Chapter 28
“Saintess, are we heading straight to the Church?”
When I asked, the Saintess nodded lightly in response. However, Chloe had a different opinion.
“Shouldn’t we inform the security forces first about the bandit group we captured?”
“We can just send someone from the Church branch to do that. It’s more efficient than us going all the way to the security headquarters ourselves. It would take too much time otherwise.”
If it’s just about delivering a message to the security forces, it’s enough to send someone who knows the area well. We’d have to find our way to the security headquarters, which would be inefficient.
…It’s definitely not because I’m too lazy to go.
“Follow me.”
As we followed the Saintess, a huge, pristine white building came into view.
“Is that the Church branch?”
“Yes~♡ It’s the Lancaster Temple, managing the 7th Diocese of our Solaria Church.”
It’s freaking huge. It feels like looking at world-famous cathedrals, like Notre-Dame.
Chloe, too, seemed overwhelmed by its grandeur, slowly moving her head as she took in the sight of the temple.
“Hero, you’re looking at it like a curious child~♡ It’s not like this is your first time seeing a temple.”
“…Huh?”
Why isn’t it my first time?… Oh, the Holy Sword.
I cleared my throat and spoke.
“The temple back then wasn’t this big.”
“Ah~♡ That’s because this is the branch managing a major diocese. It oversees not just Lancaster but also Habsburg, where we went before~.”
“So that’s why there wasn’t a branch in Habsburg.”
“Exactly~♡”
Then, Chloe muttered to herself, loud enough for me to hear but not the Saintess.
“…As expected of the Church with the most followers on the continent.”
…So the Solaria Church is the most powerful on the continent.
Well, they do worship the Goddess of the Sun. In any religion, the sun god is always the most important. The sun has great symbolism and is an essential star for humanity.
So, it’s only natural that the Church worshipping the Goddess Solaria is the largest.
The Saintess stepped onto the grounds of the Lancaster Temple without hesitation. Seeing this, I asked.
“By the way, can we just enter freely?”
“Originally, the temples of the Solaria Church are open to any follower of the Church. As long as you’re not a monster, anyone can enter~.”
“Eh, really? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”
This is an era where human trafficking is common. Moral standards are relatively lower than in modern times. And in such times, there’s a temple open to everyone?
What if something happens to the nuns or priests of the temple?
The Saintess chuckled at my concerned question.
“I understand your worries. But Hero, no one would dare cause trouble in our temple~♡”
“Why? Accidents happen because you can’t predict them.”
“Hoho♡ If anyone did such a thing, they’d make the entire Church their enemy. Even a hero with less intelligence than a goldfish would understand that~?”
Hmm… So that’s the confidence. Given that the Solaria Church is the largest on the continent, anyone would want to avoid making an enemy of it.
“Saintess, stop calling the Hero a fool. Why is the Hero a fool! It’s possible not to know.”
…Chloe?
I looked at Chloe, who suddenly burst out, with a bewildered gaze. But Chloe spoke as if she had been holding back a lot.
“Stop badmouthing our Hero!”
…Oh, my.
I was moved. Chloe was standing up for me against the Saintess, who was being a jerk. You must have felt sorry for me, Chloe!
The Saintess stopped in her tracks.
Judging by her reaction, she seemed to feel a bit guilty. When a third party speaks up like that, it’s hard not to feel a pang of conscience.
This could be a chance for her to reflect on her actions and improve…
“Our~? Our Hero?”
…But why is she focusing on the wrong thing?
The Saintess stopped walking and strode over to Chloe, pointing out her words.
“Why are you calling the Hero ‘our’ Hero!? What gives you the right!”
“Why not! Even if it’s just for a short while, I’m part of the group too!”
“Fine, let’s say that. But what have you done for the Hero to call him ‘ours’ as if he belongs to you!”
“Well, I haven’t done much yet, but I will do many things for him in the future!”
What kind of things… No, more importantly, why are you fighting?
“Ha! What can you do with that flat body of yours?”
“I-I’m not flat!!”
“Yes, you are! You flat-chested!”
“Ugh, I’m still growing! And even if they’re small, I can still satisfy him!”
“Sixteen and still growing? Even if that’s true, how much bigger do you think they’ll get~?”
…Why did the conversation suddenly go in that direction!?
I felt eyes on us and glanced around to see civilians visiting the temple glancing at us as they passed.
…Well, it’s understandable to stare when two women suddenly start fighting in a temple. If this were the real world, it would have been recorded. ‘Annoying women causing a scene in a cathedral’ would have been immortalized in a book.
The argument between the two was heating up. Seeing no end in sight, I decided to step in.
“Hey, you two? You know this is a temple, right? Let’s not do this and get on with what we need to do.”
“…….”
“…Sorry.”
The Saintess sighed deeply and nodded, while Chloe apologized to me. No need to apologize to me.
“Let’s go.”
The Saintess and Chloe walked apart for a while, and I walked between them. Since when did they start fighting so much…
…It seemed to have started after Chloe suddenly made that bombshell statement. That’s why the Saintess’s actions were even more confusing.
It’s not like she likes me, so why is she acting like this?
“Hero, Chloe.”
The Saintess called out to us as we followed.
“We’re going to meet the Bishop now. He’s a high-ranking figure in the Church, so please be respectful.”
“Is the Bishop like a Cardinal?”
“He is a Cardinal.”
…That’s a really high position. The Saintess led us into the temple. As she entered, the priests and nuns inside bowed respectfully towards us.
At first, I thought they were bowing to visiting followers, but they were bowing directly to the Saintess.
The Saintess accepted their greetings so naturally. Thinking about it, this is her home turf.
Chloe and I, unfamiliar with the layout, just followed the Saintess like chicks following a mother hen.
The Saintess suddenly stopped in the hallway and spoke to a middle-aged man in front of her.
“Cardinal Antonio.”
Cardinal? So this is…
Cardinal Antonio, holding the cross around his neck, bowed respectfully to the Saintess.
“Antonio, a faithful servant of the Goddess, greets you, Saintess.”
“Greetings, Your Holiness.”
A cardinal bowed deeply, greeting the much smaller and younger Saintess.
…Seeing this, I realized I was traveling with someone truly remarkable.
“When did you arrive at the temple?”
“Just a while ago. I have a request.”
“I see. And who are the people behind you…”
The cardinal turned his gaze to me and Chloe. Time to introduce ourselves.
“Your Eminence, it’s an honor to meet you. I am Abel.”
“Ah, the Hero Abel. It’s an honor to meet you, Hero. But who is the lady beside you?”
The Saintess glanced at Chloe and spoke.
“She was turned into a monster by the Transformational Stone. I saved her.”
“My name is Chloe, Your Eminence.”
The cardinal seemed slightly startled upon hearing the word “Transformational Stone” from the Saintess.
“The Transformational Stone? Your Holiness, did you use your power?”
“I had no choice.”
Had no choice? She made it sound like there was some problem with using her power.
…Is there something the Saintess hasn’t told me?
The cardinal, hearing the Saintess’s words, asked.
“…You mentioned a request. What is it that Your Holiness needs?”
“Well… as you can see, my priestess robe is ruined. Could you get me a new one?”
“That shouldn’t be difficult, but Your Holiness’s robe was ruined?”
Cardinal Antonio seemed a bit puzzled. Considering the Saintess’s strength, it was understandable, but something unavoidable must have happened.
I answered on behalf of the Saintess.
“The robe was melted by a slime’s digestive fluid and became unusable.”
“…A slime? Are you saying Your Holiness was caught by a slime?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“The Saintess being caught by a slime… *cough*.”
The cardinal suddenly flinched and let out a fake cough.
“I see… understood.”
“?”
What was he so surprised about? Ignoring my confusion, the cardinal asked the Saintess.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Please contact the Vatican to bring my credentials. I need them for something.”
“I’ll arrange it as soon as possible. In the meantime, rest at the temple and recover.”
“I will.”
The Saintess turned to me and Chloe and said.
“Think of this as your home and rest comfortably. The nuns will show you to your rooms.”
“…Okay.”
“Cardinal, could you spare some time?”
“Of course.”
The Saintess and the cardinal headed off somewhere, leaving Chloe and me behind. A nun approached us and said.
“I’ll guide you, honored guests.”
Looking at the nun assigned to guide us to our rooms, I couldn’t help but cough awkwardly. Her ample chest was impossible to miss, even under the loose nun’s habit.
To be guided by such an impressive person… power really is the best!
“…The Saintess was right.”
…What was that about? Chloe, who had been silent, suddenly spoke with a meaningful tone, narrowing her eyes at me.
“Chloe? What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Chloe quickly followed the nun, her footsteps brisk.
…What’s up with her?
#
Entering his office, Antonio glanced back.
The woman, who seemed like the goddess Solaria herself, looked around the office.
“Nothing has changed.”
“Familiarity is comforting at my age.”
Antonio asked Estelle first.
“Your Holiness, do you have something urgent to discuss with me?”
“It’s about the Transformational Stone.”
Antonio furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing Estelle’s meaningful remark.
“You mentioned that a woman named Chloe was turned into a monster by the Transformational Stone. Is she related to this?”
“I heard how Chloe ended up swallowing the stone. It was the doing of another human.”
“…Such a terrible thing.”
“So, I’d like you to investigate the distribution route of the Transformational Stone. Contact the Athene branch.”
“Athene? She’s not from the Empire, then?”
“She’s from the Minerva Kingdom. A student at the Royal Magic Academy.”
Antonio nodded in understanding.
“So, Athene it is. Understood, I’ll contact Cardinal Florence. Then, Your Holiness, are you planning to cross the border?”
“That’s why I need my credentials. Currently, Chloe is technically an illegal immigrant. It was unavoidable.”
“Understood, I’ll send someone to the Vatican immediately to retrieve them as quickly as possible.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
Antonio studied Estelle’s face.
Her expression seemed slightly different from before, but she was still the noble Saintess he knew. And it seemed like she had more to say.
“You have more to say, don’t you?”
Estelle hesitated for a moment. Then, gauging Antonio’s reaction, she spoke.
“…You’re not scolding me. I told you I used my power as a proxy.”
“I won’t report it to His Holiness. He would surely worry greatly.”
“…Thank you, Antonio.”
“You didn’t use your power for personal reasons, did you? Saving someone turned into a monster is something a Saintess should do.”
Antonio spoke with a worried look, his eyes reflecting the young girl who had grown up in the Vatican.
With a gaze as if looking at something precious, Antonio cautiously asked Estelle.
“…How much did you lose?”
“…A little. I didn’t use that much power.”
“Seeing that Your Holiness used her power, the Holy Sword of Order hasn’t awakened yet.”
“You know how stubborn it is. But there’s been progress. The hilt has changed.”
Antonio’s eyes widened slightly. It had only been a few months since Abel was chosen as the Empire’s Hero and began his journey, yet they had already made a step forward.
With unexpected good news, Antonio faintly smiled.
“Possibility is visible. That’s a relief.”
“…Of course.”
Estelle smiled softly.
“No matter what anyone says, our Hero is working hard. He’ll probably become stronger than anyone someday.”
Seeing that expression, Antonio smiled warmly and asked Estelle, who had grown from the young girl he once cared for into a noble Saintess.
“Your journey must have been enjoyable.”
Estelle was silent for a moment at Antonio’s question, then smiled brightly and answered.
“Yes, it was super~ fun!”
