The Fake Saintess Does Not Wish For Death

Chapter 13: The Martyrdom of the Priest(2)

Before dawn tomorrow, Father Edwin would leave Archelio Monastery and head to the western outskirts of the Empire. The monastery was in tears all day because of it.

Father Edwin, dressed in his pure white cassock, stood on the platform. This might be the last mass he would ever hold with the congregation.

“The flames at Asban’s feet continued to burn. As they pushed him forward, Asban willingly stepped into the fire and cried out.”

Edwin’s low voice recited the scripture, and one of the congregants couldn’t hold back their tears, fleeing the church.

“Oh Lord, I will bear all the sins of the earth and walk into the fires of hell…”

There was a time when I thought he seemed more suited to being a haughty noble than a priest.

Only in this moment did I realize how wrong I had been. Kneeling before the altar, under the watchful eye of God, he looked more righteous and devout than anyone.

“…Please, do not hold this sin against them.”

His face was clear in the flickering candlelight. Silver hair, sharp features, and golden eyes that remained calm, as if he had fully prepared himself. I memorized every detail of his final appearance.

Edwin—he seemed so composed, yet why were my hands trembling with fear as I looked at him?

His gaze was still unwavering, but why did I feel like I was on the verge of collapsing?

After Father Edwin’s last mass ended, he called me over.

“Alicia, there is something I want to tell you before I leave.”

Unable to meet his gaze, I looked down at the ground like someone guilty of a crime as I answered.

“…Yes, I understand.”

I followed him to the rooftop of the monastery, a place where, not too long ago, we had stood side by side, leaning on the railing and watching the blooming petals.

“…Hhik, hhuhk.”

Tears welled up again, like a child. Father Edwin approached me, gently cradling my cheek with his hand.

He had never been so tender with me before. Even now, as he tried to soothe my wounds, it brought no comfort.

“Alicia, please stop crying.”

He had never shown me such kindness before. Why now, of all times…

“Father Daniel will assist you from now on. He doesn’t know the full details yet, but by tomorrow morning, after he reads the letter I’ve left him, he will understand everything. I trust that Father Daniel will not betray you and will continue to help you until the end.”

Was this the important thing he wanted to tell me—that he had found someone to replace him?

“…No one can ever take your place, Father.”

I forced out the words through my tear-streaked face, and he shook his head silently.

“That is not true. In time, you will grow accustomed to life without me.”

His resigned, indifferent tone caused a surge of anger to well up within me. To say that I would grow accustomed to life without him—it was something I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“Why is it that everyone I care about always ends up leaving me? Sister Dorothea, Sister Sarah, and now…”

Edwin, even you.

I rubbed my damp eyes with the back of my hand. Through the swollen, tender eyelids, his face came into focus. He was smiling, his lips curved upward.

“Care about… That’s a pleasant thing to hear.”

As if something truly joyful had happened, he smiled brightly. Seeing that smile, the heart I had struggled so hard to hold together finally crumbled into pieces.

“I’m not good with words, so I borrowed the help of pen and paper.”

The letter he handed me was neatly folded, without a single crease out of place. With trembling hands, I took the letter from him.

“I would like you to read it after dawn, once the sun has risen.”

By then, he would be long gone. A tear fell onto the unopened letter, smudging the ink. I carefully folded it and tucked it away inside my robe.

“The night air is nice. Today has been a very good day.”

His eyes, clear and bright, gazed down at the view of the monastery. I stood beside him for a while, keeping him company as if nothing had happened. Ah, my chest ached terribly.

Today, he escorted me to the door as if he were bidding farewell to a lover. In the silent room, my legs gave way, and I collapsed.

Through the gaps I covered with my palm, ugly sobs escaped.

Sitting in a daze, I eventually rose and sat at the desk.

With trembling hands, I struck a match and lit it. The melting candle wax added a bit of warmth to the short, terminal wick.

“…You’ll surely remember.”

When I retrace the memory of being a Saint, there must be a memory related to the plague in the outer regions of the empire.

“I have to remember!”

Even if it means digging up memories I’d rather forget, I had to find them. I closed my eyes tightly and focused on retracing the memory. The foggy veil slowly lifted, and I concentrated on the voices echoing in my head.

‘Victor, this morning, Father Revencio came by. He said there’s an epidemic spreading in the outer regions of the empire.’

‘Not only did he send a broken bridge, but now that mad old man wants to send you to the outer regions of the empire?’

Victor, with an angry expression, snapped back sharply. Terrified by his violent demeanor, I averted my gaze and responded.

‘The infection rate was too high, so I decided not to go. Instead, I spent the entire day soaking my hands and feet in holy water… Instead of me, a priest took the holy water I had soaked in and went directly to the outbreak site.’

Now I remembered. The outer regions of the empire always had minor issues. Refugees from other countries committed crimes, and epidemics like the Plague of Andrea spread.

That day, Father Revencio had come to me, saying there was an epidemic spreading in the outer regions of the empire.

‘The solution is already decided, so you’re just wasting your efforts.’

The word “solution” came out of Victor’s mouth. I focused on his voice, certain that the clue to the answer I was seeking was in what he would say next.

‘Victor, do you know how to solve the Plague of Andrea?’

Victor’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile. It seemed almost like a sneer. I had to recall what his lips murmured, but, as if mocking the gods, I couldn’t remember at all.

“Get a grip! Get a grip, I said!”

I raised my right hand and slapped my cheek. The stinging pain flowed through my face. I still couldn’t remember.

I struck my face again. Slap, slap. The sharp sound of friction continued.

“Remember!”

As I cried out, clutching my swollen cheek, Victor’s voice echoed in my head.

‘Is there another method? After isolating the village where the epidemic has occurred, there is nothing to do but bury it entirely. That’s how it has always been, and it will continue to be.’

The desperate answer I recalled was only that. Victor’s mocking laughter filled me with a terrible nausea.

“Ugh… Ugh!”

Why did I only remember it now? From the beginning, they had no interest in how the common people on the outskirts of the empire were dying. It had been like this for over a thousand years.

Rather than developing a proper treatment, they thought it was quicker to bury the patients who were writhing in agony.

The patients either died as their illness worsened or took their own lives in the torment of the burning sensation. They managed to cling to life only to die in the pits where they were buried.

In the long history, the only person willing to go to the epidemic sites for the dying common people was Father Andrea.

According to the remaining records, the condition of the patients cared for by Father Andrea improved.

Perhaps because of this, the palace epidemiologists classified the Plague of Andrea as a kind of religious phenomenon.

It was an absurd way of shifting responsibility.

“…It’s wrong, there was never a cure from the start.”

In the end, even Father Andrea passed away along with the patients. No matter how much I struggled, reality remained cold and unyielding.

Edwin, you gave your life for me, and yet there’s nothing I can do for you.

“How utterly powerless and pathetic I am…”

The flickering candlelight gradually lost its glow. All that remained were the cold, hardened wax and the twisted wick shell. In the darkness, a desolate wisp of smoke rose high.

“Edwin…”

At that moment, a flame surged up again from the dry, twisted wick. It was the final, desperate struggle of the flame. The fire was hotter and more intensely flickering than ever before.

‘Twenty years ago, an epidemic spread in the eastern outskirts. Because of that, seven nuns and two priests from the Opherial Monastery returned to the embrace of God. The rapid decline in the number of monastery members started from that time.’

I heard Sister Dorothea’s voice. It was a conversation we had while sitting together, doing laundry.

‘Although the palace had already isolated the village, we searched desperately for a way to survive within the enclosure. We discarded all the grain that the villagers used as their staple food…’

‘We prayed and burned all the clothes made from the suspected fabric.’

‘So, what was the cause of the epidemic?’

‘Are you curious?’

Sister Dorothea’s kind voice penetrated my ears.

‘It was because of the well. All the people who used the well next to the market suffered from the same symptoms. It wasn’t until three years later that we were able to walk out into the world beyond the enclosure, but in the palace, they were too busy treating us as heretics to investigate the quarantined well.’

“…It was the water. It was contaminated water!”

I sprang up and headed toward the door. I had to tell Edwin the truth before he left. As I roughly pulled on the wooden door, the pure white garment standing guard at the door came into view.

“…Father?”

I called out softly, and the figure standing motionless turned around.

“…Sister Alicia.”

It was Father Daniel. I didn’t understand why he was blocking my way.

“…I have to go. I need to see Father Edwin.”

“Father Edwin requested that I keep you from leaving until dawn. He asked me to make sure you don’t come out until then.”

Edwin, did you expect that I would follow you?

I clung to Father Daniel’s garment and pleaded earnestly.

“I know how to stop the spread of Andrea’s fire! Please, let me go!”

“…No matter what the sister says, I cannot let you go. So please, don’t blame me too much.”

Father Daniel strained his voice as he spoke. Like me, he was clearly struggling with the thought of sending Father Edwin away.

“Oh, no…”