Chapter: 30
“Here are the tea leaves harvested from the Basil Region. It has a pleasant aroma and a subtle sweetness, making it quite popular. It’s a fine product, so please do give it a try.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
“I’ll drink it since you gave it to me, but you’re one foolish bishop.”
I often think about wanting to gag Lucy daily, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt that urge as strongly as I do today.
Yohan is the kind of person who would be a huge nuisance if he became my enemy, so I don’t want to provoke him. Yet, my masugaki skill is forcing me to hit the provoke command, and it feels like I’m practically poking holes in the ceiling in real-time.
Thank goodness the tension from my masugaki skill means my nervousness isn’t showing on the surface.
Without the skill’s correction, I would probably be shaking like a leaf by now.
I took a sip of the tea, just as the bishop suggested.
It definitely seems like good tea, but the atmosphere in the room is so heavy that I can’t fully appreciate its taste or fragrance.
“Excuse me, Young Lady. May I confirm if you’ve truly lifted Agra’s curse?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Isn’t that why you’re here? Hurry up.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”
With his eyes closed and muttering something in a language I couldn’t understand, Yohan summoned several magic circles around me.
Each one glowed a soft white, containing geometric patterns that someone as clueless as me couldn’t decipher.
From what I gathered in Harne’s lessons, each pattern in those magic circles has a specific meaning.
I wonder just how many meanings are wrapped up in this complex magic circle.
While I was marveling at that, the circles floating around me suddenly vanished.
“You really did lift Agra’s curse.”
At Yohan’s words, I heard someone behind him swallow hard.
It must have been one of the priests assisting him.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask how you managed that?”
“Of course.”
“You want to hear it? Hah, alright. Since you look so desperate, I’ll tell you specially.”
I had thought about how to explain everything while walking over here.
The only thing worrying me is how my words will translate.
Today, for some reason, the masugaki translations were veering into more aggressive territory.
“I received a revelation.”
“A revelation?”
“Does that mean you heard the voice of the God?”
Instead of answering, I pulled out the mace I had kept in my pocket and returned it to its original size.
As the mace suddenly appeared from my empty hands, Yohan raised an eyebrow, and the priest accompanying him rushed to Yohan’s side and cast a protection spell.
Did they really think I was going to smash Yohan’s head with it?
I know that Lucy’s past is a heavy burden, but this is just plain rude.
Treating a noble Young Lady like a terrorist?
Yohan and I both frowned at the same time.
“Pelkin Priest, what is the meaning of this rude behavior? Withdraw your magic immediately.”
His firm words carried a weight beyond mere language.
Seeing the realization of his mistake wash over him, the priest withdrew his magic and bowed his head.
“I apologize, Your Excellency, Lady Lucy Alrn.”
If I were to use this as leverage, I could bend the conversation to my favor, but that might trigger an even worse and unexpectedly aggressive reaction from Lucy.
Hmm. Let’s be magnanimous about it this time.
After all, this is not a relationship that’ll be wrapped up in a day or two. I can consider it a score settled.
“This weapon is Ruel’s mace.”
“Ruel’s mace? Even a fool like you must know this, right?”
“…Are you saying this is the mace belonging to Saint Ruel?”
“It’s the real deal.”
“Does it sound like a lie?”
“If you don’t mind, may I take a look at it?”
As I handed the mace over willingly, Yohan carefully accepted it as if handling a precious gem.
Then, he started examining it like he was appraising a jewel.
Looking at how much time this was taking, it didn’t seem like it’d end anytime soon.
Just as I raised my teacup, the old man’s voice broke through my thoughts.
[Hey, girl. Did you say you were named a saint?]
“Didn’t you know?”
[You never told me!]
Well, of course, I thought you’d know by now.
All the heroes who fought to save the world two hundred years ago were canonized as saints after their deaths, right?
Even a child would know that much!
[To think you’re a saint, it’s both surprising and undeserved.]
“Isn’t it just normal considering I saved the world?”
[Hah! I never expected you to say that.]
“Why not?”
[Because you’ve never respected me!]
What does that even mean?!
How much respect do you think I’ve shown you over the years!
I have my suspicions, but I do think of you as a kind of hero!
Knowing the story of the game, I know exactly how much suffering and arduous trials you endured.
“It seems to be genuine. But how did you find it? Ruel’s mace vanished long ago.”
I was lost in thought about the old man pushing for more respect when Yohan’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“I told you….”
“Didn’t I say I received a revelation? Even if you’re old, you should remember what was just said.”
Could the shock from Ruel’s mace have been that overwhelming?
Even after I provoked him several times, Yohan calmly listened to my story.
It was a good choice to show him the mace beforehand.
If I hadn’t, I would’ve raised my voice somewhere along the way.
The translations coming out as masugaki were just that rough.
When I recounted my trials overcoming Ruel’s challenges and how I was able to lift the curse in Evans’ village, Yohan’s lips tightened for the first time.
He looked serious, which was different from usual.
If he showed that kind of seriousness, it meant he was genuinely trying to engage in an earnest conversation.
“You’re saying you found the hidden trials and lifted the curse with the potion you obtained there?”
“That’s something that can only be done by a revelation, right?”
“If it wasn’t a revelation, it wouldn’t have been possible. Isn’t that correct?”
“It sounds far-fetched, but the physical evidence is right in front of me, so I can’t deny it. I’ll trust you.”
After saying that, Yohan took a box from his robes and placed it before me.
When I asked with my eyes if I could open it, the bishop nodded.
Inside the box was a cross shaped like a necklace.
The brilliant white cross made of silver looked just like the one I had seen in the game.
An emblem of the Church of the Lord. Back when Soul Academy was just a game, this item had effects that increased favorability for characters related to the Church and boosted luck stats.
Even now that it’s become reality, I’m sure the effects would still apply.
Since Lucy’s reputation is stable, any increase in favorability here likely won’t cause dramatic changes, but it’s still better than nothing.
What’s more, every time I lift Agra’s curse, this item will become even more effective.
There will come a day when Lucy will be able to overcome the bad reputation she has.
With that thought, I wore the necklace.
*
Decades have passed since I chose the path of a priest against the opposition of my family, yet Yohan Biera still finds it difficult to grasp the will of the divine.
To think that the reckless Alrn Young Lady is receiving revelations from the God.
What could the Lord be thinking?
He knows well about Lady Lucy Alrn.
Originally, Yohan was supposed to work in the holy land, but he came to this church because of her.
That was a few years ago.
At that time, the Alrn Young Lady would frequently visit the church, causing quite the uproar.
She blasphemed the God, hurled insults at the priests, committed acts of violence, and threatened the believers.
Had she been any common noble, the Church of the Lord would have easily silenced her with their authority, but Lucy Alrn was not that simple of a foe.
She was a cherished individual of the Iron-Blooded Duke Benedict, one of the strongest beings on the continent.
If things went south and incurred the wrath of Benedict, the Church’s position would become quite troublesome.
Hence, Yohan Biera had been dispatched to resolve the situation.
Coming from a high-ranking family and possessing a notable position in the Church, he was the perfect candidate to handle the issues concerning Alrn Church.
Upon arriving at Alrn Church on the papal’s orders, he attempted to negotiate with Benedict Alrn to solve the problem.
In truth, his actions were more akin to threats than negotiations, but regardless, the problem was resolved, so there were no complaints.
Now, several months later, Lucy had once again come to the church.
But this time, it was not to turn the place upside down like before.
She had come to talk about matters regarding the church.
To be honest, the claims she made during her visit were as ridiculous as saying dragons don’t know magic.
She said she personally lifted the curse of Agra, a curse that only cardinals can lift, and claimed to have found Ruel’s mace, which had been missing for over a century, and also mentioned receiving a revelation from the God.
Each of those claims sounded like something out of a bard’s song.
Yet all of it was true.
There was no choice but to believe, as evidence lay right before Yohan’s eyes.
“Are you telling me that the wretch who was blaspheming the God has received a revelation? What on earth is the Almighty planning?”
Yohan mused as he gazed up at the ceiling, but no answer came back.
It seemed the Lord had no intention of revealing anything to him yet.
“Things will likely get messy for a while.”
The appearance of one who has received a divine revelation.
The emergence of Ruel’s mace, which had gone missing long ago and was sought after by the church.
The one who became the nemesis of the Evil God by lifting Agra’s curse.
None of these events could be taken lightly.
“I thought you were someone of no value at all.”
This was a topic related to the Young Lady, who had been unfairly judged as utterly hopeless.
It was impossible to believe.
Would people in the holy land start doubting if Bishop Yohan had gone mad?
Imagining the expressions of those who would soon realize that all of this was true put a smirk on his face, and he picked up his quill once more.
“Speaking of which, it seemed like the Alrn Young Lady was a bit quieter today.”
I wonder if she’s changed a little since receiving a revelation.
As he pondered that, Yohan recalled the memory of the young lady who had called him a fool and shook his head.
Change? Not a chance.
*
I woke up to the sound of chirping birds outside, and the first thing that greeted me was the message window that tormented me daily.
[Please enroll in the Academy.]
Waving my hand to dismiss the message, I slowly got up.
I felt unusually tired.
Has it been the multiple carriage rides these past few days?
Instinctively reaching for the bell to ring, I then remembered I wasn’t in the mansion.
Ah, right.
I came to take the Academy Entrance Exam!
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