Chapter 190: A Blade Does Not Choose the Hand That Holds It-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 190: A Blade Does Not Choose the Hand That Holds It-2
Returning to her room, Maria threw herself onto her bed without even bothering to change her clothes.
The old bed let out a sharp creak.
"……."
Anyone watching would have scolded her for her lack of decorum, but she was desperate for rest.
She had thought she was finally liberated from the Bible exams.
Of course, as an Inquisitor who followed the will of God, she shouldn't have harbored thoughts of 'liberation' in the first place.
"…It is a blessing, but still."
The time spent with the Saint was undoubtedly precious to her.
It wasn't simply because she was having a private audience with the Saint, the Agent of Light. It was because the process of the Bible exams had deepened her faith and significantly improved her understanding of the scriptures.
However, exhaustion was exhaustion.
She hadn't been able to sleep properly lately. She had to spend her nights reading the scriptures to prepare for the next day's exam.
And was it just reading?
Unlike simply reading or transcribing the text, she had to provide her own interpretations. That alone doubled her preparation time.
By the time she finished studying and went to bed, it wasn't long before the bells rang to announce the dawn prayer.
After enduring the dawn prayer with superhuman patience, she would take a tiny nap—less than an hour of sleep—before going to wake the Saint.
Then, she spent the day following him to manage his schedule, and once the day ended, it was time for the Bible exam.
That was her repeating daily routine.
She thought she was finally being liberated from that grueling cycle, but…
"A review session… Surely, the Saint isn't still holding a grudge over that?"
He had been resurrected, but she was the woman who had once taken his head.
Was he perhaps bullying her through these 'legal' means?
Maria briefly entertained the blasphemous thought before shaking her head and offering a prayer of repentance. To think such a thing of the Saint, who was guiding her corrupt self—Maria muttered to herself in shame.
Seeing her collapse onto the floor earlier, the Saint had sent her back to her room earlier than usual.
Because of that, she intended to go to sleep early.
—Knock! Knock!
"Sister Maria."
A voice called out from outside the door.
"……."
Maria, her face buried in the bed, pretended to be dead for a moment. But when the knocking returned, she forced herself up.
When she opened the door, a nun was standing there. The nun’s eyes widened when she saw Maria’s haggard appearance.
"Ah… what is it?"
As Maria smoothed her disheveled hair and adjusted her habit, the nun informed her that the Chief Inquisitor was looking for her.
*
"It’s Maria."
As Maria knocked on the door, she had a premonition.
A dark foreboding that once she opened this door and stepped inside, she would be swept up in some major incident.
"Come in."
At Lumen’s calm, low voice, Maria took a deep breath and placed her hand on the doorknob.
"Have a seat."
As she stepped cautiously into the room, Lumen pointed to the chair in front of her.
Maria sat down hesitantly.
Even though Maria was sitting right there, Lumen’s gaze remained fixed on the mountain of documents piled on her desk.
Wearing square-rimmed glasses, Lumen scanned the contents of the papers at a rapid pace before leaving her signature on the bottom right of each sheet.
For a while, the only sound in the room was the scratching of the pen racing across the paper.
"How is your time with the Saint? Is it proving helpful to you, Sister?"
Maria, who had been nodding off in the warmth of the room, snapped her eyes open at Lumen’s sudden question.
"Pardon? Ah, yes… It is a great blessing. I’ve been able to supplement much of my lacking knowledge regarding the scriptures."
It wasn't a lie.
"I see."
Lumen gave a brief acknowledgment and returned her focus to the documents.
Then, just as Maria was about to drift off again, Lumen spoke once more.
"Sister Maria. By any chance… did you mention anything to the Saint about the tournament being held during Saint Saniso Week?"
"Uh… I only mentioned that a tournament was being held. Is there… a problem?"
Maria tilted her head in confusion.
Only then did Lumen take her eyes off the paperwork and look directly at Maria.
"Sigh… Sister Maria. His Holiness the Pope gave me a directive today. He said that the Inquisitors are to participate in the upcoming tournament as well."
Lumen took off her glasses and massaged her eyes with her fingers as she spoke.
"But that tournament is only for the Holy Knights…"
"Did I not just tell you? He said the Inquisitors are to participate this time as well."
"But why…?"
No, more importantly, why are you telling me this… Maria swallowed the words that almost burst out.
"His Holiness said it is what the Saint desires."
"……"
Countless question marks popped up over Maria’s head.
"Why do you think that is?"
"If I were to venture a guess at the Saint’s thoughts, I believe he wishes to see your skills, Sister Maria."
"My skills?"
At Maria’s question, Lumen nodded firmly.
It was an expression of absolute conviction that left no room for disagreement.
"Yes. Do you not understand? The Saint’s intent?"
Unable to bring herself to say, 'No, I don't,' Maria remained silent.
"The Saint has tested your knowledge, Sister Maria. And you passed that test. Is that correct?"
Maria nodded at Lumen’s question.
Though the review sessions remained, she had technically passed the exams.
"I believe the Saint is verifying your qualifications, Sister."
"Qualifications…?"
"An attendant of the Saint must possess deep knowledge of the scriptures. And they must be strong enough to protect him."
Lumen held up two fingers.
"The test of knowledge is over, so now comes the test of martial prowess. Sister Maria."
Lumen leaned toward Maria with an incredibly serious expression.
"But the Holy Knights and we Inquisitors are…"
Maria started to speak, as if to say it was impossible.
"It is an undeniable fact that there is a significant gap between the Holy Knights and the Inquisitors."
Lumen cut her off.
"However, the Saint wants you to meet those qualifications, Sister. Your name has already been added to the list of participants."
"But, Chief Inquisitor…"
"From now on, you must practice your swordsmanship during your personal time. You cannot betray the Saint’s expectations, can you?"
"It’s true that I passed the Bible exams, but… the Saint said we should review the scriptures, so I don't think I'll have time to practice the sword during my personal hours."
Sensing that things were getting hopelessly tangled, Maria spoke up hurriedly.
"Ah, so there are review sessions as well."
Lumen tapped her finger on the desk as if troubled.
—Tap. Tap. Tap.
With every louder tap, Maria felt a growing sense of impending doom.
"I will specially extend your personal time by two hours. Therefore, you shall practice the sword for two hours after your Bible review is finished."
And that feeling was spot on.
"Oh, God…"
Maria sat dazed in her chair, her soul seemingly leaving her body.
"Your habit of seeking God in all things is truly admirable. As expected, staying by the Saint’s side seems to have deepened your faith."
Lumen looked at her with a satisfied smile.