A Favor (1)
Shock? Or maybe surprise is the better word. The revelation that Cardinal Benedict was my father hit like a truck. Ah, not my biological father, he’d clarified. When I asked about my mother, he hesitated before admitting he was my adoptive father. If I hadn’t been a reincarnator carrying memories from my past life, that would’ve been the more earth-shattering truth.
It wasn’t just me, either. Every single Saintess candidate had been adopted by one of the cardinals for reasons of their own. I’d wondered why stepping down from the position required my father to admit he was unqualified. Turns out the cardinals were the ones who nominated the candidates in the first place.
I recalled what Benedict had said—that since I could wield divine power, I had to become the Saintess. Yeah. He doesn’t seem like he’ll cooperate at all. Or maybe he physically can’t. I still don’t fully understand what he meant. But he did say he’d “tried to delay it as much as possible,” so I don’t think he actually wants me to become the Saintess.
I wish he’d just spit everything out already. Why does he have so many damn secrets? This feels exactly like being the protagonist of one of those anime that looks like a giant mecha show on the surface but actually has a completely different premise underneath. The kind where someone tells you, “Become the Saintess, Levia,” and you’re expected to grin and say, “Sure, why not give it a shot?”
Wait… was that line even in the original script?
Before I could ask any more questions, Benedict took Cheska and headed for the homeland—Eliac, as they called it—saying he needed to confirm something. The round trip would take about two weeks. Now that I thought about it, he’d mentioned Cheska was a necessary person. Had something changed in her when I pulled that seed out of her body?
When he gets back, he says he’ll have her protect me from the shadows instead of staying by my side. But honestly, I don’t mind having her close. No, I want her right next to me. That way I can wring her dry and use her to the bone. You think I’ve forgotten that pain from before, Cheska?
If you suddenly get goosebumps today or any day after this, or feel a random chill, or sneeze out of nowhere… sorry. That one’s on me. My intuition’s pretty sharp. You’re going to have to cooperate with me so I can obtain my freedom(?). You know you don’t have the right to refuse, right, Cheska? Even if you don’t know it yet, you will soon.
There’s nothing I can do right this second, so I have no choice but to stay grounded in reality. That doesn’t mean I’m completely out of options, though.
Benedict had said that under normal procedures, the Pope’s permission would ultimately be required. Yes, if we used normal procedures.
Well, well. He probably didn’t mean to, but he gave me a hint. Thank you, Father.
If “normal methods” don’t work, I just have to use “abnormal methods,” don’t I?
“Achoo!”
“Is that a cold, Cheska?” Benedict asked, concern evident in his voice.
“No, it’s nothing. There’s no problem with my stamina. It seems some dust must have gotten into my nose.”
She’d felt goosebumps and a chill as well, but Cheska deliberately hid it. For a moment Levia had crossed her mind—perhaps she was worried about the girl?
Levia…
Cheska Franc no longer disliked Levia Leviathan. She hoped the girl wouldn’t disappear somewhere. She wanted to atone by protecting her forever. If she was told to become her shield, she would. If she had to sacrifice herself in the girl’s place, she would. Since Levia wished to quit being a Saintess candidate, Cheska would help her do exactly that.
It made sense. Levia was no longer an object of jealousy. Like Benedict, she was a child who had saved her. She had rescued both Cheska’s life and her heart, so if they were counting favors, Levia had done more.
The moment Levia pulled the Seed of Sin from inside her, warmth had flooded Cheska’s heart and all her negative emotions had been washed away. It felt exactly like the day she had first used divine power. And that was when she began to truly regret the things she had said and done to Levia.
What on earth did I do to that tiny child?
Benedict had explained that the method the Designer used—the so-called “Designer’s method”—slowly, very slowly, dyed a person’s heart with darkness without them ever noticing. That was why he had only realized the change recently. But even if that was the reason, it didn’t erase the fact that Cheska had been jealous of Levia or that she had hurt her.
Cheska made up her mind once more. After Benedict’s “confirmation” was finished and they returned to Entart, no matter what happened, she would protect and serve the girl. Even if it cost her life.
“We’ve arrived, Cheska.”
After winding through dark alleys, Benedict and Cheska finally reached their destination. The place he pointed to was an old door on a building tucked in the deepest part of the alleyway. Benedict knocked to announce their presence.
About twenty seconds later, a response came from inside.
“What is your business?”
“Could you tell the master that the thirteenth father has come?”
“...Please wait a moment.”
The voice disappeared behind the door, and silence returned. Cheska broke it first.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll understand soon if you wait a little longer.”
Just as Benedict said, after waiting briefly they heard movement inside again. This time it wasn’t just a voice—the door opened and someone came out to greet them.
The person who appeared was dressed in an outfit Cheska knew all too well. A mask that covered everything except the eyes, clothes that clung tightly to the body. The only color breaking up the absolute black that seemed to swallow all light was the gray emblem of the church on the left pauldron.
“Cardinal Benedict.”
Cheska had never met one in person before, but she knew exactly who wore those clothes. There was no way a Holy Knight belonging to the church in Eliac wouldn’t recognize them. They were—
“Welcome to the Ninth Branch of the Heresy Inquisition.”
Heresy inquisitors.
Cheska turned to Benedict.
“Is this ‘confirmation’… a heresy interrogation?”
It was possible. Given the circumstances, they had kept quiet about it until now, but she had injured a Saintess candidate. Whether it was atonement or protection, the proper procedure demanded that “punishment” come first. One of the main duties of the heresy inquisitors was to question and punish clergy who had committed wrongs. Naturally, that included Holy Knights.
“I can roughly guess what you’re thinking, Cheska, but you’re mistaken,” Benedict said as he followed the inquisitor into the building. “As I told you, we have simply come to confirm something.”
“A different kind of confirmation.”
The guiding inquisitor said nothing more after the initial greeting. He simply led them deeper into the building. After passing through several doors and descending two flights of stairs, the inquisitor finally stopped before a particular door and announced that his role was finished.
“When you enter, Cardinal Dominic will be waiting for you.”
Benedict nodded, opened the door, and stepped inside. Cheska followed.
The room beyond the door was extremely sparse. A magic-stone lamp, a sturdy table, and chairs were all it contained. The only notable feature was the dark stains of dried blood scattered here and there. A man stood in that room.
Unlike Benedict, who wore golden and white vestments, this man wore black and red. He was completely bald, his face covered in countless scars. He had only just entered middle age. To the public he was Cardinal Dominic, but those in the know called him Inquisitor Dominic.
The man greeted Benedict with a wide smile.
“It’s been a while, Benedict! What brings you here?”
“It’s good to see you, Sir Dominic.”
“My friend who usually sends word before visiting shows up so suddenly. Did you come to hand out wedding invitations or something? Wahahaha!”
Dominic laughed heartily, glancing at Cheska.
“It is true that I came because of Cheska here, but I didn’t come to hand out invitations. I have no plans to marry yet.”
“Well, a man with a daughter isn’t exactly easy to marry off! Just like me! How’s that Saintess daughter of yours doing?”
“She’s… doing too well, I suppose? She’s started speaking without any issues, so at least one of my worries has decreased.”
“Oh! So she finally opened her mouth! Tell me more!”
“Let’s talk about that later while we catch up… but first, there’s something I need to confirm.”
“Tsk, how boring. I finally get to talk parenting with another father and you’re in a hurry.”
Dominic suggested they have a drink later and continued, looking at Cheska.
“So what about this girl? She’s clearly a Holy Knight. Her skills look quite excellent too. If she keeps working hard, she’ll rise pretty high.”
“Cheska had a seed planted inside her body.”
“What did you just say?”
The playfulness vanished from Dominic’s voice in an instant, replaced by pure killing intent.
“This child had that disgusting thing inside her… wait. You said ‘had’?”
“Yes. It’s gone now.”
Dominic shot to his feet and grabbed Cheska’s face with both hands.
“Eek?!”
Startled, Cheska could only make a muffled sound as Dominic pulled at the skin above and below her eyes, examining them closely. He shook her head from side to side, recited a short prayer, then poured divine power into her to check the reaction.
“She’s perfectly fine. Sorry for the crude expression, but she hasn’t gone mad.”
“Mmph!”
“We removed it before it had fully matured.”
“Is that even possible?”
“It is. Levia did it.”
“Levia… your daughter?! What the… what’s with that proud look on your face? Sneaking in a brag about your kid is disgusting, wipe that expression off.”
Dominic released Cheska’s face, muttering that he’d need to drink an entire barrel of alcohol today instead of just one glass.
“So that’s what you meant by confirmation.”
“Yes. With that in mind, if it’s not too much trouble, could I meet with Benika?”
Benedict asked carefully.
“Unfortunately she’s elsewhere. She’ll have to stay there for a few years. I can go see her myself without issue, but I can’t bring her here.”
“I see…”
“It’s written all over your face. Worry about your own daughter. Don’t worry about mine. Fortunately there are still no signs.”
“There is a way to confirm it, so don’t worry about anything else either.”
“Another method?”
“That’s right. You’ll understand if you follow me.”
Cheska, who could no longer stay silent, asked Benedict.
“Could you please tell me what exactly you’re trying to confirm?”
“I told you before that I have seen many forms of the Seed of Sin, didn’t I?”
She had heard it multiple times; there was no way she could forget.
“But it’s not always only the victims who encounter the seed.”
Benedict began to unravel a small part of the hidden story he hadn’t shared in front of Levia.
“There were people who completely overcame it, and people who escaped right before destruction.”
Cheska’s case was similar to the latter. The person currently leading the way in front of them was similar to the former.
“Sir Dominic is someone who completely overcame it.”
Benedict loosened the bundle of secrets just a little more.
“Among those who overcame it or escaped from it…”
He told Cheska why she was needed by him—and by Levia.
“They become able to sense the Seed of Sin, just like Levia did.”