saint ch11

Private Audience (3)

I really want to cry.

I want to go to the god who reincarnated me and ask for a refund.

No matter how I look at it, this is a fraudulent listing.

All that glitters is not gold.

The fact that I was the target of the murderous intent harbored by Princess Azelia became clear from the moment we made contact.

A flame of murderous intent that wavered incessantly as if she was conflicted, but never went out.

She even tried to treat me with the formal respect due a Saint, perhaps to test me or perhaps aiming for a homicidal proxy, so I sent a silent SOS to the Cardinal who accompanied me, asking what to do, and the murderous intent in her heart sharpened.

After she kissed the Sacred Imprint, her murderous intent skyrocketed to almost psycho-fanatic levels.

It was so intense that I momentarily lost control of my expression.

And even in the midst of all that, the Cardinal ran away, leaving the Saint alone with the evil forces trying to kill him?

This is a real mess.

In the end, as always, I had to overcome this difficulty on my own.

First, let’s think about why this princess wants to kill me.

Actually, it’s very simple.

If the relationship between the Imperial Family and the Order is not good, then they would naturally want to eliminate the Saint, who could inflate the power of the Order.

Especially since I’m not yet widely known to the public, and the Order is still testing the waters.

What I’m curious about is whether they can actually eliminate me just because they want to.

Even for the Imperial Family, it would be impossible to just stab a Saint and then keep their mouths shut.

Could it be because my Sacred Imprint is only half-baked again?

If you’re going to give it to me, give me a proper Sacred Imprint.

Because of that “half” title, the already absurd difficulty seems to have skyrocketed.

Actually, I didn’t have the余裕 to worry about that far ahead.

The princess, who had already decided to kill me, and I were facing each other alone in the room.

I’d have a better chance of survival if I were locked in a cage with a lion.

I wonder if I can react if she infuses magic into that magic tool disguised as a bracelet and tries to cut my neck with the blade right now.

To make matters worse, the man guarding the princess was the Captain of the Royal Guard, who seemed like a big deal.

I was so scared of the silent princess that I spoke first.

If I didn’t start a conversation somehow, my head would fly off without a word.

Fortunately, the princess began to ask me some questions.

I was diligently trying to make a good impression by answering them, but somehow the questions were becoming increasingly difficult to answer.

Isn’t this princess aiming for a homicidal proxy?

There’s no way those suspicious Cardinals would have really let me and the princess have a private audience.

How many eavesdropping devices disguised as sacred objects are planted in this room right now?

If I asked those questions, the princess who asked them might be fine, but I’d be dead.

Or rather, my brain would be wiped clean.

I wondered if she really didn’t know, so I hinted at it, and the princess froze as if she hadn’t expected it.

Huh?

Really?

She really didn’t know?

How could she not suspect something so basic?

No, let’s not keep worrying about useless things.

Just that act alone noticeably reduced the princess’s murderous intent.

Let’s focus on this for now.

I gave the princess, who was more of a pushover than I thought, a cup of chilled tea to help her snap out of it, and she obediently drank the tea and looked at me with confused eyes.

Good.

At least this princess isn’t a psycho like Telos, or an irrational fanatic.

If I can just let her know that I’m not a toy of the Order, she might change her mind.

Having made up my mind, I began a full-fledged conversation with the princess through writing.

* * *

[Please write what you want to say here. And please continue with the questions you were going to ask.]

“May I hear the rest of the questions you were going to ask?”

[Does the Saint perhaps know the reality of the Order?]

[Does the Saint truly believe that the Order is only a benevolent entity?]

[I wouldn’t say I know it. All I know is that most of the higher-ups in the Order are more interested in their own safety than in Orion’s teachings.]

“Of course. How could the Order, which propagates Orion’s teachings, not be good?”

[How can you be so calm knowing that? Are you… …perhaps in league with them?]

“The world is not as full of light as the Saint thinks. Even if it is the Order.”

[Are you talking about brainwashing? That’s why I became a docile Saint, because I was afraid of that. But if I were in agreement with them, we wouldn’t be having this conversation through writing right now.]

“There may be those who misinterpret Orion’s teachings. But how can the entire Order be wrong?”

It was a strange sight.

Ronan and Azelia were verbally exchanging a conversation between a Saint with a firm belief in the Order and a princess trying to win over that Saint, while simultaneously having a completely different conversation using the light swirling on the table.

The more they conversed through writing, the more convinced Azelia became.

This Saint is different.

Definitely different.

At least he was different from the puppets of the Order that had been recorded so far.

Was he aware of the Order’s corruption and hiding it while voluntarily feigning piety?

And the fact that he was feigning piety meant that he was not actually pious.

[Does the Saint perhaps lack faith?]

[That’s not true. If there’s one thing I believe in this world, it’s faith in God.]

[But not the Order? Is it because you’re smart enough to recognize their true nature? Or did Orion tell you? To weed out the corrupt?]

[It’s neither of those. I’m not a great person. Let’s just say I was a little precocious. If everyone believed in and followed the ideal teachings, the world would already be a paradise.]

The conversation between Ronan and Azelia paused.

The incomprehensible emotions that had intensified during the conversation mixed together, and Azelia’s voice, which had involuntarily become louder, also stopped.

Silence settled for a moment, and Azelia looked at the Saint with fresh eyes.

The mystical impression was still there.

The robe that covered his body excessively still looked stuffy,

His beauty, which didn’t show a single drop of sweat despite wearing such clothes, was beautiful,

And his upright posture was still noble.

However, only the emotions contained in his eyes felt different.

Two eyes that seemed to have given up, rather than having abandoned all worldly attachments.

Nevertheless, the faint smile to show consideration for the other person looked all the more poignant.

The Saint’s writing that brought Azelia back from her reverie was sudden.

[Do you still intend to kill me?]

At the same time, it was shocking.

Azelia could only bite her lip and clench her hands to avoid making a sound.

The absurd assumption she had made earlier was correct.

This Saint could read minds.

[Can you read minds?]

Azelia could only avoid answering by responding to the question with a question, her hands trembling.

[Not in that much detail. I just feel the emotions you harbor vaguely, like colors. Murderous intent, malice, hatred, resentment, things like that.]

The emotions Ronan wrote down became daggers that stimulated Azelia.

What must it feel like?

To greet someone who harbors murderous intent towards you with a smile and face them for a long time.

To walk on thin ice every day to survive among monsters who only think about using you.

Azelia suddenly realized that Ronan probably felt that she and the Cardinals of the Order were no different.

And that there was actually not much difference.

[If you’re going to kill me, please make it painless.]

[Didn’t you say you didn’t want to die?]

[It’s much harder than I thought. Can I ask you for just one favor?]

[Tell me.]

Azelia felt breathless as she weighed the weight contained in those words.

Ronan was now prepared for death, so this was essentially a will.

[Can you monitor the way the Order educates children? There are too many buds that are nipped before they bloom.]

Azelia stared at the writing Ronan was writing and squeezed her eyes shut.

How could the Imperial Family, which was more sensitive to the Order’s movements than anyone else, not know about the Order’s atrocities?

However, the moment they touched it, they would have to start another bloody war with the Order, so they were pretending not to know, calling it the last resort to strangle the Order.

[Why doesn’t the Saint try to fix it?]

[You know it’s impossible.]

Azelia fully understood that her words were close to unreasonable.

Even the Imperial Family, which had powerful imperial authority, found it difficult to fix evil laws and irrationalities disguised as customs.

The Imperial Family couldn’t easily touch it, so what could a young Saint with a half-baked label do in the middle of the Order?

Azelia already knew why she was saying such unreasonable things, but she kept thinking about her father’s, the Emperor’s, request.

After a long time of deliberation, Azelia carefully wrote.

[Saint Ronan. If the Imperial Family checks the Order and guarantees the Saint’s safety, can you promise me that you will not forget this heart at that time?]

She wanted the Saint to live, even if she had to be unreasonable.

The name of the Saint, whom she had avoided calling because she was going to kill him with her own hands, caught her eye.

This Saint was too precious to be killed by her sword or used as a consumable by the Order.

* * *

Yes!

That’s it!

Having finally succeeded in persuading the princess, I cheered like crazy in my heart.

That was really hard.

First of all, through writing, I endlessly

‘I’m not on the Order’s side. I’m serious. I’m just on Orion’s side. The Order is bullying me, so I’m cosplaying.’

As I appealed, the princess’s murderous intent towards me gradually subsided.

I judged that it was worth a try now that the murderous intent had subsided enough, so I mentioned the princess’s murderous intent and scattered her mind, which was decisive.

First, I reveal that I can read emotions, revealing the usefulness of my cheat ability.

Is there any politician, or even a person, who wouldn’t be interested in knowing what others are thinking?

In the meantime, I mix in emotions that emphasize how hard I’ve been living, and then create a very poignant and tragic atmosphere and lie down with dignity.

In the first place, if the princess still had the heart to kill me, she wouldn’t have said to kill me.

She almost completely lost her will to kill me, so she was trying to extinguish the embers with a final confirmation.

To top it off, I add a story about the trainees.

Children being brainwashed and dying in the Order?

Honestly, how long has it been since I came to my senses and lived here?

In the few days, I haven’t witnessed any trainees dying or being brainwashed.

I just guessed because I, Ronan, almost died and almost got brainwashed.

Since this messed-up Order seems like it would actually do that often.

A boy standing before death is worrying about other children rather than his own safety, and if you don’t feel sympathy for that, are you a psychopath or a human being?

The princess was not a psychopath, but a wonderful person.

She will become a wise ruler. Hehe.

While already rubbing my hands and flattering her in my head, I worked hard to show a surprised look as if I hadn’t expected it at all.

[You can read emotions, but you didn’t expect this?]

[I’m still inexperienced, so there are limitations to using it. Are you really okay with this? Don’t worry about me.]

Now that she’s decided to take me in, I naturally package the limitations of my ability, which she’ll be worried about, as an ability that I can handle appropriately.

To even ask, as a formality, if she was really okay with that decision.

The Princess had already made up her mind, so this reluctance was just a cute act.

[I have only made a rational judgment. Saint Ronan being alive will be more helpful in checking the Order.]

Of course, of course.

There’s give and take in modern society, a natural order, so how could I forget this grace?

Especially since keeping the Order in check also thickens my own lifeline.

[Thank you.]

The longer the words of gratitude, the less sincere they seem.

Especially when I’m trying to maintain every ounce of weight and influence I have, like now.

With those short words as the last, I finished the written conversation and, noticing something, approached the Princess and took her hands.

“Saint, what…”

The Princess’s hands were wounded with nail marks from how much she had been agonizing. I took out the necklace from around my neck in a meaningful way and naturally healed her hands. The Princess just stared at me, her mouth shut.

It’s a small token of my sincerity for a successful partnership.

Oh, there are wounds on her lips too.

I extended my little finger, lightly touching and healing the wounded corner of her lips as a sign of working well together in the future, then stepped back. The Princess was staring at me with wide eyes.

However, contrary to my expectation that she would be a little flustered, she couldn’t take her eyes off my neck, looking serious.

Why is she like that?

Ah, did she see the wound on my neck when I took out the necklace?

Tsk… I wanted to appeal to my human side with a hint of boyish playfulness at the end.

Well, the frame that I’m being persecuted by the Order isn’t bad either, so does it matter?

Having finished my business, I straightened my clothes and walked towards the door ahead of the Princess.

Judging only from eavesdropping, it would seem the Saint, judging that there was nothing more to discuss during a private meeting that had spiraled into a breakdown, was leaving.

Wow, that’s a really perfect ending.

I think I’m pretty amazing, even by my own standards?

I opened the door with a refreshing feeling for the first time in a while, and the gazes of all sorts of people waiting in front of the door were fixed on me.

Ah.

Among them, it was scary how the captain of the royal guard of the Imperial Family was looking at me as if to kill me.

Princess!

Don’t just stand there blankly, help me quickly!

This person looks like he’s going to stab me any second!