Chapter 85 – Troublesome Visitors
Chapter 85 – Troublesome Visitors
The area outside the window had been rowdy since morning, with priests bustling about in a frenzy.
There seemed to be some kind of trouble at the church’s main entrance.
“What’s going on?”
I paused in my work and asked my secretary Isar, who replied, “I’ll go look into it,” and started to leave the room.
“Hold on, Isar. No, never mind. I’ll wait for the report later.”
As Isar turned back and was about to release the door, a White Priest slipped inside from the hallway.
“Your Holiness. My apologies for the delayed report. We’ve been tied up dealing with people making a scene, demanding to see the Saintess without an appointment. It’s caused quite the disturbance.”
“The Saintess?”
The uninvited guests had only just started thinning out recently.
Haa. Not again.
“Yes. They insist they won’t leave until they meet her. I didn’t think we should let the commotion grow too large… Shall we restrain them?”
The White Priest looked utterly exasperated.
I didn’t want to handle them roughly and rile up the populace, but there were limits…
Still, it was absurd to toss people who didn’t warrant serious punishment into the underground cells, feed them, and tend to them.
Besides, the cells were currently occupied by those who’d quarreled with the White Priests over the chapel repairs, locked up for reflection.
If worse came to worst, I could hand them over to the soldiers and let the kingdom deal with it…
“So, what’s their business?”
“They claim they’re here to apologize about the Saintess’s recent dispatch.”
Apologize over the Saintess dispatch?
“Don’t tell me it’s from that town where they hurled abuse at Marie?”
“Yes. Most likely.”
Those stone-throwing scum!
How selfish could they be?
They just wanted forgiveness for themselves.
No need to listen to people who couldn’t even consider our side.
“No need to deal with them. Especially not letting those who spat insults at her meet the Saintess—that’s presumptuous beyond words.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Tell them if they won’t leave, we’ll drag them out from the capital ourselves. Take extra from the Third Holy Knights.”
“Understood.”
The priest withdrew at a brisk pace.
Just having them loom in the background would be intimidating enough.
Those fellows had such a rough look about them.
“What in the world is the education like in that town…”
“We did impress upon the lord to thoroughly educate the townsfolk.”
Bishop Moras picked up on my muttering.
“And this is the result.”
I was too stunned to speak.
“I’ll personally request the lord once more to re-educate the townsfolk.”
“Very well.”
Bishop Moras stormed out of the room with a face like a demon’s.
He’d been quite furious over that incident himself. Normally, he wouldn’t take action personally…
But he’d been listening to Note’s reports alongside me the whole time, fretting over Marie like she was his own daughter. Can’t blame him.
That said, it was Marie’s very first assignment. How regrettable that it turned out this way.
Gain said he was fine with it, but even Ted had been downcast about the whole thing.
The report praised Marie’s splendid handling, noting that deaths fell far short of projections and countless lives were saved.
What could they possibly have to complain about?
Ridiculous.
“A Saintess pulling an all-nighter on the job—unprecedented…”
The final report about her using water magic and wind magic in public had given me quite the scare.
But it hadn’t caused an uproar, so we’d spread the rumor that she was a Saintess beloved by the Goddess.
“Your Holiness. We managed to get them to back off.”
The White Priest who’d left earlier returned with a relieved expression.
“Good. Using the Holy Knights to chase them out would draw too much attention.”
“Yes. They withdrew as soon as they saw the Third Holy Knights.”
As expected.
Those stern faces came in handy now and then.
“You’re dismissed.”
“Understood.”
As the White Priest started to leave, a loud voice boomed from outside.
The flustered priest threw open the window and scanned the surroundings.
“Saintess! Sorry for calling you a murderer!”
“Sorry for throwing those stones!”
“Hey! Come talk to us!”
“We came to apologize!”
The loud shouts aimed at the church rang out clear as day.
What foolishness…
It was utterly unforgivable, but we’d taken into account their recent parental bereavement and shaken state, as well as their youth and lack of judgment, releasing them with a re-education penalty.
We’d handled it cautiously to avoid escalation, with re-evaluating that town’s punishment next on the agenda…
Haa. What a mess they’ve made of things.
Nearby White and Black Priests began murmuring: “Murderer?” “Threw stones?”
To them, the Saintess was akin to a goddess.
If word got out that these troublemakers were the perpetrators from that incident, pandemonium would ensue.
Bishop Moras—who was supposed to have left—returned with a face red as fire and began scribbling a letter right there standing up.
Trembling with rage, he attached it to a tuft of down and sent it fluttering out the window.
I’d have to hurriedly reconvene on that town’s punishment now.
But their own punishment took precedence… What a nuisance during this busy time.
“Quickly gather the committee members.”
“As you command.”
“We’ll need to summon the town mayor too…”
Isar left the room, and Bishop Moras met my gaze with a nod.
Ah, so that letter just now was to summon the mayor.
I just hoped Bishop Moras wouldn’t go off the rails…
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thanks for the chapter