Villainess x Grimoire

What are humans to gods?

Toys?

Marble pieces on top of a gaming board being moved by divine fingers?

Below the vast and clear sky, in a lustrous white chamber. The green, long-haired woman known by all of humanity stood kneeling with her forehead touching the freezing floor. She was praying to a statue sculpted in Aria's known elegant image. Those summoned by the goddess had spread their visual opinion of her. Thus, many artists had made their living by beautifying such standards into the finest level of craftsmanship.

This was one of the most sacred places for the saintess. It was meticulously purified by salt, which was believed to repel all sorts of evil and known to annoy some insects.

"Will you not answer my prayers?" The woman's voice shattered the surroundings in melancholy, for the goddess had not granted her a single celestial message ever since her birth.

"Am I just not worthy in your eyes, my beloved Aria?" Her passionate tone exuded doubts, which she dared not indulge in longer than a fraction of a second.

"It must be all in the goddess' plan," her words were a reflection of the Pope's teachings. Of a profound training by her mother, the past Saintess.

She believed that there was a reason that kept the higher being from communicating with her, perhaps simply not being able to. Her eyes looked at her personal data skill, an inferior version of Iris One, focusing on two pieces of information.

Name: Serenity | Class: Saintess

She took a deep breath, knowing that as long as her class didn't change, her path had not been wrong. Her choices had been righteous. And more than anything, the goddess had not abandoned her.

For the last millennium, the records of Aria activity had lessened to an intricate and severe extent, worrying the church.

For someone who had studied the divine subject as much as Serenity, it was still something out of her league. The gap in knowledge between a lower and a higher being was that wide. This was the reason why the divine messages from Aria were so important. They held precious information that could twist humanity's fate toward a more fortunate, victorious path.

Her face rose from the cold floor, leaving it wet.

It was difficult to be the Saintess, to withhold power beyond reason, and to use it solely with humanity's salvation in mind. All this while remaining true to her goddess. Faith, too, was a source of power. A tremendous one, which caused the masses to enlist in the army managed by the church.

"The time for war is near." Her determined eyes showed the savagery that awaited her unholy enemies. She knew that depending on the Pope's will, humanity's foes would get their bodies burnt down to ashes.

The man was known for being ruthless. He would walk the path of savagery whenever necessary. He would judge people personally as if he were one of the goddess' fingers: the index one, he had imagined once. To mercilessly point at someone and call them guilty, often based on his whim. He made humans suffer for free if deemed necessary.

Power was often a double-edged weapon. Used wrong, could cause a small wound. Used right, it could end up saving people's lives.

Many were those who were sacrificed and punished by the Pope's will. But unlike his predecessors, he had gone to greater lengths. He went as far as to obtain an army and great political power within the kingdom.

The man was cunning enough to get his way. This happened thanks to him obtaining a glimpse of a chaotic future. The invasion and annihilation of humanity, which forced the peasants to be afraid.

While there were no celestial messages, the Saintess's ability to predict a piece of the future was still working. This allowed her importance to remain on top of the population.

The royal family worked alongside the church since the very beginning.

They were known by the citizens as the pure-blooded lineage, carrying a certain blessing from the goddess.

Their magical power and soul tier were directly reflected in such purity, being higher than the norm. But even then, they didn't join the wars, especially not on the front line. They were far too important pieces to be lost against the enemies of humanity. Or so they saw themselves in such a manner.

Unlike most people, Serenity grew up with a different view of the world. This came to be ever since a certain unholy event happened, which turned her whole life upside down. It made her grow faster than the past women who had her class.

Every day, her prayers included all of humanity, but also an extra name at the end.

"Please help me protect my fellow humans and..." Her whisper, as always, was low enough to not reach the entrance of this holy chamber.

Certain sins were not so easily forgiven by the church. The Saintess knew of this better than most, as she had lost someone essential.

The glitter in her eyes was valiant enough to shake the souls of those who dared to pry into the green glass that reflected her soul.

To this young woman, the salvation of humanity was her major goal. Almost nothing else mattered, and, similarly to the Pope, she was willing to do everything in her grasp to conclude her goddess' wish. After all, this was her mission since birth.

"May the goddess become even greater!"

With her back turned to the statue, she headed off to the exit.