- - -

“I heard you met someone while you were out, Nathaniel.”

Lady Valentina’s voice brought the young priest back to reality. On the carriage ride home from the usual shameless exploitation of the wealthy’s desire to associate with his employer, he had yet again been thinking of how disgusting the temple truly was. The saint’s mentor was an important senior priest, and there was no way the high priests didn’t know of the two’s activities. As far he knew, they very likely actively partook in it, or at least turned a blind eye. 

Saddened by the filth of God’s supposedly holy followers, it took Nathaniel a moment to realize who Lady Valentina was speaking of.

“Do you mean Lady Catherine?”

“Yes. I heard you two were previously acquainted?”

Where she had learned that, he had no idea, and he had long given up wondering how she knew things. Whenever she was asked, she said it was God. Yet if God were real, surely he wouldn’t stoop to even touch her. 

Nathaniel acknowledged the statement with a nod, but recognized the falsely innocent smile on Lady Valentina’s face and the tilt of her head to be a command for explanation. He sighed. 

“We were at the same orphanage for many years. She was adopted shortly before I left, right after your knights made their very first round of inquiries, I think. We hadn’t seen each other since, so it was a pleasant surprise.”

“What a wonderful reunion. Were you close?”

Under Lady Valentina’s curiously glinting gaze, Nathaniel considered the question. He remembered that period of time in his life particularly clearly because of how his world had completely changed so quickly. For a while, after he first came, he did hang onto the memory of sweet Rin like a shield against the rather unscrupulous Lady Valentina, whom he had always been doubtful of. 

Yet he had found new friends in the servants and people around him, and busied himself with his holy studies. With the long years of separation, she had faded into the back of his mind, as childhood friends so unfortunately but frequently did. In fact, he had not thought of her at all recently. At present, he only regarded her with mild sentiment. 

“Nine years ago, yes, but I can barely recognize her now. We’ve both changed a lot.”

Especially Rin’s colouring, Nathaniel thought. He still didn’t know why it had changed so much, almost like a disguise of some kind, but despite his interest, he knew better than to mention it to Lady Valentina, who looked like a hungry tiger. She seemed to be even more interested in her than he was!

It suddenly occurred to him that he had vaguely heard some odd things about Lady Catherine’s reputation, and the servants at the Avington mansion had mentioned the special involvement of their own lady. Why was Lady Valentina so keen? Or was he being absurd?

So long ago, hadn’t the Avington knights first visited their orphanage in search of some girl? Nathaniel couldn’t recall with certainty, and he knew he may very well be imagining things, but hadn’t they been after a blonde girl with green eyes? While all the other children had been excited, Rin had been frightened and wouldn’t tell him why, and a few days later a man came and took her away. God, were they all connected? Could he go as far as wondering if she was the reason he’d been forbidden to go out? It seemed too ridiculous. 

“Do you know her, Your Ladyship?”

A casual approach, to get as much out of Lady Valentina as possible. She would only tell him what she wanted him to know and nothing more, but he still had to try. The lady smiled, though he always thought it seemed more like a smirk. That smile always meant something bad, for somebody. 

“We’re friends. She’s cute, but a queer little girl. I should like to remind you that upbringing has much influence on a person’s character, and that hers must’ve been entirely unsatisfactory. The man that raised her is a thorough scoundrel, I hear.”

Whatever came out of Lady Valentina’s mouth was spread all around high society and taken as the gospel truth, so if this was her opinion, then poor Lady Catherine’s reputation must be miserable. Nathaniel shuddered, appalled, but couldn’t resist the urge to inquire further. 

“Back at the orphanage, if I recall correctly, I think you had been looking for a blonde girl with green eyes. Was it her?”

Lady Valentina laughed. As usual, Nathaniel couldn’t tell what she was thinking at all. 

“No, my dear Nathaniel! When I was young, the visions God sent to me weren’t as clear. I knew he wanted me to look for someone, but I had been reading a marvellous novel with a heroine possessing blonde hair and green eyes, and I mistook the dreams I had about her to be from God. Thankfully, I was soon blessed with a real vision, showing me you. It all worked out, didn’t it?”

Nathaniel stared at her in wonder. It wasn’t the first time she’d told him about God’s supposed command to find him, but it wasn’t any less mad. Yet for all these years, he hadn’t been able to explain any other way why she knew about and searched the kingdom for him, an insignificant orphan with unusually strong divine powers. Could it really be divine interference? If so, then did God actually favour the wicked?

When Nathaniel was about to have another existential crisis thinking too deeply about God and injustice, a distressing hobby of his, the carriage suddenly lurched to a stop. Nathaniel’s head hit the back of his seat and Lady Valentina hung onto the handle of the carriage door to avoid being flung forward. Malicious annoyance crept into her expression, sending a shiver down Nathaniel’s spine. 

Instinctively, he had a bad feeling about this. 

- - -

“What is it, Mikhail?”

My knight, returning from a quick inquiry of the disturbance, opened the door to the carriage and bowed. 

“An elderly woman, my lady. She wouldn’t get out of the way and asks to see you.”

He met my eyes with understanding and my irritation shifted into excitement. I had expected this moment to come about this time, and with everything else from the novel changing, I was glad this had stayed the same. I smiled like a benevolent saint. 

“Of course, let us see what she wants. Nathaniel, come with me.”

Mikhail extended a hand to escort me, and Nathaniel followed behind us. The priest must be here to witness this holy moment for it to settle the unfounded doubts I suspected he had of my sainthood. 

We were near a popular park, so we had an excellent amount of passersby who would provide inspiring eyewitness accounts, along with the usual journalists who didn’t think I knew they followed me to all public places and saw only what I wanted them to see. Soon enough, they would ensure every soul in Orilon heard of God’s newest blessing. 

My heart beat faster as I saw the old hag, dressed shabbily but with the air of ethereality we had designed with care. I didn’t know of the particulars, but Zoe had chosen well. With a bony finger on a ghostly pale hand, the crone pointed at me. Her voice sounded like the light tinkle of bells, angelic and full of purpose.

“Approach, God’s Saintess.”

Gracefully, I glided in front of her and bent into a deep curtsy. 

“Holy angel, what is God’s command?”

“To bestow this upon you and for you to use it for the good of his faithful children. Arise, Saintess, and receive this holy dagger.”

She took a loosely wrapped object from her cloak and handed it to me. I took it and pushed aside the old cloth. 

It was hundreds of years old and certainly looked like it, though it must’ve been delicately preserved by divinity. Even I could feel its immense divine powers inside the beautifully patterned sheath of gold and bronze, at least thousands of times more powerful than all the high priests added together. In one swift movement, I pulled out the dagger and held it tall above my head, letting the sunlight reflect off of the blade. I smiled. 

“Your Holiness? Is that the holy dagger?!”

“Saint Valentina! How do you feel right now?”

“What do you think this means?! Is our kingdom in danger?!”

The journalists were unable to resist such an opportunity for something this significant to happen in public, where they had easy access to me. They rushed out with their notebooks and pens, alarming the people nearby. Well, I wasn’t about to let them down. I carefully resheathed the dagger and turned to the small crowd that had gathered. 

“Really, I feel that it’s a truly spiritual moment. I’m elated that God has granted me such a sacred artifact and may he be my witness when I swear that I’ll wield it most dutifully to bring salvation to us all. I believe that as with everything he does, this act possesses a purpose that we may not yet understand, but will ultimately help us serve him better. Indeed, we must thank him for this blessing with sincere prayers. Please, join me.”

I folded my hands together in front of my chest, holding the dagger between them, and closed my eyes. Eloquently, I uttered a prayer. When I opened my eyes again, I turned towards Nathaniel expectantly. 

It was tradition for a priest to bless the saint in gratitude whenever she receives a new vision or message from God. As unwilling as Nathaniel may be, he must fulfill his duty. Quickly and modestly, he strode to me. I closed my eyes as I felt two of his fingers rest on forehead, and he said a blessing. Yet unlike the novel, the negligible divine power that flowed to me from him was of usual blessings and wasn’t remarkably stronger, like it had been with Catherine. 

It would shift a future event further from the novel, but I had other plans anyway. Smiling, I thanked him and then addressed the crowd. While they had been watching us, the hag had slipped away, with my knights cutting off anyone that tried to follow her. After all, it was much more convenient for messengers supposedly from heaven to disappear completely. 

“As always, God appreciates your dedication. I shall confer with the temple to decipher his meaning fully, and a declaration will be made soon. May God bless you all!”

Protected by my knights against the swarm of people, Nathaniel and I boarded the carriage and left. I pulled out the dagger again and carefully pricked a finger. Blood flowed from the small wound and I dabbed it away with a handkerchief. I glanced at my priest. 

“It does not heal.”

“I can’t offer a full explanation yet, but I believe it’s because it’s designed only to defeat the demon king. The divinity was methodically crafted, like how magic spells perform specific functions. But you have my blessing, Your Holiness.”

I focused the trivial divinity he had given me onto my fingertip and the wound healed. Yet I was not satisfied. The ecstasy of receiving the dagger was weighed with my desperate expectations for its possibilities. 

“It’s still divinity, is it not? And far more than any priest has. Even if it can’t heal, it should be able to counter mana, yes? The demon king is made of mana, after all, and you’re certain this alone should be able to seal him?”

Nathaniel hesitated. I was very annoyed because I despised how much I relied on this working. 

“The secret records from the Avington library you had me translate agree the holy dagger is enough on its own to kill the demon king, but that there would be great difficulties in getting to him if the person wielding it did not possess a huge amount of holy power enough to heal herself. As for countering mana, it’s likely only for demons.”

“Why? Why not mages?”

“It’s all theoretical, Your Ladyship, and it’s merely my hypothesis at present that the mana of human mages are too distinct. If you give me a few months, I can prioritize related records and I’ll be able to tell you conclusively.”

“Good.”

I didn’t care that Nathaniel looked puzzled. If this couldn’t save Damian, then was there truly no hope? I prayed not, but I doubted that God would answer my prayers, if he were real. 

On the other hand, I was very much relieved. The temple only dared to make me the saint because they had enough doubt in God that they didn’t expect a real saint to appear, so I must fulfill her role satisfactorily. If I could kill the demon king, then to the people I would truly be as good as a real saint. With the holy dagger, my authenticity was even more firmly established. 

I was secure. Nathaniel was under my control and the temple was a loyal ally to its saint. Eventually, after I dealt with Catherine, I would seal the demon king and go down in history. A smirk slipped onto my face. Yes, my dreams were well within reach.