The Stranger Eluke (2)
I sat on the wooden platform and listened to the gentle murmur of running water.
It had been some time since I'd last set foot in Riella's private retreat. Hemmed in by the valley on every side, I felt my head grow clear. It was only an illusion, but the effect was genuine all the same. The memory of that wretched stench of rotting corpses felt as though it were being washed clean in real time.
"I never imagined a place like this existed."
Eluke stepped out of the mountain lodge into the valley, a small teacup trailing steam from her hands.
"Guess you and Riella weren't particularly close?"
"It isn't that. I've simply never stayed at the Purple Magic Tower."
The soft sound of her sipping tea. I'd already lost count of how many cups she'd gone through today. Even standing nearby, a floral fragrance drifted off her.
"And on our side, the Tower Master was Erin."
"If our Erin had lived, she probably would've ended up the same way."
There was no need to imagine it. Erin had been a mage whose skill rivaled even Breny the dragon.
"So Riella was the previous Tower Master, then?"
"If our Riella had lived, she would have been."
"..."
I shouldn't have said that. I scratched at my wrist, pretending it itched.
"By the way, take a look at me. How do I look?"
I turned my head and studied Eluke as she spread her arms wide. A black nun's habit — I had no idea when she'd gotten her hands on it. Aside from a faint stir of old memories, it left me completely unmoved. It was an utterly ordinary garment, so that was only natural. Especially from the perspective of someone wearing the Sun-bask, it couldn't help but look plain.
"It suits you."
But Eluke was walking a different path from mine. A careless remark might hurt her feelings, so I offered a polite compliment.
"I wasn't asking you to rate the outfit."
Misread that one. Eluke leaned in close, looking distinctly unimpressed.
"I've become different from you, but my tastes haven't changed."
"Meaning you like comfortable clothes?"
"Exactly."
It wasn't for nothing that I went around wearing nothing but the Sun-bask.
"Don't look at the outside. Check inside my body."
I did as she asked, and only then understood what she meant.
"I can't sense any Holy Power?"
It was completely empty. Like an ordinary person with no faith to speak of.
"You made it undetectable?"
"That's right. A holy spell of my own design. This way, no one will discover my identity."
Impressive, I'd give her that. Though I had to wonder how practical it actually was.
"It's not like anyone but a Pope or a Saintess could even detect it anyway."
Selen the Hero was the exception. That girl had far deeper faith than most ordinary believers.
"Not quite. A sufficiently accomplished Archbishop or a high-ranking Holy Knight could still sense it faintly."
"Is that so?"
"I've experienced it firsthand, so I can say so with certainty."
I understood now why she'd developed this holy spell.
"You made it so you could run?"
"Precisely."
Eluke confirmed it with a look of quiet pride.
"I couldn't bear having every last move watched. Wouldn't you have done the same?"
"Probably."
Whatever her reasons, hiding her identity couldn't hurt. Especially since she'd decided to disguise herself as Riella's secretary.
"When's the research supposed to start?"
"I'll stay by her side and work on it in the gaps. The Tower Master is terribly busy, after all."
How long would it take? The analysis alone would eat up a considerable amount of time.
"Will you be all right?"
"My reason is stronger than the curse. I will never fall and become a Demon King."
I wasn't particularly reassured. Never was an uneasy word to put your faith in.
"Do you need anything?"
"I would like to hear the Goddess's voice."
"...That's one thing I can't help you with."
Eluke couldn't communicate with our Goddess. She could still use holy spells without issue, but she had drifted far from that gentle grace.
"It was the Goddess's strength that let me endure this far. But from here on... I don't know."
A soul and body slowly being corrupted. I couldn't even begin to imagine how horrific that must feel. Perhaps even her unfailingly calm demeanor was just the will to look as though nothing was wrong.
For now, there was nothing I could do but cheer her on.
"Hang in there."
"I shall."
Eluke nodded with elegant composure and slipped on a purple robe.
"It's time I went to work."
The robe shimmered faintly and conjured a door leading to the office.
"Have a good day."
In the meantime, all I had to do was rest quietly and not cause any trouble. I was confident I could manage that without slipping up.
"Although..."
Eluke paused just as she was about to leave.
"I keep thinking about Liam — the one who became undead."
"Why? You said there was no need to rush."
The venom Liam carried was fiercer than anyone's. Even I had only barely managed to beat him with the Sun-bask's help. He was weaker than a Demon King, but he was not someone you could afford to ignore — a figure who needed to be watched closely. Still, she claimed there was no great cause for worry just yet.
"He'll certainly try to abduct the Saintess, but the Church is protecting her now, so we can rest easy."
The newly chosen Saintess was currently at the Sun Court, the central headquarters of our Church. A sanctuary where Holy Power rolled like the wind. For Liam, an undead who would melt just from drawing near, it was a place he could barely even approach.
"So what's the problem?"
"It just... doesn't sit right with me."
It was such a vague feeling that I found it hard to relate.
"Forgive me. I've wasted your time with idle talk. I'll be going, then."
Eluke gave a small wave and passed through the door.
"I've changed my mind a little."
The Sun-bask, silent until now, spoke up out of nowhere.
"About what?"
"She's different from the Clitia of old, too."
"I know."
Especially in terms of her mind. She grinned from ear to ear whenever Liam came up. It still felt unfamiliar.
"Not her disposition — her personality. The foundation is the same, but she's much softer around the edges."
"And I've gotten worse?"
"You already know that."
Thinking about it, it wasn't all that surprising. She'd found a lover, defeated the Demon King, and lived through far more peaceful years. That was all the more reason I wanted to help her — this other "me," who wouldn't be used to days of suffering.
"But you can be kind sometimes too, Lady Clitia!"
I ignored the backhanded compliment and closed my eyes.
"O fair Sun, at least grant the me of another world the touch of Your warm hand."
As always, only my own voice echoed hollowly back.
An office filled with nothing but the scratch of a pen. Eluke gazed silently out the window.
The first duty of a secretary: sit still and do not disturb the Tower Master while she works.
There was absolutely nothing to do. After a few mistakes, she wasn't even given the smallest of errands anymore, and it was terribly dull. She was being treated like little more than dead weight. She'd tried to help somehow, only to be scolded and told to just sit quietly.
A rather insolent way to treat a Pope. And yet she couldn't quite say it soured her mood. The boredom was actually welcome. Compared to being dragged from mass to rest-day prayer and back again, this was practically a vacation.
Above all, she liked not having to live so nobly. That wretched papal office. If not for the Goddess's encouragement, she would have quit long ago.
The secretary work, on the other hand, already suited her perfectly — so much so that she wondered if she'd chosen the wrong profession and suffered all this time for nothing. And the pink petal tea was delightful. She'd been told she could drink as much as she liked. The employee benefits at the Purple Magic Tower were genuinely first-rate.
O most fair and gentle Sun, forgive me for living so comfortably on my own.
Her body and mind had settled, but a slow unease was creeping in. Was She worrying Herself sick right about now? Eluke hardly knew what to do with the guilt.
Liam would be restless too. That worried her. For all his strength, he was a Hero even less grown-up than Erin. How could anyone be so much like a child? Ever since they'd defeated the Demon King, he'd shown signs of slipping back into his old ways now and then. His very nature was that of a brat who'd never had anything to do with dignity.
And the fact that she herself had fallen for a Liam like that — well, if that was a problem, it was a problem.
"Clitia."
Eluke pulled herself from her thoughts and turned. At some point, Riella had set down her pen and was looking her way.
"Please call me Eluke."
"It feels weird just using a name after all this time."
"I am not the Clitia you know."
She kept her distance on purpose. She was someone who would leave this world eventually. Getting emotionally involved would only make parting harder.
"You really are pretty different."
Riella sighed and leaned back in her chair. Every movement was steeped in exhaustion.
"Allow me to ease your fatigue."
The second duty of a secretary: look after an overworked Tower Master.
"Please stay still."
Eluke placed her hands on Riella's shoulders and slowly channeled Holy Power through them. A pure, unblemished energy spread with a lingering warmth. Riella's rigid posture gradually eased.
"How does that feel?"
"Good..."
"It's a holy spell that eases the mind and body at once. Not something you can receive just anywhere."
More than a few people had traveled all the way to the Sun Court just to receive this. The Pope, however, was not a leisurely being, so most of them turned back without ever meeting her.
"Thanks. I can talk casually, right?"
"Of course."
Eluke then gently kneaded her shoulders. She'd decided not to be too cold. Perhaps it was the office that made the person. Ignoring kindness made her heart too uncomfortable to bear.
"But why did you call for me?"
"There's something I wanted to talk through."
The third duty of a secretary: counsel the Tower Master on her worries.
It was familiar work. Easing a believer's anxieties and offering comfort was, after all, much the same as a Pope's duty.
"Please tell me anything."
"I'm worried about Clitia. Not you — her."
"I know. Is it because of what she said about wanting to be killed by the Hero's party?"
"That's it. What do you think?"
Honestly, she felt no common ground whatsoever. Defeat was painful, and the sense of loss that followed was bleak. Understanding a mindset that wouldn't even spare death for the sake of losing would take more time, she suspected.
"I am on Clitia's side."
But she had resolved to support her no matter what eccentric path she took. They had agreed to cheer each other on, after all. Wanting to lose was possible enough. Compared to herself, it wasn't even that dramatic a change.
"That said, I cannot simply let her die, no matter the reason."
"Right? Thank goodness at least you can be reasoned with."
Riella closed her one remaining eye in relief. A face wearing that oversized eyepatch. There was a question Eluke had wanted to ask since the moment they first met.
She'll be uncomfortable if I bring it up.
Should she hold it in? She hesitated, then finally let her mouth move on its own.
"But... did your revenge fail?"
The closed eyelid opened again, accompanied by a gaze that had grown heavy and still.
"How do you know about that?"
"The Riella of my world died trying to take her revenge. But it seems yours ended with just one eye."
What had divided life from death between the two of them? Only the Sun would know the truth.
"Do not let yourself be consumed by vengeance. That said, I will not tell you to give it up."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Take better care of yourself. You don't look entirely well either."
"..."
It was a long while before Riella opened her tightly sealed lips.
"You're nothing like Clitia. Why are you so... composed?"
"She's the one who's too rough."
She'd been certain of that the moment she saw a fighting style that involved blowing her own arms off. She looked like a fragile nun, but inside she was closer to a valiant warrior.
"In any case, please don't worry overly much. I have a rather good plan."
"Can you keep her alive?"
"Of course."
Eluke smiled faintly.
Shaping public opinion based on a kernel of truth. It had been her specialty ever since she became Pope.