Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 461 Your Faith Is Not Firm Enough
"Hahaha, no evil can hide before me... Eeya, what are you doing, what are you doing!"

When Ethan entered the confessional, Little Dark was standing arrogantly on a chair, laughing loudly.

He grabbed Xiao An by the scruff of her neck and lifted her off the chair. The black cat, who had been smug just a second ago, suddenly became clear-eyed, tucked her front paws to her chest, and tucked her tail between her legs.

"What are you doing! Didn't I just listen to you and point out his sins over the past few months?"

Ethan was plunged into darkness. He had made a crucial oversight; when explaining the meaning of "repentance" to Xiao An, he had failed to carefully clarify the difference between the subject and the object. Whether the wicked cat had inadvertently misinterpreted his meaning or deliberately distorted his explanation, only Xiao An herself knew.

"Confession means revealing your mistakes to the priest, not listing the priest's mistakes."

While feeling a headache, Ethan had to admit that Xiao An was right to some extent. Her mind-reading ability made her a natural-born priest. In less than five minutes, she had found out exactly how many little boys the priest who had just fled had harmed.

"But I feel his sins are far greater than mine, so why should I reveal my mistakes to him?"

Xiao An was being lifted by the back of her neck, her body stiff, her eyes clear, but her mouth was anything but submissive.

In the few short minutes that Xiao An entered the confessional, she had an epiphany.

She realized how vast the world was, and how incredibly presumptuous her self-proclaimed status as the King of Sin was in the far west. The priest sitting at the other end of the confessional was only a marginal figure in the Church of Life. She could hardly imagine what heinous crimes Carlo had committed to gain such respect.

Xiao An's question left Ethan speechless for a moment.

For Xiao An, who was inexperienced in the ways of the world, it was difficult for him to explain the complexity of these issues to her, because her definition of "evil" seemed to be limited to something as trivial as tripping someone up while passing by, which was considered a prank. If that trip knocked out two of the unfortunate person's front teeth, then that would be an unforgivable sin.

Moreover, theoretically speaking, priests should be trustworthy, virtuous, and noble people who can open their hearts to them. However, most of the time, doctrine is doctrine, theory is theory, and practice is practice, and these three should not be confused.

This is why the man who just fled in disarray, using his identity as a priest, harmed so many young boys over several months, and can still sit openly in the confessional, offering guidance to the people of the holy city.

Seeing Ethan fall silent, Xiao An also quieted down for a while.

The black cat in her hand stopped struggling. She pondered for a while before asking, "Are you saying that people have made many rules, but no one follows them at all?"

For example, the doctrine of the Church of Life stipulates that priests must be morally upright and should face the goddess statue after sunset to reflect on their shortcomings and mistakes.

It is even more impossible for them to extend their evil clutches to innocent and ignorant children.

This made Xiao An even more confused, and she couldn't help but ask, "Then what is the point of these rules?"

If she hadn't looked into Ethan's mind, she would have almost thought that the Church of Life's election criteria were based on who had harmed more young boys.

Look at yourself!

Ethan irritably put Little Dark back on the stool.

They keep asking questions they can't answer!
Ethan couldn't explain why someone whose sins had been listed by Xiao An could still sit in the confessional in the middle of the night with a clear conscience, giving life advice to those who were confessing. What was even stranger was that he didn't find anything surprising about it.

On the contrary, if a believer suddenly appeared who strictly followed the rules of the Church and could truly reflect on himself three times a day, that would be news to him. After seeing such news, he would even have to wonder if this person was really as upright as the news described.

Xiao An's straightforwardness put the usually eloquent Ethan at a disadvantage in the conversation, so he had to change tactics, "Now I'm talking about your problem!"

"What's my problem?"

The black cat held its head high; she had been very well-behaved for the past few months and hadn't even had a chance to play a prank.

"You scared the priest away."

When it was their turn, another long line formed behind them. Outside the confessional, many people were waiting for the priest to guide them. This "project" had become a spiritual sustenance for many residents of the Holy City. The form of entertainment described by Winter was more like a way of finding joy in suffering and spiritual relief.

"Run, run then! At worst, I'll just go to the other side!"

Xiao An felt that the priest's job required no skill at all; it was no different from making empty promises or brainwashing. No matter what the penitent said, she only needed to repeat phrases like "The right God will surely return," "The day of salvation will eventually come," and "A bright tomorrow awaits us."

If you encounter some tricky questions, there's also the all-powerful "family card."

Think of your family, your children. Even if you are sent to the front lines as cannon fodder, it is so that your family can be saved.

It's just this little thing, isn't it? Everyone has it.

The priest talked to her in circles for ages, but she had already learned it.

What's more, her voice was much nicer than that priest's, and she had never harmed any children.

"This is a rare opportunity. Don't you want to go over there and experience what it's like to be a priest?"

Winter entered the house at some point and began to patiently guide him.

Ethan then realized that he had been tricked by Winter.

From proposing the entertainment to having Xiao An go first, it was all for this moment. She smiled and said, "Don't you think this is a good opportunity to understand the far west? Those people certainly won't accept a little girl to listen to their hearts. But you, you have the aura of a priest."

If the process of confession is viewed as psychological counseling, then Ethan is definitely the top-notch psychological masseur.

He served as an attending physician, addressing the psychological problems of critically ill patients such as Ampolis, Bazaros, and Caesaros.

Moreover, if he encounters a particularly difficult patient, Ethan can also eliminate...or cure the patient's symptoms through physical means when necessary.

"Tell me, what benefits did Ivy promise you?"

Ethan asked.

This confession wasn't just for show. In a place like the far west, the more you interact with the locals and the deeper Carlo's understanding becomes, the more likely he is to have thoughts like "Let's burn it all down."

This coincides with Ivy's wish that Carlo would wake up one day to find himself dead from a fireplace explosion.

Winter just smiled mischievously at him, then transformed back into a white cat and climbed onto his shoulder.

Ethan sighed and went next door.

Ten minutes after the priest fled, the confessional reopened, and a sign was put up at the entrance.

The previous priest had diarrhea, so Old Sen is filling in for him.

The people in line did not question him; instead, they expressed their understanding for the priest who had run away. After all, priests are human too, and it is normal for them to have an upset stomach occasionally, especially when they have to work all night.

Ethan was amazed by the overall quality of the residents of the Holy City.

He had expected to be greeted by a bizarre trial, but as people came and went, he discovered that almost every penitent who entered the room confessed to him only one thing—their faith was not firm enough, and they had begun to waver in their belief in the day of redemption that Carlo had promised them because of the impending war.

Before even entering the house, they had already deeply reflected on their own problems and reported another group of holy city residents whose faith was not steadfast enough, including their friends and relatives. At this moment, in this extraordinary time, any dissatisfaction or complaint was a manifestation of an impure faith.

They also believed that the rumors were the result of the bewitching of evil gods, which made them begin to question whether salvation had truly come.

However, in Ethan's view, the doubts raised by those "people with impure faith" were actually quite legitimate.

Some have questioned whether launching a war was appropriate. Others have questioned whether the sudden, large-scale conscription was humane. In this massive conscription effort, many families have lost their breadwinners, and many are so poor that they can't even afford to eat. Under such circumstances, can they really endure hunger until the day of salvation arrives?

There is also the rationale behind the "salvation contribution points".

Given the current way contribution points are acquired, for most people, even if they sell all their possessions and work tirelessly, they still can't match the casual donations from nobles. And on the Day of Redemption proclaimed by Carlo, only a very few will be able to survive the darkness that precedes it.

Of course, all these reasonable questions were labeled as the bewitchment of evil gods, and anyone who raised objections was deemed to have been corrupted by evil gods.

Ethan gradually began to admire the priest who had fled in disarray.

This is absolutely a nerve-wracking job, because the arrival of each penitent is almost a soul-searching ordeal for him.

Only those with an exceptionally thick skin can persuade people to continue believing after hearing their confessions, while simultaneously labeling all rational dissenting voices as heretics.

Ethan felt that he was less shameless than the previous priest.

He couldn't help but marvel at the power of faith.

If this were a head-to-head debate, he would likely have been completely outmatched. However, the penitents' steadfastness exceeded his expectations. Even when he was merely going around in the dark, the penitents spontaneously devised a theory that could convince themselves.

Before Ethan knew it, the sky outside the confessional was already turning a pale white. Just as Ethan decided to end his day's work, a different voice came from the other end of the confessional.

"Do you know what kind of punishment you will receive for impersonating a clergyman in the Holy City?"

The voice sounded calm, yet it exuded an air of authority.

The queue outside the confessional gradually dispersed, and the sudden arrival of papal enforcers shattered the pre-dawn tranquility. They dispersed the crowd and surrounded the entire confessional.

"Shouldn't it be a capital offense?"

"Before that, they would be subjected to the most severe interrogation, and after confessing all their sins to the goddess, they would be tied to the stake and burned at the stake."

The speaker paused for a moment, "But please don't misunderstand, this ritual is not for killing sinners, but for purifying their defiled souls. It is the goddess's final act of mercy towards them."

Outside the confessional, the priest who had slipped away earlier in the night was pointing and gesturing towards the confessional, clearly indicating that he had summoned the enforcement team.

The enforcement team took much longer than Ethan had expected. He could only suspect that either they were extremely inefficient, or they had diarrhea like the priest and had been queuing in front of the toilet all night.

"But more than these things, I'm curious about you, Father 'Old Sen,' that shouldn't be your name."

"This is a stage name."

Ethan said.

The name "Old Sen" is not only easy to pronounce, but it can also eliminate some unnecessary troubles. For example, in the far west, the name "Ethan" is already firmly linked to the evil god.

Why haven't you left yet?

This is a question that every member of the law enforcement team has.

After the original priest left, a random person took over his job and sat in the confessional until early in the morning.

They couldn't understand this person's motive for staying, except that he was courting death.

The person on the other end added, "You have plenty of time to leave before we arrive."

Since the start of conscription, the enforcement team has punished many residents "bewitched by evil gods." To some extent, they understand why those people's beliefs are no longer firm and can predict their behavior. However, they are unsure about Ethan, an enigmatic and strange person.

"Because the goddess of life will not abandon her people."

Ethan said, “The priest is gone, but there are still many people here who need him, and I figured I had to do something.”

"that is it?"

A surprised voice came from the other end of the confessional.

"Isn't it?"

"You're right, but people like that are becoming increasingly rare."

After that, the conversation between the two fell into a brief silence.

The person on the other end fell silent, as if deep in thought. After a few minutes, she finally spoke, "Looks like you're on a lucky day. Go on, but there won't be a next time."

"of course."

Ethan said, "However, based on the feedback people have given me, I have come to some conclusions, which I am putting here so that you may submit them to His Holiness the Pope as feedback if you wish."

Ethan left behind a piece of parchment.

Long after he left the confessional, the woman with short, black hair across from him finally came out. She frowned as she entered the confessional and picked up the note on the table.

It was filled with people's legitimate questions about the Vatican.

She gripped the parchment tightly in her hand, her brow furrowing more and more.

Another self-righteous idiot.

Does he really think the Vatican hasn't heard these questions?
Did he really think that writing these things would change anything?

It's all clichés, there's absolutely nothing new about it.

The next moment, her thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

When she turned the parchment over, the single line of writing came into her view:

"Pope Carlo is a piece of shit."

He seemed to have drawn the simplest conclusion from all the doubts.

This conclusion is absolutely novel; at least since Carlos came to power, no one has ever dared to say it or write it.

The woman's face instantly turned red to the roots of her neck, and she crumpled the parchment into a ball with force.

She darted out of the confessional and shouted at her subordinates, "Where is he?"

"Let's go, let's go!"

"***!"

Her eyes had never been so wide open before.

She didn't know about the others, but this "Old Sen" was definitely a traitor!
(End of this chapter)