Heretic Inquisitor (3)
"It seems your brother has been far too indifferent toward our little sister. He must be terribly upset that he couldn’t take proper care of her."
"Ugh—" Reciel made an exaggerated show of retching, then suddenly spun around and spoke to me. "I’ll be going now."
"Yes, please take care on your way, Your Highness."
"Oh? So the new friend my sister made is this priest? I can’t very well ignore him. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"Ignore him," Reciel said, but the prince paid her no mind. He stepped closer and extended his hand.
"May the light bless you. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"This is Loras, prince of the Deltrack Empire."
Reciel had set my expectations so low that the prince’s seemingly normal appearance made me think he wasn’t all that bad. Of course, that didn’t mean I dismissed her obvious disgust as mere childish sulking.
He may look fine on the surface, but he’s the one who hired people to kill both Princess Canaby and Princess Reciel.
He had even tried to recruit me and failed. Now that I think about it, he must have learned about me back then, yet here he is pretending he has no idea and asking if I’m Reciel’s new friend.
Among the many insults Reciel had hurled at him, she had called him utterly sinister and vulgar. Not every word could be true, but some of them clearly hit the mark. And from what I could see right now…
The fact that he looks so normal on the outside actually makes it more chilling.
If he had openly acted strange, I probably wouldn’t have felt this way. It’s exactly like a psychopath pretending to be a perfectly ordinary person around everyone else.
Yes. That was it. A psychopath.
Of course, this could simply be prejudice. No matter how impartial I tried to be, I was bound to side with Reciel, whom I knew far better than her brother. Still, watching him act so affectionately toward the sister he had tried to murder…
She has every right to be disgusted.
To smile and dote on her in public while secretly pulling every dirty trick to have her killed? That was enough to drive anyone mad. If Loras had openly shown his hatred, Reciel probably wouldn’t have reacted with such visceral revulsion.
"I am quite a devout believer. Would it be all right if I came to pray often?"
If you’re devout, the rest of us are in trouble. For a man who plotted to kill his own blood-related sisters to claim he faithfully followed the teachings of the light… the sheer audacity left me speechless.
I doubt he’s the type to say he killed people, begged the light for forgiveness, and therefore it’s fine now. That kind of behavior had no place in a true follower of the light.
He’s using the light, not following it. Or perhaps he was simply polishing his public image for the sake of relations with the Holy Empire.
"The prayer room is open to everyone."
"Is that so? Then let us see each other often. Since you are close with my sister, it would be good for us to be friendly as well, wouldn’t it?"
Reciel clenched her fist. Then she raised it and slammed it squarely into the prince’s back.
BOOM!
"Now, now, Reciel. There are so many people watching. What sort of undignified behavior is this?"
Yet astonishingly, Prince Loras stood there completely unfazed. Reciel, who had apparently expected this outcome, couldn’t hide her frustration and was practically fuming.
"Since when have you been so devout? If you lie to the priest, you’ll be struck by divine punishment. Every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie. It must have become such a habit that you can’t even speak anymore unless it’s a lie. How pathetic."
"Lie? I’ve done no such thing. Our little princess is still lost in her fairy tales, thinking her brother is the villain. How long must I wait before you let me play the hero?"
I had frozen in shock at the sight of Reciel’s monstrous strength having no effect, but both the prince and princess seemed entirely used to this exchange.
So the prince has some kind of ability too. He must have used it to block Reciel’s brute force.
I didn’t know what it was, but if it was related to defense, it was certainly a useful ability for a member of the imperial family to possess.
"You seem startled because Reciel attacked so suddenly. It’s just a little game we siblings play sometimes. The sound was rather loud, but since I didn’t budge an inch, were you surprised?"
I wished the two of them would simply talk to each other and leave me out of it, but contrary to my hopes, the prince seemed very interested in me.
…Or is it that he has no intention of letting me go?
It was entirely possible that Prince Loras hadn’t come only for Reciel, but for me as well. The way his questions felt like they were testing me only deepened my suspicion.
"This is a temple, Your Highness. Even if you call it a game, you must not use violence here."
"Ah!"
"Now that I think about it, my sister has committed quite the discourtesy. Allow me to apologize on Reciel’s behalf."
The prince showed no particular reaction to the fact that I had ignored his question. But the moment I saw the flicker of disappointment in his eyes—like a predator whose prey had slipped away—I realized the truth.
It really was a trap. If I had answered, something bad would have happened to Reciel one way or another.
It was a good thing I had changed the subject instead of responding to him.
"Since I was planning to come pray often anyway, and my sister has made a mistake, I shall offer compensation."
As expected of royalty, a heavy money pouch promptly appeared from within his robes. Once again, the pouch Loras held out was noticeably weighty.
"I’ll take responsibility for my own mistakes!"
The appearance of the money pouch was more than enough to send Reciel into a fit.
Reciel and the prince really are complete opposites. No wonder Princess Canaby was so worried.
The moment Loras appeared, Reciel had become visibly agitated. She was being shaken around in the palm of his hand, treated like a toy. The fact that she herself didn’t seem to realize it made the sight all the more pitiful.
Considering Reciel’s age, watching an adult treat a grown woman like a child was unpleasant.
"Pay it no mind. It is only natural for an older brother to take responsibility for his little sister’s small mistakes."
"Put that useless thing away and get out. Stop pulling your dirty tricks here."
Despite Reciel’s sharp retort, Prince Loras maintained a kindly smile.
"I already said I would offer it as a donation. I can hardly take it back. How old are you to still throw tantrums like this?"
"Ha, now this is…"
Reciel seemed at a loss for words at Loras’s remark. He had twisted her legitimate anger into the petulant whining of a spoiled adolescent. How could she not be speechless?
He’s good at this. The way he diminishes her while elevating himself.
Thanks to my experiences in my previous life, I knew exactly what this behavior meant.
This is gaslighting.
If you fell for it, your self-esteem would crumble and you would end up completely controlled by the other person. Fortunately, Reciel had never fallen for the prince’s manipulations so far.
The reason she could resist was probably—
"It seems you’ve become even more foul-mouthed after only a few months apart. This is what happens when your education is neglected. I should have paid closer attention much sooner. I feel a truly heavy and painful sense of responsibility. Would you not consider returning to the palace now and resuming your proper education?"
"If I want to return to the palace, I’ll walk back in on my own two feet."
"Princess Canaby promised she would raise you well, yet it appears she has done nothing of the sort."
"Don’t you dare speak my sister’s name so casually! You have no right!"
"This is rather embarrassing to show others. I suppose I should take my leave."
I was worried about letting Reciel go like this. Shouldn’t she be separated from the person who had just provoked her so thoroughly?
"Get out right now!"
"We should go together, sister. After such a long-awaited family reunion, you wouldn’t be so cruel as to leave me all alone, would you?"
When the prince put on a pitiful act, Reciel let out a long sigh and made a visible effort to calm herself before speaking.
"If you want to talk to me, then get out."
"…I suppose I have no choice. When dealing with a difficult sister, one must simply accommodate her. Here, please take this."
The prince took my hand and placed the money pouch on my palm.
"This should go in the offering box…"
"That is for the priest to decide. I have handed it over, so it is no longer my concern."
In other words, he didn’t care whether I used it as a bribe or honestly put it in the offering box. An ordinary priest would probably have pocketed the whole sum or split it between his own pocket and the box. Loras had likely said it with that expectation in mind.
But I had never once received a money pouch in this manner from anyone.
"Your Highness."
"Oh, there’s no need for thanks. This amount is hardly a burden to me. Haha!"
"Donations must be placed in the offering box. I cannot accept them privately and then deposit them myself."
"……"
"Pfft!"
For the briefest moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of the prince’s true expression. His face stiffened before smoothing out again as if nothing had happened. Reciel, having seen his momentary panic, burst into laughter.
"What are you doing? The priest told you to put it in the offering box."
Reciel personally took the pouch from my hand and shoved it back into the prince’s arms.
"Shall I show you where the offering box is?"
"…The priest is quite incorruptible."
"You must think that because you’re filthy, everyone else must live in filth too. But the priest here is not that kind of person. So if you want to make a donation, put it in the box yourself."
I wasn’t sure why my simple request to put the money in the offering box had turned into Reciel’s triumphant scolding, but thanks to her I was able to return the pouch to the prince. If he placed it in the box with his own hands, I could accept any amount without hesitation. I could also offer proper words of gratitude and a blessing in return.