Sister Lucia thought that crossing the threshold of the holy and grand cathedral would lead her to the warmest and friendliest place on the continent.
For her, a place of worship was always filled with laughter and vitality, and it was a space for caring for others.
However, upon arriving at the cathedral, she found it to be a cold and desolate place, lacking warmth compared to the merchants of the common streets.
Sensitive as she was, she understood that this atmosphere had already pervaded the area, not simply due to the Saint Selection.
“Helios,”
She tightly clasped the Sun God’s Rosary hanging around her neck and prayed.
Calling Helios’s name intermittently during her prayers had become a sort of habit for her.
“Lucia, are you ready?”
With a kind voice waiting for her outside, Lucia took a deep breath and said she was ready.
Today was the day before the Saint Selection, when the candidate nuns would experience the lives of citizens while disguising their identities in Batian.
The realizations and experiences she gained today would not only be used to appeal to high-ranking positions like Pope or Paladin, but also for speeches to introduce herself to the citizens.
Lucia approached the priest who had come with her from the monastery and nodded slightly.
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Perhaps she was a bit too tense.
The priest smiled gently and advised her.
“Don’t be too rigid. You’re wise, Lucia; you’ll gain insights naturally when you go out. The sunlight of Helios is illuminating your path.”
“Right. I just need to follow His guidance.”
With a faint smile, Lucia double-checked her outfit.
A cheap dress paired with a wide-brimmed hat resting atop her braided golden hair.
At first glance, she looked like a tourist visiting Batian or a village maiden.
Especially since she heard that students from Aios Academy were visiting Batian for a field trip, so she would reasonably be able to hide herself.
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Lucia stepped outside confidently, feeling as if the sunlight was bathing her more warmly than usual, leading her to mutter that it was a good omen.
“Huh?”
It was exactly ten minutes later that she felt disillusioned with the street.
Though she had been to Batian a month ago, having been cooped up inside the cathedral as a Saint Candidate, she was finally seeing the street for the first time.
It wasn’t called a sanctuary for nothing; there were numerous religious goods being sold, and even the desireless Lucia found a few items tempting.
As she wandered the street with her heart racing, she spotted some boys and girls playing in an alleyway.
Seeing people her age, she thought they must be students from Aios Academy.
“……Huh?”
The atmosphere felt off.
There were burly students glaring at them with menacing expressions, facing off against some others.
Among them, a girl with a reddish-brown bob was chewing on something and looked thoroughly annoyed.
“Are you relieved to act like this, even during field trips? If you’re going to attack, do it quickly instead of sneaking around like a coward.”
‘D-, fighting and cigarettes!’
For Lucia, who had lived as a nun since childhood, seeing such situations unfold before her eyes made her head spin.
‘W-what do I do? What should I do?’
As the situation seemed likely to turn into a fight, Lucia firmly grasped the Sun God’s Rosary and shouted.
“Stop fighting! I’ll call the guards!”
“Hmm?”
“Ah?”
The bob-haired girl, May, and the delinquent senior Telmon looked at Lucia standing at the end of the alley together.
“Are you students on a field trip? What are your names? I’ll go speak to your guide!”
With the students fighting like this, it was bewildering where the guide could be. Once she began speaking, it felt as if her strength was rising.
Telmon flinched and scowled, while May grinned and pointed at him with her finger.
“That guy is one of our guides. He’s here as a volunteer for the fifth grade.”
“Eh? The guide is fighting? Excuse me!”
As Lucia spoke more assertively, Telmon eventually spat and swore as he led his gang to flee.
Especially since he made eye contact with Lucia and said, “I remember you,” but perhaps it was Helios’s blessing? Lucia stood her ground even more bravely.
“Thanks.”
May raised her hands in gratitude but Lucia’s battle was far from over.
“You, too! Don’t smoke cigarettes!”
“Eh? This?”
As May pulled out the stick she had been chewing on with a pop, a red candy revealed itself.
“Huh?”
“It’s candy, don’t worry unnecessarily.”
“Y-yeah, that’s a relief… but…”
Feeling a bit awkward, Lucia scratched the back of her head. May approached her, laughing.
“You don’t seem like a student from our academy; are you from Batian? What’s your name?”
“Uh? Well, my name is Lucia. I’m 18 years old… I came to Batian for sightseeing.”
Knowing she shouldn’t reveal her identity, she made up a lie, but even this little fib troubled her conscience.
“Really? I’m May. I was about to ask if there are any sights worth seeing, but it seems you don’t know either?”
“Yeah, that’s true… but are you all delinquents?”
A moment of silence.
Then laughter erupted among the students.
With her innocent expression, Lucia didn’t understand what was wrong with her earlier question, but May patted her shoulder and said,
“They are, but I’m not.”
“Wow, May, look at you cutting ties with us.”
“That’s harsh!”
“He’s our boss. He’s so tough he’s called the Empress of the Back Alleys for ruling the academy all by herself.”
“Hey!”
Embarrassed, May grumbled, but Lucia felt like she had just been struck in the head.
‘D-delinquents!’
The very real delinquents she’d only heard about stood right before her! And it was a girl who ruled over the prestigious Aios Academy!
“It seems Helios has shown me the way.”
“Eh?”
May scratched her head in confusion, but Lucia’s eyes sparkled as she said,
“Today, I’m going to make you all good kids!”
The warm sunlight shining down on her sparkled around the nun like the blessing of the Sun God.
*
While Sister Lucia and delinquent May had what could be deemed a fateful encounter, standing at the door of a high-end hotel was a blonde girl, Elise.
Despite having Bertia behind her, she displayed an unusual tension that was rarely seen. She took a deep breath as the always confident Elise stood before the door.
Tap tap.
Having prepared herself, Elise knocked on the door.
A man’s voice beckoned her to enter, and she cautiously turned the doorknob as if opening it required great care.
“It’s been a while, Elise.”
Sitting half-naked in a bathrobe while sipping wine was a golden-haired man.
The fact that he uttered her real name, Elise de Frisia, indicated that he already knew her true identity.
“There’s no way he wouldn’t know.”
“It’s been a while, brother.”
He was the first man to snatch the right to the throne.
Aside from the current king, he was the young man closest to the golden throne.
First Prince Oliver de Frisia.
Even though he was in a competitive stance with Second Prince Alois de Frisia for the throne, the public believed that Oliver had already secured victory due to their overwhelming differences.
“What prompted you to call me?”
She couldn’t help but be on guard due to the contact her brother made through a maid the night before.
The mere fact that Oliver was here shouldn’t be known by anyone, as it posed a risk for him to have summoned her.
The Kingdom of Frisia was one where the king held all the power, but the church was an exception.
A long time ago, an independent nation, the Holy Kingdom, came under the dominion of the Kingdom of Frisia, naturally forming a single nation.
Of course, with time lost, the royal family had grown stronger, but they couldn’t ignore the pope either.
Seeing them still hold onto such a pompous title as ‘Pope’ suggested that they were not willing to carelessly compromise their dignity.
Due to the religious nature, as they garnered extensive support from the citizens, the royal family hesitated to touch them, and this history had continued until now.
Being here during the Saint Selection period was also risky; if there were rumors of royal interference, it was easy to predict the citizens would revolt.
“If you’re calling me, it can’t be anything good.”
As Oliver twirled his wine glass, a sly smile crept across his face.
“You’re quite sharp and clever. Unlike the others, you’re the only blood relative I truly like.”
“……”
“Elise, what do you think of the title ‘Pope’?”
Elise bit her fist.
Knowing clearly what he was about to say and propose, she tried her best to conceal her dizzying feelings.
It was a suggestion that felt like a royal command, one that she could not casually refuse.
Like a snake, it poured out from Oliver’s tongue.
