The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 30

The day after I declared myself as the saintess, I was summoned to the temple. The room was filled with elderly men, all with stern expressions. They looked at me with evident displeasure.

“Because of what the young lady said yesterday, we spent the whole night in discussion,” said the High Priest, the strongest among the celestial god’s lackeys, who sat in the most prominent seat.

He began explaining the current situation to me.

“It is possible that you really are the saintess, given that you awakened divine power late, and the amount you awakened is unusually high.”

The High Priest gave me a kind smile. Perhaps he appeared that way to ordinary humans, but I was a demon who had lived for centuries. There was no way I couldn’t see through that gaze. Inside, the High Priest was clearly displeased with me.

It was probably due to Isabella’s reputation. Even if the evil woman of high society became a saintess, it would only tarnish the temple’s honor rather than bring any benefit.

And because Isabella had quite the colorful history, most of the people in this room were probably doubting my words.

“But it’s always best to be certain. We could ask Gabriel for an answer, but there’s still nine months until the New Year’s prayer meeting when he descends to the earth.”

Hearing the High Priest’s words, I smiled.

The reason I could comfortably lie about being the saintess was precisely because the angel was absent.

Angels only descend once a year during the New Year’s prayer meeting. There were still nine months until that event, and by then, I planned to have regained all my magic and returned to the Demon Realm…

Or so I hoped. Demons tend not to think about the consequences too much. I should’ve been more careful, but the temptation of immediate blasphemy was too much, and I acted without a plan.

The High Priest continued, “We can’t make you wait for nine months, so you must prove yourself.”

“I have to prove myself?” I scoffed. How dare they demand proof from me?

It was a rude treatment for someone supposedly acting as the celestial god’s representative—even if I wasn’t actually the saintess.

When you think about it, they were mere priests, the celestial god’s lackeys, which essentially made them my lackeys as well.

“Let’s switch roles instead. You should prove yourselves to me.”

“Prove what, exactly?”

“Whether you are worthy of being a lackey or not.”

“…Oh, celestial god.”

The priests began calling upon the celestial god in unison. As if their voices would actually reach him.

The High Priest closed his eyes and then reopened them, speaking to me in a voice filled with forced authority. “It seems you do not fully understand the significance of the saintess’s position.”

Internally, I laughed. I could confidently say that no one on this continent knew more about the saintess than I did.

After all, the previous saintess, Daphne, had been one of the hero’s companions five hundred years ago.

I had traveled with Daphne on the journey to seal the demon god. We hadn’t gotten along, but I remembered her as an interesting human.

“The previous saintess, Lady Daphne, was a truly compassionate person. She—”

The High Priest continued to praise Daphne’s great character and numerous accomplishments.

‘Hmm…’

Knowing Daphne personally, I was astonished. Even after all this time, this embellishment could rival the demon’s cheating scams.

I suddenly recalled a conversation I had with Daphne in the past.

“How did I become the saintess? Well, nothing special. I just caused a big ruckus in the temple, and they made me one.”

Daphne was far from the composed person the High Priest described. If someone displeased her, she’d fry them with divine power. She had a particular fondness for alcohol and handsome men.

The longer the High Priest’s praise for Daphne went on, the more nauseated I felt.

I hurriedly interrupted him. “So, how exactly do you want me to prove myself?”

At this point, even if I claimed not to be the saintess, I’d only make myself look foolish. It was better to prove myself quickly and take the saintess position.

The High Priest and the priests exchanged glances before speaking, “After much discussion among ourselves, we suggest that you summon the divine beast.”

“The divine beast?”

“Yes. The divine beast that disappeared five hundred years ago, after Saintess Daphne’s death.”

Oh, that flying creature? I immediately understood what they were referring to. But that wasn’t a divine beast.

If it were truly a divine beast, it would have been linked to the celestial realm. From what I remembered, the creature they spoke of was actually from the middle realm.

The beast called itself the guardian of the middle realm. Since it was always with Daphne, people often misunderstood it as a divine beast. I never imagined that misunderstanding would last for five hundred years.

The High Priest seemed to interpret my silence differently. He began explaining about the divine beast.

“It seems you are not well-versed in the divine beast. The divine beast is a divine creature sent by the celestial god to protect us humans from demons.”

He then started to describe the appearance of the divine beast in great detail.

“The divine beast possesses sharp teeth and claws, capable of swiftly ending its enemies. It somewhat resembles a wolf, though its size far surpasses that of an ordinary wolf. Its fur is a radiant silver, a color not seen in ordinary beasts.”

I listened indifferently to the description.

Now that I thought about it, the description sounded… a lot like Blackie, the beast I had raised in the Demon Realm.

I recalled my first meeting with Blackie.

About three hundred years ago, I sensed an unusual magical fluctuation in my domain. Fearing it was an invasion by another lord, I went to investigate, only to be greeted by a mountain of beast corpses.

They hadn’t been killed for food but simply for the sake of slaughter. From examining the remains, I deduced that the culprit wasn’t a demon but a beast.

Amidst the corpses, I found a still-breathing creature.

It resembled a wolf. Generally, beasts with animal forms were called demonic beasts, so this one fell into that category. Judging by its small size, it was likely a pup.

I picked up the demonic beast by the scruff of its neck and examined it.

It was covered in wounds.

The beast began to cry, seemingly uncomfortable with my touch.

“Kkamang! Kkamang!” [T/N: Kkamangi means Blackie.]

“You have quite an unusual cry.”

After observing it for a while, I concluded it was a species I had never seen before. The Demon Realm was vast, and new creatures appeared periodically, making it impossible to know every type.

“Did you see which beast did this?”

I pointed to the mountain of corpses as I asked. The beast tilted its head innocently, not understanding my words.

“Kkamang?”

“I guess you didn’t see anything.”

This was troublesome.

I couldn’t leave a cruel beast that committed such a massacre loose in my territory. The Demon Realm might be a world of survival of the fittest, but I still protected the demons living in my domain from beasts.

I needed to find and kill the culprit…

As I muttered to myself, the beast in my arms began to tremble violently.

Wondering why the beast, which had been fine until now, was acting this way, I tried to calm it by stroking its head.

Considering it was still a pup, it must have been terrified after witnessing such a massacre. But the more I touched it, the more the beast trembled, until it seemed to be having a seizure.

“Calm down. Do you think I’d lose to some mere beast? I’ll find it and tear it apart, so rest easy.”

“Kkamang…”

Eventually, the beast fainted.

Normally, I would have left it there and moved on. But, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to leave such a young beast in such a dangerous place.

Feeling a rare moment of compassion, I took the beast back to my castle and treated its wounds. Once healed, it didn’t leave but instead stayed by my side, and I named it Blackie, a fitting name given its appearance.

…Now that I think about it, I never did find the beast that committed the massacre, did I?

I grew lost in thought, worrying about Blackie. I’d left him alone in the Demon Realm for too long. He relied on me for everything.

…Wait. The people here have never actually seen the divine beast. So if I bring Blackie here and claim he’s the divine beast…

Once that thought crossed my mind, my brain began working quickly.

The flying beast they spoke of had disappeared five hundred years ago. The chances of it returning now were slim.

If a demon could pretend to be a saintess, then why couldn’t a demonic beast pretend to be a divine beast?

It seemed I had found a way to bring Blackie to the middle realm.

“Very well, I will summon the divine beast.”

I declared in front of the priests.