The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

37 – The Saintess Was Shocked to Learn That Elves Were Slaves.

As the main headquarters of the Goddess Church, the Saint Serpia Cathedral was filled with numerous believers.

And because of that, Hera’s wariness reached its peak. She pulled her hood so low that her face, not just her ears, was hidden.

Although her reaction seemed a bit excessive, Franz decided to leave it be for now.

After all, it wasn’t the first time an elf was wary of humans.

Anyway.

‘Where is Justia?’

If it were night, she would be in her room, but during the day, she would surely be doing something….

The problem was that he didn’t know what she was doing.

While Franz was looking around for Justia, a priest approached him with a friendly demeanor.

“Oh, isn’t it the Tower Master?”

The priest greeted Franz warmly.

But Franz didn’t know who he was.

To be precise, he couldn’t remember his name, though his face seemed vaguely familiar.

Regardless, it was certain that they had met somewhere before.

“Father, it’s been a while.”

Franz pretended to remember and greeted him.

It would be rude to say he had forgotten who he was.

Besides, they wouldn’t be talking for long anyway.

The priest’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“It’s an honor that the Tower Master remembers me. How have you been?”

“Yes, I’ve been doing well enough.”

This is driving me crazy.

Franz was feeling guilty in real-time.

But now that it had come to this, there was no choice but to push through.

“So, what brings you to the cathedral?”

“Ah, I wish to meet the Saint.”

Although he had told a slight lie, things were going smoothly because of it, so it wasn’t too bad.

Well, he could start remembering the priest’s face from today.

After all, no one would know he had lied except himself, so it was practically a perfect crime, or rather, virtually innocent.

“If it’s the Saint you’re looking for, she’s probably teaching the believers. Judging by the time, it should be over soon. I’ll let her know you’re here. Please wait a moment.”

“Yes, thank you.”

With that conversation, the priest walked off somewhere.

Franz’s gaze followed him, and there was Justia, with believers kneeling before her.

What should he say about Justia, bathed in the colorful light from the stained glass? She was so sublime and beautiful that the title of God’s representative suited her perfectly.

Seeing her like that, Franz could understand why so many believers followed her.

She didn’t feel human; she truly seemed like a gift from God.

How much time had passed like that?

Before he knew it, the teaching had ended, and Justia bowed her head to the believers and stood up.

The priest approached her, and soon her gaze turned to Franz.

That gaze was both welcoming and unwelcoming, a very complex and subtle feeling.

Perhaps it was because every time he visited, a major incident occurred.

Franz waved lightly to greet her.

After all, it was true that he was here to borrow her power unilaterally.

Franz and Hera faced Justia a little later.

In a corner of the cathedral, out of sight of people, the two and one stood facing each other.

“I heard you came to see me.”

“Well, yes.”

“You didn’t come just to pray… And the one next to you, is that Hera?”

Justia’s gaze turned to Hera, and Hera finally lifted her hood slightly to reveal her face.

“Justia, it’s been a while.”

“Y-yes, it has. But why are you here…?”

There was no small amount of bewilderment on Justia’s face.

It was only natural, given that an elf had come all the way to the cathedral, far from the Great Forest.

It was from that moment that a serious conversation began among the three.

Franz and Hera explained everything to Justia.

From what the World Tree was going through, to what the Spirit King had said, and the possibility that it was an incident caused by the cultists.

“Well, I don’t know for sure because I haven’t been there. But there’s a possibility that it was the cultists’ doing, so I came to you.”

“So, in the end, you’re asking for help?”

“Well, that’s how it turned out.”

If it was related to the cultists, the power of the Saint would naturally be needed, and even if it wasn’t, the power of the Saint might be able to restore the World Tree a little.

Hmm-.

Justia crossed her arms and furrowed her brow.

For some reason, it seemed difficult for her to make a decision easily.

“Justia, I know it’s shameless of me to ask, but could you help us just this once?”

At Hera’s earnest request, the furrow in Justia’s brow deepened.

After a moment, a sigh escaped Justia’s lips.

“Haa-, alright. I’ll help you.”

“Justia…! Thank you so much…!”

Hera smiled brightly and bowed her head.

It seemed like things were wrapping up well, but Justia’s words didn’t end there.

“Just remember one thing.”

“What, what is it?”

Hera answered in a flustered voice, and Franz also tilted his head in curiosity.

“Keep it a secret that I helped you. Do you know how much trouble I was in last time when it got out that I helped you, Franz? I went in my pajamas, and the Pope and the believers all gossiped about it.”

Justia’s sharp gaze turned to Franz.

Indeed, he was entirely responsible for this.

He had kidnapped Justia without her consent.

Franz scratched his head awkwardly.

Of course, he could have made plenty of excuses.

The cultists had caused an incident, and Yuna was on the verge of destroying the world because of it.

There was no time to worry about whether the Saint was in her pajamas or naked.

But that’s only from a third party’s perspective, and it can be quite embarrassing for the person involved.

In the end, there was only one thing Franz could do.

“I already apologized back then….”

“Please be careful this time. The Goddess Church is in a very sensitive period, and everyone is being cautious.”

“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

The sensitivity Justia mentioned must be because the Emperor declared a full-scale war against the cult.

In that matter, he could only help as the Tower Master, but the Goddess Church was facing the enemy head-on.

Anyway.

‘It seems like she’s okay.’

He was worried that Justia’s mental state might be shaken by this incident, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Of course, since it hasn’t even started yet, they would have to keep watching.

Anyway, since it was decided that Justia would help, they just needed to move at the right time.

It was then.

“Justia, I appreciate your help, but….”

Hera said in a gloomy voice.

The moment he heard that, Franz realized something was going wrong.

He tried to stop Hera from speaking….

“I have already decided to become Franz’s slave, so there’s nothing I can do, but if you have any wishes, please tell me. I will ask other elves for help to fulfill your wish.”

Hmm.

It was too late.

He had a bad feeling, and these instincts were never wrong.

Franz’s hand, which was reaching for Hera’s mouth, slowly moved up to his forehead.

And at the same time, Justia’s shocked gaze turned to Franz.

“You, you…! Made Hera a slave…?!”

In the end, Franz had to explain to Justia for a long time.

But did this really need an explanation in the first place?

He refused, but she insisted on becoming a slave.

Franz felt quite wronged, but since he had decided to accept Hera as a slave, there was nothing he could do.

So, well, he just had to quietly accept reality.

* * * * *

The sun set beyond the mountain ridge, and the sky took on a deep indigo hue in the late evening.

Franz, Hera, and Justia faced the Great Forest.

“Wow… This is my first time seeing it up close. It’s really huge, isn’t it?”

For Justia, who was visiting the Great Forest for the first time, it was simply amazing, but Franz, who was here for the second time, could definitely feel it.

‘There’s definitely some change.’

There were certainly more fallen leaves on the ground than before, and the number of leaves on the trees had significantly decreased.

If this was due to the influence of the World Tree, then there was definitely a problem.

And,

“Franz, did you feel it?”

“Yeah, I felt it.”

The ominous mana permeating the entire Great Forest was definitely related to the cult.

It seemed bringing Justia was the right decision.

Soon, the three of them stepped into the depths of the Great Forest.

Into the Great Forest, which had transformed from a sacred forest protected by the World Tree into an ominous forest.

They had no idea what would happen next.