The Manifestation of the Stigma
The carriage rattled and jolted as it sped down the main road. This place hasn't changed a bit.
Pure white floors. Pure white buildings. Everything unified in one color, making the entire city look like a single massive structure. How did people even live in a place like this...? Simply staring at a city painted entirely white felt like it could drive a person insane.
This was the Holy Kingdom. The place where the Pope lived, and towering above the ancient Delphi ruins—known as the center of the world—stood the Cosmos Cathedral, the first grand cathedral.
The Cosmos Cathedral asserted its presence even from afar. The spire atop the main hall seemed ready to pierce the heavens. Reflecting sunlight to emit a soft ivory glow, it created a mystical atmosphere. No matter how many times one saw it, the building was truly beautiful.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Cosmos Cathedral.
“Let’s get off.”
The carriage door opened by itself. Someone had opened it from outside. Louis stepped down first, and I slowly followed after him.
“Eek…?”
The sight that greeted me the moment I disembarked made me flinch. Knights clad in pure white armor stood in long rows along both sides of the path. They were making an enormous fuss just to welcome one person.
Escorted by the hero, we headed toward the cathedral entrance.
“Welcome.”
A man in red clerical robes waited at the entrance. It was a face I had seen before. We were not close, but I had encountered him each time the Saintess had an audience. Probably… the cardinal…
“I am Cardinal Zikbelt.”
Yes, that was the name. I brought both hands together over my chest and offered a light bow. It was the customary greeting of the Heavenly God faith.
“Hello, I am Elia.”
“You must be exhausted from the long journey. Please, come inside first.”
I followed Zikbelt into the Cosmos Cathedral.
“Huuu…”
The instant I stepped inside, my body trembled. An overwhelming holy power beyond imagination enveloped me. I had not sensed it on previous visits, but now that I could handle holy power, I felt the potent energy flowing through the entire cathedral like air itself.
“Hahaha, it seems you were quite startled?”
Zikbelt smiled gently.
“Everyone reacts that way the first time they come here. When I first set foot in this place, I was so surprised I fell backward.”
He began recounting old stories about the Cosmos Cathedral. I listened with one ear and let it pass through the other. Sorry as I was to him for seeming to enjoy the tale, I had no interest. Treating Zikbelt’s voice as white noise, I looked around the cathedral’s interior.
“Whoa…”
The chapel we reached after walking the long corridor was magnificent. Its high arched ceiling and pillars thick as a giant’s legs. The colorful stained glass sparkled beautifully beneath the sunlight.
Though I had visited the cathedral before, this was my first time exploring it at leisure.
Tap. Tap.
The footsteps of three people echoed across the chapel’s silence. It sounded like a gentle lullaby.
“We have brought her.”
We had arrived at the altar before the chapel. Two people waited there. One was Leod, the holy knight who had come for me last time. The other was an old man lighting candles on a silver candelabra.
“Welcome. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
The old man wore a benevolent smile. His mysterious golden eyes turned toward me. It was the Pope. He had become a complete old geezer. Since he had been around my age in my previous life, he must be well over ninety now. His back was slightly bent, yet he stood firmly on his own two feet and looked remarkably healthy. His mind seemed sharp too. It was truly impressive that at his age he had neither dementia nor accidents on the walls.
“You have worked hard as well, Hero.”
“I only did what was necessary.”
The Pope exchanged light greetings with the hero before slowly approaching me.
“Thank you for coming all this way once again. When I sent the holy knight last time, you refused so firmly that I expected you to refuse again.”
“I will simply prove that I am not the Saintess and return immediately.”
It was the truth. If the woman mentioned in the oracle was not me, I would enlist in the imperial army at once. This was something I had already told Louis on the way to the Holy Kingdom.
“I understand.”
The Pope nodded. Unexpected. I had thought he would cling to me persistently whether I was the Saintess or not. It was a bit awkward for me to say, but I possessed excellent abilities as a cleric as well. The holy knight had seen it himself, so they would know. Therefore, I had assumed that once I arrived in the Holy Kingdom they would keep me here by any means, Saintess or not.
I had not expected such a clean response. Of course, it was welcome from my perspective. If they had tried to detain me by any means, I had been ready to force my way out even if it meant using violence.
“We have prepared everything in advance. Please follow me.”
The place we reached following the Pope was a prayer room behind the chapel.
“Please take this.”
“A needle?”
What the Pope handed me was a sharp needle.
“Inside you will find the holy grail filled with wine. Use this needle to add a drop of your blood to the wine, take a sip, and the oracle’s result will appear.”
“By any chance…”
Just before entering the prayer room, I paused with my hand on the doorknob and looked back.
“You haven’t done any strange tricks, have you?”
I narrowed my eyes. I trusted the Pope. But the Papal Court was another matter. Not all of them, but among the clergy affiliated with it were several greedy ones, so it was possible someone might try to use this opportunity for political gain.
“How could that be?”
I had been looking not at the Pope but at the cardinal behind him. Yet the Pope answered.
“I prepared everything from beginning to end by myself. The only thing added to the wine is my prayer, so you may drink with peace of mind.”
“Yes… I’ll trust you.”
Creeeeak.
I opened the door and stepped inside. The prayer room was truly small. It could fit about two people. A wall stood behind me and a window in front allowed one to look up at the sky. Beneath the sunlight streaming through the window stood what appeared to be the holy grail.
A metal cup. Its design was simple, far from ornate. Yet strong holy power radiated from it, proving it a sacred artifact.
I lifted the holy grail with both hands.
Sniff sniff. The sweet yet tart aroma of wine rose.
In the Heavenly God faith, wine was also called holy blood. They claimed it was the blood of the Heavenly God.
I set the grail down.
…I’m getting nervous for no reason.
I pricked the index finger of my left hand with the needle. Along with a sting, a red droplet of blood formed like dew at the fingertip.
Drip.
I dropped a single drop of blood onto the wine. At first there was no change. It seemed this alone could not serve as proof.
I lifted the grail once more with both hands. My face reflected in the wine. As always, my pretty face was filled with tension.
What if… what if I really was the Saintess? I had not thought about that yet. If I were the Saintess, the Papal Court would never let me go. They would pursue me relentlessly even if I fled. And even if I somehow entered the imperial army, if the Pope spoke to the emperor, there was no telling what might happen.
That would be troublesome.
Still, since I had already come this far. If I was going to confirm it, I might as well do it quickly. It was not me anyway. The woman of the oracle must exist separately. The Sword Saint from my previous life reincarnating as the Saintess? That made no sense.
Hmm, hmm.
Nodding to myself, I brought my lips to the grail. My soft lips clung tightly to the cold metal.
“…Gulp.”
I took a sip of the wine. The sweet fragrance bloomed inside me. Where the sweetness faded, a tart weight pressed on my tongue. It was an ordinarily delicious wine.
“Mmm…”
I returned the grail to its place.
“Hmm…”
I waited quietly, staring blankly.
One second. One minute. No change occurred even as time passed. Which meant…!
“See? I told you it wasn’t me.”
I raised the grail like a toast and drank every drop of wine left inside. I could not remember the last time I had tasted wine. There had been chances at the convent, but Sister Bertina had stopped me, saying I was still too young. Heh heh, even though my soul was that of a grandfather over seventy.
I left the prayer room.
“Nothing happened at all.”
I smiled as I looked at the Pope.
“Now we shall confirm the stigma.”
“…Pardon?”
“Then, I ask for your cooperation.”
At some point four nuns who had been waiting outside the prayer room surrounded me.
“Please come with us.”
“W-wait a moment…!”
“This way.”
I was seized by the nuns and dragged away. The place we arrived at was a guest bedroom in the cathedral’s annex.
“W-why here…?”
I blinked at the nuns.
“Please remove your clothes.”
“What? Remove them?”
“If you take everything off, we will check whether the stigma has manifested.”
“No, no! Why take off my clothes?”
“The Saintess’s stigma manifests somewhere on the body. It could appear on the shoulder, or on the back.”
“We will help you undress.”
The nuns began removing my clothes.
“W-wait…! Kyaaaaa…!”
I let out a girlish scream. Even as I resisted, the nuns carefully yet firmly stripped me. Not only the saintess uniform but even my underwear. Left naked, I covered my chest and groin with my hands. I really had not expected them to make me take everything off.
“W-what is this behavior…!”
I burst out in anger. However, the nuns clasped their hands with faces filled with reverence.
“Saintess…”
One nun spoke in a trembling voice.
“What… Hey… That’s ridiculous…”
I waved my hand. Then one nun brought a full-length mirror.
In the mirror stood a girl with fair skin, her face flushed red. And.
On the smooth lower abdomen, a vivid red butterfly-like crest had appeared.