Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Holy Kingdom (3)
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"…Hmm."
Lua tilted her head. Her radiant silver hair cascaded to the side.
"Why did I get caught?"
She wore an expression brimming with genuine puzzlement, as if she truly had no idea. Of course, from Yujin's perspective, it had been obvious at a glance, but she was oblivious to that.
'At least that means no one else has ever noticed.'
After all, he'd never heard tales of the Pope of the Church that served the Sun Goddess Solar being blind.
A blind Pope? That was a phrase that had never once appeared in the continent's history books. Perhaps he was the first person to even conceive of such a notion.
"Does that mean you've truly lost your sight?"
"Yes."
Lua admitted it with startling frankness, almost as if she'd been openly blind from the start.
Honestly, it didn't make sense. Why had there never been any rumors of a blind Pope? Had she become blind along the way, or had she been that way since birth?
"…I see."
Lua asked with a blank expression.
"How did you notice? I've never been found out before, not even once."
"Your gaze on me is subtly misaligned."
"Misaligned?"
"Yes."
For instance, when people face each other, they usually look directly into each other's eyes. But with Lua, it was different. At first, her eyes seemed to stare into empty space before belatedly shifting to his eyes.
Even then, there was a sense that her gaze lacked focus, and the two eyes were slightly off from each other.
It wasn't just awkwardness from avoiding eye contact—the Pope wasn't the type for that. Having served as Pope for over two hundred years, she must have met countless people, whether she liked it or not. By that point, even an introvert wouldn't struggle with eye contact.
Besides, in official settings, even minor slips could spark diplomatic incidents, so Popes always strived for perfection.
"I thought it was perfect."
"Well, perhaps it's because I'm a Sword Master. Your Holiness, I sensed it instinctively."
"What keen senses. Do all Masters become that sensitive, or do you have to be that sensitive to reach Master level?"
Lua chuckled lightly as she spoke.
"Hmm. To answer Your Holiness… if I had to pick, it's the latter. That's how I noticed your eyes were slightly misaligned, each looking in a slightly different direction."
Honestly, it was impressive how she'd managed it.
Whether she'd been born blind or lost her sight later, controlling eye movements without vision was no easy feat. Yet she could mimic a sighted person's gaze so convincingly.
Lua picked up on his admiration and approached Yujin, placing a hand on his cheek.
"…?"
Yujin blinked in confusion at the sudden contact. It wasn't unpleasant, just unexpected.
Do women in this world casually touch near-strangers like this as a passive skill?
'…No way.'
Ignoring his thoughts, Lua fixed her unseen gaze on him.
"How about now? Still misaligned?"
"…Not now. It looks exactly like someone who can see. Perfect."
"Good."
Lua felt the warmth rising from his skin through her fingertips before pulling away.
"It's my first time touching a man's skin, but it's no different from a woman's. So soft."
"…Is that so."
Yujin fell silent at her absurd remark. Soon, he met her unfocused eyes and asked,
"Why did you lose your sight?"
"That's a secret."
"…?"
"There are various complicated circumstances, but 'you as you are now' aren't ready to know them."
…
"Does His Majesty the Emperor of our Empire know?"
"No. You're the only mortal in this world who knows my eyes don't see."
"Mortal?"
"I'm speaking of you, Marquis Banus."
"That mortal?"
"Of course."
It was ridiculous.
"Well, since it's out… a hint should be fine."
Undeterred, she walked toward the sunlit window and spoke as if determined to say her piece.
"You may not realize it, O Righteous One, but this world is currently under grave threat."
Madmen scheming to summon the demonic realm to the human continent at any moment. Humanity inching toward 'purification' due to the seven deadly sins piling up to their limits.
Even the Holy Kingdom, which should be the purest, was rotting from the head down.
"That's the only hint I can give for now. You'll have to figure out the rest yourself, O Righteous One."
"What if I choose not to?"
"You can ignore it."
What else could happen but a slow decline—
"…Even when I tried to change things, it proved impossible in my current state. Well… this is the predetermined flow and fate, so no need to worry."
What was that supposed to—
"It's merely a faint hope for you, O Righteous One, whose soul hails from beyond this world."
"?!"
Yujin was stunned by her words. Did this Pope know he was a reincarnator with memories from Earth?
But he couldn't voice it. And Lua showed no sign of elaborating further.
With that, she dismissed him.
Just before leaving, Yujin asked one last thing.
"…By the way, why did you 'peer in' back at the cathedral?"
"…"
She averted her unseen eyes and pretended not to hear.
…
Don't try to gloss over the tough spots with silence.
About a week had passed since arriving in the Holy Kingdom.
In that time, verification confirmed Sena was indeed the true Saintess.
This allowed the Empire to wield significant influence over the Holy Kingdom, thanks to the Saintess of this era being an imperial citizen. The Holy Kingdom, meanwhile, rejoiced at this fresh proof of their faith.
Amid the joy, Sena's Saintess consecration proceeded at lightning speed.
The Saintess Has Finally Emerged! What Powers Does This Era's Saintess Possess?
Is the Empire Truly Destined to Become History's Greatest Nation? An Imperial Saintess Emerges
The Tipped Scales of Power
But if there was good news, bad news had to follow, right?
Sudden Outbreak of Deaths. Cause Unknown
The Holy Kingdom, Once Filled with Cheers, Grows Quiet Again. Plague or Curse?
As if someone had balanced the scales, bizarre deaths began occurring across the Holy Kingdom.
Victims' eyes turned red, their bodies blackened and rotted, leading to death.
As cases popped up here and there—even in the holy capital, the seat of the faith—people named the phenomenon.
The "Demon's Curse."
"…Demon's Curse, huh."
Yujin rolled the words around in his mouth a few times. He'd never heard of such a curse before.
Not even in the original story… wait.
'Come to think of it, I don't actually know the original story.'
Hmm…
What could it be?
Pandemonium's handiwork? But he'd heard even priests and mages were seeing this for the first time.
Deciding investigating firsthand would be faster, he stood and headed out. Sena, who'd been quietly sitting opposite, reacted.
"…Yujin? Where are you going?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Wh-what?"
Ignoring her, he tucked a few holy water vials into his robes and stepped outside. Results would take time anyway.
Besides, Lua's words nagged at him.
'This world is under grave threat,' was it?
This might be part of it.
As he emerged onto the streets, Sena followed.
"Why are you tagging along?"
He had no idea she'd excused herself by saying it was fine since she was with Yujin.
"…Y-your expression looked bad. I don't know the details, but I wanted to help you somehow…"
"Tch."
She wants to help, does she…
"I-I'm the Saintess, right? I'm still unskilled with holy power, but I might be useful in an emergency."
Sena gazed up at him anxiously, fearing rejection.
…
He swallowed the discomfort rising in his chest.
Normally, he'd brush her off, but this was an emergency of sorts—public interest trumped personal feelings.
'Haa…'
No matter how much he disliked it, she was the Saintess.
Saintesses weren't called that for nothing; she'd be helpful. Her holy power could come in handy if things went south.
Even as a novice freshly awakened, Sena's holy power outstripped most cardinals in quantity and potency.
'…Haa.'
With his tacit approval, their uneasy companionship began.
Wearing robes to hide their identities as they walked the streets, Sena curiously looked around.
'…The streets here are different from the Empire's.'
Where the Empire buzzed with energy, the Holy Kingdom felt serene and quiet. The predominantly white buildings lent a sacred air.
As they quietly strolled into what looked like a slum,
"…?"
He sensed Demonic Energy in one corner. Approaching, he found several gruesome corpses and people examining them.
Reddened eyes, bodies blackening with rot.
"…So this is the Demon's Curse."
Some parts of the corpses still held a faint vitality.
'Died recently…'
"…!!"
Sena, arriving late, covered her mouth in horror. Her eyes shook violently at the horrific sight she'd never witnessed before.
And then,
"B-big brother…!"
A little girl dashed into the midst of the corpses.