The Saint’s Manual for Redemption - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 52
What’s wrong with that man now?
I muttered it under my breath, but Arden showed no sign of noticing what I was thinking—his expression settled back into perfect composure, as if he’d never said such a thing.
The subtle agitation from moments before vanished like a lie, replaced by the composed face I’d grown accustomed to.
“You speak as though you were the Third Saint herself.”
I nearly stopped walking. Wait, what is he talking about? I tilted my head, looking up at him in confusion.
“How much more do I need to prove that I admire the Third Saint? Isn’t this more than enough proof for you?”
It was half genuine, half a complaint. I mentioned her multiple times a day, spoke constantly of her records and achievements, yet here he was suggesting it still wasn’t enough. But Arden shook his head.
“That’s not what I meant.”
He paused, collecting his breath as if choosing his words carefully, before continuing in his measured tone.
“I meant that you speak as though you are the Third Saint herself, Your Highness.”
‘Hmm…?’
In that moment, my mind went blank.
Ah, I must be exhausted—I forgot to use the Double Barrier when speaking. I shrugged my shoulders casually.
“It’s probably just my imagination. I’ve read so many records that I might have gotten a bit too emotionally invested.”
The words came out, but even to my own ears, the excuse sounded hollow. Arden didn’t press further.
That was what bothered me most. Normally he would have added another comment, but today he was strangely quiet.
Even as we arrived at the door to my chamber and I drew out the key from inside my robe, we maintained that awkward silence.
The moment the door to the Main Temple chamber opened, an unfamiliar sight caught my eye. For a moment, I actually wondered if I was dreaming.
Rillet was scrubbing the floor.
And I hadn’t even given her money for it—she was doing it entirely of her own volition.
This was genuinely the first time I’d seen her willingly clean without a bribe. The way she meticulously checked for even a speck of dust seemed so strange that I lingered in the doorway, watching her.
Sensing my presence, Rillet looked up, and the moment she saw me, she straightened from her work and offered a proper bow.
“Your Highness, you’ve returned!”
“You have. Why the cleaning? Did someone threaten you?”
I said it in jest, but Rillet shook her head with a serious expression.
“Not at all. I thought it only right that I personally tend to your chamber, Your Highness.”
Hmm. She’s truly become my person now, I thought, and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. I stepped into the chamber and naturally broached the main topic.
“Speaking of which, didn’t you say you’d caught the culprit who poisoned the apple?”
Rillet hesitated briefly, then nodded. Her expression suggested she’d already prepared herself for this question.
“Yes. However, I believe reporting to the higher-ups would not resolve this properly. For now, I’m working to find leverage to either silence them or have them removed from office.”
She was absolutely right. Rillet understood my current situation with remarkable clarity.
Poisoning the fruit couldn’t have been a lone act.
It was far more likely an order from the Church’s upper echelon, and if that were the case, reporting to the higher-ups the moment I made the discovery would only create enemies for Rillet.
Besides, what would be revealed in the process was one thing alone: that Rillet now stood with me. There was no need to advertise that to the Church’s leadership.
After all, scheming requires a sharp mind. I nodded inwardly. I’d gained myself a reliable ally.
Then Arden, who had been quietly listening to our conversation the entire time, spoke. His voice was low but decisive.
“Tell me who it is. I will handle it.”
With that, he’d returned to being the reliable Arden I knew, and without meaning to, my heart eased.
Rillet regarded me for a moment, then slowly bowed her head.
“Then I shall organize the details and report to you both, Your Highness.”
“Of course. Don’t strain yourself.”
At my words, Rillet’s lips curved up ever so slightly. She bowed once more and withdrew. Arden followed after her.
The moment the two of them left and the door closed, silence settled over the chamber once again.
All the burdens accumulated over the day suddenly felt real upon my shoulders. I leaned my back against the bed and exhaled slowly.
Still, it wasn’t all bad. I knew where my enemies were, and my allies were now clear.
The problem now was singular: what move would the Church’s upper echelon make next, and how would I destroy it?
After changing clothes and washing myself, I collapsed onto the bed. My mind remained empty until the blanket covered me, but the moment my eyes closed, exhaustion crashed down all at once.
When I woke from a night’s sleep in this chamber yesterday, my Holy Power had fully recharged, but it seemed the depleted mental state wasn’t recovering alongside it.
My body was fine, but my mind remained heavy and sluggish. So there truly existed fatigue that Holy Power couldn’t resolve.
All of this was because of that cursed Archbishop, who’d forced the current state of Indulgences right before my eyes.
Frustrated, I shifted my body on the bed and reached for my pillow, when something rustled beneath it.
As I lifted the pillow, a folded piece of paper came into view.
No one could have entered at this hour, and besides, only a few people could have left something like this in my chamber.
I had some idea of who’d left the note, but the moment I unfolded it and saw the handwriting, I knew for certain.
Sister, it looks like you’re about to meet with the Second Prince.
The Temple is pushing the Second Prince as the next emperor, it seems. What are they trying to do using you?
I heard them saying they need to arrange a meeting between you and him.
That’s all I could hear—couldn’t get the rest! I’ve fed you this much, so the rest is up to you to figure out!
—Vivian
It was a note Vivian had left behind. She must have set it down while cleaning the room.
Even after reading the note through to the end, I lay there unmoving for a while. The paper resting on my chest felt strangely heavy.
Here I was, parading around invoking the Humiliation of Canossa—Charity Edition—only to learn that the Church now wielded influence over the selection of the next Emperor himself. And yet I felt no joy whatsoever.
We’ve become nothing but corruption and rot itself, damn these later generations!
I’d warned them so firmly never to entangle themselves with the Imperial Court, never to stretch their feet in that direction!
I wasn’t entirely ignorant of current Imperial affairs either. Did they think only the Temple’s upper echelon could hear the news? Even during my time at the Orphanage, on the streets, and while cleaning the Main Temple or guiding nobles about, I’d picked up quite a bit.
Rumors flowed in from everywhere if you had ears to hear them.
Public opinion on the matter was largely consistent.
The First Prince was said to have a stable temperament, to excel in both learning and statecraft, and to be at least “a man capable of ruling as Emperor.”
The Second Prince, by contrast, was fond of pleasure, lacked a sense of responsibility, and was described charitably as free-spirited—or frankly, as a worthless rake.
With such a stark difference in their reputations, the outcome seemed obvious even without the Temple’s intervention. Yet the Church’s insistence on backing the Second Prince and positioning me at his side troubled me deeply.
Surely not. Surely they weren’t deliberately scheming on the premise that they had connections to the Imperial Court while I had none, and arranging the board accordingly.
They’d wrap it all up as the Saint’s choice to support the Second Prince on the surface, but behind the scenes, they’d back the First Prince themselves. Then, once the First Prince ascended the throne, they’d use the strength of the Imperial Court to purge both the Second Prince and me together in one fell stroke. They weren’t plotting something so grand, were they…?
The tragedy that had befallen me was that the current Church was more than capable of doing exactly that.
Play fair, damn it. Just because you lot have connections to the Imperial Court and I don’t—you’d stoop to cowardly exploiting that to crush me like a bug?
Fine. Good. Let’s see how far this goes.
Whether it was the Imperial Court or the Church, I was determined to see this through to the end and find out once and for all who was using whom.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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