The Eyes That See the Heart
Evan narrowed his eyes at the old man smiling warmly and raised his guard another notch. "How do you know my name?"
"I received a revelation."
"Don't spout bullshit."
When Evan snarled, the paladins stiffened and moved to step forward again. But the old man blocked them and roared.
"Stand down! Who do you think you're drawing weapons in front of!"
"But..."
"You idiots!"
He struck the protesting knights with his staff. A light smack rang out, yet the men screamed as they collapsed, clawing at the ground.
"Urgh... Aaaagh!!"
"Shh. Isn't it noisy? I'm trying to have a conversation here."
"Grk... ugh...!"
At the single word noisy, the knights crawling on the floor bit their lips until they bled and swallowed their screams.
It shouldn't be a holy relic. In the instant the old man swung the staff, Evan had felt divinity, but it belonged to the old man himself. It hadn't flowed from the staff like the Holy Spear.
"Urgh...!"
The old man approached the knight who kept groaning through tears, unable to endure the pain. He looked down at the man groveling on the ground with a pitying gaze.
"Does it hurt?"
"F-forgive me! Your Eminence! I overstepped...!"
"Yes, at least you know that much."
The old man slowly raised his staff toward the knight's head. As the blunt end drew near, the knight trembled violently and begged for mercy.
"F-forgiveness! Your Eminence! Please, have mercy...!"
The way he shook, as if the staff were a branding iron fresh from the fire, was no act.
"The fact that you fear this is proof your training is still lacking."
The moment the tip of the staff touched the knight's forehead without a sound, the man foamed at the mouth, gagged, rolled his eyes back, and fainted on the spot.
"Pathetic. Remove him."
"Yes, Your Eminence."
The priests behind him rushed forward and carried the unconscious knight away. The Cardinal turned back to Evan, bowed his head, and apologized.
"There was a disturbance, Lord Evan. Please forgive me."
Evan frowned, unable to understand what the Cardinal was doing.
"Do you not know who I am?"
"Are you referring to the title Abaddon's Devil? Of course I know it."
He knows, yet he still cut his own forces? It made even less sense. The man couldn't simply be insane. The position of Cardinal wasn't won by playing rock-paper-scissors.
"It's a false reputation created by those who have never seen the true devil."
"You speak as if you've seen one."
"Yes. I have seen a mass of malice that more than deserves the name."
For the first time, the old man's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, expressionless mask. But when he looked at Evan again, the gentle smile returned as if it had never left.
"Lord Evan, you are not that."
"What makes you so sure? Do you know how many humans I've killed?"
"I do not."
He answered boldly, then added, "But without needing to check, I'm certain they were people who deserved to die."
"...Are you insane?"
"Hoho, I've heard that many times. People worry that after a lifetime of hunting heretics, my own mind has become tainted. But no."
It sounds right, though.
"Do you have any more questions, Lord Evan?"
"...I asked how you knew my name."
"I told you it was a revelation... Or perhaps, do you suffer from memory impairment? What a pity."
Evan was at a loss. This old man is serious.
It wasn't sarcasm. He was genuinely concerned for Evan.
"Once we reach the Holy Kingdom, I'll search for the most skilled healers available."
"Shut up. I remember everything."
"Ah, so you simply didn't believe me. I understand. That's fortunate. It seems your mind is perfectly sound, Lord Evan."
My perfectly sound mind feels like it's about to snap because of you.
Evan let out a long sigh. For whatever reason, this insane Cardinal was favorably disposed toward him. It could still be an act, but Evan's instincts told him otherwise.
"Why did you chase this child?"
"That was also because of a revelat—"
"Do you want to die, Cardinal?"
"Hmm. I understand it's difficult for me to earn your trust. To explain in more detail..."
He nodded, completely unperturbed by the murderous threat, and continued.
"The revelation said that if I followed the child, I would be able to meet you. I had no intention of harming her."
"That's a lie!"
The voice that interrupted the old man belonged to Natasha, who had been cradled in Iris's arms until now.
"These people hurt Uncle! They hit him with that staff! I saw it, so I chased them to catch them too!"
"Hmm, those words are easily misunderstood... If I had truly tried to capture the child, would she have been able to flee all the way here?"
"......"
"As for the coachman, I restrained him but did not injure him. I merely put him to sleep for a moment. There may have been some pain, but I swear on my position there will be no lasting effects."
The old man's words rang true.
With priests and knights capable of body-strengthening prayers, it's impossible they couldn't catch Natasha.
Evan hadn't checked on the coachman, but there was no reason to tell an easily exposed lie.
Still, he couldn't shake the strange unease he felt toward the Cardinal before him. The man smiled constantly and showed impeccable courtesy—far beyond Alphonse and even surpassing Rowena. It wasn't simply the unexplained goodwill that bothered him. With Iris, he'd felt confusion and disbelief, but not this particular discomfort.
"I will answer anything within my ability, so please ask whatever you wish, Lord Evan."
"...Why are you showing me goodwill? Is it because of that revelation you've been babbling about?"
"No."
"......No?"
"Correct. My attitude has nothing to do with the revelation. While I can't say there's zero connection, the revelation is only one of the reasons."
Evan's face twisted. "Stop talking in circles and answer me. Why are you showing me goodwill?"
The Cardinal slowly raised his eyelids, which had been covering three-quarters of his eyes. The moment the old man opened them fully, Evan realized most of his divinity was concentrated there. Without it, the man seemed to possess even less divine power than Rowena.
"It is a type of holy prayer known as the Mind's Eye. Even in the Holy Kingdom, only a handful of people have ever mastered it."
"I don't know what kind of prayer it is, but I can tell it doesn't seem very efficient."
"Indeed. Not only are those with the aptitude rare, but even those who possess it tend to avoid learning it because of its nature."
The old man met Evan's gaze with eyes brimming with divinity.
"The Mind's Eye has only one effect: it allows the user to see the true heart of another."
"What am I thinking right now?"
"'Has this crazy old man gone senile?' Is that what you're thinking?"
"......"
"For the record, that was not the power of the Mind's Eye. It doesn't work that way, so please don't worry."
He paused, seeming to search for the right words, then continued.
"Waves... light... scenery... I don't know how best to describe it, but I call it looking into the contours of a life."
"So you saw my heart with those eyes and decided to show me goodwill?"
"That's correct."
As if in admiration, the old man offered Evan another warm smile.
And in that smile, Evan finally understood why the Cardinal's constant friendliness felt so unpleasant.
"...Does that answer your question?"
"I have a few more."
"Ask as many as you like. I will answer."
"What do you think of the things you did to meet me?"
The Cardinal let out a low hum. It sounded like he didn't understand why the question was being asked, or perhaps like he found the question itself difficult to comprehend.
At last he answered.
"I don't think anything of them. I simply did what needed to be done."
"Including capturing the coachman, chasing this child, and punishing the knights?"
"If my actions displeased you, I sincerely apologize."
The old man's voice carried not a trace of falsehood. And because it was so clearly genuine, Evan no longer saw any point in speaking with him.
"You are a madman, Cardinal."
"...Have I offended you? If you tell me what the problem is, I will correct it."
"Everything. From start to finish."
Evan no longer hid his disgust. "Cardinal."
"Speak."
"Is it fun living as a slave to the Mind's Eye?"
For the first time, the smile completely vanished from the face looking at Evan.
As the old man remained silent, Evan spoke coldly.
"I don't know what this revelation is or how you knew to meet me at exactly this moment, but I have no intention of going with any of you."
"That is unfortunate."
"Unfortunate? Are you going to try dragging me there by force?"
"I can only earnestly beg you to reconsider and wait here. After all, the one entrusted with escorting you to the Holy Kingdom is not Rowena, but myself."
Though the words were polite, the meaning beneath them was little more than a childish threat. If Evan refused to come willingly, it would not be an invitation but an invasion.
"It would be fine if someone higher than a Cardinal gave permission."
"If you mean the Saintess, unfortunately she is currently unable to distinguish right from wrong and cannot represent the Holy Kingdom."
"That's pointless advice. I wasn't talking about the Saintess."
Evan turned away from the unpleasant Cardinal and looked up at the sky.
...It should be here soon.
Swoosh—!
A massive shadow plummeted from the sky. Just before slamming into the ground, it unleashed a tremendous storm, slowed, and landed lightly.
Boom—!
The person gripping the dragon's horn leaped down lightly. He spat out the Holy Spear he'd been holding in his teeth and spun it skillfully in one hand, catching it properly.
"It's been a while, Cardinal Diocasan."
The person who should be respected in the Holy Kingdom after the Pope and the Saintess. The master of a holy relic.
"...Hero."
"From now on, speak with me."