The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

The time it took for Elise to seize control of Kassilon—the Holy Kingdom—was a single second.

The moment she declared that she would rectify the Church’s order, the outcome had already been decided.

The secret lay in the relationship between gods and their believers.

Gods and believers exist in a mutually dependent state.

A god is not merely a transcendent being.@@novelbin@@

When believers pray, perform rituals, and sing praises, their faith becomes energy that sustains divine authority.

A prayer is not just a mere act.

It is a spiritual offering to the divine.

A force that makes gods real.

If faith were to disappear, so too would the strength of the gods.

Ultimately, their very existence could fade into oblivion.

Just as countless gods had once existed at the beginning of time—yet now, no one even remembered their names.

Conversely, gods bestow power upon their believers.

That power is divine grace—the means by which a god manifests through their followers.

A god protects their believers, grants miracles, and shines light upon the powerless so that they may endure the cruelty of the world.

But the Church’s situation was different now.

There was an intermediary between the god and the believers.

Saintess Elise.

Prayer, rituals, praises—none of them were being directed toward a god anymore.

All were now conducted in the name of Saintess Elise.

In other words, Elise was directly connected to the believers.

Her blood was unnecessary.

Not a single drop.

The moment the people prayed, the moment they united their faith, the moment they called her name—

They were already offering their devotion to her.

The faith that should have belonged to God was now flowing to Elise instead.

She received power from the believers.

And through them, she could exert her power.

As a priest, her authority had become incomparably greater than before.

So then…

If a Saintess could bestow blessings through the power of a god—

Would it not also be possible for her to bestow something else upon her believers?