“Good afternoon, Your Holiness.”

“Good day, Archbishop Ision.”

Before the grand and solemn Ritual Hall of the Palace of Sacred Mists, Archbishop Ision had waited a long time before finally welcoming Liya, the Saintess who had completed her procession through the entire city.

Although everything had been carefully planned in advance, the procession had still taken far longer than Ision expected—three full hours later than scheduled.

That alone showed how fanatically the believers of this city welcomed the Saintess.

“Your Holiness must be exhausted.”

While exchanging formal greetings, Archbishop Ision also quietly studied the newly appointed Saintess before him.

Because local archbishops could not freely leave their own cathedral districts without special circumstances, he had not attended Liya’s succession ceremony in the Holy City. Aside from information gathered through official channels, this was his first time meeting the Pure Saintess at close range.

Unlike those rigid official images, seeing her in person made him realize she was even more beautiful and moving than he had imagined.

Her platinum-blonde hair shone bright as the morning sun. The smile resting lightly at her lips was sweeter than spring water. Even the sacred veil radiating holy presence could not fully conceal the slight softness and loveliness in her features.

Yet there was not the slightest trace of childishness within that loveliness. Instead, her eyes and brows carried a holiness and nobility that instinctively made others ashamed of themselves.

Her etiquette was flawless as well. Every movement seemed measured with exact precision, as though the Goddess herself had sculpted a perfect incarnation using her own image as the template.

No wonder she bore the title of the Pure Saintess.

This purity...

Merely standing near her felt like receiving divine grace.

Archbishop Ision sighed inwardly.

At the same time, however, a faint trace of tension surfaced inside him.

Because the more outstanding this Saintess was...

The more troublesome she became for him.

“The Judgment Archbishop is not accompanying Your Holiness?”

After the greetings ended, Archbishop Ision’s gaze shifted behind Liya.

Standing there was not the Judgment Archbishop, but instead a young woman even Ision had never encountered in any intelligence report.

Her etiquette was also impeccable. She looked almost as though she had been carved from the same mold as the Saintess herself. In certain details, she even surpassed the Saintess.

A serving nun?

As expected of the Saintess. Even one of her attendants was this exceptional.

“The Judgment Archbishop dislikes lively scenes like this. She’s outside taking a walk.”

Liya smiled.

Though her veil covered her face, the Holy Light surrounding her still made the entire area seem brighter.

“A walk? That certainly sounds like her style. But Your Holiness’s safety...” Archbishop Ision lifted a brow slightly.

At a moment this important, the Judgment Archbishop was actually absent?

That was unexpected.

“Please don’t worry. This is the Kingdom—a place filled with countless believers of the Goddess. I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to attack me here.”

Liya stood within the light.

Or rather... she stood surrounded by countless believers.

That was the unique nature of the Saintess.

To evil organizations that hated the Church and hated the Goddess, the Saintess was a target that had to be eliminated—a taunting effigy they would exhaust every effort to strike down.

But to those who stood with the Church, with the Goddess, or needed to stand beside them...

The power of Liya, this Saintess, surpassed even the Pope himself in certain respects, despite the Pope’s usual refusal to interfere in mortal affairs.

As long as Liya appeared openly in the light, then so long as matters remained in the light, no one would dare attack her.

“You know that isn’t what I meant...”

Archbishop Ision smiled bitterly. “I mean...”

“I understand.”

Liya interrupted him and nodded gently.

“But isn’t the Archbishop still here? I trust that you’ll handle everything properly.”

“...Your Holiness truly places great trust in me.”

Whether it was admiration or emotion, even Ision himself might not have known.

In any case, the sigh carried complicated meaning.

“Then please, Your Holiness.”

The drizzle outside still had not stopped. Though the faith of the city’s believers had dispelled much of the cold, they could hardly leave the Saintess standing in the chilly wind any longer. Archbishop Ision immediately raised a hand and guided Liya into the Ritual Hall.

“How beautiful.”

As Liya walked inside, she quickly found herself marveling at the magnificent relief sculptures and exquisite decorations throughout the hall.

“Of course. This is the place where the royal family of the Kingdom worships the Goddess.”

While explaining the origins of the ancient carvings to Liya, Archbishop Ision added,

“To be honest, I originally didn’t want the current royal family involving themselves in this matter. I would have preferred to welcome Your Holiness at the cathedral instead. But it seems that old man had no intention of letting go of such a perfect opportunity to raise public morale.”

“Public morale...”

Liya tilted her head slightly.

“From what I saw on the way here, the morale in this city doesn’t seem particularly low.”

“Of course not. After all, the only news reaching them lately has been good news, hasn’t it?”

Archbishop Ision smiled meaningfully.

“Good news always raises morale.”

“Good news...”

Liya’s eyes flickered faintly.

Inside the city, perhaps.

Outside the city, however...

“By the way.”

Archbishop Ision suddenly asked,

“There’s actually something I haven’t been able to understand.”

“Please ask.”

“It’s about those communications the Church sent recently... What exactly did they mean?”

Archbishop Ision frowned, looking genuinely troubled.

“Why did they keep repeatedly asking me to confirm the contents of our communications? The scheduled reports before that had no problems at all, didn’t they?”

“...”

Liya fell briefly silent and met his gaze.

Archbishop Ision’s eyes were completely open and sincere. Though aged, they were not cloudy in the slightest. They held only genuine confusion.

As though...

He truly did not know why.

“It was nothing.”

Liya smiled again.

“The person responsible for communications simply made a small mistake and lost some previous records. It was only a minor misunderstanding. There’s no issue at all. In fact, I had intended to find an opportunity to explain this to you personally, Archbishop. Since you brought it up yourself, I can only shamelessly apologize.”

“No, no...”

Archbishop Ision quickly stepped forward and stopped Liya before she could bow apologetically.

“Your Holiness exaggerates. The mistake belonged to the communications officer, not you. How could it possibly shame Your Holiness?”

“...”

“...”

Their eyes met, then drifted apart once more.

As for what deeper meaning lay hidden within that exchange...

Only they themselves knew.

“Fubeka.”

“...Y-yes!”

A young nun suddenly stumbled out from some unknown corner in a panic.

“There’s still some time before the scheduled event begins. Take the Saintess to rest for a while first.”

“Yes!”

“Your Holiness, after such a long procession, you must already be hungry.”

Archbishop Ision looked back at Liya.

Liya pinched the edge of her sleeve lightly. “A little. It’s not as though I can secretly snack along the way.”

“Then I must apologize. I still have preparations left unfinished, so I can only trouble you to temporarily rest under Fubeka’s care and eat something first. Your health is the most important thing.”

“Thank you for your concern, Archbishop.”

Liya did not refuse. She obediently inclined her head slightly.

“Then I’ll trouble her for a while.”

“It’s no trouble at all. It’s her duty. Fubeka, make absolutely certain you take proper care of the Saintess.”

“U-understood!”

Archbishop Ision soon departed, his steps hurried.

“Your Holiness, please follow me!”

Fubeka was visibly nervous around the legendary Saintess. At one point she nearly tripped over her own feet and almost fell flat before everyone present.

Fortunately, through balance and flexibility far beyond normal people, she somehow twisted herself through a full spinning turn in midair and forcibly righted herself.

Liya looked at her curiously.

It was not because this nun—who appeared around Liya’s own age and whose chest was only slightly smaller than hers—was especially beautiful.

It was because she seemed somewhat... unprofessional.

Ordinary lack of professionalism would have been normal enough. The cathedral had many nuns, and not all of them possessed Lin’s level of professional discipline.

But...

For a nun personally assigned by the Archbishop to attend her...

This level of “unprofessionalism” was strange.

“Y-Your Holiness, is something wrong?”

Embarrassed by her near fall, Fubeka’s cheeks flushed red. The movement had also left her nun’s uniform—already a little tight on her—slightly disheveled.

Liya’s eyes narrowed faintly.

On Fubeka’s chest, she seemed to lack the holy cross pendant symbolizing a believer of the Goddess.

“Nothing.”

Liya revealed nothing on her face and raised a hand, dismissing everyone behind her except An.

“I’ll just have to trouble Miss Fubeka for a while.”

“N-not at all.”

Fubeka patted her chest with innocent cheerfulness.

“I’m the one who should be asking Your Holiness for guidance...”

...

...

“How lively.”

“Yeah. Very lively.”

In a corner of the Ritual Hall, Muen—already disguised as a veteran priest—stood together with Bishop Kore, carefully observing their surroundings.

The welcoming banquet for the Saintess had not officially begun yet, but the hall was already bustling with activity as numerous clergy moved about making final preparations.

“So later, I’ll probably be reciting hymns from that position.”

Muen looked toward the statue of the Goddess at the center of the hall. A temporary prayer platform had already been erected there.

When the time came, he would recite the sacred hymns from that spot, while Archbishop Ision, as host, would lead the opening prayer there first.

That would give Muen a brief opportunity for close contact.

And during wholehearted prayer, Archbishop Ision’s guard would likely be at its weakest.

Of course, that assumed he truly prayed.

“By the way, you really aren’t looking at the Saintess at all?”

Bishop Kore seemed rather surprised by Muen, who had been scanning the surroundings the moment he entered.

“The Saintess is so beautiful, so holy. I feel like just looking at her purifies my soul... As expected of the Pure Saintess.”

“It’s fine. If I want to look at her later, I’ll have plenty of chances.”

“Plenty of chances?”

“Ahem. What I mean is, in the Holy City, I occasionally have opportunities to come into contact with the Saintess.”

Muen coughed twice awkwardly and finally glanced toward Liya’s direction.

He knew she had already arrived. He just had not yet found a chance to—

“Hm?”

Muen’s brows suddenly tightened sharply.

“Who is that nun?”

“Which one?”

“The one in front of Li— the Saintess.”

“Oh, that one... I think her name is Fubeka. She’s the Archbishop’s attendant nun.”

“I want everything on her.”

“Huh? Everything? That’s a bit difficult, isn’t it? She’s someone close to the Archbishop.”

Bishop Kore looked completely baffled and wiped sweat from his face.

“If you’re that interested in nuns, I could—”

“I’m not interested in nuns. I’m interested in that nun.”

Muen’s voice sank low.

And within it...

Was a trace of anger even he himself had not noticed.

Because he recognized that nun.

He recognized her very well.

In the True Royal Capital.

In that sea of white flowers at the place called the Burial Ground of Saints.

He had seen it with his own eyes.

That young nun had driven a black dagger...

Straight into Archbishop Ision’s chest.