Chapter 43 – Faith & Believers (3)

Faith & Believers (3)

“So, how do you think we should handle this, Mr. Flan? Please, speak your mind.”

Why did the letter open so easily?
None of the previous letters had ever opened immediately. Not even once. All except those delivered to me and the Emperor required certain conditions to be met before they could be opened.

And it’s not like she’s dead.

Is it because she’s beloved by the goddess that she can ignore the blessing?
Or is there something else I’m unaware of?

This was a first.
My mind went blank.

“I’m not in need of money, but are you aware of the bounty on your head? If you don’t answer quickly…”

I couldn’t start to process her words. I needed to reset my thoughts and think again.

“Cecilia, what do you think of Troka?”

It was a fundamental question. One I wanted to ask other women as well, especially those who had been comrades. It would also help to return to my original intentions.

“Why are you asking about that now… Sigh… I’ll answer you.”

Cecilia covered her face with a meaningful smile. The atmosphere that filled the room became unbearably heavy. Then she produced an expression akin to a tragic heroine.

“A poor man. I can’t forgive him for committing suicide, but as a hero, he was… decent, and I do think of him as a pitiful person. If it weren’t for the oracle, we might have been closer. It’s regrettable.”

Her response was almost immediate.
Unless she had thought about it beforehand, it was too quick to be spontaneous.

“So pitiful that you never exchanged a single word with him? Are the words of that great goddess so important?”

“Sigh… Truly, he was a pitiful man. If he hadn’t defied the goddess’s words and made such an extreme choice, he might be sharing the teachings of the deity with me right now…”

Her gaze had already shifted to the ceiling. Her eyes moistened, creating an atmosphere as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

I was at a loss for words at the unfolding situation.

Well, thanks to that, I had regained my composure.
After all, she was the type who would become self absorbed regardless of what others said, so I could probably ignore that.

“…That’s what I think. Do you have any more questions?”

I had nothing to say. The idea that she had genuinely cared for Troka was unbelievable, and I hadn’t properly heard what she said afterwards. In this situation, there was only so much I could say.

“Are you going to read the letter?”

“Wasn’t it addressed to me? That’s why you came in person, and of course, I should read it. We may not have spoken because of the goddess’s words… but I suppose it’s fine to look at his last letter.”

“Right… then, go ahead.”

Does Cecilia truly not know, or is she pretending to be ignorant despite knowing?

It seems I must infiltrate the Holy Imperial Court to obtain information about the goddess. Honestly, my original goal was to simply deliver the letter and ignore everything else. It was the fastest way to return home, and since I had no lingering attachments to this world, that was my plan. However, now various incidents have made it difficult to return home. If I enter the empire to use the return magic circle, I’ll likely be sent straight to a dungeon.

Most of it is my own doing, but well… anyway.

I snatched the letter Cecilia was holding with both hands and tucked it into my bosom. There might be a hidden message from Troka in the new letter, so I had to investigate it first. Someone like her could manipulate the information written in the letter.

Then I stood up. It seemed I was unconsciously tense, as my legs were not strong. It might be because the sacred aura was eroding my body. The power of the holy sword is amplified here.

For now, let’s leave this place and head to the Holy Imperial Court. I thought I could obtain information there, but Cecilia’s reaction made it seem not so certain.

“Are you planning to leave already? Leave the letter before you go, I haven’t read it yet.”

“Wasn’t saying I’d read the letter just a courtesy? Whether I take it or you read it, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a letter from a dead man.”

Would anyone believe that she actually wished he was alive, when she treated him as less than invisible while he was her companion? Of course not.

“Then why do you want to take the dead man’s letter?”

I couldn’t say it was to discover the secrets hidden within. I couldn’t say it.

There’s no reason.

“It’s none of your business.”

I brushed it off and left.
That should do it.

“You shouldn’t leave, should you? If the archbishop in the next room catches wind of your foul sin…”

I picked up the teacup in front of me and slowly sat down. Then I handed her the pristine letter I had tucked away. Reading the letter was ultimately her choice. It was not my place to say anything.
It’s not because I’m afraid of the archbishop.

But Cecilia didn’t read the letter; she just placed it on the bedside table.

“You said you’d read it. Why are you putting it away?”

“There’s something more urgent right now.”

Her eyes turned towards me.
The air settled completely.

“Flan, do you have no intention of repenting?”

Such an abrupt statement.
It was a phrase I used to hear often, but now the atmosphere was different.

At the same time, I felt as if I was being sucked into Cecilia’s eyes.

“With the time you’re wasting spouting such nonsense, you could have read it all by now. Just hurry up and read it.”

But I was used to it, so I could withstand it.

Even with my response, her gaze did not waver. She just stared at me, piercing into my inner self with a gaze that seemed to see nothing else.

“Answer my question first, please. Do you… have any intention of repenting?”

“I won’t do such a thing. I don’t plan to, either. Digging up the past isn’t my style.”

It’s ironic, considering I have no qualms digging into others’ pasts, but my answer was firm.

I refuse to repent.

At my clear response, Cecilia let out a deep sigh and looked at me as if she was drained.

“Haah, attacking the princess mentally, and kidnapping the master of the Tower of Magic should be enough for you to rot for a long time. Don’t you think you should at least try to wash away your past sins?”

“I’ll say it again, I don’t have time for that kind of thing.”

“I see, so you say…”

She clutched her bracelet. The pair of gold bracelets seemed out of place on her pitiful arms. When she looked up, her eyes seemed unfocused.

Suddenly, the atmosphere sank.
I felt a strong sense of dissonance.

“…You, don’t tell me those eyes.”

Ah, right.
Those damned eyes.

Cecilia can see the sins of others. It seems she was checking to see if the sins I’ve accumulated had increased while we were apart. I’ve lived righteously since joining the hero’s party.
Righteously, I suppose.

Probably.

“Hey, cut it out with those eyes. You know everything already, don’t you? At least about what kind of things I’ve been up to.”

Still, I hated having my past voyeuristically observed. Just like no one wants to be caught by their parents in the middle of a private act, I didn’t want my past laid bare for just anyone to see.

After all, she was the one who had a fit the moment she saw my face at our first meeting. She must have seen most of my past then. What could be the reason she wants to confirm it again?

“To properly discern, I suppose I need to go directly to the Holy Imperial Court…”

“What are you trying to discern? Just read the letter and hand it back quickly.”

“Flan, do you realize that you are under suspicion?”

The faint smile that had been present until now had vanished. She was showing her unfiltered, distorted face, just like she had at our first meeting. The gentle tone was nowhere to be found. Her voice, which might have contained a hint of sympathy before, was now as cold as ice.

“The nonsensical talk that the goddess killed Troka made me wonder if you were involved in Troka’s death. I thought about it and… it’s indeed suspicious.”

“Bullshit.”

“Now that I think about it, you’ve always criticized the goddess. It suddenly occurred to me that the anxious Troka might have fallen for your smooth talk and committed suicide. I would appreciate your cooperation, but… I know very well that you won’t do that.”

“No matter how much you want to become a bitch, barking nonsense won’t turn you into one, Cecilia.”

“Because, if it weren’t for that, there would be no reason for you to come to see me in person, nor would there be any reason for you to deliver the letter and cause chaos in the world, right? If you just stayed put, you could go home comfortably. To kill the hero and plunge the world into chaos…”

Now I was the one being falsely accused.
I wonder if she felt the same way.

“You don’t have to say it. I can find out the exact details by checking the past.”

Cecilia had taken her hand off the bracelet. The pair of bracelets had somehow turned into a single one. It seemed like she had pulled some trick. I should probably draw my blade just in case…

Ah, damn it.

As I was about to pull out the dagger from my bosom, my shoulder was grabbed. Turning around, I saw a man with a tough-looking face standing there.
A face full of scars… my counterpart. This man must be the Cardinal. That bracelet was a signal to call him.

“Even if you had left the room, you would have been caught by the Cardinal immediately. And if you hadn’t been with me… you would have been killed right away.”

Was it my fate to be caught the moment I entered the room?

“I would like to ask all the questions I’m curious about, but since you refuse to answer, there’s only one way left. If I dissect that brain, I’ll know. I’ll find out the absurd reasons you’ve insulted the goddess, and I can also precisely identify the sins you’ve committed… and whether or not you were the one who killed Troka. Hehe, fortune has come to me on its own feet.”

Why are these people in this world so desperate to get me?

…Well, it doesn’t matter.
If they want to dig through my past, they’ll have to go to the Holy Imperial Court headquarters. If I escape from there, I can also extract information about the goddess while I’m at it.