Elysia's Prayer
The most important thing about the title of Apostle is power. Not unwavering faith. Not the resolve to cut ties with family. Power.
In a cult where all sorts of people gathered, conflict was inevitable. There were many who reached for greater power. Madmen who would commit any atrocity for it. Those who craved revenge. Those who had nothing left to lose. In a place where people could kill on a whim and beg forgiveness in the name of their god, only strength mattered.
Before the blood-soaked statue, Elysia closed her eyes in prayer. She needed to quiet the unease rising in her chest. Ever since she had seen that man's cold gaze and the tangled web of emotions no one should possess, the trembling in her heart had not stopped. It was the first time since becoming an Apostle. No, the first time since gaining the eyes that saw emotions.
"My god..."
Elysia bowed her head and prayed to a god who never answered.
"Why do You give me such trials? Why did You show me that monster? Do You wish me to soothe his pain with a gentle heart?"
Even her question about granting the monster the rest of death received no reply.
"Why do You remain silent? I have cast aside the name of saintess and prostrated myself here for You. I have made so many believers in Your name. Why do You not answer?"
Behind her, footsteps approached. The footsteps of those who had abandoned faith.
If we kill that woman, we can become Apostles ourselves.
The ancient grimoire says killing a powerful black mage makes you stronger...
She's alone anyway. She never built a knight order like the other Apostles...
Elysia wept as she focused on her prayer, ignoring the thick scent of blood while silently confessing her fears to her god. She prayed without remembering the names of those she had killed.
She had never felt this way even when facing the Pope. His desires had been simple: power, dominion, destruction. Filthy emotions could be buried. But that man was different. He was more wicked than anyone, yet also more virtuous. What terrified her most was the unfathomable sorrow that filled him.
She shuddered at the memory. Even when facing murderers or having blades pressed to her throat, she had never felt true fear. Yet the boundless sorrow, endless rage, and murderous intent she had seen in him were unlike anything she had encountered. She knew no one else could harbor such emotions, and that knowledge filled her with dread. She could never oppose him.
Her ability let her manifest everything she saw, especially those with strong emotions. She could twist them, control them, kill them at will. But he was a monster far beyond her reach.
I'll die...
If I look into his emotions, I'll die...
I'll definitely die...
The indirect terror twisted through her body. Then she heard the unfamiliar click of heels.
The emotion she felt was "peace." A messenger had come.
"Apostle of Gentleness."
Elysia turned at the calm, controlled voice. Her brow furrowed the moment she saw his face. An unwelcome guest.
"What brings you to my church, Archbishop of Humiliation?"
The Archbishop of Humiliation. The man whose brother had killed her son now stood in her sanctuary. Her frown deepened more than when facing heretics who came to kill her.
"I bring a message from the Apostle of Temperance."
The color of his emotions shifted to purple, rising like heat haze. Elysia ground her teeth, swallowing her rage and calling upon gentleness. She could not afford a mistake born of anger. The Apostle of Temperance held her weakness, and this man was his blood.
Your brother killed my son.
No... nooo!
Do you want to save him?
Please... save him.
Very well. But you must make a promise.
Thinking of the leash the Apostle of Temperance held around her neck, Elysia clenched her fists. The Archbishop smiled at the sight.
"You failed," he said.
"..."
"And you were caught by the Imperial Knight Commander, no less."
He spoke with the arrogance of a superior scolding a subordinate.
"The Apostle is greatly disappointed."
"Shut your mouth."
"I cannot. I am merely a messenger delivering his words. Even if you do not wish to hear them, I must fulfill my duty."
Elysia glared at him, fists clenched, then closed her eyes upon seeing the old pocket watch he carried.
The shackle. The threat that bound her. She shut her eyes.
The Pope finds your talent pleasing.
But it seems we must place a collar on you...
With those eyes of yours, nothing should be impossible.
Following his orders would be wise.
Please... I'll do anything. Just spare my son.
Then... this belonged to your son. Puhaha! Or should I say, belonged?
Disgust rose within her. She felt no regret for abandoning her god, but the mistake she made that day filled her with fury.
"Speak," she said.
The Archbishop nodded lightly.
"If the matter had concluded well, the Apostle said he would return this item to you."
"..."
"But since things turned out this way, he said it is unfortunate."
"Archbishop."
"..."
"Are you toying with me?"
The emotions she saw in him were pure delight. Arrogance and pride at being able to treat an Apostle so casually. Those colors danced before her eyes. She could kill him with a single gesture, twist his emotions until he became a living corpse, but she knew the Apostle of Temperance would never allow it. Elysia closed her eyes against the rage.
The Apostle of Temperance was surely nearby.
"Be quiet, Archbishop."
"..."
"Are you enjoying yourself because you have an Apostle backing you?"
"You misunderstand. I am merely a messenger conveying the Apostle of Temperance's words..."
"If you think I cannot kill you simply because you are his kin, you are sorely mistaken."
"..."
"Here, even your brother the Apostle of Temperance is nothing more than a lamb who believes in the same god."
"...As I said, I am only a messenger."
Elysia looked at the Archbishop's clenched fists and let out a bitter laugh. His emotions were exactly as his title suggested: filled with humiliation. The tangled colors writhed, and she found it rather satisfying. If she provoked him further, he would surely snap, but the Apostle of Temperance would not stand idly by.
"Tell the Apostle of Temperance this: if he comes here again, I will kill him regardless of the leash."
"..."
"Why are you silent? Shall I kill you as well?"
"My apologies."
Elysia knelt once more before the statue, head bowed beneath the moonlight. One hand held an hourglass, the other a sword. The statue depicted a benevolent man. Behind her, the Archbishop of Humiliation bowed and vanished into the shadows.
Gentleness. Mercy. Temperance. And four others. The seven Apostles always held the highest authority in the cult, second only to the Pope's four messengers.
Elysia muttered softly.
"His only blood relative, after all..."
Shadows approached the Archbishop's back as he disappeared into darkness. Just as the blade-shaped shadows reached him, he bowed his head and spoke.
"The Apostle of Temperance considers the Apostle of Gentleness's affairs his highest priority."
"..."
"Thanks to him, the Apostle of Gentleness may reach true faith..."
A sharp shadow stopped right before the Archbishop's eyes. One more word and he would bleed.
"You have good instincts, Archbishop."
"..."
"Do not think you must obey just because an Apostle gave an order."
"My apologies. I misspoke."
Elysia twitched her brow and spoke to the Archbishop again.
"Leave while I am still allowing it."
"..."
"What? Are you humiliated? Why do you think I have not killed you yet?"
The Archbishop swallowed.
"Because you fear the shackle?"
"..."
"There are countless ways to break it. I could simply create a new one from scratch."
"There is no way in this world to break the shackle placed by the Apostle of Temperance."
"Keep believing that. I will make sure your death is the most painful imaginable."
Elysia's eyes burned with bloodlust.
"When the promised day comes, I will kill you all. I will return you to the moment before you killed my child and gift you the worst pain imaginable. So wait for it."
The Archbishop's emotions trembled with anxiety and terror greater than anything she had seen before. Elysia smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
"Go now. I must pray."
"Understood."
"If you run your mouth again, you will not die cleanly, Archbishop."
The Archbishop clenched his fists and left for where the Apostle of Temperance awaited.
*
The sun shone brightly over Hamel. I walked back to the mansion with a pleasant smile after shopping alone for the first time in a while. Today was the glorious day the young lady had taken her first step. Though she had done so while holding my hand, the result was satisfying enough to keep a smile on my face.
"Ehehe."
The bag was filled with beef, asparagus, various spices, and chocolate. Especially the chocolate, which I had bought directly from the shop the young lady liked most. The owner, who had given me chocolate with layers of solid chocolate inside liquid chocolate, was truly an angel. I silently thanked him as I walked.
Thanks for looking the other way last time.
No, it is I who should...
Quiet. Take this.
Pardon?
The young lady seems to like chocolate, so I bought some. It is fragile, so handle it with care.
The owner was always an angel. I smiled and quickened my steps toward the mansion. If I arrived safely, I could naturally head to the bath...
Thud.
"Hmm?"
Crack.
"...?"
Something broke. I felt the despair of the world collapsing and looked up. Someone had deliberately bumped into my shoulder. Hoping they would pay the appropriate price, I raised my head.
And then I smiled at the familiar face.
White robes. Hair reaching the shoulders. And an old pocket watch.
"Well..."
It was the Archbishop. The one with the grandiose title of Humiliation. I smiled at the sight of someone with such excellent fortune. This should be more than enough compensation.