CH 96

We agreed that Sophie and I would head to the dungeon tomorrow.

We could go home now that our business is over, but we don’t have many opportunities to be alone together. It would be a waste of time.

The alcohol had loosened up her self-control more than usual, and she decided to take a step further than before.

[Is Sophie happy to be Zelma–sama’s priestess?]

[It wasn’t good or bad, it was the only option.]

I know that.

I asked the question because I wanted to know Sophie’s feelings rather than that fact.

What does she feel and think now that she had lived and died? That’s what I want to know. It was a desire so strong that I was surprised myself.

[I’m sorry. I apologize for the way I asked. I just wanted to hear what you really think.]

After a moment of thought, Sophie suddenly asked a question that had no context.

[Do you know how a Saint is made Lars–san?]

The ominous words bothered me, but I shook my head.

[Would you like to know?]

Are you ready for that? The words sounded like they were asking that question.

This time, I shook my head vertically.

The moment I decided to step in, my feelings would not change.

[It’s a long story.]

Then the conversation began.

[In villages and towns where there are churches, children are always baptized by the God of Creation at the age of three, right? At that time, the aptitude for Holy Magic is also checked. If the child exceeds a certain standard, the church takes them in and raises them as a Saint if they are female, or an Inquisitor for the Pope if they are male.]

As for baptism, there was one in my village. We had a baptismal ceremony in my village once a year as a celebration for surviving to the age of three, as if it were a festival.

I hadn’t realized that they were doing that behind the scenes. This is surprising enough, but the story has just begun.

[After the church takes them in, the selection process takes place over a period of years in a place isolated from the rest of the world, while providing them with ideological education. Those who drop out along the way cannot become Saints or Inquisitors, but are assigned to other positions. For example, Alma, the Combat Bishop]

Thought education starts at the age of three. …… That’s long enough to make a convenient puppet for the church. I was surprised that that Alma was a candidate for sainthood, but at the same time I understood why she was so quietly following the church.

I never thought I’d hear about the other side of the church in a deserted tavern.

[I was the only one who entered such a saintly institution when I was eight years old. Since I entered the institution when I was older than the other children, I was not steeped in the ideological education and lived my life with my thoughts out of sync with everyone else’s, but I obeyed without saying a word. But after I was chosen as a Saint, I gradually lost patience with the way the church thought. It was when I disagreed with the Pope’s policy that I exploded. I incurred his wrath, and he kicked me out.]

At the age of eight, she must have had a strong ego, and it must have been difficult for her to accept the teachings with open arms. What an irony that a foreigner with little faith could enter an institution that nurtures obedient and powerful believers and grow up to be a saint.

The engagement between Sophie and the Pope, who was still in the common sense, could only lead to a future of failure. I’m sure they would want to make a saint out of someone who is convenient for the church, even if it means losing power and influence.

[The reason I’m still alive is because a few cardinals called the Saint Faction protected me. …… They didn’t help me out of pity or kindness, much less faith. It was simply to use them as a counterbalance to the Pope. I would have continued to live under house arrest in Yang and my life would have ended when they decided how to use me.]

Now we know why the Pope allowed Sophie to become a priest.

The Cardinal is planning a rebellion using Sophie, who has a strong influence on the laity and lower clergy, and the Pope is working with Zelma to get in the way. That’s how I see it. In that case, Zelma owes Yang a favor for accepting the papacy.

The cardinals who were under house arrest in Yang probably didn’t even imagine that the situation would change drastically after the dungeon was found. It would take some time for information from the provinces to reach the cities, so things would have drifted in the meantime, and Zelma would have protected Sophie before she could be retrieved.

The Pope can’t touch Sophie until the groundwork is done.

The Saintly Cardinals want to use Sophie to kick the Pope out.

Zelma uses her power while protecting Sophie.

No one is treating Sophie as a human being.

As soon as I realized this fact, anger welled up from the bottom of my stomach. It was an anger that I had never felt before, not even when Colette had betrayed me. I don’t know where to put this dark feeling, but I know it won’t go away easily.

[It’s a brief moment of freedom and life. If I can extend it even a little, I will gladly become Zelma’s priest. I’ve been wondering for a long time if I should tell you, since I keep relying on Lars’ kindness. …… I finally said it. I’m a former saint, and I want to live longer, even if I have to use other people. I don’t want to die. Do you despise me for that, Lars-san?]

She had a look of resignation in her eyes, though she was fighting against her fate to die.

I don’t like that look anyway. I’m going to change that.

[I can’t despise you. It’s okay to live more.]

I stood up and spontaneously hugged her.

At first she seemed confused, but soon her hands were around my back and Sophie was crying quietly.

I stayed in the hug until she calmed down.

(TN: That’s what they say, “Strike the Iron when it’s Hot”! Lars is a smooth player over here.)