Exploration (1)
Imperial Palace's main audience chamber was oppressively quiet. At the table in the center of the room, two saintesses sat facing each other, tilting their teacups. Sunlight filtered through the tall, narrow windows, warm and inviting, but the room itself was shrouded in an eerie silence. Even the nobles who had tried to strike up conversation with the new saintess and the church attendants had been dismissed.
'I want to speak with her alone.' At Lien's single word, the crowd had parted like the sea before Moses. From that scene alone, Sera could grasp just how formidable the woman before her truly was.
The more she realized it, the more awkward this situation felt. Sera couldn't even imagine herself wielding that kind of influence with a mere gesture or word.
She fidgeted silently with the handle of her teacup. Finally, it was Lien who broke the silence.
"……Normally, His Holiness the Pope would have come to greet you, but he has urgent business, so I've been asked to step in."
Sera nodded slightly. She found the whole setup uncomfortable. She'd thought chatting with someone her own age would be far easier than dealing with stuffy adults and their complicated talks. But this saintess was different. The age gap didn't seem that wide, yet sitting across from her brought a strange pressure squeezing her chest.
"There are many things I need to explain……" Lien continued in her gentle, flowing voice. "But perhaps we should save the difficult topics for later. I'm sure you have plenty of questions."
Lien lifted her teacup. Sera watched, unconsciously swallowing a small gasp of admiration. Every motion—the way she raised the cup, the angle at which she wet her lips—was elegantly sculpted, like a work of art. Who knew drinking tea could look so refined? The more she observed, the more this woman matched the perfect image of a saintess Sera had pictured in her mind.
Lien smiled softly. "Feel free to ask anything."
"Ah, yes……"
Sera mimicked her, lifting her own cup. But her enthusiasm outpaced her caution.
"Hot!" The scalding tea hit her tongue, and she yelped, slamming the cup down. Her tongue throbbed.
"Hee hee……" Lien covered her mouth, laughing softly as she offered a glass of cool water. Sera cooled her tongue on it, cheeks flushing.
"Um, I have a question," Sera ventured cautiously.
"Of course."
"Am I…… really a saintess?"
It was her honest doubt. A paragon of perfection sat right in front of her. Even setting aside the odd vibe she gave off, Sera couldn't fathom why another saintess was needed when someone like this already existed.
"I mean, I didn't even go to church much, and I wasn't big on praying to the Goddess……" Sera twisted her fingers. "Suddenly being told I'm a saintess…… I don't get it. They say the Goddess chose me, but why me of all people……?"
"Hmm……" Lien sipped her tea, letting out a soft hum. She continued slowly. "……I really don't know either."
She set her cup down without a clink—perfectly precise. Sera's eyes widened.
"You don't either, Saintess?"
"Yes. I don't know the full will of the Goddess."
Lien smiled faintly. Sera nodded.
"……I see."
Silence fell again.
"Still, there must be a reason Seraphina was chosen." Lien's voice was gentle. She knew Sera's name.
"Ah……" Only then did Sera realize she hadn't even asked the other woman's name.
"Um, what's your name, Saintess? I can't keep calling you just 'Saintess.'"
"……Lien. Call me Lien."
In that instant, Sera's mind blanked. The name Elijah had called out when they first met, seeing her. The name he'd groaned in agony during nightmares. It hit her like a thunderbolt.
Sera's gaze drifted to the soft hair cascading over Lien's shoulders.
Come to think of it……
Elijah's strange look whenever he saw Sera's black hair. Suddenly, she recalled his expression at the main gate. He'd frozen, unable to tear his eyes from Lien, as if time had stopped.
Pieces clicked into place in her head.
……No. It's not certain. Sera shook it off inwardly. No guarantee they knew each other.
But her heart was already racing. The idea that this saintess might be tied to Elijah's unknown past made her pulse quicken.
Sera forced a calm expression. "……So you're Saintess Lien. Pretty name."
"Yours too, Seraphina. As sisters under the same Goddess, let's get along."
Lien beamed radiantly. At the same time, Sera thought of Elijah, likely confined somewhere in isolation.
If…… they really do know each other.
Maybe she could ask for help. But her pounding heart made it hard to broach. Was it right to bring up Elijah with Lien?
But……
Right now, this saintess was the only one who could help her and oppa. Steeling herself, Sera swallowed and spoke carefully.
"This is my first time in the capital, so I don't know much. No one I know…… except oppa. He's all I have."
Sera put on her most harmless face.
"……Oppa, you say." Lien murmured softly.
"Yeah. But…… I'm really, really worried about him."
Sera pressed on. "Even if he's excommunicated, he's my only family…… Locking him up and making him fend for his own food? Isn't that too much?"
She made a sad face, gently taking Lien's hand. "You're important, Saintess. You have influence…… Could you help my oppa a little?"
Lien didn't reply at first. She stared into Sera's emerald eyes for a long moment before speaking.
"……I'll find a way."
Short, but enough. With the power Sera had witnessed, improving Elijah's conditions should be feasible.
Sera bowed her head. "Thank you, Saintess."
Lien gazed at her a while longer before murmuring, "……You're welcome."
The place Elijah was led to was a small annex near the Imperial Palace. White stone walls enclosed a garden, with holy knights stationed at the sole entrance. A crude torch hung on the wall, and the furnishings amounted to a creaky bed, a worn table, and a chair.
Elijah leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling.
……I'm back.
He'd thought he'd never cross paths with the church again. Yet here he was. Fifteen years ago, Lien's first words to the church priests echoed like a hallucination.
"Please take Elijah oppa with us too."
Elijah gave a bitter smile. Who'd have thought Sera would say the exact same thing.
At first, shock. Then emptiness. He could guess Sera's feelings all too well.
But.
Elijah closed his eyes, recalling his resolve on the way here. With the Goddess's oracle, Sera couldn't avoid the church. And he'd protect her, no matter what.
That's why he'd accepted the church's transparent offer. To guard her, he had to stay close.
Lock me up and starve me? Elijah scoffed. Child's play. He'd spent over ten years in the palace. With his leg healed, slipping past guards was easy.
But that wasn't enough. Trapped in isolation, he couldn't shield Sera properly.
So.
……The stigma.
First priority: remove the sinner's brand. To do that, find who framed him five years ago. The cardinal's sudden summons, the suspiciously empty warehouse, the priest who vanished like smoke. Someone who knew the church inside out.
Probably still in the church.
This time was different from the blind ambush. Know your enemy, gather clues methodically.
Elijah blinked slowly. In that brief darkness, Lien's face flashed unbidden—the moment their eyes met at the gate.
Paradoxically, pity hit first. Why so gaunt? When did those shadows under her eyes deepen so?
His worry for her surprised even him.
……
But resentment followed, stabbing his chest. Back-alley days, sharing body heat. Huddled under eaves in the rain, enduring the cold—what did those mean to her?
"Haa……" Elijah sighed softly.
……Memories were vicious things.
Then, cautious footsteps outside, followed by a soft knock.
"…Come in."
The door opened, revealing a young holy knight, barely twenty. His white armor still looked a size too big.
He carried a tray with a neat meal. Setting it on the table, he bowed politely—no trace of the open contempt or disgust from other church folk.
Elijah eyed him curiously.
"I'm Kyle," the knight said cautiously. He glanced at the door, then whispered, "I snuck in during shift change. They ordered no meals, but…… I couldn't do that."
Elijah studied him before speaking. "Showing kindness to an excommunicated sinner is risky."
"……When you were in the knights' order, I was your apprentice." Kyle continued. "I watched you train in the yard, dreaming of becoming a great holy knight like you."
Elijah just stared. Admiration shone in Kyle's eyes.
"Even when I heard about the excommunication…… I didn't believe it. I knew you weren't the type. Still don't."
Short silence filled the room. Finally, Elijah murmured, "……Thank you."
Kyle bowed deeply, flustered, and hurried out.
Elijah glanced at the tray, then picked up the utensils. The food was cold, but surprisingly edible.