Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 410

When I was still Lee Seong-eum.

I was raised in an orphanage founded on a religious facility. Thanks to that, religion and faith became a somewhat familiar part of my life.

Whether it was saying grace before meals or praying before going to bed in the evening.

They told us to pray to the Father in Heaven. But I’d never had a father before, so to be honest, I didn’t really understand what that was supposed to feel like.

Because of that, I couldn’t really call myself a good believer. I just remember things like worship services being boring and tedious.

The best °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° part was probably that I could run around and play freely with the other kids after the service was over.

Anyway.

Because of that kind of background, to someone like me, the concept of “God” always felt like some figure with a white beard. Like an old grandfather or a middle-aged father with a long white beard.

In that sense, the awe-inspiring presence I glimpsed beyond the gate as my mage rank rose didn’t match the image of God I’d held in my mind at all.

It appeared transcendent, but lacked any semblance of personality.

Rather than a father, it felt more like a judge. That’s why it took me some time to realize that the being beyond the gate and the “God” spoken of by the Church of Light and Salt were the same.

“Solomon, the Church, and even the heroes who once marched all the way to the north—perhaps they all knew about the being beyond that gate. Am I right?”

I shared everything I had felt with Saint Priga. Most of her face was hidden by two eyepatches arranged in an X, making it hard to read her expression, but—

“That is...”

My sensitive half-fairy senses picked up that she was visibly shaken.

Of course. What I’d just said amounted to revealing what could be called the secret of the world and the universe. No matter how much of a poker-faced expert she was, Saint Priga couldn’t help but be caught off guard.

“......”

“......”

A moment of silence passed between us. Only Mirna Draco spoke, asking, “God? Are you saying you saw God?”

At that moment, the saint opened her heavy lips.

“That answer... is not one I can give you. If you want that answer, it’d be faster to ask for yourself—or to see it with your own eyes.”

Her reply reminded me of someone. Was it because they were both religious people? Or because they had studied together as fellow students? Whatever the reason, Saint Priga and Theodoros had some similarities.

“So it’s the same answer Theodoros gave me.”

“You’ve met that man...!?”

She hadn’t expected his name to come from my lips, apparently. Despite remaining calm at the mention of the being beyond the gate, the moment I mentioned him, Saint Priga raised her voice.

“Where is that man? What’s he doing now? Did he say anything about me?”

“Ah...”

Judging by her reaction, Saint Priga probably didn’t know that Basago—that is, Theodoros—was currently staying in this Ark. I suppose it’s up to them to resolve this themselves.

So I answered like a cryptic clergyman.

“That’s not something I can really tell you. But if you look for him yourself, you might find the answer surprisingly close by.”

At that, the saint frowned beneath her eyepatch.

“You’re really quite mischievous.”

“I just repeated the exact answer I heard before.”

“Hmph.”

Saint Priga let out a sharp little cough. Then she said,

“Well, anyway, that’s about all I have to say. Professor Balan should be in the basement. You may take her. But there’s a condition.”

Of course she wouldn’t let us take Professor Balan so easily. She wasn’t going to be a pushover. Even the exacting Mirna didn’t go this far. I found myself getting slightly fed up.

“What condition?”

I asked. Saint Priga replied firmly.

“Say the words.”

“Words?”

I answered just as firmly. But Saint Priga made a face of pure disgust—so intense it could be felt even through her eyepatch.

“...Not those kinds of words. I mean, say you won’t investigate or dig any deeper into the gate and what lies beyond it. You should know better.”

“I don’t make promises lightly.”

I declined with vague phrasing. It was my way of telling her to propose a different condition. But surprisingly, the saint’s stance was as firm as a rock.

“It doesn’t need to be a promise. Just say the words. Even if it’s a lie, just say them aloud to me.”

So it didn’t have to be true—she just wanted to hear me say it. I didn’t know what she was playing at, but if I could throw around blank checks like this, it wasn’t a loss for me.

“I’ll try to avoid going beyond the barrier—or through the gate—unless absolutely necessary.”

“That’s enough.”

Srrrk—

Only then did the tense atmosphere surrounding Saint Priga begin to loosen.

“Oh, and congratulations on your marriage. Truly. Lord Teo, I sincerely hope you and your family continue to be as happy as you are now.”

“Thank you.”

***

The heresy interrogations of the Holy See were known for their severity.

It was said they skillfully and precisely preyed on the mental and physical weaknesses of the tortured until they extracted confessions.

Even someone like Professor Balan, who had surpassed the limits of humanity, wasn’t able to come away unscathed. Locked behind bars, she screamed out.

“L-Lord Teo, save me...! The saint’s minions, they—they tormented me terribly...!”

Tormented, she said—but Balan’s condition looked perfectly fine. Not a scratch on her, not even the slightest sign of coercion. She looked clean and unhurt. Still, she sobbed and sniffled like someone in great distress.

The reason was the garlic spread all around the underground cell.

“Hiiik...! Garlic...!”

There was no complicated reason Balan was so disturbed by the garlic. For whatever reason, Ars Nova hated garlic with a passion.