After my rebirth, Miss Saint turned evil

How many people hope to use this place as the base of their faith?

"But, that's the problem. Honestly, with our current strength, whether we want to hold on or continue to attack and expand our influence, we are truly powerless - so, we want to rely on external forces and form an alliance."

I see, an alliance, but with which side?

The looks in Filia and Frodo's eyes revealed pure doubt.

Indeed, from a psychological point of view, there are monarchs or forces around who lean towards the Church of Heraldry.

However, this is just a mentality.

The fact that the Heralds gained in this rebellion a city that had never been conquered, namely Crossmaria, will not change.

Therefore, under the name of the crusade that will definitely be launched later, the Heralds will most likely become enemies of the princes' army.

By then, it would be difficult for any force to emerge willing to form an alliance with the Heralds.

In addition, the Garcia Empire, where the Grand Cathedral is located, is nearby, so the influence of the Goddess Cult is very strong.

"Of course, we've already sent documents to surrounding forces seeking alliances and assistance. But, to be honest, we can't expect much from them..."

"So, even if it's a very ancient matter, we must try to approach the forces that once formed an alliance with the Heraldry Cult."

Ann raised a finger, her throat moved, and she swallowed slightly.

——What is that force?

Filia asked directly like this.

There was also a look of doubt in those slender eyes.

"That force is the inhabitants of the Great Forest—the elves. Please journey to their kingdom, the Hanging Gardens of Gasalia."

Chapter 2 Green Plum

Murphy felt a dull pain crawling out from the deepest part of her brain.

He couldn't help but press his temples with his fingertips, but still couldn't suppress the pain.

If you want to eliminate this pain, it's probably impossible without breaking your head.

Although I told An and the saint that I would go, I'm afraid I can't stand up now.

Thinking of this, Murphy, who was lying on the bed on the second floor of the tavern, slowly frowned.

Even though it was a good quality ale, he still drank too much last night.

And the beer without impurities might still be too fine for this body.

Because at this moment, along with the circulation of blood, drunkenness was still rushing through his body.

So, in order to seek pure moisture, Murphy couldn't help but stick out his tongue.

But I'm not so weak that I would have a dull headache from drinking too much good wine, right?

He would rather believe that there was nothing, because something popped up in his mind.

After struggling to get up from the bed, Murphy reached out to the pillow, raised only half of his body, took a deep breath, and let the comfortable air pass through his nostrils and mouth.

He narrowed his eyes, and the person that just came into his mind was undoubtedly a person.

—White hair that reflects the sunlight, shining with a faint light, and a smile that makes the face blush at the first sight.

The person who came to his mind was Ella.

Oh, what a loser! This situation is so sad.

When Murphy thought of Ella's figure, warmth gathered in the corners of his eyes.

On the other hand, she is a candidate for the Saint of the Goddess Church, a future great talent whose talents have been discovered by the Cathedral.

On the other side, there are mediocre people who are branded as heralds.

How could there be any intersection between these two people?

Even if Murphy became famous as he is now, it would not be enough to welcome Ella.

Rather, the direction now is even completely opposite, because that is no longer considered a welcome, it might be considered an attack.

And this is the bitter fruit that Murphy got for acting on his intense emotions.

How can I put it? This is truly what he deserves.

However, Murphy did not give up on Ella because of this, but he just didn't know what to do now.

Because the future path between him and Ella was already so difficult that he couldn't help but frown.

And Murphy actually does not regret the choice he made before.

Of course, he would also worry about what was going on, wonder why he made such a choice, and rack his brains about it.

Maybe it's because he hasn't been able to completely accept the current situation in his heart.

But even so, no matter how much he doubted it, he still had no regrets in his heart.

In the past, Murphy only valued rationality.

Living according to instinct and emotions is a path that only those with power can walk.

But the weak and inferior civilians have no freedom to express their emotions.

So, at that time, he suppressed everything and hid everything he had.

In the end, what did he get?

All I can say is, nothing was gained.

Whether it is something in your hand or something that does not exist, just putting everything behind you every day is the life that can be called "living".

Just thinking about it in her mind, Murphy couldn't help feeling a little scared, as if something heavy was touching her heart.

—So, now I'm feeling fantastic. I can live as I please in this moment. Even though I already know that at the end of this road, I'm doomed to die.

To ease the effects of her hangover, Murphy swallowed her worries and reached for the crockery on the table.

There should be water there. It's strange. My throat is so thirsty now.

Then, at this moment, a strange question suddenly appeared in Murphy's mind.

—Cathedral, Ella. Wait a minute, so why did that guy, during his salvation journey...

......

Murphy's hand, which was stretched out from the bed, moved slightly away, and the cup slid off the table.

-------------------------------------

——Bang!

In the cathedral's chapel, the pair of black pupils widened, revealing obvious astonishment.

The cup slipped from her hand, and although it didn't break, it still made a loud noise.

To stop her lips from trembling slightly, she bit them hard with her front teeth.

"Oh! What's wrong? Miss Ella."

The people in the cathedral robes reacted sensitively to the sound and glanced at Ella's face.

There was no worry in their eyes, but pure curiosity.

Ella blinked.

After a moment, the hesitation and astonishment in his eyes disappeared, as if the emotional fluctuations had never occurred, and his composure returned to normal in an instant.

"No, nothing, nothing happened. It's just that something like this happened. It seems that there are people who don't fear divine punishment."

She made the sound with the softest smile possible, and then handed out the internal report of the cathedral to the people around her for circulation.

Then, after a while, a slightly noisy sound slowly spread among the others.

The report records a fact and an article about a villain that is embellished with hundreds of fictitious words.

—Crossmaria, one of the Free City-States, has fallen into the hands of evil. The mastermind is the witch Madia, aided by the sinner Murphy.

Ella desperately swallowed the words that were about to fall from her lips.

In her mind, the words "Why? Impossible!" appeared, fell, disappeared, and then reappeared again and again.

Ella didn't think that the name Murphy published in the circular was someone she knew.

That's natural, because he is just an ordinary person, not the kind of person who can get involved in lawless things.

He is not like that, arrogant person.

Yes, it should be like this.

However, the report recorded Murphy's detailed appearance, clothes, and height.

Most of them matched the Murphy in my memory.

Ella felt dizzy for a moment, but she bit her lips hard to hold it in.

Never let others see your weaknesses. This is the way of life that Ella learned here.

Lars, a border town with only one church, and the imperial capital where the cathedral is located, are two different worlds.

There is even more than one candidate for the Saint.

The nuns in the cathedral and other candidates for sainthood, or those who receive divine education here, are mostly ladies from upper-class society or children of wealthy businessmen.

They always have backing, with family reputation, property, and various education and knowledge cultivated since childhood.

Ella is an orphan with nothing.

Ella, who was brought here because of her status as a Saint Candidate, might be too much for them.

No family background.

No property.

No knowledge.

She was just an ordinary little girl with nothing, but she was on par with herself and had obtained the status of a candidate saint only because of her outstanding divine skills.

This is enough to be a factor in being bullied in a closed society.

How many times have I chewed on the pain that shrouded my chest, and how many times have I been given the humiliation that churned deeply in my mind.

How many times have I thought about just running away?

But every time this happened, that feeling would always come back to Ella's heart.

That day, before we parted, I felt that tasteless, soft touch for the last time.

Whenever that feeling resurfaced, Ella was determined not to give up.

Never show weakness, be resolute, and never yield to anyone. And this is how he created this face.

In this way, Ella, who has extraordinary qualities, began to gradually show her strength, and by taking a tough attitude, she left a trace of timidity in everyone's heart.

We cannot let anyone see our bottom line, and we cannot let anyone see our true face.

In this way, Ella gained the right to live in the cathedral.

Therefore, even if the circulated report contains someone who may be an acquaintance, one must not be shaken.

Ella's expression no longer wavered.

However, there was something in my heart that slowly stuck to it.

—Ah, Murphy. Why are you standing over there?

No one noticed that Ella's cheeks suddenly twisted.

Strangely, I seemed to feel a sticky feeling crawling in my chest.

As a candidate for the Saint raised by the Church, it is not surprising that she belongs to the Goddess Church whether she likes it or not.

Murphy knew his identity, there was no way he didn't know it.

That should be the case, after all, I told it myself.

Then, one day you will come to pick me up, that's what he said.

Yes, that’s what it means.

However, I never imagined that the next time we met, he would be reported in the newspapers as a Herald Cultist.