C167
Even if it's a divine object, in the end, it's a door.
The door wouldn't open if someone blocked it from the other side.
In other words, this was not a battle of divine power between Liena and me, but a battle of strength.
—Ugh!
Liena's desperate groans were heard from beyond the door.
But even if Liena exhausted all the strength she had, she was no match for me.
For starters, there was an artifact here that increased strength, and even without it, Liena, who would have had poor nutrition in prison, couldn't beat me, who eats well, sleeps well, and even exercises occasionally.
"Holy God, how the hell is this happening?"
Someone whispered beyond the door.
As they had heard the Holy Father's lecture once a month in the temple's main square, they knew it was the voice of the Holy Father.
No matter how long they waited, Liena couldn't open the door, so the Holy Father approached her and seemed to inquire.
"You didn't open it last time, did you?!"
"No, I don't know. Suddenly it won't open!"
"Anyway, open it quickly! It won't be good for the people!"
"I'm trying too! Ah!"
Liena screamed and then muttered to the door that wouldn't open no matter how hard she tried.
"It's strange. It seems like something is blocking the door."
"Ah, Saint!"
Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps and the panicked call of the Holy Father were heard one after another.
Liena looked to the other side of the door, but contrary to her suspicions, she couldn't find anything.
"Well, that can't be possible!"
Several priests grabbed Liena, who was stunned.
"What are you doing now!"
"It's disrespectful to God!"
They were right.
It was against custom to look on the other side of the door while the Saint was being verified.
This is because they believed the goddess was on the other side and opened the door for the saint, and it was sacrilege to catch a glimpse of the goddess like that.
Therefore, the verification door was placed with its back to the wall, and spectators could only see the front of the door.
"Stop this! It's definitely strange! It's impossible for the door not to open! Look closely at that door!"
Liena shouted as the priests dragged her away, but the atmosphere in the square was already at its worst.
"You're a fraud!"
"Give Arsia the chance right now!"
There was no way people would look kindly on Liena, who couldn't open the door and openly showed disrespect.
"I-I think Liena isn't feeling well, so let's give her another chance..."
The host, who probably received instructions from the Holy Father, tried to defend Liena, but the people booed him with curses.
Some even threw their belongings in protest.
"Well, then it's Arsia's turn!"
In the end, the host had no choice but to give Arsia a turn.
"Darn it, time is running out."
I muttered and checked the pocket watch Terence lent me.
It's been 18 minutes since I used the invisibility effect of the leather belt.
As the maximum duration of the effect is 20 minutes, there were only 2 minutes left.
"Miella!"
Arsia walked quickly toward the door and, unlike Liena, shouted briefly and turned the door handle.
At the same time, I, who was on the other side, also grabbed the door handle and turned it.
The verification door opened, and a faint light appeared.
It was a sign indicating that the person who opened the door was a Saint.
......
The faces of the audience, which had been silent for a moment, slowly began to color with excitement.
"Long live Saint Arsia!"
"I believed in her!"
Thunderous applause flowed from all directions.
I ran as fast as I could without even having time to enjoy the joy of the successful operation.
Fate is right below the altar, the area where the priests gather.
I had planned to hide among them from the beginning, so today I was wearing a priest uniform.
"Isn't this too much...?!"
However, time was running out.
As things stood, I would expose myself as I hurriedly descended from the platform in front of so many people.
Although Arsia distracted them, there was no way they could pass without seeing me, who suddenly appeared.
I was resigned. I wanted to finish it perfectly if possible, but I couldn't help it.
"I trust only you!"
It was at the moment the belt's effect disappeared, and my appearance was revealed.
The world glowed and was bathed in intense light.
It was a dazzling light that couldn't be compared to the light emitted when the verification door was opened.
"What?!"
While many people squinted or covered their eyes with their hands, I, who had closed my eyes beforehand, successfully blended in with the priests.
If the incident in front of them had been just a strong light, someone with good eyesight among the priests might have noticed that I suddenly appeared.
But the priests, or rather everyone in the square, were busy with other things at that moment.
"Oh, my God."
The priest next to me couldn't take his eyes off the altar with his mouth wide open.
At the end of his gaze, there was a beast surrounded by a bright blue light.
The beast, which looked like a deer but was too large to be called a deer, slowly descended from the air and landed next to Arsia.
Arsia, who didn't seem surprised at all, shouted loudly to the people.
"Everyone, salute! This is the Goddess's messenger, the divine beast, sent by Goddess Miella!"
Several priests nodded.
"¡That's right! ¡It's just as it appears in the ancient murals!" exclaimed one.
However, not only were there those who took Arsia's words literally.
"Eh, there..."
The Holy Father, attempting to act with determination, asked the divine beast, "Are you truly a divine beast?"
"Yes," came the short response. It didn't come directly from its mouth, yet the voice that sounded in everyone's head made people shiver.
Moreover, the Holy Father was so surprised that he even staggered backward.
"I am currently serving the one chosen by the goddess as my master, and I move by my master's command," the divine beast stated.
Although it didn't exactly say who its master was, people naturally assumed it was Arsia. This was because when Arsia extended her hand, the action of the divine beast obediently placing its chin on it seemed very natural and friendly.
"All of that was achieved thanks to my efforts," someone remarked.
As they walked calmly among the priests who were hypnotized by the sight of the Saint and the divine beast, they thought about the practice they had done with them the day before and the day before that.
"Arsia was very nervous in front of the divine beast she had only heard about in legends, and Lucy really didn't like humans," they remembered.
"I convinced and comforted them well so that a scene like this could be created," they reflected.
"Yes. My plan didn't end when Arsia opened the door for verification," they continued.
"I wanted to give Arsia more power. The power to reform a temple that had been corrupted from its roots," they thought.
They asked Lucy if they could do it for her.
"It's not a problem. There's no rule saying you can't appear in front of people," Lucy responded.
"Lucy could confirm my existence at a glance, as the remnants of simple monsters didn't work on God's divine beasts," they recalled.
Therefore, since they couldn't join the group of priests until the time limit was reached, they were able to appear conspicuously with a strong light on purpose.
"Still, if possible, let me use as little power as possible, mistress. Do you know how much power it takes to return to my true self?" they requested.
"How long did it take me to gather my power? I don't plan on looking like this forever!" they remembered Lucy's words from the night before.
"After Lucy lost her power and turned into a fox cub due to a joint attack from Terence, Vinetta, and me, she worked hard to accumulate power, always hoping for the day she would return to her wonderful original self," they reflected.
"I'm sorry, Lucy," they said.
"I also wanted to arrive on time as much as possible, but 20 minutes was too short," they acknowledged.
"I have no choice but to return to the annex later and apologize deeply to Lucy," they concluded.
"Oh, oh! A divine beast!" exclaimed someone.
"I can't believe it! A divine beast appeared!" another joined in.
Anyway, regardless of their personal circumstances, people were delighted with the appearance of the divine beast.
"Could it be that it came to help us humans during the monster wave?" speculated one.
"I guess the goddess hasn't forsaken us," another chimed in.
Their joy doubled as the monstrous wave approached.
"Wait a moment! Everyone, don't be fooled!" someone shouted, interrupting the festive atmosphere.
"That's not a divine beast, it's a monster! Look closely! Then you'll know the truth!" exclaimed Liena, still on the platform.
"Please believe me! As a true Saint, I can tell! If the goddess really sent a divine beast, she would have sent it to me!" she pleaded desperately.
The nearby priests quickly tried to cover her mouth, but Liena continued to shout.
"Arsia is false! They must have used some trick to open the door! I'll open that door now! Now look closely!" she declared defiantly.
She struggled with all her might to get rid of the priests and ran toward the Verification Gate, but Arsia blocked her.
"There are no second chances. You're false," Arsia declared, pushing Liena away.
"Now, catch her quickly," Arsia ordered the priests.
"How dare you call me false! Everyone! That woman is false! That thing calling itself a divine beast is a monster!" Liena shouted at the top of her lungs as she was dragged away, but no one listened to her.
"It was obvious without having to ask which of the two people they trusted more," someone observed.
"Holy Father, please say something! You saw me open the door!" Liena pleaded with the Holy Father, but he ignored her.
"Evil witch! How dare you conspire with Cardinal Morton to defame our saint?" accused someone, clearly trying to impress Arsia.
"C-Cardinal Morton!" Liena looked in his direction, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Liena, unable to find her side in the end, shouted to the sky, 'Goddess Miella! Help!' But the sky remained calm," they narrated.
"Liena's eyes wandered aimlessly. After a while, she screamed for help one last time. 'P-Papá! Help me!'"