One Hundred Nights with the Devil - Chapter 7

Fugitives appeared one after another. There were those who came to become Exorcists and ran away in a day, and there were plenty who fled in fear ahead of their martyrdom.

When the Exorcists they had bought and raised at a high price ran away, the Grand Temple took measures.

“Make those who walk the path of the Exorcist carve the oath to uphold the will of Saint Pharael onto their own bodies.”

Under the Pope’s order, the Temple Knights branded the holy tree pattern onto the bodies of Exorcist candidates with a hot iron. The number of those running away was still high, but thanks to the brand carved on their bodies, half of them could be caught again. They were thrown into the nearby black fog as soon as they were caught, and survived at a rate of one or two per hundred. With their bodies cut in half……. In a state where being alive felt surprising and pitiable.

Thus, the Eclard Church survived. Even if their authority was built upon the fear of Devils and the greed to convert that fear into money…….

‘Hop, jump up and the motherless child is gone. One piece of bread the hungry child likes is left. Hop, jump up and the old grandmother is gone. One coin of a fairy tale to put in the children’s pocket is left. Hop, hop, where did they go. Hop, hop, they were eaten by the black fog. Hop, hop, who took them. Hop, hop. His Holiness the Pope traded them for bread. Traded them for a coin of a fairy tale.’

The Grand Temple could not stop even while knowing they were being eaten away by the notoriety they had brought upon themselves.

So everyone predicted the self-destruction of the Eclard Church.

“Ah, God has finally saved us!”

Until a short while ago.

“The Saintess sent by Him has saved us!”

Elena. This was true until an orphan from the south with a common name walked the path of an Exorcist.

* * *

Although it had repeatedly declined over the last few hundred years, the Eclard Church was a group that had guarded the ancient history of the continent as the empire’s sole religion. Furthermore, since establishing the human sacrifice exorcism method, the religious order earned immense donations in exchange for giving up Exorcists whenever a Devil descended.

Therefore, the Grand Temple of Eclard, located on a gentle hill on the outskirts of the imperial capital, was as splendid and beautiful as the Imperial Palace.

Among them, the ‘Chamber of the Only One’ located on the 5th floor of the Grand Temple’s main castle was a famous attraction known as the pinnacle of luxury. Rumor had it that the cost of an entire castle was spent in a year just to decorate the room with new luxury goods every year to maintain the prestige of the place known as the most precious room.

However, the bedroom was actually always empty. It was because an owner befitting the elegant reputation did not exist.

It was one month ago from now that the owner of that famous empty bedroom appeared.

Reddish-brown hair that glowed like a sunset when seen under the sunlight. A twenty-one-year-old Exorcist with brown eyes holding a mysterious red hue as if matching the color of her hair.

The Saintess of Eclard who saved tens of thousands of lives. The adversary of the most powerful Devil. Thus, ‘Elena of Wellington’, who became the owner of the ‘Chamber of the Only One’ by the unanimous decision of the 10 Archbishops of Eclard.

She was leaning against the window of the beautiful bedroom, looking down outside. Beyond the window, a garden newly created solely for her was spread out, but to her eyes, it was nothing more than a pretty and useless sight.

‘I’d rather they scattered jewels. Then at least there would be the fun of looking at them.’

If the priests were to learn of her inner thoughts, they would be appalled, asking ‘How can the Saintess be so frivolous’, but Elena was sincere. Because flowers and trees that could neither be eaten nor sold were the most useless luxury goods in the world by her standards.

‘Boring.’

Elena was even tired of the jewels she liked so much as of last week. It was because finding joy in looking at sparkling necklaces or rings had become boring after repeating it hundreds of times.

Not to mention the ancient book submitted by a nobleman who visited most recently, claiming it was a ‘popular collectible these days’. A book. To think he brought a bundle of old parchment as a precious gift to offer to a Saintess!

Of course, the cover of the submitted book was studded with hundreds of jewels or had gold-plated ivory carvings attached whole, but to Elena, who had already grown tired of even admiring jewels, it was a luxury item with absolutely no meaning.

‘I’d rather they bring something to eat.’

Of course, it had been a long time since she was moved by things like expensive wine worth the price of a horse per bottle.

Anyway, her patience, having grown so bored that she even thought of looking down at the garden, was on the verge of reaching its limit.

“Miss Elena!”