The basement without ventilation.
The smell of Sister Lucia’s sweat and dust hung in the air like a fog, but the scent of the deodorizer May had brought banished them.
In such a place, three people were crouched down playing cards.
May, Lucia, and me.
“This is cheating! Right? Am I being seen as a loser here?”
I shouted while throwing down my cards in frustration, but May, with a cunning smile like a cat, wiggled her fingers.
“Come here, come here. Just bet.”
“I swear to Helios, I’ve never seen Daniel as a loser.”
“Sigh.”
As I sulked and bowed my head, May’s flick hit my forehead. She hit me hard as if she had some accumulated grudge to get off her chest.
I ended up turning my face and caught a hit from Lucia too. She looked gentle, but her hand surprisingly packed a punch that caught me off guard.
“Ugh, stop it. It’s annoying.”
“Oh, that was fun.”
May organized the cards with a satisfied smile. Lucia, leaning against a box behind her, squeaked like a static charge and shouted.
“Wait, is it okay to just hang out like this? Aren’t we supposed to be on watch?”
The simple reason we three were here was clear.
Because we couldn’t take Lucia out from here.
The Chokugen Faction was surveilling the entire Cathedral like a hawk.
Having made her half-crippled, those guys who suddenly popped up were thoroughly watching anyone who dared to step even a foot outside the Cathedral.
So, sneaking in with just me and May was easy, but taking Lucia, a regular person, out was a challenge.
It was smarter to just stay here for one more day rather than risk being caught by Michaela and the Chokugen Faction if we made a move or got found out.
“Who knew we’d end up doing something similar to a field trip in a place like this? Want some candy?”
“A field trip…”
Lucia took the candy May offered her and mulled over the words. For her, the only trips she’d known were mission trips, which were basically just grueling tasks disguised as travels.
Perhaps she felt a pang of longing, thinking of having fun like ordinary students. Her chest looked a bit heavy.
“Get ready to sleep soon. We’ll be busy tomorrow.”
I brought out a folding chair from the storage and set it up at the door when May looked puzzled.
“Aren’t you going to sleep? Do you want me to take over for a bit?”
“It’s fine, just go to sleep. I can handle staying up all night.”
“It’ll be boring, right? Should I talk to you while you’re awake?”
May stealthily approached like a cat, draping a blanket over her shoulders. She always tried to match my defensive stance the moment I relaxed.
“Good night.”
I crossed my legs, naturally defending against May’s advance, causing her to click her tongue and retreat.
“Pfft.”
Lucia smiled as she watched us.
“You two get along so well, it’s nice to see.”
“Right? We fit perfectly!”
“What do you mean fit? Do you know what she was planning to do to me at first? It was when the spring flowers were timidly blooming, having their first fresh encounter with the world…”
“Hey! Hey!”
I thought, since May looked wide awake, I should entertain Lucia with a long, drawn-out story from the past, but May jumped in immediately.
“Why are you telling old stories?!”
“Looks like you’re getting sensitive, huh? May, you’ve really grown up.”
“Hmm? You want to kiss? Right? With your lips sealed shut, it seems like you want to kiss?”
“Hey!”
I reached out to push May away as she leaned in, but she opened her tiny mouth and bit my index and middle fingers like she was savoring candy.
“Mmph!”
(Don’t do that!)
“I get it, so let go! I’m not some beast!”
Feeling weirdly strange, I snapped at her, but our May was quick on the uptake in this area.
“…B-bashful?”
(…Are you embarrassed?)
“Ugh! Every time you speak, your tongue touches me!”
I fumed and grabbed her chin with my other hand, applying pressure to free my fingers.
I kept my damp fingers as far away from my body as possible while pulling out a handkerchief with my other hand.
“Your skills at sucking on candy are amazing, huh?”
“What kind of student says that?!”
Before I knew it, I shouted, but May snatched the handkerchief and started wiping my fingers herself.
“Seriously, you act all mature, but then get embarrassed when it comes to this?”
This felt a bit humiliating.
Being 28 and never having dated, only to be teased by an 18-year-old.
But I guess it didn’t look like that to Lucia, who was watching us from behind.
“Oooh! Whoa! Ooooh!”
Lucia, blushing and tightly hugging a blanket, seemed to regress to childhood. Even May, who had been riding the wave of mood from earlier, turned awkward and handed me back the handkerchief before retreating to her spot.
“Geez.”
Ever since the last festival, May had been hard to manage. Other girls were tough, but especially May was a cause for concern.
For example, Eve often acted casually, tossing out small comments like they meant nothing. It was like accidentally revealing our secret couple status in front of people.
Rin recently seemed to reach a whole new level. When other girls approached, she would hold her smile but with a slightly scary vibe. Later, she would casually come over and ask, “Did you enjoy yourself?” and I’d never had the chance to say yes.
I had no idea what would happen then, and I’d like not to find out for my whole life.
The witch Adriana wasn’t at school now, so that was a pass.
As for the elf Eris, we hadn’t really shared anything significant aside from feelings.
Elise?
A total crazy pervert.
As far as I could see, the reason the gods made her a princess was probably that they thought she looked pretty after creating her, so they just made her the king’s daughter.
May was quick-witted enough to understand how to navigate the flow. She knew I’d feel burdened if I acted openly like Elise or Rin.
Yet, she also understood that if she casually tossed things out like Eve, she’d struggle to survive in this ambiguous competition.
She usually behaved like a really close friend, but when the moment seemed right, she’d pounce like a cat turning into a tiger.
What made it tricky was that when meeting someone like Elise, you’d naturally feel tense, but May would treat me normally, sliding under my defenses and showing her teeth.
“Seriously, who could be any more of a thug?”
The way she behaved was utterly defiant.
Plus, she was both obscene and adorably mischievous.
May and Lucia began chatting about various things while lying down.
Mainly Lucia probed into my relationship, and May, while slightly blushing, kept glancing at me as she lay down.
They genuinely resembled school girls chit-chatting on a field trip.
They chatted for a while, then fell silent for a moment.
Just as I thought they were finally going to sleep, Lucia opened her mouth again.
“I’m actually scared.”
I peeked at Lucia while crossing my arms, and May must have sensed something strange too, turning to look at her.
“Do you think I can become a saint? Or even if I do, am I really someone worthy of being a saint?”
“……”
Both May and I listened in silence to her words.
“Honestly, before coming to Batian, I had imagined what I would do if I became a saint, and I was excited. I was so eager I trembled with anticipation. Looking back now, I realize how arrogant and foolish I was.”
Now, Lucia was a girl, not a nun.
And this was a secret confession, happening late at night in a basement where neither the blessings of the gods were remembered nor illuminated.
“Once I arrived here, finding myself in the political intrigue colored by envy and jealousy over the position of a saint was frightening, and I thought how foolish I was.”
“……”
“Of course, I oppose the idea of an Aphrodite’s nun becoming a saint, but whether I deserve to sit in that seat is a separate issue.”
May slowly turned her gaze toward me.
In order to prevent a monster that controls people using Aphrodite’s powers from wearing the holiest veil of a saint, Lucia was necessary.
Normally, I should have struggled to choose my words carefully to convince her…
But with no intention of coercing her, I spoke honestly.
“True, you’re nothing special. Frankly, you’re incompetent.”
“……!”
“Y-you, Daniel?”
Both Lucia and May raised their upper bodies, focusing their gaze on me.
“You couldn’t even recognize the betrayal of the priest who came with you, and you got kidnapped without any power, spending days calling on gods’ names in vain.”
“……”
“Becoming a saint now is also simply because you’re a suspect in a murder case. Michaela didn’t feel any need to monitor you, so you were left unattended.”
In other words, in the current situation, she was controlling nothing at all.
Lucia appeared to sag, shoulders drooping.
“Moreover, you seem to have a misunderstanding about the position of a ‘saint.’”
“……Pardon?”
What is a saint?
Some people praise them as the most compassionate and merciful, always a sacred woman chosen by the gods in the kingdom.
On the other hand, some others spit that they are mere puppets created to stir citizens for the Cathedral’s pressure on the royal family—just lifeless dolls.
While the opinions differ drastically, one thing both sides agree on is that a saint is a person who prays to gods more than anyone else.
“You lack strength, can’t handle mana, have no tact, can’t read people, and are foolish enough to just believe in others.”
I jabbed at her, but she was staring blankly at me, different from when she was bowing her head, so I naturally met her gaze.
“Sister Lucia, what do you truly possess?”
“Ah…”
“Tell me, I want to hear it from you.”
Swallowing her saliva, Lucia carefully provided her answer.
“Faith towards the gods.”
“A saint shouldn’t rely on the sword in times of crisis or solve situations by manipulating mana, nor should they use superior intellect to untangle incidents.”
And of course.
“It’s also unacceptable to brainwash and control others through imprinting.”
“……”
“No matter what situation arises, they must solely pray to the gods.”
Taking a deep breath, I finished my statement.
“That’s the role of a ‘saint.’”
In one sense, she stood in stark opposition to Prince Oliver.
Connections, material, resources, knowledge, power.
There wasn’t a standout feature among them.
She was more miserable than anyone, powerless and unable to lift her head in shame.
So she relied entirely on the gods.
Paradoxically, that was the very reason she could sit in the high revered position of ‘saint.’
Well, this was just my perspective, and honestly, I hold a pretty pessimistic view of the gods, so I can’t say I see the position of a saint favorably.
“……Thank you.”
Lucia wiped her tear-filled eyes with her hand.
May, who had been alternating her gaze between me and Lucia, slowly got up and approached me.
Not knowing what she was up to, I was caught off guard by her sudden assault on my side. She leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
“If this keeps going, I’m really going to become a thug?”
May pinched my side with all her might.
In that instant, I felt a chill similar to Rin, and I couldn’t respond.
Returning to her seat, May hugged Lucia before lying back down.
With a light-hearted expression, May said to Lucia, closing her eyes slowly.
“I’m your friend’s girlfriend.”
Lucia’s shoulders flinched, and she trembled.
I was about to argue that I wasn’t her boyfriend, but before I could speak, May followed up.
“We had a good time, right? Let’s keep the line clear.”
I thought this was a pointless worry, but Lucia replied with a slightly naughty voice.
“Helios has records of having numerous wives.”
“Hey.”
“No, I’m just saying.”
“……”
May felt uneasy and was about to fall asleep again when Lucia chimed in one more time.
“Did you know? The gods like the number ‘3.’”
“Looks like we need to wipe them out, huh? Daniel, I’m becoming a saint tomorrow.”
She was seriously talking nonsense.
May immediately pounced on Lucia, who laughed lightly, shouting, “Just kidding! Just kidding!”
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