Temptation (4): The Need for an Emergency Meeting
We needed a countermeasure meeting. After careful deliberation over whom to invite to this urgent strategy session, I settled on Sister Melody and Cardinal Bella as the participants.
Cardinal Bella, who had stormed off in a sulk, looked as if she had been crying—her eyes were red and swollen. Sister Melody, apparently taking pity on her, handed over a cup of warm milk sweetened with honey.
“Thank you.”
The three of us had gathered, yet we couldn’t immediately launch into talk of the Bishop.
“What happened that day? Why did you simply leave?”
“...It was something I had waited for a very long time. I was thrilled when the old man agreed to meet me. I had steeled my heart as well. I already knew he wasn’t the sort of person who would say what I wanted to hear.”
Her story began at the very start of the appointment she had arranged with Bishop Saul.
“Still, it really had been ages since I last saw that face. He’s so good at hiding himself, after all. I was happy. I was glad. But some strange bastard ruined what should have been an exciting reunion. That alone was infuriating enough, and then that son of a bitch claimed he would accept the proposal!”
Still boiling with rage, she pounded her own thigh with a fist.
“He said he couldn’t even marry me. That once he returned to his post, he wouldn’t be able to stay by my side. I told him I was fine with that, but he wouldn’t listen. Whether he returns or not, I’ve spent my whole life waiting—what’s so difficult about that! I told him not to pretend he was looking out for me and walked out. We didn’t meet so it could end like this, yet everything has become a complete mess.”
As she spoke, the memory of that day must have resurfaced, because the Cardinal began to sob. Seeing someone who normally appeared so resolute crumble like this because of my master left a bitter taste in my mouth. Moreover, she was an astonishingly beautiful woman. It made me think my master was no better than a thief—no, a bandit. When such a lovely person chased after him declaring her feelings, why was he only thinking of ways to run?
“The Bishop must truly have feelings for Cardinal Bella as well. The fact that he still refused… doesn’t that suggest there is something he couldn’t tell us?”
“That’s what makes me even angrier!!! It means I’m second place!!”
That was clearly not the right thing to say to someone who wanted to be first.
“Sorry for raising my voice…”
Having vented her fury only to deflate like a punctured balloon, the now dejected Cardinal Bella apologized to me.
“It’s quite all right. This is a situation that would make anyone emotional.”
“Ahem. Anyway, thank you for calling me today. I didn’t expect it, so hearing that you wanted me here made me happy.”
“The reason I asked you both here is to stop the Bishop from accepting the Cardinal position. Or rather, at the very least, I want to help bring you and the Bishop together.”
“Really?!”
She seemed to think I was offering to help her even though there was no need to connect the two of them.
“I’m so touched! Thank you!”
“There is a reason I wish to help. Honestly, if it’s him, he’s the type who will do what he wants even if everyone around him objects.”
We would never be able to stop him. I believed that anyone who knew the man would agree with me.
“That’s true. He is that kind of person.”
As expected, Cardinal Bella seemed to share my assessment.
“That is precisely why it is important for the two of you to be together. He never spares himself, so if he has nowhere to return to, he will drive his own body into the ground.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! I can’t understand what’s lacking that would make him want to become a Cardinal. I even offered him my own seat, but he refused that too.”
In the end, the Cardinal position was nothing more than a superficial title.
“Cardinal Bella, please become his sanctuary.”
“Could I really do that? Up until now, all I’ve ever done is follow him. Maybe the old man and I simply aren’t destined to be together.”
Sister Melody, who had remained silent until now, could no longer stay quiet.
“How long exactly have you been chasing him?”
“How long, you ask…”
She apparently had never counted the years, because she spread her fingers and began tallying them one by one.
“Um…”
The speed at which her fingers folded was alarming. Before long she had gone well past ten, and when she unfolded them again I couldn’t restrain myself.
“Just how long has this connection between you two been going on?”
“...It began when we were very young. I can’t remember the exact day I started following the old man, but when I counted from the time I first liked him, it has been a full twenty years this year.”
What an incredibly long connection! I was stunned by the tenacity that could pursue someone without giving up for so long. Equally astonishing was my master’s rock-solid resolve in rejecting her across all those years.
“Of course, I didn’t follow him the entire time. I had my own duties.”
The position of Saintess was not something just anyone could hold. Since it was essentially the role of an idol in this world, she must have been constantly traveling and extremely busy. And wasn’t it precisely because she had performed her duties so well as a Saintess that she had risen to Cardinal? She was clearly someone who worked hard at her responsibilities. One could hardly criticize a person for that.
“Even so, my heart was always beside him. I have never wavered toward anyone else. My body remains pure, you know.”
Cough!
I knew she didn’t mean “pure” in any dirty or unsavory sense. I was simply astonished by the depth of her devotion. Of course, it was information I would have preferred never to learn. As I wondered how many unwanted revelations had entered my ears today, I let out a sigh and rubbed my face.
“I understand that your feelings are sincere, Cardinal. Let us stop repeating the same points and instead make a plan. From what I have seen, it is not that the Bishop holds no affection for you. He definitely showed me a conflicted expression as well.”
I had been about to say honestly that he would have accepted were it not for the Pope, but since I was not the person in question, I thought it improper to convey my master’s heart directly. Instead I simply said I had seen him agonizing over it.
“He was conflicted?!”
“I gave him advice. I told him that if he truly believed it was not you, he should end things cleanly. After all, it is a waste of the time you are spending, isn’t it?”
“It’s not a waste at all!?”
“No matter what, making someone wait more than twenty years is not right. If it truly is not meant to be, it is kinder to let them give up. Giving them hope is no different from torture.”
“But I’m happy?”
...It seemed that ordinary people did not enjoy waiting. Cardinal Bella apparently possessed an extraordinary degree of patience.
“In normal circumstances, that is simply common courtesy. You say it is fine, but honestly, no matter how much the person themselves may like it, it is not something I can recommend. When you watch the people around you building families and homes, does it truly stir no thoughts at all?”
“......”
She might say it was all right, but how could those words be sincere? Every time she saw others living well, her own situation must have come to mind and weighed on her heart.
“With your hand on your heart, I wonder if you can truly deny it. Do you have the confidence to continue this pattern of chasing and fleeing from each other for another year, or two years, or longer?”
If that was her answer, I would have nothing more to say. Fortunately, it seemed that would not be the case.
“You’re right, Priest Arthur. Honestly, it is lonely and painful. At this point I can hardly tell whether this is love or mere stubbornness.”
“An ambiguous conclusion will only wound both of you. It is better to settle things clearly. I know it may not be welcome coming from someone not directly involved, but the two of you have kept your relationship stagnant for far too long. For the sake of moving forward, it is best to make a firm decision.”
“Until now I’ve avoided it out of fear. But when Priest Arthur puts it that way, I feel like I want to find the courage to try.”
“A wise choice.”
For the sake of Cardinal Bella’s future and my master’s as well, it seemed right to bring their tangled relationship to a resolution.
“Then shall we begin drafting the Bishop seduction operation?”
“!!!”
“!!!”
Up to this point I had believed things would proceed smoothly. None of us realized that the fact that not a single person present had ever experienced a proper romance would become a serious problem.
“Is no one going to say anything?”
I had expected a proper discussion, yet the moment I suggested making concrete plans everyone merely glanced at one another.
“Nothing comes to mind?”
“Things that come to mind…”
Looking at Sister Melody’s face, I could tell she genuinely had no thoughts on the matter. She had come to this gathering, but it seemed she had done so intending to serve as my bodyguard rather than as an active participant. This would not do. Sensing the crisis, I spoke with more force than usual.
“This clearly isn’t working. Let’s each suggest one method.”
“Even me?”
We were already short on cooperation, and now Cardinal Bella was saying something absurd.
“If the person directly involved doesn’t think of anything, who will?”
“I thought you would come up with the methods and tell me. All right, I’ll think. But is there any method I haven’t already tried?”
“......”
“......”
Just how many different approaches had she attempted to seduce my master that she couldn’t even remember them all?
“First, it would be best to hear what methods you have already tried. That way we can avoid suggesting the same things.”
“No! It’s too embarrassing to say out loud!”
“We will listen with one ear and let it pass out the other.”
Following Sister Melody’s words, I added my own reassurance.
“We need to understand the detailed circumstances if we are to help. It would be disheartening to come up with an idea only to learn you have already attempted it.”
After letting out a deep sigh, she agonized for a long moment before choosing to accept our assistance.
“...Haa. You will truly forget what you hear, yes?”
“Of course.”
“The first thing that comes to mind is sneaking naked into his bed?”
Cough—!
I nearly sprayed water everywhere.
Master!!!
Just what kind of life have you been living!!!!!
It was such an outrageous beginning for words to come from a former Saintess that I swallowed hard. My head spun from the very first suggestion, leaving my skull ringing. There seemed to be much more to come—could I truly endure it? An involuntary wave of dread swept over me, making my body tremble.