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Chapter 202: The Audience Chamber (3)

There wasn’t a single drop of blood still visible on the greatsword slung across his back. Kristina could still vividly recall how that viciously sharp blade had just decapitated Cardinal Pietro.

“What do you mean by that?” Raphael asked in a tone that seemed genuinely confused.

Kristina softly cleared her throat and tacked on an explanation, “Lord Raphael, no matter how things have turned out, there’s still the matter of you killing Cardinal Pietro with your sword, right? While I got the Vatican’s agreement to cooperate regarding the matter with Sir Eugene and me, but as for you….”

“Ah, there’s no need for you to worry about that, Lady Saint,” Raphael assured her, no longer addressing Kristina by the title Saint Candidate.

Raphael had seen her spread eight wings right in front of him, and he had also seen her send her fist flying into the side of the Pope’s head. So while it couldn’t be helped that Kristina didn’t really like that, Raphael honestly couldn’t think of a title that was acceptable to call her other than ‘Saint.’

Raphael explained, “If they dismiss me now, the Knights of the Blood Cross don’t currently have any talents who could replace me. Especially if they listen to the Saintess’ scolding immediately, they’re sure to lose a lot of holy relics and related miracles…. Yuras’ power will have diminished quite a bit by the time they\'re done with that.”

“Well… it can’t be helped,” Kristina hummed in understanding.

“As such, that’s even more reason why the Pope can’t afford to officially discipline me. At the moment, knights from every country are preparing to gather at the ‘Knight March’ that’s scheduled for next year, but if I were to be dismissed or have to go into seclusion due to a sudden illness or any other unavoidable circumstances, who in the world would be left to lead the Knights of the Blood Cross to make a name for Yuras in the Knight March?”

The Knight March was the Unity Conference the Emperor of Kiehl had organized to bring the various knightly orders together. The stated purpose was to bring together the mightiest in each country, giving them a stage to compare themselves and promoting camaraderie. But the true intention was to respond to the ‘warning’ given by the Demon King of Incarceration and the demonfolk of Helmuth, the warning intended for the whole world.

Even if it didn’t serve as much of a message as the Emperor intended, by gathering the strongest from each country, the Unity Conference or the Knight March would serve as a large show of force. This peaceful era without any wars had lasted for a long time now. Many knights were considered to be among the best of the best, but who exactly was the best and the strongest had yet to be decided.

It wasn’t just the hot-blooded younger knights who were excited. Most knights also felt a fire light up inside them at the thought of a place where they could draw their swords, swing them around, and compare against each other. This would be a ranking contest between the different countries, no, between the different knightly orders. Underneath the surface, headhunting should already be taking place. Since it was only obvious that such things would take place, Yuras wouldn’t just throw away their Crusader, the greatest knight in the Holy Empire.

“I’ve heard that the location of the Knight March has yet to be decided, but have you heard anything new, Lord Raphael?” Eugene asked.

“Isn’t it only natural that the Emperor of Kiehl wants to hold the Knight March within his country? The same goes for Yuras as well,” Raphael shrugged his shoulders with a smile. “However, it’s almost certain that the event will be set in Ruhr. That is why the Pope wanted to set the Beast King back, even if it meant using despicable tricks.”

The Vatican’s Special Relics Vault was also located in the basement of the White Palace, just like the Audience Chamber. Bishops and archbishops were allowed to enter the other Relic Vaults as long as they had permission, but only the Pope and the Cardinals from successive generations were allowed to enter the Special Relics Vault.

They arrived in front of the strictly-guarded Special Relics Vault, but there was no one there to keep them from entering. The Paladins responsible for guarding this floor had already bowed their heads and backed away on their own before Raphael could even say anything. Telepathy was one of the highest-leveled spells in divine magic. Even if his Stigmata was artificially implanted, the Pope’s holy power was indisputably unrivaled, so he must have telepathically sent an order to all of the Paladins guarding the White Palace.

“Allow me to leave you here,” Raphael said as his steps came to a halt. “While I’m also curious about what is contained within the Special Relics Vault… it’s still not appropriate for me to accompany you inside and see it myself. I shall bid you farewell and return to the Knights of the Blood Cross.”

“Thank you for accompanying us,” Kristina said with a quick prayer of thanks, only for Raphael to laugh and get down on one knee.”

“It was an honor to be able to participate in this historic event with you, Lady Saint. Please, I will pray that the Light will shine down upon all of the Saint’s endeavors.”

With these final words, Raphael turned around and left.

They proceeded down an empty hallway, at the end of which stood a circular white door. Kristina moved towards the door, rubbing the platinum ring that she now wore on her finger.

A complex gap spread across the door as she held the ring up. Then the gap split open soundlessly, forming a path wide enough for people to pass through. This was a high-level application of security magic, comparable to the Lionheart clan’s treasure vault. Eugene followed Kristina into the Special Relics Vault.

“So anyways, what exactly did you come here looking for?” Eugene asked as he stared at Kristina’s back.

“We’re here to check whether the remains of Sister or the other Saints have been left here as holy relics,” Kristina replied.

“Sister?” Eugene repeated with a doubtful expression, only for Kristina to slap a hand across her lips in alarmed surprise.

Kristina coughed, “Ah… ahem. Lady Anise, you are quite mischievous. It would be nice if you could at least warn me before you borrowed my lips to speak….”

[I didn’t do anything, so why are you trying to push the blame on me?] Anise complained.

‘Sister, please.’

[Kristina. I can’t help but feel very disappointed in the actions you just showed. It seems like you intend to use me as an excuse to cover up your mistakes, and you can even use me as a scapegoat when you feel the urge to satisfy your shady desires, isn’t that right?]

‘Shady desires…? Just what does that even—’

[What I’m worried about is something like this. Kristina, won’t you be tempted to pretend to be me and kiss Hamel with your own li—]

“Ahem! Cough! Ahehem!” Kristina burst into a coughing fit, pounding on her chest as if she had got something caught in her throat.

At the same time, dozens of prayers were being recited in her head all at once. Since Kristina was going so far as to drown her out, Anise also backed down and stopped speaking about such things to Kristina.

“Are you alright?” Eugene asked in concern.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Kristina replied, smiling as if nothing was wrong. “Although they said that the holy relics of the previous generations have already been returned to the Light, if there are any other holy relics that shouldn’t be here, I’ll be sure to perform the sacrament to return them to the Light. Also….”

Kristina raised her head and looked around the inside of the vault.

“There is still the matter of Lady Anise’s belongings,” Kristina continued. “Some of them should have been stored here, so we need to retrieve them.”

While returning any holy remains to the Light was also important, recovering Anise’s belongings was her real purpose for entering the Special Relics Vault.

They weren’t just any mere belongings. The belongings of the Faithful Anise were, in a sense, more valuable than the remains of her or any other Saint.

[Especially if it’s you,] Anise insisted. [Because my belongings stored here… all saw use during my travels through the Devildom three hundred years ago.]

Various relics were stored in the Special Relics Vault. Or rather, they used to be stored there. Most of the glass cabinets, which had once held relics inside of them, were now empty.

Looking at this sight, Eugene clenched his fist firmly before relaxing it. These empty glass cases reminded him of the filter he had seen at the source of the Fount of Light. Apart from the fact that there wasn’t any water flowing here, there wasn’t much difference. Originally, the holy relics of former Saints must have been stored within these glass cases.

As for the items that hadn’t disappeared….

Starting from the bones, there were various other categories of items. The bones were the remains of ordinary saints rather than the Saints. In addition to those, apart from the crosses, rosary beads, rosaries, and other such holy items, there were several weapons, such as daggers.

“Hoho,” Eugene let out a brief huff of admiration as he followed behind Kristina. “Did they also leave this here? How fortunate.”

Instead of being kept inside one of the ordinary glass cabinets, the item that Eugene had noticed was erected on a pillar made out of gold.

Although it looked well-worn, the mace was subtly stained with a black and reddish hue. While Anise was making good use of this weapon three hundred years ago, this vicious weapon had shattered the heads of countless demonfolk.

Kristina hesitated, “I… I don’t have the confidence to wield a mace as well as Lady Anise, but….”

[If you remove the head and connect it to the handle with a chain, you can use it as a flail,] Anise advised.

Kristina’s hand reached out as if possessed and lifted the mace.

It was heavy.

Kristina had also learned how to wield a flail from a young age and had confidence in her strength, but Anise’s mace was too heavy for her to hold with one hand.

[If it wasn’t this heavy, then it wouldn’t even be able to break a demonfolk’s head,] Anise said. [This artifact was prepared for me when I was still a child, and it was made by carving the whole thing out of a solid block of expensive adamantium. It accompanied me into the Fount of Light from the very beginning, and it was smelted using my Sacred Blood and the Light from the Fount.]

Kristina listened silently.

[Not only that, I learned how to steadily infuse it with my Sacred Blood even when I wasn’t paying attention to it, and I used it as a catalyst for my miracles. In Helmuth, it drank the blood of countless demonfolk and reaped their souls, all while being baptized and purified with my Sacred Blood and the Light every day…. I dare say that, in this era, this mace is probably the second-best weapon for killing demonfolk following the Holy Sword.]

While Kristina looked down at the mace she was holding, she felt her heart pound. Knowing the true origins of it only made the mace feel even heavier to her. Just as Anise had said, this mace must definitely be the second most lethal sacred artifact for dealing with demonfolk, following the Holy Sword Altair.

“Just seeing that makes my side ache for no reason,” Eugene grumbled.

“Huh?” Kristina questioned in surprise.

“When was it again?” Eugene muttered to himself. “We weren’t able to restock, so we had run out of liquor, but Anise had stocked up a few bottles from her own quota. So Sienna and I tried to steal some alcohol without Anise knowing about it…. We got caught midway through. Sienna cowardly ran away by herself using space magic, and I was the only one to have my ribs shattered by Anise’s mace.”

While recalling their distant past, Eugene brushed his own side and continued, “No matter how I think about it, Anise definitely went too far at that time. Those shattered ribs tore through my lungs, so I couldn’t breathe, and the pain was truly agonizing. Then, instead of treating me, Anise even broke my leg.”

[How could they steal from their own comrade? It was that son of a bitch Hamel’s fault for doing so,] Anise cursed.

“Sir Eugene, you were the one in the wrong,” Kristina dutifully parroted.

Eugene retorted, “Who said that I wasn’t in the wrong? I just said she went too far with the punishment, tch….”

Eugene was also very familiar with the next sacred item. It was the rosary that Anise had worn the whole time they were on their travels.

[Just holding it in your hand accelerates the recovery of divine power, and it can amplify the power of miracles.]

There was also a glass bottle containing real Holy Water instead of alcohol.

[Just like the mace, by entering the Fount of Light with me ever since I was a child, it is a sacred item that has been imbued with its own blessings. Without any cumbersome rituals or chores, you can make Holy Water just by putting ordinary water inside it. The Holy Water created by doing so can dissolve demonic power and even burn the blood and flesh of the demonfolk. If an additional miracle is cast upon it, it can even be used as a potion that, while not as good as an elixir, still has an excellent effect.]

Kristina hung the rosary on her neck and placed the glass bottle in a pocket. Then she picked up the mace with both hands and headed towards the final relic.

It was a pure white robe with a red cross sewn onto it. Seeing this robe, Eugene smiled unconsciously.

In Eugene’s memories, Anise was always wearing that robe. The red cross on her back and the white lining had never once been splattered with blood, but beneath that robe, Anise’s back had always been covered with blood.

[Taking that with you will be very convenient,] Anise said. [During the many years I spent drifting around Helmuth, that robe has never once gotten dirty. It also has never had blood stained on it. The cross is always a clear red, and the white background was made to represent purity without any blemishes… it’s quite an ostentatious symbol of the Saint.]

‘Will that really fit me…?’ Kristina thought uncertainly.

[It fit me, so, of course, it will fit you too. The robe itself can amplify miracles, and I also don’t want to leave even a single piece of my belongings here. So Kristina, go ahead and take all of them for yourself.]

Kristina hesitantly wrapped the robe around her body. It was definitely her first time wearing it, but as the robe wrapped snugly around her body, she felt a comfortable sensation, as if she had worn it for a long time.

[Don’t pay too much attention to me,] Anise warned.

Kristina was currently wearing Anise’s robe, with Anise’s rosary around her neck, Anise’s Holy Water bottle in one pocket, and she was even carrying Anise’s mace.

[You can’t let yourself become me. All of these are just to help you on your journey. They’re not meant to transform yourself into me.]

Without replying, Kristina reached up and rubbed the rosary. There was no need for her to even respond to these words. As she felt Anise’s care for her, Kristina smiled faintly. She wasn’t weak enough to feel confused about her identity just because of a slight change in the way she dressed.

She was Kristina Rogeris.

And the person who had first called her by that name was standing right in front of her.

“Sir Eugene,” Kristina spoke up. “Would you please return ahead of me?”

“Where should I go?” Eugene asked without any embarrassment at the request.

Kristina hid the heavy mace inside her robe and laughed, “It doesn’t matter which one, but please stay in one of Yurasia’s inns for now.”

“What are you going to do?” Eugene asked.

“I… there’s a little something I still have to do.” As Kristina looked around the Special Relics Vault, she continued, “Among all the holy relics stored here, none seem to require a special sacrament to be returned to the Light. In the end, there are just a few holy remains stored here because of the miracles contained within them, instead of for other purposes.”

Eugene nodded, “I see.”

“However, there are still a few other places that I want to check out. There are probably a lot more of the relics that we’re concerned about stored within the Inquisition Headquarters or the Department of Divine Magic,” Kristina concluded.

The Inquisition and the Department of Divine Magic were where the research on black magic and ancient magic, such as blood magic, had taken place.

“Got it,” Eugene acquiesced.

It wasn’t too hard for Eugene to offer some more help.

However, Eugene didn’t say something like that. Because Kristina hadn’t asked for his help. It wasn’t like she was holding herself back from saying something, so this meant that Kristina clearly didn’t want Eugene’s help. She wanted to finish everything related to the Saints with her own hands and send her condolences to them along with any of their remains.

“Two days later, there will be an event to celebrate Lady Anise’s birthday at the Plaza of the Sun.” Trying to keep her voice from shaking, Kristina continued, “Let’s meet there at noon when the sun is at its highest.”

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