Chapter 266: Me...? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 266: Me...? (2)
A flurry of question marks filled Alon’s mind.
The reason was, quite naturally, the word Yuman had just uttered.
‘Hidden Saint...?’ Alon thought. ‘What on earth is a Hidden Saint?’
First of all, Alon had no idea what the term meant.
Furthermore, he had no clue why Yuman was calling him that.
It was only natural. The term "Hidden Saint" never appeared in the original story of Psychedelia.
The best he could do was guess. Since it contained the word "Saint," it was likely something similar to one.
“...”
Alon stared at Yuman in silence. The man’s eyes were still brimming with profound faith.
‘I figured he was under some ridiculous misunderstanding.’
He had expected as much. It had happened before, and he had tried to clear the air then, too.
...Of course, he hadn't succeeded because Yuman had simply nodded along with an "I understand everything" attitude.
Even so, Alon never imagined that the misunderstanding would persist until now.
‘Is this why he’s been so kind to me all this time?’
Realizing the reason behind Yuman’s hospitality—even going so far as to call him "brother"—Alon pondered how to handle the situation.
Actually, there wasn't much to ponder. Though he had received a great deal of help from Yuman, he couldn't just play along now that he knew the man was mistaken.
He could have continued to feign ignorance and accept the kindness, but Alon found such situations uncomfortable.
Thus, Alon calmly cleared his throat.
“Saint Yuman.”
“Speak, brother.”
“I’m sorry, but I am not the ‘Hidden Saint’ you speak of.”
He spoke with a hint of firmness.
“...Pardon?”
Yuman’s expression went blank for a moment.
Alon hadn't intended to mislead him, but seeing that face made his conscience prickle slightly.
“It is as I said. I don’t know what part of me led you to this conclusion, but I am not the person you think I am.”
Alon stated the fact clearly and concisely once more.
Having finished his piece, he awkwardly averted his gaze. The atmosphere had become incredibly stifling.
After a moment of silence...
“I see.”
Yuman, who had been staring intently at Alon, bowed his head as if he finally understood.
“My apologies.”
“Yes...?”
“This... I was far too reckless.”
“Is that so?”
Yuman accepted his mistake with surprising grace and no sign of agitation. Alon felt a wave of relief wash over him.
‘I suppose he really is a Saint. He doesn’t blame others for his own misunderstandings.’
Usually, when people realize they’ve been mistaken, they either get angry or things become incredibly awkward. Admiring the man for truly living up to his title, Alon listened as Yuman continued.
“Indeed, I was in the wrong. No matter how urgent the situation, I should not have asked you to break your covenant with the Goddess.”
“...?”
Hearing the Saint’s next words, Alon realized something had gone horribly wrong.
“Forgive me. Due to my own selfish emotions, I misspoke and asked you to betray the vow you have kept until now. It was my failing.”
Yuman bowed politely. Alon stood there dazed for a moment before hurrying to straighten the man up.
“...No. Brother, please, raise your head.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Alon tried to reveal the truth again, desperate to clear the misunderstanding.
“More importantly, as I keep telling you, I am not something like a Hidden Saint.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Saint Yuman?”
“Yes.”
“I am not a Hidden Saint.”
“I know. I was reckless.”
“...”
Seeing Yuman simply smile and nod, Alon felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘I feel like I’ve experienced something very similar to this before...’
It was as if Yuman was saying, “Ah, right, right. That was your cover story, wasn’t it? Sorry, I’ll play along.”
‘Ah.’
Alon realized it. This was exactly like what happened with Magrina.
Alon sighed as he thought of her, but...
“Brother. But surely, you could at least meet with Her?”
“...”
Faced with a misunderstanding that seemed impossible to resolve, Alon eventually gave in.
“...Fine.”
He nodded quietly.
* * *
The following day, after their conversation.
Alon headed toward the Room of the Holy Spirit to fulfill Yuman’s request.
“Ah! You’ve arrived, brother.”
“Yes, Saint Yuman. But who are these people...?”
Several people were already gathered near the Room of the Holy Spirit.
“They are the Cardinals of Rosario.”
“...I see.”
“Yes. It seems they wished to confirm your entry into the room personally.”
Alon looked at the five Cardinals.
“...”
Seeing their uniformly sour expressions, Alon realized two things.
First, he was not a particularly welcome guest.
He was puzzled for a moment, but the reason soon became clear.
‘Is it because of the rumors?’
Excluding Yuman, who mistook him for a Hidden Saint, Alon was currently rumored to be the Lightning Receiver, an Apostle of Kalanon, or even a god himself.
In other words, from the Cardinals' perspective, it was as if a god of a foreign heresy was entering their most sacred sanctuary. It was only natural they would look at him that way.
And the second thing he realized was...
‘...I don’t recognize any of these Cardinals.’
The faces of the Rosario Cardinals were entirely unfamiliar.
In Psychedelia, the corrupt Cardinals of Rosario appeared as enemies of the protagonist. Because of that, Alon knew most of their faces.
‘This isn't a bad thing for Rosario.’
Alon genuinely felt relieved that Rosario seemed to be purging itself. Just looking at how they were wary of him proved it. Even if these men were corrupt in their own way, they had to be better than the original bunch.
As Alon stood in a silent standoff with the Cardinals...
“You’re a bit late.”
“We are late.”
The door opened, and Yutia and Sergius walked in. The two of them blended in among the Cardinals.
“Then, I leave it to you.”
As if he had been waiting for this, Yuman opened the door to the room.
A rare look of reluctance crossed Alon’s face. With so many Cardinals gathered here, it would be incredibly embarrassing if nothing happened once he entered the Room of the Holy Spirit.
‘Last time, it reacted when I used magic, so I should try that again.’
Alon forced his heavy feet to move.
The interior of the room he had seen years ago came into view. It was a room crafted from pure white marble, as if it wouldn't permit a single speck of dust.
In the very center stood a massive statue of the Goddess Sironia.
Approaching it, Alon cleared his throat and spoke just as he had before.
“Detection.”
He cast the spell through the magic Phrase.
However...
“...”
The statue didn't budge.
‘As I thought.’
While Alon stared at the statue feeling awkward, Sergius, who was watching from outside the room, clutched his throbbing head.
It wasn't because of the situation before him, but because of his recent, grueling schedule.
Cardinals were busy by nature, but Sergius was on another level. The cause, of course, was Yutia.
The personal tasks she assigned him had increased to the point where he had no time to rest. Of course, Yutia would smile and say, “You can rest if you’re tired,” but how could he?
He couldn't tell if she meant he should take a short break or if she was telling him to rest in peace eternally.
To make matters worse, Yutia had been even more terrifying lately. She would be focused on something alone, then suddenly smile as if she were in a great mood, only to have her face contort into a hideous scowl a moment later. At other times, she would pout her cheeks, looking strangely dissatisfied.
To an outsider, she looked like she was suffering from severe mood swings.
Sergius had always tried his best not to cross Yutia, but he instinctively felt that now, more than ever, he needed to keep his head down.
Just then.
“Sigh—”
A deep sigh came from beside him.
Sergius felt goosebumps erupt all over his body as he looked at Yutia. Her face, which had been glowing with joy at meeting the Count of Palatio, had turned cold as ice.
Then.
Her blood-red eyes flashed.
“...I should have just crushed them from the start—”
The moment a tiny murmur escaped her lips—one so quiet even Sergius standing right next to her couldn't catch it—
Whooooosh!
Light began to pour from the statue inside the Room of the Holy Spirit.
* * *
Lately, Hidan had been living a fairly comfortable life.
It was because the Great Moon had returned.
When the news of his death first arrived, it felt like being struck by lightning. His workload had increased exponentially, and he had suffered greatly. Because of that, his current leisurely life felt all the sweeter.
At any rate, enjoying that leisure, he moved a bit more slowly than usual.
He was on his way to Rosario to report on the task Yutia had given him when he witnessed a bizarre sight.
It was a group of Lizardmen and Elves together.
Hidan marveled at the unexpected combination. Weren't they supposed to fight to the death just by looking at each other?
But even then, Hidan didn't realize he was about to witness something even more bizarre.
“I told you... to let go.”
Hearing a commotion, Hidan looked down. There, he saw a familiar face and a man.
It was the Golden Moon and the man with inverted eyes.
Before he could even wonder why they were here—
“You let go.”
“No, you let go.”
“I told you to let go, didn't I?”
“You let go first.”
Hidan’s jaw dropped at the scene unfolding before him.
The two of them were clutching each other’s hair, foreheads pressed together, growling and hurling insults at one another.
“You want me to pluck every hair out of your head?”
“I’ll pluck every single hair off your tail.”
Overwhelming bloodlust radiated from their bodies, but because their behavior was so utterly pathetic...
“...”
Hidan gave up on trying to understand the situation and simply stared in silent shock.