God Whispers: Get Some Exercise
Time flowed on, and at last the weekend arrived.
The wait that had stretched until then had been a tangle of half-anticipation and half-dread.
The anticipation came from the Saintess’s invitation; the dread, from the situation inside the Holy Order.
Still, it has to be better than the Saintess herself. Surely there can’t be people even worse than her.
Everyone said the ascetic training required to hear the voice of God was grueling. Priests, they claimed, shrank from no path of penance.
Kyle simply decided it must be because their Saintess was such an exceptional person.
“Are you all ready, Brother Kyle?!”
The smile blooming across the Saintess’s face was breathtakingly lovely. The reason she wore it, she explained, was pure joy at being able to bring such a precious guest to the Order.
Kyle himself tilted his head at the “precious guest” part, but if the Saintess said so, then so it was. He settled the matter with that rough conclusion.
“Yes, I’m ready. But are you truly certain it’s all right for me to go?”
“Don’t worry. We don’t turn people away simply because they aren’t of the Order.”
She seemed to have slightly misunderstood his concern—thinking he fretted over entering as a non-member, a non-believer.
But that was not what worried Kyle at all.
It was not that he was not of the Order, not that he was not a believer.
It was that he himself was a John Nassen.
The Academy may be imperial direct territory, but at least the Emperor doesn’t actually live there, so maybe that can be overlooked. But the place the Saintess wants to take me is…
The Order’s headquarters. Yes—there was only the one. The Saintess would hardly be stationed at some branch, and headquarters sat not far from the Academy.
And who resided there? The Pope. The cardinals. Every important figure in the Holy Order!
Bringing the second son of the family that had half-wrecked the Academy into a place like that?
Even if he were guaranteed safe, even if he were a genuinely kind and good-hearted fellow, he would still be a special surveillance target. Honestly, the fact that he wasn’t already on a blacklist was a stroke of luck.
The Order’s side must have looked distinctly uneasy. Yet because it was none other than the Saintess who had stepped forward and called him a guest, they had probably given their consent.
Thinking as much, Kyle headed toward the place where the carriage waited.
“By the way, Brother Kyle.”
“Yes, Saintess?”
“Are you truly that strong?”
“Pardon?”
“I sent a letter informing the Order of your visit. Yesterday their reply arrived granting permission—and they included a few points of caution.”
With that the Saintess handed him the letter listing the precautions. What on earth was written there that had prompted her sudden question about strength?
— First: Absolutely do not become excited.
— Second: Do not smash or destroy anything merely because you find it unpleasant.
— Third: Running and all other vigorous activity are forbidden.
— Fourth: Refrain from approaching fragile glassware.
“….”
What am I, a beagle? Is even my brain pure muscle?! Smash things, wreck things, break things—seriously?!
Do they think I’m going there to cause an incident? I was invited! I received an invitation!
He was so flabbergasted he could only stare, and the Saintess gave a sheepish little laugh.
“A bit odd, isn’t it? I was rather speechless myself when I saw it… but I suspect the people of the Order are simply overreacting because of your family, Brother Kyle, and because of that duel of yours not long ago.”
At her words Kyle clicked his tongue and smacked his lips.
Even he had to admit that shattering a sword with his bare hands had been a bit much. He had held back as much as possible and broken only the blade, yet anyone watching would have thought he had broken the person holding it as well.
“I don’t think of myself as that strong.”
“Nonsense! You even sparred with the Fifth Princess, didn’t you?”
Was that a spar? It felt more like one-sided harassment to me…
“You do know that the Fifth Princess—Her Highness Yulika—is one of the Imperial 10 Strongest, correct?”
“Of course… I knew that. Yes, I know.”
In truth he had only learned it on the day they clashed, but he decided to let that slide quietly.
“I’m somewhat close to Her Highness myself. I met her that day as well. Ordinarily she wears only a bored, sullen expression—yet on the day she crossed blades with you, Brother Kyle, her face was completely different. She looked thoroughly satisfied, even refreshed.”
“….”
Of course she did. She got to attack to her heart’s content. I spent the whole time blocking without even understanding what was happening, not daring to counter in case I caused an accident!
“In my view, Saintess, it isn’t because I’m strong. It’s because of my older sister.”
“Why bring up your sister all of a sudden?”
“You must know about it yourself—the incident when my sister half-destroyed the Academy.”
“And what does that have to do with you right now, Brother Kyle?”
“It has everything to do with it. After all, I am a John Nassen as well.”
At Kyle’s words the Saintess let out a soft “Ah!” of realization.
Even the Academy, imperial direct territory, had been smashed by a John Nassen. Would that mad warrior race suddenly start being careful just because it was the Order’s headquarters? Of course not.
That was probably why the people of the Order had reacted so warily.
Yet the Saintess soon tilted her head and spoke slowly.
“The Order is different. We do not attack our brothers and sisters with idle words.”
The reason the imperial family had turned a blind eye even after Lea wrecked the Academy was that several lunatics had been provoking her long before that day. Men who believed the John Nassen reputation was exaggerated, or who mistook their own recklessness for courage. Even the second son of the Litorio Grand Duchy had been among them.
In the end they had crossed a line the John Nassen family would never tolerate. The Emperor and the imperial house had taken that into account and closed the matter by expelling only Lea.
From where I stand, it didn’t look like simple imperial clemency.
The John Nassen family was a prize the Emperor himself had persuaded. With his own strength he had brought those madmen who once fought the Empire into the imperial fold. Their territorial expansion was an achievement no one else had managed—an achievement belonging solely to the Emperor.
And one more thing: Kyle believed the Emperor was quietly keeping the grand ducal houses in check. That was why he had ordered silence even after the second son of a grand duchy was injured. Thanks to that, the Litorio Grand Duchy had held its tongue despite one of its heirs being wounded.
In any case, the Saintess was pointing out the difference between then and now. The people of the Order would not commit the same discourtesies the Academy students once had. Therefore a John Nassen would have no reason to run wild as before.
“I’m sure once the people of the Order meet you, Brother Kyle, they’ll set their minds at ease! Come on, let’s hurry!”
Seizing Kyle’s hand, the Saintess cheerfully dragged him toward the carriage.
“Lady Elga.”
Elga, who had stepped out for a brief walk and was resting on a bench, turned her head slightly at Leto’s voice calling from behind.
“Yes, Leto. What is it?”
“Are you truly all right?”
“In what sense do you mean that?”
“I wish to ask whether you truly intend to fight in earnest for the position of successor.”
At those words Elga regarded Leto in silence.
“You already know my will.”
“I do. That is precisely why I am worried. If this leads to internal strife…”
“Why should that concern you? That is a matter for me and my brother to worry about.”
“Well…”
“You would say it is dangerous. Then if I renounce the grand ducal seat, will I suddenly be safe? From where I stand, being pushed out of the succession looks far more dangerous. Am I wrong?”
Leto had no answer. He simply kept his silence.
In the past Elga would have tossed out one more line—something like, “Are you not my person?” But she had given up on that now. She had resigned herself. He was merely a subordinate.
Loyalty and nothing more. He would never be the one to show her a new path.
“We should be going.”
Speaking thus to Leto, Elga rose and began to walk.
The Academy on a weekend wore an extremely quiet air. Some returned to their family homes for the weekend; others went out to the nearby city for a change of scenery. Someone studied in the library; someone else rested in their room.
Weekends at the Academy were always like this. A short while ago the Victory Festival had made everything noisy, but now…
…Hm?
Then, all at once, she spotted a familiar back ahead of her.
That man… Kyle?
The reason Elga tilted her head was that Kyle’s clothes were unmistakably outdoor attire. Where could he suddenly be going on a weekend when he usually did nothing but train?
The moment the thought formed, curiosity rose unbidden from deep within her heart.
Someone walked beside him with a hood pulled up—definitely not Tisha. The height was far too small for Tisha.
Who is that?
The question made her steps quicken of their own accord. Even when Leto called after her, Elga did not stop.
“Kyle.”
At the sound of his name he turned—and yes, it was Kyle. A faint trace of fluster crossed his face at her sudden appearance.
“Lady Elga?”
“Heading out, I see?”
“Yes. I have somewhere I need to go for a short while.”
“I see. And the person beside you…”
In that instant Elga’s eyes flew wide.
A figure she had never imagined stood next to Kyle.
The Saintess? Why is that woman beside Kyle?
She had not even begun to grasp the situation properly when Kyle shoved her deeper into shock.
“This is the Saintess. She has invited me to the Holy Order.”
“An invitation… to the Order.”
When Kyle nodded, Elga clenched her fist without realizing it.
Tisha—well. No matter how close they seemed, a little jealousy was all it had been. If it ever came to a real contest over Kyle, she could still count on her own victory.
But the Holy Order was different. The Saintess was different. Even for her, this was a difficult opponent.
This was no mere jealousy. It was a sense of crisis. Yes—this was a crisis.
Why? Why?! Why is he going to the Order with the Saintess?!
Biting her lip, Elga could only glare at the hapless Saintess.