Descent of the Celestial Zenith
"The Celestial Zenith Star..."
Seraphina murmured the name of the newly risen star, her voice trembling. "The center of the celestial sphere."
"The unmoving star distilled from all ten thousand stars."
"The constellation of the heavenly sovereign who governs the passage of the zodiac..."
One by one, the inquisitors around her sank to their knees.
"But the Celestial Zenith is not a star that can be attuned to, is it not?"
"It is a constellation recorded only in scripture."
"No one has ever reached it in all of history. It may well be an error."
A few of the inquisitors voiced their objections, but a single gesture from Seraphina silenced them.
Whatever it was, something that should never have come out of me apparently had.
"Seems like an error to me. Maybe the crystal orb is broken or something?" I ventured carefully.
Every gaze in the chamber turned to me.
"Impossible. The resonance crystal of the Holy Interrogation Hall has stood with the Holy Radiance Church throughout its history. In all those long years it has never once malfunctioned—it cannot be an error. Furthermore, there are no signs of error whatsoever. None!"
Seraphina answered without a moment's hesitation, then pressed on. "The Holy Radiance resonance is hereby concluded. The Celestial Zenith is the throne of our Lord and the heart of all stars. Never before in the history of the Holy Radiance Church has a being attuned to it appeared."
She stepped toward me and knelt.
"From this moment, we Holy Radiance inquisitors shall believe without a shadow of doubt that you, Lady Nirvana, are the avatar of the Celestial Zenith Spirit."
I looked around. Every inquisitor was on their knees. Even the holy knights guarding the entrance of the Holy Interrogation Hall.
The rest of the procedure went smoothly as well.
So it all worked out... somehow? At the very least, I hadn't been branded a heretic.
I took Alicia's hand and walked out of the Holy Interrogation Hall. From outside came a flood of footsteps.
"The Celestial Zenith has manifested!"
"The star of our Lord has risen!"
"Light from the Celestial Zenith surged from the Holy Interrogation Hall!"
"We must inform Her Holiness at once!"
"The All Saints Palace shall be opened!"
The rumor had already spread—priests, holy knights, and ordinary citizens were pouring in from every corner of the Holy Capital, and the plaza before the hall was packed solid with people.
The moment they saw me emerge, every head turned in unison.
"There!"
"The Celestial Zenith Spirit comes forth!"
"Ooooh...!"
So much for living quietly. I'd had Plans A through Y lined up for surviving this world as a behind-the-scenes mastermind, and every last one of them had collapsed from the very start.
Which meant I had no choice but to scrap them all and move on to the unscheduled Plan Z.
Plan Z. I would—I would stand in the heavens!
In front of the enormous crowd, I lit up my halo. A gentle sun rose behind my head, and a cascade of light spilled down through my black hair. The murmuring and shouting stopped as if a switch had been flipped. Priests, holy knights, even the civilians who'd rushed to the hall—everyone held their breath and stared at me.
Hwaaak—
The halo flared brilliantly, once. The effect of the radiant aura was twofold: calm and reverence for those of good alignment, overwhelming pressure for those of evil. And the difference showed itself plainly in the crowd's reactions.
"Ooh... 'tis not merely beautiful in form alone."
"Aaah..."
"How can anyone be so holy...?"
While some were moved to genuine tears, others went deathly pale and collapsed where they stood.
Evil was having a bumper harvest. Well, of course it was. What else would you expect from a church whose bishops carried around a Chalice of Corruption?
Actually, this worked out fine.
Plan Z, step one: seize control of the Holy Radiance Church.
For that, the halo alone wouldn't be enough. I needed to show them an even greater miracle.
"The Celestial Zenith looks down upon us!"
As soon as someone shouted it, the entire plaza fell to its knees. The wave of worship spreading outward was honestly quite a spectacle.
Right up until I got here, all I'd wanted was to avoid this at any cost—but strangely, once thousands of people were bowing their heads to me, I felt oddly at peace.
I stepped forward alone. Alicia followed behind me, hands folded neatly before her.
My feet stopped in front of a priest with [Alignment: Evil] hovering above his head.
The priest flinched and trembled.
Plan Z, step two: purify the Holy Radiance Church. In the original story, it was the Church that devolved into a circus of corruption. I wasn't going to leave it that way. There was no place for evil in my Holy Radiance Church.
"You there."
I lifted my chin slightly and addressed the priest in a lofty, imperious tone. Golden light from my halo poured down over him.
"H-hiiik!"
The priest dropped flat against the ground.
"You have sins to confess, don't you?"
At my question, the shivering priest clutched his head and wailed. "I—I confess! I took gold coins in exchange for handing people over to Bishop Casimir!"
The crowd rippled with shock.
I moved on, stopping before a holy knight marked with evil.
"I confess!" Before I'd even asked anything, the knight frantically dropped his weapon. "I—I was only following orders!"
"Me too!"
"I'm sorry!"
Confessions burst out one after another. The Holy Radiance inquisitors exchanged bewildered looks, then gave a slight nod. The silver-masked inquisitors moved swiftly, restraining everyone who had confessed. And I flushed out even the ones shamelessly trying to hide, dragging every last one into the open.
In the Holy Interrogation Hall, the heart of the inquisition itself—and before Saint Alicia, the strongest of the Holy Radiance Church—no fool would dare resist. Not a single person with evil hovering above their head remained. The plaza was perfectly purified.
Seeing the plaza so clean left my heart feeling refreshed too. This is why you have to clean your room diligently.
Pat, pat.
A palm suddenly settled on my head. "Oh, forgive me—my hand moved on its own." Alicia snatched her hand away, her face flushing red.
"When are we going to the All Saints Palace?" I asked her.
"It's scheduled for tomorrow."
"I see."
Tomorrow, huh. So today's schedule was free. Seizing the Church and purging its corruption weren't things that could be finished in a single day anyway—but the great enterprise had taken its first great stride. Which meant the very next thing I needed to do was—
"Saintess, about that dessert shop."
Replenish my sweets. Supply lines matter in any war.
"Yes?" Alicia blinked.
"Can we go now?" Burning through my mental energy had left me craving sugar like a madwoman. A strawberry parfait buried under fresh whipped cream. Serve it to me immediately. That's what I wanted to say.
"Of course. I've already had the shop close for the day."
"You closed the whole shop?"
"An angel must not be troubled by crowds. Besides, I think it was a wise decision." Fair enough. I had become the Holy Capital's superstar overnight. If I walked into a crowded place right now, I wouldn't even get a proper bite.
"Director Seraphina, please handle the transport of the sinners exposed by the angel's radiance, along with the cleanup."
Alicia wrapped an arm around my waist, pulled me snugly against her side, and looked down at Seraphina, who was still kneeling, lost in rapture.
"It would be my honor, Saintess. All praise to the Celestial Zenith Spirit!"
Seraphina cried out solemnly, as though she'd been entrusted with the mission of a lifetime.
When we set out, the crowd of thousands parted like the sea. "Messenger of the Celestial Zenith!"
"Celestial Zenith Spirit!"
"Praise!"
"Praise!"
Holy knights raised their greatswords to the sky and cheered; priests wept as they cleared the road. Before I knew it, the faithful had brought flower petals and scattered them at my feet. Bathed in fervent adoration, we climbed into the Saintess's private carriage waiting at the edge of the plaza.
Thud—the door closed, cutting off the roar of the crowd, and the carriage glided smoothly into motion.
"My eyes were never wrong about you."
Alicia's gaze sparkled with rapture. Somewhat terrifyingly so.
The streets of Astrum were far more dazzling than anything I'd seen in the game. Pristine white marble paved the ground, and street lamps shaped like stars and moons lined both sides of the road. The closer we drew to the commercial district, the stronger the sweet smell became.
Before long, the carriage stopped before a building of pale pink brick, its sign shaped like a whale swimming through the Milky Way hanging above the entrance.
The Star Whale Patisserie. Glimpsed through the windows were magnificent cakes in every color.
"It was founded by a former head pastry chef of the Papal Palace. Its flavor is the finest under heaven—worthy of being called the best in the Empire."
Alicia puffed out her chest with a smile. When we stepped down from the carriage, the owner and the staff came out to greet us with deep bows, apparently having been given advance notice.
"Saintess, and Lady of the Celestial Zenith—we are honored by your presence. We have emptied the entire shop for the two of you today. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest!"
How fast did rumors travel in this world, anyway? Even a patisserie owner already knew who I was.
Escorted inside by the owner, the shop was filled with the scent of sweet butter and bright citrus fruit. My mouth watered on its own.
The moment we settled into the most comfortable seats on the second floor, desserts began arriving at the table. And chief among them, the one that seized my gaze, was—of course—the strawberry parfait. Fresh whipped cream, strawberries, and vanilla ice cream layered in a tall glass.
"Wow..."
The exclamation escaped me the instant I saw it.
"Hehe, I take it you like it. Now, say 'ahh'."
Alicia picked up a fork, carefully scooped up some cream and a strawberry from atop the parfait, and brought it to my lips. I opened my mouth with practiced ease. The moment the tart strawberry and the cloud-soft, rich cream touched my tongue, a sweetness that short-circuited my brain spread through my entire body.
Before I'd possessed this body, I wouldn't have given anything this sweet a second glance. It almost felt unfair, discovering this taste so late in life. When I unconsciously smacked my lips and narrowed my eyes, a smile bloomed across Alicia's face—one of deep, deep satisfaction.
"Is it good?"
"Yes. Incredibly."
"I'm glad. Your joy is my joy, my angel."
Alicia's fork moved again. This time she loaded it generously—strawberry, vanilla ice cream, and a hefty dollop of whipped cream on top.
"Here."
Nom.
The cold ice cream melted across my tongue. This parfait was no second-rate dessert to be dismissed in favor of shaved ice. At least in this world, it was—truly—perfection itself. I felt like applauding like a seal.
Then came cakes and puddings of every conceivable kind. Macarons, dacquoise, tarts, and more. We ate so many desserts it was a mystery how they all fit into this tiny body. Had giving up lust supercharged my appetite instead? I seriously wondered—no matter how much I ate, I never felt sick of it.
Only after packing myself to the absolute brim with sugar, until nothing more could possibly fit, did my reason return—and a revelation struck my mind like lightning.
I had fallen in love with the desserts of this world!
I added one final goal to the plan.
Plan Z: Seize control of the Holy Radiance Church. Purify the Holy Radiance Church. . . Conquer every dessert this world has to offer.
At last. The final piece of the perfect plan had clicked into place.
