Chapter 89: Sironia, God of the Moon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Sironia, God of the Moon
Alon knew all about Cardinal Sergius.
In fact, it was impossible not to know him.
When playing Psychedelia, Sergius was one of the primary villains encountered upon arriving in the Holy Kingdom. He was the character who first revealed the depths of the Holy Kingdom's corruption to the player.
Alon was already well aware that Sergius held significant power within Rosario and possessed an incredibly eccentric, volatile personality.
In the game, Sergius had once framed dozens of innocent believers for "heresy" and executed them simply because they had dared to defy his word.
In short, Alon knew Sergius was a sociopathic piece of trash. Which made the current situation incredibly surreal.
"Yes, so, if you move this way... yes, exactly. Just follow this path. Once the Chief Cardinal arrives—"
Sergius was currently explaining the situation while frantically reading Alon’s expression. It was awkward in more ways than one.
I expected meeting him to be a headache, so I wanted to avoid him if possible.
Faced with this unexpected behavior, the question that had been nagging at Alon since earlier resurfaced.
...What on earth did she do to make him act like this?
Alon wasn't a fool; he knew Sergius was groveling because of Yutia, who was standing right behind him.
However, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't fathom why Sergius would be this terrified. In Psychedelia, Sergius might have been a corrupt villain, but he had clung to his pride until the very moment of his death.
And yet...
"..."
Alon subtly shifted his gaze toward Yutia, who was still standing in the distance with a bright, beaming smile. He directed his silent question toward her, but it was short-lived.
"Did... did you understand all of that...?"
At Cardinal Sergius’s follow-up question, Alon nodded.
"I understood everything, thanks to you."
"That is truly a relief."
"By the way, you don't need to use such formal language with me."
Despite Alon being a noble of Asteria, his counterpart was essentially the highest authority in the land, second only to the Pope and the Saint chosen by the Goddess herself.
In terms of rank, there was no reason for Sergius to speak so formally to Alon.
Alon had offered the suggestion out of courtesy, but...
"No, no, no, no, no, no—how could I possibly do that? We are merely messengers of the Gods; how could I be so bold?"
Sergius declined so many times Alon lost count. The sense of cognitive dissonance was overwhelming.
...Is this really the same villain who treated everyone like insects every time I met him in the game?
Alon recalled the Sergius from the game, who would casually drop lines like: 'I have never understood, then or now, why I must speak formally to lowly things who do not even believe in the Gods!'
Alon replied awkwardly, "Is that so?"
"Of course! Most certainly!"
Sergius let out a laugh that was painfully forced. Alon cleared his throat and spoke again.
"Anyway, thank you for being so attentive. You didn't have to come out and explain this personally, Cardinal."
"Not at all! As the administrator, this is naturally within my duties...!"
Alon knew that a high-ranking administrator wouldn't usually handle such trivial explanations, but he didn't press the issue and simply nodded.
"I see."
"Yes, yes—"
Sergius bowed his head. Watching the corrupt Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom groveling like a servant, Alon felt a spark of curiosity.
"By the way, are you and Cardinal Yutia quite close?"
Alon knew they probably weren't, but he asked just in case.
However...
"Of course, Teacher. Cardinal Sergius and I often share deep conversations about Lady Sironia."
It wasn't Sergius who answered, but Yutia.
"Isn't that right, Cardinal Sergius?"
Yutia asked with a radiant smile, as if seeking confirmation. Sergius froze for a split second before nodding his head like a madman.
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!! That is absolutely correct!!"
"Why are you nodding so violently? It makes it look like I'm making things up, and Teacher might think I'm strange."
"Ha... Hahahaha! Was I a bit awkward? My apologies. I simply wanted to express how close I am with Cardinal Yutia, and I suppose I got a bit over-enthusiastic...!!"
Sergius pleaded his case with desperate fervor.
"Right, right. Next time, just act like you usually do. You understand, don't you?"
"Yes, I understand...!"
"Relax. Just be comfortable."
"Yes!"
Sergius’s response was so sharp and disciplined he could have passed for a soldier. Satisfied, Yutia turned back to Alon and gave him a sweet smile.
"See? I told you we were close."
It felt exactly like watching a group of bullies and their victim tell a teacher, "We're actually best friends!" but Alon had no choice but to play along.
"I see..."
Alon quietly nodded.
...He was reminded once again that Yutia was, after all, one of the Five Great Sins.
* * *
Immediately after the brief briefing on the title conferral ceremony with Sergius, Alon brought up a question he hadn't had the chance to ask the day before.
"Abyss Bodies...?"
"Yes. Do you know anything about them?"
He was asking about the information Deus had brought regarding the Abyss Bodies. Having heard that most of the Abyss Bodies circulating on the market had flowed into the Holy Kingdom, Alon wondered if Yutia knew anything.
"Hmm, I've heard of Abyss Bodies before... but I wasn't aware of that specific fact."
Yutia seemed to ponder for a moment before giving her answer.
"So you were aware of them?"
"Yes. Given the nature of their effects, it's hard not to be."
"Ah."
Alon let out a soft exclamation.
It made sense for the Holy Kingdom to take an interest in such items. Abyss Bodies and Abyss Pearls were objects that could grant a person divinity, however weak it might be.
To the Holy Kingdom of Rosario, such things were inherently heretical. It wasn't strange at all for Yutia to be aware of them.
"Since you've brought it to my attention, and since it would be a grave matter if someone in the Holy Kingdom were using Abyss Bodies, I'll look into it."
"I'd appreciate that."
"No need for thanks. This is something the Holy Kingdom must deal with regardless."
Yutia nodded and continued.
"Oh, and I think you'll be able to enter the Room of the Holy Spirit tomorrow, Teacher."
"...Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
Alon was internally stunned.
...To be honest, I thought I'd have to wait at least two weeks.
As far as he knew, even priests below the rank of Bishop had to wait a long time just to get permission to enter the Room of the Holy Spirit.
It was only natural. The Room of the Holy Spirit was a space that the Holy Kingdom itself had designated as a holy relic.
Alon had been prepared to wait patiently for a couple of weeks, so this was unexpected news.
...Of course, he didn't let it show on his face.
"You didn't overextend yourself, did you?"
"Not at all."
Watching Yutia speak with a smile, Alon felt a strange sense of unease.
...Recalling Sergius’s behavior from earlier, he asked one more time.
"Yutia."
"Yes, Teacher?"
"I'm asking just in case, but you didn't use any... improper methods for my sake, did you?"
He couldn't bring himself to say "violence" outright, so he phrased it delicately. Yutia replied with a faint smile.
"Of course not. Why would I do such a thing?"
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I just had a little 'talk' with them. Nothing happened that would worry you, so please, don't be concerned."
"..."
Alon simply nodded in response.
* * *
The following evening.
Alon followed Yutia deep into the Temple of Rosario, toward the Room of the Holy Spirit. There, in the inner sanctum...
"Cardinal Yutia."
"Good evening, Yuman."
They encountered a man. He was a young man in holy vestments, still possessing a lingering air of boyishness.
However, despite his youthful appearance, none of the holy knights or priests guarding the temple dared to look down on him.
Standing before Yutia and Alon with a dissatisfied expression, this man was the one hailed as the Saint of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.
He was the man personally chosen by the Goddess Sironia.
"..."
Yuman’s eyes shifted toward Count Palatio.
"...To bring a commoner who isn't even a believer into the Room of the Holy Spirit... you have gone too far."
His tone was laced with blatant hostility. Yet, Yutia maintained her smile.
"I believe the matter has already been settled by vote."
"Hah. Didn't you simply use your influence, Cardinal Yutia?"
"The vote was conducted transparently, as you well know, Saint."
"That's exactly why the vote itself—"
Yuman started to protest but bit his tongue. On the surface, as Yutia said, the entry of Count Palatio had been decided through a formal vote she had proposed.
Letting out a small sigh and scowling, Yuman spoke.
"...Acting in such a manner is not right, Cardinal Yutia."
"Thank you for your concern."
With that warning, Yuman shot a glare at Count Palatio before brushing past him.
...It seems I've been marked as an enemy.
Alon felt a bit uneasy at Yuman’s obvious hostility, but he soon shrugged it off.
Even if the Saint held a grudge, it wasn't particularly frightening. To be precise, Alon wasn't worried because he knew Yuman wasn't a cruel person.
Yuman was a strict, faith-based principled traditionalist, but his nature wasn't evil. In fact, he possessed a personality so fitting for a 'Saint' that if he were the protagonist of a game, players would probably curse him for being too much of a goody-two-shoes.
Thus, Alon reached the Room of the Holy Spirit with Yutia without further concern.
"I'll be waiting here, Teacher."
Alon stepped inside the room.
"...Oh."
He let out a soft exclamation of genuine admiration as he surveyed the interior.
The room was entirely clad in pure white marble, just as he remembered. But the reason for his awe was the statue of Goddess Sironia at the far end of the room.
The statue was massive, occupying more than half the space, and its sheer scale was enough to overwhelm anyone.
Normally, that statue should emit a brilliant light, allowing one to communicate with the Goddess.
But that was a privilege reserved for the original protagonist, Elivan, the Saint, or high-ranking bishops with immense faith.
...Wait, come to think of it, could even bishops or cardinals make the statue glow?
Alon recalled the setting that the intensity of the statue's light represented the strength of one's connection to the Goddess. Since it didn't really concern him, he pushed the thought aside.
"Phew."
To obtain the item he came for, Alon gathered a small amount of mana and formed a seal.
"Detection (感知)."
He chanted the Phrase.
The moment the magic began to manifest...
Vrooooooom—!!!
"?"
A brilliant, white light began to explode from the statue of the Goddess.
* * *
Yuman, one of only two Saints in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario and a man who enjoyed fervent support from the masses, did not like Count Palatio.
To be more precise, he had recently come to dislike him.
The Count had used his connections to enter the Room of the Holy Spirit despite not being a follower of Sironia. And he had done so through Cardinal Yutia, who was currently manipulating the Holy Kingdom by swaying the other Cardinals to her whim.
Yet, despite knowing this, the reason Yuman couldn't do anything was that the Goddess Sironia remained silent regarding Yutia.
Why does the Goddess allow her to act this way?
Yuman lamented briefly. But soon, he moved toward a specific room.
It was a tiny chamber adjacent to the Room of the Holy Spirit. It was a small confessional permitted only to Saints, and from there, one could peek into the Room of the Holy Spirit.
Worried that Count Palatio might steal something from the room full of relics, Yuman looked inside to keep watch.
"...Huh?"
A stunned sound escaped his lips as he stared at Count Palatio standing in the center of the room.
It was only natural. The statue of Goddess Sironia was radiating a brilliant, blinding light.
...A light far more ethereal and luminous than any Yuman had ever seen, even when he himself received the words of the Goddess.