Saint and Saint (4)

The inside of the carriage was quite bright, with light stones embedded here and there.

There were also heating stones embedded in various places, making it extremely warm, but the two people who hardly felt climate changes in the first place didn’t care much about the cold, so it didn’t matter.

The inside of the carriage was empty.

Alebian, the owner of the carriage, had long since hidden himself, saying it wouldn’t be good for him to be seen, and as a result, only Yona and Bigrind were standing inside this carriage, facing each other across a table.

“Big, was your saint’s robe always like that?”

That was Yona’s first words.

Bigrind’s attire had changed so much that Yona thought for a moment it wasn’t the saint’s robe she had seen before.

“…Don’t mind it. More importantly, what’s the reason you called me all the way here?”

“Uh… oh, right. Let’s sit down first. Let’s talk while sitting.”

Bigrind sat on the seat with a somewhat displeased expression.

As soon as Bigrind sat down, Yona poured tea from the pot and set it in front of her.

Eventually, Yona also sat down in front of Bigrind with a teacup in hand, took a small breath, and spoke to Bigrind.

“As I said earlier, we need to stop this madness.”

“Do you have a way?”

“That’s why I called you, to discuss it together. I can’t go there myself, you know.”

Well, that’s true.

Bigrind inwardly let out a long sigh.

It makes sense.

It’s more surprising that Yona, who had a nationwide arrest warrant out for being an apostate, managed to enter and leave Evian.

Even though Elder Ceres and Teacher Eize helped —

‘…Wait.’

Something feels off.

Bigrind felt that something was strange.

No matter how much it’s Teacher Eize, he’s just a priest.

It’s a high position in the diocese, but that’s all.

The position of priest doesn’t have much power outside of Evian.

Moreover, although Elder Ceres has a relatively high position and some authority, it’s clearly a different country.

And didn’t she move with Bigrind and Ludvic?

It somehow doesn’t sit right that these two people helped Yona sneak into Evian.

‘Something… feels off.’

Yona tilted her head, looking at Bigrind who had suddenly stopped talking and fallen into thought.

“Big.”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

Thinking she should look into it later, Big gathered her thoughts and looked back at Yona.

Yona quietly looked at Bigrind like that, took a sip of tea, and asked her.

“Big, did you already know?”

“Yes. I knew. I thought I should stop it too.”

There was no need for further explanation about what they were talking about.

The current situation of capturing girls with white hair and orange eyes.

That must be what she’s referring to.

“Why on earth are they doing this? Why go to such lengths?”

“…Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

Bigrind looked at Yona with an incredulous expression.

She couldn’t believe that Yona was asking her this question out of genuine ignorance. The reason why these things are happening now — she was rather asking about the reason itself, which made it even more confusing.

“Are you saying it’s because I apostatized?”

Yona’s eyebrows twitched.

In fact, that statement itself wasn’t wrong. Yona knew it too, and it was something she knew without Bigrind having to say it. It’s because Yona apostatized, and because she caused a disturbance in the middle of the Celestine Church headquarters — she knows this too. But if you think about the cause, isn’t it the Celestine Church’s fault?

“So if the Celestine Church had just listened to Alec, it might have been okay. Don’t you think there’s fault on your side too, to say it’s all my fault?”

“Do you think something would have been different if they had listened? Demonic energy burst out there, and besides — yeah, you’re not hiding it anymore. That tattoo on your left arm. That’s the demon Berbaria itself, isn’t it? The one we encountered at Capatia Port. What were you thinking, getting caught with that in the Celestine Church headquarters? It’s because that burst out in the Celestine Church headquarters that all this chaos started.”

“That’s—”

Yona, who was about to flare up in anger, stopped speaking and took a deep breath.

Hearing it like this, Bigrind’s words weren’t entirely wrong. Of course, if you think about it carefully, there were aspects that could be argued, but even so, what Yona had done was too big to nitpick and argue about every little detail.

“…Right, I didn’t come here to fight. Anyway, yes. I also think there’s clearly a problem with the current situation. To be honest, there’s one way to resolve this situation most easily.”

“What is it?”

Yona quietly looked at Bigrind.

If there’s a way to resolve it most easily, and if it’s something Yona can accept—

“It’s you turning yourself in to the Celestine Church. That’s the easiest and fastest way.”

—It wasn’t.

Yona glared at Bigrind with a distorted face.

Bigrind also glared back at Yona, not backing down in the slightest.

Demonic energy began to rise in billows from the corners of Yona’s mouth.

Golden holy power also began to rise from behind Bigrind, who was facing such a Yona.

“Of course, you won’t comply. His Holiness the Pope was wrong to push Alec so recklessly, and I was also at fault for not stopping it. I was too weak and timid back then. And to be honest—”

Bigrind let out a small sigh.

A moment of hesitation, wondering if it’s okay to say such things as the Saint of the Celestine Church.

That hesitation acts as a minimum conscience, making her falter.

“You apostatizing… I, I understand. I can understand. I think you had reason to do so.”

“What?”

Yona’s eyes widened. After that, she was at a loss for words.

It was something Yona couldn’t have imagined, that the rude Bigrind would say such things.

“Your comrade was captured, and it was clear that comrade was going to die. And a demon whispered to you from nearby. How could you refuse such whispers? You probably had no one to rely on in the Celestine Church headquarters, and I… yes, I was too lacking as a Saint back then to be someone you could trust and cling to. You had reason to do what you did. Yes, you had reason. I understand.”

“…Did you eat something wrong?”

“Shut up, you damn healer. I’m holding back from wanting to make you kneel behind the cathedral with your arms raised, so just listen.”

Kneeling behind the cathedral with arms raised.

Yona stopped speaking abruptly when she heard those words.

• • …I should grab her hair and shake her hard. Or make her kneel behind the cathedral with her arms raised.

    Those were the words Yona had said to Alec.

    Bigrind was saying exactly the same words.

    That memory they both shared.

    It was the punishment they received when caught by Teacher Eize for slacking off.

    It wasn’t just Yona who remembered it.

    Bigrind remembered it too.

“…Is Teacher Eize alright?”

“Yes. I said I wouldn’t stand for it if anyone doubted Teacher Eize under my name. Teacher Eize is precious to you, but to me as well. So you don’t have to worry about Teacher Eize.”

“That’s a relief…”

The name she tried so hard not to think about, not to care about, but ended up worrying about anyway — Teacher Eize.

With Bigrind giving such a definitive answer, Yona’s heart felt much lighter.

“Anyway, getting back to the main point, I think we need to stop that madness too. I heard that all the girls with white hair — or orange eyes in Evian have already been moved to the church territory. I’m going to return to the church territory soon and have them all released. I don’t understand what kind of madness this is.”

Yona inwardly sighed in relief at Bigrind’s words.

She had groundlessly believed that Bigrind would surely stop it, but she was still worried deep inside.

Talking about the easiest way and whatnot, saying everything would be resolved if they caught you and handed you over, so quickly offer your neck — she wouldn’t say that, right? But you can’t say the possibility is completely zero, can you?

“Yona, for that to happen, there’s something you need to help with.”

“What is it?”

“The day after tomorrow, there’s a religious event. I want you to appear in the center of Evian at that time. Like this — ‘Even though we captured so many girls with white hair or orange eyes, you were here all along.'”

Even after capturing so many, the apostate known as Yona was in Evian for no reason.

In other words, to let it be known that the Celestine Church had done something completely useless.

“But that would be like completely humiliating the Celestine Church people.”

Well, it’s not a difficult thing to do.

Yona has Berbaria as her familiar, and if she appeared under Berbaria’s protection, there would essentially be no one who could touch her.

Moreover, since she was originally planning to do something like that anyway, there wasn’t particularly anything different, but she still wanted to check what Bigrind was thinking.

But if you ask what benefit this has for the Celestine Church, there is none.

It’s literally proof that the Celestine Church’s capture of girls was a futile act and nothing more than needlessly tormenting people.

It’s not hard to predict how angry the parents who unnecessarily made their daughters suffer will be, and that anger will be directed straight at the Celestine Church.

“That’s… unavoidable. The Celestine Church is a religion that’s supposed to make everyone happy with the blessing of the Celestial God.”

Bigrind paused for a moment.

The teacup on the table had long since gone cold, but Bigrind fiddled with the cup and mumbled for a moment.

“…Maybe that’s why the Celestial God isn’t giving his blessing. Looking back now, the Celestine Church people haven’t been a religion that serves the Celestial God and bestows his grace on people for a long time. To take the lead in tormenting the Celestial God’s creations because of one apostate. This is strange.”

“It feels a bit weird when you keep saying apostate, apostate, so I’d appreciate it if you could stop.”

“Just listen for a bit. You are an apostate, aren’t you, you healer girl.”

Yona couldn’t say anything back to Bigrind, who was glaring and scolding her.

“You damn dwarf poop sack…”

At those words, a thick vein popped up on Bigrind’s forehead.

Having managed to suppress her anger with difficulty, Bigrind sighed for a moment and continued.

“…Anyway, to continue, the Celestine Church has been built up over hundreds of years. I can’t stand by and watch it crumble like this. What’s wrong should be called out as wrong. It’s because I couldn’t do that that I haven’t been able to properly handle the Celestial God’s holiness until now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The reason my saint’s robe was like that was literally because I couldn’t properly handle the Celestial God’s holiness. Now that I can handle the Celestial God’s holiness, my saint’s robe has changed too. To realize this only now, isn’t this realization too late…”

It’s something she should have realized earlier.

Although the Celestine Church said that Sonia, the first Saint, wore such attire, there’s no record anywhere that proves it’s true.

Bigrind wore it because they said so, but wasn’t it a dress that was hard to consider sane no matter how you looked at it?

Since there had been no one who could handle the Celestial God’s holiness since the first Saint Sonia, this must be a dress made to receive as much sunlight as possible. And why such a dress was made, and how it was passed down like that, she didn’t want to delve into those questions.

“Make yourself appear in the center of Evian. After that, I’ll take care of the rest. Even if it’s the Celestine Church, even if it’s His Holiness the Pope, they won’t be able to pressure me.”

“And after that?”

“Do as you intended to do.”

With those final words, Bigrind drank the tea that had gone completely cold.

Ignoring Yona’s gaze that clearly showed her surprise.