The Meaning of a Smile
Integrida of the Gospel Chancellery, the nun responsible for guiding the conduct of clergy and believers within the church headquarters, sat behind her desk and let out a long, weary sigh as she regarded the three people lined up before her.
“Haa… Toriasi, how could something like this happen…”
“Sister Nella Mamrad.”
At the sound of her name, Nella’s shoulders twitched so violently it was obvious even from a distance.
“I understand your situation, Sister. Those two who have been harassing you will receive appropriate punishment. Rest assured, measures will be taken so they can never approach you again.”
“Th-thank you… Instructor Integrida…”
Staring at the floor with eyes that looked ready to spill over with tears at any moment, Nella offered her gratitude.
“Haa… But in the future, please come to me or one of the other instructors first if anything like this occurs.”
“Y-yes, ma’am…”
“Haha! Well, that worked out nicely!”
Integrida’s gaze shifted to the blonde girl who was enthusiastically patting Nella on the back.
“Haa… You are Lady Lucie, correct?”
“That’s right!”
Lucie answered with the vigor of someone who had no idea why she had been summoned. And in truth, she really didn’t.
“…Why are you answering so brightly? Lady Lucie, you were called here to receive guidance.”
“Guidance? Does that mean I’ve done something wrong?”
“……? Then I haven’t?”
“Of course you have! Shouldn’t you be the one receiving thanks? The moment I arrived at the church headquarters, I eradicated the bullying and abuse that was happening here and saved a single person!”
For a moment Integrida wondered if her common sense and moral compass had somehow gone awry, then quickly shook her head.
“No, no. That’s not it, Lady Lucie!”
“If that’s not it, then why weren’t the perpetrators called here? They’re the ones who need guidance.”
Integrida’s sigh was noticeably louder than before.
“Haaaa… That would be because, Lady Lucie… you folded one of them in half and bent the other like a bow, so they were both carted off to the infirmary.”
“Ah. Now that you mention it, that’s true. My apologies.”
Lucie licked her lips slightly as if savoring the memory, then quickly closed her mouth. Integrida briefly suspected the gesture came from regret at not having dealt with the two more thoroughly, but decided it was healthier not to dwell on the thought.
“Haa… Lady Lucie, you are the Saint-candidate whose canonization ceremony is fast approaching. There is nothing to be gained by causing violent incidents like this.”
Integrida picked up several sheets of paper from her desk and scanned them, her brow furrowing.
“Already, complaints and petitions are pouring in from some of the believers and clergy who witnessed the event.”
“What? Have I caused them any harm? Why would they—”
Opposition to the Violent Saint.
“I cannot accept a Saint who folds people in half.”
“I personally witnessed her threatening people while dragging around a purifier from the Heresy Inquisition.”
“Not only did she trespass into the Knowledge Corridor of the Secret Archives without permission, she threatened me—the one trying to stop her—with utterly vicious words and glares.”
Integrida heard Lucie mutter, “Ah, that bald bastard…” under her breath, but for the sake of her own mental health she chose not to acknowledge it.
“Haa… In any case, I hope you will not take the name of Saint lightly once it becomes yours, Lady Lucie.”
“Uuu… I understand…”
Watching Lucie’s shoulders finally slump, Integrida felt a strange rush of satisfaction, then quickly reined in the emotion with cold reason.
“The Great Guardian of the Secret Archives, Lady Flamena, has declared that no flaws must mar the Saint-candidate before her canonization. Therefore I will end things here. From now on, you will learn much under the guidance of Sister Nella.”
With that, Integrida folded the papers in half and slipped them into her desk drawer.
“Mm… I shall do so…”
“Very well. Then now…”
Integrida had been about to dismiss the two when her gaze caught on a shadow lingering at the edge of her vision. The shadow had been in the room from the beginning, standing quietly beside Lucie and Nella, listening to every word. It belonged to the young lamb named Milos Pensler.
“Um… Excuse me, but who might you be, Brother?”
“I-I am…”
“Ah! This fellow is my escort, Milos! A valiant comrade who crossed countless lines of death with me in glorious battle!”
Lucie cut off Milos’s attempt to introduce himself and threw an arm around his shoulders.
“Whose… escort, did you say?”
“Mine!”
Integrida’s sharp eyes swiftly scanned Milos from head to toe. She tapped her perfectly organized desk with a finger, seemingly lost in thought.
“H-ha ha…”
Milos could only offer an awkward laugh, as if hoping Integrida would somehow understand his position.
Tap.
Finally her finger stopped.
“Haa… Yes. Well. I see.”
With a sigh of resignation, Integrida decided it would be foolish to try to comprehend something beyond her understanding.
“Such things can happen, I suppose. All three of you may leave.”
“Wow, that took quite a while.”
The moment they stepped out of Integrida’s office, a familiar pair of narrowed eyes greeted them.
“Hieek!”
The instant she saw Renka, Nella let out a squeak like someone who had seen a ghost and instantly hid behind Lucie.
“Aigoo, looks like I’ve earned myself some proper hatred.”
“What are you doing out here? Why didn’t you go inside?”
“Because I belong to the Heresy Inquisition?”
“Hmph, what’s the Heresy Inquisition ever done for anyone…”
At Lucie’s grumbling, Renka chuckled and bent her knees to meet Lucie’s eye level.
“You have to listen until the end. It means I’ll be receiving my disciplinary action separately from the Inquisition.”
“Ah. So that’s what you meant?”
Belated guilt seemed to hit her; Lucie scratched the back of her head vigorously, turning her already messy hair into an even worse disaster. A faint smile tugged at Renka’s lips as she watched.
“Our Saint would look truly beautiful if she ever decided to dress up properly. I can’t even imagine how lovely you’ll be on the day of your canonization.”
She reached out with a hand covered in scars and gently tidied Lucie’s disheveled hair. Lucie accepted the touch obediently for a moment, then sensed something strange and asked in a low voice.
“…What discipline did you receive?”
“Something like ‘perform your duties as a heresy inquisitor with diligence.’ Truthfully, I’ve been slacking off quite a bit while following you around, Saint.”
“So you have to leave.”
The mood grew heavy. Milos, who had been listening quietly, and even Nella, who had been hiding behind Lucie, both drew closer to Renka.
“Wow, our Saint can be surprisingly quick on the uptake at times like this.”
“…It’s because of me. I’m sorry.”
“Aigoo, don’t misunderstand. Even without this incident, I’ve been away from my post far too long. The Inquisition would have called me back soon anyway.”
“Even so, I’m sorry.”
“Hehe…”
Renka’s hand paused. Her eyelids lifted slowly, revealing obsidian pupils that gazed at her Saint with serene intensity.
“I am happy right now, Saint. Because you can feel sadness on my account. That is proof that, in some form or another, I exist inside your heart.”
“…What a terrible thing to say.”
“So, Saint. When I return, you must show me a much prettier appearance than now. Both as a beautiful young woman and as my proud Saint. Understood?”
“I will… definitely do so. I promise.”
Renka’s gentle smile spread to Milos and Nella as well.
“Ah, that’s right. Sister Nella. I have a favor to ask.”
“P-please speak, Sister.”
“Don’t you think our Saint’s speech is a bit too stiff? Could you teach her that as well~?”
“Um… I’ll do what I can…”
“A slightly disappointing answer, but oh well. And… Milos?”
At the sound of his name, Milos took one step closer to Renka. She stared at his face for a moment, then pointed at his ear as if asking to borrow it. Without hesitation, Milos leaned in.
“Please speak, Lady Renka.”
“If you ever harbor impure thoughts or dark intentions toward the Saint, as a purifier of the Heresy Inquisition I will hunt you to the ends of the earth, tie you to a burning cartwheel, and spin you until you’re nothing but ash.”
“……Huh?”
Milos hurriedly checked Renka’s expression to see whether he had misheard. But with her eyes narrowed into slits once more, reading her face was impossible for him.
“Well then.”
Renka straightened her knees and rose slowly.
“I’ll be going back to work.”
She turned and trudged down the long corridor of the Gospel Chancellery.
“Renka.”
When Lucie called her name, Renka turned back with an expression that seemed somehow joyful.
“It would be good if you were there on the day of my canonization. That is what I think.”
At those words, a laugh as sweet and smooth as the melody of a string instrument flowed from Renka’s lips.
“Yes. As my Saint desires.”