Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 275

Clunk. The prisoner carriage bumped on the rough road.

The wooden wheels of the prisoner carriage, which was like an iron cage on wheels, crunched and bounced on the cobblestones, making a jumble of loud noises.

The carriage almost tipped over, but the woman inside stayed completely still and calm.

Her face was peaceful, her eyes closed, drawing the attention of those passing through the East Gate of the Holy City.

“Doesn’t look much like a prisoner, does she?”

“Don’t get involved. They’re Holy Knights.”

“Still, it’s odd, isn’t it? And that light coming from behind her, strangely comforting… what could it be?”

“It’s the morning light, you fool. Just the morning sun.”

“She’s the kind of person who makes you feel good just by looking at her, isn’t she?”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, will you just mind your own business?”

The murmuring of the crowd made Grant, the squad leader, impatient.

“Move aside!”

He quickly approached the iron bars, growling in a low voice.

“Don’t ask questions. It’s better for you if you don’t know. Use your head for once, eh?”

Ilia scoffed.

“If you had a brain, you’d consider my position, brother. You call me a heretic, don’t you?”

Grant’s face became as hard as wood at those words.

The religious trial was just for show. If the leaders called her a ‘heretic,’ she would almost certainly be burned to death. In his twenty years as a Holy Knight, he had never seen an exception.

If someone already condemned to die decided to take others with them…

The mere thought sent a cold sweat trickling down his spine.

“What do you want? I’m warning you, I would never condone heresy, even if it meant death……”

“Arrange for me to meet Cardinal Augustine first. Just relay the message that I have arrived.”

“……What?”

Grant’s face, previously so rigid, brightened considerably at those words.

Cardinal Augustine Pruitt was known throughout the Holy City as a priest of integrity and diligence, respected for reaching such a high position without any scandal.

“That’s all it takes?”

“Yes. That’s enough to keep my mouth shut.”

“……Very well.”

He didn’t know what this heretic was planning, but if it involved Cardinal Augustine, nothing could go wrong.

Grant nodded eagerly.

Watching him, Ilia sighed inwardly.

Logan’s message through Viktor had indicated that they would meet during the trial anyway.

‘Your Majesty Logan, I must meet him first and make my own judgment.’

The Cardinals of the central temple were only known through rumors in this distant land.

Unfortunately, almost none of those rumors were good.

By the time she had grown accustomed to the very cold dungeon, the cold went right through the thin straw on the floor…

…the guard spoke cautiously.

“Bishop Ilia, you have a visitor. A very important person, so please……”

It seemed excessively polite for someone addressing a prisoner, but the guard could be forgiven.

In the dim dungeon, Ilia’s faint halo made her appear far from ordinary, unlike in the bright outdoors.

“Ah, it’s quite alright. Thank you for letting me know.”

She replied with a smile, and the guard, seemingly relieved, went back upstairs. Soon, someone quietly descended into the dungeon.

“Sister Ilia, indeed… I can tell just by looking at you. You bear the Stigmata. Augustine Pruitt greets the Saintess.”

A gentle smile appeared on his pale, gaunt face.

He wore an old priest’s hat over his neatly combed white hair. His robe was so old that the red circle, the symbol of Anima, the god of fire and nourishment, was barely visible.

And with that simple attire, Ilia found herself liking the old priest immensely.

“I… received word from… him, but I wanted to meet you first to confirm things. But now that I’ve met you, I worry that I was too hasty in requesting this meeting, Your Eminence.”

“No, not at all. Sooner or later, His Holiness the Pope would have found out anyway. Please, do not trouble yourself.”

“……I have heard what you intend to do, but do you still refer to him as His Holiness?”

“We must follow protocol until all the facts are confirmed. Even if the other party has disregarded protocol, it would be bad if I broke the rules too, when I am supposed to be punishing him.”

From his first impression to his words filled with clear conviction…

Ilia no longer felt the need to test the old priest.

“I am aware of the matter you mentioned. I will follow the will of His Majesty Logan and Your Eminence.”

“Thank you, Saintess. This old man’s heart feels strengthened at last.”

At the moment their warm gazes met…

“Yo-Your Holiness! Why would you come to such a humble place without a word……”

The guard’s voice echoed from the top of the underground stairs, and the two’s faces hardened.

Thud, thud.

“Well, it’s not often I get to meet someone so difficult to see in such a wretched place.”

The Pope, Julius Umberto I.

Like Augustine, he had neatly combed white hair. His face was also wrinkled and aged like Augustine’s, but that was the only similarity between them.

The pure white robe, made of the finest silk, was embroidered with the symbols of the gods in shimmering gold thread, and the tall priest’s hat on his head glowed faintly, clearly showing off how grand it was.

His eyes were a pale silver, and people said they could see right through you, and the faint halo behind him proved that he, too, was a saint chosen by God.

However, Ilia’s brow furrowed as she looked at the Pope.

Just as her narrowed gaze was about to meet the Pope’s, Augustine, who was standing outside the iron bars, hurriedly bowed his head towards the Pope.

“Greetings, Your Holiness.”

As Augustine bowed, Ilia hurriedly followed suit.

The Pope looked at the two of them and spoke calmly.

“Indeed. Was there a reason you came to meet a religious trial subject so early, Augustine?”

“……I wanted to confirm the rumors of her being a Saintess, Your Holiness. Please punish me if I have violated procedure.”

“No, I wouldn’t punish a Cardinal for something like that. It’s understandable to be curious. But please be more careful next time.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Despite the gentle voices, would it be a mistake to think that their eyes felt sharp?

The Pope chuckled and abruptly asked the main point.

“So, Augustine, now you’ve seen this… ‘Saintess’ with your own eyes. What’s your expert opinion?”

“……Sister Ilia is definitely a Saintess.”

“Indeed. That halo, no priest could possibly miss it.”

The Pope’s silvery eyes gleamed strangely as he looked at Ilia.

“But for a Saintess to break the taboo, this is quite troublesome. It will make the trial difficult.”

“The Saintess would never break the taboo. If she did, she would not have received the Stigmata……”

“Enough. Cardinal Augustine, I will make the judgment. The same goes for the trial.”

“……Yes, Your Holiness.”

“But don’t look so tense. It’s been thirty years since I’ve seen someone with the Stigmata other than myself.”

“The Saintess will become a symbol of the temple. Please……”

“Hmm, we’ll see……”

Ilia stared silently at the old man as he said that and clicked his tongue.

No, to be precise, at the halo shining behind him.

‘An ordinary person, no, even a high-ranking priest wouldn’t be able to sense it. It’s so subtle.’

She could tell because she possessed the Stigmata.

The halo the Pope possessed was fake, originating from ‘something’ on his wrist.

But suddenly, a question arose.

‘There are rumors that Pope Julius’s halo is fake. His Majesty asked that you contact him separately if you were to confirm it.’

‘How did King Logan know this?’

She had never even heard the rumor.

The shocking news that the Pope, the center of the temple, possessed a fake halo, a false status as a saint.

Who would dare, no, beyond who, how could anyone imitate divine power?

‘No magic could accomplish such a thing.’

The Pope smiled and opened his mouth, his confusion was clearly visible on Ilia’s face.

“Aren’t you pleased as well? I can feel the Stigmata recognizing each other and emitting a happy feeling.”

His wrinkled face held a kind smile, but that only made the lie seem even worse.

What was resonating with her Stigmata was not the Pope’s Stigmata, but something on his wrist.

‘Is such a thing possible with magic? To fabricate divine power? What on earth……’

The confusion grew, but Ilia hurriedly lowered her head.

“Yes, Your Holiness. The resonance transmitted by that precious Stigmata is spreading through my soul.”

It was a lie Ilia had not told in a long time, but fortunately, her voice did not tremble.

It was a phrase she had practiced countless times since meeting Viktor.

And seeing the bright smile that spread across the Pope’s face at those words, Ilia became even more certain that her choice had been the right one.

The Pope nodded slowly, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yes,” he said, his voice smooth as oil. “Just as I expected. Welcome, Bishop Ilia. With that mark of the Stigmata, questioning you further would be… unnecessary.”

Ilia kept her gaze steady, but inside, her heart raced. “Your Holiness,” she began, her voice calm and respectful. “Does this mean… the Inquisition is over?”

Before the Pope could answer, Austin, standing eagerly at his side, stepped forward, his face beaming. “Of course, there are still procedures to follow,” Austin chirped, “a trial, you see, for appearances. But His Holiness is on your side! So really, there’s nothing to worry about at all.” He puffed out his chest slightly, pleased to be involved.

The Pope ignored Austin, simply patting Ilia’s shoulder with a gentle smile.

‘That’s it,’ Ilia thought.

Thanks to that touch, Ilia was able to see the pure white bracelet visible inside the Pope’s wide sleeve.

This made Ilia angry inside, but she didn’t show it at all, simply looking at the Pope with an expression of gratitude, as if deeply moved.

“Yes. Thank you so, so much, Your Holiness,” Ilia said.

This, too, was a prearranged act.

However, Austin, unaware of this fact, was greatly surprised and widened his eyes.

Was it because of Austin’s expression? Or was it because he was pleased with Ilia’s acting?

“Very well. Then, I shall see you tomorrow. Ah, Austin, you as well,” the Pope said, turning away with an even deeper smile.

And the next day.

Almost all the priests of the Central Temple gathered to witness the investigation, held in the grandest hall within the Central Temple itself.

“What will happen?” one priest whispered.

“There are rumors that she’s a Saintess, you know?” another replied.

“Ah, come on, no way,” a third scoffed.

Murmur murmur.

More than a thousand priests, a sight unseen anywhere else on the continent, participated as spectators, quickly filling the grand hall with noise.

But soon…

“From this moment forward, the investigation of Bishop Ilia Gavin of the McLane Diocese will commence. Everyone, be silent,” the Pope’s voice echoed through the hall, and the noise subsided in an instant.

Into the now-silent hall, Ilia entered, her hands and feet in shackles.

Clang. Clang.

The heavy sound of her footsteps hinted at the weight of the shackles she bore, but Ilia’s expression remained serene as she walked among the thousand priests.

Soon, the eyes of the priests widened as they confirmed the halo behind her.

“Is she really a Saintess?”

“What? Isn’t it a trick?”

“No. I can definitely feel the divine power.”

“Then those rumors are true…”

The murmuring voices grew louder once more.

“Silence! Be silent!”

Thud. Thud.

The clear sound produced by the Pope’s scepter silenced the commotion once again.

Before the Pope could say anything more, one of the nine cardinals sitting beside him rose from his seat.

“Your Holiness, there are rumors that Sister Ilia overcame the plague and received the Stigmata, making her a Saintess. Before beginning the religious questioning, we must confirm these rumors,” Sam Freeman, the cardinal known as the Pope’s left-hand man, spoke on behalf of the priests gathered here.

Upon hearing those words, the Pope immediately nodded.

“That is correct. Bishop Ilia, can you prove your Stigmata?”

At those words, Ilia nodded without hesitation.

“Though I am unworthy, I wish to declare in this place that I have received the Stigmata by the grace of Amunda,” Ilia said.

Riiiip.

As she tore off the right shoulder of her already worn-out robe, a clear blue circle was visible on her fair shoulder.

At that moment, the priests, feeling an even stronger surge of divine power, simultaneously cried out in elation.

“It’s real!”

“It’s really her!”

“A Saintess! A Saintess!”

The hall became noisy once again, but this time, the Pope did not try to quell the commotion.

After a while, as the boisterous atmosphere gradually subsided, the Pope once again took out his scepter.

He opened his mouth with a calm expression.

“Originally, the investigation of Bishop Ilia concerned the methods used in overcoming the plague. However, since the Stigmata supports the legitimacy of those methods, I believe that religious debate is meaningless,” the Pope said.

As all eyes in the hall focused on him, the Pope paused for a moment before continuing.

“Therefore, I declare the investigation invalid and appoint the Saintess Ilia, who was the subject of it, as an Honorary Cardinal!”

“Woooaaah!”

At that moment, a tumultuous cheer filled the hall.

The investigation had instead transformed into an installation ceremony for a new Cardinal.

‘Ilia, you will now become a symbol of washing away the negative rumors of the temple and proving its purity,’ the Pope thought.

The Pope smiled gently as he watched the cheering priests.

Then, he extended his hand towards the Saintess, who would become his new trump card.

“Come here, Sister Ilia. I will personally bestow upon you the special robes and symbols of a Cardinal,” the Pope said, gesturing to Ilia with an unusual smile.

Then, Ilia approached the Pope in front of the thousand priests gathered in the hall.

The pure white robes and symbols were lowered as if prepared in advance.

The moment Ilia received them from the Pope’s hand, another cheer erupted.

“Hail Cardinal!”

“Hail Saintess!”

The resounding voices of a thousand people echoed loudly.

Hearing those voices, Ilia smiled and waved her hand.

Even with the robes faded from months of transport and her disheveled hair, her beauty shone brightly, and the halo conveyed by the Stigmata made that beauty appear as something more divine.

“She really is a Saintess. So beautiful…”

“An incarnation of God…”

Murmur murmur.

At that moment, as the hall was filled with all sorts of cheers and admiration…

“On this important day, with the majority of the temple’s priests gathered, I would like to submit a more important agenda to the meeting than the investigation,” Austin Pruitt said, rising from his seat, along with some priests who followed him.

The unusual atmosphere and voice drew people’s attention once again.

“This Cardinal hereby initiates a proposal to remove the Pope from power against Pope Julio Umberto I!”

The ensuing statement completely overturned the hall.

“What?”

“What are you saying?”

“Did I hear that correctly?”

The hall became noisy in a different sense than before, and the Pope spat out cold fury.

“Cardinal Austin, are you in your right mind!”

But the pale-faced old man simply continued to speak calmly.

“The reasons to remove the Pope are serious. He has taken bribes and misused his power. We also suspect he started or helped with 23 crimes inside and outside the temple. I will also submit the evidence,” Austin said.

The atmosphere in the hall changed in an instant.

“…What is that?”

“Against His Holiness the Pope?”

“There was such a thing as impeachment?”

“Yes, though it’s been 200 years. More than that, is it really true?”

Murmur murmur.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Austin Pruitt! Are you mocking the laws of the temple! The removal of His Holiness the Pope requires the consent of at least two Cardinals!” Cardinal Tenner Rainey’s angry shout erupted, and the hall fell silent once more.

A Cardinal of the Pope’s faction, known externally.

But there was nothing wrong with what he said.

“Ah, is that so?”

“That’s right.”

“There was such a thing.”

Rumors about the Pope’s faction’s corruption were common even within the corrupt temple, but that one word changed the atmosphere.

If that was the case, it meant that the impeachment motion itself was not allowed.

However…

“I will agree to that impeachment motion,” the newly appointed Honorary Cardinal, Ilia, raised her hand, and the atmosphere in the hall was overturned once again.