PROLOGUE
“No!”
With a scream that sounded like something tearing apart, the door was violently flung open.
Three rough-looking men strode in and quickly scanned the room.
Their gazes soon fixed on the sofa in the center.
“So you didn’t run away, Saintess.”
Smirking cruelly, the men surrounded the sofa.
Sitting there was a beauty who resembled a single white lily.
Snow-white silver hair and ruby-red eyes.
As the fragile-looking woman shrank her slender shoulders as if startled, the men’s eyes reddened with excitement.
“Now then, it’s time for your ‘discipline.’”
They grabbed the saintess’s thin wrists with rough hands.
Dragging her along at a relentless pace, they took her—as always—to the high priest’s office.
“Welcome, Saintess.”
Thrown into the center of the room, the saintess staggered unsteadily.
“Unfortunately.”
The middle-aged man who had been standing by the window slowly approached, watching her as if enjoying the sight.
“Because of my long tour, this ‘discipline’ has been delayed quite a bit.”
“……”
The saintess clutched her aching wrist and silently looked up at him.
Seeing her delicate face, as if it might shatter at any moment, a gentle smile formed on High Priest Yurenev’s lips.
“Perhaps because of that…”
His voice, which had been lowering gradually, suddenly turned ice-cold.
“I’ve been hearing some rather interesting rumors.”
“…!”
The saintess’s eyes stiffened.
“It seems the torture wasn’t sufficient, Saintess.”
Step by step, the high priest approached, his heavy shadow swallowing her small frame.
His darkened eyes twisted with a strange disgust.
“Yes. A monster like you—”
Smack!
His hand swung, snapping her face to the side.
“I didn’t expect you to die easily, but still!”
His thick hand rose again.
But just before it could touch her cheek, the saintess slightly tilted her head back.
“…?!”
As the High Priest’s heavy body lurched forward with the motion, the corners of the saintess’s lips curled faintly upward.
In that instant, the hand hidden behind her back whipped forward and struck his plump cheek.
Smack!
“…!”
A heavy silence fell.
Everyone stared in shock.
“Ah, my mistake.”
A clear, gentle voice broke the silence.
“I seem to have made quite a big mistake.”
The saintess widened her clear eyes as if surprised.
Her innocent expression almost made it seem like what just happened had been an illusion.
But then—
“‘Mistake’?!”
The high priest shouted, his cheek trembling, marked red with a handprint.
“How is this a mistake?!”
“Well, you see, someone once said this.”
The saintess’s lips, which had dipped as if troubled, slowly lifted.
“If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer them the other as well.”
Smack, smack!
Before anyone realized, her hand had moved again, slapping both of his cheeks mercilessly.
Watching his staggering body, the saintess smiled with satisfaction.
Stunned by the sudden blows, the high priest lost his balance and fell to the floor.
The saintess covered her mouth as if startled.
“Oh dear, another mistake. It should be fair, after all.”
Smack!
She struck the other cheek that had only been hit once, snapping his head to the side.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene while the High Priest trembled, touching his burning cheeks.
“W-what… is this…?”
Finally regaining his senses, he shouted,
“H-how dare you! Do you think you can live after doing this?!”
“Are you very surprised?”
The saintess smiled sweetly.
“I was going easy on you.”
“Y-you wretch!”
Slaaap.
Ignoring his shouting, the saintess calmly took out a pair of black leather gloves and put them on.
She pulled them tight over her fingers and murmured,
“I tried to go easy on you, but I guess I need to fix that foul mouth of yours.”
“T-that… where did you even get that?!”
The high priest shouted, his cheeks trembling.
The saintess tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand the question.
“Did you forget?”
She took a step forward. The high priest flinched and shuffled backward.
A shadow fell across her face as she looked down at him.
“I’m the Saintess.”
Backlit, her eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“Do you really think obtaining a divine artifact is that difficult for me?”
She smiled brightly.
In truth, though she spoke with confidence, this was actually a divine artifact she had borrowed from her partner—the worst criminal in the Holy Empire.
The Gauntlet of Purification.
Recalling Kalos’s sharp expression as he warned, “If you don’t return it properly, I’ll kill you,” the saintess chuckled inwardly.
“If I had hit you with this just now, your head would’ve burst like a watermelon.”
Pop!
She made a light popping sound with her lips and whispered,
“So? Want to beg for forgiveness?”
Her voice was sweet as honey.
“Of course, I have no intention of forgiving you.”
“…!”
The high priest’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.
At that moment, one of the stunned men shouted,
“S-stop! How dare you lay hands on the High Priest—!”
“You can’t have children, can you? Unfortunately, you’re infertile. In fact, you’re impotent.”
“…!?”
Speechless, he froze.
The saint moved on to the next.
“You should go home right now. Your son is having an affair with your mistress.”
“W-what nonsense—!”
Ignoring him, she pointed at another.
“And you. Too bad. You’re going to die soon.”
“Th-that’s ridiculous—!”
“I received a revelation.”
“…!”
Shock flickered across his face.
But soon, doubt and fear spread across all their expressions.
The person before them was the Saintess.
In the Holy Empire, no one could easily dismiss the words of someone like her.
As they all stood frozen, unable to speak, the saintess slowly looked around at their pale faces, a wicked smile forming on her lips.
You’re all the high priest’s loyal dogs.
In other words, characters in the story.
And what had she just said? Not a revelation at all—just the original plot.
Her smile widened.
“Don’t be so shocked. This is only the beginning.”
Yes. Just the beginning.
The beginning of the hell they would face.
By throwing all of them into hell, she would survive.
Saintess Serenity Tites.
Just as she had vowed when she possessed this damned body.
