Chapter 47

So, Belita was an orphan. From the perspective of someone who had possessed this body, it was a convenient setting. Furthermore, it seemed the Church hadn’t caught wind of Belita being involved with any outside factions yet.

‘I guess I should consider that a stroke of luck.’

The personal history she recited didn’t seem particularly strange, so what exactly was the problem? As I struggled to organize my chaotic thoughts, Beatrice turned her gaze toward me and continued.

“Are you aware that there is a passage in the prophecy stating the Savior is of noble birth?”

The question was directed at me, but Kalat, standing beside me, spoke up as if in protest.

“Yes. However, that depends on how one interprets it…”

“Precisely. The Orthodox Faction interprets that passage this way: that the Savior carries noble blood. But now, our supposed Saintess turns out to be a commoner? And one with a background so clear there’s no room for doubt, at that.”

“……”

Ilian and Kalat’s faces hardened, but Beatrice didn’t stop there.

“Samuel went to such great lengths to investigate whether she might be the illegitimate child of some noble, or perhaps the surviving heir of a fallen royal family. Pffft! Ah, even thinking about it now is hilarious. I’m tearing up.”

Beatrice burst into laughter, making a show of wiping the corner of her eye. In front of her, my expression darkened, slipping past my control. So, they were saying that because of Belita’s status, talk had broken out within the Church that she wasn’t qualified to be the Saintess. Why was this controversy happening only to me when it never happened with Ivanke…

‘Wait, hang on a second.’

As I racked my brain, a realization unfortunately dawned on me. Actually, Ivanke had a setting where she was the illegitimate daughter of some noble house! It was a detail mentioned exactly once in the story and never used again, but was it really there just for this?

‘I’m screwed.’

If the Church had investigated Ivanke’s background just like they were doing now, her lineage would have been revealed. Even if she was a “half-pint” who had been abandoned, Ivanke was a noble who undeniably had blue blood flowing through her veins. In contrast, Belita was a commoner orphan from an orphanage.

‘This is a hurdle I never saw coming.’

The operation to hijack the heroine’s seat had far more variables than I’d anticipated. However, it was too late for regrets, and besides, the romantic progress with the protagonist was actually booming.

‘Let’s stay calm. I just need to get past this.’

“Well, there’s no need to be so worried.”

While cold sweat trickled down my back, Beatrice patted my shoulder as if to reassure me. Kalat let out a hiss like a defensive cat, as if to say, “How dare you touch the Saintess’s shoulder so casually!”, but he was quickly tamed by a single look from Beatrice.

“Since His Holiness the Pope is backing the Saintess entirely, the public opinion favoring her acceptance is much stronger. Also, the Reformist priests who interpret the prophecy as the Savior themselves being noble have agreed to it.”

Kalat placed a hand over his chest and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Th-that is a relief…”

“It seems someone behind the scenes put in quite a bit of effort for her.”

“Pardon?”

Beatrice tilted her head toward Ilian.

“I didn’t think you were interested in political infighting. How surprising.”

“I had a promise to keep.”

“What?”

When Ilian brushed it off vaguely, Beatrice furrowed her brows in confusion, but I had a general idea. It meant the bet I made with Ilian was still proving its worth.

‘He’s working harder than I expected.’

I thought he would just go through the motions and call it a day.

‘Building up his affection was worth it after all.’

Kalat also caught on to Beatrice’s implication and began pestering Ilian, asking if he had made a request to His Holiness and how he had done it. Ilian, seemingly annoyed by Kalat, waved him off and changed the subject.

“It’s just something that happened. By the way, how long do you intend to keep the Saintess standing out here? You said you came to escort her, yet you haven’t guided her anywhere and are just giving her grief over her status.”

“Grief?”

“Ahaha! Sir Ilian sure has a funny way with words. Now, shall we get going? Saintess, right this way!”

Kalat saved the atmosphere, which was on the verge of turning bloodthirsty, by sacrificing his own dignity. I followed along obediently as Kalat nudged me forward, and we headed for the Holy City in the carriage Beatrice had prepared. Not long after we departed, Beatrice added something she hadn’t managed to say before.

“It was my mistake to bring up the Saintess’s past. It seems my attempt to instill a sense of caution went a bit too far. What I wanted to say is that not everyone in the Church will welcome you. Please, take care to distinguish those who will be an asset from those who will be a liability.”

There were people in the Church who would try to undermine me. There was a high possibility I’d get caught in a power struggle between the Orthodox and the Reformists.

‘So, if I want to survive, I have to play both sides well. Is that it?’

But here’s the thing. I didn’t recall the Orthodox or Reformist factions ever being mentioned in the game. I’d only played the Saintess route once, so I couldn’t be certain, but still.

‘If it was just a single line of narration that passed by, could I have missed it?’

…I didn’t know. It could be an event triggered by the variable of my social status.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

In the first place, the Church was just a faction used to highlight the Saintess’s image; they barely appeared in the story.

‘I didn’t even know the Church was divided into factions.’

It was flustering, but I figured I should learn about it for now. When I casually asked for an explanation of the two factions inside the moving carriage, Ilian, who had been staring out the window with his chin resting on his hand, answered me.

“The Orthodox Faction refers to those who believe people have a fixed place from the moment they are born. They gave it a grand name, but they’re basically just a group of bloodline elitists.”

Beatrice added that the Orthodox Faction was the mainstream within the Church. She said most priests belonged to it. For me, that was nothing short of tragic news.

“On the other hand, the Reformists are those who criticize such ideas as outdated. They ask how long we’re going to stick to the old system when the world has changed.”

Kalat chimed in to agree.

“After all, we even have a Cardinal from a commoner background in our Order of Ralphican. The idea that high-ranking positions are the exclusive property of nobles is a thing of the past.”

I see. It was a common conflict dynamic. The only thing bothering me now was the fact that I might get caught in the middle of their bloody crossfire.

“Well, don’t worry too much! Once the Orthodox priests witness the Saintess’s power for themselves, they won’t be able to utter a single word of protest! I, Kalat, will guarantee it!”

Both Ilian and Beatrice directed dry, unimpressed looks toward Kalat. Their expressions seemed to scream, ‘And what exactly are you going to do about it?’ While they were talking, we arrived in front of the Great Cathedral.

“Please watch your step as you disembark.”

As I stepped out of the carriage and looked up, the Great Cathedral overflowed with a majesty that felt almost oppressive. Gold and marble had been used lavishly to express the might of the continent’s only religion; it was a cliché, but the atmosphere was so divine it felt as if a god might actually descend at any moment.

“It’s magnificent, isn’t it?”

The man who spoke to me as I stood there staring was a silver-haired middle-aged man with a pleasant impression. In the game, members of the Church appeared so rarely you could count them on one hand. And that included this individual.

He shared the same surname as Ilian. He was one of the few Church figures from the game: the Pope himself.

“Your Holiness.”

“We greet Your Holiness!”

The moment they realized his identity, the party behind me bowed in unison to show their respect. I agonized over how I should act when, without fail, a set of choices appeared.

…Up until now, there had never been a time where the “correct” answer wasn’t among the choices. This meant one of these was the proper move.

‘Let’s think.’

Earlier, Beatrice had wanted me to show the dignity befitting a Saintess. However, my opponent was the Pope. From what I knew, a Saintess held power comparable to his. In that case, a slight bow should be correct. But would it make sense for someone who was a commoner until just a few days ago to suddenly act like a high-ranking noble? What if they thought a commoner maid with no pedigree was already putting on airs? If I chose wrong and the Pope didn’t like me, there was a chance he wouldn’t support me as the Saintess…

‘No, let’s not overthink this.’

There was no time. In the end, the conclusion was…

“It is an honor to meet Your Holiness.”

I bowed my head slightly to show my respects.

“Hmm.”

I felt his gaze looking down at the top of my head.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, our Saintess.”

The Pope curled the corners of his mouth into a smile and extended his hand to me. As I took it, I realized I hadn’t picked a total failure of an option. The people behind the Pope, who appeared to be his subordinates, also bowed their waists to me.

‘I guess I don’t look like easy prey.’

I must have acted correctly.

“I should have come to greet you sooner; you must have been disappointed.”

“Not at all. It is an honor to meet you.”

“Ah, you speak so beautifully. The honor is all mine to meet the Saintess.”

Like father, like son—their manner of speaking was subtly similar. I unknowingly glanced at Ilian, and the Pope caught it.

“I wonder if our Commander Ilian served the Saintess well. I trust he wasn’t rude?”

“Not at all. He treated me very well.”

“Commander Ilian and Priest Kalat deserve much credit. Thank you, everyone.”

“O-oh, it was nothing!”

“I only followed the will of Ralphican.”

Kalat waved his hands in a literal flutter of surprise, while Ilian answered calmly. The Pope, watching them with a pleased expression, turned his attention back to me.

“Originally, I intended to hold a grand welcoming ceremony, but the Saintess resolved the demonic contamination so quickly. There just wasn’t enough time. I hope you understand?”

“Of course.”

I pulled the corners of my mouth up as much as possible to give a benevolent reply. I pulled them so high I almost had a facial cramp.

“Instead, I’ve made sure the Saintess’s quarters are quite comfortable, so I hope that cheers you up.”

Now that was something to look forward to. This was much better than a grand welcoming ceremony.

“Well, I’ve kept you for too long.”

The Pope left after one last platitudinous proverb, and it was only when his back was no longer visible that the rest of the group finally straightened their backs.

“He is a difficult person to deal with, as always.”

“If Sir Ilian feels that way, imagine how we feel.”

Beatrice let out a hollow laugh, and Kalat nodded repeatedly in agreement. I wasn’t sure if he was “difficult” simply because he was a superior, or if his personality was just a nightmare to manage. In the game, the Pope was a character who kindly listened to Ivanke’s worries and gave her advice—was the reality different? Either way, I just had to hope the Pope would act in my favor.

‘Can I even call this a room?’

After the meeting with the Pope, the quarters I was guided to turned out to be a magnificent building that looked like a castle.

‘I get this whole building to myself.’

As expected of the Order of Ralphican. Their scale was on another level.

‘Is this much only natural for a Saintess?’

The largest room in the building was my bedroom, and this was at least somewhat familiar. It was the room that had appeared constantly in the game’s illustrations. A spacious canopy bed that looked like it could fit five adults, a pretty duvet and curtains adorned with lace… plus a drawing room for receiving guests and various other furniture for convenience.

‘The welfare here is insane.’

However, the problem was…