Ch.368Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

As expected, the saint who summoned me was Veronica.

“…Welcome, Major.”

Though she greeted me as usual, Veronica didn’t seem particularly pleased to see me. She looked like someone who had just woken up after getting completely drunk.

Her once glossy, black silk-like hair was disheveled, and her dark circles had long since invaded her cheekbones. Her eyelids were also puffy, as if she had been crying.

The black eyes that usually sparkled between her thick eyelashes were now clouded with fatigue.

Her appearance was so pitiful that I felt sorry just looking at her.

Veronica, who appeared in a state that hardly resembled a human being, remained silent for a while.

She stared at me quietly for some time, then pushed out her lips and spoke curtly.

“What are you doing? Standing there instead of coming in.”

Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

Even those with no interest in religion would have heard the name of Altiora Cathedral at least once in their lives. As the place where the church’s saints have resided for generations, Altiora Cathedral has consistently appeared in world history exams and international news.

Altiora Cathedral, one of the church’s three great cathedrals along with Medius Cathedral where the Pope’s Holy See is located.

Despite the historic moment of two saints being born, the rightful owner of Altiora Cathedral is just one person.

The 58th Saint, Saint Veronica.

She is the youngest person ever to be canonized and simultaneously the most powerful cleric to gain authority. It’s a natural result, considering that the Emperor of the Empire, the godfather of a dictatorial state, has personally backed her.

There are many words used to describe Veronica—the woman of tragedy, the church’s brightest rising star.

But in diplomatic and intelligence circles sensitive to international politics, there was only one word that symbolized her.

The Empire’s lobbyist.

The 85′ hostage negotiation for the rescue of a volunteer group kidnapped by an armed organization.

The 87′ trade agreement between the Kiyen Empire and the Church that was dramatically concluded.

The 88′ Papal visit to the Empire during an overseas tour, breaking everyone’s predictions.

The 90′ easing of restrictions on international magic research and international mana stone trade agreements that the Church had imposed.

The 91′ lifting of the Empire’s economic sanctions against the Church.

The 92′ partial abolition of religious persecution policies in dictatorial states on the Moritani continent.

The 94′ decision to dispatch Church support troops to the northern border dispute.

The 96′ declaration of support from Eastern and Moritani nations for the Church’s hardline stance against the Magic Tower, and so on.

Among the major diplomatic events in modern history, it was hard to find one that hadn’t passed through her hands.

Sometimes for the Emperor, sometimes for the Pope. Veronica always handled matters that others found difficult to resolve.

At the time, I was too busy working as Clebins’ assistant at headquarters to pay attention to Empire news, but according to my sister Adela, who works as a diplomat, Veronica was quite skilled.

It’s no wonder that even the haughty high-ranking Empire diplomats called her the “unofficial Foreign Minister.”

That’s how significant Veronica’s position was on the world stage, and it remains so today.

“……”

Though she always appeared confident and dignified in the media.

The saint I encountered less than a day later had become noticeably gaunt.

“Why are you staring like that? Is there something on my face?”

“…No.”

Of course, her characteristically brazen and confident attitude remained unchanged.

“I don’t know why you’re staring so intently, as if my face is something extraordinary. Well, I am pretty, I suppose.”

“Your face looks a bit…”

“A bit what?”

“Like it’s deteriorated. You look like someone who hasn’t slept.”

“Ah, I was up until morning. Don’t worry about it. I suffered a bit from a hangover, but it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

“…Is that how it works?”

“Well, I won’t die from this. So what if my liver is damaged? I can just heal it.”

Veronica was still the same.

Casually throwing out jokes, continuing conversations with nutritionally empty topics, and yet shamelessly praising herself—it was so typical of her.

I smiled slightly and kept nodding.

Though I didn’t show it, I was too tired right now to respond to each of Veronica’s jokes.

Perhaps noticing something in my demeanor, Veronica casually asked a question.

“You seem quite tired, Major?”

“Ah, yes… not too much, just a little…”

“Is that so?”

With those words, Veronica crossed her legs. Thanks to her tall stature, it made for quite an elegant posture.

Sitting askew with crossed legs, she rested one arm on the table and propped her chin. There was a strange sense of déjà vu in that pose. It felt like I had seen it somewhere before.

Thinking about it carefully, I suddenly remembered when I first met her.

On a rainy night.

Under a bridge, Veronica was sitting arrogantly on a bench, waiting for me.

Just like now.

“So why did you call for me at dawn?”

“……”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. That’s not it…”

Haa.

With a deep sigh, Veronica’s body shifted. Like an exhausted person, she let all the tension drain from her body.

“I don’t know how to put this… Well, just…”

With her legs still crossed askew and her chin propped up, she seemed to be choosing her words for a moment.

Then, dropping her head, she muttered something strange.

“I just wanted to see you.”

*

I’ve formed connections with many informants, but Veronica was by far the most exceptional among them.

Her usual conduct, and even her attitude toward me, was anything but ordinary.

It’s the same now.

“…Just when I said I wanted to rest a bit, those old fogies started foaming at the mouth and having fits. They’re saying how can I talk about resting when the coronation is happening tomorrow or the day after, throwing tantrums like they’re about to collapse on the office floor, really…”

Veronica, who had summoned me to the cathedral, led me into an unnamed room. Then, out of nowhere, she pulled out what appeared to be a bottle hidden in a drawer.

It was alcohol.

“This is that famous liquor from the Moritani continent, you know? It’s a distilled spirit…”

Her explanation about the liquor was brief. She seemed to prefer taking a sip rather than wasting time with idle chatter.

Seeing is believing, as they say. Abandoning her explanation, she immediately brought out glasses and filled them with the traditional liquor from the Moritani continent.

“Whew!”

After downing her glass vigorously, Veronica wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

With a thud, she put down her glass, causing the fist-sized transparent ice to rattle noisily. As the liquid gushed over the glass-like ice, Veronica immediately began to down another glass.

Gulp. Gulp. The alcohol slid down her throat.

The way she drank, lifting a full glass, was unmistakably that of a heavy drinker.

Like a desert traveler desperately gulping water, Veronica was pouring the distilled spirit into her stomach with her head tilted back.

“Phew! Ah, this kills me…”

“Sigh…”

After drinking heavily, Veronica held up the bottle and began to smile like a mischievous child.

“Have a drink too, Major!”

“…You want me to drink?”

“Of course!”

Despite my incredulous response, Veronica was as confident as ever.

Perhaps drinking alone was too boring. She filled a glass to the brim with liquor and demanded that I join her.

“If you don’t drink on a day like today, when will you?”

“……”

“Come on, don’t be shy, just down it!”

In the end, I had to drink all the liquor she handed me.

The distilled spirit, over 40 proof, was quite strong. Though it didn’t have a distinctive taste, its effect was certainly noticeable.

“How is it…?”

“…It’s strong.”

“You like it, right? The taste isn’t great, but there’s nothing better for getting drunk quickly.”

Veronica handed me the bottle and reached out for the glass. I naturally filled the glass, and she emptied it without hesitation.

A round of full glasses had been consumed, but Veronica showed no signs of opening up.

She must have called me here with something to say. Yet the host of the cathedral who had invited me was merely drinking.

“Here, take the glass, Major. I’ll pour you one.”

I sighed silently and brought the offered drink to my lips.

Veronica seemed to have no intention of getting to the point right away. If that was the case, it would be proper to go along with her pace.

I downed the liquor in one go and passed the glass to Veronica. She naturally accepted it and grinned.

“This is the perfect drinking session for getting hepatitis, isn’t it?”

“Do saints get hepatitis too?”

“Of course. Isn’t a saint still human? Drink a lot and get drunk, drink excessively and get hepatitis.”

“That’s not something to brag about.”

“It’s fine. I can hold my liquor!”

“Oh my…”

Her claim about holding her liquor was certainly no lie. Veronica had consumed several bottles of alcohol in one sitting. Even I, who was drinking with her, was getting tired of it.

And so, quite a bit of time passed.

After several rounds of drinks, we were finally able to have a proper conversation.

“Why did you call me?”

I put down my glass with a thud and lit a cigarette, getting straight to the point.

“You’re not the type to call me without a reason.”

“Tsk… Are we the kind of people who only meet when there’s business? Lucia has finally been canonized, so we can at least have a drink together, can’t we?”

“I’ve been working continuously since the canonization ceremony ended. As Camilla’s colleague and a defense attaché, how could I miss a diplomatic event? I was just about to get some sleep when you suddenly called me out. What am I supposed to do?”

“……”

It was now deep into the night. A time when everyone should be in bed.

Though the canonization ceremony was over, the coronation still remained. During the remaining period, I had to handle various tasks in addition to preparing for the event.

“With work piled up like a mountain, is it right to call me out like this?”

I indirectly asked Veronica.

What was the reason for bringing me all the way here?

Faced with this approach, Veronica, who had been cautiously watching, reluctantly began to speak.

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you. Actually… I called you to continue our unfinished conversation from before.”

“Unfinished conversation? Ah… Perhaps about those sisters…”

A rather heavy topic was placed on the table.

My relationship with Lucia and Francesca.

It was a relationship I wanted to hide from Veronica, but in the end, it was exposed in less than a year. This was because I had spilled the truth under her coercion when she disguised herself as Lucia to lure me out.

“……”

Honestly, if I had decided to lie, I could have done so sufficiently.

But if the lie was discovered, the aftermath would have been predictable. A dispute between an informant and an intelligence officer can easily develop into the possibility of betrayal.

The moment it was revealed that I had hidden the fact that I had touched her beloved sister with a blatant lie, a deeply disappointed Veronica might have taken the initiative to end our relationship.

Of course, even in such a situation, it’s the role of an intelligence officer to sweet-talk an informant, but Veronica was definitely not someone who could be persuaded with words.

So I confessed the truth.

My relationship with Lucia. My relationship with Francesca.

Somehow, I had also formed a certain kind of relationship with Veronica, but that fell into the category of an accidental incident. In fact, my relationships with Lucia and Francesca were also unexpected accidents in a way.

“Yes. You know well. I trusted you, but I never dreamed you would betray me like this. It’s like being hit on the foot with a trusted axe.”

“…Actually, I didn’t make the first move.”

“Oh my!”

Veronica’s hand struck the table. With a force that made even me wince, Veronica raised her voice, pointing her finger.

“What a cowardly excuse! How many times did I ask you? To take good care of my sisters. You should have kept that promise no matter what!”

“T-that’s true, but…”

“What do you mean ‘but’?!”

The painful criticism continued. Whether she was heavily drunk or not, the saint scolded me with a stern voice.

“Did they forcibly drag you in, or did they drug you? At most, they might have given you a few drinks, but you couldn’t resist that and pounced on them?!”

“……”

There were many responses that came to mind, but they were all flimsy excuses. They were also cowardly excuses that shifted responsibility to others.

I had nothing to say, even with ten mouths.

I bowed my head like a criminal, and Veronica raised her voice and criticized me. The pleasant drinking atmosphere had completely changed with just one statement.

“I trusted you! I trusted you…!”

“Ahem…”

“How could you do that? With me, huh? How could you brazenly tell me that you got involved with Francesca after doing that?!”

“W-well, ‘involved’ is a bit too… harsh…”

“You’re the one who’s harsh!”

It was an irrefutable statement.

I buried my head and started trembling. Why on earth did I mention my relationship with Francesca?

No, thinking about it, it was something I should have mentioned eventually. The issue was just the method.

After all, I had blurted out “Actually, I’ve been with Francesca too, not just Lucia” to Veronica after spending the night with her.

At that time, I thought I could be forgiven for saying anything since Veronica was in a good mood, but it was clearly a misjudgment. Looking back now, it was truly a crazy thing to do.

If only it had been classified information, I would have taken it to my grave. I thought too lightly of it.

Though I prided myself on having experienced all sorts of messes, I had never slept with an informant’s beloved sister, let alone been involved with more than one woman. And of course, I had never received training on how to resolve issues of passion.

“Were you in heat?!”

“……”

“If not, there’s no explanation! How could you be with both my sisters, Lucia and Francesca, at the same time! Didn’t you say you were dating Lucia? Were you lying to me?”

“Dating is corr-“

“Then you shouldn’t have met Francesca! Are you disrespecting Lucia now?!”

Perhaps due to being heavily drunk, her language was becoming increasingly harsh. It was actually fortunate. At least fists weren’t flying like last time.

I quietly bowed my head, and Veronica sighed, beating her chest as if frustrated.

“Break up with my sisters right now!”

“Ah, no. That’s a bit…”

“Why? Is it too regrettable to break up with both of them? Then you should have done better from the start!”

“……”

Again, I couldn’t refute.

To receive a woman’s confession and start dating, then to two-time with another woman? It was behavior that anyone would see as trashy.

Even the most promiscuous nobleman would be frowned upon for openly two-timing. Even if they play around disgracefully behind closed doors, noblemen must maintain appearances in public. Unless one is a Casanova-level man of fatal charm, playboys are generally shunned in any country.

Intelligence agencies are no exception. Promiscuous relationships with the opposite sex are characteristics closely watched by both inspection departments and counterintelligence agencies. And there’s also the internal evaluation of colleagues watching from the sidelines.

So if you want to have a long career, it’s important to keep your relationships with women clean and avoid creating scandals. Conversely, female employees also need to be careful not to generate gossip about their relationships with men.

However, to be honest, I wasn’t confident in my ability to cleanly end my relationships with Lucia or Francesca.

But Veronica was adamant.

She strongly demanded that I break up with both of them, without asking or questioning.

“Break up immediately. I’m serious.”

“……”

“You can’t do that? Then stay apart for a while.”

Veronica crossed her arms and glared at me with eyes that blew cold wind.

“From now on, your quarters are here. Move your lodgings from the hotel to the cathedral. I’ll send someone to move your belongings, and I’ll personally talk to the Hero and my sisters.”

“……”

“As much as I’d like to just grab you and lock you up in a room… I need to find new colleagues, and there are foreign ministers lining up asking us to resolve their conflicts, so I’ll give you special consideration. Stay at Altiora Cathedral until the festival ends.”

She was saying she would keep me tied to her side and monitor me.

An intelligence officer being confined and monitored by an informant. Even I, who had experienced all sorts of strange situations, had never heard of such a thing.

Even dating couples wouldn’t go this far. Locking someone up because you’re worried they might cheat—isn’t that pure jealousy?

“……”

At that moment, a strange thought occurred to me.

Why was Veronica doing this to me?

I suddenly became curious.

For someone who claimed to be acting for her beloved sisters, there was something odd about Veronica’s attitude. Considering her usual respect for Lucia and Francesca’s wishes, there was clearly something questionable about her current behavior.

I grew suspicious. So I wanted to ask.

In this moment, it might seem ridiculous to say this now, but I really wanted to ask at least once.

Until now, there was no reason or need to ask, but.

“Veronica.”

“No, it’s not happening. I won’t change my mind. I have absolutely no intention of listening to whatever you have to say, so give up.”

“Do you like me?”

That’s when it happened.

The thick glass tumbled to the floor.

Veronica, who had been holding the glass, dropped it in that instant. But she seemed completely unaware that she had dropped it. She was staring at me with a blank expression.

Our gazes locked in mid-air, and I could finally see it.

Veronica’s face, which had turned as red as a radish, unlike someone who could hold her liquor.

And her two ears, dyed as red as autumn maple leaves.

Veronica, visibly flustered to anyone watching, hastily opened her mouth to protest.

“W-w-w-what…!”

“……”

“Who said anything about liking you? Really! People are so strange! Why, why would I love a man like you, Major? Huh?!”

Veronica.

Why.

I get it, so please go look in a mirror.

……

Pointing her finger and spewing words with rough breaths, Veronica went into the bathroom.

After 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes.

Veronica still wouldn’t come out of the bathroom.

*

30 minutes had passed.

“…Hello? Veronica?”

“……”

“If you’re alive, could you please answer?”

Veronica was still in the bathroom.

Instead of answering, she banged on the door.