Of Course a Saintess Is Connected to God (4)
Of Course a Saintess Is Connected to God (4)
Canonization is the ceremony and declaration that formally proclaims a person a saint.
The Tower Faith is, after all, a religion, and it has adopted the concepts of canonization and sainthood.
Though its history is short—not even two hundred years—martyrs who gave their lives for the world during the Chaos Period have been elevated to sainthood through canonization rites.
Harsh as it may sound, not every martyr is designated a saint.
A life marked by a steady accumulation of good deeds is a prerequisite, and only those who leave a benevolent influence on the world after death are honored as saints.
These have always been posthumous cases.
There is no instance of anyone being designated a saint while still alive.
One of the many reasons is that until a person's journey is complete, the potential for change is limitless.
In short, if the Faith takes the trouble to honor someone as a saint only for that person to change and go on a rampage, the Tower Faith's position becomes extremely awkward.
The order's prestige would be dragged through the mud.
For a religious group that relies heavily on positive public perception, prestige is worth more than gold.
Moreover, the mere existence of a living saint might lead to all sorts of conflict, among other complications.
Thus, up until now, canonization rites have always been performed for the deceased.
- We wish for Sister Lee Ha-sol to undergo canonization while she is still alive.
And now, they want to make an exception. The subject is none other than Lee Ha-sol. For Lee Ha-sol, this was utterly bewildering.
She herself held no particular religious devotion.
She had joined the Tower Faith because she received an offer of full-scale patronage upon awakening.
She accepted for the rather brazen purpose of securing medicine or methods to cure Lee Ha-yul's illness—and for a tidy income.
Devout intentions were never part of it.
She didn't harbor bad feelings toward the Tower Faith after mingling with its believers, but still—a saint?
She lacked faith and a suitable body of work.
Joining an expeditionary force as a military chaplain from a young age and wandering the gray zones?
There are many military chaplains besides Lee Ha-sol. She was on the younger side, but that's hardly special.
Entering Siyoram, founded by the Tower Master of Growth, as the top seat?
She is indeed the first Tower Faith believer to do so, but that alone doesn't justify being catapulted straight into sainthood—still less so while alive.
Distinguishing herself in this recent chain rampage?
Lee Ha-sol did play a notable role. The monsters torn apart by her sniping easily number well over a thousand.
But if not for Lee Ha-yul, the city would already have been reduced to ashes.
A 2nd Rank monster might have rampaged past the city, tearing across the entire continent and inflicting unimaginable devastation.
That was Lee Ha-yul's achievement, not Lee Ha-sol's.
"It is well known that the great one comes from an orphanage and has struggled with a frail body and mind since childhood."
"......"
"It is also said that although the orphanage received support from the Tower Faith, it lacked the resources to properly manage one child's unidentified illness."
The archbishop smiled ruefully.
"For such a thing to happen in an orphanage sponsored by the Faith—it is a story that brings the order nothing but shame."
"...Realistically, helping everyone is impossible."
At the time, Lee Ha-yul was merely a pitiable and endearing ordinary child.
Lee Ha-sol had known from the start that Lee Ha-yul was special, but unless she revealed it, the outside world had no way of knowing.
No matter how great the Tower Faith's power, it has its limits.
The number of facilities sponsored by the Tower Faith is enormous.
Providing ample support to every single child is difficult. Treating an unidentified mental illness is all but impossible.
"Yet while even the order failed to recognize the great one, a certain sister from that same orphanage is said to have cared for the great one with the utmost devotion."
"......"
"This was despite being in a position where looking after herself was difficult, and her future uncertain. What's more, she has maintained that consistent attitude even after awakening."
The story felt somehow familiar.
Lee Ha-sol kept her mouth firmly shut, but the archbishop did not stop.
"When offered patronage, her additional stipulations were direct support for the orphanage she had stayed in—and a promise of professional treatment and generous care for one small child..."
"......"
"...It is said that even while residing here in Erteria for her training, she periodically visited the child left behind at her hometown orphanage and spent time with him."
- Clack.
Lee Ha-sol set down her teacup.
Her face reflected in the tea looked thoroughly disgruntled.
"He is a hero proclaimed by the Tower Masters themselves, a savior who halted an invasion from beyond. From the Tower Faith's perspective, he is God's apostle, the great one who has just now delivered this holy land."
Truly, a grandiose string of epithets. But considering Lee Ha-yul's achievements and the circumstances of his birth, it was no exaggeration at all.
Even more so for the Tower Faith.
He is a being whom the Tower Masters they worship as gods directly proclaimed a hero. As believers, they had no room for doubt.
Above all, just the day before—
It was Lee Ha-yul who had saved Erteria, the bastion and holy land of the Tower Faith.
He had unfurled twelve sacred wings and revealed a miracle that dyed the heavens with thunder and lightning.
He had rained divine punishment upon the guilty and with a single stroke slain a 2nd Rank monster that might well have ravaged not only the holy land but the entire world.
A divine presence that could inspire faith even in those who had none was revealed to all.
What Lee Ha-yul's standing was in this city right now was abundantly clear the moment you looked out the window.
"When such a great one was languishing in wretched conditions, if we do not raise to sainthood the sister who tended to him with all her heart, then who could ever dare stand among the ranks of saints?"
"......"
That was the truth.
Lee Ha-sol had cared for Lee Ha-yul since they were young.
When Lee Ha-yul was physically frail, mentally unstable, and shunned by others, Lee Ha-sol had remained by his side, diligently looking after him.
After awakening, she used her sponsorship support to improve Lee Ha-yul's surroundings, and her very reason for growing stronger as a superhuman was to find a means to cure Lee Ha-yul's illness.
[Koooh...]
[Squishy...]
It was as if he knew the extent of Lee Ha-sol's devotion.
The Lee Ha-yul who had been so sacred and majestic on the battlefield was now beaming and snuggling into Lee Ha-sol's arms, acting spoiled.
Many people on the battlefield witnessed that sight.
Even coming to the Grand Cathedral just now, many had seen Lee Ha-yul holding Lee Ha-sol's hand, sticking right to her side and being adorably affectionate.
Even at this moment, though no gazes are particularly fixed on them, he is fast asleep with his head pillowed on Lee Ha-sol's thigh.
"Hoo..."
Gently stroking Lee Ha-yul's hair, Lee Ha-sol let her shoulders sag.
A savior chosen by the very gods they serve. The hero who had practically saved their bastion and holy land.
And such a Lee Ha-yul had been in desperate conditions as a child, but Lee Ha-sol had been at his side, devotedly caring for him.
In other words, from a religious standpoint, Lee Ha-sol's narrative was simply too perfect.
* * *
I was deep in blissful sleep when an outside stimulus pulled me awake. A soft voice drifted into my ear.
It was Lee Ha-sol's.
"Ha-yul, Ha-yul?"
[Mmnn...]
The room was different from before. I oriented myself—it was a lounge near the archbishop's office.
I wriggled slightly to signal that I'd woken up, and Lee Ha-sol let out a small laugh before stroking my stomach with an apologetic air.
"Sorry for waking you when you were sleeping so well. The tedious talk is over now—shall we head back?"
[Mmnn...]
[Sleepy...]
I didn't want to get up. The thigh that had been supporting my head was so pillowy and soft that I wanted to stay lying there.
I shook my head from side to side, then rolled over and pressed my face against Lee Ha-sol's stomach.
Through the thin, soft fabric, her body heat radiated warmly, enveloping me.
When I pressed my face in more firmly, I felt Lee Ha-sol flinch, and along with it, the faint touch of skin far softer and plusher than the fabric.
As my breath touched her, Lee Ha-sol's shoulders trembled. She soon laughed as if surrendering, then calmly stroked my head and back.
"Baby? Then instead of staying here, let's go back to the room and you can sleep soundly in a comfy bed."
[Mmnn... here's nice too...]
The hand stroking my head and back soothed me, only deepening my drowsiness.
Drowsy beyond measure, I rubbed my cheek against her soft thigh, and a troubled look spread across Lee Ha-sol's face.
I liked that expression, the one that seemed to be looking at a little troublemaker.
Swallowed by drowsiness, I felt invincible.
As long as I could receive nothing but affection, I could act as shameless or as spoiled as I wanted, no matter how embarrassing.
After thoughtfully stroking my head for a while, Lee Ha-sol spoke.
"If you get up now... Mommy will give you a reward."
[...A reward?]
At the word "reward," my wing feather perked up. Lee Ha-sol stroked the wing feather gently and nodded.
"Yes, yes. Of course."
She deliberately hid the nature of the reward to stoke my curiosity. The ploy worked—the winged garment rustled softly back and forth.
[Mmm, mmmhh...]
I still didn't want to get up.
Still, I couldn't exactly sleep with my head pillowed on her thigh for all eternity...
'Since I'm getting up anyway, might as well take the reward.'
In the end, I sluggishly lifted myself.
Lee Ha-sol's arm, waiting at the ready, supported my back, and the corners of her eyes curved gently. Maternal affection practically radiated from her spring-green eyes.
"There we go, good baby... Our baby listens so well to Mommy, so very good."
She praised me with words, but as if wary that I might lie back down again, she promptly readjusted her hold, pulling my head into an embrace against her chest.
[Squishy]
[Warm...]
Nestled snugly against her chest, I felt an even deeper coziness than before.
I wrapped both arms around her waist and burrowed into her embrace, and as if to say "welcome," her hand patted me lightly on the bottom.
[I like pat-pat...]
"Here, this is a reward for good children."
I nodded in agreement with the hand patting my bottom, and when I raised my head, a pair of lips met my cheek.
- Smooch.
[Ehehe...]
[I like kisses]
I received a few more rewards on the other cheek, my forehead, and the bridge of my nose. A warm, affectionate flush spread across my face.
As I let out a silly grin, Lee Ha-sol planted a final kiss on the crown of my head, smiled brightly, and pulled me back into her arms.
"In the end, they decided to go ahead with the canonization ceremony."
[Mm...]
[As expected...]
"They're planning to hold the canonization itself quickly."
Held in her arms, I bobbed my head.
I'd already heard the full account before falling asleep. Even while I slept, I'd been gathering information, so I could verify everything.
"Me, becoming a saint... Something I never could've imagined back in the old days... It's strange."
Wearing a curious expression as if recalling the conversation just now, Lee Ha-sol kissed the top of my head again and murmured.
"Ha-yul."
[Yes...]
"If it's possible, I'm going to become a Tower Master."
The words instantly chased away the depths of sleep still clinging to me.
"The tower I was in on the Reverse Side is wind-attribute, and they said my aptitude is more than enough."
[Mmmhh...]
[Are you sure you'll be okay?]
"Of course I will."
When I lifted my head from its spot buried in her generous chest, her lips met the bridge of my nose as if she'd been waiting—smooch.
"I want to be of more help to Ha-yul. If I become a Tower Master, I can be much more helpful than I am now."
[Even now, just your existence is an enormous help, Lee Ha-sol.]
"True enough. My role as Mommy is no easy job."
Obviously that wasn't what I meant.
I puffed up my cheeks full of air. Lee Ha-sol giggled and gave them a light kiss.
My puffed-up cheeks deflated on the spot.
Too many countermeasures have been developed for the puffed-cheek protest. I might need to invent a new way to pout before long.
[...If you become a Tower Master, the situation gets completely weird.]
"How so?"
[You're becoming a saint of the Tower Faith. But if you also become a Tower Master...]
"...Ah, you're right."
Lee Ha-sol's eyes widened roundly, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her.
The gods worshiped by the Tower Faith are the Tower Masters.
Admittedly, the Outer-realm Tower Master seems to be excluded, but regardless, they currently serve the five Tower Masters of this side as gods.
In the midst of that, if Lee Ha-sol, whom they were honoring as a saint, were to become a Tower Master...
"Ahaha, it really would be absurdly comical."
I wondered how everyone would react if that came to pass.
Lee Ha-sol chuckled, her shoulders bobbing. With so much on her mind, it seemed that thought hadn't reached her.
In the meantime, I pressed my face into her ample chest and enjoyed the comfort.
'I ought to prepare a present to give her on the day of the canonization.'
I was going to give her multiple presents anyway, but one of them was already a given.
The pure white winged garment swayed gently.