Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: A Desperate Prayer
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'Haa...'
Why had things turned out like this?
He had gone all the way to the cathedral to see her again, but not only did he fail to meet her, he even heard from the Saintess that if he wanted to, he should formally convert to the Igugwoden Church.
So, he had firmly decided to give up on reuniting with her. He had no desire to get tangled up in the church's schemes like that.
Who was he, after all?
His strong will, which had never failed to achieve anything he truly set his mind to, was one of his greatest sources of pride.
Not to mention, he was a cold-hearted man with rather hardline beliefs: even if they were allies, he never trusted anyone blindly, and for the greater good, he believed even the unwilling had to be sacrificed if necessary.
That was why Ares had been confident he could brush this off as a minor hiccup.
'......'
But when he came to his senses, he found himself pulling an all-nighter, wide-eyed and sleepless.
After pondering deeply for several days,
He concluded that the claim there was no nun named Karen was a lie.
Linea had no reason to lie to him, and considering how the Saintess had indirectly phrased it as "not enough Plain Facts to grant a meeting"—
It was clear she had approached him using the alias Karen.
Whether on the Saintess's orders or for some other reason—it felt like the truth now.
In other words,
At least she hadn't sent someone who wasn't even a nun, disguised as one, to approach him.
And at the same time, it became certain that if she was a nun, she worked specifically for the Igugwoden Cathedral.
Because even now, closing his eyes brought back vivid memories of their endless chats—
And most of those conversations were about events at the Igugwoden Cathedral.
Among them were quite a few details that only someone working there as a nun would know, even if they weren't particularly important.
Given the details revealed in his conversations with Karen, which he still remembered clearly, it didn't seem like she had been dispatched from somewhere else.
And if he could narrow it down to nuns—
Finding out who it was wouldn't be hard, using his position as a prince.
'I'm sorry to the Saintess, but... I really want to meet her and apologize.'
In the past, he could have thrown his princely authority around and demanded the nun be brought to him—
But with the Saintess's emergence, the Empress's conversion, and the skyrocketing support from the populace elevating the church's authority to the heavens, doing something like that now would clearly put him on the losing side of any power struggle.
Even if not, throwing his weight around like that wasn't Ares's style anyway.
'I'll just do a simple investigation.'
Among the priests at the Igugwoden Cathedral, narrowing it to nuns would mean a few dozen... maybe a hundred at most.
Either way, his intelligence network could handle that easily.
'I didn't want to go this far, but I can't kneel to the Saintess.'
With that thought, he immediately mobilized his investigative network.
The goal: information on a "nun with brown hair and brown eyes."
Ares promptly sent a maid to fetch one man.
On the surface, he was just a gardener in the imperial gardens—
But in reality, he was the leader of the spy organization Ares had personally cultivated in preparation for the moment everything would be overturned.
The man, feigning tension, spoke to Ares in a serious tone.
"Prince. You summoned me... does that mean the time is finally near?"
"No. It's not like that."
"......Pardon?"
After hearing the main point from Ares, the man tilted his head in confusion.
"Is that really all...?"
"Yes. I don't need detailed information—just the name."
"Is she some extremely dangerous woman or—"
"Nothing like that, so no need to worry."
The man still looked uneasy, his lips twitching,
But soon nodded slowly, as if accepting it.
"Understood. Since it's an order from Prince Ares, it can't be pointless or unworthy. I'll gladly carry it out."
"Thank you."
Now, all that was left was waiting.
Even once he learned who she was, he had no intention of pressuring or unsettling her.
He just wanted to apologize. Nothing more.
But—
* * *
"......You're saying no such person exists?"
"Yes. At least based on the description you gave, no nun matching that appearance works there."
Ares fell into thought after sending the man away.
Including the brown hair, brown eyes, and even the small mole near her mouth—
This was the result of his investigation based on the sketch he had drawn up.
Not affiliated with the Igugwoden Cathedral? ...No, he'd already concluded that wasn't the case.
'......'
Ares thought of his stepmother and eldest sister.
After meeting Saintess Erin and claiming to have "seen something," they had become completely different people, their faith in the Igugwoden Church now devout.
They weren't the only ones. Baron Roengrin and Count Ernest had also changed drastically after meeting the Saintess.
From the testimonies compiled, it seemed they had encountered illusions.
They claimed it was "facing God through the power of Plain Facts," but from a third-party view, it just looked like they had fallen into hallucinatory magic, confusing reality and fantasy.
Perhaps, just like that—
Everything he had experienced was merely part of a "hallucinatory magic" prepared by the church?
If the Saintess could wield magic so miraculous it seemed divine without him noticing, couldn't she create illusions that vivid?
When he questioned himself like that, the answer came out disappointingly fast.
'No.'
It couldn't be.
The breath he felt, the time laughing together, playing games or sharing jokes and having fun.
The warmth when their bodies touched... that couldn't have been an illusion.
Karen had been real. Even now, closing his eyes, he could feel her scent lingering around him!
It wasn't just subjective; objectively, it held up.
The common thread in those cases was "meeting Erin and then facing the Holy Scripture"—but Ares hadn't faced any scripture; he'd spent the entire period playing various board games with her.
In any case, there was only one conclusion left—
'She was someone specially prepared by the Saintess from the start to send to me.'
If so, scouring his network like this would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Ares pondered.
What was the surest way to meet her now?
And—
* * *
"Pardon? You're saying you wish to convert to the faith...?"
"Yes."
Ares bowed his head 90 degrees toward the Saintess as he spoke.
—The surest way to meet her.
Was to fulfill Erin's request.
In this process, Ares's "rationalization" shone once more.
The Empress's edict had made Igugwoden Church the state religion → The church enjoyed massive public support → For the greater good, public support was essential, and with the Empress converted and one imperial family member a Holy Knight, he as a prince would have to convert eventually anyway, like it or not → Therefore, converting now wasn't strange at all.
He couldn't bring himself to abandon the greater good just to meet Karen, so he patched together reasons like a ragtag quilt—
But anyway, if this achieved his goal, fine.
Nothing could extinguish a man's ignited pure heart except the one who lit it.
He wanted just one thing.
To apologize. And to say thank you.
Advancing to some good relationship with her as a nun... he hadn't entirely dismissed the idea, but he accepted it would be difficult.
Of course, now he even suspected she might not be a nun, but that was secondary for the moment.
Erin was initially flustered but soon smiled with profound benevolence.
"I was wondering what this sudden appointment was about, but to think you've chosen the path of faith in Lord Igugwoden yourself... I couldn't be happier! Then, let's proceed right away with the sacred rite of accepting the faith—"
"Wait, Saintess!"
"......Pardon?"
This time, Ares bowed at the waist.
"Well, instead... I know it's ridiculous to say that, but I have a request."
"A request?"
"Please... let me meet Sister Karen. The one you sent to me. Please allow it."
Yeah.
If believing in the religion is what it takes, I'll do it.
If you tell me to abandon the greater good... for the sake of this peaceful world continuing... I'll do it.
So.
So please, let me meet Sister Karen.
Let me feel that first warm sunlight that shone on me again.
"Ah... "
But.
Contrary to Ares's expectations of a positive response now that he'd met her demand—
Erin replied in an utterly cold tone.
"Well, I'm sorry. As I said last time, all the Plain Facts are depleted."
"Pardon?"
"It'll be difficult."
"Wait... just a moment. So, even after I say I'll convert to the Igugwoden Church?"
Ares raised his voice, his expression one of disbelief.
"Isn't 'not enough Plain Facts' meaning my faith is insufficient, so I should convert?"
"Pardon? No. Come to think of it, you misunderstood last time too, didn't you?"
"Misunderstood...?"
"You said you couldn't just convert on the spot, right? That's why I explained it indirectly like that."
"Your meeting with Lady Karen was Lord Igugwoden's Plain Fact. God cherished you and bestowed a Plain Fact, and it ended when the period expired."
"......???????"
"So, the 'limited-time Plain Fact' is over."
Period expired?
Meetings with people have expiration dates now?
Sister Karen was a limited-time connection for me???
No, what even is a limited-time Plain Fact? That's nonsense!
Words that didn't match at all poured out randomly.
But with the Saintess's expression so firm, Ares couldn't think of a rebuttal... and barely squeezed out one question.
"......Then, what should I do?"
"To meet Sister Karen again... what do I have to do!?"
Looking pityingly at the desperate Ares, Erin stroked the Holy Scripture in her arms.
"You'll probably need to offer sincere prayer. Only Sole God Igugwoden has the authority to grant Plain Facts. But in the end, everything is according to God's will..."
"No way..."
To the dazed Ares—
"It seems best to discuss conversion another time. Collect yourself, and if you haven't changed your mind, schedule another appointment. Then..."
God's Proxy Erin slowly left the room, giving him time alone.
Left alone in the cathedral's empty reception room, Ares—
Slowly knelt and clasped his hands.
And.
'......God.'
To a God he had never once believed in.
A God he never thought existed.
A conceptual tool made by zealots to manipulate the world as they pleased—or so he thought—Igugwoden—
'I, Ares, now seek to acknowledge Your existence.'
—For the first time in his life, he offered a sincere prayer.
'If You are truly God, You can read all my thoughts, so hiding anything would be foolish. Thus, I confess honestly. I admit I never believed in God before. I admit I saw religion as something to reform and sacrifice alongside it. I admit I resolved to eliminate even blood ties like my mother and sister if they hindered the greater good.'
'If You sent Sister Karen, it must have been to teach me something. I admit I still don't fully understand what, even now. But what I need is God's grace. God's blessing. God's mercy—God's Plain Fact.'
Now he understood.
Why the faithful called everything in this world "Plain Facts."
If something this sweet and fleeting was a Plain Fact... this feeling.
The will to press forward unyieldingly through trials and tribulations.
The eternal faith that never lets go, no matter what.
The resilient heart that never gives up, even if inferior to others.
The conviction to never sever the thread of communication, in any situation.
And—
'Please, just once more, let me meet Sister Karen. I ask for one thing: to apologize to her. And to thank her.'
'If You say believe in the Igugwoden Church from now on, I will. I won't mistake Your miracles for white magic. Please, please grant me... a Plain Fact.'
'Even a limited-time Plain Fact is fine... just once more. I beg You, Lord Igugwoden...!!!!! '
—Love.
The young man who dared to fall for a nun pleaded desperately with God.