Distinguishing Points from Fraud

The official notice had been posted right in front of the base. I peeled it off and muttered under my breath.

“……I did break quite a lot, huh.”

At the time, we’d been short on time, so I’d gone all out without thinking about the consequences… but it looked like restoring everything to its original state would take a while. Still, with the academy’s exclusive Architects on the job, three days was probably enough. Everyone’s going to be pulling all-nighters. I felt a twinge of guilt (sort of?) as I pulled out a single letter.

It had been placed alongside the notice—a neat, formal envelope. The message inside was short and to the point.

“……Yeah, that’s him alright.”

Seeing just that single line summarizing everything, it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠definitely a letter from Charles Teddybear himself. It seemed the academy instructors were focusing on repairs alongside the Architects. The evening before the first class meant two days from now.

“Two days should be enough to wrap things up.”

Whether things went smoothly or got spectacularly tangled, everything would be settled in two days. I’d already secured Lane’s cooperation and made what other preparations I could. I’d done my best. Now all that remained was—

“Fellow sinner.”

The Saint, Raphael Martina. All I had to do was clash with that fanatic.

*

'Saint, remember this.'

'In this world, the only saint chosen by God is you, Saint.'

'Keep it in your heart at all times.'

“……It’s not that it is that way, but that it must be that way, right?”

“Saint?”

“Just talking to myself. Let’s go.”

Leading the priests and nuns, the Saint walked with his pure white robes fluttering behind him, quickening his pace once more. Dozens of people moved at a single word from a boy who had yet to reach twenty. God’s representative. God’s executioner of judgment. A Saint who stood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠above even the Pope, yet had chosen to use that authority to purge heretics. He glanced around.

“It looks like it will take quite some time.”

“According to the notice, it will take three days.”

“Haha, over a hundred collapsed buildings and they say three days… that’s impressive.”

The academy, dotted with damaged structures, was bustling with activity. The maze from the entrance ceremony had been created by randomly relocating the remaining buildings within Romance Academy. That was information the church had provided in advance. The week given to students after the entrance exam served as preparation for academy life, but for Romance Academy itself, it was also the time needed to construct the maze.

“……It’s practically a ruin.”

“I heard you were not in that area, Saint.”

“I was on the exact opposite side, so it couldn’t be helped.”

The astonishing story of how they had smashed through the maze walls and escaped with fellow sinner Namgung Min at the center was spreading everywhere across the academy. Students who couldn’t believe it. Students calling it a lie. Students who had participated themselves and insisted it was true. Students talking about Namgung Min, the one at the center of it all. After the entrance ceremony, the academy was in an uproar both inside and out.

“Ah, there are the instructors as well.”

Academy instructors took command while other staff members moved accordingly, and the academy’s exclusive Architects were running around busily. One of the Architects caught the Saint’s eye. The man placed his hand against a half-collapsed building.

“Construct.”

It might have looked like pointless busywork—just touching a building—but—

Kugugugugu—

The moment the Architect finished speaking, the debris and fragments of the building floated into the air and gathered together. The broken pieces fused back into their original shapes, the fragments filling in the gaps and settling into place. As the building began to regain its original form as if time were reversing, the Saint turned to the priest standing behind him.

“How many exclusive Architects does Romance Academy have?”

“I believe there are ten.”

“Three days makes sense, then.”

The class of Architect was just as valuable as the Blacksmiths who created artifacts or the Explorers essential for gate exploration. Able to create or repair any desired structure with a mere touch, they were highly sought-after elite personnel even among the already rare class holders. Only an institution like Romance Academy could keep ten of them on permanent standby, which was how they could restore everything in just three days.

The Saint stared endlessly at the sight of the building returning to its former state, then turned his head as a priest came running toward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him.

“Ah, Priest Nikolai. Did you receive a reply?”

“Yes! However, Saint, it is not a very good answer.”

“……Let’s hear it first.”

Not a good answer. He hadn’t expected much from the start, but he had still sent someone just in case. Was it all for nothing? As the Saint fell into thought, the priest called Nikolai opened his mouth.

“‘The Saint’s words are an honor, but I am currently too busy with academy matters to meet.’ That is what he said.”

“……It seems meeting him will be difficult.”

Yesterday, the Saint had promised the fortune teller who shared the same punishment as him. He had said he would speak to Charles Teddybear himself. Of course, he couldn’t tell him the whole truth about Aileen or the church’s corruption.

'Still… I wanted to apologize.'

The Saint had not failed to diagnose Aileen. He had examined her, learned everything, and yet remained silent. Because that had been the path for Aileen Teddybear and Charles Teddybear.

'Even so, my actions were hypocritical. They can never be justified.'

To Aileen and Charles Teddybear, who had suffered all this time, the Saint’s silence had been nothing but hypocrisy. That was why he had wanted to apologize. He had planned to tell them that he had known the reason for Aileen’s suffering and had been searching for the answer ever since. But Charles Teddybear had deliberately avoided meeting the Saint.

“No matter how busy he is, he should still have time to meet the Saint.”

“I know Instructor Charles Teddybear is an excellent man, but this is an insult to the Saint.”

“We should send an official protest to the academy……”

“No, it’s fine. It was rude of me to visit so suddenly in the first place. Isn’t restoring the academy the top priority?”

“If that is what the Saint wishes……”

“As the Saint commands.”

'……Instructor Charles, you’re putting your faith in the fellow sinner.'

Just as the priests and nuns had said, no matter how busy he was, he couldn’t possibly lack even the time to meet the Saint. This was Charles Teddybear deliberately avoiding him. There were probably several reasons. The Saint had already failed to diagnose Aileen, and with even the Saint—who had been their greatest hope—failing, their trust in the church must have plummeted. Above all else—

Charles Teddybear now had hope. A hope named Namgung Min, who shared the same punishment as him.

'You’re thinking that even the few minutes it would take to meet me would be better spent on repairs, so you can receive a reading from Namgung Min even one day sooner.'

In a way, it was a foolish thought. It wasn’t like they would talk for an hour; how much faster could things get by using a few minutes for repairs? But Charles Teddybear was that stubborn and sincere a man, and the Saint knew it well. So he nodded in understanding.

“Let’s head back.”

““““Yes.”””””

All they had to do was wait three days. Of course, he would have to prevent the fellow sinner from meeting Aileen. But that wouldn’t be particularly difficult, so the Saint put thoughts of the fortune teller out of his mind.

“Priest Robert, please take the others and return to the church first.”

“Ah… is this the usual pilgrimage?”

“That’s right. It seems it will be a bit late again today, so don’t worry.”

“Understood.”

The pilgrimage was an excuse. A disguise. Nothing more than a lie he told every day to secretly visit Aileen and ease her suffering. When he told them he had received a papal decree to make the pilgrimage alone, everything went smoothly. Just in case, he also visited other houses to give blessings, so even if someone saw him going to the girl’s house, there would be no room for suspicion. After confirming that the most senior priest, Robert, was leaving with the others, the Saint began walking while murmuring.

“………We’re just using each other.”

Just as the Pope used the Saint, the Saint used the Pope. That was the promise they had made. But someday, that promise would surely be broken.

“God is perfect and loves all people……”

But the church is filthy and corrupt, loving only the rich.

“His Holiness the Pope is God’s faithful servant……”

Yet he is a ruler who stands above all people.

“Sinners must be judged……”

Yet the Saint who killed so many walks this path.

Humming the rest of the words like a song, the Saint eventually came to a stop. It was the Teddybear family home, a place he visited so often it had become familiar. And inside—someone was there.

“………….”

While focusing on the silhouette visible through the window, the Saint stroked the mace at his waist and approached the door. Just in case the fellow sinner was inside—

Creak.

“S-Saint?”

“——Ah, it’s Sister Luina.”

Should he call it fortunate? The Saint, who had not wanted to kill her even if it came to that, let out a sigh of relief at not having to break the fellow sinner’s limbs. The tall blonde nun who looked at him in surprise was a familiar face, so he stopped Luina as she tried to show proper respect and stood before her.

“Sister Luina, what brings you here?”

“Ah, Instructor Charles Teddybear requested a guardian from the academy… so the church sent me.”

“I see.”

Academy instructors usually lived with their families in this floating city, but if they had to stay out late, the academy would cooperate with the church to dispatch a guardian. Charles ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Teddybear was probably working on repairs until late at night and had requested one out of worry for Aileen. The Saint smiled at Luina.

“But Sister Luina, aren’t you usually not assigned to guardianship duty? You should be preparing dinner right about now……”

“W-well, Sister Jena, who is usually in charge, suddenly fell ill with stomach pain today. I happened to be free, so I volunteered.”

Sister Jena had a stomachache, huh.

“Oh dear. I’ll have to go see Sister Jena later. Thank you for your hard work, Sister Luina. Have you been taking care of Aileen until now?”

“Yes, I’ve been nursing her. By the way, Saint, how do you know this child’s name……?”

“I remember the names of all the children in the houses I visit on pilgrimage.”

Even though the false pilgrimage had begun because of Aileen, he never did it half-heartedly. As a Saint, his primary duty was to subjugate heretics, but caring for children was a natural obligation. He looked at Sister Luina, who was asking questions she normally wouldn’t.

“I will look after Instructor Charles’s daughter, so you may return first.”

“Pardon? No, how could the Saint possibly……”

“I am on pilgrimage. Today’s pilgrimage ended earlier than expected, so it worked out perfectly. Go inside and rest.”

“Ah………”

Sister Luina glanced sideways at Aileen lying on the bed for a moment. Then she looked at the Saint with a bright, joyful smile.

“Then I will leave her in your care.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all. It was something that needed to be done.”

Creak.

“………….”

After Sister Luina left, the Saint looked down at Aileen, who was sleeping soundly. ……Sweat soaking her entire body. Clothes clinging to her skin from the sweat. An empty water pitcher and cup. And a damp towel on her forehead that had grown lukewarm quite some time ago.

——‘Yes, I’ve been nursing her.’

“This is troubling.”

The Saint smiled. ……The mace in his hand glinted.