A Saintess Is Born
"Professor… is this real?"
Archbishop Mordian indicated Erina, who stood beside Linea, and asked the question with a comparatively gentle tone, as though he were being considerate.
Young lady…? That old geezer is doing this on purpose, isn't he.
"…Ah. My name is Erina Crossbell. But I'm not a noble…"
"Then might you perhaps be of the imperial family?"
"Y-yes?! W-what are you—!"
At Mordian's words, Erina went paper-white and vehemently denied it.
"Keh-keh-keh. Merely a jest. Seeing how startled you are, this old man may have taken the joke a little too far."
"Pardon? Ah, yes…."
…So he knows after all.
Well, of course he would. Unlike me, he still held the office of archbishop and remained active in the Order.
Erina's mother had been Elysia Crossbell—at the time both imperial princess and Saintess. In other words, the younger sister of the current emperor of the Silvahrt Empire.
How a woman who had lived such a radiant life had fallen in love with a commoner man and gone into seclusion… was another story entirely.
At any rate, the fact that he was joking around like this suggested he had no intention of airing the secret of Erina's birth right here and now.
"Enough with the jokes. Get to the point."
"Very well. I came all this way for no other reason than this—word reached me that someone who looks to be the makings of a new Saintess has appeared here at Belheim Academy, so I hurried over as fast as I could."
"Whaaat? A Saintess?!"
"A S-Saintess…?"
The weight of that title was not something one could ignore. Linea and Erina both gaped at Mordian, shocked for an entirely different reason than before.
"…Hmm. What exactly is going on?"
"Priest Bloomrein told me. While he was counseling a student, he happened to check her Holy Power—and found it so extraordinary that he asked me to come verify it myself. He said he suspects she may be a Saintess."
"Hrm…."
Lately Erina had mentioned that the efficacy of her healing rites had risen noticeably, so I had told her to go consult Bloomrein…
I never imagined she would come back labeled a suspected Saintess.
I glanced at Erina, who was listening beside me; cold sweat was practically rolling down her back.
"That's wonderful news…! A Saintess born from our academy! Whoever could she be…!"
Linea was already looking thrilled.
"But for now it is only suspicion. He said she harbors Holy Power that resembles a Saintess's… yet verification is still required."
A short while later, at their request, Erina drew Holy Power up from within her body. Archbishop Mordian examined it and gave his answer.
…The verification process is less involved than I expected.
Pure white Holy Power filled the air around Erina.
Not a faint, hazy glow, but a dense and dazzling radiance. Not the bluish light common priests produced, but a pure, unadulterated white.
When did it get this strong…? I'm certain it wasn't this intense even last week…
I had sensed something unusual when we went to repair Nariel's house, but I never imagined the power of a Saintess would awaken this suddenly.
Apparently deciding she had shown enough, Erina gradually reined the Holy Power back in. The brilliance around her soon subsided into stillness.
"Mm. Seeing the Holy Power with my own eyes only makes it more certain."
When even an archbishop spoke like that, denial was no longer an option.
"Huh? Huh? …Wait? Erina is… a Saint…ess? No—Saintess…?"
Linea, who had watched the entire process from the side, kept floating question marks above her head, clearly unable to process the situation.
"Ordinarily, the next step would be for her to visit the main cathedral where His Holiness the Pope resides. That would paint the cleanest picture…"
"And the academy?"
"Yes. There is that, and at present the main cathedral's internal circumstances make such a visit impractical."
The main cathedral…? Circumstances…?
Had something happened?
"Therefore, here in Belhart—the city that houses Belheim Academy—we shall hold a ceremony one week from today to celebrate the birth of a Saintess and conduct an investiture rite. How does that sound?"
"My opinion hardly matters. Do as Your Eminence sees fit."
In my heart I would have preferred not to thrust Erina before the public like that… but once she had been declared a Saintess, there was no hiding it forever.
"Keh-keh… Then I shall send a missive once the venue is decided."
"Please do."
"Ah. And Miss Erina Crossbell? No—Your Grace the Saintess will henceforth represent the face of the Order. From this moment on, even within the academy, I ask that you refrain from—no, that you simply do not engage in—any undignified conduct."
"Y-yes…."
"I trust you understand what I mean. As for guiding her in that regard—Sir Kyle, I may leave that to you, yes?"
"……"
Is this man insane?
He had been the one who did the most to brand me a womanizer and drive me out of the Order, and now he wanted to entrust the Saintess to me?
"In any case, I shall take my leave. Until we meet again."
And with that, Mordian departed.
"Professor… is this real?"
Once Archbishop Mordian had vanished from sight, Linea turned to me with eyes that refused to believe what they had seen.
"…Apparently so."
Honestly, I could hardly believe it myself.
…But what was I supposed to do about it?
Erina was the protagonist of the work that formed the foundation of this world, after all.
"Then…"
Looking thoroughly flustered, Linea turned her gaze toward Erina.
"…?"
Erina did not seem to grasp what that look meant. Placed in a similar position myself, however, I understood it perfectly.
"Right."
"Would calling her… Saintess… be the corr—"
But Linea, of course, was not ignorant of what the title of Saintess entailed. Her wits returned quickly, and she was about to correct herself when—
"Please don't…!"
"E-eh…?"
"Don't treat me like a stranger. Whether I become a Saintess or not, that doesn't mean I stop being me, does it…?"
"B-but……"
Linea hesitated. It was not an unreasonable reaction. Someone she had known had become a Saintess overnight, of all things. And given that Linea's career aspiration was to become a holy knight—
Holy knights existed to devote themselves to the Saintess, the very face of the Order, moving closer to her side than anyone else.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
Linea glanced sideways, gauging my reaction. I nodded, leaving the choice to her.
"I trust your judgment, Linea."
At my words she swallowed hard, then spoke as though she had made up her mind.
"…All right. But being close is only for private settings. When other people are watching, don't even dream of it. B-because I'm Linea, daughter of an imperial count. I can't bring shame on my house over something frivolous…."
"Mm…!"
That was enough for me.
After settling that particular matter, I spent lunch and was resting briefly in my private research office when—
"I never expected you'd bring Sol to the professor's office."
"You fussed over her so much that day—and you said leaving her at home would be too pitiful."
"Hee…."
For some reason Erina flushed red to the tips of her ears all by herself, clearly remembering that day.
"She's a well-behaved little thing anyway, so she won't cause any trouble. If something important comes up, we can just have her hop into her carrier for a bit."
"Myaaang."
"Sol says she hates that."
Lately, the amount of time Sol spent nestled in Erina's arms seemed to be increasing by the day.
"Professor."
"Hm?"
"Today… is there nothing?"
"…Hm? What do you mean?"
"No, I mean… why…"
Why was she hesitating like that?
Erina sat on the sofa set up in one corner of the office, gently stroking Sol's back. Even as she looked down at the purring creature, she kept glancing at me for cues.
"The usual thing we do… that…"
"That……?"
When I kept looking blank, she must have grown impatient; Erina came right up to where I sat and whispered softly into my ear.
"…Sex."
…What!
"Ahem."
I shot up from my seat and fled the room—no, I bolted straight out of the research office entirely.
"Professor—!"
I had no classes scheduled for the afternoon. I did, however, have a promise to keep from the last time I had climbed the mountain behind Nariel's place—with the berserker girl, Leard.
"Ah, right."
Leaving the faculty offices, I made my way to the place we had agreed on while coming down the mountain. When I reached Training Ground No. 8, Leard was already waiting—long, roughly untamed cherry-red hair the color of raw rubies tumbling down her back.
According to Kyle's memories, Elier Leard was the disciple of Garik Ironheart, a known Swordmaster. His one and only disciple in an old age already well advanced…
And yet, for reasons unknown, she had enrolled at Belheim Academy without revealing that status.
As for how I knew about it—there was nothing particularly mysterious. During the five-year continental war against the Five-Nation Alliance, Garik Ironheart had fought alongside both the Empire and the Order.
The problem was that old man's personality…
No—he had latched onto Kyle in particular with an almost excessive, chummy familiarity that left things more than a little awkward.
I had picked up the talk about Leard back then as well. He had said he planned to retire once the war ended, and that if I ever ran into her somewhere I should look after her.
I never imagined I would meet her again at the academy like this.
Honestly, this year's incoming class was something else.
"Hihit. You really came to keep your promise."
She grinned, sharp shark-like teeth flashing above and below, and the look was surprisingly cute.
"Promises are meant to be kept."
"They are?"
What do you mean, 'they are'… this kid, really.
"Of course."
A little later—
"So… Leard? In order to draw Holy Power out from inside your body, you have to—ugh. Forget it. Let's take a break."
About an hour had passed. Finding no conclusion in sight, I sat myself down on a convenient nearby perch for a short rest—
when Leard came over and spoke up in front of me.
"What you're saying, Professor, is that I have to believe the great god Aeltir actually exists, right?"
"That's right."
"But gods aren't even visible. How am I supposed to believe in one? How do I know it exists?"
"……."
Of course it sounded absurd. Even measured against the reality I originally came from, it was not exactly wrong.
But this was a fantasy world—no, a romance-fantasy world. Gods existed here.
There were Saintesses, a Pope, and countless priests who borrowed divine power to work miracles left and right.
And yet even in a world like this, people who did not believe in the gods still existed.
Or… wait. Does that mean everyone in the world is supposed to be a believer?
"I'm not asking you to join the Order and put your name on their rolls."
"Suuure—?"
"Simply believing that a god exists. That alone is the first step toward using Holy Power."
If belief alone let everyone wield Holy Power, the world would have collapsed ages ago. Still—it would make the training that came afterward a little easier.
"The first step…? Got it! Wait right there! I'm gonna believe in the god right this second!"
"What…?"
This kid talks like she's playing a game.
"Nnnngh…! Nngh…!"
"Uh…?"
"God…! I believe in you…! So…! Lend me your power so I can control my Berserk──!"
What.
The first step was always faith.
And yet—
still infinitely faint, a dim cluster of light began to leak from around Leard's body, filling the air about her.
"Whoa! Professor, what is this? There's pretty sparkling powder all over me!"