Chapter 112
Franz arrived at the cathedral with the chained cultist. To be precise, it was a secluded area within the cathedral where people rarely visited.
Since the sun had just set, there were still many Followers in the cathedral, and drawing their attention wasn’t exactly something he wanted.
Imagine them praying right to his face, crying out, the saint has captured a cultist!
“Ugh, just imagining it is exhausting.”
Franz slowly shook his head to erase the terrible thought.
When he was young, he was sure that being the center of expectations was nothing but a joy. But how on earth did it end up like this? It seemed that as he grew older and learned more, a great many things changed.
It was then.
“Saint…?”
At the sudden voice, Franz’s gaze naturally shifted.
Standing there was a bald priest with a shiny head. It was the same person who had guided him when he came looking for Yusti-ah once before.
“Saint, huh…”
Being called by such a title still felt ticklish and awkward. But it wasn’t like he could refuse it now. In the end, he had no choice but to accept it.
Letting out an inaudible sigh, Franz offered an awkward smile and spoke to him.
“Yes, Brother.”
“Why are you in a place like this? More importantly, what on earth is that next to you… W-wait, isn’t that a person?!”
It certainly looked like a person, but technically speaking, he should probably say it wasn’t. Anyway, explaining it would be quite complicated, so it was better to skip it.
“I’ve captured a cultist, so could you call for the Paladins?”
“A-a cultist…! Understood! I will call them right away!”
Nodding with a very serious expression, the priest hurried his steps, his robes fluttering.
If there was a good thing about becoming a saint, was it that he could exert influence within the Goddess Church without necessarily having to go through Yusti-ah?
“That is a good thing, right…?”
He still wasn’t sure. It just felt like it would be a hassle.
Just then, a sigh that sounded like the world had ended came from somewhere.
“Haaah-.”
This was a secluded place even within the cathedral. He could only wonder who would go out of their way to come here.
More than that, it sounded somewhat familiar…
Surprisingly, Franz’s thought was spot-on. The owner of the sigh was none other than Yusti-ah.
Trudge, trudge, taking exhausted steps, Yusti-ah soon came face to face with Franz.
After staring blankly at each other for a moment, Yusti-ah’s eyes widened as she spoke.
“W-why are you here?!”
“…Because I’m a saint?”
“Is that so? Well, if that’s the case…”
Yusti-ah nodded as if convinced. In a way, it was only natural for a saint to be in the cathedral.
But that was only for a moment. When she saw what was placed next to Franz, her eyes went wide again.
Since the human-shaped figure was charred black like charcoal, it was only natural for her to be surprised.
“T-that’s a person, isn’t it?!”
“It’s a long story, but anyway, it’s not a human.”
“Is that so…?”
“I went to find a sealed artifact, and this guy was guarding it. I didn’t kill it, so you should be able to extract some information.”
Yusti-ah’s expression became subtle. She was relieved that it wasn’t a person, yet she felt repulsed by its human-like appearance.
While Franz and Yusti-ah were conversing like that, the bald priest returned with the Paladins.
One of the Paladins approached Franz and bowed politely.
“Saint, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am paladin Commander Luan.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
Franz returned the greeting just as politely, but this situation felt needlessly awkward.
Until now, even if they met, the extent of it had been exchanging brief greetings just to handle business.
“I heard that the saint had captured a cultist.”
“Ah, yes. Right here.”
Franz pointed his finger at the charcoal-like cultist.
Shifting his gaze naturally to the guy, the paladin blinked without saying a word for a moment. He looked quite flustered.
Eventually, he looked back at Franz and spoke.
“Did the saint perhaps pass judgment personally…”
“There was some resistance, you see. It’s still alive, so you don’t have to worry.”
“I-I see.”
The paladin showed a subtle expression. He was clearly having similar thoughts to Yusti-ah’s.
In truth, Franz was pretending to be fine on the outside, but he didn’t feel great about it either.
Even if it wasn’t human, its exterior was similar to a human, so it instinctively evoked a sense of repulsion.
“Then we will take care of this one.”
“Yes, please do.”
As soon as Franz gave his permission, the Paladins began to move in perfect order.
Blankly watching their actions, Franz suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.
“Brother, could I perhaps ask a favor?”
“Yes, anything.”
“Would it be possible for me to take some of this guy’s nails? They seem to have a special ability, so I’d like to do some research.”
“Saint, the body of a cultist must be burned without leaving even a single strand of hair behind, according to the principles of the Goddess Church.”
At the paladin’s answer, Franz realized his mistake. He hadn’t expected there to be such a rule at all.
Then again, how much would someone who had just become a saint know about the Goddess Church? It was only natural that he didn’t know.
“If I had known this would happen, I would have cut them off beforehand…”
Who would know if he said they were lost during the battle? His conscience would just be pricked a little.
Anyway, as someone who had become a saint, he couldn’t exactly break the principles of the Goddess Church. It was a shame, but it couldn’t be helped.
Franz was about to give up.
Yusti-ah strode between the two and spoke.
“Do as the saint says. I will speak to His Holiness the Pope.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, then you may return.”
With that conversation concluded, the paladin turned around, taking the cultist with him.
Watching their retreating backs as they moved further away, Franz spoke.
“Is that really okay?”
“Well, if you say it’s necessary, His Holiness will understand.”
Yusti-ah shrugged as she said that, as if a matter like this was nothing at all.
“Is this what it means to be a senior in the Goddess Church…?”
For the first time in his life, Franz felt that Yusti-ah was reliable.
She was more impressive now than when they subjugated the Demon Lord.
“Yusti-ah, thank you.”
“Then just make sure to listen carefully to the classes later.”
“Yeah, of course I will.”
After that conversation, Franz and Yusti-ah exchanged goodbyes.
It was time for Yusti-ah to eat, and Franz still had work left to do.
When Franz disappeared using teleport, Yusti-ah, left alone in that spot, let out a sigh and leaned her back against the wall.
“Why am I like this…”
When Franz was conversing with the Paladins, Yusti-ah felt a little anxious. It was because things that until now had only been possible through her were now possible for him to do alone.
Perhaps he wouldn’t have any reason to seek her out in the future. Perhaps she was no longer needed. Such thoughts needlessly crossed her mind.
'I really don’t know…'
The woman, who had never loved a man in her life, was feeling confused by the emotions she was experiencing for the first time.
Of course, Franz, who had no way of knowing such a fact, was simply
'Ah, I’m hungry.'
Simply hungry.
Should he have just eaten at the cathedral with Yusti-ah before coming?
Since he was a saint, it should be fine to eat at the cathedral.
But then again, it felt like the cathedral would serve frugal meals.
Anyway, it was too late to go back now, so he had no choice but to quickly finish unsealing the artifact and return to the Magic Tower.
Snap-.
As Franz snapped his fingers, the lake water split in half. The sight of a single ray of moonlight shining on the sword stuck in the center of the lake was so dreamlike that it made him lose himself for a moment.
Eventually, Franz went down to the bottom of the lake, reached out, and grasped the hilt of the sword.
'It’s a similar method after all.'
Only the arrangement of the Magic formula was slightly different; the structure itself was no different from what he had seen before.
To put it differently, it felt like using a different password on the same lock.
Still, it was as complex as ever, so it seemed like it would take quite some time, but he felt he could finish it faster than before.
Franz closed his eyes and calmly settled his mind. Then, he began to focus on unsealing the artifact.
A complexly tangled ball of yarn slowly unraveled, and an exit appeared in a maze that seemed to stretch on endlessly.
How much time had passed like that?
It was when a drop of sweat that had formed on the tip of his chin fell toward the ground.
Srrng-.
Franz pulled out the sword that had been deeply embedded in the ground. He had finally unsealed the artifact.
The brilliantly shining golden sword sparkling beautifully under the moonlight looked quite magnificent. It felt as if it belonged stuck in some treasure vault somewhere.
But such lingering imagery lasted only for a moment.
Grumble-.
His stomach was clamoring for food.
Franz immediately put the sword in his bag and used teleport.
There was a reason for the saying that even the most beautiful scenery is best viewed after a meal. When you’re hungry, beauty or whatever else doesn’t catch your eye.
“What should I eat for dinner today?”
Thinking that, Franz arrived at the Magic Tower and encountered some unexpected people.
“Magic Tower master, have you eaten by any chance…?”
As soon as he entered the Magic Tower Lord’s Office, Arian spoke as if she had been waiting.
And next to her was Hera, dressed very differently from usual.