"That goes against the Commandments."
With Tiana's continued words, the Pope's face hardened in an instant.
Pope Leo X possessed a keen political instinct.
He understood how power moved — and where it crumbled.
Cardinal Teo's plan had been meticulous.
And equally dangerous.
If it succeeded, the Holy See's authority would have pierced the heavens.
If it failed, the backlash would have been uncontrollable.
Of course, he had prepared for that contingency.
Cut your losses.
Pin all the blame on Teo and sever him cleanly.
He had always intended to dispose of the man eventually. Teo had grown far too large within the shelter of their kinship.
Left unchecked, he might one day threaten Leo's own position.
He had always planned to bring him down.
The timeline had simply accelerated.
Yet in the end, Teo had left behind an unexpected parting gift.
A Saint.
'Whatever happened, I must have her in my hands.'
Pope Leo X's eyes narrowed.
That overwhelming radiance — that sanctity capable of seizing the hearts of a crowd in a single instant. A symbol that could amplify the Holy See's authority severalfold.
'I don't need an angel. If I can just have that girl…!'
But then.
"I'm going back to school."
A clear, unhurried voice.
"No. Saint. You must remain here."
"Are you intending to compel me?"
The halo floating above her head brightened softly. The light deepened.
"Aah…"
"Glorious Dawn Saint…!"
The crowd's reverence rippled outward.
The Pope quietly surveyed his surroundings.
Not only the common citizens — even the Holy Knights had their eyes fixed on her, not on him, their Pope.
'…If I press too hard, I'll invite a backlash.'
People yield to emotion far more readily than to reason.
And right now, the emotions of every soul present had already been captured by that light.
If he were to assert his authority here, he might find himself isolated in the midst of an enraged crowd.
Even the Holy Knights — one look at them made it plain they were in no state to follow his orders.
'But I cannot simply let her go, either.'
He needed to establish some point of contact, by whatever means. He needed to leave a thread.
"For now, I shall defer to the Saint's wishes. However, as I must ensure your safety, I will assign Holy Knights to accompany you."
"That won't be necessary, Your Holiness."
Matyos stepped forward.
"Our forces are encamped outside the city. I will see to Tiana Pilrn's safety personally."
"…Matyos of Moretti."
Pope Leo X turned to look at Matyos.
An outsider, inserting himself where he had no business.
An irritating wretch.
"This is a matter of the Holy See. It is not for an Imperial subject to interfere."
"Why not? Tiana Pilrn is an Imperial citizen."
"You are ignorant of the truth. A Saint is one chosen by the radiant Lord God from among all people. She cannot be bound by something as trivial as nationality or race."
"That's a separate matter."
"It cannot be separate. I am the Vicar of God."
"Is that so?"
He smiled faintly.
"Are you truly the Vicar of God?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well — it's just that Tiana has manifested her Sacred Stigmata right before our eyes. But Your Holiness…"
Matyos ran his gaze over Pope Leo X with undisguised frankness.
Head to toe.
Unlike Tiana, in whom the love of God was plainly visible at a glance, Pope Leo X was an ordinary old man.
No Sacred Stigmata. No eyes blazing with golden flame. No radiance whatsoever.
The Pope's expression set into a rigid line.
The papacy was an elected office. He was nothing more than a man chosen by the votes of cardinals.
Matyos was pressing precisely on that point.
The Pope clicked his tongue.
"…I shall be in contact at a later time. Saint."
He took a step back.
Pushing further would only make him look petty.
* * *
The moment the Pope withdrew, the scene erupted into commotion.
People surged forward.
Hands reached out to grasp even the hem of Tiana's robe. The sick, the destitute, the weary — each carrying their own burden of sorrow.
"Dawn Saint…! Please, I beg you — restore my mother's sight…"
"Come here."
Tiana knelt and gently brushed her fingers across the eyes of a blind elderly woman.
Light seeped in.
The eyes that had been clouded and still for so long slowly resolved — a clear iris, a distinct pupil, taking shape within them.
"Oh… oh… I can see. I can see…"
The old woman touched her own face with trembling hands, looked at the ground, looked at the people around her.
She blinked again and again as though she could not believe it. And then she wept.
"Thank you. Thank you…!"
That day, Tiana moved from person to person, taking her time with each one.
She cooled fevers, loosened stiffened joints, and closed wounds that had festered for years.
"Phew. That was exhausting…"
At last she sank down where she stood.
Taibeon came over and cautiously poked at the halo drifting above her head.
"…Wow. It's real."
"Did you think it was fake?"
"Who would think this was real?"
"Fair point."
Taibeon circled her slowly, studying her with wide eyes.
Hair that held light within it. Eyes burning with a golden glow.
It felt awkward to say this about his own sister, but she looked like a goddess stepped out of myth.
"…Sis."
"Yeah."
"Are you really my sister?"
"Hm?"
"…I said, are you really my sister?"
His expression was unexpectedly serious.
Tiana looked at him for a moment, then —
"Oh, honestly."
She hooked him into a headlock and ruffled his hair thoroughly.
"No matter what anyone says, I'm your sister. And you're my little brother."
"…Good enough."
Taibeon stepped back, looking faintly sheepish.
"What even happened? There was this sudden burst of light and then you were completely different."
"There was."
"How did you do it?"
"I didn't do anything. I simply understood."
"Understood what?"
"Many things."
Truly many things.
The kind of understanding that turns a lifetime of values on its head.
Tiana pressed her hands to her knees and stood.
She swayed.
"Ugh…"
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"The fatigue hit me all at once…"
That was the moment.
The halo above her head gradually dimmed and vanished.
The hair that had shimmered with the light of dawn returned to its familiar wheat-field color, and the golden eyes faded back to the green she had always known.
The Tiana Pilrn that everyone recognized.
"Oh? You're back to normal, Sis."
"Mm. Seems like it."
"But the mark on your hand is still there. Look."
Taibeon pointed to the back of her hand.
The red star remained, vivid as ever.
Tiana quietly placed her hand over her chest.
The center of her chest felt open — as though something had been cleared away.
In the space left behind by whatever had been emptied out, a solid, settled calm had taken root.
"Taibeon."
"Yeah."
"Thank you. For coming to save me."
"…Don't mention it. It was obvious. Mati was the one who said we had to go."
"Mati?"
"He was the one who gathered everyone and put the plan together."
Tiana slowly turned her head.
A short distance away, Matyos was talking with Ofilienne.
His ash-grey hair caught the fading light of dawn and spread pale and white.
It resembled the light that had wrapped around her just moments ago.
What had brought her to this place was not a miracle.
It was someone's choice, and someone's courage.
"…Taibeon."
Her ears grew warm for no particular reason.
"Can a commoner marry a noble?"
"Where did that come from?"
"I'm just asking."
"I don't know? Probably not, though. There's the difference in rank."
Taibeon thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"I really don't know. It probably depends on the person."
At those words, Tiana lowered her gaze.
But she did not feel the same dejection as before.
She had always prayed for God to make things happen.
Not anymore.
She would claim it herself.
Just then, Matyos and Ofilienne approached.
"You're back to normal?"
"Yeah. Though I think I could do it again if I had to. It would take a lot of holy power, but…"
Matyos nodded and looked at Tiana's Sacred Stigmata.
'She awakened earlier than in the original story.'
The episode of Tiana Pilrn's abduction occurs at the end of the school year.
An incident of infiltrating the Holy See — just like this one.
The events hadn't unfolded in exactly the same sequence, but in the end, Tiana Pilrn's awakening had been inevitable.
He hadn't been following the flow of the original work.
He had simply moved because he didn't want to lose her.
Whether God existed or not.
Whether miracles were predestined or not.
'How did things end up like this.'
Well — good is good, he supposed.
His doubts about God remained, but he decided not to dwell on them too sharply.
If He exists, He exists.
And if He does, all the better.
This kind of heroine awakening — they all had one.
Tiana Pilrn's Sacred Stigmata awakening.
Yuri Ayende, too, and Huana — each had an episode that tested their convictions.
'That's all for later.'
Right now, he wanted to rest.
"Hey~"
Joi (Henri) approached with a languid smile.
"What were you two talking about? I saw you having quite the conversation earlier."
"Ah… that. It's nothing much."
After the Pope left, my sister had pulled me aside.
'You put me through quite a lot of trouble, you know? I was locked up in the Holy See, after all.'
'But truly — thank you.'
'You said it, didn't you? That you'd do anything.'
'…I did.'
'Heh.'
'What do you want from me…?'
'Look forward to it. It'll be soon.'
What on earth was she planning to do…
A sense of dread crept in, but there was nothing to be done about it.
A promise was a promise…
"You worked hard too. Thank you."
"Me? Hehe. What did I even do? I just drew a little attention~"
Joi (Henri) laughed with innocent cheer.
I turned my head away, pretending not to notice.
She had been the unsung hero of this entire infiltration.
She had kept dozens of Holy Knights occupied on her own.
And she wasn't the only one.
Everyone had done their part.
The Noim Mercenary Band, Taibeon, Quistian, Joi (Henri).
And Tiana, who had never given up.
Even in the midst of a nightmare, she had held fast to her faith.
If it had been me, I would have broken long before the end.
"Mati."
Tiana came over.
Her green eyes shone with a clear, quiet light.
No longer the eyes of a Saint wrapped in radiance — the eyes of one woman.
"I heard you were the one who planned this operation."
"I was."
"…All I can say to you is thank you. You risked your life to save a foolish girl like me."
"You already said that. Stop thanking me."
"No. I'm going to keep thanking you until the day I die."
She said it like a joke, but the sincerity was there.
A brief silence passed.
Tiana steadied her breath and spoke.
"Truly, truly — thank you."
"…"
"I won't impose on you anymore. I won't ask you to follow my path, or to abandon yours. We've each lived our own lives. …In the end, love is enough on its own — but I kept trying to pile more on top of it."
Matyos looked at her for a moment, then smiled.
"I think so too."
"Hm?"
"Love, I mean. I don't know about the rest of it, but that — that seems like a good thing."
He said it without any embellishment.
Tiana looked away.
She felt she couldn't keep looking at his face.
Her cheeks flushed red.
* * *
The incident had been resolved.
Which meant the time to pay the price was drawing near.
Ofilienne's room.
The crimson sunset that seeped between the heavy curtains dyed the interior in shades of red. The flames of golden candlesticks swayed softly, and a faint fragrance drifted through the air. Sweet, and strangely dizzying.
The room's mistress, Ofilienne, sat at the edge of the bed.
Her long legs crossed slowly, unhurried.
"Are you ready?"
She extended one foot toward him.
A line that began at a slender ankle and continued in a smooth, unbroken curve.
Black stockings encased her legs. The texture of skin faintly visible beneath the thin fabric caught the light of the sunset and shimmered in a way that was difficult to look away from.
"Take them off now."
She said it to Matyos.