saint ch14

Academy (1)

In the Order’s view, the Imperial Family’s proposal was quite unconventional.

How about sending trainee disciples to be educated at the academy?

They would allow the clergy escorting them to proselytize within the academy.

It wasn’t difficult to grasp the hidden meaning behind it.

In other words, hand over the Saint.

“The Imperial Family must be getting desperate.”

“They must be anxious. It’s been so long since a Saint has reappeared.”

“I guess they felt that ‘incomplete’ meant not loyal to the Order. They’re volunteering for a very bad deal.”

“It seems the Princess wants to somehow cover up her failure to persuade the Saint.”

The high-ranking clergy were all excited.

In their eyes, this was a unilaterally advantageous proposal for them.

It seemed the Imperial Family wanted to grasp at straws, but Ronan had already proven himself to the point where they believed he wouldn’t be swayed by ordinary offers.

Even if the trainee disciples who followed him abandoned their faith in the Order, their loss would only be a generation of trainee believers.

But the price was the opportunity to subvert the children of the powerful, who had never been exposed, and the decline of the Holy Empire’s power.

An opportunity that had never been obtained since the founding of the Holy City.

They simply hadn’t had the opportunity, but they believed that if given the chance, they could influence them to join the Order.

If they succeeded here, their names would remain as saints who ushered in the second golden age of the Orion Order.

“But should the Saint be exposed to wicked outsiders already?”

“Don’t underestimate the stakes. Who knows what tricks they might use.”

Occasionally, cautious voices were raised, but that was all.

“What’s the problem? The Saint has proven his faith without sufficient education, so what could be better than this?”

“Above all, the Saint has the Order’s ‘amulet.’ If they try to take the Saint by force, the Divine will protect him.”

One clergyman gestured as if touching a necklace.

It meant that even if the Saint was kidnapped or changed his mind, they could find him, and if necessary, drive him mad.

It would be difficult to use a Saint suffering from madness, and the Order could legally punish anyone who kidnapped the Saint and subjected him to such cruel torture.

The clergy laughed at the Imperial Family’s blunder, caused by their impatience, and willingly accepted the Imperial Family’s proposal, imagining their beautiful future.

* * *

Have you ever pondered the irony of a corrupt Order in a world where God actually exists while reading a web novel?

If so, you would have had the same question about academies in a society with a class system.

Don’t misunderstand.

I really like academy stories.

It’s a comforting and delicious genre, like gukbap.

But apart from that, if you question the existence of academies in academy stories, there’s no end to it.

In the first place, in a class-based society, status was synonymous with talent and aptitude.

Isn’t there a saying that blue blood flows in the veins of nobles?

The powerful were also wary of commoners being educated and taking an interest in society.

It was a natural result of human desire.

How could a meritocratic educational institution that disregarded social status exist in such an era?

It wouldn’t be impossible to add settings, but who cares about such details these days?

Most people just gloss over it as a literary license.

So I was confused when I first heard it.

“You want me to go to the academy?”

What, is this really inside a novel?

How can such an educational institution actually exist?

Surprisingly, the Empire had academies that I thought were only possible with literary license.

Several of them throughout the Empire.

I thought it was Crusader Kings, but suddenly it’s an academy.

Now I don’t even know what genre this terrible story is.

To summarize what the Order told me:

The Empire suggested that if the Saint, who was still lacking in learning, studied at the academy that the Empire was proud of, he would become an even greater Saint, and the Order had decided to reluctantly release the Saint from their embrace for the sake of his growth.

It’s amazing that the only truth in such a long sentence is “the Empire proposed.”

I don’t know the details, but it was clear that the Princess had a hand in it.

Frankly, it was a result that far exceeded my expectations.

At most, I wanted them to make regular visits to keep me in check, but they’re taking me out of the headquarters altogether.

I heard that all the trainee disciples, including me, and many high-ranking clergy would be going to the academy together.

Thanks to that, they’re building a new church to stay in at the academy.

Wow, did she even remember that I mentioned the children and bring them with me?

Isn’t the Princess too sweet?

I think I’m falling in love.

If I had known she would be so considerate, I would have told her in more detail.

It looks like those three annoying guys are coming along too.

I’m in a good mood now, so I can let that much slide.

Unlike my mood, which made me want to hum, the high-ranking clergy were so anxious about me coming into contact with outsiders that they came to me almost every day to remind me.

“Saint Ronan, the outside is not as safe as the inside of the headquarters. There are many reckless people who do not follow Orion’s teachings. Be careful, very careful.”

“You will face countless temptations of corruption. Our clergy will help you in every way, but you must strengthen your heart.”

Anyone who heard them would think I was going on an expedition to a den of demons.

There’s no place in the world more dangerous to me than here, you know?

I don’t know what method the Imperial Family used to get me out to the academy when they’re so worried.

Seriously, the Imperial Family is the best.

“If it’s so dangerous, you shouldn’t send Saint Ronan…”

Celia muttered, unable to watch any longer.

Hey, don’t say unlucky things, Celia.

What if they change their minds and don’t send me?

Everyone hasn’t agreed to send me to the academy yet.

However, I knew what Celia’s intention was.

She was just purely worried about me.

Even if it was the Order headquarters, where crazy fanatics were trying to kill me, from Celia’s point of view, the outside was a more dangerous place than the Order headquarters.

In fact, most of the believers who were going to the academy with me were confused by this sudden decision.

Beyond the fear of the unknown, of having to face a strange world for the first time, there were quite a few children who thought they were really falling into some kind of demon’s lair.

They had been instilling hostile ideas about the Imperial Family for years, so it was only natural that they would be summoned to an academy founded by the Imperial Family.

Even those three were secretly scared, so that says it all.

“Rhys, strengthen your heart. Remember that Orion is with you when you are afraid.”

“Belton, calm your hostility. There are no demons or monsters there. There are only children like you who have not yet received the teachings.”

“You are not alone in a lonely and unfamiliar place. If you feel tired, turn your head and look beside you. There are people who will be with you.”

I should have gone to church more often.

Then I could have said something more plausible.

Thanks to that, I was busy too.

I comforted the frightened children and injected tranquilizers into the children who seemed ready to fight to the death.

I feel like I’ve become an animal trainer.

What if the trainee disciples make a fuss and say they can’t go in this chaotic atmosphere?

What if the Order uses that as an excuse to block this trip to the academy?

I had no intention of missing this golden opportunity.

Fortunately, perhaps because I had the name value of being a half-baked Saint, everyone obeyed me, so there was no major disturbance, although I was a little uneasy.

As I spent each day, which felt like an eternity, quite busily, the day before leaving the Order finally arrived.

Today, too, after finishing the usual nagging from the Cardinals, who came to me to tell me not to forget the Order’s teachings and to enlighten people, and the pointless conversation like

‘You don’t believe in Orion, do you?’

‘I believe.’

‘Okay, let’s work hard.’

I was finally alone.

Correction.

Celia, who had decided to continue being my attendant at my request, was still with me.

My credibility had increased quite a bit since my private meeting with the Princess, so she lightly granted this request.

“Saint Ronan, aren’t you afraid?”

Celia, who usually grumbled when the Cardinals left, seemed to be overcome with fear as the day of departure approached.

“It hasn’t been long since you were harmed. You were harmed even by the clergy, so aren’t you afraid of those who don’t follow Orion’s teachings?”

Celia, you’re thinking about something completely wrong.

It’s not that I was harmed even by the clergy, it’s that they harmed me because they were clergy.

That wouldn’t happen outside, would it?

“Everyone makes mistakes. If you lose faith in humanity because of one mistake, how difficult would the rest of your life be?”

Now I’ve reached the point where I can naturally say such insincere things without going through internal filtering.

I had no faith in this world to lose.

Ah, I do believe in humans.

I had faith that humans would be ‘human.’

“…I can’t do that. I guess I’m not qualified to believe in Orion.”

Celia, who was usually quiet, was unusually emotional.

Come to think of it, she has a background as a ruined noble, so her life wouldn’t have been easy.

Today’s pseudo-psychology counseling center is already closed.

But should I do a little overtime for my exclusive attendant?

“Celia. There’s no such thing as being qualified to believe in Orion.”

“But the Order says…”

“You can forget about the Order’s words about the importance of doctrine and the degree of Divine Power for a while.”

I took Celia’s trembling hand.

“Celia. Do you believe in me?”

Celia nodded vigorously.

“Are you afraid of the outside world even though I’m going with you?”

This time, she shook her head vigorously.

“That’s enough. If you have the will to believe in someone and move forward, Orion will also cherish you.”

“But Saint Ronan, you’re a Saint…”

“Titles like Saint don’t mean anything. Don’t you remember? Until recently, I was just a trainee disciple like you.”

It was a logic that even I couldn’t understand, like saying that getting promoted to manager doesn’t mean anything because I was a deputy until recently, but comfort is not done rationally in the first place.

You just empathize emotionally and soothe the painful parts, and that’s comfort.

Celia, whose trembling had subsided, was staring at me intently.

“Shall we go to sleep now?”

I said that because I thought she was okay, but Celia, who had been staring at me blankly, said one thing.

“Then who do you believe in as you walk, Saint Ronan?”

I’m a cold city man who doesn’t believe in anyone but myself, Celia.

If you have a bomb necklace around your neck, you can’t have faith in humanity.

“Well…Orion?”

Honestly, my faith in the god who reincarnated me into this kind of place is hitting rock bottom these days…but he did give me strength.

If it weren’t for that strength, I would have met a bad ending long ago.

We laughed and mumbled the last words, turned off the lights, and quietly spent our last night at headquarters.

Damn it, you bastards.

Finally, I’m escaping!

It was a brief moment, but being together was filthy, and let’s never meet again!

My heart was already filled with a buoyant feeling, completely free from the Order’s constraints.

…

..

.
“But Orion isn’t someone who walks alongside Ronan…”

Celia, muttering words she couldn’t bring herself to say to Ronan, gazed at Ronan, who was asleep as if dead, and fell into contemplation.

Sometimes, Ronan acted as if he had no lingering attachments to this world.

A feeling that he might vanish without warning someday.

In the end, Celia knew that even if Ronan found life, having lost faith in humanity, arduous, he never affirmed the fact that he believed in humanity.

She also vaguely sensed that Ronan wasn’t living solely on faith in God and the Order as much as she had thought.

However, Celia didn’t feel disappointed or doubtful at Ronan’s behavior, but rather sad.