After the goddess was gone, I remained seated for a while.
Finally, after almost ten minutes, I looked in Safelia's direction. "How long are you going to feign you are sleeping?"
Safelia's body shivered. She then looked up at me with a pale look on her face.
"What? Are you surprised by the goddess's words?" I chuckled amusedly. "Perhaps it was a bit different than you expected, right? Did you think she was going to avenge you and punish me with a bolt of lightning?"
Safelia gritted her teeth and bit her lips. Finally, after some seconds, she put on a determined expression. "Mother goddess is always right. I'm sure her choice is a meaningful one."
I stared at her with a smirk. "You are very devout for someone that was abandoned by her goddess."
"The goddess did not abandon me!" Safelia scowled. "The goddess never abandons her believers!"
I shook my head in disappointment. "I feel that my intelligence becomes lower every time I deal with fanatics like you.��
Safelia fell silent.
It's not as though I can't understand where her words are coming from. For Safelia, the church and the goddess are her entire life. They gave her everything and made her the woman that she is today. Without them, she is nothing.
So, the thought of abandoning her whole life is absurd to her. Instead, she subconsciously seeks a way to justify her idol's actions.
It's like a girl in a toxic relationship. Even when it's very obvious that her boyfriend is scum, she continues making excuses to justify his behavior.
I pity people like her.
But to be honest, she is more useful for me like this.
I stood up and walked towards Safelia. Almost instantly, Safelia paled and shrunk her body in fear.
"Y-You, d-don't co-come c-closer!"
I smiled in amusement. "Calm down, I already got everything of you, so why are you so afraid?"
Safelia looked down in anger and shame and started to sob. "M-My purity… You even shot your seed inside… why…"
Yeah, yeah. I know it, okay?
I stopped paying attention to Safelia's words and lifted her chin with a finger.
"You see, miss Saintess, I don't trust your goddess. Her words reeked of deceit and falsehood. Does she truly think I'll trust her lies?" I said while caressing her face. "So, I think I need to prepare something to keep an eye on her plans."
"…"
"Miss Saintess, do you hate me?" I asked with a smile.
Safelia growled with a hoarse voice. "I hate you more than anything! I swear I'll kill you one day!"
I could not help but chuckle hearing her words. "Unfortunately, you won't have the opportunity."
After these words, I touched her forehead.
I used my mana to forge a small rune. The rune quickly entered in Safelia's soul, branding itself on her soul and disappearing mysteriously.
Safelia instantly shivered and paled in fear.
"W-What did you do to me!?"
"Nothing much, I just branded you with a slavery rune."
"Sla…very?"
"Yes, a very useful little thing. You see, it will not affect your thoughts in any way, but it will force you to follow my orders. Unnoticeable and undetectable, not even your goddess will be aware of its existence."
"You…"
"Think about it, saintess. The goddess knows that you hate me more than anyone in this world, so she will be sure you will never betray her. You, meanwhile, will be my informant in the church. You will tell me everything the goddess or the church is planning. Even if you don't want to betray the church or follow my orders, the rune in your soul will force you. You, miss Saintess, will be the weapon I'll use to destroy the church from inside out."
Safelia turned incredibly pale. Her lips turned white and her eyes shook in fear.
"N-No, impossible… N-No… Y-You are joking..."
"Impossible? A joke? Hahaha. I'm not joking, dear saintess. Now, let's try to see how it works. Miss saintess, stand up."
Safelia's body shook. Instantly, her body stood up involuntarily.
"N-No…"
"Now, kneel down."
"N-No! S-Stop! No!" Safelia screamed in panic and tried to resist, but her body kneeled down in front of me.
"Hmm. It looks like it's working fine. Let's do one last test."
"S-Stop, please… D-Don't…"
"Now, kiss my feet."
Fear and terror filled Safelia's face. She wanted to resist, she wanted to stop her body, but it continued moving against her will.
It was the perfect image of a devoted slave kissing the feet of her master. Even when she did not want to follow my orders, her body and soul forced her to follow my will.
When her lips touched my feet, Safelia's entire world crumbled around her.
Tears filled her eyes, dropping to the ground continuously. Each teardrop was like a part of her soul breaking apart.
"… Why are you doing this? Why are you so cruel? Why!"
I smiled brilliantly and smoothed her hair.
"Is it not obvious, miss saintess? It's revenge."