Descent
Cecilia, summoned out of nowhere without any explanation, pouted the moment she saw me.
"What is it all of a sudden? Things were just getting fun..."
"Huh? You were doing something?"
"I was playing cards."
"By yourself?"
"Why on earth would I play by myself?! Obviously with Vivian and Leona! You already know that!"
"...Sounds like you got pretty close with them."
"Of course! We're practically best friends already, you know?"
Watching her beam with pride, puffing out her chest, stirred up a sudden impulse to be petty.
"Oho. I wonder if Vivian and Leona see it the same way."
"W-What?"
"Vivian might look sweet, but she's still the daughter of a ducal house. Naturally, she's been thoroughly schooled in social maneuvering and court politics. Don't you think she's just playing nice because you're the Saintess?"
"T-That can't be! There's no way Vivian's innocent smile is an act?!"
"Leona is a commoner, but like Rebecca, she knows her place and draws a sharp line between business and personal feelings. Building connections with the Saintess will be an enormous asset in the future, so she's probably just playing along to humor you..."
"That isn't true! Leona isn't that calculating!"
Seeing her genuinely flustered and scrambling made my wicked mind spin all the faster.
"Who knows? It hasn't even been a few days since you met them, right? Can you really say for certain that you know what's in their hearts..."
"Lord Aljen. That is quite enough."
"Lord Aljen... You're going to make her cry."
"...Uh. Did I push it too far?"
Tears had already begun welling up in clusters within Cecilia's large eyes.
Damn it. Seems like the word 'friend' was a landmine for her.
"It was all a lie, so calm down, Cecilia. I just made it up to tease you."
"Sniff... Why do you always say things like that...? Is teasing me that fun?"
"Well, yeah. It is."
"You meanie!"
On the verge of tears, she lunged forward and started pummeling me with her little fists, and I humbly took the beating.
"Ow. Hey. That actually kind of hurts, you know?"
"I'm hitting you so it hurts!"
After beating on every part of me she could reach, she finally wiped her eyes and glared at me with a haughty, indignant scowl.
"Sniff... So! Why did you even call me here?!"
"Wipe your nose first."
I gestured toward Muriel, who wordlessly produced a handkerchief and gently wiped Cecilia's nose.
"...Hmph...!"
Her face flushed crimson with shame, and her fists trembled as she glared daggers at me, but to my eyes, she just looked completely harmless and adorable.
"Let's get down to business. Cecilia. Wendy. I called you both here to give you a warning and a request."
"A warning... and a request...?"
Cecilia tilted her head, her round eyes blinking as a stray tear still clinging to her lashes trickled down her cheek.
I reached out, brushed the tear away, and gave a gentle nod with a faint smile.
"Yeah. A warning and a request. Because things might get dangerous for you two."
"May we hear the details?"
Wendy's demeanor shifted instantly as she stepped close to Cecilia's side.
"Sure. I was just about to have it explained. Muriel, go ahead."
"Haaah... Understood. Allow me to explain."
Letting out a soft sigh, Muriel summarized the current situation with remarkable brevity and clarity.
Of course, she didn't reveal everything.
Unnecessary details were omitted—such as Urtega orchestrating this whole ordeal, or Greenjack being an organization founded by the Third Princess.
"I see... I understand the situation. In short, we must beware of assassins."
"Right. Their primary target will be me, but they're the kind of bastards who won't hesitate to take a detour if it helps them achieve their objective."
"Which means the Saintess and I could be caught in the crossfire."
"Yeah. The title of Saintess is basically a massive target waiting to be exploited one way or another."
"I understand."
After a moment of contemplation, Wendy asked with a solemn expression, "What is Greenjack's caliber?"
"High enough to assassinate Stanasila Urtega if push comes to shove."
"...!?"
As a wave of silent shock washed over them, I gave a nonchalant shrug.
"Well, you don't need to be that tense this time. The assassination target isn't Urtega, it's me."
"Even so, we cannot let our guard down. I never imagined such an assassin guild could exist."
"Naturally. They're rats who lurk entirely in the deepest shadows."
"...Would it not be better if the Saintess and I departed the Duke's Castle immediately?"
"Wendy?"
Cecilia looked at Wendy in surprise, but the resolute, steely determination on Wendy's face didn't waver.
"Well... I can't guarantee that'll be safe. It's highly likely Greenjack has already infiltrated inside and outside the castle. You're actually better off staying here. My old man swore that he wouldn't tolerate any assassinations within the castle walls."
"Is that so."
Wrestling with her dilemma, Wendy soon gave a decisive nod.
"We shall remain in the Duke's Castle until the situation concludes."
"Good choice. Now, onto the request..."
When I turned toward Cecilia, she had been secretly sighing in relief at the fact that they could stay, but now pointed at herself with a bewildered blink.
"Uh, me? You have a request for me?"
"Yeah."
"What kind of request?"
"...Well, the thing is."
I puffed on my cigarette, making a sour face.
I had seen the future, but frankly, what lay beyond this point was unclear and uncertain.
Likely because the Demon King's authority couldn't reach all the way to the Goddess.
"Can you receive a 'revelation' right here and now?"
"...Pardon?"
"Lord Aljen. That seems to exceed the bounds of a mere request."
Stepping forward, Wendy glared at me with sharp eyes.
Her hand was lightly gripping the hilt of the sword she always wore.
"A revelation from the Goddess is not something granted for a simple favor, nor is it bestowed to satisfy someone's personal desires."
"...Well, that's for the Goddess to decide, isn't it?"
"......"
Wendy's aura sharpened further, and faint wisps of dawn light began to bleed around her figure.
"Calm down. I've got no intention of fighting. Though I will insist on it."
"...Why? What reason do you have to go that far?"
"Ah~ it's nothing big. I just need to raise the realms of the three women here. Reinforcing our forces, in short."
"It seems I misjudged your character."
Clang!
As her sword cleared its scabbard without an ounce of hesitation, Muriel, Rebecca, and Cacciola gripped their weapons as well.
"I said, calm down."
"I am perfectly calm."
"You sure don't look it... Sigh, Cecilia."
"Yes?"
Looking at me with bewildered eyes, she shrank back fearfully and ducked behind Wendy.
Seeing that pricked my heart just a tiny bit.
I understood, though. In a world where gods truly existed, the title of Saintess was a direct conduit to communicating with the divine, so there must have been more bastards than she could count who came asking for similar favors.
Still, seeing her look at me like that sucked.
...No, honestly, the very situation forcing me to make this request pissed me off.
It wasn't like I was doing this because I wanted to.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Sir Aljen. But..."
Catching my expression, Cecilia apologized with a face full of guilt and lowered her head.
Damn it, she was hopelessly good-natured.
"Why are you the one apologizing? If anything, I... No, forget it. Forget it... Just pray for me."
"Pray...?"
"Yeah. Pray. For my sake."
"...Is that all?"
"Yeah. If nothing happens after that, I'll back down quietly."
"......"
"Saintess. There is no need to listen. Prepare to flee. We must leave this place at once."
Just as Wendy's suddenly surging presence lit the room with blinding radiance, Cecilia reached out and caught Wendy's hand.
"Saintess?"
"It's all right, Wendy. I can pray as much as he likes. As you know, a 'revelation' isn't granted so easily. If one does come down, then that, too, is the Goddess's will."
"...However..."
"It's all right. At least this much."
"...Understood."
As Wendy took a step back, Cecilia clasped her hands together and knelt before me.
"Sir Aljen. I will pray for you."
"...Thanks."
"Fufu. I think this is the first time I've ever heard words of gratitude from Sir Aljen. Isn't it?"
"Probably."
"Goodness... You really are an impossible person."
Smiling serenely, she lowered her head slightly, and the atmosphere around her grew solemn and still.
"O Goddess. Here stands one who yearns for Your voice. Look upon him with pity and turn Your gaze toward him. May Your warm light and love illuminate his path and grant him blessings, and may Your merciful trials nurture his growth."
Her brief prayer finished, Cecilia quietly raised her head.
"......"
"...It's over."
"No, it's not over yet."
"Pardon? What do you..."
"Stanashila Aljen! That is enough—!"
Just as Wendy, her patience snapped, was about to yell, a fist-sized orb of light materialized above Cecilia's head.
"...Uh?"
"What is... that...?"
"How could..."
The moment everyone laid eyes on that orb of light, they were shaken, baffled, and awestruck.
The gentle, transcendent divinity radiating from that orb naturally compelled such emotion.
I was no exception.
It was a sensation as if my very existence was being made infinitely small and insignificant, a feeling of facing something that one could only look up to.
Yet strangely, it carried no unpleasantness or resentment—only an inexplicable sense of reverence.
"Ah...!"
Only Cecilia welcomed it with an expression mixed with wonder and joy.
Like a snowflake floating in absolute silence, the orb of light drifted gently down and melted into the crown of Cecilia's head like water soaking into earth.
And in that instant, her body was enveloped in a radiant brilliance.
"Saintess...?!"
The light that filled the entire room faded in an instant.
"—...Speak what you desire, my child."
The voice that flowed from Cecilia's parted lips was distinctly alien and unfamiliar.
It was so absurd that a hollow laugh broke from my throat.
Ignoring the sensation of my existence feeling so small and pathetic, and suppressing the awe welling up from deep within, I twisted the corner of my mouth into a sneer.
"'My child'? You talking to me?"
"—Indeed, my proud, beloved child. I have descended into the vessel of My proxy for your sake, so speak your desire."
"Pfft. Give me a break. You probably know who I am and where I came from, yet you say that with a straight face? Your skin is thicker than Urtega's."
Scoffing with utter sarcasm, I tightened my grip on the bottle of liquor.
"—Speak your desire."
"I'll say it without you rushing me. I will... but let me ask just one thing. Did you make me like this? Were you the one who shoved me into this body?"
Originally, I had intended to hold back.
Wendy and Cecilia were listening, and I had no idea how the Goddess would react.
Yet I simply couldn't contain it.
The resentment and hatred accumulated since the very beginning of this possession boiled up furiously, threatening to dye my vision pure red.
"—If you speak of your present state... yes. A portion of the responsibility lies with Me."
"...Ha, haha! How shameless of you. Right. What does a mere human matter to you, huh?"
"—I have no time to untangle your misunderstandings. Speak your desire."
"Just asking out of curiosity... You have no intention of putting me back the way I was, do you?"
"—Speak your desire."
"......"
I wanted to scream out my rage and hatred right then and there, but before I realized it, Muriel, Rebecca, and Cacciola were at my side, holding firmly onto my shoulders and body.
Their tense expressions and trembling eyes were brimming with worry and concern for me.
"Inhale, exhale... Right. Of course. Got to do what needs to be done."
Taking a step back, I pulled my lips up into a grin and chugged down the alcohol.
As the heavy, stinging burn soaked into my brain from the inside out, the clarity to think calmly finally returned.
"...Trials. Grant trials to Muriel, Rebecca, and Cacciola here—severe, grueling trials. Lay the groundwork so they can make a massive breakthrough right now."
"—Is that your desire?"
"Yeah."
"—......"
Suddenly, Cecilia's face softened into a tender, gentle smile.
It was an expression so remarkably mature that it was instantly recognizable as belonging to the Goddess.
"—Splendid. Your choice has become a small yet mighty seed, narrowing a critical turning point toward hope. My proud, beloved child. When the time comes, I shall seek your forgiveness in person."
"...What? What is that supposed to mean?"
"—Strive forward. Fulfill your destiny. If you do, I shall grant you one wish."
"A wish? Wait, then I can go back..."
My words never finished.
A divine presence of immense dignity flooded the room, drowning out everything else.