episode_0088

The sound of Mei Luina’s forced laughter, filled with irritation.

Even in a gathering of ordinary people, the atmosphere would inevitably become strange the moment that forced laughter burst out. In the conference room of the Papal Palace, where schemes and tricks abounded, it was natural for the room to buzz with tension.

The irritation of none other than Saint Mei Luina, who had seized the title of saint with just one ability and firmly maintained her position and power despite the machinations of the Pope and numerous high-ranking clergy members, left everyone in the room momentarily stunned.

However, that was only temporary. Missing the perfect opportunity for Saint Mei Luina to reveal her emotions was unthinkable to the cunning old ladies present, so a deacon by the Pope’s side quickly spoke up.

“Ah, Saint, is there perhaps something bothering you? To speak with such emotion in a place that should always be solemn and reverent. It is unlike you, Saint. Hm, could it be that the aftermath of the recent incident still lingers…?”

A subtle and sinister remark from the deacon, as seasoned as one who would not survive in the cutthroat world of the Papal Palace, from the Pope to the deacons.

In simpler terms, it sounded like, ‘The young brat is finally showing their emotions. Acting all saintly and then suddenly behaving like this, I knew you would. Seeing a woman who used to be different suddenly act like this is perfect for framing it as a lingering effect, right? Hehe! Now we can use this as a leverage to slowly chip away at the influence within the Papal Palace!’ At least, that’s how it sounded to Mei Luina.

Although her tone had become more casual, the underlying meaning in the deacon’s remark was not much different.

Sigh. I need to calm down, Mei Luina. Showing weakness here will only benefit those snake-eyed old men. Revealing emotions to them should only happen when I am sitting at the top of the Papal Palace.

The deacon’s remark not only did not provoke Mei Luina but rather calmed her down.

When someone openly provokes you to anger, it often has the opposite effect of cooling your head and calming your heart.

And… I should clarify that my improvement is not due to that fake god but thanks to Stay. But saying that here would only put Stay in danger.

As a chosen one from heaven who had lived in the Papal Palace since awakening, Mei Luina knew how far those in front of her could go.

It was a fact that the mere F-rank Awakener, Stay, who was now not even a hospital staff, could not rebel against the claws of the snakes disguised as humans.

Therefore, Mei Luina swallowed her internal rebuttal for her own satisfaction, erased her emotions, and responded with a fabricated smile.

“Haha, I’m not sure what you mean. I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”

“Haha, you’re quite something, Saint. Sacrifice is undoubtedly a virtue of the church, but even so, since you have saved the world, wouldn’t it be alright for you to rest a little now? Showing signs of being unsettled just now… To my eyes, it seems like you are pushing yourself too hard, Saint.”

But endlessly exploiting a vulnerability once shown was akin to a virtue of high-ranking clergy in the Papal Palace.

The deacon continued to frame the situation, saying, ‘You’re not normal! So rest! We will take care of the tasks you were handling!’

“Saint, you have saved the world, haven’t you? How about relying on us occasionally?”

“It’s really worrying. If you push yourself too hard and end up getting sick again, lying in a hospital bed, we, as priests, will lose the face to pray to the Lord.”

Honestly, they are being unreasonable. Is it sane to tell her to rest when pushing her too hard could lead to health problems? No, it’s not sane. These people have never been sane.

Sitting there were the archbishops who accepted the Pope’s scraps with pleasure, faithfully carrying out everything he commanded without a word of protest.

They would do anything to eliminate any harm to the Pope’s absolute authority as his faithful dogs.

Although they couldn’t openly show their fangs to Mei Luina, who had descended to the earth as a saint after hundreds of years, they had indeed burdened her with countless tasks behind the scenes.

I really want to smack them…

Even though she had become a hero who saved the world, it was natural for Mei Luina to be infuriated by their concerted efforts to diminish her power even slightly.

“Thank you for your concern. But I’m really fine. If you’re still worried even after I’ve said this much… I’ll have to show you that I’m perfectly fine.”

But she couldn’t afford to openly defy the people in front of her in the current situation, so making a threatening remark was Mei Luina’s only form of rebellion.

“Ah, well… there’s no need to go that far…”

“W-Well, if the Saint says so… we’ll let it go for now.”

“T-That’s right. You are the hero who saved the world. From our humble perspective, there may be parts we cannot understand.”

But that small act of rebellion was enough to be accepted.

The reason why the archbishops could openly challenge her was because of the Pope who supported them. Without the Pope, they were nothing but A-class Awakened Ones who would be easily destroyed by a single swing of the chain wielded by Mei Luina.

The warning to stop provoking the Saint before she used her power was like a threat of murder to the priests, and the constant challenges that started without warning ended like this.

After that, only formal meetings continued.

“Hmm.”

With a small sigh from the Pope that no one could hear.

※

After the meeting, Mei Luina finally gained her freedom and turned her steps to a place other than her office.

“Just staying still will only make me feel depressed. No, right? There’s no reason to be depressed, right? If I’m angry, that’s one thing! Why should I be depressed? It should be Stay, not me! Anyway! I need to move. My body is stiff, and my mind and heart are getting dull!”

With the thought that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, Mei Luina walked out of the Papal Palace with determined steps towards the ideal image of a saint.

“I’m going to take a walk in the park for a change of mood. Hmm!”

Dreaming of a walk, Mei Luina arrived at the main road, leaving the Papal Palace behind, and got into the limousine reserved for high-ranking clergy that she had called when leaving the conference room.

Indeed, a limousine is better than a sacred carriage. While the saint’s sacred carriage is pretty and symbolic, it cannot match the convenience of modern vehicles.

“Well then, I will take you to Liberty Park, Saint.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Relaxing against the comfortable backrest, Mei Luina enjoyed the smooth ride as she arrived at Liberty Park, the park where she planned to take a stroll today.

“We have arrived, Your Grace. I’ll wait here, so have a great day.”

“Thank you. It won’t take long.”

After thanking the driver (a real knight), Mei Luina flashed a bright smile and bid farewell before stepping lightly through the park entrance into Liberty Park.

The birds chirped, the flowers bloomed, and the sunlight was dazzling on this beautiful day.

Cursed to see nothing ahead and unable to converse with anyone when she was a plant-human, Mei Luina had longed for freedom. Now, she had forgotten her past sorrows and was simply feeling excited.

“Yes, this is it. People do need to see the sunlight, right? Breathing in the fresh air, basking in the sunlight, how could one feel bad? It’s nice. Thanks to Mr. Stay, I’m starting to feel better. While I’m enjoying this mood change, Mr. Stay must be regretting his reality, right? Forgetting the F-grade life we had for a moment with us. It’s terrifying to imagine.”

At the same time, Stay wasn’t regretting anything, but he was feeling uplifted by Mei Luina’s delusion about his incredible ability to manipulate status windows. However, he was still disappointed to realize that his skills remained the same, leading to a sense of frustration.

“People are most unhappy when they let go of the happiness they held in their hands. I wonder how long Mr. Stay, who let go of my happiness, can endure… Haha, thinking about Mr. Stay living each day in regret over his wrong choices makes me feel even better.”

Of course, this was all just a delusion from start to finish.

Stay didn’t regret his choices, feeling a sense of relief akin to shedding a burden when he parted ways with the three individuals, except for the one who had been suffering.

Unaware of this fact, or rather deliberately ignoring reality to deceive herself, Mei Luina continued to imagine a scenario where Stay would return to her, looking haggard from regret, and apologize while clinging to her.

“Haha… Mr. Stay, I won’t accept a mere verbal apology. You’ll have to give it your all, body, mind, soul, and passion for me to accept it. I’ll make you pay for making me angry… So brace yourself.”

Naturally, it was all nonsense.

“Well, maybe just a month? If you can endure that, I’ll consider it a long time. I’ll be eagerly waiting for the sight of you regretting and breaking down in my absence.”

After finally letting go of her baseless fantasies and feeling refreshed, Mei Luina finished her walk and returned to her home office in a limousine.

※

A week had passed since the delusion-filled stroll.