🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 33~
The priest called himself a servant of God.
But what Astia saw was very different. Her suspicion was turning into certainty.
The priest who was supposed to listen to confessions was demanding money from a citizen.
And…
From the way the man bowed and begged with both hands, it looked like this wasn’t the first time.
Astia followed the priest who was running away, and noticed an expensive bracelet on his wrist—a style that was popular in high society these days.
A priest should be modest, but he was wearing jewelry fit for a noble.
‘I’m suspicious.’
Astia decided to confirm things and approached the man who was still standing there.
“Excuse me, are you coming from the confession room?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right.”
“There’s more than one confession room here, isn’t there? Which one did you use?”
“Oh. You must be new to Zilte Temple. The First Confession Room is for special people, mostly nobles.”
“Really? Then where do commoners go?”
“Haha, people like me use the Third Confession Room. You look like a noble, so you can go to the first one.”
The man laughed awkwardly and pointed to the First Confession Room.
“…Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“I saw the priest asking you for money. I thought confession was supposed to be free. Is that not true?”
The man scratched his head and laughed.
“Well, it is free, but… I come here a lot, so the priest started asking me for money. I try to pay, but it’s hard sometimes…”
“Thank you.”
Astia thanked him with a look, then walked toward the direction the man came from.
A temple should treat everyone equally, but here it depended on your status.
Is it really okay for priests, who should serve God, to act for their own profit?
‘Everyone’s silence is paid for with money.’
Astia realized why Vice-High Priest Clay had been so flattering to her. If he could win her over, he expected big donations from the Rovellito family, who owned a diamond mine.
‘I won’t let that happen.’
She also figured that his interest in Cecilia was for the same reason.
Astia decided to collect clearer evidence herself.
The corridor to the Third Confession Room was noisy, unlike the first.
“Did you hear? The temple will start charging admission next week.”
“What? They already charge for the prayer rooms and confessions.”
“Now they’ll charge just to enter.”
“What? For real?”
“That’s what I heard. Even though we poor people donate what little we have, they say God is pleased, so what can we do?”
Astia listened from behind her hood. The commoners looked frustrated and powerless.
‘This is bad.’
Even though many commoners didn’t agree, it seemed they had accepted it.
The priests wore masks in front of nobles, but this was their real face.
Astia didn’t think of herself as a hero of justice. But this was the temple Cecilia used, and she wanted to protect Cecilia’s honor.
‘I don’t really want to get involved, but…’
She wanted to help Cecilia.
‘I can’t ignore the corruption happening right in front of me.’
Astia decided to take action.
She walked confidently to the Third Confession Room and went inside. The room looked old and fancy.
“Welcome, sister.”
A deep voice came from behind a screen, hiding the priest’s face.
“Humans always sin. That’s why the temple exists.”
He gave a long speech about faith and the temple.
“You can be forgiven for your sins, even if you aren’t religious. That’s why you came for confession. Don’t worry, I never reveal secrets. You can tell me anything, and I’ll bless you.”
Astia smiled politely.
“Really, you won’t tell anyone my secrets?”
“Of course. Everyone comes here to be saved.”
“I have a problem I can’t talk about.”
“Please, tell me anything.”
Astia pretended to hesitate.
“….”
“Are you having trouble? I’ll give you a special blessing. But, of course, there’s a price.”
Astia almost laughed.
‘Isn’t this a scam?’
From the start, he was just trying to trick innocent people.
“No, I was just thinking about a problem related to the temple.”
“…Related to the temple…?”
The priest sounded nervous, but Astia didn’t care and spoke coldly.
“I want to confess. I saw a corrupt priest acting against temple rules, living in luxury and breaking the teachings. Should I report it?”
The priest stuttered.
“You shouldn’t doubt a priest without clear proof. God will be angry!”
Astia’s mind became clearer as the priest grew angry.
“But I saw the priest wearing fancy jewelry.”
“You really say anything in front of God. You must be a commoner to use the Third Confession Room. If you keep talking nonsense, I won’t let it go!”
“Isn’t confession about listening to people’s worries? Why are you getting angry? This seems like corruption too.”
“W-What?!”
The priest realized what he was doing and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry. I got too excited. Actually, the teachings say it’s good to show your emotions.”
What nonsense…
Astia wanted to pull back the curtain and see the priest’s face, but she held back. She hadn’t come to fight.
“So, sister, which temple was it? Tell me quietly…”
“Do you want to know?”
“Yes.”
“Zilte Temple.”
“Haha! I knew it was—wait, what?”
Astia pretended to be confused.
“Oh, I said that wrong. It’s a temple near Zilte Temple, but I don’t know the name.”
“Oh, I see! I misunderstood.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have insulted a pure temple like Zilte.”
“It’s alright. But if you don’t have solid evidence, you should be careful what you say. God might punish you.”
“Punishment?”
“Yes. I was shocked to hear you say these things, but this is the confession room—you can say anything. But if another priest had heard you, they wouldn’t have forgiven you. I’ll keep your secret, but you’ll have to pay me 2 gold coins.”
Astia, still pretending to be an ordinary girl, seriously thought about quitting right there.
The priest’s actions disgusted her.
Astia was now sure the corruption at Zilte Temple went deep.
‘It was the same with the Vice-High Priest. All the priests under him are the same.’
“…Wasn’t confession supposed to be free?”
“What do you mean? How can you confess your sins to God without showing your sincerity? And listening to your rude words has made me sin too.”
“What…?”
This was unbelievable.
‘I have to hold it in.’
“…Alright. Here are 2 gold coins.”
Astia took the coins from her pocket and handed them over. The priest quickly grabbed the money as if it was his right.
Astia’s eyes turned cold.
She touched the magic tool in her pocket—the one Ian gave her that could record things.
‘Now I have evidence.’
Astia decided to ask Damian to root out the corruption in Zilte Temple.
After she left, a figure in a black robe watched her and soon entered the Third Confession Room.
