Chapter 4: Only the Gods Know the Right Answer
After apologizing profusely to Lugue, I somehow managed to earn her forgiveness and changed into my workout clothes to head to my morning training. Alyssa-san was already there before me, as always, gracefully swinging her sword with such smooth, beautiful movements.
"Good morning, Alyssa-san..."
"Morning, Hugh-shounen. You seem down today. What happened, ya know?"
"Ah, well, I made a few mistakes."
I knew if I told her the details, I'd be mocked mercilessly, so I couldn't tell Alyssa-san anything more. But Alyssa-san nodded, "Hoooh, I see, I see," and curled her lips into a grin.
"You wet yourself, didn't you!?"
"I DID NOT!"
"There's no need to be ashamed. People always pee themselves during battle because they have no time to go to the bathroom."
"I did not particularly want to know that information..."
I thought she was joking around, but she offered no correction.
"So, about Lecty-chan's answer? Can you tell me?"
She asked with a serious expression. So, she wasn't joking...
"Lecty agreed to cooperate. She is positive about it, saying, 'If there is anything I can do.'"
"Understood. By the way, have you told Princess Lucretia about this yet?"
"Ah... no. Because of various things, I haven't been able to yet..."
When I got back last night, Lugue was asleep, and this morning was too chaotic.
Prince Lucas told me that whether to inform Lucretia of the King's condition was up to me. I was troubled by the decision, but—
"If you tell her, she'll surely want to see our father. Although meeting my brothers carries a high risk, it's acceptable if you bring her as Lady Lecty's friend, Lugue. If everything goes smoothly, that will be a good opportunity to emphasize that Lucretia and Lugue are different people."
—Though he added a slightly worried-sounding, "Assuming nothing goes wrong."
"Honestly, I think it's better not to tell her. It's sad that she might not see her father before he dies, but the risk is far too great, ya know..."
Prince Lucas and the other Princes will likely be present when Lecty treats the King. When I think about whether Lucretia can maintain the Lugue facade in front of Prince Slay and Prince Blut, I share Alyssa-san's anxiety.
But...
What comes to mind is the regret from my past life. If the King passes away now, I would be making Lucretia bear the same regret as my former self. Considering her circumstances, it might be better not to tell her, as Alyssa-san advised, but...
"Can I take time until the last minute to decide...?"
"The carriage will arrive to pick us up at 2 PM. Decide by then."
"Understood."
After that, Alyssa-san proceeded to beat me up as usual in the name of training, then returned to the Royal Palace to deliver Lecty's answer to Prince Lucas. Couldn't she have gone a little easier on me today...?
I dragged my aching body back to the dorm. It's been almost three weeks since I started training with Alyssa-san, but I still don't feel any stronger. Lately, I've managed to spar more, but I haven't hit Alyssa-san with my wooden sword even once yet...
I think I have the physical aptitude for it. Am I just lacking talent for the sword...?
"I'm back."
"Welcome home, Hugh!"
Lugue, who was waiting for me in the room, was all smiles and cheer. She had already changed from her pajamas to her uniform, fully prepared to go out. ... Good. She must have completely forgiven the incident earlier.
"Let me take a shower first."
I excused myself from Lugue, who seemed ready to leap out of the room at any moment, and washed off the sweat and dirt in the shower.
Although I still get beaten black and blue, I've been getting better at taking the blow, so the bleeding gashes have become less frequent. I think I'm okay with today's injuries without Lecty's treatment.
I changed back into my uniform and left the room with Lugue. We planned to eat breakfast at the cafeteria, then head out to explore the Royal Capital.
"What!? We can only go on a date until noon!?"
"Shhh! I told you, it's not a date!"
Lugue shouting "date" loudly in the cafeteria drew the eyes of those around us. I had switched my Skill from 〈Ninja〉 to 〈Fire Kinesis〉 so I wouldn't be distracted during training, but I could still hear the whispers around me.
T-Those two are actually doing that...
Is that acceptable between two men...!?
Idiot, it's fine BECAUSE they're two men!
That guy is shameless, keeping both men and women around...!
I'll let this hatred and envy be resolved during the Class-to-Class Battle!
An absurd misunderstanding is spreading, isn't it!? Wait, is it even a misunderstanding? Or is it better to let them misunderstand? The situation is so complicated that my head is starting to spin.
"Sorry, Lugue. It's an unavoidable request from Prince Lucas."
"Aww... I thought I could have Hugh all to myself all day today..."
"I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry."
"No, no. It can't be helped if it's an order from Prince Lu... cas-denka. I'm happy that Hugh is friends with the Prince, too..."
But she still muttered with resentment, Stupid big brother Lu! If only she could lower her voice a little, it would save me a lot of stress... This conversation in the cafeteria was a mistake...
We quickly finished breakfast and got permission to leave the Academy from the guards at the gate before heading into the Royal Capital.
We had left the Academy, but we didn't have a specific destination. It would be fun just walking around like last time, but I decided to ask Lugue if she had any specific place in mind.
"Eh? Hmm, let me see."
Lugue looked around and suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"
"That place! I want to go there!"
The place Lugue pointed to was a white spire that soared above the gaps between the buildings.
It was the Divine Grant Religion's Grand Cathedral in the Royal Capital.
"I've always wanted to see what kind of place it is."
Lugue said that as we walked toward it, hand-in-hand. The Grand Cathedral is one of the tourist attractions in the Royal Capital. I know passersby are staring at us, but I'm getting used to it now.
"Are you a follower of the Divine Grant Religion, Lugue?"
"Eh? I think people who aren't followers are the rare ones... Hugh, you received your Skill at the Church, too, didn't you?"
"Ah, right. Is that like a baptism?"
"Other than that, the grace before meals, the era names, the days off... Hugh, the teachings of the Divine Grant Religion are everywhere, even if you don't realize it."
"I see."
So, the Divine Grant Religion is so deeply rooted in daily life that everyone who unconsciously practices its customs is a follower.
Now that I think about it, the grace before meals that I've been doing as a matter of course since childhood is a prayer to God. And the Saints' memorial days, appointed by the Divine Grant Religion, are public holidays. It's surprisingly easy to overlook it if you're not actively thinking about it.
"Of course, I don't go to the Church regularly to pray, or anything like that. I think most people are like me and Hugh."
"Then why did you want to visit the Grand Cathedral?"
"When I was little, I used to look down on that spire from my window. I always wondered what kind of place it was."
"I see."
I'll refrain from making any witty remarks about the King's daughter who could look down on the Grand Cathedral's spire and whose building is one of the tallest in the Kingdom, only shorter than the Royal Palace. It's too rude.
After walking for a while, we finally saw the full view. It was still huge compared to the surrounding buildings. The white Grand Cathedral stood amidst the rich greenery of the park that surrounded it.
"Wow! It's so big, Hugh!"
"It truly is a magnificent sight up close."
Both of us involuntarily stood with our mouths slightly agape, gazing up at the tip of the spire.
It was smaller than the hundreds of meters-high towers and skyscrapers of my previous life, but I think it was about eighty meters tall. It's an impressive building, on par with the Royal Palace and the Royal Academy.
In my previous life, this would be the perfect place for a souvenir photo, but unfortunately, photos don't exist in this world yet...
If I switched my Skill to 〈Photographer〉, would I be able to create a photo, by chance...?
Since I could switch to 〈Ninja〉 despite the lack of the concept of ninja in this world, I probably could switch to 〈Photographer〉... No, if I mess around and get a headache again, it will be the worst possible situation. No unnecessary risks.
"Hugh, what are you doing? I'm going ahead!"
I was deep in thought, and Lugue had moved ahead without me. She looked back and waved at me, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Cute.
Damn, I wish I could at least capture this moment in a drawing, but I can't go buy art supplies now, and I certainly don't have the money for it. I wanted a memento of my time with Lugue...
Giving up, I followed Lugue. Since the Grand Cathedral is a tourist attraction, it was bustling with people in travel clothes.
We paid the entrance fee, a form of offering, and went inside the Grand Cathedral. It was quite a hefty price, but we couldn't go home without seeing the interior now that we had come all this way. ... I'm running low on the travel money my father gave me. I wonder what I should do...
"Whoah— So beautiful!"
The first thing that caught our eyes inside the Grand Cathedral was a huge, vibrantly colored stained-glass window. The intricate patterns, lit up by the sunlight, shone brilliantly, creating such a mystical sight that I involuntarily stopped and stared.
I've never seen such beautiful stained glass in my life, past or present. The Church in the Pnocis Territory had stained glass, but it was nothing compared to this, which spanned the whole wall.
The entire structure was far more impressive than the Church in the Pnocis Territory, from the stained glass to the meticulously crafted altar and the individual ornate pillars. The sculpture representing God, which was palm-sized back home, was a giant, three-meter-tall statue of a Goddess here...
"............ Huh? A Goddess statue?"
A question mark popped up in my head, and I looked at the massive statue again.
Yes, it's definitely a Goddess statue. The features are distinctly feminine, and it has a noticeable mound at its chest, albeit modest. She's dressed in an exotic yet mystical garment, made of simple cloth wrapped around her body.
"What is it, Hugh?"
"That statue is of God, right?"
"Yes, it is. I think every Church has one, didn't your local Church have one, Hugh?"
"Well, it had a palm-sized one, but that's not what I meant..."
The Church in the Pnocis Territory. Did the statue placed on the altar in the chapel represent a Goddess? ... No, I don't recall that. And now that I think about it, the voice I heard when I received my Skill sounded like a man's voice.
When I explained this, Lugue looked all knowing, raised her index finger, and said,
"Ah, that's because—"
"That is because God is male, female, a boy, a girl, an elderly father, and an elderly mother all at once!"
"My explanation was stolen!?"
Dumbfounded, Lugue and I turned around.
Standing there was a girl dressed in a pure white nun's habit, with eye-catching, cherry-blossom pink twin tails curled like drills. Shaking her drill-like twin tails, she crossed her arms proudly and continued her explanation in an Ojou-sama tone.
"God watches over us, the children who are bestowed with Skills, wherever we are. It is like a father and mother's love for their child, or a grandfather and grandmother's joy in their grandchild's growth. And sometimes, it's like a friend, learning and playing alongside us. It seems God is worshipped as a male God in your local Church, but it is only natural for the appearance of God to change depending on the region!"
"I-I see... By the way, who are you...?"
When I asked, the girl's eyes widened, and she bowed her head, saying, "Excuse me!"
"My name is Saint Rosalie. I am just a humble novice nun who is anywhere and everywhere."
"A humble novice nun..."
But her hair color and style were too aggressive for a humble nun... Ahem, we should introduce ourselves, too.
"I'm Hugh Pnocis. This is Lugue Becto."
"Nice to meet you, Rosalie-san."
"It is my pleasure. By the looks of it, you two are students at the Royal Academy, aren't you? I have always longed to attend the Royal Academy! Due to circumstances, I was unable to enroll, but I would love to hear about it! If you don't mind, would you allow me to show you around this Grand Cathedral?"
"Um, let me see..."
I exchanged a glance with Lugue, asking, What should we do?
"I think it's rare to have a nun give us a tour of the Grand Cathedral. It might be good for Hugh's education, too, right?"
"I-Is that so? Well, Rosalie, please guide us."
"Understood!"
I'll keep it a secret that I was briefly hoping she'd object, saying she preferred to be alone for our date.
"Then, I shall begin with the reason why this Grand Cathedral was constructed."
In the 610th year of the Divine Grant Calendar, a covenant was struck between the then-King of the Reese Kingdom and the Divine Grant Pope... Rosalie began to explain content that sounded exactly like a history textbook, guiding us as we walked without even looking at a reference.
As expected of a novice nun, Rosalie seems to have memorized all the information regarding the Grand Cathedral.
A short time ago, I would have been completely clueless about her explanations. But I've been focusing especially on history lately, thanks to Lugue's help. Thanks to that, I could understand about forty percent of what Rosalie was saying.
"I see."
"Hugh, do you really understand Rosalie-san's explanation?"
"Yeah, of course. I totally do."
"Are you sure?"
I quickly averted my gaze from Lugue, who was looking at me suspiciously. What was in my sight next was a decorative relief carved into the wall. Each one seemed to be depicting a specific scene. I somehow felt like I'd seen this before or was familiar with it...
"That is a relief sculpture collection depicting the scenes from the Sacred Scripture where God bestows Skills upon people."
Rosalie immediately offered an explanation to me as I stopped, intrigued.
"Ah, right. That explains why it looked familiar."
"Well, Hugh-sama, you have read the Sacred Scripture! That is wonderful devotion!"
"No, I just read it briefly to pass the time."
"Even so. Many visitors these days just come to sightsee without reading the Sacred Scripture. Well, it's not strictly bad, but..."
Rosalie mumbled, clearly having some thoughts on the matter. This is probably a case where religion is too ingrained in daily life, leading to a decrease in truly zealous believers.
"Even so, it is fascinating that God does not look the same in all of them. I took it for granted, but seeing them side-by-side makes it feel strange."
Lugue, resting her chin on her hand, said that as she compared the reliefs.
Indeed, since all the scenes depicted the moment God bestowed a Skill, there was a God figure and a kneeling person. But the one who was not kneeling—the figure of God—was completely different in each relief.
Just as Rosalie had said, some reliefs depicted a man, and others an elderly woman. This is quite interesting.
"Speaking of which, the voice of God I heard when I received my Skill was a man's voice. Was it the same for both of you?"
"No, mine was a small girl's voice, I think."
"In my case, it was the voice of a very dashing gentleman."
"The voices people hear are completely different. That makes me feel like............"
"Makes you feel like what? What is it, Hugh?"
"Ah, nothing. Never mind."
"?" " ?"
Lugue and Rosalie tilted their heads at my sudden avoidance and vague response. That was a close one. I was about to blurt out, "Doesn't that sound like there are multiple Gods?" It's a good thing I've been mindful of making slip-ups after everything that's happened in the last couple of days.
Could this thought even cross my mind only because I was Japanese in my previous life...?
The Divine Grant Religion is a monotheistic religion. If I started mentioning suspicions of polytheism in the Grand Cathedral, I could be burned at the stake by a religious tribunal. ... Well, that might be an exaggeration, but at the very least, I would be looked upon with immense scorn.
If that happened, I would feel bad for Rosalie, who graciously volunteered to be our guide... I need to bury this line of thought.
After that, Rosalie's tour took us through the Grand Cathedral. We then sat in the tourist rest area, drinking tea while sharing details about our life at the Royal Academy with Rosalie.
"My goodness! You have a school event like the Class-to-Class Battle next month! I would absolutely love to see it! I hope I can get in as a spectator..."
"There should be a general viewing area, so you should be fine."
"In that case, absolutely! I will ask Cicely to make sure there are no duties for me that day!"
Rosalie seemed to truly admire the Royal Academy. Her eyes were shining the entire time we were talking about school life. She had said she couldn't enroll due to circumstances. Could it be that the Skill she received wasn't suitable for war...?
I was curious, but asking the reason for her failed enrollment was too tactless. Anyway, I, who gained entry by disguising my Skill, was in no position to speak on the matter...
"Hugh is amazing, you know! When he used his Skill during the entrance exam, a massive wave of fire burst out!"
"A massive wave of fire, you say! That is marvelous! I would love to see it! Won't you use it here right now!?"
"The Grand Cathedral would burn down..."
Lugue and Rosalie seemed to hit it off splendidly, chatting loudly with each other. I dedicated myself to listening and occasionally interjecting to point out their more eccentric remarks. I couldn't quite keep up with their enthusiasm.
After some time,
"There you are, Lady Rosalie!"
A woman who spotted Rosalie rushed toward us.
She was a young woman in her twenties, with short, bob-cut navy hair. Her features were very refined, and her narrow eyes were amber-colored. She was about 160 cm tall, wore a white breastplate with red accents, and carried a sword at her waist.
She's not a Royal Knight, is she? Carrying a sword inside the Grand Cathedral seems a bit strange...
"Oh, Cicely! You have come at a perfect time! Won't you join us and hear about the Royal Academy from Hugh-sama and Lugue-sama?"
"Thank you for the invitation, Lady Rosalie, but it is time. You should prepare for your duties now..."
"Oh dear, is it that time already! My apologies, Hugh-sama, Lugue-sama. I have an unavoidable duty this afternoon. I must be leaving now. Thank you for the wonderful time."
"Thank you, too, Rosalie! Can we talk again somewhere...?"
"Of course! I will be staying at this Grand Cathedral for a while, so please do come back and visit! I would love to hear more about the Royal Academy!"
"Mhm, absolutely! See you, Rosalie."
"Farewell, Hugh-sama, too."
"Ah, see you."
We waved goodbye to Rosalie, who was energetically waving her hands as she left. Cicely-san, who followed Rosalie, turned back and gave a nod. I nodded back in response.
She seems like Rosalie's retainer, but who exactly is she...?
"Was that person a Holy Knight...?"
"Holy Knight?"
"She's one of the knights from the Knight's Order that the Divine Grant Religion has independently. They were mentioned in history class, right?"
"Ah... I vaguely remember learning about them..."
"Hugh~? The midterm exams are before the Class-to-Class Battle, remember? I would hate it if you and I were in separate classes next year."
"Ugh... I-I will try my best."
In the Royal Academy, class assignments are based on overall academic performance when moving up a grade. I managed to get into the A Class based on my Skill assessment at the time of entry, but there's no guarantee that will work next year.
Lugue ranks second in the grade academically, right after Lily. She is third overall, including her Skill score—a top student. She is a sure bet for A Class next year. If I want to be in the same class as Lugue, I have to study hard and improve my grades.
I wouldn't want to be in a different class, either.
Right, Holy Knights, was it...? I'm starting to remember what I learned in class.
"Holy Knights refer to the knights who guard important figures in the Divine Grant Religion and ensure security during religious ceremonies, right?"
"Mhm, correct! In addition, they are the organization that corrects internal corruption in the Divine Grant Religion and clamps down on heretics. That's why I was a little curious why Cicely-san was following Rosalie..."
"Holy Knights guard people who hold important roles in the Divine Grant Religion, right?"
"Yeah... I wonder who exactly gave us that tour of the Grand Cathedral...?"
Lugue tilted her head in confusion. I merely hummed in vague acknowledgment.
It's not that I don't have a guess... Rosalie did say she couldn't enroll in the Royal Academy due to circumstances. If her Skill was sufficient, and there was another reason, Rosalie might be...
"Well, she introduced herself as a humble novice nun. Regardless of who she truly is, she probably doesn't want us to treat her differently."
"You're right. I'm looking forward to talking to Rosalie again."
Lugue smiled sweetly, bringing her hands together in front of her mouth. She must have genuinely enjoyed her conversation with Rosalie.
Perhaps we can visit the Grand Cathedral again during the next holiday. Rosalie said she
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