Chapter 157 – Clea’s Secret 7
“…This is the operating policy of our Radia branch going forward. Do you have any questions?”
A few days ago, Ladia Church.
The priests and nuns who had managerial-level careers in Ladia Church gathered in the meeting room and became the new leader of Ladia Church. She was listening to Clea.
No one in the Ladia branch except Paul thought that Clea would really become a saint…
When she saw Clea in a splendid saintly dress in front of her eyes with the letter of appointment stamped with the Pope’s seal, she couldn’t help but believe it.
In addition, the fact that Bishop Paul, who worked so hard to make her Clea her saint, was actually a criminal who tried to use her Clea to pursue her personal interests.
It must have been enough to shock the clergy gathered in the meeting room.
It was a means of communication that cost a considerable amount of money just to use, and the lord, who received the information directly from the king, even proved it… There would be no doubt about that fact.
But more surprising than anything else… It’s only been a little over a month, but Clea feels like she’s become a different person.
Feeling oppressed by that mysterious atmosphere, the gathered priests and nuns were enveloped in an indescribable sense of incongruity.
“…Clea…Saintess. Are you really going on like this…?”
“Yeah. Okay. Master Thomas. Do you have any problem?”
In the midst of such a sense of incongruity… A priest looked at the paper on which the future management policy was written, then carefully raised his hand and asked Clea.
I couldn’t help but ask. The management policy that he could see in his own eyes was quite strange.
In the case of male priests, only tasks that everyone would be reluctant to be dispatched to were assigned.
There was always dispatch work to support monsters and monsters, but even so, both men and women were assigned according to their abilities and duties.
Now, along with the dispatch work, the arduous tasks were mainly handed over to the male priests.
Perhaps, at this rate, male priests seem to be assigned only tasks that will leave them little time to spend inside the church… What about female nuns?
In addition to the Mass progress, most of the tasks that can be carried out within the church are designated.
In addition to that, isn’t it a somewhat unsatisfying distribution of duties for priests, where all the heavy responsibilities related to internal church operations, corresponding to ‘management’, are left only to the nuns?
It was also strange that Sister Angela, who was barely in her late thirties, was assigned as the supervisor for such nuns.
It’s a strange assignment, as if after giving power to the nuns, a nun who was close to her was put in charge of her…
“There is nothing strange about it. Priest Thomas.”
As if to dispel the priest’s doubts, Clea shook her head as she spoke in a firm voice to the priest Thomas who had asked the question.
“As I said, the threat from Hero Eaters will only increase in the future. Men stand up and face the threat, and women guard the inside. Nothing strange at all, right?”
“Oh no, that’s…”
“Oh? Could it be that Father Thomas wants the female nuns to be in danger?”
“Oh no! It can’t be!”
Due to abilities such as skills and magic, there is almost no difference in abilities between men and women.
But nonetheless, women who get pregnant and men who don’t. Outdated values created by such physical differences were bound to exist.
When he pushed him with such values, Priest Thomas, who did not want to be labeled a man who endangered women, could not speak further.
No matter how familiar they may be, how could they put up with it when the saintess, who is second in power to the pope in the Goddess Church, says so?
At least, in terms of position, the only comfort was that the male priests had a moderately high position.
“…But why would the saintess not announce her appointment as a saintess?”
Amidst the disgruntled looks of the men, a nun raises her hand and asks Clea.
The hometown of Clea, which was turned into a village by monsters. A nun who came over from there with her and took care of her Clea in a friendly manner like her sister. It was Angela’s question.
“It’s not that I won’t inform you, I’m going to inform you after I’ve had a little time.”
“Because I don’t understand that. A saintess came out of Ladia Church, and since she is active in Ladia, not the royal capital, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have a festival…”
Was being a saint a normal job title? Even if it was not a saint, but a bishop below her level, a welcome ceremony was held during the Mass.
However, Clea, wanting not to inform the outside world of her appointment yet, told her not to inform the church and the lord about herself.
It was a question everyone had, a question that would come naturally.
“As I said, I’m going to focus on my activities as an adventurer rather than my church life. I want to finish the preparations and announce it before drawing people’s attention.”
“Is that so… If she reveals that she is a saint, there will be many people who will help with the preparation…”
“Anyway, because of my work in the capital, it’s hard to trust outsiders. I’m sorry for taking care of you. Sister Angela.”
“No. Saint Clea.”
It was because of these things that the clergy didn’t say much about the somewhat forced assignments and policies, and the atmosphere of Clea, where something had changed.
What happened in the royal capital that I heard about… A confused situation where I was kidnapped, my life was threatened, and even a hero eater appeared.
Having gone through such things, it must have been understandable to some extent that Clea, who had become a saint, felt as if her person had changed.
A saint to be proud of appeared, and her priests and nuns let out a sigh as they felt a bit disappointed.
“So, when will the announcement be…?”
“It has not been confirmed yet. First of all, we need to listen to Sema-sama’s opinion.”
Sema… The name of that divine beast was already known to everyone in Radia.
The Shinsoo who came to Radia to become an adventurer, and can now be said to be a specialty of Radia.
Although he can communicate and has a fairly gentlemanly attitude, he is a terrifying newcomer who still has nuns who are afraid of his ferocious appearance among nuns…
The sight of Clea smiling and using honorific titles towards such a divine beast was something that the clergy gathered in her meeting room could never get used to.
“…Really, that Semara and the divine beast…”
“Sema To. Make sure you don’t forget her honorific. Thomas Priest. This is the policy of the Church of Ladia, which I command as a saint.”
Excessive treatment. However, no one can object to it.
It wasn’t just because Clea held the position of a saint.
It is said that the divine beast who went to the royal capital with Clea because he needed someone to trust played a big role in saving Clea and becoming a saint.
Perhaps because of that, she trusted him too much… Clea, who even said that he was her savior, sent by the Goddess to stop the approaching threat.
Since the divine beast was even given the title of guardian of the saint, it became difficult to treat the divine beast as a mere outsider.
“…Yeah. Are you really… Are you going to do adventure activities with Sema-sama? Even if you just support me…”
“Didn’t I tell you already? Priest Thomas.”
As Clea takes off the glove of her saintly robe, she reveals the pattern engraved on the back of her right hand.
A pattern of an unusual shape, unknown what the priests gathered in the conference room represented.
The pattern with the number 2 engraved on it is the guild that the god made.
It was the crest of the guild member, indicating that he belonged to the beast paradise.
“I am already a member of his guild. It is only natural for a saintess to offer her help to Sema who is trying to counter the threat of Essentia. It is the most important thing to me as a saint, so I hope you all keep in mind.”
“…All right.”
The look of Clea, with pride in her voice and strangely creepy expression in her closed eyes.
At the sight of it, Thomas, who had made a somewhat wobbly sound, felt an unknown fear and shrank his body.
“Still… After announcing that you have become a saint, I would like you to participate in leading masses on the weekends… But wouldn’t it be a bit strange if you couldn’t see her at Mass when she was in Ladia?”
“… Let’s consider it. There may be times when you may not be able to participate depending on the situation.”
As if he had just saved this, Thomas let out a sigh of relief.
Such a strange meeting continued, and when it came to an end before I knew it, Clea looked around and said,
“Then, today’s meeting ends here. I have a separate instruction for Sister Angela, so please let her stay with Sister Angela.”
The people left, leaving only Angela and Clea in the conference room, looking at each other.
“Saint Clea. What…?”
“Since it’s just the two of us, it’s okay to talk comfortably. Sister Angela.”
Clea’s expression softens, and at the same time, the strange atmosphere in her conference room diminishes a bit.
Feeling a bit like Clea before she became a saint, Angela spoke to Clea with a somewhat comfortable feeling.
“Clea. What’s the matter?”
“I have a job for her sister. Now, it’s like the representative next to me in the Church of Ladia.”
Looking at Clea, who was frowningly tying her saintly dress, Angela smiled somewhat bitterly.
“Speaking of which…Why did she designate me as her nun representative? There are many other nuns out there… Even looking at the job distribution, this is too much for me…”
“They are too old. My sister was the only one who wasn’t too old and had a decent career.”
As she loosened the neck of her nun’s uniform, Clea smiled at Angela…A strange smile as if biting her lips.
“There’s a decent look…”
“Yes? What?”
“It’s nothing.”
For a moment, Angela felt a strange sense of incongruity in Clea’s expression.
It was only for a moment, but Clea had a strange feeling as if she was watching her prey.
She returns to her normal smile, but somehow she feels a sense of incongruity, as if the Clea in front of her has become a different person.
“Because the Ladia Church has to change in the future. That’s what gave her sister so much power.”
“But…”
“Ruler. These are the things a sister like that should do. I have permission, so don’t worry and proceed.”
To Angela, Clea took out a piece of paper from her something and handed it to her.
Angela looked at Clea with her eyes wide open.
“…First of all, I understand that Bishop Paul’s room is being tidied up… But isn’t this excessive? It’s almost like a new build…”
“I don’t want to see any trace of him. Please understand, sister.”
That itself is understandable, but that is not the only thing written.
Furniture spells of a strange scale, hard to believe were used by priests.
She may need formality as a saint, but these large sizes are a bit excessive for Clea to wear…
“As much as I will be doing adventure activities, when I come to church, Sema will usually come with me. It’s about creating an environment where he can relax.”
“Then make multiple beds…”
“No. Please do as it is written there.”
A thought flashed through her head at Clea’s demeanor… But Angela shook her head and dismissed the thought.
No, she was a saint, Clea, but wasn’t that thought too blasphemous?
It seems that Paul was something different from what he thought, but Clea, who had a lover once…
With that Shinsoo… That kind of relationship, that kind of thought…
“…So, these things written outside the room… These are…”
With her thoughts in her own head, Angela looked at her paper again, unable to ask any further.
It’s hard to understand something, strange contents that I don’t know why the hell they direct these things.
Asking them back, Clea looked up at Angela with her smile and said,
“…Don’t worry. Sister Angela.”
Once again, with Angela’s creepy smile that feels out of place…
“All of that is for the Ladia Church to be reborn.”
As if to reassure Angela, Clea says she’s no big deal.
After asking a few questions, Angela accepted Clea’s instructions with some doubts remaining.
As Angela greets Clea, she opens the door and steps out of the conference room.
“To be reborn as the Church of the Beast, serving the Master…♡”
Clea’s sincerity, whispered quietly, was not heard by Angela.
