Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Pushing and Pulling to Get What You Want (10)
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"That's something I'll handle myself. There's nothing you can do about it anyway, right?"
"……."
"Just stay quiet like you always do. Don't piss off His Majesty and get yourself beaten for no reason."
Rachel froze in disbelief before speaking in a sullen tone.
"But why have you been talking down to me like that since earlier?"
"Should I use polite speech to show respect then, Granny?"
"……Just keep using informal speech."
"Haha."
My low chuckle faded into the air, mingling with Rachel's grumbling.
"That mouth of yours…… Don't go blabbing carelessly anywhere else. You'd make a perfect target for a knife."
"Ah, don't worry about that. I prefer carrying knives to getting stabbed by them."
"You little brat, you never shut up, do you? Anyway, fine."
Rachel snorted loudly once, then went back to reading her holy book.
"……and led us. Not fearing the future to come……."
Gradually, the people around began to wake up.
Princess Violet, who had been dozing with her holy book in hand; Elice, disguised as a handmaiden and lost in sleep; and even the knights who had fallen asleep standing.
"……."
They noticed nothing. Unaware that they had even fallen asleep, they focused once more on the saintess's chanting.
I glanced at them sidelong and let a smile curl my lips.
'This is fun.'
My conversation with Saint Rachel had been quite intriguing. My prepared threat had landed well, too.
'Now, let's see what she does next.'
I was looking forward to seeing how Rachel would bestow her blessing. I was also curious about Elice's reaction, since she had followed along oblivious to everything.
Rachel proceeded through the mass dutifully for a while.
"May all this bring praise and glory to the Lord's name……."
Princess Violet struggled desperately to fight off the onslaught of drowsiness and boredom.
Elice simply stood silently, while the knights showed no reaction to the familiar proceedings.
Then, as the mass reached its closing rite,
"……Hold on."
Rachel suddenly raised one hand, halting the rite.
"……?"
Princess Violet blinked her hazy eyes. She was already half-lost in the world of sleep.
"What is it?"
Rachel didn't answer the princess's question right away. Instead, she took a step forward from the podium.
"……I feel it."
"Feel what?"
"The Lord…… The Lord wishes to speak."
"The Lord does?"
Princess Violet shot up from her seat, her sleepiness completely gone. Rachel approached her step by step.
"Ah…… I hear it. His voice, filled with joy."
"???"
Princess Violet stared at Rachel in bewilderment. Rachel stood before her and slowly raised both arms.
"My child has returned to my embrace."
It was a majestic voice, as if relaying the words of God himself. Somehow, her voice overlapped into multiples, and for a moment, even I almost fell for it.
"Come to me, my child."
The moment Rachel finished speaking, a burst of white light exploded from her entire body.
"This is……!"
Even the usually apathetic Princess Violet froze in shock.
"Ah……."
Rachel wrapped her arms around herself, trembling in ecstasy. Her face shone radiantly as she addressed Princess Violet.
"The Lord has spoken. He says my child has finally returned, and He cannot contain His joy."
"……Ah, i-is that so?"
Princess Violet could only blink her wide-open eyes.
'The Lord welcomes me that much?'
Her dumbfounded expression said as much.
"Thus, He commands me to bestow blessings upon all who have gathered here."
"Blessings?"
"Yes. Upon everyone present today."
Rachel reached out toward Princess Violet's cheek.
"-!"
Princess Violet flinched reflexively, but soon her face went slack as the white light enveloped her.
"Ah……."
I wondered what it felt like.
Primal life force. The endless vitality that perfectly healed any wound or illness.
"……."
Surprisingly, Requiem remained quiet. It seemed Rachel was controlling Serenade's power.
Princess Violet stood dazed until Rachel withdrew her hand. There were no visible changes to her appearance.
Rachel then moved to the handmaiden beside her—Elice.
"Ah, m-me too?"
Elice spoke in a rare, awkward voice, visibly flustered.
"Don't be afraid. The Lord's grace is like sunlight, showered equally upon all."
I had to hold back a snort upon hearing that.
'She says that without even wetting her lips.'
Who was it that just talked about strict selection criteria under the bishop's standards?
Those strict criteria were probably based on donations to the temple.
'Sunlight's the same.'
It easily filters through the glass windows of the rich's tall buildings but doesn't reach the shadowy, damp basements of the lower classes.
In a way, Rachel's words were poking at reality.
"Ah……."
As Rachel's hand touched her nape, Elice shrank her shoulders.
"Don't be afraid."
Rachel whispered kindly, then began releasing Serenade's power.
Thud.
Requiem jolted once violently. But the Guardian's Power firmly suppressed it.
I felt Rachel glance at me sidelong.
'So, she was testing me.'
What a woman who never lets her guard down.
Seeing no reaction from me, Rachel focused fully on Elice.
Fwaaa—
The white light no longer intensified and seeped into Elice's body.
"Ah, ah……."
The wrinkles on Elice's neck smoothed out tautly, and the age spots on her face vanished.
Her graying hair regained its original luster—a brilliant gold so dazzling it hurt the eyes.
"……Hoo."
Even Princess Violet let out a gasp of surprise. It was her first time witnessing the saintess's blessing in action, something she'd only heard about.
When I first brought Elice with me.
Princess Violet had been puzzled but accepted her as a handmaiden for just that day.
'She must have wondered why I'd bring an old woman like this.'
My relationship with Elice had to be kept strictly secret. That's why I'd brought her in disguised as the princess's handmaiden.
It was unavoidable to evade the suspicious eyes of someone like Emperor Theodore.
"Mm…… Ahh……."
Elice covered her mouth, swallowing her sobs. Her pale blue eyes welled up, darkening like the sea.
"Th-thank…… you. Thank you……."
Tears poured from Elice's eyes in drops.
Rachel's face remained impassive as she watched. She had likely grown numb to the awe from those who experienced Serenade's power.
"The Lord always watches over everyone."
With that simple reply, she turned away from Elice. Then she strode toward me.
"……."
The knights seemed somewhat flustered by Rachel's unusual actions but had no excuse to intervene and stayed put.
"You……."
Rachel stood before me, acting as if we were meeting for the first time.
"……Abel Ovest Kindriel. Descendant of the Blue Wolf, I see."
"That's right."
She had bestowed her blessing on Elice readily enough, but before me, Rachel hesitated.
"I haven't heard prayers rising from the Kindriel Family in quite some time."
It was a prim, indirect jab questioning whether my faith in God was lacking—a clear retaliation for earlier.
Oh? Taking the chance to strike back?
"What protects my life isn't prayers to God, but a single sword."
I bared my teeth in a grin at Rachel.
"It seems my prayers were insufficient. Every time I grip my sword, I cry out God's name at the top of my lungs."
At my lowered tone, Rachel cleared her throat awkwardly.
"……Be grateful for the Lord's mercy. He is fair to all."
As she reached out to me, I stepped back.
"With words like that, this great gift feels too much for me. After all, this is my first time here."
Rachel froze mid-motion, and Princess Violet hurried over to my side.
"Hey, are you insane?"
She grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear.
"Do you know how hard it is to receive the saintess's blessing? Just say thank you and take it."
"No, she just criticized me for not attending mass before."
I shot back curtly at Princess Violet—loud enough for Rachel to hear clearly.
"I'm here for the first time today, just like you, Your Highness. Why pick on me alone?"
"You and I are the same? A mere noble and a princess?"
Princess Violet sighed in exasperation and shoved my back.
"Just shut up and stand quietly."
I didn't hide my sullen expression as I looked at Rachel. She gazed at me for a moment before extending her hand again.
Of course, this was all an act—a smokescreen to conceal my relationship with the saintess. An unbeliever and a saintess? Perfect for dispelling suspicion.
Fwa!
White light burst from Rachel's hand. A refreshing sensation spread from where it touched my skin.
'Hoo.'
Requiem seemed somewhat flustered. Even without sinking its fangs into living flesh, life force was flowing in.
'Hoo, this flavor…….'
As expected of Serenade.
True to its nature as a sword brimming with infinite life force, the vitality it held was purely unadulterated.
Clear, transparent, and cool.
Was this how it felt to stumble upon an oasis after wandering the desert for ages?
'It's similar to a human's, yet different.'
If human life force was vibrant even with impurities, Serenade's lacked impurities but also that liveliness.
It was merely like a never-drying spring stagnated for eons.
I could see why vampires preferred sucking blood straight from human necks. Freshly drawn human life force had an irreplaceable primal taste.
Regardless of my assessment, Serenade's life force had a profoundly real effect.
Sluurp—
Requiem smacked its lips a few times before going still.
This was the opposite of its previous reactions, where absorbing human life force only made it rampage more wildly.
In other words, Serenade's power could subdue Requiem.
A force that moistened parched earth and filled fathomless voids—without needing to take another life.
'If only I had the saintess…….'
I wouldn't be swayed by the urge to kill while wielding Requiem anymore. I could simply replenish its life force whenever needed.
An unattainable greed stirred within me before fading.
'……Not yet.'
Stealing Rachel now would be a blunder. I had no idea what a furious Emperor Theodore might do.
A disaster even the emperor couldn't easily contain. Only then could I pry the saintess from his grasp.
"……."
Rachel withdrew her hand and stepped away. She was probably clicking her tongue right now, feeling no matter how much she poured, it wouldn't fill.
"Use today's events as a reminder not to neglect your faith in God."
"……Yes, Saintess."
Rachel turned sharply and returned to the podium. Standing there, she surveyed us all and spoke.
"Lost lambs have returned to God's embrace, reminding us that His care for us endures."
Despite the girl's youthful voice, it compelled listeners to bow their heads.
"Today's mass is concluded."
With that, Rachel clasped her hands together.
"Dio Benedica."
Princess Violet, who had been standing dazed, hurriedly clasped her hands.
"Dio Benedica."
Elice, who had been holding back her tears, clasped her hands.
"Dio Benedica."
I, too, reluctantly clasped my hands.
"Dio Benedica."
My gaze was fixed on Rachel. Her emerald eyes, shining fiercely beneath her veil, stared back at me.