A warm, sunny day—perfect for going out to play.
Priestess Emily, the church’s top priestess, wandered through a maze-like alley, accompanied by two heretic inquisitors.
“Where on earth is it? We’ve been spinning in circles for hours already!”
“Even if you ask us…”
After glaring for a moment at the useless human scratching the back of her neck as if embarrassed, Priestess Emily tore up the map she was holding.
The pitiful map was torn into small pieces and scattered on the floor.
This map, which prospective priest Lian had created while staying up all night, ended up in the mud after only five or six hand movements.
Emily put a c!garette in her mouth, chewed on it, spat it out, rolled up her sleeves, and began to assume odd positions. She placed her hand on her head and appeared to be exerting some force.
The useless duo had no idea what the priestess was doing. After staying like that for a moment, Emily opened her eyes. She wrapped divine power in her hands and destroyed the wall next to her. In an instant, the scenery changed, and the house next door disappeared like a mirage, revealing a narrow new alley.
The inquisitors clapped and asked, “Have you received a revelation from the Lord? How on earth did you see through it?”
“Did you just break it out of frustration?”
She glanced at the two pitiful sheep, then walked down the narrow path.
After getting such a look, the inquisitors silently followed her.
***
“Ah, I finally found it.” Emily lifted her finger and kicked down the front door of the small two-story building standing in the dark place.
“Excuse me!”
A neat-looking man hurried down the stairs from the second floor, probably after hearing the loud noise.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?”
“It’s your mother-in-law!” Emily spoke indifferently and then kicked the man in the stomach.
After passing the man, who clutched his stomach as he fell, she walked toward the second floor without hesitation. At the end of a dark hallway, illuminated only by faint candlelight, the door stood slightly open.
“I found it.”
After hours of struggling, Emily finally located her target. She straightened her clothes and, with a noble gait, gently opened the door and entered. The dark room had no sunlight at all, as all the windows were blocked by wooden boards.
A candle swayed precariously, and a sickly-looking woman, half-reclined on the bed, opened her mouth.
“Who… Who are you? Why did you suddenly…ah?”
Rather than being disgusted, Emily laughed at the sight, astounded by the woman’s stupidity. She dragged a chair next to the bed and sat down.
“My name is Emily, a faithful believer and a priestess of the Church of Telmere.”
“Oh, hello…” the woman said, lowering her head awkwardly. Though she looked thin due to illness, her beauty was striking, capable of making many men’s hearts tremble.
Emily continued, pulling out the water bottle she had brought. “It is none other than your husband who requested help from our denomination. He begged me to help you get better.”
“My husband…”
“That’s why I came. My specialty is making holy water.” Emily slightly shook the water bottle, and sacred energy gently spread from inside. She opened the lid and gently placed it in the woman’s hand.
“If you drink this, you will get better. You can stay with your husband in a bright place instead of a dark one like this.”
Hearing those words, the woman’s eyes shook. Emily, with her benevolent smile, just watched.
“How much does this cost?” the woman asked.
“In carrying out the will of the Lord, money is a trivial matter.”
The woman looked back and forth between Emily and the water bottle, then closed her eyes and drank some of the holy water.
“How are you feeling?”
“It feels a little warm inside… Ugh…”
“Now, do you remember who you are?”
“What are you talking about?”
The woman’s body suddenly ignited, and black smoke began to escape. A strange voice, indistinguishable as male or female, filled the room. The devil vomited blood, screamed, twisted its body, and rolled off the bed.
Emily merely stepped aside, avoiding it and watching. The devil desperately suppressed the black energy escaping its body and started to crawl.
“Ahhg… honey…it hurts…”
The voice was quite uncomfortable to listen to.
Emily clicked her tongue loudly and descended to the first floor.
The heretic who had committed the sin was already dead, his body burned.
“Ahhh…honey..nooo!”
The sound of the devil crying for her husband echoed through the house.
The inquisitors frowned and left, unable to bear the sound any longer.
Meanwhile, the devil’s hand crawled down the stairs and grabbed the burned hand of her heretic husband.
Emily created a large flame from her hand and set the entire house ablaze. She then stepped outside and watched the burning house for a moment.
Sometimes, among devils, there were fools who lost themselves in the memories of the humans they had devoured. Believing they were still human, they would crawl out under the sun, burn to death, or be dealt with by heretics who foolishly loved the vessels. It always ended this way.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Emily muttered. “When you see a scene like this, not only does it fail to inspire faith, but it can even make your original faith fade. Honestly, I wanted to turn a blind eye to them. Would Priest Brukin, the hero I admired, have saved them?”
“…Should I just go and ask?”
That day, Emily applied for a transfer from her church and left for Kente Village without looking back.
Later, when she asked Priest Brukin about it, he responded: “If she truly loved him, she would have accepted her demise as a devil, so don’t worry too much. Whether they a devil or not depends on how they react to this…”
‘It didn’t matter whether they were devils or humans…’ Emily thought after kicking Priest Brukin, who was drinking the holy water she had made to cure a hangover.
‘If you drink holy water as a toast, you’re a human. But if you drink it as poison, you’re a devil.’
***
Emily felt pain as if her hand was about to break.
Julius, with his striking blonde hair, held her hand as if he was going to crush it. And the cloudy eyes of Cecil, who sat next to her, gazed at him lovingly.
It didn’t feel good to do this, but even if it meant breaking her arm, she had to check it.
‘She is dangerous…’ Her instincts whispered to her, and her divine power, flowing from her hands, warmed her drink and began to emit flames.
“…Cecil is not feeling well and cannot drink much.”
Anyone could see that it was a lie. There was no way a woman, who looked so energetic, could be too weak to drink a few sips.
With that, Emily’s doubt soon turned into certainty.