A day had passed since I returned home for the vacation.
Fortunately, aside from the fact that my family was more excited than usual about my return, nothing particularly special had happened.
I was exhausted from having to mediate because my mother, in her usual over-the-top way, bombarded the three women with all sorts of embarrassing questions about me as her son. Still, it seemed she genuinely enjoyed seeing me hanging around female friends again, especially after Luna.
Perhaps because of her gentle and friendly personality that loved making new connections, the women seemed to be getting along with my mother quite quickly.
I didn’t know what it was about, but she kept coming up to me and saying things like, “Son, just trust your mom!” I figured she was promising to take care of my future network of relationships.
After all, those women weren’t exactly ordinary people.
“Heading out already?”
“I’m only staying one night, what’s the big deal? I used to do this all the time when I was a kid.”
It hadn’t even been 24 hours since I returned home, but I was already preparing to leave again with my club members.
“Since I’m here, I should at least stop by and pay my respects to the Count. Besides, Father already dumped all the people coming to our territory on them, so he’s probably feeling pretty annoyed.”
“Leave it be. That man isn’t the type to bat an eye over something like that.”
When I was younger, I’d always wondered how a man like Father could possibly have a connection with Count Helios, but now that I knew the truth, it made sense. He must’ve run into the Count quite a lot while serving in the imperial guard.
Back when Father was actively working in the guard, the Count had just made headlines by becoming an Aura Master at a young age.
And so, we boarded a carriage headed to the neighboring Helios territory.
There were still two hours left until we reached the Helios mansion.
During that time, I found myself recalling the conversation I had with the Saintess last night.
***
Since my family wasn’t particularly wealthy, we decided it would be too much to give every club member their own room. So I shared mine with Pollo, while the three female members split into separate rooms.
The Saintess, perhaps hoping she might get the chance to share a room with Pollo, looked noticeably disappointed.
Those two seem pretty okay with each other, huh?
Come to think of it, the noble lady and the princess hadn’t asked me anything about Pollo lately.
I was a bit curious about their sudden change in behavior, but considering they had gone through some major events recently, I figured they just weren’t ready to deal with men yet. So I decided that, at least for this vacation, I would focus on helping the Saintess.
“Did you bring what I mentioned earlier?”
“Yes… Vintage wine, some rather pricey cheese, and luxury candles? Do the Count and his wife really like things like this?”
The Saintess seemed a bit skeptical about the gift list I had given her before we came here.
She glanced at me with an expression that held maybe 1% trust at most. It was a very neutral, dry look.
“Don’t worry, that’s the right choice.”
The Count wasn’t particularly fond of luxurious things.
He had originally been a commoner who rose to his current position through swordsmanship alone, so he tended to live a modest and unpretentious life.
Outside of training with the sword, the only hobbies he indulged in were going fishing with my father or sipping cheap wine paired with local cheese while enjoying classical music.
There was even a time we tried giving him a very expensive wine and cheese set for his birthday, but he said that kind of upscale food upset his stomach, and he preferred more humble options.
“Then what about the candles…?”
“Oh, those are a gift for the Count’s wife.”
Count Helios’s love for his wife was widely known.
It was as if he spent all his money solely on her.
Of course, the Countess herself was a kind and generous woman who, after enjoying her husband’s excessive displays of affection, would often donate the gifts or convert them into money to help those in need. She was truly admirable.
And since she liked scented candles, this gift set took into account not only the Count but also his wife’s tastes. So this was the perfect choice.
“That makes a lot of sense… If I’d brought something random without knowing, I might’ve made a bad impression instead.”
“Well, it’s not like the Count would judge anyone over something like that, so it would’ve been fine. Oh, right! Um, please try to refrain from praying in front of the Count.”
“Hmm? Why’s that?”
“The Count values achieving things through his own effort above all else… so he’s not particularly fond of religious people who constantly rely on God.”
This was the part I was most concerned about when I hoped the Saintess would become romantically involved with Pollo.
Count Helios who rose to the position of Aura Lord through sheer effort despite being a commoner with nothing to his name.
The only things he ever believed in were his sword and himself, making him someone who valued human will above all else.
Because of that, I’ve witnessed many times how he looked unfavorably upon religious people who live their lives depending on a divine being.
“Th-That’s…”
The Saintess’s face immediately fell into a miserable expression at my words.
And no wonder….who could be happy knowing that the father of the person they love despises their profession the most?
Especially when that person wasn’t just any religious figure, but the Saintess herself. Someone with the strongest faith and the most influence within the entire church.
“Y-You made that up, didn’t you? You’re just saying that out of jealousy or something…”
“What would I possibly be jealous of, Saintess? I get that you’re shocked, but please face reality.”
Her words were so ridiculous that I seriously considered giving her a flick on the forehead.
“And well… I don’t really believe in God either. So I understand where the Count is coming from.”
Even I, an atheist, once desperately sought God.
In my past life.
Back when I was trapped in relentless violence, not a single day passed without me calling out to God.
I prayed and prayed to the heavens until the skin on my palms was rubbed raw, believing in the promise that faith would bring salvation….but every morning, the one who greeted me wasn’t an angel, but my father’s fists and beatings.
Among faith, hope, and love, they say the greatest is love, don’t they?
Damn it. What was someone who had never once received love supposed to do?
That was why I didn’t believe in God.
Even now, after possessing this world, God was nothing more and nothing less to me than a pebble lying on the side of the road.
Just like how wishing upon a stone brought me nothing in return.
“I couldn’t ignore what you just said. Are you saying you don’t realize that the very reason we’re able to breathe right now is all thanks to the Goddess’s providence?”
“I’m the one breathing with my own lungs. Why would the Goddess have anything to do with that? Or does the Saintess have God doing her breathing for her?”
She already embodied a type of person I didn’t like, and then she came at me with this accusatory tone. Naturally, my voice started to rise without me realizing it.
“My divine power! That alone is proof that God exists—!”
“Scholars have concluded that divine power is a mutated trait born from a variation in mana. It’s certainly unique, but it can’t be considered proof of God.”
“If you keep speaking such blasphemy, you’ll be struck down by divine punishment—!”
“Oh? A lightning strike, perhaps? I seem perfectly fine, though.”
“…As I thought, you truly are irreverent. What will you do when God rejects you in your moment of desperate need?”
“I’ve already been rejected plenty of times, actually.”
“……?”
The moment memories of my past life surfaced, a surge of emotion made me slip into informal speech.
That so-called God who trampled on the outstretched hands of a child crying out for salvation.
And this woman, who worshipped such a being and tried to force faith onto others.
Those two wretches struck such a nerve in me that I momentarily lost hold of my reason out of sheer frustration.
“And what about you? What will you do when the Goddess you so blindly believe in betrays you? Even if you scream and cry your heart out, the Goddess won’t lift a finger. She’s too lazy to care.”
“…You. I try to treat you kindly, and now you’re getting cocky.”
“Never having been treated kindly, I wouldn’t really know what that feels like.”
“……”
“……”
In the heat of heightened emotions, the two of us stared each other down for a long while.
“Tsk. I was the fool for expecting a reasonable conversation with someone like you.”
After the prolonged standoff, the saintess was the first to turn her head, and the heavy atmosphere that had settled between us shattered completely.
“…Salvation comes only with faith. Let’s see you try climbing out of the pit of despair with that proud little body of yours, without any help from God.”
Apparently unwilling to even look at my face any longer, she turned her head sharply and left with haughty steps.
“…I climbed out of it long ago. With my own hands, at that.”
The dark night.
The bitterness that slipped out with a sigh rode the cold night air and drifted far away.
***
When we arrived at the count’s mansion, we were immediately shown to the reception room.
The count who greeted us there didn’t appear all that different from the last time I had seen him.
“Good day, Count—”
“Ahem—!”
“…I mean, how have you been, Master?”
The count had always insisted that I call him Master.
Despite never taking on a single favored disciple, he made sure I addressed him as such…which only made it clearer that my talents must have truly struck a chord with him.
“You damned brat. One minute you’re begging me to hide you so you can live quietly, and the next you’re out there making a damned spectacle of yourself!”
“It’s not like I did it on purpose… I was just trying to save people. If anything, you could at least give me some credit…”
When I stuck out my lower lip in protest, the count roughly tousled my hair in his own version of affection.
Knowing this had always been his way of showing care since I was young, I silently accepted my fate as my hair turned into a mess.
“Did you learn well at the academy?”
“Yes, Father!”
At his son’s innocent response, the Count gave a gentle smile.
Even the mighty Aura Lord seemed genuinely pleased by the long-awaited reunion with his son’s cheerful face.
Next, the noble lady and the princess introduced themselves according to proper etiquette, and as it came time for the saintess to do the same, I caught a slight twitch in the Count’s faintly smiling expression with my quick reflexes.
It was a fleeting movement that only someone with my level of physical ability could have noticed.
“…It is an immeasurable blessing to have the Saintess visit our household. Thank you.”
A short and plain greeting.
To some, it might have come off as curt, but I could tell that he was treating her without any real displeasure or prejudice.
Since they were guests brought by his son, he seemed to have decided to set aside any small discontent he might have felt.
Just as a faint smile began to form on the Saintess’s face in response to the Count’s unexpectedly cordial reaction—
“L-Lord Count. There’s a visitor outside…”
“A visitor? Aren’t they already here?”
“No, not that… um, someone from the Church has come. They say it’s urgent…”
A soldier suddenly burst in, disrupting the mood and stealing glances at the Saintess as he informed us of the Church’s arrival.
The Count frowned at the mention of the Church but reluctantly told the soldier to let them in, and soon a middle-aged man, who appeared to hold a fairly high position within the Church, entered the parlor.
“Greetings. I am Berdo, a priest who serves in the name of God.”
Berdo, with eyes nearly closed in a squint, gave the Count a slight nod, but the Count merely jerked his chin as if to say, “Get to the point.”
“Haha. You’re certainly in a hurry… Well, we’re pressed for time as well, so I’ll get straight to the matter. Saintess? This is a summons to attend the Grand Assembly of the Church. It appears you’ll need to leave with us immediately.”
“Huh?! What is the meaning of this…”
The Grand Assembly of the Church.
It was a gathering of elders ranked Cardinal or higher. It was set up only to discuss matters of utmost importance to the Church on par with wartime emergencies. So the very mention of the Grand Assembly meant that a crisis of such gravity had arisen within the Church.
Even the Count seemed surprised by this and lifted an eyebrow. The other members of the group also showed startled expressions.
“Th-This suddenly? B-But…”
“Time is of the essence. Please, let’s go immediately.”
But Berdo remained firm, and the Saintess, realizing how serious the situation must be, stood up with a troubled look on her face.
“I apologize for leaving so suddenly, Count… everyone. I’ll make sure to contact you when I depart. Please enjoy the rest of your break…”
***
And a few days later,
News arrived that the Saintess had been imprisoned for impersonation.
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