The Obedient Saint Was Made a Scapegoat, so She Decided To Be Reborn as a Villainess
Chapter 19
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One day, after returning from a two-month expedition, I went to the church without any reason just to see Anna.
There, I heard an unbelievable story from the Plumes.
They said that Anna had undergone a “sacred ritual” and had become a human sacrifice.
“A human sacrifice…? What does that mean?”
“That means Anna-san was put in a coffin during the sacred ritual.”
“A living person? Are you sane?”
“That’s just how the ritual is.”
The Plume said it so easily and left. I stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe what I had just heard.
It couldn’t be true. It must be a bad joke.
While telling myself that, I asked another Plume nearby to arrange a meeting with the bishop.
However, the bishop said the same thing.
“Oh, Anna? That child became a sacrifice to God.”
He said it in such an ordinary tone. Does he even realize that he killed Anna?
“Why was it Anna? Was it really necessary to do such a ritual in the first place?”
“For the sake of the country.”
“So, it’s okay for Anna to die for the country?”
When I asked with a trembling voice, the bishop smiled vaguely. His attitude seemed to show no remorse, and anger began to boil up inside me.
“It’s good that she was a cooperative child. She didn’t cause any trouble and went into the coffin quietly. That child will surely go to heaven.”
The bishop spoke soothing words to me. Seeing his fake smile, my blood boiled.
“You’re kidding me!! You’re all murderers!!!”
I shouted, and the bishop looked at me with a guilty expression.
“We had no choice. We also feel bad about what we did to that child.”
***
I walked aimlessly through the church hallway. I felt like the world had turned pitch black since I could no longer see Anna’s smiling face.
I asked the bishop if I could at least see her body, but he quickly rejected my request, saying that only authorized personnel were allowed to enter.
Unable to give up, I asked a plume to guide me to the room where the coffin was located. Although it was supposed to be off-limits, I gave her some money and she opened the door for me.
“Um, please don’t tell anyone that I opened this door…”
“Of course, don’t worry about it. If anyone finds out, I’ll say I stole the key myself.”
The plume’s face relaxed as she left the room. She gave me the key and told me to hide it behind the vase in front of the room.
I slowly approached the coffin at the back of the room.
It was a pure white coffin that exuded a sense of holiness. There was a golden keyhole at the seam. I felt heavy-hearted thinking that if it was locked so securely, Anna couldn’t have escaped even if she was suffering.
“Anna, Anna.”
While calling out her name, I stroke the lid of the coffin.
Why was I away from the capital at such an important time? If I had been in the capital, I might have heard about Anna being chosen as a sacrifice and rushed to save her.
Feeling pathetic, tears flow down my cheeks.
Anna healed my wounds many times and protected me with her protective magic, but I couldn’t do anything for her.
I continue to cry while prostrating myself on top of the coffin. It’s unbearable that I can never see her again.
Suddenly, there was a clattering sound from the coffin. It sounded like the lid was shifting.
Curious, I lift the lid, thinking it was locked, but it opened easily.
Surprised, I slide the lid until I can see inside. Then I see Anna’s innocent sleeping face. . . It’s supposed to be her face in death, but to me, it looks like she’s just sleeping.
“Anna.”
I touch her white cheek without thinking. It was as cold as a fake and so light that it moved significantly with just a slight touch. Rather, it felt too light.
Wondering about this, I gently lift her body.
It’s too light. Her face is unmistakably Anna’s, but she feels as light as a collection of flower petals.
Moreover, according to the story, Anna was supposed to have been put in the coffin over a month ago. Is it possible that she has not decayed at all and still looks like she did when she was alive?
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