Chapter 10 Part 2
“We must succeed in this mission.”
“Understood.”
At his command, she had rushed to the Great Temple. The plan was already in motion. All that remained was for Sharon to wait patiently, having set the trap during the festival.
Life at the Great Temple wasn’t bad. A cozy bedroom, a clean and safe environment, and priests attending to her every need. Yet, she regretted not being able to move freely.
Sharon reminisced about her life at the Duke’s mansion.
‘The Duke, though older, wasn’t bad.’
The Duke, who didn’t appear his age, was young-looking and handsome. With his status and that face, he was eager to grant Sharon’s every wish, making her experience exceedingly pleasant.
‘How unfortunate.’
Sharon stretched out her fingers and wiggled them. She could control other men like puppets, but losing the connection with the Duke still bothered her.
Already, she had a few handsome priests under her control in the temple, but she could only manage those of lower ranks. Controlling the High Priest was a different matter—her strings would break easily or the High Priest would sense something amiss.
‘I want to make the highest-ranking person my slave.’
Priests weren’t enough. Sharon’s eyes gleamed with desire.
She was born into extreme poverty. She lost her parents young and worked in the dirtiest inns of the slums. Ragged clothes, no money, and a lack of food—her daily life was miserable.
Beyond the alley, there were many commoners, but occasionally she saw successful merchants and, very rarely, nobles. Whenever she saw them, Sharon was consumed with jealousy.
‘I shouldn’t have been born like this!’
She resented her parents for giving birth to her and eventually came to hate herself. Her anger only grew, and Sharon relieved it through pickpocketing.
Perhaps she was skilled with her hands, as she never got caught. But one day, her luck ran out.
“You wretched thing!”
The victim was a noble, and Sharon was beaten to the brink of death in the alley. Then, out of nowhere, an old man emerged from the mist.
The old man killed the noble by draining him dry.
It was literal—the noble was instantly reduced to a dried-up mummy.
Sharon felt a thrill watching the noble lose consciousness.
The robed old man extended his hand to her.
“If you fulfill my request, I will make you the most noble being in the world.”
To Sharon, the old man’s hand was a golden rope. Filled with a passion she had never felt before, she took the wrinkled hand.
Everything progressed quickly after that.
The old man truly made Sharon the most holy being, the Saint of Light. He even deceived the High Priest and granted Sharon the High Priest’s divine power. The feeling of holding that power for the first time was indescribable.
When the High Priest bowed in absolute obedience, Sharon tasted supreme ecstasy.
‘Yes, this is what suits me.’
Luxurious clothes and jewelry, attendants caring for her from head to toe—the thrill of having those born noble bow before her kept her alive.
However, Sharon couldn’t control those with high divine power, showing that her abilities weren’t complete.
‘I need to become the real thing.’
To do so, she had to complete the old man’s command. His order was to harm the princess named Elia—to the point of near death.
‘I don’t know what he plans to do with her once she’s barely alive.’
To accomplish this, Sharon had controlled Princess Violet like a puppet.
Though it was a short time, the thrill of manipulating royalty was the best feeling. However, perhaps because she enjoyed it too much, the knife missed its mark when she tried to stab Elia.
‘No, it wasn’t my fault—it was because of Mahart’s heir.’
If not for the heir, she could have rendered Elia completely paralyzed. Although she failed to complete the command, she managed to imprison Princess Violet in the tower.
‘I imprisoned a princess!’
She was so thrilled that she pretended to be a maid to listen to the princess’s screams. She wished she could do the same to Princess Elia, watching her face contort with nightmares, a face that had known only luxury due to being born well.
Sharon suppressed her pounding heart and laughed.
“Are you really giving me that lord?”
“Of course.”
The old man’s voice was as kind as a god’s.
When she was starving in poverty and sought help from a god, none came. Back then, she denied the existence of gods. Now she understood—the god was this mist and the old man.
‘What expression will the princess have if that lord becomes mine?’
To make someone a puppet, she had to control the black mist first. Then, using the strings, she would secretly tie a knot somewhere on their body.
Strangely, she couldn’t attach strings to Princess Elia. It was as if she had divine power beyond that of the High Priest, burning the strings before they could attach. It felt like someone was protecting her.
The same was true for the young lord. The two were connected.
But it wouldn’t last much longer.
“When you become real, everything will be yours. Do you understand? I even gave you special powers. There’s nothing you can’t do.”
“I can do it well.”
Sharon smiled brightly. Though she couldn’t make the two of them her puppets, she could control those around them.
The only regret was that her powers weren’t suited for a saint.
‘I wish I had more beautiful powers.’
Sharon thought of Elia’s abilities.
A princess who could control spirits—she envied that power and talent. And yet, the anticipation of bringing down someone so great sent a thrill through her body.
‘Well, I won’t need it once I become the real thing.’
After everything was done, she wouldn’t need to steal divine power to become a true saint. As a saint, she would be worshiped without having to control anyone, just like those born noble.
Sharon was lost in her fantasies when she heard a knock from beyond the closed door of her private chamber.
“Excuse me, Saint.”
It was the voice of the priest who assisted her.
Sharon cleared her throat and spoke in a delicate voice.
“…What is it? I’m in the middle of prayer.”
“Apologies for the interruption. A distinguished guest is here to see you.”
A distinguished guest?
Sharon’s eyes narrowed.
A saint wasn’t someone anyone could meet easily. If a priest came to inform her personally, the guest must have a significant status.
“Who is looking for me?”
“Duke Tartan Mahart. As he brought you to the Great Temple, we couldn’t ignore him.”
“The Duke?”
Sharon blinked in disbelief.
The black strings were already cut. Yet, Duke Mahart had come to see her.
‘Is he here for revenge? No. They said the controlled person naturally remembers their actions as their own.’
She had experimented to confirm it. The person thought their actions were their own, not realizing they were controlled.
But that was it. They just considered themselves to have been momentarily insane, not forming any attachment to their controlled actions.
‘Then why?’
She tried to remain calm, but her heart raced with anticipation.
‘Could he be infatuated with me?’
Maybe he missed the time he was controlled and came looking for her. If that were true, how wonderful it would be.
Duke Mahart was a rather pleasing puppet. If he came to her willingly, without being controlled, nothing would make her happier.
“I’ll go out now. Please wait a moment.”
“Understood.”
Sharon took a deep breath to calm her excitement. She looked at the mist filling her private chamber and bowed.
“I’m going. Everything will go according to your plan.”
The saint lightly turned and left the room.
Once she left, the black mist dissipated. It scattered invisibly into the air, slowly moving toward the royal palace.
The mist seeped into the palace where the prophet Parmo resided, clicking its tongue and smirking.
“A false one who believes she is true is the easiest tool to handle.”
Parmo fiddled with a crystal ball.
The crystal ball showed Elia and the heir of Mahart.