Meredith stared at herself in the mirror with wide eyes, then suddenly looked up and met Belle who was looking at her with a smile.
Meredith felt her face suddenly flushed with heat and she immediately looked away, but the feeling wasn't bad.
Little did she know that good feeling would greatly change Meredith's destiny.
That day, Meredith also interviewed the criminals on Colter's orders.
The sinner is a young man whose crime is falling in love with an orc woman, which means he is a heretic.
"Violating God's teachings is a crime punishable by death. Do you admit your guilt?"
Mireidi read out the charges and raised formal questions.
No matter how he answered, the conclusion was already determined. But the young man certainly couldn't accept it. He said with resentment:
"What a crime that deserves death! How could I possibly confess!"
"But you and the beastwoman—"
"Is it a sin for me to love her!?"
"——!"
Meredith couldn't answer. Not long ago, she would have answered "guilty".
But now... she has already felt the warmth of love...
When she came to her senses, she realized that she had blurted out unbelievable words.
"If you proactively deny your relationship with that woman, even if it's against your will, as long as you can prove your faith in God, you might still be able to save your life."
“—Huh?”
The young man probably hadn't expected Meredith to respond like that. He yelled at the Count's family because he knew he was hopeless.
The young man felt incredible when he saw the girl in front of him with a painful expression on her face, as if she was struggling internally.
"Don't get your hopes up. I'll try to apply for a reconsideration. If successful, you'll have to work hard to pretend for her."
"Eh? Ah, hey!"
Meredith did not answer the young man's call and turned away.
This was the first time that Meredi broke the "absolute".
To state the conclusion directly, the application for reconsideration of the heresy determination was not submitted to the church, but was rejected by Colt in advance.
But that's only natural.
The execution was carried out swiftly, and the young man disappeared to the bottom of the Grand Canyon that same day.
However, the story does not end there.
The important thing is that "Miledi is acting unusually."
A man who was considered the next in command because of his extraordinary abilities actually wanted to protect a criminal.
This is not a situation that can be ignored.
Who was it? Who had driven the next head of Lassen mad? Who had instilled in her unnecessary ideas?
Colt mobilized the entire family to investigate.
result.
"Belle!"
"Ms. Meredith..."
Meredith saw a group of mercenaries suddenly rush into her room and Belle was arrested.
She questioned Colter, who then entered the room.
"Father, what's going on? She's my—"
"Your what?"
Hearing the voice that was colder than ice, Meredith couldn't help but shudder.
Colter threw the report to the speechless Miledy.
Meredy picked up the report and read its contents, her eyes widening in surprise.
"That woman is a member of an anti-Church organization. The Viscount's family, who vouched for her identity, is currently under investigation. It seems she's adept at winning over the nobles and manipulating them—take her away."
Under Colter's orders, Belle was taken away roughly.
"Be-Be-Be!"
"It's true, Mi."
In this situation, Belle still smiled.
Colter and the others seemed to think that she was telling Meredith that the secret that had been exposed was true, but Meredith understood what she really meant.
The days and feelings they have shared so far are real.
Meredith couldn't help wanting to catch up, but Colter's words were like a nail piercing her heart.
"It is unseemly to be deceived by heretics. I give you one last chance to return to your original self, Millardi Rasen. A disabled Rasen is of no value."
Meredith was like being nailed to the spot, and stopped moving.
Colt snorted in displeasure, looked at her disappointedly, and turned to walk out of the room.
In the silent room, Meredith just stood there.
That night.
In order to see Belle, Meredith went to the prison away from the ears of others.
"..."
In front of her cell, Meredith's mouth opened in surprise.
Belle seemed to have been tortured and had serious injuries on her body. Her hands were handcuffed with shackles on the wall. She knelt on the ground with her head lowered weakly.
"Oh my~? Xiao, Mi, you came?"
Her words were broken, and her voice was filled with undisguised pain. Even so, she still raised her head and smiled as usual.
Tears welled up naturally in Meredith's eyes.
Before coming here, she had been hesitant, not knowing what to say or what to ask.
However, when Meredith stood before her, what she wanted to say came out naturally.
"Belle, I'll find a way, so just tell me everything as the church wishes. I will definitely save your life!"
She had to show an attitude of obedience so that the church would recognize her as a talent and use her as the key to defeating the organization behind her.
But it's a bad bet.
While Meredith was sincere, her plan was utterly shoddy. Her family, the absolutes she'd been taught, her ignorance of the world, her inexperience—all these things held her back. For her now, this shoddy plan was the best she could come up with.
However, seeing Meredith clinging to the iron railing with tears in her eyes, Belle smiled very happily.
"I refuse~"
"what?"
Meredith couldn't help but let out a surprised sound, her eyes wide open, a look of disbelief.
"Pfft~ What's that expression? You've ruined a beautiful girl, huh? Oh my~ Xiao Mi is a shameful beautiful girl, pfft~ hehe."
"Be-Be-Be!"
This is not the time to play around, Meredith yelled at her, her face flushing.
Belle smiled gently and confessed to Meredith.
"Miledi, I'll tell you my real name."
"Real name?"
"Yes, my name is Berta Lebul. I'm from the Lebul family, the Archbishop of the Holy Light Church's headquarters. I'm the priestess who received the oracle."
"The oracle priestess..."
Meredith was speechless with astonishment.
The oracle maiden is responsible for proclaiming the oracles of the Creator God, Ecid, and holds the highest position in the church. Although she holds no power, her influence rivals that of the Pope.
"When I was your age, I also had my responsibilities, and I also had the power of my ancestors. My power is the unique magic of 'Seeing Fate', which can see the possibilities of a person's future."
"The future of humanity..."
Meredith repeated her words in a daze. For some reason, the word had made a lasting impression on her.
"Day after day, I see people whose destinies are twisted. They should have been on the path to happiness, but instead, they're twisted by unified values, ideologies, and whether or not it benefits the Church, and—by the will of that god."
Meredith understood that the god was the creator god Esid.
"But at that time, I believed that their sacrifice brought happiness to the majority. Amidst the groans and resentful curses, those people from the church praised me, saying, 'You've steered destiny in the right direction today, too.'"
——It’s so disgusting.
Berta said with a wry smile.
And Meredith felt the same way.
"Do you think I'm similar to you?"
"……Um."
Meredith nodded frankly in the affirmative.
"I feel the same way," Berta replied. Then she added, "I was surprised to find that the cold-blooded heir to the Lesin family shared my feelings."
"That's right."
Meredith also chuckled.
"Maybe just like Meredith, I also had a beginning that prompted me to change."
This was the beginning of her discovery that the world was not normal.
"I accidentally saw someone's fate. No, that's not right. To be exact, I didn't see it. I couldn't see any future for her, only darkness. She looked like a living person, but she wasn't. That's right—she wasn't human!"
Berta's voice was like a wail, and upon closer inspection, her pupils were shaking violently. She seemed to be recalling the past, tormented by a deep-seated fear.
"Belle, Berta!"
"——!"
Berta took a deep breath, watching as Meredith's eyes regained focus. She was cheerful and fond of mischief, yet she was so frightened. Who was this person?
"That being doesn't belong to this world. She's dressed in the uniform of a church priest, and she's terrifyingly beautiful. Driven by fear and anxiety, I prayed to God for help."
As a result, God sent down an oracle.
——You’ve seen a bit too much.
Then a dagger pierced her back and came out from her chest.
Berta's mind was in a mess. She fell to the ground and felt the energy of life flowing out of her blood. It was undoubtedly the feeling of death.
Berta finally asked in a weak voice.
——Lord, why?
Finally she got an answer.
——It’s my freedom to decide what to do with my toys, right?
"I did die at that time, but strangely enough, I woke up in an alley in the Kingdom of God, wearing only a ragged shirt."
"That is……"
"I don't know why I was brought back to life, but it certainly wasn't God's mercy, because that thing wasn't merciful. And I vaguely heard a gentle man's voice, telling me to 'Run away.'"
Berta, who somehow survived, began a new life as an orphan, armed with her life and the truth about God. Perhaps because she had died once before, she had lost her unique magic, and her magical skills had declined. Despite this, she gradually gathered her companions and fought against the injustice of this world and the will of God, eventually growing into a group worthy of being called an organization.
"You came here because..."
"We wanted to find out what was going on inside to rescue our comrades and potential new allies. Unexpectedly, we met a girl who looked just like our former selves."
Berta said with a smile.
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