You think you're worthy of saving the world?

The two moved forward without hindrance and soon arrived at the deepest part of the building, the parliamentary hall of the Holy See Council.

"........."

Stella gasped.

She had just stepped into the hall when, in the next instant, she and Yuri were standing in the very center of the hall.

The interior of the council hall was completely dark, except for a beam of strong light shining down from above, more than a hundred meters high, which illuminated the spot where Yuri and his companion stood in the center of the hall like a stairway to heaven.

Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Stella noticed that the Holy See Hall was circular in shape.

Then, around the circular hall, twelve black obelisks stood in an orderly fashion.

The twelve black monuments, each about thirty meters tall, stood like swords in the hall, surrounding her and Yuri.

"Your Holiness, I have brought Miss Stella with me."

Yuri bowed his head respectfully and said.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work. Lord Euryphus, the Child of Prophecy."

what……

The deep male voice came from a black obelisk located at the seven o'clock position, which surrounded the area.

Although I had expected it, is it really impossible for me to meet the real person?

A nameless fire suddenly rose in Stella's heart.

Rukia, little sister... The Pope is so approachable, and you guys are still acting all mysterious... Tch!

"Please let me introduce you."

Yuri continued, "This is Miss Stella, a magician I discovered in the lower city."

Although she is only sixteen years old this year, she possesses unimaginable magical talent and is a girl with an outstanding personality and talent.

I was captivated by Miss Stella's talent and character, and I specially invited her to become my magic teacher.

I am here today to explain this matter to the Holy See Council.

After Yuri finished speaking, the hall fell into a brief silence.

Then, the black obelisk located at the 11 o'clock position spoke.

"I see."

"So, Lord Euryphus, there are rumors that you forcibly took this young lady as your slave. What's the story behind that?"

"Is it true that the Papal Court received such a report?"

The Holy See’s question was exactly as Yuri had rehearsed in his mind, and he answered it methodically.

"It is true, I have signed a master-servant contract with Miss Stella."

After all, she was not a member of the church and only resorted to this tactic out of safety concerns.

Fortunately, Miss Stella was very tolerant and readily accepted my request.

Yuri heard his witch make a disdainful snort through her nose.

"Didn't you just say that this Miss Stella is trustworthy?" the black monument at the 3 o'clock position asked sharply.

"This is a different matter from that. I am fully aware of my special status as the Child of Prophecy, which is why I..."

Yuri's speech was interrupted.

"We have obtained a criminal record of Miss Stella here."

"What……"

Yuri looked at Stella in surprise.

The silver-haired witch's mouth was wide open, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Citizen ID 1004384901, Stella. She obtained citizenship in Papal City seven months ago by bribing the Lower City Registry official."

"During my six months living in the Papal City, I had two burglaries in the Upper City residential area, with the total value of the stolen items being about 400 hera."

"In addition, he has participated in magical work on multiple occasions without obtaining a magician's license."

"During my time as Euryph's magic instructor, I didn't obtain a teaching certificate... Am I wrong?"

It seems that the Twelve Holy Sees have done thorough investigation work in advance for today's review.

Yuri knew, of course, that Stella had broken into the house, and that it was definitely not just twice, but he didn't expect the Papal Court to dig this up as well.

It must have been during the investigation of Stella's resume as a magician that her channels for selling stolen goods were discovered.

Looking at it this way... being caught breaking and entering twice is already quite lucky.

That being said, 400 Hera is no small sum; it's enough for Stella to spend a year in jail.

"no disagreement."

Yuri and Stella exchanged a glance and readily admitted to the crime.

Although it's unfortunate that the Papal Court found out about my criminal record, let's look on the bright side—

This also means that Stella's identity as a witch has not been exposed...!

Give you a chance, you are useless!

Now it's our turn to counterattack, and it's not like you guys were the only ones who made preparations beforehand.

Yuri said loudly and respectfully, "Miss Stella has repented for her past thefts."

The moment she entered into the contract with me, she openly and without reservation revealed her past sins and tearfully confessed them.

Even so, it cannot erase her past sins!

The obelisk at the 9 o'clock position speaks the obvious truth.

He was absolutely right.

If verbal repentance could be forgiven, then crime would no longer be a crime.

Yuri said, "Although the evils committed in the past cannot be easily erased, Miss Stella has also made sincere remedial measures in her own way."

The Goddess of the Night is a magnanimous and loving goddess; I think she wouldn't reject a repentant and reformed lost sheep, would she?

"Oh? You just said a sincere remedy? What is that?" a certain holy figure said with great disdain.

"About a week ago, Miss Stella confessed her past crimes in a confessional in the Lower Town."

"And at that time, she also anonymously donated 15000 hera to the church."

The Prophet smiled and said, "Your Holiness... I wonder if such 'sincerity' is enough to offset her sins and prove her good intentions?"

146 The competition between the females begins!

Even before coming to be investigated, Yuri had anticipated the Papal Court's prediction.

Stella's past record could become a weakness for both of them, leading to their impeachment.

What has already happened cannot be changed, but it is not entirely beyond redress.

This involves the most fundamental logic of all religions.

Humans are born into this world with "original sin".

If you want to cleanse yourself of your sins, you must continuously perform good deeds throughout your life.

Only pure souls can ascend to heaven; otherwise, they will fall into hell after death and suffer eternal torment.

While this ideology has a benevolent aspect, it has also spawned ways to amass wealth, namely, atonement money.

The Tianli Church has a clear mechanism for atonement. For sins ranging from manslaughter to fighting, people can seek God's forgiveness by donating money to the church.

So, on the night Yuri learned that he would be investigated a week earlier, he took Stella to a church in the lower city.

Stella entered the confessional and confessed to a series of illegal and criminal acts, including burglary and operating a business without a license. She also anonymously donated 15000 Hera to the church.

"One... fifteen thousand Hera!?"

Stella's eyes widened, too shocked to speak.

Her monthly expenses in the lower city, including rent, were less than 500 hera.

Fifteen thousand Hera is enough to buy a very nice house in the lower city; Yuri has essentially donated a house.

Stella herself had no idea that her innocence was worth so much money!

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked, puzzled. "You think it's not enough?"

Stella pulled Yuri aside and whispered, "Isn't it unnecessary to donate so much, Yuri! Fifteen thousand... uh, I think two thousand is more than enough, isn't it?"

"Didn't you say you were coming to donate money?"

Yuri gave her a look of disdain: "Look how stingy you are. It's only 15,000 Hera. There's no need to worry about it. We'll have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future."

"Well……"

The witch pursed her lips, her feelings complicated.

Stella's main point was that she felt she wasn't worth that much money...

The witch felt extremely guilty for making Yuri do so much all at once.

"Are you sure this donation will reach the orphanage?" she asked anxiously, now that things had come to this.

"Rest assured, this money will be used to upgrade the orphanage's facilities and provide meal allowances for the children," said the clergy in the lower city.

Time returns to the present.

"------"

Silence fell.

Since Yuri finished his defense, the vast and solemn Holy See Hall has been so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Clearly, none of the Twelve Holy Sees expected Yuri to pull this stunt, and their prepared criticism of Stella was left stuck in their throats.

Not only that, but what surprised them even more was—

Where did Yuri get 15000 hera? He only receives 300 hera a month from the church for living expenses!

“How is this possible…”