Chapter 15: Holding Hands

Ｒеɑｄ οη ​Ка​ț​Ṛеα​ｄіηǵḈα​ϝҽ

 

Soon, the desserts began to arrive.

The table was filled with all sorts of drinks, cakes, and other treats.

The glossy, sweet-smelling array of desserts was a sight rarely seen anywhere.

“Now that we’re here, let’s eat as much as we can.”

Sugar whispered, but the boy next to her only sipped his water with a blank expression.

‘Is he refusing to eat food offered by a heretic…?’

To be so devout at this age.

Though, in reality, he just disliked the woman who was being overly familiar with Sugar.

Misinterpreting his actions, Sugar took a spoonful of pudding and ate it. The cult and everything else didn’t matter. The food and the chef who made it were innocent.

The moment it touched her tongue, the sweetness clung to it. It had been so long. Her expression softened as she savored it.

Seeing this, Louveci sighed in relief internally.

People tend to let their guard down when they eat. That’s why she had brought them to this café, even though the expenses far exceeded her expectations.

She hoped it would yield good results.

Regardless, Sugar, who was busy enjoying her pudding, spoke up.

“Alright… I’ll take your word that you don’t mean any harm.”

“Indeed, non-believers often misunderstand us as scary and evil…”

“Isn’t that the truth, though?”

“No, it’s not. We strive to be as kind as possible to non-believers to build a good image.”

“Pretending to be kind, then changing your expression and killing people? Kidnapping them? Offering them to your god?”

“…Where did you hear such rumors? Was it the propaganda from Gavianto’s followers?”

“Just flipping through the newspapers, you’ll see all sorts of incidents caused by heretics…”

In this world, there are various heretics besides the Shadow Cult. Whether their intentions are good or evil, in this land deeply rooted in the faith of the Saint, they are simply seen as ‘evil heretics.’

Long ago, when people suffered under the gods they worshipped, it was the Saint who descended like light and saved the world.

Sugar spoke with that mindset. While she didn’t care much about religion, her paranoid attitude of ‘I’m scared of heretics, I hate them’ was a typical reaction for someone in this world and was also a convenient way to push Louveci away.

‘They don’t realize how much people hate heretics.’

She couldn’t understand the confidence it took to flaunt her identity so openly on the streets, and it only made her more uneasy.

At Sugar’s sharp words, Louveci tightened her clasped hands.

The unexpected expenses, coupled with the continuous stream of blasphemy, were grating. Though it wasn’t just that which upset her.

She exhaled slowly.

“Sugar, we… at least, we don’t do such things. There are times when we must raise our staffs for the greater good. I admit, I too have blood on these hands. But we don’t… we don’t indiscriminately kill civilians.”

“…”

If this was an act, it was disgusting. If it wasn’t, it was strange.

“…Alright. Let’s say I believe that. Now, tell me why you want to take me with you.”

“I’m not sure if I should say this with so many misunderstandings piled up.”

Sugar raised an eyebrow.

“My last mission… well, it’s no longer my last mission since it’s changed now. Anyway, during my previous mission, I visited this city and saw you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It was truly a coincidence. I was walking slowly, unfamiliar with the streets, when I saw something.”

She made a circle with her hand and held it up to her eye.

“My eyes are special. I can see things others can’t. So, like this… I saw you hiding behind the orphanage wall.”

“Stalking…”

“Let’s call it observation. Sugar, are you aware of your magical nature?”

From the way she spoke, it seemed Louveci had already figured it out. Still, Sugar didn’t want to say anything, so she kept her mouth shut.

As if the answer didn’t matter, Louveci continued.

“Your magic is incredibly pure. It can make everything its own, and make its own into others’. I saw great potential in that. You will meet many people and change many things. I hope that when you do, you’ll be on ‘our’ side. I want you to be on our side as you lead change.”

“…What’s the real goal? Are you just trying to exploit my power? What exactly do you want me to do?”

She tried to probe indirectly about the Saintess.

“Oh! Are you getting interested? You’re more than welcome! First, you’ll undergo a few weeks of training to become a lay believer. Then, as you deepen your faith and abilities, you’ll become an apostle like me, spreading the gospel—”

“That’s enough. I’m not interested.”

“Ah…”

Louveci seemed to deflate a little, and Sugar quietly pondered.

Something felt off.

Putting aside whether the cult was good or evil, from what she was hearing, it seemed like they were just here to scout talent.

Your power will greatly influence the world, so we’d like you to join us.

They were solely focused on the ‘potential’ of her pure magic.

There was no mention of the Saintess or the role she would play. Of course, if they brought it up outright, anyone would run away, but there was no need to hide it while trying to recruit her. It would’ve been far more efficient to just kidnap her instead of going through all this trouble.

So why go through the trouble of swearing an oath to her god and trying to have a conversation? Even spending money she didn’t have?

‘Does she know about the pure magic but not that the evil god ‘loves’ those who possess it?’

Maybe that’s why Sugar’s importance wasn’t emphasized as much.

It was also strange that Louveci had encountered Sugar during a mission. In the original story, there was no mention of such an encounter; Sugar was simply kidnapped by the cult.

‘Did the cult get fed up with repeated rejections and resort to kidnapping? But… come to think of it, this person…’

She didn’t remember seeing her in the original story.

‘Apostle’ was a title given to high-ranking members of the cult, but there was no one named Louveci among them. A blind woman with black hair who could see things others couldn’t—there was no one even remotely similar.

She couldn’t make sense of it.

The cult’s contact three years earlier than expected.

Their insistence that they weren’t entirely evil.

An apostle she hadn’t seen in the original story.

“…”

As she sank deep into thought, Louveci quietly spoke up.

“I… hoped that the last person I brought to the cult would be someone who could greatly help us. Of course, anyone is welcome, and everyone contributes in their own way. But since it’s my last recruitment, I wanted to bring someone special.”

“Last?”

“Yes. I’ll be retiring next year. I’ve been active for a long time, so it’s time to rest.”

Ah.

So that’s why she hadn’t appeared in the original story. She seemed too young to retire, but regardless, by the time of the main story, she would’ve already retired and thus wouldn’t appear.

The picture was becoming clearer.

In the original story, there had been no contact with her. Sugar had lived without any connection to her, and by the time she turned 12, Louveci had retired, so she never appeared in the original story.

So why was there contact now?

Probably, on the day Sugar’s face was injured and Praline went out in her place.

‘She must have seen me staying behind at the orphanage.’

That’s why she came here to recruit her.

In other words, the story had changed.

This was the conclusion she reached while devouring the parfait in front of her. The sugar seemed to have sharpened her mind more than ever.

“…Is it good?”

“Yes.”

“…If the misunderstandings have been cleared up a bit, can I now talk about our doctrine? To properly explain the cult…”

Sugar raised her hand, signaling her to wait, as she finished the parfait.

“Ah. I feel alive again. Louveci, I get the gist of what you’re saying. But whether I listen to your doctrine or not, my answer remains the same. I’m actually quite a devout believer. I can’t join you.”

“You’re treating us as heretics?”

“Yes. Heretics. Isn’t that what you are? The Saint descended to this land and saved those who were suffering. And why were they suffering? Because of the gods you believe in.”

“…History is always written from the perspective of the victors.”

“Either way, I like the victors. You lost because the Saint was stronger than you. If you didn’t like it, you should’ve won.”

“…”

“And I’m not as special as you think. I don’t know why you’re expecting so much from me, but I have no interest in changing the world or anything like that. I think I’ve said enough, right? Please let us go now.”

She wiped her mouth and spoke calmly.

Her heart felt like it might leap out of her chest, but she held her head high and faced it boldly.

From Louveci’s reaction, it seemed the cult still didn’t understand Sugar’s importance. They didn’t know what would happen when Sugar met the evil god. They likely couldn’t even imagine the extraordinary nature of her magical qualities.

‘They probably never imagined their great god would become so attached to a mere human.’

So she spoke firmly. I’m not special, and I have no intention of joining you, so let us go now.

She didn’t know how the strange woman would react.

If her claim of not using force was true, she would let them go.

If it was a lie—

“…”

‘…Huh?’

It was just a fleeting moment.

As if cutting off the impulsive, dark thoughts rising in her mind, warmth touched her hand.

The young friend she had thought, ‘If things go wrong, I’ll at least get him out,’ had grabbed her hand.

His grip was small but firm.

He was tense too, his hand damp with sweat, but he held on tightly, as if refusing to let go.

‘What’s this…’

She hadn’t noticed this side of him before.

Why did his small hand feel so reassuring? She had felt this way occasionally since he started teaching her magic.

It made her feel a little awkward. For some reason, her stomach fluttered.

Soft. Squishy.

This wasn’t the time for such feelings. She should be on high alert, tense and ready.

But she kept feeling the urge to tease him.

As if acting on that thought, Sugar wiggled her fingers. Tommy, curious, loosened his grip slightly, and she immediately interlocked their fingers.

The moment their hands locked, he flinched and trembled, but soon he held on just as tightly.

Their hands, tightly intertwined.

There was no gap, no space for the warmth to escape.

“…”

“…”

His unexpected reaction wasn’t bad either.

The warmth from his hand seemed to transform into courage, filling her heart.

Even without looking at each other, their resolve was conveyed through their clasped hands.

Their faces flushed slightly, and the two sat quietly, holding hands without a word.

Whether she was aware of what was happening under the table or not, Louveci quietly sipped her water. It was an utterly ordinary, mundane scene.

She gently set down her cup and spoke.

“I’ll come visit again.”

“…Don’t come.”

“…Don’t come.”

She simply smiled without answering.

Sugar and Tommy were carrying an armful of desserts in both hands.

It would’ve been a waste to leave them behind, so they took everything that could be packed. They even added a magic option to preserve freshness. Of course, the extra cost was covered by Louveci.

“Don’t you need someone to escort you back?”

“No, we’re fine. Just go.”

“Alright. Then, until a better day. May the darkness embrace you.”

“Ugh. We don’t need that.”

It was a cult-style farewell. She wanted to wave her hand dismissively, but her hands were full, so she shook her head instead and turned away.

It was sunset. Two children, dressed in a way that didn’t quite fit the bustling town, walked side by side down the packed street.

“…Sorry, Tommy. You got dragged into this because of me.”

“…”

Tommy, who had been silent, lowered his gaze and looked weak. Seeing him like that reminded her of what had just happened.

“…Thank you. For being by my side.”

When she smiled and thanked him, he glanced at her before lowering his gaze again.

His reaction was a bit awkward, but his presence had truly been a source of strength.

She hoped this good-hearted boy wouldn’t be negatively affected. An encounter with a heretic could only bring trouble, never anything good.

Sugar sighed.

Today, they had managed to get away safely. But what about the future?

‘…She’ll keep her oath, right?’

Still, it left a bitter taste.

Once they had crossed paths, anything could happen. Living with such a dangerous element was deeply unpleasant.

As she dwelled on her emotions, a fire ignited in a corner of her heart. They say defeat tempers a person.

“…I’m going to train hard.”

It was a vow to herself. A declaration to her friend and mentor beside her.

She couldn’t afford to feel defeated. She had to think about overcoming this.

She needed to grow stronger, as quickly as possible. She wanted the power to eliminate all threats.

“Tommy. Will you help me?”

Remembering their clasped hands, she asked, and he nodded silently. He seemed to have his own thoughts, gritting his teeth as if he, too, felt indignant.

It was admirable. She couldn’t help but smile wryly at how serious he was being.

“Hey, loosen up. You don’t have to be so—”

-Piiiiii—— – –

“…”

Her words were cut off.

A high-pitched sound had just rung out, sending chills down her spine.

At the same time, there was a sharp, piercing noise that hurt her ears.

She looked to the side and saw Tommy turning his head to look behind them. His gaze was sharp, a mix of surprise and anger.

“…What’s going on?”

Even when she looked where Tommy was staring, there was nothing. Just people busily going about their day.

“…It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

At his curt reply, Sugar shrugged and began walking home, step by step, while planning for tomorrow in her head.

.

.

.

“Ah… I got caught…”

She had used a bit of magic.

Nothing major—just a surveillance spell to monitor their every move. Since Louveci couldn’t “see” with her eyes, she had modified the spell to “sense” instead. It didn’t violate her oath of not harming them.

She had cast it toward Sugar, but it was instantly detected and dispelled.

It was a spell cast lightly, without her staff.

But that boy didn’t seem to be using a staff either. Yet, he had defended against it.

She had been so focused on Sugar’s pure magic that she hadn’t noticed, but the boy beside her was no ordinary talent either.

“That boy is quite the talent too…”

Her nearly century-long experience as an apostle told her as much.

The sharp, piercing gaze. The wild, turbulent magic that warned against crossing him.

To meet such children before standing by His side… It felt like a fated encounter, and Louveci found today’s experience thoroughly enjoyable.

Even if the expenses were high. Thinking about it made her stomach churn a little, but she decided to consider it the cost of a good experience.

The one who came from the shadows promised to return and once again melted into the darkness.