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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Ehrnlich Lumia.
She took pride in being a priestess.
From the moment she received her first baptism in the capital, to her first exorcism in the name of God, she had been a priestess.
She was proud to heal the sick and receive their gratitude.
She believed the temple was a pure place, always doing good, untouched by politics or bribery.
Even when she was demoted to this rural town, she thought it was a mistake or a sign of her lacking faith.
She had always been meticulous and thorough in her efforts, but perhaps she had been lacking in some way, or perhaps she had unknowingly recited a prayer incorrectly.
Even when she heard that the lecherous, incompetent priest she despised had secured a prominent position in the capital due to his family connections to a saint, she didn’t lose her faith.
But the rampant corruption of the rural temples, laid bare before her eyes, shook her unwavering faith and filled her with doubt.
“Here, Priestess. In our region, after prayers, we have a small celebration with a drink.”
“Of course, we must receive donations when healing the sick. Poor people are not profitable.”
“If someone looks wealthy, just tell them they’re possessed by a demon. They’ll go crazy buying holy water and sacred objects. It’s hard to make a living with prices rising these days.”
“If you have to heal someone who’s truly poor, charge them interest on their donations. Surprisingly, this is more lucrative than healing ordinary people.”
These men, no better than swindlers, were acting like they owned the rural temples.
They couldn’t even properly read the scriptures and never participated in prayer services.
During village festivals, they would sell cheap trinkets with fancy names and try to extort more donations under the guise of helping the sick.
Lumia thought,
‘This is wrong.’
‘Something is terribly wrong with this temple, a place meant to spread God’s word.’
So Lumia strived to reform the temple and change people’s hearts.
Even though the priests ignored her, acted as they pleased, and continued their filthy, lewd corruption, she tried to maintain her faith.
After a hard day’s work, Lumia would pray to the statue of God, hoping her faith wouldn’t waver.
“Priestess, you’re from the capital, so you may not know, but we’re different here. You can’t make a living that way. Who can live on just wine and bread? People need to eat meat, fish, and other delicious things.”
‘God, forgive us for the sins we have committed today.’
“Priestess, how can we run a business if you charge so little for donations? Do you think we do this because we don’t want to heal people as easily as you do? What would become of us? Are you trying to be the only good person here?”
‘Lead the lambs away from temptation and into your embrace. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’
“Priestess, we have to meet our quota. The capital is demanding more donations, so we have no choice but to sell these sacred objects. They’re profitable, you see.”
‘Look upon the most forsaken souls.’
“Priestess, enough is enough! What will change even if we do things your way?”
‘One day, may we enter your kingdom and gain eternal life.’
“Priestess, don’t you want to make money? You must come from a wealthy family, so you don’t need to earn money like this. We want to live comfortably. The higher-ups are pressuring us for money, so why are you making things difficult for us?”
‘Extend your hand even to the darkest corners of this world.’
“Priestess! Please! Wouldn’t it be better if we all worked together?”
“Haa…”
Even after finishing her prayers, her heart remained troubled.
Despite her best efforts, the temple hadn’t changed.
She had to admit that she couldn’t change the atmosphere of this temple with her own strength alone.
The nobility of the lowly ultimately ended with the individual.
Without power, she couldn’t change anything.
The corruption of the rural temples stemmed not only from the priests’ lack of character, but also from the excessive donations demanded by the capital and their tacit acceptance of corruption.
In this region, uncorrupted temples couldn’t survive.
She had only focused on her own virtue and good intentions, never considering these issues directly.
The problem she had attributed to individual corruption was, in fact, a tragedy orchestrated by a complex mechanism of interconnected corruption.
“God…”
Lumia thought, perhaps her demotion to this rural temple was God’s will.
Perhaps it was a trial, for her to witness the harsh reality of these rural temples and then rise to a higher position to reform them.
From then on, Lumia strived to achieve results in this region.
She cooperated with the priests to increase donations and generated income by providing paid healing services.
She believed that if she worked hard and her achievements were recognized, she could rise to a higher position.
But increasing donations and achieving good results wasn’t enough to return to the capital.
The temple in the capital only cared about one thing: whether you were related to the hero or a saint, or whether you had bribed them.
Bribing her way up.
Lumia would rather die than do that.
She felt that if she tainted herself to climb the ranks, she would become complicit in the corruption of the leadership.
So Lumia dedicated her time to seeking out achievements.
She walked the streets every day, searching for people who wielded demonic power or emitted a demonic scent.
Exorcising demons was considered a significant achievement within the temple.
The stronger the demon, the greater the reward, and if she exorcised a powerful demon alone, it would be a great accomplishment, enough to earn her a return to the capital.
“Ahahahaha! Yes! That’s right! My wife is that amazing! She really drains me dry!”
That’s when Carlson caught Lumia’s attention.
She didn’t even want to speak to such a vulgar man, but she had noticed him becoming noticeably thinner and more haggard every time she saw him in town.
Moreover, a faint demonic scent emanated from him.
It was too weak to sense clearly, but there was definitely a trace of demonic presence lingering around him.
Lumia thought, this was God’s will.
God was truly helping her.
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“So, what did you want to talk about?”
The atmosphere in the tavern was boisterous.
Even outside, the two of them could feel the lively energy.
Various speculations were being made about why Lumia had called Carlson out.
Lumia didn’t care what those vulgar thugs inside were gossiping about.
Her priority was to eliminate the demon that had been tampering with Carlson’s body.
Carlson felt uneasy about this woman who was silently observing him.
Her sharp gaze reminded him of the interrogations he had endured in the capital.
He tilted his head awkwardly and stayed quiet for a while, but unable to stand the silence, he asked again.
“Well, if you called me out here, you should say something, Priestess.”
“You’re tired, aren’t you?”
“What?”
Lumia repeated herself.
“I heard that you’re so tired you can’t even work properly, and your alcohol tolerance has decreased significantly.”
“Ah, well, that’s because… my wife…”
“It’s not because of your wife. I’ve seen patients suffering from excessive intercourse, but they don’t deteriorate as rapidly as you have.”
“What? Then what’s the cause?”
If it had been anyone else, he would have dismissed it as nonsense, but she was a genuine priestess from the capital.
Carlson listened carefully to her words, recalling what he had heard about her demotion and sensing the seriousness in her tone.
Lumia looked around, then lowered her voice.
“This is the work of a demon.”
“A-a demon…!”
Carlson was about to cry out, but he quickly covered his mouth.
Lumia held up a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
She looked around again and continued,
“A very vicious and terrifying one, at that. It’s sucking your life force, and it likely plans to kill you and take your place.”
“S-such a…!”
Of course, Evan wasn’t as terrifying or powerful as Lumia made him out to be.
Lumia was confident she could go to the mansion right now and eliminate him.
But defeating a weak demon wouldn’t be considered a significant accomplishment.
“You must trust me now. I have extensive experience with this type of exorcism in the capital. My experience, and the scent emanating from your body, tells me this is the work of a demon.”
She needed to purify a truly powerful and evil demon to be recognized and earn her return to the capital.
“This type of demon will continue to absorb your life force until it eventually consumes the entire village. In fact, you’re already in a dangerous state. We must eliminate it before it starts acting in earnest.”
So Lumia exaggerated Evan’s strength.
Carlson, initially skeptical, felt his legs tremble as he listened to her explanation.
He cautiously asked,
“Then, Priestess, are you saying my wife is a demon? That that damned woman has been deceiving and draining me all this time?”
Judging by Carlson’s expression, if she nodded, he would rush home and beat his wife to death.
Lumia shook her head and said,
“I heard you married a noblewoman. She doesn’t seem to be a demon that has lived for very long. Her energy is faint.”
“But you just said it was a very powerful demon!”
Carlson looked at Lumia suspiciously.
Lumia quickly thought on her feet.
“…I meant that it’s nothing to worry about because I’m here. We need to go to your mansion to find out more. I need to understand the nature of this demon. I’ll change my clothes and join you there. Please wait for me.”
And with that, Lumia quickly excused herself.
She was still terrible at lying.
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