Chapter 268: Saintess

There was a village that had been trampled by barbarian plunderers. In the grand scheme of things, it was nothing. Nobody really cared much about that village being wiped out.

Who would care about a small farmhouse burning down when the world was in an era where entire nations and cities were falling? The plunderers who were clad in animal skins and wielding axes had even defeated the mighty imperial army.

The girl looked at her burning house. Her father, who had fought against the barbarians with a pitchfork, was impaled on a wall and burned alive. Her mother was violated by the barbarians in the barn.

“Oh, Lou!”

Someone cried out the name of the god, though there was no answer.

‘Why, just why?’

The girl trembled as she hid inside a dirty wooden barrel.

“Please, please, please.”

She prayed to Lou over and over, asking him to end this hellish moment.

Clunk, clunk.

The sound of metal footsteps approached.

The girl's breathing became rough, and she couldn’t stop the panting no matter how hard she tried.

‘They’ll find me at this rate.’

Even though she knew this, her breathing only grew louder. It felt like her heart would burst out of her chest.

Creak.

Someone opened the lid of the barrel. The girl looked up with her eyes widened. She couldn’t see his face very well because of the burning village in the background, but judging by his build and smell, he was undoubtedly a barbarian.

‘I’m finished.’

She could see the inevitable, horrifying future. The girl despaired.

“...If you can't quiet down your breathing, at least bite your hand to silence yourself,” the barbarian man said and then closed the barrel.

“Mm, mmph.”

The girl bit the back of her hand as she was told by the barbarian. But despite her effort, the barrel still trembled slightly. She could only resent her own breathing that kept making her shudder.

The night of plundering passed. The girl managed to spend the night undetected by the barbarians. The silent morning air brushed past her, sending a chill down her spine.

Creak.

The girl opened the lid and got out of the barrel.

“Oh, Lou...”

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

That was all she could mumble as she touched her sun necklace. She was supposed to marry the blacksmith's son from the neighboring village next spring.

Only embers flickered in the desolate ruins. As the girl walked through them, her body, which was beginning to mature, shone with beauty in stark contrast to the ruins.

“Dad.”

No more tears came out of her eyes; perhaps because she had cried so much last night. She looked at the half-collapsed house. Her father had burned to death with his limbs nailed to the wall.

When the girl entered the barn, she collapsed and vomited. There was a corpse that had been torn to pieces. It wasn't until she saw its head hanging like an ornament at the back of the barn that she realized it was her mother.

“Ughhh, ugh.”

Dry sobs came out.

“...You should have taken me as well,” the girl said as she looked up as if she was resenting the sun that was rising on the horizon.

A girl who had not yet become an adult lost her parents. She knew that surviving would be a challenge. There was no hope to be found in a place where everything had burned down.

There was nothing left in the farm village that had been completely swept through by the barbarians. The girl, who had lost even the will to live, sat blankly on the charred bed, staring in the direction the barbarians had disappeared.

The collapsed wall could not keep the wind out, and the night dew soaked her body. It didn’t take too many days until her body became weak, almost on the cusp of death.

“My child.”

The girl opened her heavy eyes. She shivered so much she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not.

“Priest?”

The first thing she saw was a cloak with a sun engraving. A Sun priest, with a soft beard like winter snow, was looking at her.

“Ohh, Lou...! You did not take this child. Thank you, Lou!”

A priest who was on a pilgrimage took the girl in. He thought meeting this girl was Lou's will. She was a girl who survived the plundering of barbarians who were known to turn everything into ruins.

“Why does Lou not help us even when the barbarians invade our land?” The girl asked as she traveled with the priest.

She had recovered a lot under the priest's care. Her withered body had regained flesh, and her eyes sparkled with intelligence.

“Some say that these men are Lou’s punishment for the corrupted people.”

“That can't be true. How could Lou...” the girl mumbled, looking at the campfire.

“The sun and light give us hope and life, but just like this fire, we can get hurt if we get too close to it. Arrogance is a great sin,” the priest replied with his eyes half-closed.

The girl, who had mentally recovered, slowly recounted what had happened in the village. The burning village, her father who was burned alive, and even her mother who was torn apart after being violated by the barbarians. The girl’s hands trembled as she spoke.

“Did you see who the man who saved you was?”

“I couldn't see his face. I only remember that he was a barbarian.”

“Lou must have appeared before you as a barbarian warrior. He showed you mercy.”

“But he let all the villagers die.”

“In time, you and I will both understand Lou’s will.”

The priest entrusted the girl to the Sun Temple in a relatively large city.

"Please take me with you..."

The girl whimpered, looking at the departing priest. The priest smiled faintly and shook his head.

"The principal here will find you a suitable home where you can live a good life. Your life was saved by Lou, so cherish it."

Being in a city, the temple was large. Over a hundred believers came and went each day. The girl was at an age that made it difficult for her to stay in the temple. Her mature body was very tempting to the young priests.

"We've found someone to take care of you," the principal with a half-bald head said as he called the girl. It had not even been a week since the girl arrived at the temple.

The place where the principal and the girl arrived was a farm quite far from the city. The farmer, whose teeth were stained black at the edges, grinned as he looked at the principal and the girl.

"Is this the child? What about her parents?"

"She has no relatives. This is your home now, child."

The girl flinched and looked at the farmer and the principal. She looked at the sky over their shoulders. A piece of cloud was covering the sun.

"Well then, let's head inside, Principal."

The farmer opened the barn door. The principal cleared his throat and grabbed the girl's hand.

The girl grew anxious and tried to shake off the principal's hand, but she could not overcome the strength of a grown man.

"You bitch!"

The principal slapped the girl and practically threw her into the barn.

"I'll educate her properly later, so please don’t be too rough on her. Now, please have enjoy," the farmer said before closing the barn door.

Creak, thud.

The door closed. Inside the darkened barn, only the man blinded by lust exhaled heavily.

"Ah, ahh."

The girl looked at the ceiling with blurred eyes. Only her body moved rhythmically. Her groin felt unpleasant and moist.

‘This is what the priest meant. Corrupt people....’

A hollow laugh escaped the girl's lips.

"You’re enjoying this already? You wicked girl! I'm trying to help you not get corrupted by lust! Instead of fearing sin, you're letting your laugh leak out!"

The principal strangled the girl as he poured out his twisted sexual desires.

"Enjoying sex is a sin! You shall know the terror of lust! Fear it! Fear it!"

The world was corrupt. Even the priests, who were supposed to be the most noble of all men, were blinded by lust and wielded violence against the weak.

‘It's no wonder Lou brought divine retribution.’

The girl looked at the ceiling of the barn. The roof was full of holes as if it would leak in the rain. As the single piece of cloud that covered the sun cleared, a ray of light seeped in.

‘Light?’

The light shone on a pile of hay. Something glinted. The girl didn't think this was mere coincidence.

‘Oh, Lou, are you saving me?’

A sharp piece of metal was waiting for the girl's hand. She felt no hatred or anger; there was only a sense of mission and religious reverence filling her heart.

"If this is your will..." The girl murmured. She reached for the pile of hay.

An iron stake fell into her hands.

Schluck!

The stake plunged deep into the principal's neck.

"K-kugh."

The principal gushed blood and collapsed on the spot. His grotesque body that had never seen a minute of hard labor rippled.

"Everything is Lou's will..." The girl said, looking at the dying principal. She pressed the stake harder, pushing it further in.

"Guuuuuugh."

The principal convulsed and fell. The girl closed the principal's open eyes.

Flap.

The girl picked up the principal’s coat from the ground and draped it over her shoulders. The coat, adorned with sun emblems, didn't fit her and dragged on the ground. She walked out of the barn with the stake still in her hand.

"H-h-huhhh?"

The farmer, who was chopping wood, looked at the girl in shock. He didn't know what to do.

‘The principal?’

The principal of the Sun Temple was found dead in the barn. How could he possibly explain this? If the lord and the guards found out, they would undoubtedly question the farmer.

"Bring a donkey and a week's worth of food."

The girl’s voice carried confidence as she straightened her shoulders. The farmer, bewildered by her audacious request, only stared at the girl.

"Y-you bitch!"

The farmer grabbed an axe and strode toward her.

"Bury the body that’s in the barn and pray to Lou. You shall be forgiven if you confess the sin you’ve committed today."

The girl's pupils were strange. Her eyes were unfocused, making it look like she wasn't looking at the person in front of her.

"Who the hell do you think you are, talking about forgiveness! Get in the barn now! Damn wretch! I'll sell you off as a slave!" The farmer shouted once more.

"You will regret this."

The girl quietly closed her eyes and prayed. The farmer approached closer.

Thwack!

An arrow protruded from the farmer's chest. Hot blood splattered on the girl's face.

"G-gugh, geugh."

The farmer turned around and fell in despair. Several of the lord's soldiers were already on their way.

‘That idiot principal, he ended up getting caught.’

The principal had donned the guise of a priest to get away with all sorts of ungodly deeds.

As the farmer collapsed forward, he rolled his eyes toward the sun.

"Oh, Lou... Please forgive me and take my soul," the farmer mumbled as he gasped for his last breaths.

The girl opened her eyes. Her eyes seemed like they were not looking at reality. They were always unfocused as if she was gazing into the distance.

"Thank you for hearing my prayer."

The girl unclasped her hands as she looked at the farmer.

‘Did Lou really answer this girl's prayer?’

The farmer looked up at the girl with his face full of disbelief.

The soldiers searched the farmhouse and found the principal's body. They then questioned the girl.

"What is your name?!" The guard captain shouted, pulling hard on the reins of his horse.

The girl replied without a hint of fear in her voice as if she was possessed by something.

"My name is Basha."

Basha was practically dragged over to the lord.

The lord of the city had been eyeing the principal for some time. The principal had amassed wealth through corrupt means and even occasionally committed crimes. The lord had intended to raid and arrest him, but the principal was already killed by the girl's hand.

"Lou saved me. He didn't want me to die at the hands of corrupt people," Basha murmured.

She wore the principal's sun cloak and smiled faintly. There was something eerie yet reverent about her.

‘Who is this girl...’

The lord couldn't easily decide what to do with Basha. The story that she told was far from ordinary.

‘She survived a barbarian plundering, was helped by a Sun priest, but then was handed over to a corrupted priest...’

The lord pondered. Basha looked at him as she sipped warm honey water.

"A light came down. It was as if that light was telling me to deliver the divine punishment on His behalf. When I reached out my hand, there was a stake."

And there the stake was as evidence. It was stained with the blood of the corrupt principal.

The girl had protected herself from the principal’s assault and violence. It was an impossible thing for a mere girl to do without the help of Lou.

‘This is troubling.’

Even though she was the one who killed the principal, punishing her felt wrong.

"If you write a letter to prove my story, I will leave. Ah, and a donkey and some extra money too."

The lord groaned as he rested his chin on his hand, then nodded.

"Where do you plan to go?"

"Hamel. There has to be something I must do there."

The lord wrote the letter with a reluctant look on his face. He did not religiously revere the girl. He simply wrote that something strange had happened.

‘Either she went mad from the consecutive hardships she had to go through, or she truly is blessed by Lou.’