Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 71: The Capital of the Prona Kingdom (3)

I decided to follow the priest's advice and visit the church. It was a bit annoying, but I was curious if it was even possible to change the Saint Candidate.

"I'm just going to hear them out. I told you not to worry, didn't I?"

"Ye-yes... I trust you, Sir Hero..." Ophelia nodded, her face drained of all color.

She didn't look like she trusted me at all.

I kept trying to calm her down, but it was a waste of effort. The color never returned to her pale face, not even when we arrived at the Archbishop's office.

Knock, knock.

"Your Eminence, it is Liam. As you instructed, I have brought the Hero and the Saint Candidate."

"Enter."

Once the Archbishop gave his permission, Liam opened the door and bowed to me.

It seemed he wouldn't be joining us.

Leaving the priest behind, I entered the Archbishop's office with Ophelia.

Inside, there was a guest table where an old man with whitish hair was seated. His pure white church robes and the large miter on his head identified him as the Archbishop.

I sat down across from him.

Since there was only one other chair, Ophelia stood to my right.

The Archbishop spoke with a warm smile.

"Welcome, Sir Hero. Thank you for accepting my rather sudden invitation."

"How could I refuse an invitation from the Archbishop? It is the duty of a Hero to answer your call, whenever it may be."

"Ho ho, your words flatter me, Sir Hero. I don't know what to say."

The usual pleasantries were exchanged.

Before getting to the main topic, I asked him something I was curious about.

"Archbishop, are you aware of the commotion outside?"

At my question, the Archbishop's expression turned bitter.

"It is a sad affair. For a prince of a nation to fall for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wicked temptations of evil... The Goddess must be grieving as well."

"So you knew. Are you certain that the prince is a heretic?"

"Those who worship heresy always show their true colors. They may try to hide it, but such efforts are useless before the grace of the Goddess. I am certain the prince has fallen into the hands of heretics."

"So you were the one who spread the rumors about the prince."

The Archbishop quietly nodded.

I see. So that's how it is.

My question was answered.

Now, it was time to get to the point.

I took a sip of the tea the Archbishop had prepared, wetting my throat before speaking again.

"I've already heard why you summoned me. You wish to change the Saint Candidate?"

"Oh my, did Liam already tell you? It seems my plan to surprise you has been completely foiled. What a shame."

The Archbishop laughed as if he were in a tight spot.

He then flicked his right hand. A nun who had been standing behind him since we arrived stepped forward.

"This is Bella, a child I hold in high regard. I am confident that she is more than worthy of the title of Saint Candidate."

The nun he introduced as Bella was a beautiful woman. Unlike Ophelia, who had a rather dramatic figure, Bella had a moderate build and a pure, innocent appearance.

I glanced to my side and saw Ophelia unable to hide ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her trembling expression.

The Archbishop and Bella paid her no mind.

"My name is Bella. It's an honor to meet you. I will do my best to aid you on your journey, Sir Hero."

Bella placed a hand on her stomach and bowed deeply.

As she did, a few strands of hair, previously hidden by her veil, fell forward. They were pink.

Hmm.

"Why the sudden desire to change the Saint Candidate?"

"Regarding that, I would like to speak with you alone, Sir Hero. Bella?"

"Yes, Your Eminence. I will wait outside."

After hearing Bella's reply, the Archbishop looked at me expectantly. I let out a small sigh and turned to Ophelia.

"You heard him. Could you wait outside for a moment?"

"Ye-yes... I'll wait quietly outside..."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

Fine? With a face like a puppy that just realized it's being abandoned?

Saying anything more wouldn't reassure her, so I just had her leave with Bella.

"Now then, please tell me. Why are you trying to suddenly change the Saint Candidate at this point?"

"In truth, it is not so sudden. This was the expected course of action from the moment the Saint Candidate representing a nation went over to another Hero."

"If that's the case, this is even stranger. It's been well over half a year since Ophelia left my party. Why decide to change the Saint Candidate only now?"

"The deliberation process was quite rigorous, so it couldn't be helped. I ask for your understanding in that matter, Sir Hero."

"And after that rigorous deliberation, the one chosen was the nun you favor?"

"...She was chosen because her faith was strong. My personal feelings were not involved in the slightest."

"Is that so? That's a relief."

When I nodded, the Archbishop's slightly darkened expression brightened.

"Then do you agree to endorsing Bella as the new Saint Candidate, Sir Hero?"

"Before that, let me ask one thing. That nun, Bella, is her hair pink?"

"Pardon? Ah, yes. She has beautiful pink hair, like a flower."

"I see."

I downed the rest of my tea in one gulp.

Then, with a smile, I said, "In that case, I refuse."

Ophelia was an abandoned child.

The church took her in after her parents left her and raised her as a nun. Though she hadn't become a nun of her own free will, she held no complaints.

It wasn't hard to imagine what would have become of her if the church hadn't taken her in.

But having no complaints didn't mean her life in the church was peaceful.

The strict, arduous daily routines and the military-like discipline born from the cloistered environment were difficult for even her to endure.

Nevertheless, Ophelia faithfully carried out her duties.

After several years of this, she became known within the church as one of the most devout nuns and was even chosen by the Goddess as a Saint Candidate.

Ophelia couldn't understand the Goddess's intentions.

It made sense, considering she didn't truly worship any god.

That wasn't to say she had no faith at all.

Having lived half her life in the church, she had about as much faith as anyone else.

It was just that her faith was far from sufficient to be chosen as a Saint Candidate.

But now, she could finally guess the Goddess's will.

'She was testing me...'

The outside world, unlike the church, was filled with delightful things.

Delicious ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠food, entertainment like plays, and beautiful scenery.

Exposed to all sorts of stimulating things, she couldn't suppress the desires she had held back for so long.

She had failed to follow the teachings to distance herself from worldly things.

The result was her current situation.

The disappointed Goddess had stripped her of her status as a Saint Candidate.

'What do I do now...?'

If a nun who had been chosen as a Saint Candidate was suddenly stripped of her title, what kind of rumors would spread? They certainly wouldn't be good ones. And how would her fellow nuns react upon hearing them?

Ophelia recalled the nuns who would relieve their stress by tormenting the younger sisters. Her face turned deathly white.

'I'll be tormented for the rest of my life...!'

Ophelia shuddered.

On the way to the church, Cloud had told her not to worry, but she didn't believe him. Her parents had said the same thing when they abandoned her.

'Should I just grab onto his leg and beg...?'

Should she forget all her pride and cling to his leg, begging him not to abandon her? Just as Ophelia was seriously considering it...

Creeak.

The door to the Archbishop's office opened, and Cloud stepped out.

Before she could say anything after their eyes met...

"Sir Hero, I look forward to working with you."

Bella linked her arm with Cloud's, acting coquettishly. Seeing this, Ophelia hung her head, defeated.

This is... hopeless.

Just as Ophelia resigned herself to her fate and squeezed her eyes shut, a sharp smack! echoed, and the back of her head stung.

"What are you doing? Let's go."

Ophelia rubbed the stinging spot and looked up. Cloud was standing right in front of her. Her eyes widened as she glanced to the side.

Bella was standing there, looking bewildered.

"Huh? What is this...? Hmm?"

Seeing Ophelia's confusion, Cloud shot her a look of pity.

"...Maybe I should just replace you after all."

"!! No! To think I dared to doubt you, Sir Hero! My faith was lacking! Neria and Eri must be waiting, so let's go!"

She hastily grabbed Cloud's arm and pulled him along. Cloud still looked at her as if she were pathetic, but Ophelia, drenched in the euphoria of her salvation, didn't notice.

However, that euphoria didn't last long.

"Excuse me. Are you by any chance Sir Hero Cloud?"

An elderly nun with a wrinkled face blocked their path. Ophelia gasped when she saw her and quickly hid behind Cloud.

Cloud let out a deep sigh.

His expression hardened as he looked at the nun.

"I have already expressed my refusal to the Archbishop. I have no intention of reversing this decision, so please give up and return."

"...This old woman does not know what you are talking about. I have simply come as the Mother Superior of the convent to see Ophelia, who has returned after a long time."

"Is that really all?"

"It is. If it's not too much trouble, could you tell this old woman what it is that worries you, Sir Hero?"

"...It's nothing. If you only wish to talk, I have no right to stop you."

Cloud stepped aside to allow them to speak freely.

"Thank you, Sir Hero."

The Mother Superior bowed her head in gratitude for his consideration. Then, clearing her throat, she faced Ophelia.

"Ahem, it's been a long time, Ophelia. Have you been well..."

The Mother Superior's eyes went wide.

The sight of this stern-faced woman with her eyes wide open was slightly comical, but she was in no state to maintain her composure.

"O-Ophelia? What is that attire? What is that utterly lewd getup?!"

The Mother Superior was pointing at the side slit and the opening on the chest of Ophelia's nun's habit.

Ophelia broke into a cold sweat and tried to explain.

"Th-this was unavoidable. The standard habit was unsuitable for combat."

"..."

The Mother Superior pointed to the opening that exposed the upper part of her chest.

"This is, uh... it gets very sweaty..."

"What a ridiculous excuse! Have you been parading around calling yourself a Saint Candidate while dressed like that?!"

"N-no, I wasn't exactly parading..."

"Silence! What right do you have to mumble excuses while dressed so indecently?! It's a miracle no scandals have started with you looking like that. This won't do. I might have ignored it if I hadn't seen it, but I can't let this go now that I have. Follow me. That loose mind of yours! I will fix it for you."

"W-what?!"

"Sir Hero, my apologies, but may I take Ophelia for some education? I won't keep her long. Ten days should be sufficient."

"What does this education entail?"

"Nothing special. She will simply pray for ten days straight."

Ophelia jumped in shock at the Mother Superior's words.

What she called "prayer" was ten days of prayer in name only. In reality, they didn't let you sleep and gave you only the bare minimum of food and water. For ten days, you were forced to do nothing but pray.

'I have to do that again?'

The hair on Ophelia's head stood on end.

She tried to make an excuse to get out of it, but...

"Prayer? That's great. I was just getting worried that Ophelia's faith might be weakening, since I haven't seen her pray much lately."

"Sir Hero?!"

"What? Am I wrong? You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even skip grace before meals sometimes."

"No, that's...!"

Ophelia couldn't hide her sense of injustice at Cloud's words. What was the reason she sometimes forgot to say grace?

Wasn't it because of Cloud, who worked her to the bone in dungeons without even giving her time to eat?

Ophelia still remembered it vividly.

After a grueling battle, when she suggested they pray before eating, she was met with the icy glares of Neria and Eri.

And didn't Cloud just ignore her and start eating?

Having to pray while being watched like that, she had started to forget sometimes...!

But Ophelia was given no time to make her case.

"You don't say grace...? You don't pray?!"

The Mother Superior's eyes rolled back as she foamed at the mouth. Before Ophelia could even protest, she grabbed her by the hair.

"Aahk?! M-Mother Superior?! Please, let go of my hair! We can talk this out!"

"Shut up. You don't even have the right to speak. Prepare to be whipped all night!"

"Wh-whipped?!"

The Mother Superior's rod of love, a punishment reserved only for the most wicked of the rule-breaking nuns.

They called it a rod, but it was actually a small iron club embedded with tiny spikes.

The Mother Superior would use this club to beat their buttocks mercilessly. Whether the flesh tore and blood flowed, or bones broke, the beating would not stop.

After all, didn't they have the Goddess's great blessing, `Heal`?

There was no escaping until the scheduled discipline was complete.

While Ophelia was freaking out with a pale face, Cloud, who didn't know the reality of the situation, let out a sigh.

"You're that old and still scared of a whipping?"

"You don't understand, Sir Hero! The Mother Superior's rod is... Mmph?!"

"Sir Hero. I will now take my leave to impart some teachings to this foolish Saint Candidate."

"Yes. Please teach her properly. And hit her with the rod as much as possible."

"Mmph! Mmph!!!"

"You stay quiet! Now then..."

The Mother Superior clamped one hand over Ophelia's mouth and dragged her away by the hair with the other. The smooth, practiced way she moved suggested she was very used to this.

Cloud watched them go with a brief smile, then glanced back.

His icy gaze was fixed on the Archbishop's office.

In the Archbishop's office, long after the Hero had left.

"You said you were certain, didn't you? I came all this way trusting your word, and you made it a wasted trip?"

"I-I apologize."

A mere nun was scolding the Archbishop.

Such an unbelievable scene was unfolding. But to them, this was normal.

Because the nun was no mere nun, and the Archbishop was no devout Archbishop.

One was a demon, the other a traitor.

"I truly did not know the Hero would have forgiven the Saint Candidate. I thought he only accepted her because he had no replacement..."

"Or maybe he saw through your bullshit about changing the Saint Candidate from the start."

"The Hero said he refused because he dislikes pink hair, but..."

"You believe that crap? It was obviously just a random excuse to refuse! He saw through the nonsense that you could change the Saint Candidate! I mean, how could you possibly change a candidate hand-picked by the Goddess? It's something you'd realize with a moment's thought. This was a flimsy plan that relied on the Hero's sentimentality from the beginning."

"...I apologize."

The Archbishop bowed his head.

Seeing this, the nun clicked her tongue softly.

"Just do your job properly. Especially the matter with the prince. If you screw that up, it will disrupt our grand cause. You know... what will happen to you if such a misfortune occurs, don't you?"

A murky energy flowed from the nun, pressing down on the Archbishop's body. He couldn't even dream of pushing it back. All he could do was bow his head as low as possible.

"I-I will do my utmost!"

"Show me with results. Results."

With those words, the nun turned her back on the Archbishop.

She left the office and walked down the corridor.

Her steps were heavy with irritation.

'Dammit. Nothing is going right.'

The subordinates she had sent to retrieve the Behemoth's soul were out of contact, and her plan to infiltrate Cloud's suddenly prominent party had failed.

Just as the nun was scratching at her hair, which felt particularly awkward today, she realized something was wrong.

'...Why is it so quiet?'

Even if the sun had set, she should have been able to hear the sounds of patrols. But right now, there was nothing.

Clack, clack.

Nothing, except for the sound of footsteps from the opposite corridor.

From the edge of the darkness, where the torchlight didn't reach, Cloud emerged.

Seeing him, the nun forced a smile.

"Sir Hero? What brings you back? Did you perhaps have a change of heart?"

Cloud didn't answer.

He simply looked her up and down with an admiring expression.

"Looking again, you're flawless. You look completely human."

"...What are you talking about?"

The nun maintained her smile, tensing her body to attack at a moment's notice.

"Stop acting. I know everything. You're a demon, aren't you? The same kind as those octopus-things I saw loitering around the Behemoth's corpse, right? You smell similar."

The nun's face hardened into an icy mask.

"You know Kchala and Knella?"

"Yeah."

"What did you do to them?"

"I asked them what I wanted to know, and then I killed them."

Cloud drew his sword.

"I have a lot of questions for you, too."