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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: I'll Be Trash From Today On
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I tried to recall the god's widely known achievements.
He hunted the snake that threw the world into chaos.
He protects the empire.
And according to my sister, he was asleep, conserving his power, and wasn't expected to wake for several years.
“…Kivrin, I don't know much about the god, but are there any other famous stories besides him hunting the snake and protecting the empire?”
“Not really, no.”
What is this! At this rate, my sister could practically go toe-to-toe with him!
My gaze trembled.
“Even if the god favored my sister, he wouldn't have poured so much power into her that she could rival him, right? Th-th-then that means it really isn't divine power.”
What was the god thinking, making my sister a saintess?
Did he covet her because she was an exceptional talent?
My sister, for her part, never once doubted that her power came from the god.
She was also afraid that the god would take that power back.
If all of this was the god's intention, then she had been thoroughly deceived.
—There were always complaints within the Temple about how unfair it was that the Saintess, with her absurdly low faith, was gifted with divine power that would go down in history. You think the Pope wouldn't have had similar thoughts?
I recalled Menelik's words.
But even if this came to light, it was more likely that people would blame my sister than the god.
My sister had enjoyed many special privileges over the years.
Not only did she skip all the procedures required before entering the Temple, but she also accepted money to heal nobles.
Just as Viscount Rose had said, it was painfully obvious that a backlash would erupt, claiming the “fake saintess” had tarnished the Temple's name.
“Wh-what do I do? Isn't my sister in big trouble?”
But Kivrin and Viscount Rose were both calm.
Kivrin's attitude suggested he was just letting me know, while Viscount Rose seemed to have already lost interest.
Viscount Rose tossed out casually, devoid of any tension.
“Why would it be a big deal when you're here?”
Huh? Me?
“You want things to go well for the Saintess, don't you? Since she's reflecting on her actions and all. For a saintess, she chose the right side at the right time.”
Dumbfounded, my mouth fell into a pointed frown.
“How much help could I possibly be to my sister just by wishing her well?”
Using Del's supernatural ability might change things, but it wasn't something I could control.
Viscount Rose's eyebrow twitched as if to ask, *You really don't get it?*
“Even though that woman might not be a saintess, you still call her 'sister,' don't you? And you'll keep doing so.”
“Huh? Well, of course I do. She's my sister.”
I tilted my head.
Viscount Rose shooed away the birds that had approached Kivrin and were now peeking his way as a bonus, and asked.
“Do you think your parents feel the same way?”
“…”
Viscount Rose glanced at me, now rendered speechless.
“Considering what they did to you, you'd be lucky if they don't join hands with the Pope, claiming they were deceived too.”
The problem was that this hypothetical scenario was highly likely to come true.
Frustrated, I took off my hat and let the wind cool my head.
The thought that my sister, who had always looked down on me, might not be a saintess and could fall to the same level as me brought me no pleasure.
Far from feeling relieved, my irritation only soared toward the Mayol family, who wouldn't hesitate to abandon both their children if things went south.
My parents are the absolute worst!
I still haven't given up on my dream of being a terrible child!
Viscount Rose stroked my hair, as if to calm my disgruntled expression.
“Has she been called 'Muria' more, or 'Saintess' more? Even if her title disappears, her ability will remain, but she'll have nothing else. Except you. Even if she luckily makes it through the Votive Festival, she'll suffer quite a bit when she learns the truth.”
It was nothing short of a predestined path of thorns.
First, I relayed what Viscount Rose had shown me and what Kivrin had told me to Menelik.
It seemed Menelik had also vaguely guessed the truth the moment he heard that my sister's weakness was the second moon, which had nothing to do with the god.
He muttered as if trying to brainwash himself.
“I don't care either way. That's how I avoid being a rotten adult.”
“…”
Menelik was desperate, purely because he didn't want to be scolded by Winter or despised by Kivrin.
“In any case, the sooner the Saintess knows, the better. The Grand Temple has become quite closed off since I started stirring things up. Thanks to that, Zenon has become quite useful.”
I recalled the young priest who had been the only one to show me kindness among those who accompanied us to the Grand Temple.
“Is Zenon helping you, Father?”
“Not yet. Though he'll likely become useless soon.”
That line made you sound like a major villain, Father…
I also agreed that my sister needed to know.
However, my sister, who was supposed to bring the blueprints, didn't arrive even as the night deepened.
“My sister is late. Do you think something happened?”
I pressed my nose against the window and looked out past the ducal manor.
My parents-in-law even gathered evidence because they thought my sister wouldn't believe it.
As a bonus, I also learned about the money the Pope had embezzled using my sister as an excuse.
I was already annoyed by his wicked scheme to frame Del for the ecosystem-destroying magic circle, but the Pope was committing all sorts of corruption behind the scenes.
If the novel hadn't been discontinued, the Pope's true face would have been exposed, right? I believe it would have, dear author!
After some discussion, it was decided that Viscount Rose would fill the holy relics with power, and Kivrin would handle the plant that supposedly only grows with divine power.
He said that if he made the flower bloom with his ability, no one would faint from smelling its fragrance.
With Menelik's arm also on the line, and with Winter's permission to make my sister properly indebted to us, everything was set to proceed smoothly as soon as she arrived.
Surely she didn't forget she was supposed to come and fall asleep, right?
It was a reasonable suspicion, given how carefree my sister had been yesterday.
The clouds parted, revealing the second moon to the world.
Even though the moon had no effect on me, I flinched at the unfamiliar sight.
Kivrin, who was listening intently beside me, spoke.
“Sh-she came close by, but I think she's trying to g-go back.”
Why?!
“I'll go check.”
I picked up a lantern.
Menelik, who had been waiting for my sister with us, said in a languid voice.
“If you're not back in ten minutes, I'm coming to get you.”
“Haha, isn't ten minutes a little short?”
“You have nine minutes and fifty-three seconds left.”
Aack! Not wanting to waste a single second, I shot out of the room.
Thanks to Kivrin and Menelik, who would be listening the whole time, the dusky world outside didn't feel scary at all.
Kivrin said it was around here.
I illuminated the path with my lantern.
My sister was sitting in a corner, curled into a ball.
“S-sister? What are you doing here?”
If I hadn't known it was her, I might have mistaken her for a ghost and had a heart attack.
Without lifting her head, my sister asked in a small voice.
“Hey, what if—just what if—I'm not qualified to be the Saintess? What would you do?”
I blinked.
Huh?
“Did you find out your power isn't divine?”
My sister's head snapped up.
“Yes! I don't know the exact details yet, but they say the power I have might not be divine power! I'm so screwed!”
I wouldn't have put it that way!
I crouched down next to my sister.
As she felt my warmth, the words began to tumble out of her.
“After what you said last night, I had a bad feeling, so I tailed the old man all day today. And guess what? He was planning to announce that I can't use my powers when the second moon is out.”
“…”
“Priests under his command have already started spreading rumors. You know what they're saying? That I'm a liar. That I tricked the old man by claiming I'd met the god and became the Saintess. So now, they have to thoroughly verify whether my power is truly divine and make sure I'm punished.”
My sister choked up.
“That's insane! I'm the one who's been wronged! He's the one who barged in when I was just a baby and claimed I had received the god's blessing! I only met the god *after* that!”
My sister's voice grew louder and louder.
I set the lantern down and patted her arm.
“I believe every word you're saying.”
My sister's lips trembled.
“…R-really? No, right? You're lying, aren't you?”
“It's true.”
For a god, he's got way too much dirt on him, doesn't he?
He used the Pope to dictate her future, claiming she had to devote herself to the Temple the moment she was born, and then he lied, passing off her innate power as a divine gift from him.
If she hadn't been trapped in the framework of the Temple, she could have met a good teacher and become even more accomplished than she is now.
Ugh, maybe she would have bullied me less, too.
The moment I had that thought, my sister sniffled beside me.
This was the sister who had never once shed a tear in the novel.
Figuring she must feel incredibly wronged by this whole affair, I did my best to console her.
“Sister, there, there.”
“I… I can't!”
Finally, my sister burst into tears and cried out.
“If I'm not the Saintess, my life is over! I have nothing! I'm a failure, a—mmph!”
What do you mean, you have nothing?
I covered my sister's mouth before she could belittle herself further.
“If you want, I'll help you continue on as the Saintess. I'll help you fill the holy relics with power and make the branches that react to divine power grow. And I'll make sure you don't get kidnapped. The second moon will disappear by the end of the Votive Festival, right? You can get your revenge on the Pope then.”
“…”
“In return, you have to help my parents-in-law…”
I was about to ask her to take care of my father-in-law's arm and my mother-in-law's future when she suddenly threw her arms around me.
“Hic, thank you! To an angelic little sister like you… sob… I treated you like dirt. I'm trash! I'll be trash from today on!”
Why are you suddenly talking like my father-in-law?
