Episode 169
Episode 169
“It seems like a lot of the high-ranking people who have decision-making power are determined to get rid of her.”
“It would be a headache if it became known to the world.”
“The saint was a heretic. It’s a logic that can be solved with just one word. Very few people know that as long as the holder of the stigmata has it, it serves as evidence that they are not a heretic.”
The castle also appears to be quite rotten and decayed.
“Weren’t you a high-ranking official?”
“Although I am a high-ranking official, I am only in a position to step outside the politics of the Holy Land.”
“Aren’t you in a position to help in any way?”
“Hmm… I don’t want to go any further than this. The risk is too great.”
He takes the attitude that he really doesn't know.
“This situation is really funny.”
Of course, it's not the saint's fault. It's the fault of those who thought that her ideals were detrimental to themselves.
“Um… there’s something I’d like to ask.”
He looks towards Luna.
“Luna Basilina. Don’t you think of anything when you see her?”
“Not pleasant.”
“It’s the same for me. The stigmata of God, the one who is loved, when she doesn’t like it, it’s hard for me to see her in a good light.”
Is it the same for a devil or an angel?
“I can’t quite get used to it……. The devil, known as the most depraved being, is so religious…….”
Melissa muttered, knowing it was rude, as if she was thinking the same thing.
Then Luna, who had been crossing her arms and not hiding her displeasure, blurted out.
“That’s weird.”
“What a strange thing.”
“You don’t have to try to understand him. That’s just the way he is.”
I couldn't quite adapt. A devil who worships God.
Dibble didn't care about Luna's sharp reaction.
Rather, it seemed as if he fully understood her attitude.
“However, her existence is indeed important. That is why I broke my original plan and sent this information.”
He continued speaking with a big smile.
“I like humans.”
"yes?"
“When I see bright children running around, I feel warm, regardless of race. But I don’t like their politics.”
That is, he loved humans and found joy in serving God, but he did not want to get involved in their politics.
However, the reason he came forward like this was because he knew the importance of the existence of the saint.
He was a bystander.
“It only takes one experience to recklessly cause someone indelible pain.”
His gaze briefly turned to Luna, then disappeared again.
It seems clear what happened in the past, but I didn't bother to ask.
After saying those words, he stood up from his seat.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
"cooperation."
Then Luna makes a firm and brief request.
“I am a bystander, Luna Basilina.”
“Diablo.”
Luna called his name, opened a subspace, and threw something she took out from within it at him.
Thud!!
“This is…….”
His eyes widen as he accepts it.
What Luna threw was a devil's ornament she had found in the mine.
The slandering demon, Diablo? Is that why he was called Dibble?
“How did this… get into your hands….”
“I found it. Is it yours?”
Those words brought a complex array of emotions to his face.
“It’s a foreign country.”
“Is it important?”
“Yes. It was a gift given to me by the first human I met when I came to this land. I thought I would never see it again because I lost it a long time ago.”
He turned the decoration carefully.
* * *
Diablo's position, which advocates neutrality, appears to be quite large even within the Holy Nation.
After all, most people who wear a golden cross brooch are considered respected figures.
Luna recruited him under the pretext of giving him decorations if he helped her with this task.
Thanks to this, we have gained a great power within the Holy Land.
In fact, it was an item that I had no particular use for, so it turned out well.
As I sit on the slanted chair on the terrace, looking up at the night sky, lost in thought, Luna looks at me to see when I came.
I saw her rolling her eyes here and there as if she had done something wrong, so I grabbed her arm and pulled her down.
Then he made her sit on top of me.
This is an unusual plot.
She buried her face in my chest as if she was feeling complicated.
“Did you hate it when I just handed it to you?”
After a long silence, those were the first words she said.
Are you talking about the demonic decoration that was given to Diablo?
“No, honestly, I had forgotten, but I got over it when the time was right.”
“If I leave it behind, there might be a time when I can use it.”
“Why?”
I heard from him that it was a gift he received from a young girl he met when he first came to this land.
I don't know why such a simple object was on such an altar, but it was clear that it was something he had been searching for for a long time.
Luna, however, has yet to find Fate Road.
There may be a reason why Luna is upset.
An angel is bound by a ring, and a devil makes such a face for a decoration.
I felt like common sense was being shattered in many ways.
“Let’s go look for that ring again after this work is over.”
Instead of answering, the hand that grabbed my collar tightened slightly.
Finally, she got up slowly with a red face, and I carried her on my back.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
Melissa was asleep, and the Saint and Diablo were also staying in the guest room, so she and I were the only ones awake at this hour.
So he left the mansion and walked around the estate carrying her on his back.
Luna just sat on my back, burying her face in my back and feeling the warmth.
“I really don’t know what you were like in the past and why you can’t tell me about it now.”
She flinched slightly at my words.
“But I’m a bit inexperienced in interpersonal relationships, so let’s just look at it for now.”
At my words, her hand that was hugging my neck slightly tightened.
“Leon, I’ll give you a lift.”
When I put her down at her request, she looked around.
“No one is watching.”
"hmm?"
At the same time, her hand grabbed me by the collar and dragged me down.
He placed his lips on my cheek.
As I blankly stared at her, stunned by her actions, she walked away from me a couple of steps with her luggage on her back and smiled brightly.
“Leon.”
She said my name.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“If things don’t work out… I’ll step in.”
What did she mean by that, what did it mean that she, who doesn't like her own existence that much, would make that choice?
I couldn't not know.
Because there's no way I wouldn't know what her existence is.
At the same time, I knew she really hated it.
* * *
The day dawned and it was me, Melissa, and Luna.
The three of them, the Saintess of the Holy Nation, and Diablo all gathered in one place.
One is a symbol of the Holy Nation.
One is the leader of the neutral faction that has withdrawn from the political world of the Holy Nation.
In fact, it is said that the two people do not have much in common.
But Saint Nadia looked a little afraid of him.
If you think about why you're scared, it's only natural.
Because more than Luna, he didn't hide his feelings of dislike for Saint Nadia.
Now that I look at it, I definitely feel like the authority that the saint possesses isn't all that high.
“Saint.”
“Yes…… Yep!”
“You are the symbol of the Holy Nation. Straighten your shoulders.”
"that……."
“The more you shrink, the more the citizens of the Holy Land will shrink. I won’t tell you to do well. Just do it with dignity.”
“I will keep that in mind……”
He let out a short sigh.
“I have been given something important, so once I start, I have to do it properly. I think I will have to retire once this is over.”
“Dee…… Your Highness the Dibble! Uh…… Retirement!”
“Your Majesty, it is only a personal appointment, so you don’t have to worry too much about it.”
"still……."
“Oh! I told you clearly. A saint who holds the stigmata must never be intimidated.”
“I’m… sorry….”
Looking back now, it felt more like watching a strict teacher and his students than a feeling of dislike.
“I originally planned to stay out of this business, but because of this decoration Luna Basilin gave me, I have no choice but to jump on board.”
It probably means that the decoration is so precious that it requires giving up something about his beliefs or life.
“First of all, I looked into the situation in the Holy Land last night. It was quite a sight.”
“Why? Did you even officially designate the saint as a heretic?”
It's honestly ridiculous, but let's ask him jokingly and he falls silent.
Really? Looks like you've gone back.
“Yes. Saint Nadia ten Lilibel is currently branded a heretic. Her stigmata are said to be fake.”
It was on a completely different scale from simply designating Nabel, a high-ranking priest whose identity was unclear, as a heretic.
“The cause was the excessive removal of sacred relics, and the awakening of the forbidden monster by using those sacred relics.”
Nadia's eyes opened wide at those words.
“What is that…….”
“Do you know the story about the giant monster that appeared in the Pinas Archipelago? It is currently known that the Holy Nation has the Saintess controlling the monster and causing chaos on Remilish Island. I heard it has already been officially announced.”
Although it was a fabrication, it is said that the saint was publicly dismissed from office for the crime of causing such a great massacre, and that she was branded a heretic who betrayed God.
“At this point, blowing off the enemy’s head would be meaningless.”
He nodded at my words.
“Yes. There is only one way to overcome the current situation.”
He looked back and forth between Saint Nadia and Luna.
“Let’s do a play. The Descent of the Angel.”
As soon as I understood what he meant, I grabbed the glass I was holding and smashed it.
“Are you planning to use Luna to your advantage?”
He shook his head at my question, which was starting to feel chilly.
“Saint, let me be honest with you. Can you perform a large-scale miracle?”
It was Luna, not the saint, who answered that question.
“It would be impossible. Since I can’t accept the stigmata, all I can do is listen to the afterglow.”
Nadia lowered her head, seemingly speechless at Luna's sharp criticism.
“That’s right. Your Majesty, that’s not possible at the moment. But it’s not something that can be resolved in a short period of time.”
