chapter 96
Chapter 96
The first word Mirella learned was:
“Mama.”
When she spoke this word, the Former Saintess hugged her, weeping with joy.
Yet she did not know that Mirella’s eyes were not on her, but were gently fixed on the Black Cat stretching and yawning on the windowsill behind her.
It was the Black Cat that kept her alive.
–
Because she was the child of a sheep and a human, she could understand all animals from a young age.
She rarely went outside.
Most of the time, she sat on the top floor of the church closest to the Royal Palace, looking down at the country.
People busy with their lives, and children playing joyfully.
Birds chirped as they flew past the window. “Haha, look at these children, they’re playing make-believe again. Today, the girl playing the princess and the boy playing the prince must overcome many obstacles and live in the sand Castle they’ve built!”
“And there’s someone playing the demon! He’s wearing an ugly mask-he really looks like a demon! He gave everyone a fright. My goodness, where did he find such an ugly mask? It’s covered in black fur!”
“The demon is just an obstacle on their path to true love! The ugly demon was driven away by everyone working together. Today’s role-play is so much fun.”
The children joined hands in a circle, celebrating the princess and prince living happily ever after. Mirella watched this joyful scene, then looked at the grotesque mask made of countless pieces of black fur, discarded on the ground.
She wondered.
Was the mask really so ugly?
Why did she think it looked rather nice?
The children had already dispersed, some gathering together to play marbles on the ground, their chins, faces, and hands all dirty; some blowing soap bubbles; some drawing patterns on each other’s faces with mud.
The transparent, sparkling bubbles floated upward.
One drifted to Mirella’s window.
She blinked, and the bubble burst.
The door to the room, which could never be locked, was opened by the Former Saintess.
The Saintess covered Mirella’s eyes, took her hand, and led her away from the window, teaching her again and again.
“Mirella, you are different from the other children.”
“You are not the kind of girl who rolls in mud and sand. You are the Saintess. You must ensure your clothes are always white, never stained with dust.”
As the Saintess lectured, the Black Cat walked across the windowsill, jumped onto the bed, its soft tail brushing under Mirella’s chin, and slipped a Glass Marble into her palm.
She lowered her head and clenched the marble tightly, not letting the Saintess see.
This was something common children played with. If discovered, it would be taken away.
Finally, the Saintess said,
“Alright, time to do your real work! Let’s go to the city gate. Another group of civilians suspected of being parasitized by the Insectoid Parasite has been brought in today. You must identify which ones have already fallen.”
The Saintess pressed her hands together over her chest, prayed softly, and sighed.
“Why are more and more people in this country being parasitized by the Insectoid Parasite…”
–
On the day she came of age, Mirella officially became the Saintess.
She donned pure white clothes.
She became the Empire’s most effective Weapon for purging the Insectoid Parasite.
At the same time, she was also the most authoritative bringer of blessings.
She was invited to every Royal Family wedding and to bless every newborn royal baby.
Everyone treated her as an honored guest.
Even every new member joining the Order of Holy Knights had to receive her blessing.
Again and again, she would say,
“God will bless you.”
Her hands even had the power to sweep away gloom and darkness.
But after she cured a newborn of a congenital disease, her own body became extremely weak.
From then on, she rarely used this ability.
–
Later, Mirella found she could see and hear more and more things.
The evil desires within everyone began to manifest.
She watched each person who received her blessing walk by.
“I want money, I want power.”
“If I marry her, I can become a Noble, even join the Royal Family, even though I don’t love her at all.”
“When will I become King? The current King must be old enough by now.”
“Let me pass! Please let me become a Holy Knight, I want that generous salary so badly!”
These desires spoke aloud, turning into rotting black water, coiling around the faces of these humans.
She could no longer see any normal human faces or bodies.
Even if these people were not parasitized by the Insectoid Parasite, she still saw monsters.
She told the Former Saintess everything, holding nothing back.
A month later, she received a White Band.
“As long as you remain clear-headed, you won’t be affected by these voices and desires. But to work better during the day, you can cover your eyes with this at night when you sleep. The Magic Array on it will block out all outside sounds, letting you see and hear only simple appearances.”
–
Fortunately, she could still communicate with animals.
Animals did not have these desires; they were so pure.
She preferred talking to animals over humans.
At least animals never lied.
Her “mama” gave birth to two Black Cats, and died this winter when her life ended.
Mirella buried the old, frail Black Cat in a grave she dug herself.
She then took on the responsibility of an elder sister, bringing the Black Cat “brother” and “sister” home to raise.
Until that day, when she identified dozens more people parasitized by the Insectoid Parasite at the city gate.
This time.
It was not only civilians who were parasitized, but also the Captain of the Holy Knights, and even several members of the Royal Family.
She returned to the empty room at the top of the church as she always did.
But her “younger brother” and “younger sister” were nowhere to be found.
Beneath her window, those whose brains had been half-consumed by Insectoid Parasites were clashing with the Holy Knights whose mission was to protect the Saintess.
“Arrest them all! There are bugs in their brains! Don’t let them near anyone else!”
“Who gave you permission to enter the Saintess’s church? What did you steal?”
“Black is evil, white is holy! She may be the Saintess, but the Black Cats she keeps are surely omens of misfortune! Why don’t you kill these Black Cats?”
Mirella looked down from the windowsill, her eyes wide with terror. “No! Let it go! Let it go!”
A Black Cat kitten was lifted high by someone and then slammed hard to the ground, letting out a pitiful cry.
She tried to jump from the windowsill, but a Holy Knight guarding her grabbed her arm tightly. “Please, calm down! These are just impulsive mobs. It’s only a cat. Please think of the bigger picture!”
Someone in the agitated crowd shouted:
“We haven’t been parasitized by Insectoid Parasites! She must be wrong today! If you stand by her, your Holy Knight Captain should be burned too!”
“That’s right! The one who’s wrong is the Saintess! She’s the true evil!”
Once parasitized by Insectoid Parasites, there was no cure – they could only be burned alive in the Magic Circle.
Once the Saintess detected bugs, her hand became the hand of judgment.
Whoever she pointed at would be branded with ‘pollution’ and ‘corruption.’
In that instant, inside minds already half-devoured by Insectoid Parasites, the desire to live and the fear of death overwhelmed everything.
Led by the Holy Knight Captain, they pressed bloody handprints and wrote a joint petition, sending it to the Castle.
Once.
Twice.
The Royal Family suppressed the riots.
Mirella built two new graves beside the old one.
Until the last time.
She pointed at the Queen.
“There are bugs in the Queen’s brain.”
Then she saw filthy water running down the King’s face; with each word, he spat out mud, pointing his Scepter at her nose.
“The Saintess has fallen. There are bugs in her brain. Burn her.”
All those whom she had once blessed pressed forward, restraining her with the Magic Circle, determined to burn her alive before the eyes of the entire city.
“That’s right! We haven’t fallen! Where are the bugs on us?”
“She calls herself the Saintess, but isn’t she just a bastard? I always thought it creepy how she talked to Black Cats all day – she’s a heretic!”
“I don’t have bugs! I’m not sick! Not sick! Haha, I’m a normal person! We’ve finally found the cause of everyone’s illness – it’s her lies! She’s the corrupted one!”
“As always, we should pray for God’s forgiveness through sacrifice! Burn her, and those Black Cats too!”
Three graves were dug up, and her family’s Corpses were violently thrown into the fire.
Mirella’s hands and feet were tied to the stake. She watched as her three family members – those small, frail figures – were burned in the flames, their fur curling, and then turned to ash.
She didn’t dare to blink.
She watched as her family was reduced to nothing, not even Corpses left.
The thick smoke and fire reached her.
Mirella wept.
She hated her lineage.
She hated her eyes.
The fire should have burned her eyes first.
Amid the cheers of the crowd, a voice came from the flames:
“I will never look at anyone again.”
“Nor will I ever bless anyone again.”
“Everyone will receive the punishment they deserve.”
“I curse you!”
“I curse this country. It shall be forever trapped in Purgatory!”
Lightning split the night, and a mechanical voice not belonging to this world sounded in Mirella’s ear.
[Hatred Value fluctuation detected.]
[Any wish you have, the Necromancer Game can fulfill. Please choose Yes/No to join the game.]
–
After entering the Necromancer Game, she wore that cloth band for a long time.
Within the Instance, during Game Night, it was said she had drawn an Evil God.
Yet in the first Instance, she never saw that Evil God.
Game Night was always so quiet.
Until she cleared the Instance.
She wanted to bring her family back to life.
Before that, she was perhaps no different from a walking corpse.
Until one day.
On the floor of the Game Night room, a beautiful, sparkling Glass Marble rolled toward her, gently bumping her and softly coming to a stop.
With the cloth band on, she saw a Black Cat from her memories.
She removed the band and finally saw what hid in the shadows.
It was a Crow.
When the Crow met her gaze, it spread its wings and called out, “Meow?”