Chapter 05
Amy dressed me in the sacred robes of a Saintess, yet the reflection in my eyes felt strangely unfamiliar—
like a younger version of myself I no longer recognized.
The white hair that had grown dull after losing my divine power now gleamed with life again.
and the eyes that had once lost their light shone clearly.
After finishing my preparations, I stepped out of the room and stopped at the end of the shadowed corridor.
Everything at this moment matched my memory of this day long ago.
Only my emotions were different.
Below, countless people bowed their heads.
A scene from more than ten years in the past—
just as distant as the face I wore back then.
At this time, the temple had not yet been called a Holy Nation.
There was only one god in this world: Gloria.
And the largest temple devoted to the one true god Gloria was the Melissa Temple.
The Melissa Temple stood in a sacred land between the Helen Kingdom and the Nicholas Kingdom.
belonging to neither.
In the future, only I knew, this place would become the beginning of war.
The temple would present a saintess—called the Daughter of Gloria—at regular intervals.
A saintess bestowed blessings upon many through divine power.
And when that power was completely exhausted, a revelation would descend, announcing the next Saintess.
“Saintess Shallen Melissa, please step forward.”
My name was called.
The past that had blurred before my eyes cleared, and the present filled my vision.
As I took a step forward, warm sunlight touched my face.
Tap. Tap.
The murmurs faded away, leaving only the sound of my footsteps echoing through the space.
I walked slowly toward the man standing in place of the Pope.
The Cardinal—Fabian.
With the Pope bedridden by a long illness, he was the true power behind the Melissa Temple.
Once the Pope’s closest aide, Fabivan had gradually expanded his influence.
The moment the Pope fell ill, Fabian claimed he would personally attend to him, barring anyone else from entering.
In truth, it was likely to prevent others from pouring divine power into the Pope.
The future Pope.
The man who wished to turn the Melissa Temple into a Holy Nation and rule as king under the title of Pope.
In the past, walking toward Fabivan like this had felt thrilling—almost overwhelming.
Yet now, he smiled without the slightest trace of guilt, despite having allowed the previous Saintesses to die such miserable deaths.
“I greet the Saintess. May God’s grace be upon you.”
I lowered my head briefly in return.
“I greet Your Eminence. May Gloria’s mercy descend upon you.”
At my words, the gentle smile on the temple head’s face stiffened for a moment.
As if waiting for the exchange to end, a high-ranking priest carefully handed him something.
Forcing his lips into a smile, Fabivan placed a silver tiara, meant only for saintesses, upon my head.
“Congratulations on becoming a Saintess by God’s will. Please… take good care of us.”
I only looked up at him and offered a faint smile.
Receiving no response, he forced another benevolent expression and addressed the crowd below.
“By God’s will, a new Saintess of the Melissa Temple has been born.”
As he finished speaking, I turned toward those bowing below and spoke my first words.
“I am Saintess Shallen Melissa. Please, lift your heads.”
At my command, everyone raised their heads at once, as if rehearsed.
The Cardinals stood in the front row.
Behind them were the priests.
At the very back stood the holy knights who guarded the temple.
My gaze drifted to the former Saintess standing beside the Cardinals.
There had been a two-year gap between the loss of her divine power and my ascension.
Two long years… she must have lived through that hell.
So thin. So exhausted.
Could a few days of proper meals erase the signs of prolonged starvation?
How foolish.
It was obvious. And I hadn’t noticed it back then.
In the past, I had only looked at her with admiration.
What was she thinking as she looked at me now?
Pity?
Or perhaps… a small spark of hope?
I bowed briefly toward the former Saintess, choosing to believe it was the latter.
She responded with a weak smile.
Turning away, I swept my gaze across the crowd.
Among all these people—who had created this hell?
And who had allowed it to continue?
I had once been prepared to accept death as fate.
But now, I would change this hell.
From this moment on, before all these people,
I would speak a lie in the name of the one and only god—Gloria.
“Gloria has spoken,” I said.
“As her daughter and representative, I convey her will to all of you.”
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.
Never before had Gloria delivered words through a saintess.
“The Melissa Temple must remain neutral in all wars and forever stand as a pure and righteous sanctuary that protects people. Furthermore, the Melissa Temple is a place to serve God—not a nation. You must never forget this.”
As I spoke lies as if they were truth, my voice was more serious and resolute than ever.
Overflowing divine power spread outward, forming an invisible dome around them.
Some would feel protected.
Others would feel trapped.
Was the god I believed in truly merciful?
Were the lives I was given a blessing?
I had suffered through them.
I did not feel my god was merciful—
And so speaking this lie in her name pricked my conscience not at all.
I had already paid enough.
Drawing on my divine power, I raised my voice even higher.
It would ring inside their heads.
“You who seek God’s grace. You who believed me to be a merciful god—listen well. Those who abandon their conscience and pursue greed will be punished. Mercy is granted only to the righteous. Remember this: I am not a god who grants mercy to all. Choose your path now. You know better than anyone what awaits at the end of the road you choose. Remember—I am not a fair god.”
With that, I withdrew the invisible dome and spoke once more.
“I, Saintess Shallen Melissa, vow—by Gloria’s word—to grant blessings to those deserving of mercy and severe punishment to those who are not. I swear that I will not distribute my divine power equally to all. I pray that you may be among those worthy of God’s mercy.”
After finishing, I smiled gently.
Whether it felt gentle to those with guilty consciences, I did not know.
Today, I borrowed God’s name to speak a lie.
And that lie was my strong warning to this place.
