Chapter 130: Confession

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In the dimly lit basement, a young girl sits quietly.

A girl who has accepted the essence of a dragon, evidenced by the jewel-like horns atop her forehead.

If the saintess is a miracle created by nature, then this child is a miracle created by humans.

Despite that, her expression was indifferent as she chewed on a white cube.

The cube is made of glossy powder, sugar refined to that degree should be rare, but she chewed it with a crunching sound. With each roll of her tongue, the particles dissolve into her saliva.

Yet, the girl seemed to feel nothing, only chewing absentmindedly. As if she finds the act bothersome, or perhaps she’s drowning in a sense of emptiness. After chewing for a while, she let out a sigh.

Next, she picked up a salt shaker. Beside the shaker are lumps of sugar, honey, lemon juice, and other seasonings.

It’s her way of struggling. Since “taste” is related to human happiness, how should a young girl who lost it overnight cope?

[What a delightful sight.]

“Could you knock next time?”

For some reason, the man has taken on a human form. Though usually appearing as a crow, this time he oddly chose his human form.

[It’s been a while since you lost it, but you still haven’t given up, have you?]

“…”

[I understand. I truly understand.]

He, too, wept and agonized, screaming silently when he offered his vocal cords to his God. Seeing his past self in her brings him great amusement.

[So, when will the next one be completed?]

“…What? The experiment or the sanctuary?”

[The latter, of course.]

Naturally. He only discusses the former with her master.

The girl, displeased with Claude’s attitude, deliberately dragged out the conversation.

“We’re stockpiling. It’ll be done soon.”

The structure they called the sanctuary, the forces hostile to them refer to as the crystal tower.

[I’ll leave it to you this time as well. I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be away for a while.]

“It’s hard to complete it on my own.”

[Ask someone else for help. I want to take a break too.]

Who else is there? A crazy deaf man. Or a crazy self-harmer.

Hah, it’s almost laughable that the conversations with the mute are the most bearable.

Still, the surveillance will likely be loosened for a while. Working with a man who wants to keep everything under his control has kept the her constantly on edge.

As she let out a sigh of relief, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Perhaps because her tension had eased, it just came to her.

The girl stopped Claude, who was about to leave.

“I have a question.”

[What is it?]

“What does it mean to put a collar on someone?”

[…?]

He tilted his head, his bird-like mask askew, which was somewhat amusing.

“When I went out scouting the other day, I saw something.”

The girl pointed to her neck as she continued.

“There was a collar around the saintess’s neck.”

[A collar…? A collar on the saintess’s neck?]

“I think the owner of the grimoire put it there. You know, the material collection we talked about before. He probably made the collar for that purpose.”

[…]

She had seen it, infused with all sorts of magic and curses.

But it’s something you put on beasts. To see it on a person was an unpleasant sight, she had frowned at the scene.

It seems there’s no freedom for you anywhere. It reminded her of her own situation and that of her siblings, and she couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

[…How old are you?]

“I’m 12.”

[It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know.]

“Huh?”

[You don’t need to think too deeply about it. Just focus on the tasks you’re given.]

And with that, he quickly closed the door and left. It seemed he wanted to avoid the topic, cutting off the conversation.

She was used to being ignored, so it didn’t bother her much, but she felt he could have explained this much. After all, it’s about the saintess’s situation.

The girl licked the salt off her finger with a slightly pouty expression.

***************

The weekend, inside Steele’s library.

It’s not comparable to the grand library on the floating island above, but it’s still quite sizable.

After the holiday, Her Holiness has been visiting the library daily, and today was no exception.

She had something she wanted to find.

Upon entering, the library was quiet, but there was the usual faint hum of activity. The smell of old books wasn’t unpleasant.

Students floated around, some flipping through books with their cloaks fluttering, others guiding multiple books through the air. Ian, carrying a few books, entered the reading room.

Occasionally, students would startle upon seeing Ian but quickly bowed in greeting and moved on. It had become a familiar sight.

‘Well then…’

Books on the efficacy and side effects of magical potion ingredients, reports on past human experiments, history books filled with personal opinions on heresy, etc. Ian, who usually enjoyed reading novels, had brought a stack of non-fiction books and opened the first chapter.

For her friend. For his peace and his family’s well-being.

She had also requested and received related documents from the Holy City. Since a cure couldn’t be expected, she decided to search for it herself.

‘The Cult of Unity. Initially started as a simple mental training group but was labeled a heresy after an incident in a rural village of the Altair Kingdom. Leader, Menes Prophen. Seems to view creating sacrifices as a form of artistic activity. The quality of their work has drastically improved in recent years. Likely experienced some form of divine mystery. Highly dangerous. +Possible connection to the Shadow Cult……’

Recalling the documents she had seen before, she combed through the books. Leon must have done this too. After his mother’s condition, he must have tirelessly searched for a cure.

‘But there’s so much I don’t know.’

Even if he knows something, Ian doesn’t. And Ian has experienced various divine happenings in the Holy City. She hoped that something in these books might help.

She could also gather some rare materials.

And so, she lost track of time, immersed in her reading.

.

.

.

As the surroundings grew darker, she realized it was evening. She had been there since noon, so it had been quite a while.

Since she was a child, once she focused on reading, she would lose awareness of everything else.

‘I’ve read a lot, but I don’t feel like I’ve made any progress.’

There was nothing that stood out. Ian rubbed her tired eyes and headed to the chapel. She had already told her friends she would eat alone today.

In truth, she planned to skip dinner and pray. She wanted to ask her ancestors in in the heavens above for guidance.

The small chapel within the school grounds. The nuns greeted her as she entered.

“Your Holiness. Do you have a moment?”

When she asked what was wrong, a young nun bowed her head and said, ‘I wish to confess… if that’s alright.’ Occasionally, people would request to confess their sins to Her Holiness. Ian readily agreed. She could pray afterward.

Confession requires strict confidentiality, so it was fine to make such a request openly. Ian also listens and forgets.

The two entered the confessional, where their magical energies were blocked.

Since the chapel is located in a magic school, it was designed to prevent students from being identified by their magical energy. Even though the priests keep secrets, embarrassment is still embarrassment.

The confession began through the partition.

“I confess my sins. Two days ago, I indulged in gluttony and drunkenness, contrary to the Lord’s will. I consumed five bottles of wine and half a chicken, and still not satisfied, I finished an entire cake. Then, drunk, I coaxed a nun from the next room to bring me corn and aging cheese to make popcorn as a late-night snack—”

Ian nodded solemnly. This one nun had nearly emptied the chapel’s food storage, but it was still a confession worth hearing.

Once, she had nearly lost her mind listening to a series of confessions about extramarital affairs. They seemed like decent people on the outside but alas… human nature is truly something.

“—Please forgive my sins.”

The confession soon ended.

Ian assigned the nun a day of fasting as penance and concluded with a prayer.

“Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.”

“Thank you.”

With her duty done, Ian relaxed for about five minutes. If she left immediately, the nun might feel embarrassed.

…

‘I should head out now.’

After a short while, she was about to open the confessional door.

She sensed someone outside.

“Are you there? I saw someone leave earlier… Is it alright to confess now?”

“Ah, come in.”

One more person wouldn’t hurt. If someone wants to repent, she won’t turn them away.

As she sat back down, Ian felt a strange sense of déjà vu from the person’s tone. She heard someone sit down on the other side.

“Actually, this is my first time confessing, so I’m not sure how to do it… What should I do?”

A first-timer. Even more welcome.

But something about the tone and voice felt familiar. The magical energy was blocked, so she couldn’t be sure, but it felt like she was facing a familiar friend.

Ian, just in case, spoke as if she had a cold, deliberately nasal and muffled. Her Holiness, putting on a show.

“Just speak freely about the wrongs you wish to confess. However, make sure to express genuine remorse. Avoid ambiguous phrases like ‘I think I did…’”

“Understood. Then… just give me a moment. I need to organize my thoughts.”

“…Take your time.”

No matter how she listened, it sounded like that friend. The cautious and polite demeanor. It had to be that friend.

“Is the confession confidential?”

“Breaking confidentiality is also a sin. It is absolutely confidential. You need not worry.”

“…I see.”

From the other side, there was the sound of heavy breathing.

What could they be so nervous about?

‘It’s definitely that friend. They’re probably worried about something trivial. They act like they don’t care about others, but they care deeply.’

Ian couldn’t help but laugh silently. Ah, she shouldn’t be laughing in the confessional. She shouldn’t think of sins as trivial.

It just felt like playing hide-and-seek. Like a child hiding under the bed to surprise a friend. Or like a mother covering her face and saying “Peek-a-boo!” She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from rising.

“Then I will confess.”

After a long pause to calm their breathing, the person finally spoke. Ian waited quietly. ‘No matter what you say, I will act as the saint’s proxy and forgive you. I will ease your troubled heart.’

But the words that followed made her forget all her previous thoughts.

“Lately, I keep finding myself drawn to a certain man.”