The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 198: Hansel and Gretel (4)

"Saintess!"

"Saintess, please bless me too!"

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Amid the fervent welcome of high-ranking clergymen and citizens, Elise became a saintess.

The duties of Saintess Elise were not much different from when she was a nun. She helped people and spread smiles throughout the Holy Kingdom, reassuring the faithful.

Only, the scale of her responsibilities had grown immensely.

Dressed in her black and white saintess robes, Elise walked the streets. The procession of priests and paladins guarding her had grown longer, and crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of her.

It was as if they had come to see a descended deity.

Yet, Elise’s demeanor remained unshaken. She smiled softly and waved gently at the faithful.

"Did you see? The saintess waved at me!"

"What nonsense are you talking? She was clearly waving at me."

"It’s nice, isn’t it... Even someone like me receives a smile from the saintess."

At the slave auction, with her frail gestures and expressions, Elise had enchanted many a man’s heart and extracted large sums of money several times over. Now, she had the title of saintess to bolster her.

Winning over the hearts of the faithful was hardly a task at all.

‘That’s good.’

Of course, had they known her true thoughts, such a reaction would never have occurred.

To Elise, the reactions of the surrounding faithful felt utterly trivial.

Now they were all 'Saintess, Saintess,' fawning over her, but the moment her true identity was revealed, their attitudes would do a complete 180, replacing affection with murderous glares.

Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.

Well, she wasn’t particularly bothered. Whether this side or that, it was all the same—each using the other for their own ends.

Elise spread her smile.

****

"Wow~ The venerable Saintess has graced me with her presence. I must have lived righteously to finally receive such fortune."

Even as a saintess, what remained unchanged was her visits to Karami. Seeing his reaction to her arrival, Elise found it absurd.

"Master called me here, and now you say such things?"

"With all the annoying people around, I thought I’d ease your tension."

"If you were really considering my well-being, you wouldn’t have called me at all today. Do you know how hard it was for me to come?"

Becoming a saintess had greatly changed her surroundings. Instead of a nunnery, she now resided in the grand cathedral, attended to by serving nuns.

Paladins guarded the entrance to the saintess's chambers, making sneaking out no simple task.

"Unfortunately, that’s not possible. Checking that a slave has no issues is the master’s duty."

"You always know just what to say."

"But still, being with those people is less bearable than being with me, isn’t it?"

As Karami awaited her response, the look in his eyes made his expectations clear.

"Um..."

It was true that being with Karami was preferable to the others.

"Huh."

She hadn’t said much, but how had he read her thoughts? His eyes curved like crescent moons. Seeing that face, a spirit of defiance rose within her.

"Being better than those people doesn’t mean I like being with you, Master."

"Logically speaking, having a higher favorability towards me means you like me more. Favorability means liking."

"I said I don’t like it!"

"Elise. You have a bit of a tsundere streak, unable to say you like something when you do..."

"I really don’t think so!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Elise exclaimed loudly.

Then, seeing Karami smile mischievously, she realized she had been caught up in his pace again.

She had grown accustomed to it, vowing each time not to fall for it again, but somehow, she always did. Was there magic in his voice?

"Tsk."

Elise calmed her emotions.

She quickly regained her composure.

"I can’t come every day like before, now that I’ve become a saintess. I have more responsibilities."

"Hmm, that’s problematic. I might die from not seeing Elise’s face every day. If it's too hard, shall I just give up and leave?"

"You can’t do that."

"Weren’t you the one who wanted to leave before? Have you developed an attachment?"

"Of course. How else did I get to this position?"

She had risen to a place where she could manipulate the church and the kingdom at will. She couldn’t just leave now, not with her goals so close.

"Why are you suddenly thinking of leaving, Master?"

"It’s because I have quite a few concerns."

"What’s bothering you? If possible, I’ll help resolve it."

"Your becoming a saintess happened so suddenly. I can’t quite grasp what prompted Elise to become a saintess."

"I’ve explained that. They needed a long-term figurehead as a saintess, and I happened to catch their eye."

Revealing her identity to Marcenus was, of course, a secret from Karami. If he found out, it would complicate things significantly.

"I was the one who said we needed to delve into the heart of the enemy to eradicate the experiments."

"That’s right."

"You’re not suspecting me, are you?"

Elise's face bore the expression of someone deeply shocked.

Like a wounded puppy before {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} its master.

Karami quietly observed her and then smiled faintly.

"Of course not. It’s not that I suspect Elise, but I worry about what they might do to you."

"Thank you. But you don’t need to worry too much. They haven’t caught on to our intentions yet. Even if they did, escaping wouldn’t be a problem."

"Is that so?"

"The church is practically in my hands now. Just wait a little longer. I’ll fill Kassilon with our people."

Elise spoke confidently, gauging Karami’s reaction.

"I won’t worry too much if Elise says it’s fine."

Karami paused briefly before continuing.

"If you have anything hidden or are worried about something, just tell me."

Had she aroused his suspicion?

Did he catch on to something?

"...?"

Meeting Karami’s gaze, Elise blinked. The look in his eyes was somewhat tender.

How to describe it?

It was similar yet different from the warm gaze Elise feigned as a saintess. It was a look of genuine concern that couldn’t be faked.

'What’s this...?'

Elise felt slightly bewildered.

Why he would look at her that way, she couldn’t understand.

She had never seen it before, not once.

'For the first time...?'

No.

It seemed familiar.

She must have seen it before...

"......"

But she couldn’t remember.

As she tried to recall, her head throbbed, and a metallic scent of blood tinged her nostrils.

Even though there was no blood around.

It was as if her mind was refusing to remember.

"Elise?"

"Yes?" Elise snapped back to reality at Karami's call.

"Are you feeling unwell? Are you pushing yourself too hard?"

"No, I'm not hiding anything. You just have to trust me and wait, Master."

"I understand."

Elise stood up and gulped down the wine in her glass.

It was a moment when she craved the numbness of intoxication.

"I'll be going now."

"Yes. Take care on your way."

****

Elise walked through the night streets.

Normally, she would have transformed into a bat and flown unnoticed, but today she felt like walking.

Fortunately, due to the strict curfew imposed because of vampires, there were no people around.

The guards were patrolling, but avoiding them was easy. Being half-vampire, Elise possessed the characteristics of a bat, making it easy to evade detection.

She wandered the city as if it were her own home.

Everything was going according to plan. She had deceived Karami, tricked Marcenus, and risen to the position of a saintess.

All that remained was to seek revenge on those who made her this way and to hear the oracle that Marcenus had spoken of.

Why ignore the desperate prayers of the faithful?

Why not help her on that day?

She would question everything.

And then...

'What should I do?'

What was she to do after hearing the voice of God?

She was a fake saintess.

A mere stepping stone for her plans.

She had no intention of continuing the pretense of being a saintess after everything was over. She didn’t want to stay in the Holy Kingdom any longer than necessary.

Should she return to her old ways, leeching off people?

For the rest of her life?

Especially now that being a vampire likely extended her lifespan?

These questions rose endlessly, but she found no answers.

Thud.

Elise stopped walking.

"How long do you intend to follow me?"

She had sensed someone trailing her since she left the inn.

Click.

As Elise stopped, the clear sound of a cane tapping the ground halted as well.

"Tsk, tsk, you are quick to notice."

"How could I not notice the sound of a cane in these empty streets, Grandfather?"

The old man called 'Grandfather' by Elise was the former Pope, Antonious.

"I might be overstepping by saying this after providing lodging, but you seem to be staying quite long."

"True to your words, the landlord is very kind. He hasn’t said a word about leaving, and he provides three meals a day without fail."

"You're no ordinary grandfather."

"Why do you say that?"

Elise snorted.

"That man wouldn’t treat anyone well without a reason. There must be something he can't kick you out for. Something about you, Grandfather."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just like my master, you’re very perceptive..."

Their opinion of Karami was already low.

Sadly.

"Why would you tail me, especially with your difficulty moving?"

"How could I pass by without noticing a young lamb lost and wandering? You’ll understand when you’re my age."

"I doubt I’ll be lurking around so creepily, though."

Antonious chuckled at something he found amusing, while Elise sighed.

Strange people all around.

'Well, I’m not one to complain.'

Birds of a feather flock together, after all.

"So, Grandfather, will you solve my troubles?"

"I can listen to your story, at least."

"That’s not bad. Being a believer, perhaps you’ll understand my troubles."

She needed someone to talk to.

Talking with Karami was uncomfortable, and discussing matters with Marcenus was out of the question. Suspicious as Antonious was, he was better than the other two.

He wore a cross that was faded from long use but still maintained its shape. If the other party was a believer, all the better.

"Have you ever heard the voice of God, Grandfather?"

"The voice of God? If I ever heard it, it would be profoundly moving."

That meant he hadn’t heard it. A roundabout way of speaking, typical of the elderly.

"Do you think that if I pray fervently, I will one day hear it?"

"My child, you seem to be under some misconception."

"Misconception...?"

Antonious delivered the truth calmly.

"The day you hear the voice of God will never come."