This BL Novel Is Ruined Now [Book 2]

119

As expected, those of the Utta temple were uncooperative. It was an obvious result.

“Don’t touch them with your bare hands!”

A desperate voice rang throughout the temple.

However, it was only House Chantra’s knights and the people from this side who listened.

“You over there, Reverend! Don’t touch an uninfected person with a patient’s blood all over your hands!”

To make matters worse, Ethan wasn’t here.

—Reina, there’s something I urgently need to check. I’m really sorry.

He left without even saying this in person, only leaving a message through the communication device.

“Haa… If Ethan was here, it would have at least worked a little…”

With no influence over the believers of Utta, Reina could do nothing. Not a single priest listened to her.

Thanks to this, the temple itself was the picture of chaos.

“If you’ve been splattered with blood, please wash it off! You could also get infected!”

As she continued yelling out, in the end, the priest put down the towel suddenly as though he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Haa… Lady Reina. Let’s talk for a moment.”

Just one look at the condition of that towel made it clear to her that it’s been used to stop several dozens of people’s blood. It was a mass of pathogens just waiting to spread.

Reina gave Karbon, the knight captain, a look with a wordless message.

‘Karbon, please pick up that dirty towel with tongs and burn it.’

Captain Karbon immediately understood this. He nodded and quietly stepped forward.

In order to distract the priest, Reina asked him another question.

“What brings you here, Reverend Lyton?”

He was a high-ranked priest of the temple, and he had already made himself clear about his stance on Reina’s methods. Time and time again, he’s been showing her just how disgruntled he was by her.

“Our side will be taking care of things over here, so please stop coming here.”

As a high-ranked priest of the Utta temple, which was the strongest on the continent, Lyton was not afraid of anyone who bore the title of the nine households.

“Lady Reina, everything you say about this so-called hygiene is all made-up.”

Reina straightforwardly received such a dizzying remark to her face, but it’s not as if she couldn’t understand at all.

If she had also been born and raised entirely in this world and era, she would have wholeheartedly agreed with the priest’s words—a hundred times, even.

“I know. You don’t understand what I mean.”

“Since you are aware, then please stop this now. We are not susceptible to the disease, so the hygiene that you are touting is only a hindrance.”

Right, as he said, the priests of Utta weren’t getting sick. The underlying reason for this still hadn’t been proven, but Reina suspected that having the power of Chetrasiu and Utta was a great help in preventing the disease.

“Reverend. It’s not you and the other priests who I’m worried about.”

How could they just touch the patients with those kinds of hands? And even the uninfected believers?

“I’m concerned about the ordinary people who can’t protect themselves with healing powers.”

Exhaustedly, Lyton swept one blood-stained hand over his forehead. Seeing this, Reina naturally winced.

‘You’re really not going to listen to anything that I say, huh.’

“Lady Reina. This, too, is God’s will. All those who had been infected with the plague have sinned, and they are cut from a different cloth than ordinary patients. You know this as well, yes? Bharan’s seed has been embedded deep into their hearts, spreading darkness within.”

Reina raised one brow as she smiled sardonically. This again—this divine logic. She’s getting so sick and tired of it.

Seeing her react this way, so disrespectful in his eyes, Lyton spoke with more authority.

“Thus, all we have to do is help those sinners atone for their darkness and lead them to the right path to God.”

“……”

These crazy murderous scoundrels.

Such words were lodged in her throat.

As a matter of fact, the ‘treatment’ they were performing on the patients was no different than straight up killing them.

They wiped the pus and blood from the patients’ afflictions, they stayed by the patients’ sides while feeding them and praying for them. However, they did nothing to alleviate their pain, and whatever these ‘devotees’ would say to the patients would only just bring them despair.

“You are suffering now because of the sins that you have committed. Never forget this pain.”

Ironically enough, that senseless drivel would become the source of pride to those who’d manage to survive through this.

“It’s because I repented for my sins that I survived! It is through God’s will that I live on!”

And so, the devotees of the Utta religion were arrogant and dogmatic, blind and fanatical.

“Reverend Lyton.”

Worn-out by the never-ending argument, Reina took in a deep breath and calmly spoke.

“Once again, the matter of hygiene is something that I’ve identified to be essential in my time at the Thurn Village. Besides that, the current members of the imperial family—”

“Lady Reina.”

A low voice cut her off mid-sentence.

“They are not gods. So, whatever they say cannot be true.”

“……”

Which part exactly should be pointed out here.

Dozens upon dozens of refutations boiled within Reina, but in the end, she didn’t bring up any of them.

‘Really… What would pointing it out do?’

Was it even possible for impartial objectivity to reach those who were thoroughly clinging to their blind faith?

As this noble lady—a member of the nine households—who had been talking a lot until now could not come up with a proper rebuttal, some of the devotees laughed.

“For someone who doesn’t even have healing powers to interfere… Tsk.”

“Exactly that. And what more, someone who can’t even receive God’s power.”

In this moment where her sincerity was being distorted, naturally, her hands began to shake. However, if she were to step back now, the disease would unquestionably spread even further.

“If you don’t believe me, Reverend Lyton, then it can’t be helped.”

The deep sigh that Reverend Lyton let out was like a sharp blade inching closer to Reina’s neck.

Nevertheless, she did not stop there.

“However, I will continue doing what I have judged to be what’s right.”