Chapter 8.5 - .

The Coming of the Storm 2
— Another Person’s Perspective

The stipend for the Saint of Warding hadn’t been paid?

The thought had never even crossed their minds, and both the High Priest and Guido were left speechless.

Women appointed as saints by the temple were entitled to receive a stipend from the state. While the temple guaranteed the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter, any personal shopping or money sent to family had to come from their own funds. That stipend also served as compensation in case a saint was injured or otherwise unable to carry out her duties, making it an extremely important lifeline for them. And yet—to think that such a vital stipend had not been paid.

Why was this even being asked? They couldn’t understand. Only then did they finally realize that their own involvement was being suspected, and the two hurriedly raised their voices in vehement denial.

“I know nothing about any stipend, I swear it before the gods!”

“Are you suggesting the temple embezzled it?! That’s absurd—there’s no way something like that could happen!”

“No, this is simply a precautionary confirmation. Our investigation also found no evidence that the money flowed into the temple.”

So they had simply failed to notice. That in itself was a grave responsibility. Inspector Raimond held his head in his hands, while Inspector Tonio flipped through the documents before him with a cold expression.

“The official in charge of payments was embezzling Saint Angelina’s stipend. The funds that should have been paid were not paid at all for over five years.”

“F-five years ago…”

“When the previous Saint of Warding was still alive, Saint Angelina was properly paid. However, once the rumors began spreading that Saint Angelina was incompetent and lazy, the amount was gradually reduced. At first, it seems it was intended as mere harassment, but before long he realized he wouldn’t be discovered and grew bolder. In the end, he stopped the payment procedures to Saint Angelina altogether.”

On paper, it was recorded as having been paid, and proper annual financial reports were submitted. The hidden ledger had been cleverly concealed, and it was only because of this inspection that the truth finally came to light.

“Why would he do such a thing?”

“According to his reasoning, it was because Saint Angelina was incompetent and useless.”

Saint Angelina is incompetent and useless, right?

There’s no need to pay a stipend to someone who doesn’t work, is there?

The official reportedly repeated this without the slightest remorse. Worse still, others in the same department neither admonished him nor intervened, choosing instead to look the other way. The widely circulated rumors branding her incompetent and useless had only encouraged the crime.

“B-but Saint Angelina was supposed to receive a larger stipend than ordinary saints! A special budget was even allocated for it. There’s no way the official wasn’t told why such a large amount was being paid!”

The inspectors finally understood the strange circumstances surrounding the Saint of Warding. I see—by allowing the bad rumors about Saint Angelina to spread unchecked, the state and the temple had reached an unspoken agreement to compensate her with a high stipend. Even if public opinion was harsh, as long as they paid her enough money, they assumed Angelina would endure it for the sake of greed.

Then why had the payment officer done this? Inspector Raimond’s answer was something the High Priest had never imagined.

“He didn’t know.”

“…W-what did you just say?”

“You may not be aware, but the previous officer resigned suddenly. As a result, the handover was inadequate. The successor didn’t know that Saint Angelina’s high stipend was compensation, and so he embezzled it.”

“B-but embezzling stipends is a crime in itself! Even if he didn’t know, it’s unforgivable! This is the result of the state’s failure to supervise!”

“That’s true. However, he said this as well: if Saint Angelina’s stipend stopped, the temple would surely contact him. But no inquiry ever came. Therefore, he concluded that the temple also believed the stipend was unnecessary.”

The High Priest and Guido fell silent. Supporting a saint’s activities was the temple’s responsibility. If the temple had neglected that duty, then who was left to protect the saint?

“Everyone involved was far too indifferent toward Saint Angelina. The more we investigate, the harder it is to understand how the only Saint of Warding was treated with such neglect.”

“But Saint Angelina never consulted us about the stipend!”

“Then let me ask you this, Priest Guido. If she had consulted you, are you confident you would have handled it appropriately?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you guarantee that you wouldn’t have responded by shifting responsibility onto the victim—Saint Angelina herself?”

Guido was at a loss for words. Indeed, before hearing this, he would never have imagined that a state official was embezzling the funds. Without a doubt, he would have dismissed Angelina without investigating, accusing her of lying out of greed.

And then he would have said that was why, despite being a saint, she was called a witch—such a disgraceful nickname.

“You understand now. Saint Angelina didn’t choose not to consult you—she couldn’t.”

As Guido’s complexion grew even paler, Inspector Raimond spoke gravely.

“We are obligated to conduct our investigation impartially and report to the king. We will report, without omission, how Saint Angelina was treated at the temple.”

It’s over. Guido collapsed to his knees. If he were lucky, demotion might be the end of it. In the worst case, he could be stripped of his position as a priest entirely. Having known no other way of life, could Guido really survive peacefully from here on, burdened with the stigma of being unfit as a righteous priest?

“After making our report, we will also recommend expanding the search for Saint Angelina beyond the country’s borders. We will disclose her physical characteristics and request investigative cooperation from other nations.”

“That’s impossible!”

Guido raised his voice—not to protect himself, but because Saint Angelina understood her own abilities precisely. She knew what kind of calamity would befall this country if she left it.

She is a saint. A saint wouldn’t abandon her country.

But Inspector Raimond looked at him with suspicion, while Inspector Tonio let out a weary sigh, his face filled with exasperation.

“You really are hopelessly naïve.”

“What?!”

“Knowing the environment that surrounded Saint Angelina, do you still believe she’s in this country? You might be the only one who does. I see—you’re idealistic and lack empathy. You only see people by their titles, which is why you oppressed Miss Angelina for not being ‘saint-like.’”

“I didn’t oppress her! That was never my intention!”

“Your intentions are irrelevant. What matters is how Saint Angelina felt. Isn’t that right, High Priest? You have no objection to our assessment, do you?”

The High Priest stared into the distance with darkened eyes.

“Priest Guido, put yourself in her place. Being called a saint in name only, despised by the people as incompetent and useless, working desperately to meet a schedule without having your efforts acknowledged, and finally not even being paid your stipend. In that situation, would you still wish to serve this country as a saint?”

“……”

“Saint Angelina fully understands her extraordinary abilities and usefulness. To her, the title of Saint of Warding is nothing but a shackle. Even without that title, she possesses more than enough skills to live on her own. There may be reasons why the Kingdom of Centreia clings to her—but she has no reason to cling to this country.”

That was why he had said to keep her under watch so she couldn’t escape.

That was why he had said to pay her a high stipend so she wouldn’t abandon them.

“And yet… after being told all that…”

Perhaps, in the distance of his gaze, the High Priest was seeing the grandmother’s face. This was the result of an entire nation bullying a single girl. Just then, the door to the High Priest’s office was flung open.

“High Priest! A large number of believers have gathered in front of the temple! They’re demanding that the Saint of Warding, Angelina, be handed over—they’re armed and about to break down the iron gates!”

“There’s no time. Everything must be made public immediately—the fact that the Saint of Warding has gone missing, and the truth about her role. Then we must search both inside and outside the country, even if it means relying on the people. That is the temple’s duty—the High Priest’s duty.”

“Will the king and the elders understand?”

“I will persuade them… even if it takes time.”

Overturning common sense was inevitable. But if they didn’t, the very survival of the country would be at risk. Leaving behind those ominous words, the two inspectors quietly slipped away through the back entrance, as if fleeing.

“I must be prepared as well.”

Once the truth was known, people would be consumed by rage. Who would accept someone who deceived the faithful as High Priest? He had thought lowering Saint Angelina’s value was the best way to keep her from leaving the country. Truly, she had inherited her grandmother’s teachings well—her decisiveness was on an entirely different level.

“But we will capture her. I swear it.”

Her symbolic black hair and amethyst-colored eyes were special—colors that could not be changed by any magic.

Not even the finest magical potion made by the Saint of Alchemy could alter them. That meant Angelina must still be wandering about, exposed, with her true appearance unchanged.

Which would happen first—the fall of this country, or our capture of Saint Angelina?

From here on, it would be a race against time.



T/L: Let’s all curse this bastard!!!