Page 259 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

A long time ago.

There was a woman with peculiar eyes.

She could see the emotions in people’s hearts as colors, and she comforted them by following those emotions.

The woman had a deep love for the study of faith.

She adored the virtues of a god who gave selflessly and devoted herself entirely to her god. For her, this was the greatest offering she could give to her deity.

The woman became a nun, wanting to spread the love of her god to more people, and she generously shared her gifts with everyone.

On the battlefield.

In the darkest corners of humanity.

She lived by proclaiming the love of her god.

People applauded the nun, who seemed like the reincarnation of a saint, and they asked her,

‘Isn’t it hard?’

They wondered why she would spread the love of a god without expecting anything in return. Some people mocked her, questioning why she didn’t enjoy the life she could have had, born as a noble with blue blood, destined for a life of comfort.

The woman always responded with a foolish smile to their questions.

"If I die someday, won’t the Lord recognize my sacrifice?"

The nobles mocked her as a fool, while the commoners applauded her noble sacrifice.

An angel without wings, they called her. And so the woman’s sacrifices continued and persisted until now.

Though she had strayed a little off the right path.

Her name was Elicia.

She was called the Saint of Gentleness.

Shartia looked at the woman before her with a face full of disbelief. It was something that shouldn’t be possible.

"Why are you...?"

Saint.

It wasn’t a title given by the church.

The people called her a saint, but she wasn’t someone with the powers that saints in history had.

She simply had stronger divine power than others.

She had made sacrifices without expecting anything in return.

She was just an ordinary nun.

Shartia squeezed her eyes shut and struggled to clear the confusion in her mind.

She thought again and again, reflecting on where things had gone wrong and what had been mistaken, trying to pinpoint her own error.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been suspicious of Rohan’s words. Only now, realizing that things had been wrong from the start, did Shartia’s eyes waver as she recalled everything.

Even so, Shartia couldn’t understand.

She had no connection with the woman before her.

Not in the academy.

Not in the dormitory. She had never met this woman before, except for the one time she came to give a lecture at the academy.

That was three years ago.

"Sacrifice is ? Nоvеl?g?t ? (Official version) not something to be proud of. It should not be done for show, nor should it be boasted about."

The effects of the spell should have long since worn off.

Unable to believe what she was seeing, Shartia looked at Elicia with trembling eyes. Her own thoughts yielded no answers.

Elicia smiled gently and lowered her head. Even the smallest movement from her gave off a sacred aura. It was almost laughable.

"You’ve brought some distinguished guests. It’s rare to see such important faces from the Empire all at once."

Elicia met each of their gazes and recited their names.

"Shartia, the princess with the blood of commoners.

Mikhail, a young swordsman who achieved great things at an early age.

Ruine, a poor magician lost in her pride."

Elicia clapped her hands and smiled brightly at the platinum-haired man.

"Oh my, even the Empire’s second brightest prince is here. To think such noble guests would grace this humble church with their presence... As a servant of the church, I’m at a loss for words."

Shartia knew the woman before her. That’s why this situation filled her with fear.

"Sister Elicia? Why is the Saint of Gentleness here...?"

"Fufu... I’m honored that you remember the name of a lowly nun, Princess."

"Why are you...! Why is someone called a saint here?"

At Shartia’s question, Elicia smiled softly and shook her head.

"I’m not the person you think I am, Princess. I’m merely an opportunist waiting for the day I’m rewarded in the heavens."

"Then why...?"

"Because the god I believe in is here."

Elicia hugged the Bible at her side lovingly as she spoke to Shartia.

"This is my home. Is there something wrong with that? Didn’t you also come to the Shepherd’s house to feed lost souls, Princess?"

"..."

"When a sheep strays, it’s only natural for the shepherd to light the way. Just as the Lord guided me, you were led by fate to find me."

Elicia began to unravel Shartia’s doubts with a small smile.

"Have you found yourself burdened by unresolved matters?"

"..."

"Unbearable fear gnawing at your heart."

"..."

"It’s because of those things that you’ve been struggling in adversity."

Shartia glared and spat out a sharp retort. She demanded that Elicia stop speaking nonsense.

"Was this your doing?"

Elicia looked at Shartia with a gentle smile.

"I don’t quite understand your question."

"You’re the one who lured us here, aren’t you?"

"I merely gave you a nudge. I provided the stimulus needed to act on the desires you already had."

Elicia gently moved her fingers, tracing lines in the air. As white light began to swirl from her fingertips, Shartia saw a familiar blueprint form before her eyes.

The academy.

The blueprint of the academy where she had spent the past four years was drawn in the air by Elicia.

"The most important thing in evangelism is creating opportunities."

Elicia placed a dot in the center of the blueprint and smiled. The spot she marked was the center of the academy, where the keystone was located.

Elicia pointed to the source of the barrier that protected the academy, the one created by the first emperor, and smiled.

"Where there is dissatisfaction, there’s always a spark waiting to be ignited. People need something to rely on, something to depend on."

"..."

"I merely made you all honest. Honest in your desire to seek out the divine."

Elicia drew a few more pictures in the air.

Shartia working in her office.

Yuria crying alone in the bathroom.

Ruine locked away, secluded in her room.

Elicia smiled as she spoke.

"My gift from the Lord is to plant the seeds of evangelism in your hearts."

"..."

"I only peek into your hidden anxieties. You might ask how I did it, but... Fufu, well."

Elicia smiled gently and closed her lips.

"The god I believe in makes the impossible possible. I merely bow in gentleness before Him. That’s why I love you all and brought you here."

Elicia began to move slowly.

"They say this is like a magnet."

She was gently running her black nails through Rohan’s hair as he stood at the forefront, smiling contentedly.

"It’s called magnetism, the force that keeps things together, even if you want to pull them apart."

Rohan was trembling. Trembling like a leaf.

Terrified by Elicia’s cold breath, he shivered as her black nails brushed his skin, causing him to clench his eyes shut and gasp for breath.

"Rrghh..."

"Brother Rohan, do you remember now?"

"Agh... Ahhh!!!"

"I heard you had many conversations with Brother Yung, who heals painful memories."

"S-Silence...!"

"Did you have sweet dreams?"

"Shut up... you devil!"

"Fufu... My faithful tool, Brother Rohan. You say such harsh things."

Elicia’s hand began to glow. The light she had used to draw in the air now engulfed Rohan’s head, swirling around him like a predatory animal.

Devouring him savagely.

The light began to smother Rohan’s eyes and mouth, slowly consuming him.

"A servant of the Lord lives according to their purpose. That’s the joy of being a servant."

"Krrggh!"

"Let’s throw away those bad memories and pray together like last time."

Evangelism.

"I am an evangelist, after all."

As the light in Elicia’s hand began to fade, Rohan turned and looked at the frozen student council members.

Shartia. Yuria. Ruine. Hanaa. Mikhail.

Tears streamed down Rohan’s face as he bit his lip, looking at them.

"I’m sorry, everyone..."

Only now did Rohan recall his past memories.

He had been fleeing to the village after discovering the heretic church in the mountains when he encountered a man with his hands cut off.

"When did the church on the mountain get there?"

"Yes, if you know anything, please tell us..."

"Hmm... that was close."

"!!!"

"Ah, I am Yung, the archbishop of oblivion."

"Archbishop...! We must escape...!"

"Boom!"

"But you, brother, have some interesting memories."

He was led to the church by the man who introduced himself as the archbishop of oblivion.

And when the man’s hand touched his head, everything went white.

It was as if the man had implanted the idea that this place was filled with success and hope, tearing through Rohan’s thoughts.

And that woman...

"Brother Yung."

"Apostle."

"Is this a new believer?"

"Yes."

"I see. Then, is this the Mikhail you spoke of?"

"No."

"That’s unfortunate. Well, shall we begin evangelizing?"

That woman was a devil.

She lured people in with sweet words, making them pour out their innermost thoughts as if she knew everything, and naturally, she assimilated them into this place.

Here, her words were law and truth. Yes, she turned people into tools.

"Now, let’s pray."

She locked away all emotions.

Rohan moved. A tool must follow the will of its master. If the master wants to use it as a pen, it becomes a pen; if the master wants to use it as a rag, it becomes a rag. That is the reason for a tool’s existence.

Rohan drew his sword from his waist and charged at Shartia.

"Le...let’s... pr...pray."

Elicia smiled slyly and spoke.

"Brothers and sisters, let us pray."

Crunch...!

"Oh..."

The man watching this scene rummaged through his pocket for a snack, eating as he observed.

"How fascinating."

He spoke in admiration.

Ricardo.

A possessor of another’s body.

The man who thought of himself as the most handsome in the world.

I nodded as I watched the situation unfold exactly as it had in the novel, a pleased smile on my face.

When Rohan swung his sword, Mikhail blocked it.

Clang!

And counterattacked.

Whoosh!

Elicia, standing behind, laughed.

Hohoho...

It was fascinating to see the story unfold just as it had in the novel. I felt this every time.

"They’ve grown a lot. Both Yuria and Mikhail. Now they can handle the archbishop together."

They were strong to begin with, but now there was a sense of ease about them.

"Clear your mind... Clarisma!!"

"Stay focused!"

There didn’t seem to be any need to worry.

"They’re doing well."

Support will arrive soon, so it seemed like I could call it a day here.

This episode was just a brief appearance of the apostle’s face. It was meant to show just how powerful the apostles were.

Fortunately, no one would die.

That woman wasn’t an ordinary lunatic.

The Apostle of Gentleness, Elicia, lived solely for the purpose of evangelism. There was no need to fear meaningless deaths. She worshipped a twisted god, but her character was admirable.

Unlike Olaf.

In comparison to the Apostle of Compassion, Olaf, Elicia could be considered moderately insane. Though there wasn’t a huge difference in power between them, Elicia was certainly no less formidable.

Elicia’s ability was to bend everything she saw to her will.

A very tricky power.

In any case.

Elicia didn’t torment people with murder. Instead, she destroyed their minds.

Ordinary mental fortitude wasn’t enough to face Elicia. She could turn even an awakened hero like Mikhail into a shell of his former self.

Honestly, it was impossible to win against her.

Though I might be able to.

Anyway, there was no need to think too hard about this episode.

Once Shartia regained her freedom of movement and shattered the gem on her ring, Roen would arrive, and it would be over.

The story would end with Elicia’s retreat.

In simple terms, it was a game where the student council members just had to hold out.

What was worth noting was whether...

"Kyaaah!"

Whether they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.