Chapter 16: Turmoil in the Royal Capital – Part 10
“Good evening. Thank you for your hard work.”
As she spoke, Lady Mirannera cast a fleeting glance at Freinir. Freinir, caught off guard, flinched and looked down.
“Good evening, Lady Mirannera. I hear you are to become a Saint, congratulations.”
“Oh, thank you. It seems that Sakurahime was in your care the other day, so I must express my gratitude as well.”
“No, it was merely a coincidence that I had the items on hand. By the way, how is everyone from ‘Supreme Radiance’ doing?”
“As you may have heard, Sakurahime has left ‘Supreme Radiance.’ It was inevitable, given her ongoing conflict with Garsonia. Thanks to that, both Garsonia and Attir seem to be taking quite some time to recover. That woman, Lyra Nora, instilled quite a bit of fear in us.”
“I can understand your feelings. She was indeed a formidable Dungeon Boss.”
“Yes. We faced our share of fear during the ‘Kin of Twilight’ as well. Speaking of which, it seems you were the one who defeated both of them. It’s quite curious that both encounters happened after we had fought them…”
Her subtly accusatory tone suggested she might be implying that I had stolen their glory. The Cardinal had hinted at something similar, but if they genuinely believed that, then their grasp on reality was rather skewed.
That said, since she hadn’t outright stated it, overreacting would only give her more leverage. As I remained silent, Lady Mirannera huffed and turned back to Freinir.
“Well, that’s not important right now. By the way, you are Freinir, aren’t you? Do you remember me? We met once at my father’s birthday party.”
Suddenly addressed, Freinir flinched again before timidly raising her face.
“Yes, I remember, though I was quite small back then. Lady Mirannera.”
“I am no longer your elder sister. Rather, I should say you are no longer my younger sister. You have distanced yourself from House Armand.”
“…Yes, that is true.”
“I thought you had been cast aside as a ‘Saint Candidate’ and were living as a minor adventurer somewhere. Yet here you are, deliberately appearing before me. Is this some sort of provocation?”
Lady Mirannera narrowed her eyes at Freinir, her expression reminiscent of a spiteful noblewoman from an old shoujo manga.
Freinir fell silent and looked down, prompting me to intervene. I could see Larni was itching to say something as well.
“I apologize for interrupting, but Freinir is here simply because she is following my orders. She has no intention towards you whatsoever.”
Lady Mirannera shot me a sidelong glance, her brow furrowing.
“This is a matter between Freinir and me, so I would appreciate it if you refrained from interfering.”
“I only spoke up because your argument is so one-sided and unreasonable. We are here at your request. At that point, Freinir’s presence should have been understood. Complaining afterward is against the contract.”
“What are you, always getting in our way…!”
“In your way? I can only recall having helped.”
“Oh, arguing with you is pointless. I did not come here to discuss such matters.”
Lady Mirannera, having twisted her face into an ugly expression, turned back to Freinir.
“Regardless of what Freinir thinks, it doesn’t matter. I called out to you to demand that you hand over the staff ‘Saint’s Prayer’ that you possess. It is something that I, as the future ‘Saint,’ should have. I will offer you some compensation, so hand that staff over to the church.”
Her sudden and shocking demand made all the members of our party flinch in unison. Even the knight priests guarding Lady Mirannera instinctively took a defensive stance.
How she knew about ‘Saint’s Prayer’ was likely due to someone with Appraisal skills in the church. However, to demand it so forcefully was nearly taboo for an adventurer.
As I opened my mouth to respond, Freinir spoke softly, still looking down.
“…I refuse.”
“What was that, Freinir? I didn’t catch that.”
“I refuse. This staff was given to me by Soushi-sama, who said it suited me. I will never give it to anyone.”
This time, Freinir raised her face, speaking clearly and with newfound determination. Her expression was filled with a strength that seemed to transform her into a different person.
“Nobody asked you. That staff is something I should possess. It is clearly not suited for you, a disqualified ‘Saint.'”
“Soushi-sama’s words are absolute. No matter what you say, Lady Mirannera, this staff is mine. If you are truly worthy of being a Saint, you will naturally acquire something similar.”
For a moment, Lady Mirannera’s expression faltered under Freinir’s fierce gaze, but then her face twisted again.
“What do you mean by that? It sounds as if you are claiming you are more worthy of being a Saint than I am.”
“I did not say that. The reason this staff is with me is that Soushi-sama wished it so. If God Archulum thinks the same, then surely something suitable will be given to you, Lady Mirannera.”
“How dare you be so insolent! You are nothing but a child born of a concubine. You are lowly yet so full of yourself! And this incessant calling of ‘Soushi-sama’ is sickening! Very well, I shall make sure you apologize and hand it over yourself in due time!”
With that, Lady Mirannera spat out her words in a rush, her silver hair swirling as she stormed off.
We watched her retreat in stunned silence, and once she entered her carriage, we all let out a collective sigh.
“…Soushi-sama, I am so sorry. I hope I haven’t caused you any trouble…”
“No, Freinir’s attitude just now was correct. There’s no need to listen to such unreasonable demands. I was about to say something similar myself.”
As I gently patted Freinir’s head, trying to calm her anxious expression, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern about her dependency on me. However, if it allowed her to stand firm against such absurdity, then that was a good thing.
“That was really surprising. Is it not strange for someone like that to be a Saint candidate? Frei seems far more suited to the role.”
“Indeed. I believe Frei could serve as a priestess even in Oz, but that Lady Mirannera is someone I would refuse even if asked.”
Larni and Shizuna puffed out their cheeks in agreement. It seemed everyone shared the same sentiment on this matter.
As everyone nodded in agreement, Karma tilted her head in thought.
“By the way, you were threatening her a bit at the end, but just how much power does a ‘Saint’ actually hold? I’m a bit out of the loop on that.”
“Ah, I actually want to know that too. I thought I had a vague understanding, but what is their actual standing?”
As I joined in the questioning, Freinir answered.
“A ‘Saint’ is a person who receives direct divine revelations from God Archulum. In the Arshuram Religion, these revelations are absolute, and a Saint who can hear them is said to hold a position equal to that of the Pope within the church.”
“I apologize if this sounds rude, but do these divine revelations actually occur?”
“The church claims so. Recently, it was said that a revelation was given stating, ‘The Time of Chaos is coming…'”
“Oh, I remember hearing something like that before. So, does that mean there is currently a Saint?”
“Yes. However, I have heard she is unwell and is not currently making public appearances. I have only met her a few times during my time in the church, and I have not seen her since.”
“Hmm…”
The Pope I had seen recently was also said to be ill, but he certainly seemed suspicious. If the current Saint were in a similar condition, it would only add to the growing unease.
I would rather not get involved in such matters… or so I would like to say, but I had half-expected this when I accepted the request. Although I had not been in this world for even a year, I always felt a sense of accomplishment for not running away. I would have to trust that feeling here as well.
Even if, lurking beyond that feeling, the malicious silhouette of ‘someone’ was flickering in the shadows.