Ch#90
In the end, Gabriel covered the paper and began explaining orally. Why didn't he just do that from the start?
“The owner of the body Lady Yeremia is currently using is a knight named Azazel Astaroth. Everyone thinks he's a holy knight, but Sir Azazel is actually Bishop Marik's personal guard.”
Isn't Bishop Marik's knight basically a holy knight? The clothes Yeremia was wearing now and Gabriel's outfit were both pure white and looked quite similar.
“What's the difference?”
“To officially join the Temple's holy knights, one must undergo a ritual.”
To even be recognized as a member of the Temple in the first place, whether priest or holy knight, everyone has to go through a baptismal rite.
“Baptismal rite?”
Gabriel explained that the baptismal rite involves wounding oneself with a holy sword and pouring holy water over it to heal, proving one has received Rachel's blessing. The more one is loved by God, the faster the wound heals—meaning the holy water works better. Those with strong recovery abilities catch the eye of superiors and rise quickly.
“Some exploit this for their own gain.”
Since it's self-inflicted with a holy sword, it's easy to cheat. They prepare blood in advance and splash it at the right timing to make it look like they've suffered a much worse wound than they actually have.
In reality, the wound is shallow, so it heals quickly with holy water, allowing them to appear more capable than they are.
But how does he know so much about this? Did Gabriel cheat for quick promotion too...? Is he not just the male lead and knight commander by merit, but got the position through such corruption? No way. The male lead wouldn't do that. I trust my Gabriel.
I decided to focus on Azazel instead of Gabriel.
“Azazel...”
“Yes. He didn't undergo the ritual. It would be problematic if holy water touched him, so he deliberately avoided it. He wears clothes as similar as possible to those of a holy knight, and since he's known as Bishop Marik's close aide, everyone naturally mistakes him for one.”
So Azazel has a cursed body too? He couldn't participate in the baptism because holy water doesn't affect him. Wait a minute. Bishop Marik didn't give Rider holy water, but used someone in a similar situation like Azazel as her close aide? Total hypocrisy. Mrs. Toten would be furious if she heard.
And Azazel doesn't respond to holy water either—what's with all these curses? Gods handing them out like candy. Merciful and equal Sun God, my foot.
Well... Gods in romance fantasies aren't exactly equal anyway. The Temple favors nobles, discriminates by class, chases money, and neglects the poor's welfare. And with the mastermind being Bishop Marik, that's proof of the Temple's corruption.
But exposing this won't damage Bishop Marik's image much, will it?
“If Bishop Marik's knight is exposed for wrongdoing, won't it tarnish her reputation?”
Perhaps thinking the same, Yeremia's eyes widened as she asked. Seeing her make cute gestures in Azazel's body with that low voice was jarring. It'll take a while to get used to...
Gabriel shook his head.
“Unfortunately, it won't be a big blow to Bishop Marik.”
“Pardon? Why not?”
“Do you know how Bishop Marik gained her current prestige?”
“I heard it's because she's
