Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Episode 44
Lucia Domine's expression was completely unreadable.
It was different from before. If she truly wanted to hide her emotions, even [Contemplation] couldn’t penetrate them.
It seemed unlikely I’d glean anything from her expression.
When it came to poker faces, she was a monster, even surpassing Tia.
No, wait. Tia never even tried to hide her emotions, so the comparison wasn't fair.
“Arietta was born with the destiny of the Saintess. That destiny was a storm that would engulf not only her, but everyone around her. I presume you have some idea of what that entails?”
Yes, I had some idea.
Arietta's close association with Alexios and me had resulted in us becoming the [Successor to the Mage King] and the [Fist King].
What were the odds that a small monastery would house so many individuals with such extraordinary talents?
“Only we could protect her from that storm.”
“How arrogant.”
“But also true.”
It was the Church that protected Arietta.
Considering the situation back then, she wasn't wrong.
But it didn't come without a price.
“What was Arietta’s life like all this time?”
She said Arietta was born with the destiny of the Saintess, but she didn't have to become one.
In the end, the Church approached Arietta for political reasons.
“I don't know everything, but just looking at those around her, it's clear Arietta suffered a great deal.”
Just the state of her protectors, the [Shield of Light], was evidence enough.
The sight of Olivia Blue agonizing and biting her lip spoke volumes.
Even the paladins, filled with devout faith, were worried about Arietta.
“Yes, I admit it. Hardship? She endured it. A great deal of it. Enough to be considered horrific from an ordinary person’s perspective.”
“And yet, you claim you protected her?”
“That level of hardship is nothing compared to the weight of destiny Arietta had to bear.”
Lucia Domine spoke as if it were a matter of course.
Having been a Saintess herself, she considered those hardships to be natural.
“I assure you, she grew up much safer than she would have with you.”
Lucia Domine was a very…yes, a very unpleasant person.
But she overlooked something.
“Since you’ve given your assurance, I’ll give mine as well.”
I wasn't exactly a pleasant person either.
“That’s not true.”
Becoming the [Successor to the Mage King] just because I was swept up in some grand destiny?
That was ridiculous.
There’s no way one could inherit the right to rule a nation for such a trivial reason.
The Saintess’s destiny was nothing more than a catalyst.
“However difficult, agonizing, and painful it may have been, Arietta would have been happier with us.”
Lucia Domine's actions weren't necessarily wrong.
Her actions stemmed from good intentions, while my words were just stubborn insistence.
But what could I do?
“I’m certain of it.”
That's the kind of person Oz was.
Even Lucia Domine's poker face couldn't withstand my confident declaration.
She stared at me with wide eyes and a trembling voice.
“You know nothing about a woman’s heart, yet you speak so eloquently.”
“…”
“I’ve heard that you’re surrounded by women…but judging by the way you speak, it’s obvious you’ve never been in a relationship.”
“…”
Wait, why bring that up now? That's a low blow.
Lucia Domine's words felt like they were tearing at my heart.
Eleanor had recently told me that I spoke carelessly, relying on my looks, and hearing the same thing from someone else was unbearable.
My only saving grace was Oz’s perfect plot armor, yet even that I couldn't utilize properly.
No, thinking about it, the original Oz was probably also clueless about romance. Would a mage who challenged God have time for such things?
“I haven’t been in a relationship because I chose not to. The path I must walk is arduous, so I haven’t had the luxury to concern myself with such things.”
“…”
Say something!
Don’t just stay silent!
“I had some expectations, seeing how mature you seemed, but judging by your behavior, you’re just a typical adolescent boy.”
“…Is that a problem?”
It was a humiliating assessment, but denying it would only lend credence to Lucia Domine’s words.
“It doesn’t matter. It might cause Arietta some heartache, but it’s not a bad thing.”
“Don’t presume to judge me.”
“Oh dear, didn't you know? Just as you are arrogant, I impose my own standards on others.”
Lucia Domine smiled and stood up.
“Oh, are you leaving?”
Tia, who had been burying her head in her desk, suddenly looked up with a gleam in her eyes.
Her hair swayed like a tail.
Wait, was that actually a tail? How was it moving?
“No, Lady Tiamat. Don’t we still have things to discuss?”
“I have nothing more to say.”
“Then you’ll have to listen to my complaints unilaterally.”
“Gah…”
With a smile, Lucia Domine turned and walked gracefully towards me.
Tia, who seemed to be inwardly hoping she would just leave, kept her eyes fixed on her, but Lucia Domine didn’t even glance at the door.
“You’ll continue living like this, won’t you?”
As if it were a customary ritual, Lucia Domine began to pray for me.
But as expected, her words were far from kind.
“Your life will be arduous, and you’ll struggle to be understood. Even if others try to understand you, your unique brand of frustrating behavior will prevent them from doing so.”
Just from the content of her prayer, it was clear she disliked me as much as I disliked her.
What a nasty personality.
“I cannot bless your future, but…”
“Can't you at least offer a blessing?”
Was this not a prayer? Was she just insulting me?
“I know your purpose.”
“…?”
“As a servant of God, I cannot bless a challenger of the divine.”
“What…”
The moment I looked at Lucia Domine after her cryptic words, our eyes met.
It was familiar. It had to be.
Her single eye was the same icy blue as the one I saw in the mirror every day.
[Contemplation]
Lucia Domine had the same eyes as me.
“It was a worthwhile meeting, Successor of the Mage King.”
“…Yes, Your Holiness.”
Were all Key Personalities monsters like this?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
She had been reading me just as I had been reading her.
Tia, who had been quietly observing the meeting between Lucia and Oz, cautiously spoke after Oz left.
“So?”
“He was an interesting person.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Tia lifted her head from her desk with an exasperated expression.
“What did you want to know?”
“Well, like if the secrets he’s hiding are dangerous or something?”
“If you were curious about that, you would have asked directly.”
“…”
Tia smiled and stood up, walking towards Lucia.
Her pupils dilated vertically as she looked into Lucia’s eye.
“Yes, it was a coincidence.”
She hadn’t even considered that Oz's eyes were the same as Lucia's until she confirmed it.
“I can’t help but be curious, you know? Someone with the same eyes as you.”
“Lady Tiamat, this is merely an individual characteristic.”
“But I only know two people with this characteristic. Only two in this vast world.”
Tia had never thought deeply about Lucia's eyes before.
It was because she was the Saintess, chosen by God. Having a unique characteristic or two wasn’t unusual.
But if there were more with the same characteristic, it would be hard to ignore.
Those eyes were just too unusual.
“Don't worry, Lady Tiamat. He'll be fine.”
“I’m asking what you saw in him.”
Lucia Domine sighed, meeting Tia’s serious gaze.
Tia's persistent questioning was a chronic problem.
In this state, she probably wouldn’t care about their respective positions.
“I did see a few things.”
Lucia Domine finally decided to tell Tia what she had seen.
Of course, not everything.
She only intended to reveal the key points, enough to satisfy Tia.
“He was a striver who had built himself upon countless failures.”
The [Successor of the Mage King] had overcome too many hardships to simply be called talented.
“Personally, I don't dislike such challengers.”
“Hmm…”
Tia looked displeased but then leaned back in her chair, changing the atmosphere.
“Well, then…it’s fine. Just…fine.”
“Heh.”
Lucia knew.
She and Tia had known each other for over 50 years.
She knew that Tia, more than anything, admired those who never gave up, even after repeated failures.
Tia would eventually erase her suspicions about Oz.
As a representative of the Church, Lucia couldn't bless Oz.
But ‘Lucia’s’ personal opinion was slightly different.
‘I can’t bless him, but…’
She could at least cheer for his arduous struggle.
‘Even though I don’t particularly like him.’
Because Arietta was like a daughter to her.
‘A child must eventually leave the nest.’
She decided to condone Oz’s arrogant challenge.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After the conversation with Pope Lucia Domine ended, I hurriedly left the room.
“Ha…!”
I made a mistake. I should have been suspicious when I couldn't see through her with [Contemplation] at first.
Just as I was trying to understand her, she was also trying to understand me.
Since Lucia Domine wasn't a playable character in the game, I hadn't considered what kind of power she might possess.
How much?
Just how much did she know about me?
Did she realize that I wasn't Oz?
“No…”
[Contemplation] was an eye that saw the essence of things.
And when I looked at Lucia Domine, I couldn't see much.
I couldn't see into her soul. That meant she couldn't either. It was possible that [Contemplation] was interfering with each other's power.
Moreover, her power and mine were fundamentally different.
My [Contemplation] displayed the rank and title of certain individuals, but it was hard to believe it would apply to Lucia Domine as well.
“Then…”
My hurried steps gradually slowed, and my confused mind regained its composure.
The transparent window in the hallway.
I checked my reflection with [Contemplation].
[SSR Successor of the Mage king]
Oz Quabadis
The first thing that caught my eye was the title and name that represented my identity.
[Mana Dominator Lv. 2]
[Spatial Barrier Lv. 1]
And information about the skills I possessed. I couldn’t see the skills others possessed when I observed them.
But that was because, unlike me, their powers weren't activated as skills.
There was no indication of the magic I had learned.
“Right…”
I was the only one who had skills in the first place.
My [Contemplation] was activated as a skill.
This wasn't a characteristic unique to [Contemplation], but rather a characteristic of Oz as an individual.
And below the skill descriptions, I saw a new information.
[Challenger of the Divine - Sealed]
Why hadn't I thought to check this before?
When the [Erosion Rate] reached 40%, I had gained a new ability.
Divine magic.
I had assumed there wouldn’t be an ultimate move, but the fight with Alexios corrected that misconception.
What mattered was how I perceived things.
Being confined to the limitations of a typical mage wasn't a good thing, and thanks to Alexios, albeit unintentionally, I had broken free from those limitations.
[Challenger of the Divine]
In the game, it was just a healing skill, but now I knew that its foundation was divine magic.
“I should go thank Alexios.”
I’d been meaning to talk to him anyway.
It wouldn't hurt to ask if I could borrow a place from him while I was at it.
I knew where Alexios’s dorm was from the start.
Thanks to [Contemplation], I could sense the presence of those at the SSR rank, even from a distance.
Moreover, I had always been careful to avoid Alexios.
It was only natural to avoid someone openly hostile, right?
“W-Why are you here…?”
Since I usually avoided this path, the students who noticed me were visibly wary.
Some even backed away as if they’d encountered a wild beast.
Well, I understood.
It was common knowledge that Alexios and I didn't get along.
Even I, with my lack of friends, had heard the rumors.
Since we never went near each other’s dorms, it must have seemed like an unspoken rule, and now I had broken it.
Anyone watching would think we fought every time we met.
“Hmm…”
Well, wasn't that also true?
During our first encounter, I blew up the testing grounds with [Petit Breath].
The second time, we might have started fighting if the [Shield of Light] hadn't intervened.
And the third time, I hit him with [Curse of Perpetual Snow], an ultimate magic that froze a section of the forest.
“Anyway, it’s all Alexios’s fault.”
I may have cast the spell, but it was Alexios who provoked me.
I wasn’t in the wrong.
“Where…”
Ignoring the reactions around me, I walked straight towards Alexios’s dorm.
When I reached the remote area, where few people ventured, I saw a familiar-looking dorm.
“As expected, this bastard is also isolated, just like me.”
Considering his usual behavior, it was only natural.
“Hmm, hmm.”
According to [Contemplation], Alexios was inside.
His mana was quite stable, so was he meditating?
But that wasn’t my concern.
“Alexios.”
I knocked lightly, but there was no response.
Was he pretending not to be there?
“I know you’re in there, so come out for a bit. Let’s talk.”
“Fuck off, asshole.”
After joining forces to defeat the [Death King], I thought we’d become somewhat closer, but that was a harsh way to speak.
Then I had no choice but to bring up a topic that would force him to come out.
“I have something to talk about regarding Lena.”
A moment later, the door opened, revealing Alexios with an irritated expression.
“…What is it?”
“Can I come in first?”
It would be even better if he could lend me a room.