TVIOWHFW 49

Berto the High Priest gazed at the saint with a longing, tearful look.

“Responsibility… that’s such a sad word.”

Stella held Berto the High Priest’s both hands and looked sadly at John.

“I would like Duke Blanchet to show mercy.”

“Is that your judgment as a saint?”

“Of course I can’t force Duke Blanchet to forgive me. I can only ask.”

In an instant, light seemed to pour down on Stella in the room.

Begging John for mercy, Stella looked as perfect as a saint from the scriptures.

It would have moved anyone who served God to see such a sight. Even Berto the High Priest, whose life was hanging by a thread, lost his sense of danger and stood in awe.

“That mouth—”

John’s cold sneer broke the saintly mood.

“Can you give a proper answer or not?”

John fixed his gaze on Stella with a terrifyingly hard face.

The surroundings were crushed by John’s aura. Estelle, who stood next to John, also looked at him with a tense face.

Of course Stella’s reaction was even more intense.

“My fault.”

Stella’s eyes widened as if she were about to cry, and she drooped her shoulders sadly.

“I’m sorry, Berto.”

“Saintess?” Berto swallowed dryly.

Estelle looked at Stella with a puzzled look.

‘Just a few words and it’s over?’

This priest seemed to be Stella’s closest ally, but…

‘Normally, you would try harder to save her, wouldn’t you?’

Even if John made this a problem, there should be some way to save a saint.

Stella reluctantly released Berto’s hand.

“It seems my foolishness has brought us to this point. There is nothing I can do right now.”

“Saint, then I—”

“Duke Blanchet, I am ready in my heart.”

Despair flashed in the eyes of Berto the High Priest as he looked at Stella from behind.

“Do as Duke Blanchet wishes with Berto the High Priest. However…”

“Is that your decision?”

“Yes.”

The other priests began to cry, and Berto knelt down and bowed his head.

John stood up gracefully and walked to Berto.

“The Saint says I should do as I please. What do you think?”

“As the Saintess said, I take responsibility for all this.”

Berto spoke solemnly, closing his eyes.

“I will take responsibility with my life. Duke Blanchet would be satisfied with that, I suppose.”

“What kind of delusion is this?”

John smiled slyly and stomped Berto’s knee with his foot.

“What good is it for me to take a life that doesn’t belong to you?”

“Ugh—!”

Berto’s face contorted as his knee was pressed.

“It seems you still don’t understand, so let me tell you one thing.”

John grabbed Berto by the back of the head and made him look up.

“There is a new motto I created when Duke Blanchet was ordained. Have you heard of it?”

John drew a dagger from his belt.

The sharply honed dagger moved lightly before Berto as if to mock him.

Berto, who had seemed ready to die, flinched at the thought of dying. Berto trembled as if about to faint.

“[Even if spring comes, remember not to forget winter.]”

The dagger swung toward Berto quickly.

Swish—

Berto screamed. But no blood spurted.

Berto’s brown hair cut by the dagger hung in the air a moment longer.

“What… is this…”

Berto hastily reached up to feel his own face. His hand had a faint smear of blood on it. But he did not die.

The dagger had just barely scratched Berto’s hair and cheek.

“Are you, are you not dead yet?”

Berto looked up at John in astonishment.

“Just a glimpse is all it took…”

John, Duke Blanchet, stood with a pristine blade, not a drop of blood on him, smiling elegantly.

Fear overwhelmed Berto, and he felt he might faint just by looking at that face.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“…”

“Your life is worth nothing to me.”

Berto began to stammer.

“Return to the shrine and tell them. Remember who you are dealing with now.”

Berto returned to the shrine and told Blanchet to finish the compensation to the Duke.

“Ah, I understand.”

“Next time you won’t have a tongue to lash out with.”

Berto nodded slowly with a grave face.

John turned and walked slowly toward Estelle. Other priests rushed to Berto.

“Are you alright, High Priest Berto?”

“I-I barely survived…”

John approached Estelle and asked something gently.

Estelle smiled and nodded. The atmosphere, which had just been terrifying, now turned sweet.

Breathing a sigh, Berto, holding his chestnut hair, nodded.

“It seems the rumors might be false after all…”

At that moment, Berto’s eyes fell on Saint Stella.

Stella came toward Berto and looked at Blanchet and his wife with a blank gaze.

John nodded toward the butlers as he hugged Estelle.

“Send the guests out.”

A clear eviction order.

John’s gaze turned toward the pure Saint Stella.

“From now on, it would be better if we never see the Saint again.”

“Duke Blanchet. I also—”

“If you irritate me even once more—”

John fixed his cold eyes on Stella.

“Even a Saintess can be killed.”

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Originally, there was to be a banquet for the Saint and her party after this.

But since they caused trouble and were driven out, a gap formed. In the meantime, I decided to go out to see the trees after a long time.

John asked, worried about me.

“Can I go alone?”

“Is the treatment done, and is your ankle really fine? Even your vigor has returned.”

“Indeed, divine power is remarkable.”

I could see why many priests treated the Saint as a treasure.

But inviting the Saint to recover enough to walk around the ankle and regain this level of health seemed excessive.

“I’d rather just be sick,” I asked John, who wouldn’t leave my side.

“Don’t you have something to do right now?”

John would soon send an official letter to the temple to ensure today’s rudeness wasn’t swept under the rug.

John massaged his temples and spoke.

“After I stroll the garden with you, we can do it.”

“Duke Blanchet’s garden is safe enough. Go do your own work, John.”

John only moved after hearing my suggestion to meet again at the banquet later.

“I’ve heard John seems less willing to let go lately.”

I wasn’t annoyed, but it became harder to secretly arrange things with John.

“John probably has more work than I do.”

I wondered when he found time to work at all. With him alone, I spoke to the trees.

“So, Tree Friends, do you like the fertilizer you wanted?”

-You don’t have to be that nice.

-Yes, we were fine even if left to our own devices as in the old days.

“Lies! You kept eyeing us even on the way up.”

The trees pretended not to notice.

-Which tree would scold our little one like that?

-There’s a stingy tree out there! It’s a shame to trees.

-Whatever kind of tree that is, confessing now would save us a bit of dishonor…

“Don’t you remember what you all were saying at that time?”

All the trees that were worried about me stood up and waited.

-That, I didn’t think you’d remember…

“Well, it’s fine. It’s nothing to me.”

Honestly, compared to what the trees do, I felt it wasn’t enough.

“Instead, I’ll go take a look around the garden.”

-The garden? To test the fairies’ power?

“Yes. I’ll try using it whenever I have time.”

Fairy power varies from fairy to fairy, so the trees didn’t know well either.

Right now I could unconsciously use fairy power.

“It’s a power that works miracles.”

So the trees urged me to use the garden.

“Is it to care for the flowers and give them a precious feeling?”

I don’t really know how care and fairy power relate.

But since the trees wouldn’t give pointless advice, it seemed good to practice steadily.

Once I know what my fairy power is, I’ll have my own weapon too.

-Now, gently touch that bush nearby.

A dense shrub bore a mid-summer rosebud.

“Like this?”

-Focus a little more!

I carefully focused on the rosebud, and a pale green leaf pattern appeared on the back of my hand.

Then the priests’ voices erupted from the other side in anger.

“How dare you treat the Saintess so negligently! After all, the Blanchet Duke is a sinner who even ignores the gods!”

“Yes, inform the Regent that Blanchet Duke must not intervene further.”

Aren’t you already back?

The Saint Stella’s voice muttered sadly.

“Not everyone can understand the will of the gods.”

“Saintess, please keep this secret from His Majesty. If he knew what I went through, he would be saddened.”

“Saintess. Even after such humiliation…”

“But your attitude differs from that fake; you have such vast mercy.”

I peeked out from between the bushes to look at them.

“Duke Blanchet is a duke, but what does that fake believe enough to treat you so poorly, Saintess?”

“What did you Saintess ever do wrong? Even after a few days’ rest, you would have been fine, and you personally came to heal her wounds.”

“Honestly, Blanchet Duke seems to have treated the Saintess worse because of that fake…”

These were familiar stories, and I paid them little mind.

“The shrine thinks the same too.”

What was unusual was Berto the High Priest quietly staying still.

“Berto, you’ve suffered the most, haven’t you? Tell us something.”

“Ah, I…”

“Berto, rest. You’ve suffered enough because of me…”

Another priest nearby snapped.

“What nonsense! It isn’t the Saintess’s fault at all.”

“Even the fake manipulated the Duke to move as he did! He deserves divine punishment…”

I listened to the priests’ gossip one by one.

“People were thinking such things, weren’t they?”

The priests rose and waited.

“Even you would remember…”

“Well, it’s fine. It’s nothing to me.”

Honestly, compared to what the trees do, more is not enough.

“Still, I’ll go take a look around the garden.”

-Garden? To try fairy power?

“Yes. I’ll use it when I have time.”

Fairy power varies by fairy, so the trees didn’t know well either.

I could use fairy power unconsciously.

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.

See you then!!