A fortune-telling princess Chapter 178

Chapter: The Sword of Judgment

The weather is really nice.

“It’s really autumn now.”

“We should start changing the café menu, too.”

Despite not having known each other for long, Zeno and Arena seemed to get along well.

Even after following Camilla here, Arena often visited the temple or the papal palace to observe the situation.

“Yes, just as expected.”

They were branding her as a heretic, calling it blasphemy.

In particular, Cardinal Stella insisted that an Inquisitor should judge her.

“As I said before, we already anticipated this.”

[Hey, don’t underestimate them.]

“That’s why I’m looking for it.”

“I do value my life. I wouldn’t act recklessly without a plan.”

“Anyway, let’s go find it.”

Let’s see if they can still call me a heretic after I present it.

*****

For five days now, the members of the papal palace had been engaged in heated debates on the same topic.

“She is not a saint!”

“Yes, she is!”

“She has insulted the church!”

“This is blasphemy!”

They were calling Camilla a heretic.

“Then what about her divine power?”

“She saved dying children.”

Of course, not everyone agreed.

“You all must have heard about her past.”
“And now, suddenly, she’s a saint? That makes no sense.”

There were those who nitpicked her past actions.

“That’s right. Many people are already aware of her violent nature. I heard she even got into a public brawl, grabbing another noblewoman by the hair in front of a large crowd.”

“Tsk.”

Believing he had gained the upper hand, Cardinal Stela suppressed a smirk and pressed his argument further.

“Moreover, her so-called divine power is highly questionable. Was that truly divine power?”

“What do you mean? If it wasn’t divine power, then what was it?”

“I heard her brother is quite a skilled mage.”

“Are you implying that the phenomenon she displayed was mere magic? That was undoubtedly a sacred power!”

“Magic could never have done that! How do you explain the children whose lives were saved thanks to her divine energy?”

And so, the debate circled back to where it had started.

None of them were willing to back down, and the argument continued to drag on.

Pope Brisel sat at the head of the chamber, silently observing the chaos.

He did not take a side.

Nor did he offer his own opinion.

Because, even now, he could not predict how this matter would unfold.

What Camilla had displayed was divine power.

And not just any divine power—it was overwhelmingly strong.

Cardinal Stela surely knew that himself.

And yet, he continued to deny it.

‘I suppose he has no other choice.’

If they were to dismiss Camilla’s accusations as false, then they had to discredit her divine power.

‘She is a troublesome existence.’

A Saintess was an alluring figure of power.

But also a poisoned chalice.

If mishandled, she could be lethal.

“God has spoken. Every single one of these sinners must be captured and burned alive as atonement for their crimes.”

Her voice echoed in his mind.

The memory of Lady Sorpel staring directly at him, speaking those damning words, made him involuntarily shudder.

Recently, he had even begun dreaming of himself burning at the stake, screaming in agony.

No one wished for her not to take the Saintess title more than he did.

Yet, he couldn’t openly take Cardinal Stela’s side either.

If they wrongly accused her of heresy, it could end up exposing their own sins instead.

His naturally cautious nature made him hesitate to take any decisive action.

Knock, knock.

A few moments later, the door creaked open, and a high-ranking priest hurried inside.

After offering a polite bow to the gathered officials, he carefully placed an object before the Pope.

“What is this?”

“It was sent by Lady Camilla.”

“By Lady Camilla?”

“By the Saintess?”

Every pair of eyes in the room fixated on the box before the Pope.

What had she sent?

Click.

Pope Brisel cautiously lifted the lid.

Expressions of confusion spread among the gathered clergy.

Inside the box lay a single dagger.

A small, silver-forged blade.

Why had she sent such a thing?

“Wait a moment—!”

“That…!”

Their confusion quickly turned to shock.

“No, it can’t be!”

“That emblem…!”

“Hah!”

They instantly recognized the dagger.

And the moment they did, their faces drained of all color.

How could they not recognize it?

They saw that sword every day, multiple times a day!

“It’s the Judgment Blade!”

In the central hall of the Papal Palace stood a statue of Saintess Arena.

And clutched in the statue’s right hand was none other than the Judgment Blade.

Long ago, it was said to have disappeared along with her death.

Yet now, it lay before them.

“H-How is this possible?!”

“It was written in the Scriptures!”

“The Scriptures…?”

“Saintess Arena herself said it before she passed. That when the next saint or holy figure appeared, the Judgment Blade would return as well!”

“T-That’s…”

Of course, they all knew that prophecy well.

That was why no one could speak so easily.

If Camilla Sorpel had been the one to retrieve the blade, then didn’t that prove she was the true saintess?

“But how do we verify that this is truly the Judgment Blade?”

Cardinal Stela, recovering from his shock, quickly raised an objection.

“Y-Yes, exactly!”

“It could have been forged as a fake to deceive us!”

Others hastily voiced their agreement.

Because if this truly was the Judgment Blade, then everything they had done to brand Camilla as a heretic would be meaningless.

Besides, the idea that the church had failed to recover this sacred relic for so long—only for it to appear now—seemed too convenient.

“What are you hesitating for? Just test it.”

“Test it?”

“You all know what the Judgment Blade does, don’t you?”

The Judgment Blade was not just a symbol of Saintess Arena.

It had a power.

Those who took hold of the sword and confessed their sins received divine punishment accordingly.

However, in rare cases, if a person spoke the truth, genuinely repented, and showed remorse, the sword would deliver no punishment.

The blade, quite literally, judged one’s sincerity.

But what happened if someone wielded it and lied?

What if they tried to conceal their sins?

Their fingers would be severed.

Their eyes would be gouged out.

Their tongues cut from their mouths, ensuring they could never utter falsehoods again.

And eventually, the blade would force itself into the wielder’s own heart.

No matter how desperately they resisted, their own hands would drive the sword into their chest.

No one could escape it.

They would be forced to take their own life.

A death by divine suicide—the very act most strictly forbidden by the church.

And because of that, their bodies would be denied burial.

Their very souls, cast away by God.

“If you doubt this blade’s authenticity, then why not test it?”

At the High Priest’s words, nervous glances flickered around the room.

Those who had claimed it was fake…

And those who believed it to be real…

Not a single person stepped forward to touch it.

Meanwhile…

[How are you feeling?]

“A little better than last time.”

[Tsk. You’re still too weak.]

“This has nothing to do with my stamina.”

[It does.]

“…Sure. Let’s go with that.”

The place where Camilla had retrieved the Judgment Blade wasn’t far—just within a nearby mountain range.

She was surprised that it had been so close to the Papal Palace all this time.

After all, she knew how desperately the church had searched for it after Arena’s death.

They had scoured every location she had ever set foot in.

“And yet, they never found it? Even when it was right there?”

[Because they’re all spiritually blind.]

“Spi—?”

[I made it so that only someone with sufficient divine power could even see the entrance to the cave where the blade rested.]

“Why?”

[Because I wanted someone as powerful as me to wield it someday.]

“Then shouldn’t that mean I can’t find it either?”

[You have me, don’t you?]

“Wait, does that mean—”

[You should’ve brought ice packs or some medicine to lower your fever.]

Sure enough, though retrieving the blade had been easy, it still left her bedridden for several days.

Though she hadn’t completely collapsed like the first time she used her divine power, the aftereffects of possession had hit her hard once again.

Which, of course, meant—

The entire household was in an uproar.

“Perhaps we should seek out another healer.”

“No, that’s not—”

“Yes, I agree. This is getting concerning.”

“Why does she keep collapsing?! This isn’t normal!”

“It’s just lingering symptoms from the divine fever—”

“Camilla, go lie down immediately!”

Seeing how serious everyone was, Camilla had to work hard to calm them down.

[You’ll get used to it.]

“…Why should I get used to this?”

She had no intention of using divine power for anyone else again.

This time, she had only exerted a small amount to enter the cave—which was why her condition wasn’t as bad as before.

But next time?

If she overdid it, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t collapse completely again.

[The blade was delivered safely, right?]

…Why was she changing the subject?

“Sigh.”

Well, it was fine.

After all, retrieving the blade had been my decision, too.

She let it go.

“Yes, I’m sure they received it.”

After finding the Judgment Blade, Camilla had immediately sent it to the Papal Palace.

Since they were so eager to talk about her every single day, she had delivered it as a polite message to shut them up.

[Who do you think will be the first to wield it?]

“I doubt anyone will.”

There would certainly be those who doubted the blade’s authenticity…

But no one would actually dare to test it.

“Can anyone truly say they’ve never committed a sin?”

Probably not.

Especially not those hypocrites who had been so desperate to brand me a heretic.

They would be too afraid to speak.

Because Saintess Arena’s prophecy had been clear.

Whoever retrieved the Judgment Blade would be the next Saintess.

“I’ve done my part.”

“If anyone still dares to speak ill of me… I’ll just tell them to pick up the blade themselves.”

[Exactly.]

That should be the end of all this nonsense.

Later…

“…Something’s not right.”

Camilla frowned as she scanned the room.

Sitting on her bed, she slowly swung her legs over and stood up.

Woooong!

A bright light filled the room, and within moments, a figure materialized.

“I told you to stay in bed. Why are you up?”

It was Ravi.

Somehow, he had immediately sensed the moment she moved.

“What did you do to my room? How do you always know when I stand up?”

“You’re a patient. Patients are supposed to rest.”

“I’m fine now.”

“So where are you going? You were supposed to tell me first.”

“…To the bathroom. Do you want to follow me in there too?”

“…I’ll call a maid.”

“No, thanks!”