Chapter 273: Saint Guwon
Chapter 273: Saint Guwon
I see… To be honest, I just said that because I wanted to see Matilda’s frustrated face a little longer.
I can’t believe there was actually another lost skill.
How on earth do they manage their skills? Is this religion even functional?
Well, whatever. It’s not like it’s a problem I can’t solve.
I glanced at Matilda’s left arm again.
I’d once seen the scar of someone struck by lightning back in my original world, and it looked exactly like that.
A single thick line wrapped around her arm, with smaller branches spreading out from it in all directions. The only difference was that, unlike a lightning scar, hers was black instead of red.
It was an arm that looked like it could unleash a Black Dragon Wave.
If I had a scar like that, I’d probably wrap it in bandages and get all excited, spouting nonsense like, “Heh heh… Be careful. The Black Flame Dragon sleeps within this arm,” or “It’s too late. I’ve forgotten how to undo the seal.” But for a woman, especially a beautiful one who seemed so confident in herself, having a scar like that must be quite difficult.
Still, High Priestess Sophia had clearly stated that a skill to undo such a thing once existed.
That meant it was a curse I could handle.
It was a simple matter of opening Leia’s skill window and allocating a single skill point.
But still. Wouldn’t it be a bit infuriating to just heal her right away?
From her perspective, it was a win-win. If I succeeded, she gets cured. If I fail, she gets to mock me.
To think she’d subtly make a deal like this under the guise of finding out if I’m really the Goddess’s messenger. How utterly despicable.
No, it’s not that I won’t heal her.
I may be a bit of a scumbag, but I’m not so far gone that I’d refuse to heal someone right in front of me—especially when it requires no real effort—just because I find them annoying.
And looking at a scar like that did stir up some sympathy.
Matilda seemed ashamed to be showing such a scar to me, a man she’d just met today. She was biting her lip so hard, and her bared arm was trembling. That made me feel for her even more.
But it wouldn’t hurt to play with her a little before I heal her, right?
“I see. An ancient curse, you say… So what exactly does it do? What kind of effect does it have?”
Since it was called a curse, it couldn’t just be an unsightly scar.
“Th-That’s…”
When I asked about the curse’s true nature before starting my teasing, Matilda, who had seemed so domineering just moments ago, trailed off, her eyes welling up with tears.
But it was only for a moment. Her intense gaze returned as she glared at me.
“That doesn’t matter, does it?! All you have to do is restore the skill that can lift this curse! If you do, I will acknowledge you as the Goddess’s messenger!”
“The way you’re changing the subject is suspicious. Tell me clearly. What kind of curse is it? It doesn’t have some kind of effect that reflects it back onto the person trying to heal it, does it?”
“Wh-What?! What do you take me for! How rude! I am a Cardinal! A Cardinal!”
“Yeah, yeah. And I’m the messenger of the Goddess you so faithfully worship.”
“I haven’t acknowledged that yet!”
“The fact that you refuse to talk about the curse to the very end makes me think it really is…”
“Guwon. It’s not what you’re thinking. So please, don’t worry.”
As I was about to press Matilda further, Leia gently took my arm and shook her head.
“Huh? Leia, you know what this is?”
“Yes. Not just me, but everyone…”
I looked around.
Everyone had an expression that said they knew but found it difficult to speak about. No, it was more of a look of pity.
Even Silvia, not just the priestesses.
Is this curse famous or something?
I guess it would be. An ancient curse afflicting one of the twelve Cardinals. It would be stranger if it wasn’t famous.
But if no one was willing to tell me, there must be a good reason for it.
Fine. I’ll let this one slide for now.
That wasn’t what I intended to tease her with anyway.
“I see. It seems to be quite a difficult curse.”
“If you understand, then…!”
“In other words, now that the skill to lift the curse has been lost, you have no choice but to rely on me for a cure.”
“Wh-What are you trying to say?!”
“Hmm? Oh, I dunnooo? What should I dooo? Should I heal youuu? Hmmm. But seeing this insolent attitude of yours makes me hesitate a little… And trying to sneakily fulfill your own agenda under the guise of testing the Goddess’s messenger… What to dooo?”
Annoying? I know. That’s the point.
Just as I expected, Matilda began to tremble not just in her arm, but her entire body as she glared at me.
“Y-Y-You were the one who told me to name a lost skill! Stop talking nonsense and just heal me if you’re truly the Goddess’s messenger! If you can’t, then I will never acknowledge you as such!”
“Fine by me.”
“Wh-What did you say?!”
“I said, fine by me. Honestly, I couldn’t care less whether you acknowledge me as the Goddess’s messenger or not. Support from the church? Don’t need it. Do you even know who I am? I’m not in a position where I need support. And when I achieve my goal under the Goddess’s command, what do you think the Goddess will think if the church has done nothing to help?”
“Ugh…!”
Heh. I’ve won.
Looking down at Matilda’s frustrated expression, I reveled in the sweet taste of victory.
“So if you really want me to heal you, then beg for it.”
“B-Beg…?”
Matilda stared at me as if to say, You’re the first person to ever say something like that to me.
Of course, it wasn’t the kind of look that said she’d fallen for me for such an absurd reason, like in a drama. It was more of a What the hell is wrong with this guy? kind of look.
It made sense. This was a world where everyone served the Goddess. And Matilda was one of only twelve Cardinals in this monotheistic world. How many times could a Cardinal like her have had to beg someone for something?
“That’s right. Nothing fancy. Just, ‘Please. Please heal me.’ Oh, and, ‘I’m sorry for being so insolent…’”
“Guwon.”
As I chattered on excitedly, Leia finally grabbed my arm tightly again.
When I looked at her, she slowly shook her head from side to side, as if chiding me.
“You shouldn’t take advantage of someone’s weakness like that.”
I guess I got a little too carried away by how good her frustrated face looked.
From an outsider’s perspective—no, even without a third-party view—I was completely bullying a girl with a vulnerability.
I’d shown an ugly side of myself to Leia.
Maybe I should stop the teasing here.
Matilda has probably reflected on her actions a little by now. Don’t be so arrogant from now on.
“Hey. You should be grateful to our Leia.”
I said to the lip-biting Matilda, then linked my arm firmly with Leia’s.
I’m not doing this to satisfy my own desires with those bountiful hills. This is necessary.
Though, I won’t deny that it feels good.
“Alright, I’m going to have you learn the skill. Be careful, it might activate the moment you learn it like before, and you might feel dizzy.”
“Okay.”
The sensation of learning a skill through skill point distribution might be different for the people of this world.
I learn and use skills with the same feeling as playing a game, but it must be different for the people here. After all, the game system is a privilege only I can use.
I opened the skill window and carefully examined Leia’s skills one by one.
Leia had already learned basic curse removal magic. But that wouldn’t be the skill needed to break Matilda’s curse.
Let’s see. Ancient Curse Removal… A powerful curse removal skill… Found it!
A skill that could remove powerful curses definitely existed in Leia’s skill window.
Phew. After talking so big, I was worried about what I’d do if it wasn’t there. But it is. As expected of the system given by the Goddess. Of course it would be here.
…Except she can’t learn it.
That’s right. The skill definitely existed.
However, the required level to learn it was a whopping 250. And it was a skill that could only be learned after advancing from High Priestess one more time.
After teasing her so much, what kind of excuse am I supposed to make now?
“Uh… um… Hey. No. Your Eminence. The thing is…”
“…Don’t tell me you’re going to say you can’t do it now, are you?”
Catching on to something from my reaction, Matilda threw a sharp question at me.
“No, that’s not it. The skill to remove the curse is there. It’s there, but…”
“But what? Is it because I still haven’t said please? Fine. I’ll ask properly…”
“No! That’s not it! Don’t! It’s fine! I’m not that petty. The problem is that skill… you have to be at least level 250 as a priestess to learn it. Our Leia can’t learn it yet…”
“What?! After talking so big, you’re telling me that now?!”
Yeah. Sorry.
“Th-Then what about teaching it to someone else, not her…”
“Right. That’s impossible. It only works with someone I love.”
Normally, this was a line I should have delivered while looking lovingly at Leia, but I felt too guilty to flaunt our relationship in a situation like this.
Hearing my words, Matilda’s expression crumpled horribly.
She took a deep breath, let out a long sigh, and muttered.
“Of course. I knew it. Well, I wasn’t expecting anything in the first place.”
No. Judging by your face, you were expecting a lot and are now incredibly disappointed.
Hey. I’m really sorry.
“It seems your claim of being the Goddess’s messenger was a lie after all. And that voice of the Goddess you all heard must have been nothing more than some kind of trick.”
“That’s not true, Cardinal Matilda. Guwon is…”
“You be quiet. I hear the Goddess descended into your body, but you just became a High Priestess, didn’t you? Something felt strange. The Goddess descending into the body of a High Priestess… that’s something only a Saintess can do, isn’t it? Aren’t you in league with this man? As one who serves the Goddess, you should be ashamed…”
I’ve been listening to this nonsense, but this is too much.
I did something I feel a little sorry for, so I don’t care what she says to me, but how dare she say something like that to my Leia? Especially after Leia defended her several times.
“Hey. Are you saying the Goddess would acknowledge a con artist and someone who uses Her name to scam people as a High Priestess? Isn’t that blasphemy?”
“Hmph…! My apologies. My words were a bit harsh. I apologize for that. In any case, I cannot acknowledge you as the Goddess’s messenger!”
It seemed she hadn’t intended to go that far, as Matilda did offer an apology.
But her tone was still as bratty as ever.
Even for a Cardinal, for a member of the clergy to have such an attitude after making a statement that could be taken as blasphemy… What gave her such confidence?
In any case, as long as Matilda acted like this, it seemed my status as the Goddess’s messenger wouldn’t be acknowledged.
It didn’t really matter, though. I never needed the church’s support in the first place. And if people started worshipping me, that would probably be a burden in its own way.
The only thing that was utterly unpleasant was being treated like a con artist by this ill-mannered brat, but since I had no way to prove otherwise, it couldn’t be helped.
I wonder if there are any other lost skills?
“In that case, wouldn’t it be sufficient for you to teach us the technique that allowed Leia to receive the Goddess into her body?”
Just then, High Priestess Sophia, who had been watching the situation quietly, made a suggestion.
“Pardon?”
“The fact that Leia was able to receive the Goddess into her body means that any High Priestess should be able to do it, right? If you were to show me or Cardinal Matilda how it’s done, I believe that would be the most definitive proof of all.”
Ooh! As expected of High Priestess Sophia! She’s so smart!
Come to think of it, this was a much more certain way to prove the Goddess had descended.
Besides, this way I could talk with the Goddess again, so it was even better for me.
I could prove I wasn’t a con artist and find out the purpose for which I was brought to this world. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking about it, I should have done this from the start.
It seems meeting the Goddess had left me more flustered than I thought.