The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 197: Hansel and Gretel (3)

Cardinal Benedictus of the Holy Council immediately objected.

"A saint? Cardinal Marcenus, what kind of nonsense is this?"

"It’s exactly as I said. With His Holiness gone, we need a pillar to restore balance. The Saint will bring order back to our chaotic Holy Kingdom."

With vampires running rampant and Antonius having disappeared, this was the perfect time to introduce Elise as the Saint. Naturally, resistance was expected.

"A saint? Do you really think it makes sense to set up a woman of unknown origin as the face of the Holy Kingdom, Cardinal Marcenus?"

"I understand your doubts. I had them myself at first. But once you witness her abilities, your opinions will change."

"Hah! To call some lowborn girl a saint—Cardinal Marcenus, has your thirst for power made you lose all reason? Ha!"

Despite the jeering, Marcenus remained unfazed and gestured to the doors. More figures entered.

"Grrrhhh...."

"A v-vampire?!"

It was unmistakably a vampire. It had been thoroughly restrained, unable to move a single finger. Its mouth was gagged to prevent it from closing, and its bloodlust had reached its limit, leaving its eyes bloodshot and frenzied.

"Bringing a turncoat into this sacred hall?! What is the meaning of this, Cardinal Marcenus?! Guards, kill that creature at once!"

Shiiing.

The Holy Knights reached for their swords, but a single glance from Marcenus made them freeze.

"What are you waiting for? Cut it down!"

"You are far too hasty. Just watch."

"What?"

At Marcenus’ signal, Elise stepped forward.

The vampire, crazed and on the verge of lunging, dripped thick saliva as it bared its grotesque fangs at her.

"Grrraahh!"

Elise gazed at it with pity.

"How much have you suffered? Your family turned their backs on you, and even God’s voice is now distant. I can see it clearly. Your fear, your trembling, your desperate fight against your own impulses."

"Ghhrr...."

"But you don’t need to worry anymore. I am here. I will save you."

Elise placed a gentle hand on the man’s pale cheek.

Her eyes shimmered.

The vampire’s convulsions stilled.

The madness in its eyes faded, its pupils regaining clarity. Instead of a guttural growl, words spilled from its lips.

"A...?"

"Are you feeling a little better now?"

"I... I can hear it... I can hear His voice...!"

"That’s a relief."

Elise smiled gently as the man wept in gratitude.

The council, which had been watching her with suspicion, shot to their feet in shock.

"Impossible! A vampire... regained his sanity?"

"This is unheard of...."

There were two types of vampires that had emerged in the Holy Kingdom.

Those who had once wielded divine power retained some resistance and could maintain their minds for a short period, but those without such strength lost their humanity immediately—

Just like this man.

They didn’t become people. They became monsters.

No cure had ever been found. Divine power was lethal to vampires; rather than heal them, blessings would «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» trigger purification, reducing them to ashes.

Yet Elise had restored this man’s mind—without even using any apparent miracle.

It was nothing short of a divine act.

"You’ve seen it for yourselves. With the Saint’s power, we can put an end to this chaos. Do you still doubt?"

"Don’t insult me, Cardinal Marcenus! Do you take me for a fool who would fall for such a cheap trick?"

Benedictus reached out and cast a burst of divine power at the man.

"AAAGH!"

Had he been an ordinary person, Benedictus’ divine light would have invigorated him. But not this man.

His flesh began to burn, sizzling as if exposed to open flames.

This was undeniable proof.

He was, without a doubt, a vampire.

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Elise stepped between them.

She pulled the man away and shielded him from the divine energy.

Her narrowed eyes bore into Benedictus with piercing sharpness.

"What exactly do you think you’re doing?"

"W-What? What did you just say?"

"This man is a citizen of the Holy Kingdom and a follower of our faith. He may be stained with blood now, but that does not give you the right to treat him as disposable."

"You dare lecture me, you wretched girl of unknown origin?!"

"We are all children of the Lord Ordo. A summary execution without divine judgment only disrupts the very order we claim to uphold."

"You...!"

The tension escalated until the other clergymen stepped in to calm things down.

"Let’s all remain composed, Cardinal Benedictus. Regardless of our personal feelings, saving a life is a praiseworthy act."

"Indeed. We were lost without a clear solution, but now we finally have a possible way forward. This is good news."

"Tch."

Had it been only Marcenus defending her, Benedictus would have continued his assault. But with the others siding with Elise, he could do nothing but begrudgingly sit back down.

Now that the situation had settled, all that remained was the overwhelming praise directed toward Elise—the woman who had stood her ground against a cardinal and protected a vampire.

"You called her a Saint, did you not? From what she just displayed, she is indeed worthy of that title. She has the spirit of a mother cradling her lost children."

"Agreed. If she is to be our Saint, the people will have faith once more. Cardinal Marcenus may be right—she may be the one to restore order to the Holy Kingdom."

"Haha, Cardinal Marcenus, where did you find such a remarkable talent? Your eye for people is truly exceptional."

"Hm."

Even as praises poured in, Elise showed no reaction.

She remained standing with her head slightly bowed, serene and composed.

The shadow cast over her face by her veil only deepened the air of mystique around her.

Every movement, every detail—

It was all according to plan.

****

Elise’s debut as the Saint proceeded without a hitch.

With Marcenus’ full support and the combined backing of those captivated by her display at the council, everything fell into place seamlessly.

Moreover, in times of chaos, swift decisions minimized damage.

—

The day of the Saint’s Inauguration Ceremony.

The people of the Holy Kingdom had gathered in one place.

A dense, overflowing crowd packed the great cathedral’s courtyard, the main streets, and the city square. There wasn’t even room to step. All of them had come to see the face of their new Saint.

"I heard she’s from a convent?"

"Hmph. But calling her a saint... Isn’t this a bit sudden?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, people are panicking over vampires, and yet the city feels like it’s in full festival mode. Does this even make sense?"

"You only know half the story. It’s because of the vampires that we need the Saint even more."

The tale of Elise’s "miracle" in the council chamber had spread across the Holy Kingdom in an instant—as if someone had deliberately fanned the flames.

A person had turned into a vampire, yet she did not cast them out. Instead, she embraced them like a mother. And beyond that—she cured them.

For citizens plagued by vampires, this was the first good news they had heard in a long time. Some even believed that, should they ever be turned into vampires themselves, the Saint would be able to save them.

Though it had yet to be formally declared, the people had already silently accepted Saint Elise.

"She is the one who will bring order to the world in the name of the Lord. So don’t be so skeptical. Wait, where did he go?"

The man glanced around.

The one he had been talking to had disappeared.

—

Karami had slipped through the crowd, weaving his way back to where Antonius was waiting.

"Their support is stronger than I expected."

"People always seek something to rely on. Especially in times of chaos. Marcenus knew exactly how to exploit that weakness."

"Hmm...."

Karami let out a hum, lost in thought.

"What’s the matter? Isn’t this the outcome you wanted?"

"It was, at first...."

Elise’s story was far more unpredictable than those of the other slaves.

Too many variables. Too many routes to consider.

Depending on the version, the path of vengeance changed—or in some cases, she didn’t pursue revenge at all.

Since this was the Hansel and Gretel version, vengeance was the likely route. But what unsettled him was her becoming a saint. That had never appeared in any version before.

"Though, to be fair, there were anomalies from the start...."

Originally, he was supposed to form a contract with Elise, followed by a sequence where she obtained a sacred relic to gain entry into the Holy Kingdom.

This time, Lucas had been present, allowing her to bypass that entirely.

It wasn’t an issue—those items were only ever meant to be a pass into the Holy Kingdom. What mattered more was that Lucas was famous here, making Elise stand out even further.

"And then there’s the Reaper’s Church."

Their sudden appearance had thrown the already unstable Holy Kingdom into even greater turmoil.

Mirabel had already slaughtered clergy members in the name of the Reaper. And now, with both the Slave Reaper and the Reaper’s Church making moves, the so-called "heretic factions" had begun stirring.

Was that why the Saint had been introduced so suddenly?

To make matters worse, Elise herself seemed to be plotting something.

Too many moving pieces.

—

"Ooh! She’s coming out!"

At the crowd’s shout, Karami turned his head.

The great cathedral’s balcony doors slowly swung open.

Flanked by Holy Knights, priests, and nuns, Elise stepped forward.

Draped in sacred garments, adorned with makeup, she was the very picture of a divine figure. It was almost unbelievable that, just days ago, she had been a scheming vampire.

One hell of a promotion.

"You owe me for this."

Not that he had planned it.

Elise took a slow look around the square before parting her lips.

"Faithful believers of Kassilon."

A single sentence—yet it resounded.

The immense crowd fell silent all at once.

The rattling of carriage wheels, the shouts of merchants, the chatter of children—everything stopped.

Only Elise’s voice echoed through the square.

"My name is Elise. Today, I stand before you as the Saint of the Order of Balance."

Elise cast her gaze over the gathered masses.

Countless eyes stared up at her—some filled with anticipation, some with awe, others with fear and doubt.

"I am not as grand as you may think."

She placed a hand over her chest.

"I am merely a tool of God. Alone, I am nothing but a weak and fragile woman."

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

Yet her expression remained firm.

"I do not hear the voice of God. I do not perform miracles. I cannot erase your suffering in an instant. Even as I stand here, called a saint, I am no different from any of you."

Elise was clever.

From the moment she put on a performance at the slave auction.

She had learned to survive.

She was a natural at reading human psychology.

"I, too, live with fear. When night falls, I tremble. I pray for the arrival of daylight. I endure, hoping that this nightmare will one day end."

The image Elise sought to plant in their minds was not that of an exalted, untouchable deity.

No—she needed to be familiar, warm, motherly.

If they saw her as akin to a god, she would be no different from the distant heavens.

But if they saw themselves reflected in her—

That would work far better.

"I am no different from you.

But together, we can create miracles.

I will not stand above you, but beside you, walking forward together."

Elise extended her hand toward the crowd below.

As if to embrace each and every one of them.

"So, will you walk with me?"

For a moment, there was silence.

Then the silence turned into a tidal wave that shook the cathedral to its foundations.

"Long live the Saint!"

"May Ordo’s blessing be upon you!"

"Order eternal!"

Elise let out a quiet sigh, gazing up at the sky.

"Are you watching?"

All these believers—

Now, they belonged to her.

She couldn’t hold back the smile creeping across her lips.