episode_0016

The capital of the Holy Eimor Empire.

The imperial palace located in the center of the capital.

There was also a building there that boasted splendid grandeur. The castle palace. The castle palace was even more luxurious than the Imperial Palace, the emperor’s residence.

The owner of this magnificent palace is the Pope.

It was the residence of the Pope, the actual emperor of the Holy Eimor Empire.

An unusual event occurred in the castle palace, which had always maintained tranquility.

In front of the stone statue of the goddess in the center of the castle.

There, the Pope was piously praying to the God he believed in. For a moment, a strong light fell on the Pope.

A seemingly disparate situation.

This didn’t happen just because I prayed. A light that comes only in special situations. It was a prophecy from God.

At the same time, the Pope was looking into space with a blank expression.

Soon a bright smile appeared on the Pope’s face.

“Hehe, it looks like God hasn’t abandoned us yet!!!”

Aging Pope.

Was it because I was upset due to various recent problems? It was a Pope who looked older than his age. However, the Pope’s eyes regained their former shine.

Because all the worries I had were gone.

And the next day-.

The Pope made public the prophecy he had received.

The threat of the devil has arrived once again.

***

About half a year has passed since Renia passed away.

This time I decided to go see Renia. I immediately packed my bags and headed to Ruberyeong.

And a week passes.

Arriving at Ruberyeong, I was reunited with Renia after half a year.

Before the carriage arrived at the Luber family mansion. Through the window of the carriage, I was able to spot Renia who had come to meet me.

Renia smiles happily.

As soon as I got off the carriage, Renia grabbed my wrist and tried to take me somewhere.

Just as I was about to say that we should at least unpack the luggage from the carriage-.

“I will take care of your luggage.”

Rachel, who came with us, went first.

At those words, Renia did not stop and led me.

The place we headed to was-.

It was a street full of street vendors that I had been to before.

The difference from before was that Renia was not dressed in the awkward commoner’s attire, but rather dressed like a noblewoman.

Renia now walks the streets without hiding her identity.

As if this hadn’t happened for a day or two, the people of the territory recognized Renia and started talking to her.

“Oh my, who is the man next to you? if… ?”

“Lady, let’s eat here! The food you ate that day has good sales!”

People who talk to each other in a friendly way.

I was a little impressed by how everyone welcomed Renia.

‘As expected, you are amazing.’

Even though he is a noble, he is so friendly with commoners. Something made me feel better about the fact that Renia hadn’t changed.

And suddenly-.

A boy with a familiar face was standing in the direction of my gaze.

An unforgettable face.

It was the boy who had tried to wave his hand at Renia in the park before. A boy whose cheeks blush when he looks at Renia, but who gets jealous when he looks at me.

Perhaps he didn’t think that the beggar at that time was Renia. When I noticed that fact, something made me laugh.

Renia, who was next to her, also smiled.

It seemed that Renia also remembered that boy.

“Hehe, you probably didn’t know that the girl you thought was a beggar could be this pretty!”

“Renia… She’s a bad girl.”

“You should call it his karma.”

While walking down the street like that…

An increasingly familiar landscape came into view.

A street that cannot be forgotten even after 4 years.

It was on the way to Lumia Hill.

And soon we arrived at Lumia Hill, and to be exact, I was-.

“I… I’ll read a book.”

I took the book out of my pocket and started reading.

Because I suddenly remembered that this was the secret meeting place between Renia’s father and mother. Was that why?

Something was embarrassing and I needed to focus elsewhere.

Leaning against the still large tree, I began to read the book.

however-.

Renia came next to me and leaned on my shoulder.

Renia’s hair tickling the tip of my nose.

My heart was pounding, and I couldn’t concentrate on the book. I stiffened and turned my head to look at Renia.

Renia-.

“It’s been a while since we played. Just focus on me!”

He was looking at me.

With a smile that looks somewhat promising…

In the end, I had no choice but to close the book.

And then I started talking to Renia. It was Renia who started the conversation.

“That’s right, do you know that?”

“What?”

“Why is the history of our Ruber family so deep?”

“Hmm… ? I don’t know.”

I didn’t really think about looking into it. To be honest, I wasn’t interested. It’s not like I came to like Renia after seeing her family.

“That… Our ancestors were saints.”

For a moment, I couldn’t believe my ears.

“If you are a saint… ?”

“A female believer who defeated the Demon King with the warrior.”

It was a very surprising story.

A saint could have come into contact with the beginning of the empire. In the past, in response to the threat from the Demon King, the church selected two people.

A saint and a warrior.

Together, they protected the continent, and thanks to that, the church gained great power.

As a result, the Holy Eimor Empire has now unified the continent.

It was a truly admirable story.

however-.

Renia told that proud story with a grim expression. The reason was immediately clear. Next, through Renia’s words.

“Still, I feel sorry for our ancestors.”

“Pity? Why?”

Isn’t he the hero who saved the continent?

There was absolutely nothing to feel sorry for.

“That’s right… Our ancestors became blind when they became saints.”

“You became blind? ah… !”

A Grimm fairy tale I read as a child.

In the Grimm fairy tale, the saint always had her eyes closed. I was curious about that and remembered asking my father.

A saint is a representative of God.

I heard that he had his eyes gouged out before he became an adult because the eyes through which he viewed the world had to be pure.

“Actually, this is a secret… There is a saint’s memoir in our family.”

“Sugi… .”

There was a high probability that it contained the saint’s sincerity.

“I was scared. Because it was not chosen voluntarily, but by someone else’s will. It was so scary that the once bright world became dark.”

“… It was like that.”

“It’s so funny. You have to have purity when looking at the world. They say it’s to avoid seeing the polluted reality or something.”

“That’s right.”

It was a really funny story.

We shouldn’t look at the polluted reality. There are all kinds of unreasonable reasons. This is why I thought religion was not okay.

But suddenly-.

I remembered the prophecy that had recently been made to the empire.

A prophecy that there would be a threat from the devil.

“… Is it okay?”

“What?”

According to what Renia said, Renia is a descendant of a saint.

Then, this saint… .

“… A prophecy. If what you say is true, Renia… There is a risk of you becoming a saint. That’s because you are a descendant of a saint.”

“Ah, will I be appointed a saint because I am a descendant of a saint?”

It was an answer that made me nod my head.

I can’t believe I was appointed a saint as a descendant. It was nonsense. Because a saint is a representative of God. There was no way that the substitute could be determined by bloodline.

I don’t know if God decides.

“And there are many descendants besides me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As time passes, blood vessels spread to various places.”

Renia, who said that, smiled meaningfully.

“And the most important point! I don’t blindly believe in God!”

surely-.

Lenia was not a sincere believer.

The same goes for me too.

In reality, it was called the Holy Eimor Empire, but not all of its citizens blindly believed in gods.

The nobles also had no need to say anything.

However, if you are going to believe in God, it was closer to believing in only one God.

But why?

At the same time as I was relieved, I felt uneasy for some reason and could not feel at ease.

.

.

.

Returning to the Luber family mansion.

To relieve my discomfort, I gathered my thoughts in the VIP room.

This uneasy feeling somehow makes me feel like Renia will go far away from me. Because it was such an unpleasant feeling, he repeatedly brainwashed me into saying no.

At that moment-.

There was someone knocking on the door of the VIP room.

“Chris. It’s me.”

It was Count Ruber.

I quickly opened the door.

Count Ruber looked as if he had made up his mind about something. He looked quite serious, no, he looked troubled.

“… I have something to say.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“It’s about you and Renia.”

no way-.

You and Renia don’t get along… !

Suddenly, strength entered my body.

but-.

It was a pointless worry.

“… Fifteenth birthday. I plan to make an important announcement then. About you and Renia… !”

It was Count Ruber, who struggled to utter each word.

“So… , be prepared too.”

After saying that, Count Ruber left the VIP room. It was a short conversation, but I understood what Count Ruber was trying to say.

engagement-.

I guess I was the first to get lucky about that.

Honestly, I wanted to jump up and down for joy.

However, I maintained my body and controlled my mind. And I thought about the meaning of the preparations that Count Ruber had mentioned.

“Of course, that’s it.”

It seemed like I would be very busy until Renia’s birthday came.

***

After seeing off Renia, I returned to Commander Fletcher.

And I started doing what I had promised.

“I need to make money.”

I decided to follow in my father’s footsteps in earnest.

The reason is to make money.

So far, I’ve done a lot of simple things for Renia’s birthday present.

but-. This time it was different.

A lot of money was needed.

What Count Ruber says:

It would refer to a gift in preparation for a formal engagement.

For a typical engagement, many people prepare rings and necklaces.

I also planned to follow suit.

When getting engaged, a ring necklace is given as a gift, and when getting engaged, the necklace is removed and the ring is worn. This was the ritual.

That’s why I wanted to buy Renia the best ring as a gift.

Because it’s a one-time engagement.

***

A castle within the imperial palace.

The conference room there.

Those who boast of their power within the church gathered together.

The Pope announced the start of the meeting.

“Rebels have been rampant these days, so I’m really glad.”

“Isn’t it all God’s will?”

It was truly a prophecy that came at the right time.

The rebels had a cause. The justification for correcting a declining empire. In the end, it was more of a justification for the sake of the people of the empire.

But now the prophecy about the devil has been made.

Attacking the empire became tantamount to an act of rebellion against the stability of the continent.

Therefore, the power of the rebels who had been so bothersome weakened in an instant.

It was truly a prophecy that came at the right time. This was an opportunity to buy time to rebuild the inner strength of the empire.

It was no wonder that the Pope regained his former gaze. Because my worries disappeared at once.

The Pope spoke again.

“First of all, the prophecy about the warrior was made. They say it’s in the northern mountains of the empire.”

He looked around the Pope’s audience and continued talking.

“So who would volunteer to go to see the warrior?”

Only one person responded to the Pope’s words.

“I will go.”

An old man who appears to be the same age as the Pope. He was Archbishop of Porsipia. He was the most popular archbishop among believers, who had the feel of a kind grandmother.

“Archbishop Porsipia would be enough. Then the saint is important… .”

Heroes are chosen through God’s prophecy.

however-.

The saint was different.

The being that was arbitrarily determined within the religious order was a saint. Originally, there was no role for a saint. However, the saint was created to increase the merits of the church.

“It would be good to be a descendant of a saint… .”

Archbishop Porsipia said.

“Is there really a need to select a saint…? ?”

A cautious question.

In response to that question, the Pope spoke firmly.

“It’s even more necessary in this day and age. So, is there anyone among the descendants of the saint who is suitable?”

This is a time when the position of the denomination is needed. Saints were necessary and inevitable beings.

A man answered that question.

There is “. There is a young girl who is not yet an adult and is a descendant of a saint. Coincidentally, on the day of prophecy, one becomes a saint.”

“Oh, Archbishop Albert, you are great as expected. I found the perfect kid. So who is that girl?”

“Count Ruber’s only daughter. This is Renia Louver.”

The Pope nodded.

It wasn’t because I knew of Renia Ruber’s existence. It was almost like an instinctive reaction.

“In that case, I will leave the role of bringing the saint to you, Archbishop Albert.”

“Okay.”

When the meeting held only by the leaders of the church ended and everyone left. Archbishop Porsipia muttered.

“Poor child… . At least I… ”

A girl who became a scapegoat due to the church’s internal circumstances. It was a pity, but Archbishop Porsipia had no power to change this.

Therefore, it was Archbishop Porsipia who pledged to at least look after the girl.