Chapter 28 - Saintess Purification

I didn't expect the forest near my house to have such a terrifying atmosphere.

 Dry trees.

 Tree trunks that look fragile.

 Tree roots that emit black liquid.

 Fallen dry leaves.

 And black soil with sticky black liquid on it.

 "Ugh~ what is this horrible smell?" I tried to hold back the stench that pierced my nose.

 "Welcome to your first assignment as a Saintess, Lily-chan~," Ciel said happily.

 Ciel seemed to have gotten used to this pungent stench.

 "I-Is this the job of a Saintess?" I asked sarcastically.

 "Exactly! Exploring and purifying polluted areas like this is our main obligation as Goddess's chosen Saintess!" Ciel replied with a face full of joy.

 Ugh, how do I purify an area like this?

 Moreover.. what should I do with conditions like this?

 "HUUUUAAAA!!" Behind me was Sia who was trying to stop after running fast and Mio who was screaming behind her back.

 "Puuuwaaa.. puuuuwaa~" Mio tried to calm her spinning head.

 "Ara~ this looks bad, Ciel," said Sia while observing the condition of the forest.

 "Niin~ this forest is still at a stage that can be fixed if the main source of the problem is successfully fixed," replied Ciel while picking up the fallen leaves on the ground.

 The blackish brown leaves that Ciel touched were very fragile and shattered when her fingertips held the leaf blade.

 "Umu! This incident hasn't happened long ago," said Ciel while lifting a brownish yellow leaf that was covered by a pile of leaves.

 "This can still be fixed quickly. Please help me purify this place, Sia. Seeing its large size it will take a long time to purify the entire forest," said Ciel while looking at Sia.

 "Eh? But purifying the forest is not my job," replied Sia.

 "Niiin~ please help me just this once~" Ciel requested while moving her fox ears and tail.

 "Uh! It's so cheating to ask me to use that pose. O-Okay! J-Just this once!" Sia replied.

 "For Lily-chan.. please entertain our little guest who will come!" after Ciel said that sentence, Ciel clasped both of her palms and put both of her hands in front of her chest while bowing. A golden light overflowed from her body and a golden magic circle appeared under her feet.

 "Haaah~ it can't be helped. I'll help you for now. This is the first time two Saintesses from two different Goddesses are working together-" Sia stopped her words.

 "Fufu~ This is interesting! What if there is news about three Saintesses from different Goddesses working together? Hmm.. I wonder how the other Saintesses will react?" Sia continued while looking at me.

 "Let's do this Saintess task, Lily-chan!" Sia now followed Ciel's movements. Her whole body was filled with golden magic and the magic circle that appeared under her feet blended with Ciel's magic circle.

 Eh?

 Is it just my feeling or is Sia's gaze indicating something related to me?

 "Lily-chan, please protect us both~" Sia waved her hand at me and continued the purification ritual with Ciel.

 "I'm not used to doing purification on land. But, I will help purify the dirty air in this forest," Sia said while standing beside Ciel.

 "Um! That's helpful for me, Sia. This is the first time we've done purification together," Ciel moved her body closer to Sia.

 "Ciel~"

 "Sia~"

 Ciel and Sia now held each other's hands and released golden magic from their bodies.

 Their two golden magic slowly merged and spread from their bodies until they turned the dry leaves that had fallen green again. The black soil and sticky black liquid on it turned into soil covered with green grass and dew crystals that stuck to the grass.

 Ah!

 I see!

 This is what the Saintess' purification ritual is called!

 I've heard of this ritual before.

 In a children's book I once read, a Saintess chosen by the Goddess was able to transform barren land into fertile land filled with plants through a purification ritual.

 This was the first time I had seen a Saintess perform a purification ritual up close.

 This purification ritual made me wonder a little about one thing.

 Why haven't human Saintesses ever performed this ritual before?

 I mean, some areas of the kingdom where I live are very barren and make it very difficult for the surrounding residents to grow plants.

 Why don't they purify those places into fertile land that can grow food?

 [ Oh! That question is very easy to answer, Lily-chan. ]

 Eh? Goddess?

 [ Umu.. I'm back, Lily-chan! Oh! Is Lily-chan curious about the answer to that little question? ]

 Um! I'm so curious!

 [ The answer to Lily-chan's question lies like humans themselves. In addition to humans' extremely short lifespans, they are also filled with other things known as the seven deadly sins of humanity. That's why we rarely elect humans as Saintesses. ]

 [ Ah! Except for Lily-chan! Lily-chan is very different from other humans. Speaking of human Saintesses, they are just imitations created by the human kingdom to regulate public order. ]

 A-Am I an exception?

 [ Of course! You could say this is proof of my love for Lily-chan! ]

 E-Eh?

 Sometimes the Goddess gives answers that I don't understand.

 [ Hikss.. did I just get rejected by Lily-chan? ]

 Eh? I-It's not like that, Goddess...

 It's just, that I...

 [ Ehehehe.. Lily-chan is so cute when she's confused like that. ]

 [ Good reaction, Lily-chan! ]

 [ Um! Back to our topic, if we continue the answer to Lily-chan's question, maybe we will jump hundreds of years to the era of the first Saintess of humanity who was sacrificed for wealth and the throne. ]

 The first Saintess of humanity was sacrificed for wealth and the throne.

 [ Um! Coincidentally, the Goddess who made humanity into Saintesses is my junior. ]

 H-Huh? Junior?

 [ Ahem! Forget what I said. Lily-chan, I'll give you one big question. Does Lily-chan believe that one of the Goddesses known today is a human who was reborn as a Goddess? ]

 Hearing the question from the Goddess, my head spun fast to understand the question from the Goddess.

 [ Ehehe.. Lily-chan doesn't need to answer it. Because the first Saintess who was sacrificed by humanity is now a Goddess who happens to be respected by other Goddesses. The sacrifice of humanity's stupidity gave birth to a new Goddess and the prohibition to appoint humanity as Saintesses. ]

 [ But! There is one Goddess who doesn't care about that rule and that Goddess is. ]

 [ And... its Me!! Teehe~ ]

 [ They don't want the tragedy of humanity's first Saintess to happen again. So, use the power of the Yurification System wisely! Ahem! Wise in this case is killing- I mean giving a stern warning to humanity not to look down on Lily-chan! Um! Yes! Like that! ]

 When I heard the last part of the Goddess's words, I remembered my annoying Queen of the Kingdom again.

 Could it be...

 That's what humanity's first Saintess experienced?

 The sacrifice that occurred due to political coercion and power that dragged humanity's first Saintess as a victim of humanity's great sin?

 Um, Goddess.. may I ask one thing?

 [ What is that, Lily-chan? ]

 Is a Saintess allowed to kill someone guilty?

 [ Oh, that? Um.. if I'm not mistaken. Currently, Saintesses have the privilege to carry out public executions on someone who is proven guilty. But, make sure Lily-chan has enough evidence to carry out public executions! ]

 Um! I'll remember that.

 Ping!!

 My body suddenly felt an attack approaching.

 Um, Goddess..

 [ Yes, it's time to protect ours fellow Saintesses. ]

 [ Good luck, Lily-chan! ]