A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 40

Besides being very expensive and beautiful, this papal scepter is almost comparable to Saint Karina's holy sword. It is also one of the holy artifacts passed down by the Church of Order. It can increase the power of magic several times over, provide a magical shield to avoid deadly magic, and also be used to show off and perform miracles.

However, this woman, who could be the pope of a righteous church, looks far too young.

Her face was wrinkle-free, her skin smooth and white, like that of a newborn baby. Compared to the archbishops who were also closest to the papacy, she looked like their daughter or granddaughter.

Of course, all of this is just a facade. For Esther, who has stepped into the position of a demigod, it can be said that no one in the Order of Gods can talk back to her except for the god himself.

"Holy, noble, and glorious Goddess of Order, Your holy name is renowned far and wide, the heavens proclaim Your glory and proclaim Your means. You alone are the Lord who created the Lamb, you alone are the true God, the living God, and our eternal King God."

As the prayers were sung, the background music of hymns began to resound throughout the church.

That was an audio recording that had been stored in the magic crystal long ago.

The advantage of this is that it avoids the need to call a band to perform live when needed. Although the church is spacious, it is disrespectful to the goddess to include unauthorized persons in sacred occasions other than the choir.

The clergy below the platform all stood up, each making a triangle on their chest – a gesture of respect to the goddess of prayer.

At the same time, the Pope on the platform raised his scepter and continued reciting along with the chant:

“Our Goddess of Order in the heavens, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever, my Goddess.”

Similar lyrics were sung continuously for at least half an hour before the song came to an end.

Without a doubt, these are things that were already recorded in the scriptures and that all clergy had memorized long ago.

Even the highest deities enjoy flattery. To make a goddess happy, shower her with compliments and just keep praising her.

However, as soon as the Philosopher's Stone on the Pope's Scepter lights up, it proves that the Goddess has heard the believers' pleas and agreed to the establishment of the new saint.

This left Saint Karina, who was out of sorts and whose private parts were still aching slightly, speechless. As the goddess of eternity and the evil god Eris, this goddess of order was the third deity she served.

This made her want to examine herself in her heart, wondering if her charm could really make female dogs fall in love with her, and the same was true for goddesses.

After all, she had also had intimate relations with the evil god Eris, and the goddess of eternity... well, she had done so five hundred years ago.

81. The collar now features location tracking.

Just as the chanting ceased, a golden light, brighter than the blazing sun, burst forth from the papal scepter and fell upon Saint Karina.

Saint Karina, who was already exceptionally beautiful, became even more beautiful at this moment.

And her collar seemed to have an additional mark—similar to a location tracker.

"..."

Saint Karina wanted to say something, but she kept quiet.

She always felt that she had been tricked again by Duidui.

As expected, the gods are always the ones who bring joy. Because Saint Karina was worn down to the point that even her Great Dao was destroyed, and she was directly worn into unconsciousness, the evil god Eris's strength has recovered from the third rank to the fourth rank.

The goddess of the Order of Gods went even further, directly adding a divine mark to Esther, making Saint Karina's escape even more difficult.

Of course, from her appearance, she just looked more like a saint, and because Esther had made a collar around her neck, to outsiders she just looked like an ornament, not something used to imprison a saint.

Regarding the outward appearance of believers, those with weaker minds might want to kowtow directly to Saint Karina.

Of course, in fact, His Holiness the Pope did hold Saint Karina's hand, and although he didn't kneel down, he still left a kiss on it.

This somewhat ambiguous, lover-like behavior, especially in front of so many people, really made Santa Karina a little flustered.

Although there was no mirror, Saint Karina was certain that her looks and charisma had been enhanced even more, and besides, there were more than just the two of them in the room…

She really wanted to pull her hand away, but she didn't dare to in front of everyone, afraid of offending the Pope.

Her heterochromatic eyes seemed to hold a gentle smile, but Saint Karina knew the underlying illness beneath.

“Sister Saint Karina, from now on, you will be a saint of the Church of Order. Your name will be revered as saint, and like me, you will be the goddess’s representative on earth. From now on, you will always be by my side to learn and serve the goddess in various ways.”

She finished speaking in a gentle tone, giving Santa Karina the feeling that she was making a marriage vow.

She just stared at Saint Karina quietly, feeling a little uneasy.

"Row."

Having memorized her lines before, and having played the role of a saintess before, Saint Karina was so unnerved by that gaze that she forgot her lines.

She looked nervously at Esther, who was holding her hand, wondering how long this handshake would last.

"Um, Your Holiness the Pope... could you... use your hand?"

She tried to pull her hand back gently, but she couldn't get it out at all.

"Ah."

Although Esther was a little reluctant, it was indeed a bit too high-profile to have so many people holding her hand.

But after letting go, she felt a little empty inside, savoring the taste of Saint Karina's snow-white little hand.

Next, the ceremony will not only be held inside the church, but will also take place in a procession along a pre-planned route in the capital to signify the saint's ascension to the throne.

The former was intended to inform the church's power structure and mid-level clergy, while the latter was intended to inform grassroots clergy and the general public.

The Lorian Empire has been in turmoil in recent years, and this month saw an even greater war. The demonic invasion has inflicted heavy casualties.

Making people wait too long under the scorching sun inevitably breeds resentment. These anxious souls can hardly remain restless any longer.

While it's not quite to the point of widespread poverty, the people are indeed living in dire straits.

The procession was really just a formality; Saint Karina only needed to sit in the carriage filled with sacred atmosphere, open the curtains of the carriage window, and act as a mascot.

The parade is scheduled for noon, the hottest time of day, and the crowds who come to watch are all followers of the Church of Order. The atmosphere is very lively, only slightly less so than the papal coronation.

Although I didn't even need to drive the carriage myself, my body was indescribably sore and aching, and I was also sleepy, but I still had to pretend to be happy and my smile had to be friendly and kind.

I'm already missing the gentle embrace of the Little Mermaid and Melissa. Resting my head on their laps, burying my face in their cleavage, or leaning against the sofa, making the line between my legs and body form an obtuse angle, and asking them to massage my muscles... Any of those things would be a million times better than what I'm feeling now.

Even without a romantic setting, wouldn't she love drinking the Ernest family's traditional tea ceremony?

"Sister Saint Karina, are you unhappy?"

But Esther was sitting next to the carriage, and Saint Karina's slightest expression of weariness would attract questions.

People's physical condition is indeed different from each other. She can barely walk normally now and wishes someone could help her. Meanwhile, the main force in last night's battle, His Holiness the Pope, just drank a bowl of soup and looked completely at ease.

There's not much to say; it's just a mission that Esther forced upon me.

"..."

Saint Karina remained silent, and the streets were not crowded, as clergy and guards maintained order.

However, being in a carriage does not necessarily mean safety, because there is a high chance that she will "push" you off the carriage in various ways, making you lose face in front of the public.

Fortunately, Esther did not do that, still considering Saint Karina's feelings.

Saint Karina appeared calm on the surface, but countless thoughts raced through her mind, her mind wandering far and wide. When she came to her senses, the crowd on both sides was surging like a tidal wave, and a girl was being lifted high by her father, just to offer the new saint a fresh flower picked that morning.

No one can resist an innocent and carefree little girl.

"Thank you, the goddess is with you, and she will bless you and your family."

She accepted the bouquet of delicately fragrant flowers and handed it to the priest behind her, who then gently touched the girl's forehead with his finger. This gesture was equivalent to a priest bestowing a blessing, and no one would refuse it.

She was supposed to offer a kiss on the forehead as a gesture of respect, but remembering that Esther was right beside her, she had a strong will to survive and resolutely refused to do anything reckless.

Even so, the girl's eyes still shone with excitement and gratitude.

Other passersby followed suit, doing their utmost to offer flowers to Saint Karina, hoping to earn a kind glance from the saint. Although exhausted, Saint Karina had to respond, stretching out her aching arms to immerse herself in the enthusiasm of the crowd.

Their enthusiasm was almost suffocating.

As the bouquets piled up behind them, the priest knew that Saint Karina could not refuse her outright, so he stopped the people who wanted to give her flowers, saying, "I'm sorry, everyone, Her Majesty the Saint already knows your intentions, so let's stop here for now."

After that, Saint Karina no longer needed to accept flowers from those people against her will.

The product is good, but bending over and reaching around so often is tiring. My poor back has been through so much with this product, it really can't withstand prolonged use.

My face was almost numb from smiling so much that I could barely feel it.

The float procession only needs to proceed to the designated square and deliver the endorsement-style declaration of inauguration as a saint. As for the other procedures, as long as His Holiness the Pope and the goddess agree, they are merely formalities.

82. A special dinner

Esther was busy with most of the procedures, so when St. Karina returned, the sun was still high in the sky, and by the time Esther finished, the clock was already pointing to night.

Esther? Welcome back.

Saint Karina stood up and waved to Esther.

She certainly didn't want to see him; she simply hadn't eaten anything all day since yesterday. The intense nighttime exercise, combined with the perfunctory daytime routine, had left Santa Karina ravenously hungry.

"Sister Saint Karina, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Those old men are such a nuisance, they kept nagging for ages."

Esther casually hung her papal hat on the coat rack next to her, and leaned her scepter against the wall.

"Hmm? Sister, why are you clutching your stomach? Are you feeling unwell? Come here and let me take a look."

She beckoned to Santa Karina, who was in the room, signaling her to come over.

As Saint Karina walked over, her fingertips, shimmering with a faint light, gently touched Saint Karina's forehead.

Instantly, an overwhelming and invisible power enveloped Saint Karina's body, somewhat like a Mahayana cultivator in the cultivation world using their divine sense to scan the small nascent soul within a Nascent Soul cultivator, giving the feeling that everything about her could be seen through.

Her body trembled involuntarily; she suddenly had a very bad premonition.

Then, Esther spoke up, "Sister Saint Karina, are you hungry? I've prepared a delicious dinner for you~"

"I...I'm actually not hungry."

"Shh, sister, don't speak. I understand. Philomena, bring me that holy water."

She rang the bell, and the priest outside, who was probably the type to serve the pope personally, immediately opened the door and put the bottle of medicine inside.

She kept her eyes straight ahead, as if she hadn't seen at all that the collar, which had been removed and was clearly meant for a pet, was now on the new saintess's neck.

"Okay, you go out first."

"Yes, His Majesty the Pope."

The female priestess named Philomena immediately withdrew and closed the door again.

Now, only Saint Karina and Esther remain in the room where Saint Karina is imprisoned.

"Sister, drink up."

She greeted us warmly, like a child offering a gift to an adult.

His expression was even happier than that of Saint Karina, the one receiving the gift.

"Can I... not drink it?"

As Saint Karina looked at the colorless, transparent, viscous liquid inside the crystal potion bottle, her stinging sense of alarm intensified.

Moreover, the more Esther's current expression overlapped with her childhood self, the more terrified Saint Karina became, her hair standing on end.

Her intuition told her that there was definitely something wrong with the contents of that medicine bottle!

"Sister Saint Karina, don't you believe me? Is Esther's love not strong enough? If you don't drink, Esther will have to continue what we did last night~"

Thinking of the two-headed artifact from last night, Saint Karina chickened out.

So even though she knew there was something wrong with it, she still had to drink it.

When faced with Esther's warm smile, yet with a morbid love in her eyes that seemed to want to tear her apart, she pursed her lips, trying to make her expression appear natural.

"I...I'll drink it."

As Saint Karina spoke, she reached for the small vial containing the holy water. However, her hand was stopped halfway through its reach.

"Wait, Sister Saint Karina, drinking isn't about chugging from the bottle. I already said it's dinner that Esther prepared especially for you, so of course you should lick it clean on your plate!"

Esther took a pet food container from somewhere and poured all the liquid from the glass bottle into the pet food container.

The small bottle of holy water filled about two-thirds of the food box. The liquid had a peculiar fragrance that Saint Karina felt she had smelled somewhere recently.

The aroma wasn't unpleasant; rather, it smelled like a ripe peach.

Peaches, on the other hand, are a type of fruit that is sweet, fragrant, and juicy.

The peach is a cultivated variety of plant belonging to the genus Prunus in the family Rosaceae. The fruit is round or broadly oval with a blunt top. The flesh is soft, tender, and juicy, with a sweet and slightly sour taste. Most varieties are clingstone or separate from the skin, but some are separate from the pit and stick to the skin.

"Sister, eat well~ Don't be afraid, Esther will watch you eat and lick the bottom of the food box clean~"

As her head got closer and closer to the food box, Saint Karina felt an even stronger urge to run away.