Chapter 25
Aria was shaken, so much so that she didn’t even notice the horrified looks people around her were giving her and Adrian.
“….”
-Have you forgotten the Saintess’s true duty?
The Prayer Priest Adrian’s sharp words hurt as if they had pierced her very heart. He was cruelly thrusting a truth she herself had been pretending not to know right before her eyes.
‘What is a saintess’s true duty?’
The duties a saintess must fulfill.
To carry on the Sun God’s sacred will.
A ‘Saintess’ was a divine representative.
That was why countless believers in the Theocracy bowed their heads to a little girl abandoned in the countryside. It was a tribute to the girls who bore the traditions and duties passed down through generations.
It was not respect given to a lowly girl.
What mattered
was not Aria, but the ‘Saintess.’
It was because of the Sun God’s will, which the Saintess received as a revelation.
‘I prophesied that a brown-haired boy born on a hot summer day in southern Gallia would grasp the light of the lake. And he truly appeared, wielding the Sacred Sword at an academy where the lake shimmered.’
Though the prophecy had come true,
people could not acknowledge him.
Wasn’t that why an examiner had come here?
‘What a useless prophecy. It doesn’t help at all.’
“….”
Aria thought that the only duty left to her was to help the unrecognized Hero.
But the greatest geniuses on the southern continent had already gathered around him. With beautiful, strong Lydia, Mave, and Morgan there, Arti would keep growing stronger.
‘With them, Arti will pass the Hero’s examination…. Honestly, I don’t know more than Lydia does, either.’
Then what should a saintess do now?
Politically curry favor with the Inquisitor and Prayer Priest?
Attend the ceremony with a solemn face and lend the occasion her presence?
“….”
She didn’t know.
Once her role as a saintess who received prophecies was over, all that remained here was a country girl who had merely memorized a few prayers. She had only believed that she would find something to do by staying beside the Hero….
Aria, without being a saintess, was pathetic.
‘What use am I if I’m not a saintess?’
To begin with….
Was it right for her to stay by his side as a saintess?
And now, she was conscious of him not as a saintess, but as a ‘woman.’ Her heart fluttered at the boy’s lips and eyes, not the Hero’s.
Was this an emotion a saintess was allowed to have?
“….”
-Have you forgotten the Saintess’s true duty?
“….”
She didn’t know.
The Sun God no longer gave her revelations.
All she could hear were the whispers of the adults around her.
-A saintess must be noble and pure.
-As a saintess, you must memorize every prayer….
-The saintess need only deliver the prophecy at once.
Even after delivering the prophecy,
they told Aria to ‘stay still.’
-We’ll take care of the rest.
-You must act only as a saintess.
-Do not ask questions.
-Be silent.
-Have faith.
“….”
Aria had lost her way.
‘If only the Sun God would scold this lowly woman for her thoughts.’
She merely believed that something would work out if she stayed beside Arti, and sought warmth at his side. She believed something would work out, anyway.
That was why Adrian’s words shook her.
Even so, Aria tried to answer.
“A saintess’s… duty….”
What was
that, exactly?
She couldn’t answer.
“A saintess’s duty is….”
Adrian sighed deeply and spoke. His voice no longer held anger; instead, it carried sadness and sympathy.
“Why can’t a saintess answer the question herself? You have the duty, qualifications, and authority to answer here in this sacred place of learning. Why do you act just like all the other believers here, despite being so deeply respected?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t answer mechanically. A divine representative must not stop thinking for herself.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Phew….”
Adrian covered his wrinkled forehead with a slightly trembling hand.
Aria eventually lowered her head.
“….”
A single tear ran down Aria’s cheek. The students of the Department of Divinity looked at her with pity. Their gazes made her feel even more miserable.
Adrian lowered his hand and, with a solemn expression once more, began to say something to Aria.
“Saintess, remember. You are someone who wants….”
“Haha, Brother Adrian.”
It was Inquisitor Raul who cut him off. At some point, he had come to Aria’s side, standing in front of her as if to shield her.
Raul spoke calmly in a pleasant voice.
“I think Brother Adrian is mistaken about something.”
“….”
“We came to this academy on His Majesty the Holy King’s orders to verify the authenticity of the newly appeared Sacred Sword and the Hero’s qualifications. You haven’t forgotten that already, have you?”
“…That is correct.”
“Then could you tell me how publicly humiliating and persecuting the Saintess here is related to that mission?”
“It has nothing to do with the mission. It is simply a matter concerning the Saintess personally.”
“A matter? A matter? What matter?”
Raul’s white armor gleamed as he gestured around. Every movement carried the majesty of a legendary holy knight.
“Can you not feel the hearts of the believers gathered here, and Cardinal Albert, who arranged this welcome for us? To condemn trivial formalities in the face of such sincere feelings is too cruel.”
“….”
“The doctrine of the Sun God is faith! So all we need to do is trust one another’s hearts and feelings.”
“….”
At his words, the gloomy Cardinal Albert and the believers around him gradually brightened. They looked gratefully at the kind holy knight who understood their feelings.
Aria pondered Raul’s words.
‘The doctrine of the Sun God is faith…?’
【Fate is will.】
‘Then, when he took up the Sacred Sword, why did the Hero say that….’
But she didn’t dwell on that thought for long.
Raul gently placed a hand on Aria’s shoulder. Then he wrapped her in his white cloak.
“?!”
Aria flinched at the touch.
“…And our beautiful Saintess also came in person to welcome us, did she not? Simply by coming here, she has already fulfilled her duty as a saintess.”
“Th-that is….”
The original schedule flashed through Aria’s mind—the promise to explore a dungeon together and have a meal with her friends. But Raul’s whisper stopped her thoughts.
“The Saintess is fulfilling her duty well enough as she is. You belong here.”
“….”
Aria unconsciously clenched her fist. Somehow, cold sweat seeped from her hand.
Raul smiled with satisfaction. The believers around them were already gazing at him desperately, asking him to help them escape this situation.
Adrian looked at him and answered coldly.
“The Inquisitor’s words are essentially useless. Do not deprive the believers of their ability to think with pleasant-sounding words. This gathering is merely Cardinal Albert’s vanity.”
“….”
Cardinal Albert came to stand beside Raul and smiled warmly. Their large frames completely blocked Aria from view.
“Now, now…. I sincerely apologize for offending the Prayer Priest through my own shortcomings. I suppose I got ahead of myself in wanting to welcome two men whose names shine so brightly even within the Theocracy. I’m sorry, Brother Raul.”
“Hehe, not at all. Isn’t it common for small disagreements to arise from differences of opinion as we continue our lives of faith?”
Albert and Raul continued their calm conversation, even arranging to have dinner together.
The believers sighed in relief between the chuckling Albert and Raul. The chapel’s frozen atmosphere quickly thawed.
Adrian looked at them and shook his head.
“…I shall take my leave. We will discuss the Hero’s examination starting tomorrow morning.”
“That is exactly what I was hoping for. Perhaps Brother Adrian would join us for a meal and share in our faith?”
“I refuse. Faith is something to cultivate in one’s heart.”
“Still, you ought to soothe your weary body with warm stew and broth.”
“No need. A slice of bread is enough for me.”
“Hehe, I see.”
Adrian coldly refused and turned away. Until the very end, he kept his eyes on Aria, hidden behind the cloak.
“….”
And then.
Through the chapel’s open doors, the old man in gray robes vanished into the dark evening sky outside.
The first-year students of the Department of Divinity sighed with relief, as if a boulder had fallen from their chests. Then they began to chatter and smile.
“Phew…. I can finally breathe.”
“My heart broke when I saw the Saintess crying.”
“The Prayer Priest is called a doctrinaire in the Theocracy, but he’s basically isolated. Maybe this kind of gathering with everyone together makes him uncomfortable.”
“How did those two ride here in the same carriage when they get along so badly?”
“Ugh, just imagining it makes me feel suffocated….”
“Anyway, why don’t we eat something delicious today, too?”
Wrapped in the white cloak, Aria watched his retreating back. In her ears, she no longer heard a cold reprimand, but instead a warm dinner invitation and words of concern.
“….”
But….
The cold sweat on her fist did not stop.
The hand on her shoulder felt strange.
She still hadn’t answered the Prayer Priest’s question. She wondered if she should run out of the chapel right now and follow the old man walking in the darkness.
‘The place I want to be is….’
*
The next day.
The dawn training of Lydia’s group ended quietly. It had been focused more on Arti and Mave sparring than practicing new techniques.
The result was….
Arti: 3 wins,
Mave: 6 wins,
One draw.
Compared to when Arti had been getting beaten one-sidedly, this was remarkable progress.
Lydia announced,
“…That’s enough for today.”
Arti and Mave lowered the wooden swords they had aimed at each other. Then they silently gave each other a knight’s salute.
Snap!
“….”
“….”
Unlike their usual rowdy antics—wrestling each other to the ground or tickling one another—they were subdued. The girl who usually sat alone beside the rock was absent.
Lydia, too, watched in silence.
“….”
The three of them left the clearing without a word.
Morgan rose, tucking the book she had been reading under her arm and brushing off her skirt. Then she came up beside Lydia, who was walking at the front, and said in an indifferent voice,
“It’s quieter than usual. Thanks to that, I managed to finish a whole book, so it was worthwhile. I can even calculate dungeon surveying methods in my head now.”
“I see. That’s truly impressive.”
“….”
Morgan wore a sullen expression.
Lydia looked at her.
“?”
“You don’t sound nearly as sincere with your praise as usual.”
“….”
Oh no,
she’d noticed.
Lydia gave a wry smile and said,
“How can someone trapped in a well sincerely marvel at the difference between an eagle and a dove flying in the open sky? They only look like identical specks in the same sky.”
“….”
-You’re such a genius, and it’s not my field, so I don’t really understand.
That was what Lydia meant.
Morgan pursed her lips. But she was doing it to desperately suppress the corners of her mouth from rising.
“…Hmph.”
Not bad,
a quiet day for a change.
‘I never thought I’d hear such flattery from you….’
What a strange day.
“…And there’s a weird old geezer along the way, too.”
“Hmm.”
Lydia turned her head in the direction Morgan was looking. She had already sensed his presence, but hadn’t expected it to be this person.
“…Prayer Priest Adrian.”
“You know him?”
“Perhaps.”
“?”
Morgan tilted her head at Lydia. But Lydia merely looked calmly at the old man before them.
“….”
Prayer Priest Adrian.
The old man in gray robes, sent as one of the main examiners for the Hero’s examination in the game. He was praying in front of an old statue of the Sun God in a corner of the academy.
-And once again today, with the start of a new day, show us that noble flame….
The old man praying in solitude beneath the dawn.
Somehow, the sight felt familiar to Lydia.
‘Because that’s exactly how he first appears in the game.’
In the game, the Prayer Priest corners Arti with sharp, cold words. Most of his lines point out Arti’s underdeveloped stats.
『Prayer Priest Adrian: Can a weak boy properly stand against the formidable forces of darkness?』
『Prayer Priest Adrian: Can you discern the true intentions of monsters who cunningly hide in the shadows with that thick head of yours?』
『Prayer Priest Adrian: Can you reject the sweet temptations of the forces of darkness with a heart devoid of conviction?』
And if he failed two or more of the three tests.
Adrian immediately declared.
「Enough. This test is meaningless now. Confiscate that man’s Sacred Sword and order his transfer to the Theocracy.」
With that declaration,
the game ended right there.
“….”
‘He’s an NPC who teaches you that raising stats and developing your character is even more important than building affection with the heroines.’
When the group approached,
Adrian’s prayer had also ended. He braced himself against his knees and struggled to stand. Then he turned his head at the presence he suddenly sensed beside him.
“!”
The group and Adrian met eyes.
“….”
“….”
The old man with a penetrating gaze looked at the golden-haired girl at the front of the group. But he did not show her any particular deference.
Lydia felt a sense of familiarity inside.
‘…This is how a religious old fogey should be. Bowing and scraping before power doesn’t suit him.’
Adrian instead looked at the brown-haired boy walking at the very back. Then he spoke to him.
“Are you the Hero candidate?”
“…!”
Arti looked at him, startled.
“H-how did you know…?”
“Are you from the countryside in southern Gallia?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Just as the Saintess prophesied. I heard the Saintess watched you training every morning at dawn. And that she tried to help you.”
“!”
Aria.
At the mention of her, Arti unconsciously held his breath. He feared that a harsh reprimand would come from Adrian.
-How dare a commoner….
-Beside the noble Saintess…!
-You covet her love?
“….”
It was an inferiority complex rooted within Arti.
Whenever Arti was about to approach Aria,
those whispers always held him back.
“….”
“….”
But….
Contrary to Arti’s expectations, Adrian did not scold him.
He merely spoke in a blunt voice.
“I have come to examine you starting tomorrow. Whether you are worthy of the Sacred Sword, and whether the Sacred Sword you possess is genuine.”
“!”
Adrian continued.
“And….”
“?”
“…Whether, as the Saintess said, you are truly a boy who walks his own destiny.”
“The Saintess said that about me?”
“She did.”
“….”
“Then prepare for the test by setting your body and mind in order by tomorrow.”
Arti asked in an anxious voice,
“Do you think a commoner is unfit to possess the Sacred Sword, Priest?”
“That is for tomorrow’s test to verify. The fact that you are a Hero candidate guarantees nothing. It is not my authority to pass judgment on something that has not been verified.”
“!”
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
Adrian turned and walked away, as if he had said all he needed to. Arti watched his back, confused.
“What on earth….”
Lydia turned over the Prayer Priest’s words in her mind, guessed what the upcoming test would involve, and decided on her course of action.
“….”
‘So it’s definitely an Aria-route event, not a common-route test. Then the first test will probably be a sparring match.’
And the person we need to keep an eye on in this event is….