The First Vassal
The first vassal. The headquarters of the Triune Faith’s central church in the imperial capital of Gracion. Deep beneath that grand edifice lay a secret space unknown to ordinary believers or low-ranking clergy.
It resembled an underground opera house, vast and lofty, with a high ceiling that seemed to swallow sound. At its center stood a stone table carved in the shape of an equilateral triangle—the sacred symbol of the Triune Faith. At each of the triangle’s three vertices rested an ornate marble cathedra, and in those seats sat their rightful owners.
One of them, a man with platinum hair swept back from his forehead without a single strand out of place, sharp and unyielding features, opened his mouth. His voice emerged low and bone-dry, as though all emotional inflection had been surgically removed.
At once, the woman opposite him—red hair tied in a careless knot and secured with a pencil, eyes half-lidded as if she had only just woken—slumped halfway across the table and let out a long, lazy yawn.
“Officially, they are asking whether the Church might release some of the donations collected to help restore the damage the Demon King’s army inflicted across the Empire.”
“Same thing.”
“It is not.”
“If it’s the Privy Council asking and not His Majesty, can’t we just ignore it?”
“We cannot.”
“Haa… I don’t want to drag this conversation out. Let’s drop it.”
The woman scrunched her face in clear disgust, waved her hand dismissively, then turned toward the third figure.
The man she had called ‘old man’ possessed skin so pale it was nearly translucent, veins of blue clearly visible beneath, and hair that had gone completely white. He offered a gentle, benevolent smile in response—yet because his left eye was a prosthetic, the expression took on an unsettling, almost grotesque quality.
“Then perhaps we should consider having the Secret Archives Chancellery shoulder a slightly larger share of the donation burden…”
“Instead of wasting time on jokes, can we please move to the next agenda? Sitting here chatting with you people is the most boring and tedious thing in the entire world.”
“Hehe, those are rather hurtful words to an old fellow like myself, Flamena.”
Even after that remark, the red-haired woman merely pretended to clean out her ear with a finger and continued to ignore him. The old man let out a short sigh and continued.
“The budget will be drawn up at the discretion of the Gospel Chancellery and then formally notified to the Sacred Condemnation Chancellery and the Secret Archives Chancellery. So we may proceed to the next item, Ohen.”
The stern-faced man called Ohen gave a small nod and turned the page of the thick stack of documents in his hand.
“Final item. A report of suspected heresy has been filed regarding a series of incidents that occurred near the northwestern border where Silenia Fortress is located…”
“Oh! Silenia? That means it’s about that weird axe girl who claims she’s a saint!”
For the first time, Flamena’s half-lidded eyes sparkled with genuine interest. The drowsiness that had weighed down her voice vanished.
“I heard the Sacred Condemnation Chancellery dispatched an inquisitor. Have the results finally come in?”
“Correct. Our Sacred Condemnation Chancellery sent Sister Lenka Zelezny, one of the ‘Purifiers’ that the Inquisition prides itself on, to Silenia.”
“And? And? Tell me the conclusion first!”
“…The heresy interrogation record sent by Sister Lenka via carrier pigeon is as follows.”
Subject: Lucie Riccioli
Final Verdict: No evidence of heresy.
“What? For real? So she really is the genuine saint who escaped from that sealed time?”
“Hoo…”
The unexpected result drew reactions of genuine interest from both Flamena and the old man.
“There are a few more lines.”
I have personally verified the authenticity of the subject’s divine power.
I will accompany her to the capital for the canonization ceremony and return to headquarters together.
“That is all.”
Ohen glanced sideways at Flamena, who had already straightened her posture and was furiously scribbling something on a sheet of parchment with a pen. Then he turned to the old man.
“As head of the Sacred Condemnation Chancellery, I am obligated to trust the judgment of our Purifier, Sister Lenka. Therefore, I ask for your esteemed opinion, Lord Popelan.”
“Hehe… If that girl who calls herself a saint is truly the ‘one’ mentioned in the forbidden texts, as we feared… then our course of action is already decided.”
Upon hearing Popelan’s answer, Ohen’s gaze returned to Flamena. She continued scribbling without pause, but raised her free hand and formed a circle with her thumb and index finger.
“…With that, all agenda items have been addressed. This concludes the 26,189th session of the Three Holy Offices.”
Lenka’s declaration that she recognized me as a saint shocked everyone in Silenia. Well, of course it did. After we had beaten the living hell out of each other right in front of them, she suddenly declared me a saint and started treating me with the utmost respect. Anyone would be stunned.
“How could I possibly treat the true saint I personally acknowledged with anything less than perfect courtesy?”
“No, it’s not that it’s weird… I just can’t get used to it yet…”
We also explained to everyone why Lenka and I had to travel to the capital. Some people looked sad, others disappointed. A few worried aloud about what would happen if the Demon King’s army attacked again.
Surprisingly, the most composed reaction came from Viscount Jindrich.
“Everything the saint has done here has been a miracle to me. I understand that the saint has a path only the saint can walk.”
“…Have you always spoken this well? You’re not even stuttering…”
“E-eh? M-me?”
“Haa… Never mind. Just stay exactly as you are.”
The day of our departure for the capital was set for when Lenka had fully recovered from her injuries. In truth, with her monstrous regenerative ability, she seemed to have healed completely the very same day, but I suspected she had chosen this date out of consideration for me.
During those few short days, I said my farewells to everyone I met. I couldn’t say I had grown truly attached to all of them, but still… having to part from people who cared about me, knowing each day brought us closer to goodbye…
“…It’s more heartbreaking than I expected.”
I don’t remember feeling this way back when I was Agilien. Had the change in my body brought about a change in my heart? Or were these emotions not mine, but Lucie’s?
It felt like I was aimlessly swimming through a whirlpool of incomprehension, trying to solve a question with no answer.
“…I must have lost my mind, wandering around at night pretending to take a stroll when it doesn’t even suit me.”
I had been lying spread-eagle on the ramparts of Silenia Fortress, gazing at the night sky, when I finally sat up. That was when I heard a familiar voice.
“…Saint? What are you doing up there?”
I turned my head. There stood Milos, both arms now fully healed, holding a lantern and staring at me with a puzzled expression.
“Ah, it’s you, Milos lad. The stars are especially clear from here, so I was just admiring the night sky. What about you? What brings you here?”
“This is my patrol sector, and this is my night watch shift?”
“Haha. What a strange twist of fate, indeed.”
“It really is. Come to think of it, from the very first time I met the saint until now, our relationship has been nothing but strange coincidences.”
“You can say that again. When I realized the weapon you handed me was a hand axe, I nearly burst out laughing on the spot.”
“Haha, did you know? From the moment you woke up inside that stone coffin, I already sensed you were no ordinary person.”
“Hehe… If you look at it that way, I suppose you could be called Lucie’s first vassal.”
“Is… that how it works?”
“Of course it is!”
“……”
Milos lowered his head slightly, as if deep in thought, and took a slow, deliberate breath. I decided to give him time and turned my gaze back toward the night sky.
“…Saint.”
I answered without turning my head.
“What is it?”
“…I was never a man with great ambitions. My only wish was to live out peaceful, ordinary days in a small rural village.”
Even though I couldn’t see his face, I somehow knew exactly what expression he wore.
“That hasn’t changed much even now. This world seems far too dangerous for someone like me to wander around freely.”
“You are a strong warrior. Brave enough to throw yourself into danger and sacrifice both arms just to save me.”
“…To be honest, I don’t remember much from that time, Saint. When I came to my senses, my arms were shredded and I was holding you.”
When I turned to look at him, Milos had turned his own gaze up toward the night sky. So I simply watched the stars reflected in his eyes from the side.
“Maybe… at that moment, protecting you was more important to me than my own wish.”
“…If that is still how you feel, would you not come with me?”
What the hell am I saying?
Why am I trying to hold onto Milos?
This boy is nothing more than a victim who got caught up in my terrible fate.
“……I’m sorry, Saint.”
Huh?
“After watching your duel with Inquisitor Lenka, I realized it. The person the saint needs isn’t someone like me, but someone strong like the inquisitor.”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
“No. Even if you took me with you now, someday I would definitely become a burden to you.”
The words ‘Then shouldn’t you just become stronger?’ rose in my throat.
“Besides, I plan to stay here and help the viscount rebuild Zelewald. After all, it was practically my second home.”
Home.
How could I possibly take that away from him?
Hadn’t I once endured the harshest of times with nothing but the single-minded desire to return to my own homeland?
“…Then, as a saint, I sincerely pray that only blessings fill the path ahead of you.”
“Thank you, Saint. I mean that with all my heart as well.”
For a long while after that, we simply watched the night sky together in silence.
Hoping, with a small flicker of expectation, that a star might fall.
“Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset.”
Dolia looked at me with eyes so wet they seemed ready to spill over at any moment.
“To be perfectly honest, I feel rather upset myself.”
“Uwaaaang! Saintesssss!!”
My answer must have been the final drop that overflowed her already full emotions. Dolia rushed forward and hugged me tightly.
“If you ever need Silenia’s help, please call on us. No matter what happens, we will lend you our strength!”
It was quite difficult to hold back my laughter at the sight of Jindrich desperately trying to sound brave.
“We will remain here, looking forward to the day we meet again, and cheering for the saint.”
Knight Jiri as well.
“Saint, thank you, you damn wonderful person!”
The surviving guards of Zelewald too.
“I love you, Saint!! Please accept my heart!!”
“Don’t go, Saint!! Marry me!!”
And even the completely insane lunatics.
After exchanging all those farewells, Lenka and I finally stepped through the gates of Silenia Fortress.
“At this rate, you’ve already secured yourself a solid group of fanatics, Saint.”
“…That was never my intention.”
“By the way, I don’t see Milos anywhere. Did something happen to him…?”
“Ah, no! He’s fine. Nothing happened.”
Lenka narrowed her eyes and stared at me intently.
“Ahem. Lenka, my dear.”
“Yes, Saint.”
I suppressed the laughter that kept trying to burst out of character and said,
“Milos is my first vassal.”