The Saintess’s Obsession
Shirai’s heart was pounding as if it might burst as she stepped down from the carriage, supported by Yihua. "Haa... I told you it was nine o'clock, didn't I?"
"Isn't this better? It means we can head back sooner."
"That is for the Saintess to decide."
The weather was so frigid that every breath they exhaled turned into a visible mist. The streets were piled high with snow of unknown origin, and every step produced a crisp, crunching sound. Though the biting wind of February blew incessantly, it had no effect on them. Shirai was wearing a thick, white leather-lined sweater over her saintess robes, and Yihua possessed a constitution naturally resistant to the cold. Consequently, Yihua wore nothing over her uniform. Of course, that was only possible because it was Yihua.
Still, it was only natural that a sigh would escape her. They had left the denomination on a whim of Shirai’s, wasting time that should have been spent on training.
"Why did you move up the inspection schedule? And at this late hour, to the Daylight Church of all places?"
"Hmm..."
She had left the denomination under the pretense of a walk, but she couldn't hide the change in schedule forever. If they were quick, they might have already noticed. The reason? It was purely because she missed a man and had come running. However, just in case, she needed to come up with a reasonable excuse.
"I, I suppose I was... suspicious?"
"Are you saying the Daylight Church is a cult?"
"N-no, it's not that. I received a tip a while ago. It was... what was it? Something about the cult leader having a hobby of mistreating young girls? I only heard it when someone read it to me, so I don't remember the details."
"If the contents of that tip are true, he is trash beyond redemption. I understand why you moved up the schedule, Saintess."
"R-right?"
In truth, she had just blurted out something Mate would never do. That was the easiest way to prove his innocence.
"The main gate is just ahead. Shall I knock?"
"Please do."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The reason she put so much force into her fist was that the church was massive. The larger the building, the harder one had to knock to be heard. When there was no response, Yihua pounded on the door even more violently.
"We are here for a scheduled inspection. Is anyone inside?"
"Are the lights on?"
"Yes, it is certain that someone is inside. At this late hour, there is only one person who would be at the church."
BANG! BANG!!
"Cult Leader Mate! Are you not in the church!!"
Perhaps it was because she had barely managed to stop Shirai from self-harming that morning. An ominous feeling, similar to that moment, gripped Yihua, and she eventually told Shirai to step back.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I am going to break the door down."
The moment Yihua stepped back to increase the force of her acceleration-boosted strike—
"Please, help me!!"
The main gate swung open, and a girl with golden hair and red eyes, who looked to be around middle-school age, collided with Shirai. Fortunately, neither of them fell, and Yihua spoke as calmly as possible so as not to startle the girl.
"What is going on?"
"That crazy man grabbed my arm and wouldn't let me move!"
Suddenly, Shirai’s words from earlier came to mind.
- I received a tip a while ago. It was... what was it? Something about the cult leader having a hobby of mistreating young girls?
Grind.
Yihua, grinding her teeth, directed her gaze forward and stared intently at the face of the well-built, blond-haired man. Cult Leader Mate Daylight, a handsome man who was scheduled to enter Lumeris Academy. He was an exact match for the photo on the documents she had seen.
"Stay back. I will restrain that filthy man..."
Shirai never missed a beat. She recognized the direction of the voice that had spoken her name. Dash-dash-dash! Shirai ran quickly to where Mate was standing and spread her arms to protect him. Everyone at the scene gasped in shock at her bizarre behavior. Yihua judged that Mate’s ability must be related to brainwashing. It was a quick judgment that showed exactly why she was called a veteran aide.
"How dare you take the Saintess hostage..."
"Put the sword down."
She knew that abilities capable of controlling others existed. In fact, she had met someone with such an ability during her student days. That was why she knew better than anyone else: those being controlled could never speak.
"Please drop it on the floor. So I can distinguish it by sound."
From the sudden advancement of the Daylight Church’s inspection schedule to her current attempt to protect a man who was clearly a criminal at this moment.
"Can you not hear me?"
At the one possibility that suddenly crossed her mind, cold sweat began to stream down Yihua’s head.
When Shirai’s face appeared beyond the church door, I was honestly glad to see her. When this world became more than just a game to me, Shirai was the second heroine I had captured. To list them in order: the first was Judith Moondust, the second was Shirai, and the third was Sia Stella. Muse Fairfield... the difficulty was so high that I never managed to capture her even once. Even though I had poured quite a lot of time into it.
So, what I want to say is, why is Shirai clinging to my side and rubbing her face against my shoulder?
From the moment Shirai ran to me, spread her arms, and showed hostility toward Yihua, I had already guessed it to some extent. She hadn't forgotten her memories. She even knew that I was the one who had healed her eyes. I had begged Yuren to be careful for times like this. I told him to just say he was the one who did it. And to never tell the truth until he died.
"Hoo..."
He was a man with no backbone, so I suppose I have to understand. "Saintess, this is problematic."
I tried to keep my composure and speak calmly, but Shirai didn't even pretend to listen. The long wooden bench where the believers sat during prayers. I never imagined the day would come when I, the cult leader, would be sitting there. Shirai and I were in the back row on the far left, acting like a couple on a movie theater date. As you can see, it was a one-sided clinging on her part.
Yuri, sitting a distance away in the same row, was looking at us with eyes that suggested she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Yihua Cloudrain was glaring at me from right behind me, her eyes filled with enough killing intent to kill me.
Before I tore the Regression Book, I had made a vow. Never to get involved with the heroines again. If possible, I would resolve their traumas while maintaining the most trivial of relationships. But because Shirai hadn't forgotten her memories, everything had gone awry. This meant there was a possibility that the other heroines hadn't forgotten their memories either.
"Saintess, it is time for you to return."
"It’s only been 30 minutes since we got here, though?"
"Still, there is the distance for the round trip..."
"I decide that. There is still time left, and you don't need to worry about Yihua. I will take responsibility for everything... I will make sure Yihua doesn't come to any harm."
"As if Pope Claudio will just scold you and let it end at that, Saintess."
It was Yihua Cloudrain who had gone to the trouble of preparing the carriage, who had come outside with her because she was worried about Shirai, and who had treated the skin on her forehead that had been torn by self-harm.
"Mate, you don't understand why I'm acting like this, do you? It's okay. You'll know everything when time passes."
But Shirai’s gaze was directed solely at one man. Yihua felt a sense of bitterness and a burning sensation in her gut, but a sudden question took root in the center of her brain.
'What exactly does she like about that man?'
He was scrawny, but she couldn't deny that he was handsome. He was so handsome that she could swear anyone who denied it had a twisted sense of beauty. But to say it was because of his face—Shirai was blind. She could never be a superficial person. Until a year ago, she had been singing about wanting to marry the person who would restore her sight. She was never someone who would be groping a strange man’s arm like she was now.
Yihua let out a deep sigh, filled with complicated feelings.
"Saintess, I have a serious favor to ask of you."
"W-what is it?"
The man she had missed and wanted to meet so much was saying he had a favor to ask of her. Shirai’s expectations soared, and she waited for him to open his mouth. Because she couldn't see, she imagined the desperate look on his face even more vividly. Her heart began to pound so hard she worried it might burst. Having achieved in reality what she had only imagined, she had no room to care about appearances. Even if there had been hundreds of people in the church, Shirai would have acted exactly the same.
"I would like you to persuade that girl, Yuri. To sleep over at the church."
"W-why are you making a fuss at me all of a sudden!"
Shirai didn't like the sight of the two men and women chatting excitedly, unaware that her own body had stiffened like a statue. For that reason, Shirai’s brilliant mind came up with a solution for the first time in a while.
"Yihua, return to the denomination with that girl, Yuri, and her mother."
Yihua asked back, just in case. Wiping the sweat streaming down her head with her hand.
"...You are coming with us, right, Saintess?"
"No? I'm going to sleep here today."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!"
The church shook slightly from the booming resonance. Thanks to Shirai’s excellent solution, the mother and daughter avoided the accident that day. And even after the day of the accident. Since no fire occurred, it seemed it had indeed been a man-made disaster. Shirai was dragged back to the denomination, half-forced by Yihua, and much time had passed.
One month. Shirai visited the church every week, and she didn't even think about leaving my side, let alone inspecting it. She had long since noticed that I was a cult leader, but it seemed she had decided to turn a blind eye. The boring church life was now over. My journey was headed toward Lumeris Academy.