
“They definitely will. There are probably rumors spreading in the streets right now. Saying that Archbishops who couldn’t handle the Saint’s stubbornness have risen up, or something like that.”
“Hmm. Is that so.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like a problem.”
But the Pope subtly smiled.
“Yes?”
“Actually, I made a request to the Royal Bureau of Investigation as well.”
With that, the Pope began stacking up a vast amount of documents on the table.
“This is…”
“Surprising, isn’t it? I’m not sure what methods were used, but… these are documents containing evidence of the Archbishops’ wrongdoings. There are also various testimonies.”
Adrian hastily accepted the documents from the Pope and began reading through them. Clear evidence was present. The unmistakable seal of the Archbishops, impossible to forge, was there, and everything else was directly linked as clear evidence of the wrongdoings committed by the Archbishops.
“What, from embezzlement by priests to drug trafficking…! These are the ones who deserve severe punishment!”
“Indeed. It seemed strange that some blindly followed the Inquisitors, but it appeared they were using narcotics. Nevertheless… wouldn’t this evidence be quite a powerful weapon if we had it? By the way, how did Lord Ransel manage to obtain this information?”
“Well, um. How did our senior…?”
“Who knows. The more I see, the more astonished I am. Impressive, but… equally frightening. In fact, I have asked not only him but also other brothers for help, yet this level of precise information is unprecedented.”
They were unaware of the fact that the devilish Dantalion was cunningly disguised as an acolyte of the Inquisitors. They simply realized anew how remarkable Frah’s intelligence was.
“If he becomes an enemy, he would be a formidable person. Lord Ransel.”
And facing the Pope’s unease, Adrian shook his head.
“Our senior could never be our enemy. His sense of justice is genuine. If he weren’t such a person, the candlesticks wouldn’t have chosen him.”
“True, but… one never knows how things may turn out in this world. So please make an effort. Isn’t there a way to firmly bring him to our side?”
The Pope chuckled and said to Adrian. Adrian blushed, just listening to his words.
“I-I’ll try my best. No, that’s not it! That’s not the issue right now.”
“No need to stress over it too much. We have what we need, and they don’t. They might just trip over my foot.”
“Then, the Excommunication Trial…”
“It seems it can only be decided at the Assembly. However, if all the Inquisitors are against the Saintess, we can’t prevent the Excommunication Trial from taking place.”
At those words, Adrian’s eyes widened.
“Alright.”
“Is that so? It will probably be quite an interesting scene. But really… it’s astounding how widespread corruption is in the Holy Empire. I can’t help but be astonished.”
“We must correct it.”
“Yes.”
***
The public sentiment among the Holy Empire’s commoners was in turmoil.
Because rumors were spreading that the Saintess had lost her purity.
It was no simple matter.
Until now, in the Holy Empire, saints and the Saintess always had to maintain nobility as representatives of the gods, not openly display personal emotions, and remain dignified.
In other words, the Saintess, like saints, was nothing less than an idol of the Holy Empire. But that idol was being tarnished.
Faithful believers could not accept it, and a few extremists went as far as muttering that if the grace bestowed upon the Saintess disappeared, calamity would befall the Holy Empire.
In such a chaotic atmosphere, the Inquisitors stepped forward to calm the angry public sentiment.
The Inquisitors requested the Pope to convene an Assembly, and the Pope opened the Assembly without saying a word.
And at the Assembly, the Inquisitors spoke towards Adrian.
“Therefore, we request the Excommunication Trial for the Saintess Adrian Deus, who has violated the sanctity of the Saintess.”
The Excommunication Trial.
