Who Is the Demon? (1)
"Rise, Beatrice Valoa."
With a single word, he lightly dismissed the escorts lining the corridor.
Archbishop Calvarion entered the room with an expressionless face.
More than the tremendous mess unfolding inside, it was the sight of Lumina and Beatrice collapsed on the floor in utter disarray, fast asleep, that made him furrow his brow impassively.
"This is your final chance. Rise, Beatrice Valoa."
"Uuuugh……."
I wanted to settle this outside as much as possible.
But the situation wasn't cooperating.
I couldn't just send away a guest who'd come all dressed up since early morning, leaving them standing in the hall—no matter how unannounced the visit.
He was the second-in-command of the Papal State, an extreme stickler for principles.
Snubbing him outright would definitely put me, a demon, in a tough spot.
"Hah, to think you'd show such irreverent and pathetic behavior……."
"Uuum……."
No matter how many times he called in that stern, commanding tone, they showed no sign of waking.
Finally, Calvarion let out a deep sigh and slammed his ornate staff against the floor.
- THUD!──!
The dull sound reverberated loudly through the room.
At that, Lumina and Beatrice—who'd been curled up facing each other in a fetal position—sprang up like coiled springs.
"E-enemy attack?! Lady Vivian, get behind me…!!"
"What, what?! A real enemy attack?!!"
Lumina, the first to open her eyes, fumbled groggily for her sword hilt with a dazed expression.
But that lasted only a moment. The instant she identified the owner of the shadow looming before her, her face drained of color.
Beatrice, peeking out from behind Lumina to assess the situation, belatedly recognized the figure and gaped silently, too shocked to even scream.
"A-Ar… Archbishop……?"
"Silence. Beatrice Valoa."
Calvarion's voice was utterly unlike Queenpin's jovial jests from last night.
His gaze was sharp enough to tear Beatrice apart on the spot.
Calvarion swallowed once, his expression complicated, and slowly straightened the staff in his hand.
A quiet pressure emanated from the tip of his staff, instantly freezing the air in the room.
"What in the world is a saintess candidate doing in a place like this?"
"I-I, um… that is……."
"What a truly pathetic display."
Calvarion spoke in a cold tone, letting out a heavy sigh.
"We've shown you an unseemly sight. My deepest apologies, Lady Vivian."
"No need. I was just as bad until a moment ago."
"You're far too humble. You must have stayed up all night in sacred communion, but these lambs have simply indulged in sloth."
Out in the hall, he'd eyed me with a strange look.
But the moment he stepped inside, he switched to impeccable courtesy, as if it had never happened.
His deference felt oddly insincere.
Like he was pretending to respect me while subtly drawing a line between us and them.
I'd just met him, but it rubbed me the wrong way for some reason.
"Beatrice Valoa. Effective immediately, cease all external activities and enter the chamber of penance."
"……Pardon?"
"Your outrageous indulgence is defiling Lady Vivian's noble soul."
Calvarion's cold verdict followed.
Beatrice's face turned ashen in the blink of an eye.
"Th-that's impossible! I was only……."
"Don't forget where everything you enjoy comes from."
His low, chilling voice whipped her words to a halt.
It was less a reprimand and more a threat.
Overwhelmed by his fierce momentum, Beatrice bowed her head, her shoulders trembling finely.
"And you standing there are no exception. You will be held strictly accountable for tarnishing the dignity of a holy knight and acting with such insolence."
"……!"
Calvarion mercilessly lashed out not just at Beatrice, but at Lumina beside her as well.
"I've heard you're the wielder of the holy sword, but above all, you're a member of the Papal State's holy knight order."
They said he was the most conservative and strict person in the Papal State.
Yeah, that explains what Queenpin meant…….
"From this moment, Lady Vivian's escorts and attendants will be handled by personnel I've personally selected."
"My escorts and attendants?"
"Yes. To ensure no further unseemly incidents occur."
With that quiet statement, Calvarion suddenly raised one hand in a short signal.
As if they'd been waiting, priests in robes silently flooded into the room and firmly seized Lumina and Beatrice from both sides.
"……What do you think you're doing?"
"Worry not, Lady Vivian. They're merely returning to where they belong."
He answered my uneasy question without so much as a twitch.
Beatrice, gripped by the priests' arms, reddened her eyes in terror.
Lumina bit her lip until it bled, groaning low at her own powerlessness.
"Where they belong?"
"Yes. A saintess candidate requires strict discipline and time for reflection befitting her station. A holy knight must undergo harsh training to prove her loyalty."
A pillow slipped powerlessly from Beatrice's hand as the priests dragged her away.
Lumina, too, had her precious holy sword—more vital than her life—taken, and she bowed her head like a criminal.
"Her Holiness may have granted you generous freedom, Lady Vivian, but I, Calvarion, think differently."
"……."
"True light is perfected through strict discipline. Remember that holiness without discipline is but a fleeting mirage."
His attitude was highly coercive and dogmatic.
Yet I couldn't outright condemn his actions.
Calvarion was the archbishop of the Holy Haven Papal State.
Order and discipline were the great pillars upholding the nation, and safeguarding them was his mission.
His method prioritized the whole over individual circumstances—harsh, yes.
But for an archbishop, it might be the most loyal and diligent approach.
However—
"You came to pay formal respects, so why are you suddenly throwing a tantrum?"
"……?"
It was far too late to lecture on strict discipline.
I don't know where he'd been or what he'd been doing, but.
I couldn't just stand by while he messed with my people.
"You came to greet me, right? That's why you sent away the escorts and came into my room."
At my calm question, one of Calvarion's eyebrows twitched subtly.
"Tantrum? I don't know what you mean, but… I'm simply restoring order to this sacred space."
"This isn't a sacred space—it's just my room. So please stop right there."
Anything else I might tolerate, but this harsh treatment of Lumina, the hero, was a step too far.
"Did you even get Her Holiness's permission for this?"
"……Authority over the Papal State's canons and discipline has been partially delegated to me. There's no need for Her Holiness's approval."
"Well, your intentions may be good, but this whole situation feels way too uncomfortable."
"If my actions have been excessive, I apologize. But their sloth will surely harm you, Lady Vivian."
Beatrice had ties to Calvarion, so maybe that was fair game, but Lumina was the holy sword's wielder.
It made no sense for the world-saving hero to get this treatment over one tea party.
"I only need Lumina as my escort. And Beatrice is the one handling my attendants."
Truth be told, I'd never discussed attendants with anyone.
But to pull Beatrice from those cold priests' grasp, this was the only way.
Honestly, I'm no saintess and don't need attendants anyway—such a hassle.
But after last night's tea time bonding, I had to do what I could.
"……What do you mean by that, Lady Vivian?"
"Exactly what I said. I want to entrust my escort and attendants to the people I feel most comfortable with."
"Lady Vivian, this isn't a matter of mere preference. It directly concerns the Papal State's face and prestige……."
"Lumina, the hero. Beatrice, the former saintess candidate. Are you saying there's someone more suitable around?"
I cut him off firmly and continued calmly.
His wrinkled eyes, fixed straight on me, sank with a strange depth.
"Greetings in the Papal State follow strict protocol. Keeping those already disqualified by your side will not benefit you."
"Why not."
"They lack the purity and discipline befitting you… Pardon?"
I casually swept back my disheveled hair and tossed out the words indifferently.
Calvarion, belatedly flustered, stammered in confusion.
"I'm the saintess chosen by the Goddess. Can't I even pick who I want?"
I answered shamelessly, then plopped down on the edge of the bed and casually crossed my legs.
A ridiculous claim that'd make the Goddess furious if she heard, but oh well.
Might as well sell the 'saintess' title for top dollar now that it's come to this.
"Surely an archbishop like you isn't discriminating against demons, right?"
Everyone already thinks I'm a saintess anyway—no risk of exposure.
And the Goddess would surely forgive borrowing her name in a pinch like this.
So, no backing down—keep up the act boldly.
"I hope you're not saying the Papal State's rules rank above the intuition of the one chosen by the Goddess."
The moment I finished in that prickly tone—
- Shoooo……
A brilliant light suddenly burst from behind me, chillingly radiant.
It was a profoundly sacred, intense glow that melted away the priests' cold aura in an instant.
Overwhelmed by its majesty, the priests stumbled back hurriedly.
Even Calvarion's rigidly straight back began to bend ever so slightly downward.
"Th-this is……."
His flustered murmur followed.
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn, I froze like a statue.
Sitting on the bed's edge, legs crossed, arms folded, I blinked vacantly.
"……?"