Sin and Virtue System



81. (Interlude): The Saintess' interference.

She woke up as usual.

She took a bath and wore her signature white robes with golden runes with the help of a maid, and sat on her usual seat.

Nothing different than what she did *every day.*

"A woman sacrificed her entire life for the sake of her Kingdom, the Fluger Kingdom." Some called her "Holiness" and others preferred her calling "The Saintess". Because of her ultimate sacrifice, she was hailed in the lands of the Fluger kingdom.

There were stories about her bravery and courage, but these stories had different versions as well.

Men lusted at the description of her beauty.

It was said that since she was blessed by the goddess of Chastity, her beauty was transcendent.

Her feminine charm can cause wars if exposed to this world. Thus, she was kept in a secluded place.

Women were envious of her luxurious life inside the closed castle in an unknown place.

It was rumored that the Saintess never worked in her entire life. She had never even lifted a spoon to eat!

'Having maids to do all the work in her place how lucky!'- or so they said.

Not only that but given the protection of the goddess of chastity along with the King of the Fluger Kingdom, the Saintess held enormous strength and lived the best of her life. 

But contrary to the colorful life people expected she had, "Haah" a sigh escaped her beautiful rosy lips as she drank the final sip of her herbal tea. Staring at the white ceiling with a chandelier of gold hanging on it.

Lately, her headaches were stronger than before. "Was the mother goddess offended in any way? Why has she retrieved her divine attention from this kingdom?" She muttered as she felt the effect of tea kick in and lighten the headache.

Everywhere she looked all she saw was white and golden. As if her world was limited to these two colors only.

"Saintess, do you need anything else?" Breaking her chain of thoughts, a soft voice caught her attention.

"No." The Saintess answered with a curt reply.

"Then, I'll take my leave." The maid bowed and took the empty cup of tea with her.

A full minute passed and the Saintess remained silent.

"Haah." She sighed again.

Lately, her behavior had changed drastically. Her body tired faster than it used to. Her duration of meditation had reduced slightly, the reason? Yes, the nightmare she had not long ago. 

The night when she saw a horrifying dream. She still had goosebumps whenever she recalled it.

'A man with black hair and a muscular build made love with numerous women at the same time.

It was taboo for the priestesses of the church to marry, and even worse to do something like that in the church of the goddess of chastity herself!'

"An Ogry." She said out loud.

"Huh? W-what am I thinking?!" The Saintess got up from her chair as the memories of the faces of those women resurfaced.

The tears of satisfaction, shouting words that she had never imagined, insanity in the air, the saintess was flabbergasted and disgusted.

'Since when the people stopped fearing the wrath of the goddess of chastity?' she thought.

Ever since that weird dream at night, the series of disturbances in her routine has continued. 

Thus she decided not to sleep at all.

Now, it had been more than a week since she did not sleep.

The drugged effect of the herbal tea was helping but, it was a temporary solution. Her body was a vessel that provided energy to the shield that protected the Kingdom. If she is not in her best condition, then it can cause the Kingdom to fall. 

Even if she did not do anything all day, her body was still exhausted because of the energy travel.

As the medium that travels energy, it was a tiring thing for her body.

Day after another, those dreams kept reappearing.

"Have I got crazy? Has the goddess cursed me for watching such an unholy sight? I should repent myself from this sin!" She kept questioning herself again and again.

She wanted to punish those sinners, but it was difficult. How can she punish them if she can't even leave this room?

But even if she were to leave, she did not wish to punish them. Why? Was she out of her mind?

No… The reason was…

Her body jolted as she remembered the lustful face of that man and those women around him.

Those lust-deprived expressions, those eyes that carried the craziest affection for something, craving for that man's touch, losing their sanity, and so on.

Those images floated in the saintess's mind as she remembered that night.

She was envious of those women.

"Ughhh!" She pulled her beautiful hazel hair as those thoughts did not leave her mind.

Her already exhausted body and mental stress caused her to lose consciousness.

…

*chirp* *chirp*

"Mhmm…"

*chirp* *chirp*

"Eh? Where am I? Is this another dream?" The saintess was bewildered as she looked at the scenery in front of her.

"I-impossible! This must be a dream!" For the first time in a long time, she saw colors different than golden and white.

The glossy interior of her room had affected her sense of color. It was difficult to identify the objects except for the luxurious bed and furniture.

"A tree? Birds? Sky?... Is this the world outside?" She was overwhelmed as she looked at her surroundings.

This was a forest.

*Chirp* *Chirp*

Two colorful birds chirping around caught her attention. She was lost in the beauty in front of her.

Two colorful birds circled her. There were tall, green, and beautiful trees. Her azure eyes wandered and tried to capture as much as nature possible.

She had long forgotten the fresh smell of soil and the cool breeze. The artificial temperature of her room could never match this.

She felt like she was freed from the white and golden prison. Like a kid, she started wandering around the forest as those birds followed her along.

There were hundreds of flowers with different colors and shades dancing with the rhythm of the air.

The Saintess then heard the sound of flowing water and her heart skipped a beat. 

She ran towards the sound and the view in front of her calmed her soul. She went near the river flowing in the middle of the forest.

There were some slippery rocks covered in moss at the riverside.

It was wonderful, to say the least.

The Saintess even forgot the headaches she had from those dreams. Her heart melted as she saw a pair of deers drinking the water. Butterflies were circling the dears, dancing in the air.

She believed that this was the heaven described in the ancient scriptures. Sitting at the edge of the river, she forgot all her troubles. 

She gently touched the water with her hands. It was cold yet soothing.

Since the sun wasn't burning too high, the river water was cool as well. This was the first time that the saintess had such peace of mind.

Suddenly, a thought came to her mind.

She gently pulled her veil away and looked into the river and saw her face.

She had never seen her face since the day she entered the White prison.

Along with a little fear she had, she looked at her reflection.

…

A few minutes passed and she did not move.

She was Mesmerized.

This was the only word to describe her reaction.

She had Azure eyes that sparkled like gems.

Her rosy lips parted and her marvelous white teeth revealed themselves. Her cheeks had a shade of peach pink and a gentle smile. 

'Was I this beautiful?' She questioned herself.

She touched her face with sheer joy to make sure that the reflection was true. She wanted to think more but-

'Kraa~' 'Kraa~'

Suddenly, another thought came to her mind.

'What if she made a similar expression to those women?'

'Kraa~' 'Kraa~'

Her train of thought was broken as she heard the cry of a raven. Then she saw something that blew her mind. 

"Hm?"

She looked at the floating thing carefully and-

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She was horrified. Something red was floating in the river.

It was a headless body.

Her steps staggered as she left the riverside in hurry. She fell on her back because of the slippery rocks. Suddenly, the scenario changed. The entire forest started burning. The beautiful pair of deers she saw earlier, lay dead on the floor while arrows were stuck in their throats.

The wildfire spread through the forest.

The Saintess followed the two birds that had guided her earlier while crying in an emergency.

This alarmed her.

She did not know why, but she had a bad premonition and it came to reality.

As she ran through the forest, she saw two humans, one with similar robes to hers, and the other with jet-black hair.

Standing on top of a pile of dead bodies, the two spoke in contempt.

She did not know what happened but her eyes sank as she looked around. The man with Jet black hair held a woman by her throat and shouted something.

The woman's appearance was different than usual humans but her eyes were genuinely tired. She did not even struggle as the man kept punching in her guts.

Her face had lost color and she only looked at the two of them with sheer hatred.

Standing on the pile of dead bodies, the man with Jet black hair used more force and killed the woman and threw her away like trash.

Kicking some dead bodies aside, the man moved forward while the man in white robes followed.

The Saintess's body shook vigorously at this scene.

She did not know what was happening but she started hating the two males because of their actions.

Her mind felt dizzy as she saw them torturing some more humans. It wasn't long before she saw the pair torture a half-dead man.

The Saintess somehow felt that she knew this man. But she couldn't remember.

The pair then held the half-dead man who was already struck with some golden spears.

The Saintess then witnessed the willingness to live in the eyes of the man who was on the verge of death.

Her heart started beating loudly.

She suddenly remembered the man's face.

He was the same man who held an Ogry!

Suddenly, the Saintess saw the woman who was thrown earlier, mouthing some words before shedding her final tears.

'Save… him…' The Saintesse's heart sank even deeper.

"I don't know who you are and why you did that in the church of the goddess of Chastity… But I can't let  that woman's last prayer for your life let unheard, that's why-"

The Saintess put her hands in front of her, she knew that her actions might bring great demise for the Kingdom, yet she did what her heart told her to. And before the man pierced by a thousand golden spears died; she said:

"I wish your desire come true!"