God Whispers: Get Some Exercise
"I'm not sure whether you enjoyed our outing today."
"Enjoyed it? Of course I did. It was the best weekend I've had in ages."
He had spent a precious Saturday—one of only two weekend days in the week. On top of that, he hadn't managed a proper workout, which under normal circumstances would have sent his anxiety skyrocketing.
But at the Holy Order, he had found himself in an unexpected sparring match. Not some ambush, either—they had faced each other openly, identities clear, and crossed blades for real.
The thundering of his heart. That scorching pulse. Blood racing like a flash flood. Ragged breath. He had given everything he had, and he had even managed to seize a slender measure of the upper hand.
Training was wonderful—but a place to test the results of that training was true paradise. The will of John Nassen had wiped every last scrap of worry about a day without exercise clean away.
I'm not just saying that. Just thinking about that spar makes my chest feel grand.
Even now, the memory of the match left his whole body tingling. His muscles were howling, raising a riot, begging for another fight. His spirit, drawn taut and sharp as a blade, would not lose its edge before any strong opponent.
He finally understood why the people of John Nassen were always so desperate to grow stronger. The moment combat came up, they turned into three-year-olds, eyes sparkling. And yet they weren't the type to go around picking fights like thugs, either.
He had never been able to understand those people from his hometown—so much so that he had calculated his escape. And now…
I actually get it. I've become a full-fledged John Nassen myself. …Ah. Well, I was a John Nassen to begin with.
Which meant he found himself wanting to spar with Yulika again. If Priscilla had been a bolt of lightning, Yulika had been a landslide. A proper match with her might be every bit as exhilarating as today—maybe even more.
"We've arrived, Brother Kyle."
At the Saintess's words, Kyle looked out the window. They had set out in the morning, and by the time they returned to the Academy the sun was already sinking low. Fortunately, there still seemed to be time for a light workout after dinner.
"Thank you so much for granting my request."
"Not at all. If anything, I'm the one who should be thanking you, Saintess. You made that choice for the priests of the Order—and for the Cardinal and the Knight Commander as well."
"Yes! I'll make sure to pass that along to both of them. Don't you worry! When will you visit the Order again?"
"Whenever you invite me. As often as you like."
Of course I'm going. Damn right I'm going. There's so much to check on!
The priests' level was so abysmal right now that he had only taught Priscilla the absolute basics. You needed at least a minimum of strength and core stability before you could do anything properly. Beyond that, they would gradually outfit a building as a gym and stock it with equipment. In a little while he would visit, assess the situation, and offer Priscilla advice tailored to what he found.
"Then I'll be going first, Brother Kyle."
"Looks like you have evening prayers. Saintess! You haven't forgotten, have you? What you're supposed to do after prayers?"
"I know! I absolutely won't skip it, so don't worry!"
Thankfully, the Saintess's diligence was accurately recorded in the novel—meaning she was not the sort of person who ignored her exercises and loafed around.
"Ah!"
Halfway toward the chapel, she suddenly spun around and came back. Kyle tilted his head, wondering what she was doing, and then—
"Brother Kyle!"
The Saintess seized both of his hands. Bathed in the slowly fading sunset, she beamed at him.
"You were truly magnificent today!"
"Ah… yes. Yes. Thank you, Saintess."
"I'll pray hard so you can keep being magnificent from now on!"
Staring blankly at her, Kyle thought, Author, you bastard. Why the hell was a Saintess like this stuck as a supporting character? You're anti-Saintess, aren't you? You son of a—! The author was definitely anti-Saintess!
"Until next time, Brother Kyle. Have a peaceful rest of your weekend!"
With that, she dashed off toward the chapel—dodododo! Kyle watched her retreating back with a fond smile, and then—
"…Ah, Saintess! Saintess!!"
He called after her in a sudden panic.
"Yeees?!"
"The other way! The other way!!"
"Yeeeees?"
"It's the opposite side of the chapel! Not that way—the other way!!"
Come to think of it, the Saintess was not only hopeless at exercise—she was also a catastrophic directionally challenged disaster. Would she even make it to the chapel?
They had gotten out not far away, but the directionally challenged still managed to get lost. She wandered even in broad daylight; with dusk settling in, the worry only deepened. He considered just walking her all the way there—but the will to hurry back and run through his workout routine won out in the end.
"Um… where am I?"
Kyle's worry, unfortunately, had not been unfounded. Just as he had predicted, the Saintess was currently peering around in some strange place. Her sense of direction was already catastrophic, and now the day had gone completely dark. At this rate, a ten-minute walk would take her an hour of wandering.
That's odd. I'm sure the chapel was this way…
This wouldn't do. She decided to ask for help from people nearby. Fortunately, a few students walking in the distance caught her eye.
"Excuse me!…"
"Saintess."
Just as she was about to call out, a voice dropped behind her without warning. Startled, she turned—and the first thing that filled her vision was a pair of crimson eyes.
At that moment magic activated, and the streetlamps all lit at once. In their light the Saintess next took in hair like living flame.
This sister is…
Red hair was not rare at the Academy. But hair that burned like brilliant fire—like this girl's—was hard to find. Crimson eyes on top of that were rarer still. Only the direct line of one particular house carried that combination.
"The Litorio Grand Duchy…"
"Yes. I am Elga Bless de Litorio of the Grand Duchy. We met once this morning as well."
Elga then cast a quick glance over the Saintess's appearance.
"It seems you've only just returned from the Holy Order."
"Pardon? Ah, yes. I've only just gotten back, Sister."
"How convenient. Saintess, might I trouble you for a moment of your time?"
A flicker of discomfort crossed the Saintess's face. Refusing a request went against her nature—but it was late, and at this rate she might miss evening prayers.
"…"
Elga was not so dull as to miss what the Saintess was thinking. She swiftly selected her best bargaining chip and spoke again.
"You seem to be headed for the chapel. I'll walk you there, and we can talk along the way."
"Ah! I would be most grateful!"
From the Saintess's perspective it was a perfect offer—she would be guided to the chapel and could still hear the request. Had Kyle been standing beside them, he would almost certainly have praised Elga for her excellent negotiation posture.
"It seems Kyle went on ahead."
She wasted no time. There wasn't much of it. So she got to the point—simply, and directly.
"I never expected you to suddenly invite Kyle to the Holy Order, Saintess."
"Because Brother Kyle is a good person!"
"…Yes. He is a good person."
Unlike me, he really is a good person. Which is exactly why I want him more. I want him by my side. And if possible—I want him to be a good person only for me.
"And he's incredibly magnificent, too! Really! He was so magnificent!"
"Magnificent…?"
"Yes! He went whoosh! and then it went bang! and everything!"
She clearly wanted to express something tremendously impressive, but it wasn't quite working. Elga was left to fill in the blanks with her own imagination.
"It seems you had a wonderful time with Kyle at the Order."
While I—I was fretting alone, waiting for you to come back, Kyle. You wouldn't know. You couldn't even imagine I was like this. And the thing is… I never imagined I would be like this either. That I would wait for someone this anxiously.
"Yes. I was with Commander Priscilla and His Eminence the Cardinal as well."
"With the Cardinal… you say."
At Elga's question the Saintess chattered on again, recounting everything that had happened at the Order. How Kyle had thought of a way to improve the priests' health, and how they would begin with the Cardinal's permission. How they would soon build a special facility just for the priests.
"…"
Elga's mind spun rapidly through the Saintess's words. Some people might take it at face value—that Kyle had simply been thinking of the Order's priests, and that the Cardinal had gladly accepted. But—
A man of the Cardinal's stature accepting an outsider's proposal that quickly? It's far too much to call simple goodwill. There has to be something else.
Elga was a direct descendant of Litorio—a daughter of the Grand Duchy. Reading the political intentions hidden beneath a surface was second nature to her.
…Is that it? They mean to win Kyle's favor. But why?
She could narrow the reasons down to a few. And among them, she found the right answer once more.
Could they be quietly suggesting that if he hasn't decided on a place to settle, he should come to the Order?
Kyle was the youngest son of the John Nassen barony—and at the same time its second son. Direct-line heirs who fell out of succession either lived quietly in the main house or left the family. Without internal conflict, remaining was the norm; if the person himself wished it, he could leave. And Kyle had insisted on attending the Academy—something almost unheard of among the John Nassen.
Looked at that way, the theory was more than plausible. Some among the priests—and some among the holy knights—were nobles who had been pushed out of succession.
"…And so?"
And so, Kyle—are you actually planning to accept their offer?
"Um… Brother Kyle seemed to be enjoying himself very much."
At the Saintess's answer, Elga bit her lip without realizing it. She had felt uneasy from the moment she heard about the sudden invitation to the Order. She had never imagined even the Holy Order would make a move.
Saintess—you—don't tell me you approached Kyle for this purpose…!
Just as Elga was about to snap at her in a low, cold voice—
"Ah, and! We talked about you too, my lady!"
"…Huh?"
What actually left Elga's mouth was a soft, almost cute little sound of surprise.
"Brother Kyle was praising Lady Elga so much. Right in front of His Eminence the Cardinal!"
"…"
It took less than a few seconds for Elga's face to turn as red as her hair.