Awakening (1)
Cheska Franc disliked the Saintess candidate Levia Leviathan. It wasn't an emotion close to hatred. It was simply the sort of feeling where she wished the girl would go somewhere far away, eat well, live well, and disappear from her sight. If she had to put a name to it, "jealousy" would be the most accurate. Yes, Cheska was jealous of Levia Leviathan. Not of her status as a Saintess candidate, nor of her appearance. The title of Saintess candidate wasn't something one could obtain merely by wanting it, and Cheska herself had no thirst for power. Levia's looks were the same. What could possibly be a greater waste of time than envying that face? Levia was a child. What could be uglier than feeling jealous of a child's appearance? Yet even so, Cheska was jealous of Levia—of that tiny child—and she disliked her. After all, she believed Levia had ruined the life of the person most precious to her.
Cheska Franc. A Holy Knight who had devoted herself to the Church, and currently the bodyguard of the Saintess candidate. She had originally been born as the child of a noble family in a distant empire. In a world with a class system, being born a noble was a blessing in itself, but in her case it had been closer to a curse. Cheska's household was a declining, ruined noble family. Despite being nothing more than a low-ranking, impoverished barony, the head of the house was a vain man obsessed with gambling. The abuse inflicted upon Cheska was so severe it was unspeakable. The one who saved her from that hell was a clergyman who had been on a pilgrimage at the time—Benedict, now a Cardinal. Through him she found salvation, and without hesitation she chose to accompany him on his pilgrimage. In the process, she discovered she possessed talent with the sword and the capacity to hold divine power, allowing her to walk the path of a Holy Knight.
Around the time Benedict became a Cardinal and Cheska had rejected recruitment offers from other Holy Knight orders to remain by his side, quietly nurturing her unspoken feelings for him, he showed her the baby he held in his arms.
"Say hello, Cheska. From today onward, this is my daughter, Levia Leviathan. This child will become the Saintess candidate."
That was her first meeting with Levia.
"I will be going to the Entat Parish with this child."
"Pardon? What do you mean, Your Eminence? The Entat Parish?"
Benedict, a Cardinal who had been considered a candidate for the next Pope, had already been astonishingly young when he rose to the rank of Cardinal. And now he was saying he would go to the Entat Parish? The Entat Parish was a remote frontier where magic beasts outnumbered people. It was said that praying to God there was no different from slaughtering the beasts that threatened the people—a place that demanded grueling labor. For a high-ranking clergyman to be assigned there was effectively a demotion. Yet Benedict claimed he was going there of his own volition.
"I need help protecting this child. Someone I can trust."
"So, Cheska. Will you come with me to Entat?"
Honestly, at the time, Cheska had been overjoyed. It was the first time he had reached out to her, saying he needed her help.
"Yes. Gladly."
Life in Entat after their arrival was a continuous string of hardships. Magic beasts constantly trying to cross the border became routine. If one let their guard down even slightly, beasts would suddenly appear from within the perimeter in ways that made it impossible to guess how they had gotten in. It was around that time that darkness began to slowly bloom deep within Cheska's consciousness, and she started to dislike Levia.
Levia was like a doll. Not once had a sound escaped that small mouth. No babbling, no crying—not even when she tripped over a stone while walking and blood ran from her knee. She never made a sound of pain. She simply stared blankly into space. If no one fed her, she wouldn't eat. If no one put her to bed, she would stay awake all night. Because the child was like that, Benedict—who claimed to be her father—never had a day free of worry. The bright smile he used to show whenever he encouraged her after grueling training, the same smile he had worn on the day he saved her, was nowhere to be seen anymore.
"It's because of you."
Three years passed. Nothing changed.
"It's because of you."
Only one thing had changed. When they were alone, Cheska had begun to openly pour her resentment directly at Levia.
"It's because of you."
"I wish you'd just disappear somewhere."
Cheska Franc disliked the Saintess candidate Levia Leviathan. It wasn't an emotion close to hatred. She simply disliked her enough to wish she would disappear from her sight.
Five years passed. Someone had infiltrated the parish. Targeting Levia. The intruders were repelled, but both Levia and Benedict, who had tried to protect her, were gravely injured. Cheska had rushed to the scene of the nighttime attack as quickly as she could, but by the time she arrived, it was already over. Traces of magi remained at the site, leading them to conclude the culprits—or culprit—were either demons or someone who wielded magi. She saw Benedict, blood pouring from a severe tear in his shoulder blade. Her heart ached. It felt like it was being torn apart. And then she saw him. Ignoring his own condition, he was squeezing out what little divine power he had left after the battle, pouring everything he had into healing not only Levia's other wounds but even the tiny scratch on her forehead.
"Haha. We can't have a scar on a little girl's face, now can we? Truly... I'm so glad you're safe, Levia."
It was the smile she hadn't been able to see for years.
"It's because of you."
One more day passed. At last, a great change arrived.
"I'll kill you!"
Levia had spoken for the first time. She said some incomprehensible things about strange ceilings and such, but Cheska saw it. Archbishop Carlo leaving the room, saying the child needed more rest, and Cardinal Benedict, still wearing a worried expression but now smiling with relief. Levia asked her how old she was. Cheska, without thinking, poured out her resentment just like she always did when they were alone. She was surprised inside, but since Levia didn't seem to care about what she said, Cheska didn't change her attitude. She disliked her, after all. When Levia asked for her name, Cheska grew angry. Who was the reason they were suffering here, and yet she didn't even know her name? When Levia asked who Cheska was, Cheska panicked and shouted.
"Are you insane?! Why are you saying that now?! You mean you have no memories at all?!"
Levia had amnesia. In this world, amnesia meant there was a possibility she had been overtaken by magi, so she had to be examined by a clergyman immediately. Magi had the power to corrupt a person's mind, and one of the symptoms of mental corruption was amnesia. Cheska hurried to Carlo and Benedict, carrying Levia under her arm. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong. But for some reason, Levia burst into tears. She wailed as if she were going to pour out all the tears she hadn't shed for years at once. It looked ridiculous, but at last she seemed like a child. Until then, she had been like a doll.
"Now of all times? It's all because of that kid."
After wailing, Levia started laughing like a madwoman. For a full hour. Cheska wondered what on earth was wrong with her. When she told her to stop, Levia began complimenting Cheska's appearance instead. It wasn't exactly joy, but something warm and ticklish in her chest made her want to laugh. Right after that, when she saw the expression on Levia's face as the girl looked at her through the mirror, that warm feeling turned into something bubbling and irritated. That look, as if she had won somehow... it made Cheska want to give her a good smack on the head. And then Cheska realized. She probably wouldn't be able to dislike Levia anymore—the Levia who could now speak, the child who could now express emotions.
"Haah... How did I end up becoming this kind of person...?"
"Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times?"
A feeling of guilt welled up. She wanted to apologize. Even though the child wouldn't remember, Cheska wanted to apologize for all the resentful words she had spoken over the years.
"Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times? Now of all times?"
And at that moment—
"It's too late."
Her personality was stolen away. Something that had stolen her personality began acting as Cheska.
"Please follow me. I'll give you a rough tour of what kind of place this is."
When Levia grew suspicious of the sudden change in Cheska's attitude, the thing coaxed her.
"No, if someone who only ever spits out insults suddenly acts this kind, it's suspicious."
"It's an order from Cardinal Benedict. He said that looking around this place might help you recover your memories."
Benedict had never given Cheska such an order. Something was lying through Cheska's mouth.
"And whose fault is that...!"
"Why are you suddenly getting angry?"
It even got angry the way Cheska would. It carried Levia out through the hole in the outer wall that the attackers from last night had made. Climbing up the mountainside, it showed Levia the Entat Parish and introduced it. It guided Levia deeper inside.
'Don't go, Levia! It's dangerous!'
And finally, they arrived. It stopped in front of an artificially created magic beast. Levia, who had been observing the beast up close, turned around and asked,
"What's this called? You wouldn't just call it a magic beast, would you?"
In response to the question, Cheska—or rather, the thing that had devoured Cheska's personality—pushed Levia into the magic beast's maw and answered.
"A dungeon."
'No!!'
Cheska could never have known. The very thing that had ruined her family and destroyed the head of the Franc household—her father—was something of the same root, though different in form, and it had been planted inside her body all along.