The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 188: The Lady Who Plays the Flute (2)

"I'm back."

Elise returned to the inn, which had become another temporary lodging.

She looked slightly fatigued.

"What have you been up to? You look tired."

"Nothing special."

"..."

"...I took care of those scum who were planning to experiment on young believers."

Though Elise habitually tried to hide her actions, Karami’s smile made her confess. She couldn’t guess what sort of retaliation might follow if she pretended otherwise.

An involuntary stroll in the nude was not an experience she was willing to repeat.

"Experimenting on children, of all things. There truly are no limits to depravity in this world," Karami said, feigning innocence.

Elise’s eyes narrowed.

"What’s with the bad acting?"

"What do you mean?"

"You’re the one who told me."

"I did? When?"

His brazen response left her dumbfounded.

"You came all the way to the confessional and spilled your guts to me, only to act like it wasn’t you?"

"Isn’t what happens in the confessional supposed to remain a secret? Did you forget your vow to God?"

"God, my ass. A vow to God is no different than some auntie saying, ‘Don’t tell anyone else, just tell me.’"

What kind of unreliable nun was this?

Not only did she break her vow to God, but she even belittled it.

How she could wield divine power remained a mystery.

Having never intended to keep implicit secrets in the first place, Elise openly asked her question.

"That theologian Roman. Is he really your friend?"

"He’s not a friend, but I know him very well."

Karami knew exactly what kind of person Roman was and what his objectives were.

Of course, Roman didn’t even know Karami existed.

Still, he hadn’t lied.

"What did you do with the children?"

"I erased their memories and sent them to the nearby village. Since they know where they lived, they can return or do whatever they want."

"Hmm..."

"Why do you ask?"

"It’s nothing."

"You’re the one who said to tell you everything."

Elise grumbled as she popped a cube of cheese into her mouth.

Looking out the window at the nighttime view, Elise remained silent. Karami observed her profile, deep in thought.

This incident was one of the events that could determine Elise’s liberation route.

By staying in the Holy Kingdom, she could gather information related to the experiments. The experiments Roman and his group were conducting mirrored the ones Elise had endured in the past.

At this point, there were three possible routes:

The first was saving the children.

The second was leaving them to their fate.

And the final one:

Not only saving the children from this experiment but also seeking out those who had been used as test subjects before—and exacting revenge together.

In that case, Elise would take on a Pied Piper role. However, this time, she had only saved the current experiment’s subjects, meaning she wasn’t the Pied Piper yet.

"Not easy."

For now, he decided to continue observing.

"Master."

"Yes?"

"Do you know anything about saints?"

"Of course."

Not the saint of purity, but the saint of lewdness.

The type who paraded around preaching chastity while wearing suggestive clothing, unconsciously tempting others at every turn.

The kind who’d refer to bodily fluids as "holy water" in a reverent tone, though this one was a living holy water factory.

"Isn’t that right?"

Karami said it to Elise with a straight face.

Elise scowled, looking at him as if he were filth—no, something even more repugnant.

"It was a joke. Just something I said on a whim," Karami added hastily.

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"Anyway, you asked about saints. I don’t know much about them either. Why do you ask?"

"They called me a saint."

"Hmm..."

A saint enslaved by demons might make for an interesting trope, but unfortunately, there was no such slave in this setting. In fact, the concept of saints didn’t even exist in Taoslen.

He had never thought to question why. If it didn’t exist, it simply meant the developers hadn’t created it. Who would bother analyzing why something wasn’t there?

And yet, the clergy had referred to Elise as a saint.

"A variable, perhaps?"

There was no saint route for Elise.

If a new route not present in the game had appeared, it might be a variable. If not, being hailed as a saint wouldn’t hinder progress.

He’d simply continue observing Elise’s behavior as usual.

"Do you wish to become a saint? I could appoint you as a saint of our Church of the Reaper."

Elise scoffed.

"No thanks. I have no interest in childish titles like that."

****

Secrets are always exchanged in hidden places.

In the shadowy depths of night, a small, decrepit auxiliary chapel in the corner of Kassilon stood unused, guarded by four paladins.

One side was clad in white armor—the Guardians of Light. The other in black armor—the Guardians of Shadow.

These two factions, divided to maintain order and balance in the Holy Kingdom, stood watch as three figures approached the chapel. The paladins initially bristled with vigilance but quickly relaxed, bowing their heads in respect.

"Your Eminence, Cardinal."

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The greeting was directed at a middle-aged man in a black clerical robe.

His graying hair revealed his forehead, and his sharp eyes gave him a formidable presence.

This was Cardinal Marcenus of the Doctrine and Faith Congregation, the man known as the leader of the Inquisition.

"Are they inside?"

"Yes, Your Eminence. They are waiting for you. Please, this way."

Accompanied by the paladins, Marcenus entered the chapel. After activating a mechanism within, a hidden entrance to the underground opened.

Descending into the secret chamber, they reached a small, confined space.

Two shadows flickered on the walls, moving in rhythm with the candlelight from the sconces.

"You’ve arrived, Cardinal Marcenus."

"Hm."

One of the figures was a woman in a black nun’s habit, her wrinkled eyes exuding a gentle warmth—Mother Matilda, the abbess of the convent where Elise worked.

"What took you so long? I have so much to say I could barely sit still! I was about to burst from waiting!"

The other figure, unbothered by Marcenus’s rank, spoke with a sharp and almost accusing tone. This was the mad theologian, Roman.

Marcenus’s brow furrowed at Roman’s lack of decorum. His instincts urged him to charge Roman with blasphemy, but he restrained himself. For now, Roman’s role in their plans was indispensable.

Marcenus took a seat.

"The Commander of the Shadow Knights is absent."

"A vampire appeared in the city, so all knights are on high alert," Matilda explained.

"So, what’s the matter that required my presence?"

"Someone is tracking our movements."

Marcenus’s eyes narrowed.

Their plan to establish a new order with perfect balance, replacing the flawed doctrines of the past, had been in the works for over a decade. For an intruder to appear now was alarming.

"Who?"

"A new arrival at our convent."

"She infiltrated my research lab!" Roman exclaimed, his voice tinged with frustration. "She tried to be discreet, but my memory is infallible! The chair was tilted exactly thirteen degrees, and a pen had moved two centimeters from its original position. Also—"

"Enough," Marcenus interrupted, cutting off Roman’s rambling.

"If it’s just a nun, why are you bothering me? Handle it yourselves."

Marcenus was a cardinal. Even if they were in the same metaphorical boat, there was a vast difference between a captain and the crew. He had no intention of dealing with trivial matters.

"Well, you see, the timing couldn’t have been worse," Roman replied, his tone mocking. "The research lab was raided shortly after."

"What?"

"The researchers and children vanished without a trace. The lab itself was destroyed beyond repair. Fortunately, we managed to secure the critical data."

Elise had asked Matilda about Roman, then someone infiltrated Roman’s lab, and shortly after, the lab was attacked.

The coincidence was too striking. There was no other suspect but her.

"My lab is impossible to enter without my knowledge~"

"There are no eyewitness reports either."

During the day, Elise remained at the convent, meaning her activity would have been at night.

Even at night, however, a nun wandering alone should have been noticed, yet no one had seen anything.

Moreover, the lab was located two days away by carriage. Elise had never left the convent for even a day.

"She’s no ordinary nun."

"Apparently not. She’s not from our kingdom; Priest Lukas brought her from outside."

"What do you plan to do?"

"We could call her out and deal with her—"

"She uses unknown powers. If she escapes and exposes our plans, it’ll be disastrous."

As Matilda and Marcenus pondered their options, Roman spoke up with a smirk.

"Why not frame her for something?"

Matilda nodded in agreement.

"That’s a good idea. We can eliminate her without exposing ourselves. Without a clear target, she wouldn’t know who to retaliate against, and no one would believe the words of a criminal."

Branding a mere nun as a criminal would be a trivial task.

"What about the saint project?"

"Still no progress~ At this rate, we can’t even begin the main phase of the plan."

Order is born from chaos—a philosophy perfectly aligned with the current state of the Holy Kingdom.

The sudden resignation of the previous pope had left the believers fatherless overnight.

The faithful needed a new parental figure to guide them.

The existence of a saint with perfect balance would be both the foundation and the pillar of reform, uniting the confused masses under one banner.

But the experiments showed no signs of success....

"For now, all we can do is wait for the experiments to bear fruit."

"If they don’t, this grand plan will end up as nothing more than the delusions of children."

Roman chuckled, a mocking laugh that grated on Marcenus. Yet, as much as he disliked Roman’s frivolity, his words weren’t wrong. The grander the dream, the more likely the plan was to have flaws.

And this plan was no exception.

If only a saint would fall into their lap from nowhere.

Marcenus indulged in the thought, however absurd it seemed.