Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration] 88

Chapter 88

The words dissipated, each one ringing in the ears like a heavy bell.

The thick clouds seemed to be torn open, and a blood-red cross appeared in their wake.

“Judgment.”

As those two words fell, an invisible ripple surged forth, like a massive boulder crashing down, causing everyone’s heart to tremble. They all fell to their knees in unison, crying out, “Hallelujah.”

Li An didn’t dare to stand out at this moment, so she naturally knelt down with them, feigning piety while actually glancing around.

The mist around the stone statue dispersed, and the light of the red cross shone down, revealing a delicately carved face. Under the red light, it seemed as if a soul had been injected into it, devoid of its previous dullness. It was solemn and majestic, and the wings behind it seemed to sway in the wind.

But when Li An lowered her head again, all that remained in her mind was a majestic but blurry face. No matter how hard she tried to recall it, she couldn’t remember a single detail.

Li An was momentarily stunned and subconsciously raised her head again. Before she could get another look, her attention was drawn elsewhere.

“Execution.”

The familiar voice sounded once more, still indifferent and merciless, but now with an added, unquestionable authority.

Then, a well-defined hand grasped the hilt of a sword. The blade pointed at the two kneeling figures, Michael and Olivia, and lightly swept down.

It was an overly casual movement, yet it instilled no thought of resistance in anyone.

The bishop whom Michael had called “Teacher” hurriedly stepped forward, his right fist pressed to his chest as he bowed his head and cried, “Your Excellency Anoska, Michael was just momentarily confused…”

But before he could finish, the holy sword had already fallen. The void seemed to be split open by the blade’s edge, and the holy light was blinding.

The cries, pleas, and arguments all vanished. The two figures kneeling on the ground disappeared, completely annihilated, without even a corpse left behind.

A chill ran down the spines of the onlookers. They subconsciously looked at her hand, where the scales of good and evil were perfectly balanced, signifying the fairness of the verdict.

A dead silence fell over the area; even the sounds of dispute were gone.

Until the bishop collapsed to the ground, muttering and crying, “That was your personal attendant… Michael, my student, he had just come of age…”

“Olivia was with child… the child was innocent.”

The voice was not loud, but it fell clearly on everyone’s ears.

The next second, another bishop rushed forward, covering the man’s mouth and pulling him back. As he did so, he glanced several times toward the center, a hint of probing hidden behind his feigned timidity.

The crowd below was unaware of this, their ears still ringing with the bishop’s cries.

The Saintess’s verdict was indeed fair and just, but was it perhaps too merciless?

After all, that was the bishop’s student, and an attendant who had accompanied the Saintess for many years. Who could say for sure when it came to matters of the heart?

The reason they were able to fall in love was because Olivia often ran errands for the Saintess, which gave her the opportunity to interact with Deacon Michael.

Hesitant gazes fell upon the scales, which remained perfectly balanced.

The crowd was silent.

As the judgment concluded, the holy light gradually faded.

Taking this opportunity, Li An raised her head and looked toward the center of the stage.

The figure was clad in a white robe, holding a sword in her right hand and scales in her left. Behind her, the red cross was slowly dimming. Long, silver hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her skin was fair and flawless, her features holy and almost perfect. As her silver lashes fluttered, a pair of eyes as brilliant as molten gold at sunset looked over.

It was a gaze that seemed to cross millennia, traversing time and space, flowing with the River El until it finally landed in the depths of Li An’s eyes.

“Li An…”

A gentle whisper faded by her ear. The momentary daze passed, and by the time she came to, those eyes had already moved away, looking toward the bishops on the other side.

“Bishop Evan, do you have an objection to my judgment?”

The bishops on the other side suddenly stiffened, especially Bishop Evan. He quickly stood up straight, hastily wiped his tears with his sleeve, and bowed hurriedly. “Of course not.”

“Your Excellency is the spokesperson for the Archangel Michael, wielding judgment and justice. It is impossible for you to have even the slightest personal bias.”

Hearing this, Li An finally cast aside her tangled thoughts and seriously sized up the woman on the stage.

This is her mission target?

Divine authority was higher than royal authority, and within the supreme Holy See, there were different ranks.

The most common were the acolytes. From royalty and nobility down to the common folk, anyone could call themselves an acolyte. The Holy See’s control over them was loose; they were only expected to abide by the church’s laws.

Attendants, on the other hand, were acolytes who had sworn an oath to God, voluntarily dedicating their lives to the Holy See. They could not marry or have families and spent their days serving God and the Holy See.

Though their status was low, they were still considered noble members of the Holy See. Commoners and nobles alike would scheme and fight for the very few spots available.

Above the attendants were deacons, elders, cardinals, archbishops, and the Pope. The Pope was replaced every ten years, elected by a vote among the ten archbishops. The Pope held the highest authority of leadership and judgment within the Holy See, making them the actual person in power.

But above the Pope, there was the Saintess.

Chosen by God to be His spokesperson in the mortal world.

Not every generation of Popes had a Saintess. For example, before the current Saintess, the Holy See had gone over a hundred years without one being chosen. There were even rumors that the Holy See had done something to anger God, causing Him to become disgusted and unwilling to choose a spokesperson.

The Holy See was also in a state of panic until Anoska was chosen by the most powerful Archangel.

Before this, all previous Saints and Saintesses had only been chosen by ordinary divine messengers. The Archangel Michael had never even cast a sliver of his divine will upon them. Anoska’s appearance shattered the rumors and made the acolytes trust the Holy See even more.

However, what made her also broke her.

Anoska’s character and conduct earned her the favor of the Archangel, but because she was too strict and absolutely upheld fairness and order, the Pope and bishops suffered greatly.

Who didn’t have selfish desires?

They were the Pope and bishops, wielding power, yet they had to act as honestly and rule-abidingly as ordinary acolytes, or else they would face the same severe punishment.

Living in constant fear, the idea of framing Anoska was born.

Thus, the Saintess of Light, who most abided by the law, was instead framed by the elders and betrayed by the faithful, becoming a reviled apostate who died a miserable death elsewhere.

How pitiful.

Li An narrowed her eyes, a trace of pity appearing in her azure gaze.

While she was lost in thought, the farce on the stage had already ended.

After speaking, the bishop who had been feigning pity turned and walked off the stage. Halfway down the steps, he fainted from excessive grief.

The other bishops crowded around and carried him away.

As they passed Li An, she looked up and happened to see the “unconscious” bishop secretly rubbing his lower back.

He had gotten too into his acting and had actually hurt himself when he fell.

Li An wanted to laugh but had to hold it in, biting her lower lip with her canine teeth to feel a slight sting.

The Holy See’s plot against Anoska was a long time in the making, just like this moment.

If Bishop Evan truly cared for his student, he wouldn’t have encouraged Michael’s contact with Olivia after noticing his feelings for her. Instead of stopping it, he had assigned him to interact with her more.

And after the incident, as his teacher, not only did he not try to suppress the matter, he did everything he could to blow it up.

What was a small affair between an attendant and a deacon had now drawn in several bishops and attracted a large crowd of acolytes, all to witness how severely the Saintess punished her handmaiden to maintain her absolute fairness and justice.

Perhaps the acolytes approved of and admired Anoska at this moment, but if such incidents happened more often, especially involving ordinary acolytes and trivial matters, and with others fanning the flames, people would begin to feel repulsed and rebellious toward Anoska. After that, it would be a case of everyone kicking a man when he’s down.

At this thought, Li An’s brow furrowed even tighter. She complained about the unreliable system, which had only given her a rough plot with many unclear details, while also thinking about her earlier probing.

Her situation was perilous, so of course, she didn’t dare to act rashly.

The few sentences she had blurted out just now were not a random outburst of anger, but an attempt to gauge the crowd’s attitude toward the Saintess.

It seemed that the ordinary acolytes still relatively approved of the Saintess. Even if there were discussions, they were more inclined toward Anoska’s selflessness and fairness.

In addition, Li An’s eyes darted around before looking back at the stage.

Besides probing, she also had a small, ulterior motive: to attract Anoska’s attention.

Although the possibility was slim, Li An had no other choice.

It was a wonder the system even dared to think of it, asking a small, completely insignificant attendant to save the great and noble Saintess.

What was the difference between that and asking an ant to carry a tree?

Li An had no choice but to try her luck. If Anoska didn’t hear, so be it. But if she noticed even a little, even if it was just a vague, good impression, it would give Li An a slightly better chance of getting close to Anoska in the future.

In short, she was just casting a wide net.

Li An watched the bishop’s departing back and secretly raised a hand to pull her hood down further, obscuring her face even more.

At the same time, the ears hidden under her hood and hair perked up, concentrating on the whispers of the people around her.

“Bishop Evan looks very sad.”

“Yes, after all, it was his student. Evan has always been kind and merciful. How could he watch his student be punished, especially when Olivia was carrying a child?”

“Sigh, but Her Excellency the Saintess didn’t do anything wrong. Everything was punished according to the church’s laws.”

“It’s just a pity about the child. The parents’ mistake implicated her. She didn’t even have a chance to be born before…”

Words of regret followed one after another. Li An ground her canine teeth, secretly pondering how she should refute them.

After all, these seemingly small matters were pushing Anoska step by step into the abyss of betrayal and desertion. She couldn’t get close to Anoska now, so she could only focus on this aspect.

The more she thought, the more engrossed she became. She didn’t notice that the voices around her had abruptly stopped. In the silence, everyone turned to look at her with various expressions.

By the time Li An came back to her senses, she was startled to see everyone staring at her.

What’s going on?!

Has my succubus identity been discovered so quickly?!

A cold sweat broke out on Li An. In a split second, she thought of several escape routes, all of which she quickly rejected, leaving her with the final image of being tied to a cross and burned at the stake.

Li An’s face couldn’t help but turn pale. She finally noticed that the expressions of the people around her were not of repulsion, disgust, or hostility, but of envy and jealousy?

Huh?!

Just as Li An was completely bewildered, the woman on the stage spoke again, “Are you willing to become my attendant?”

Those eyes, as brilliant as molten gold at sunset, passed through the layers of the crowd and landed accurately on Li An.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li An, struck by this huge surprise, dumbly nodded her head.