Two days later.
After waking up early in the morning, Vera donned his priest's robes and headed for the Great Hall with his sword in hand.
'Today...'
Renee would receive a revelation.
And Vera already knew the content of her revelation.
'A Secret Journey.'
A journey she had taken in secret. She had told me about it that day. A trip where she had stopped by the slums.
The journey that would take a few years.
Back then, Renee said, 'There was a time when I secretly ventured out to share my power across the continent,'so it was natural that the journey wouldn’t end in a day or two.
It wasn't just a blind guess, there was also evidence to back it up.
The time when Vargo was still alive. Vera clearly remembered Renee attending several public events across various countries.
While it was true that they had never crossed paths back then, the news travelled far and wide, so it was hard not to know about it.
It was probably a schedule that she made during the secret journey.
She had probably visited the slums when she was invited to the banquet that commemorated the ‘Empire’s Founding Day.’
'Just half a year left.'
There were six months left before the Empire’s Founding Day.
Snap-.
Vera tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword as veins bulged on his tense arm.
An arduous dilemma crossed his mind.
'Should I take her there?'
Should I take Renee to the slums? If she insists on going there, what should I say?
Renee from his previous life.
The young girl, who had resented and suffered under the Gods, had her perception change after visiting the slums.
After witnessing the scene in the slums, she finally decided to live for the sake of others.
If he thought about it rationally, it would be the right choice to take her there if he really wanted her to bloom as the Saint.
Only then would she become the proper Saint.
However, his worries began to cloud his mind.
But to be honest.
'Is that really the right thing to do?'
Is it really the right thing to do for Renee, from the standpoint of a young girl, not the Saint?
For the past three years, the young Renee he knew had always been such a naïve and fragile girl.
Vera didn't want to send Renee to the slums just because of his selfish desire for her to become a proper Saint.
Of course, there was always hope in his heart that she would one day blossom as the Saint without going there. He would still trudge forward while clinging to that possibility.
Deep inside, although he was aware of it, a bit of concern that he couldn’t let go of began to creep in, the fear that she might not be able to bloom as the Saint.
He heaved a deep sigh.
This has been a constant dilemma for him over the past three years.
This time as well.
"...Not yet."
He came to the conclusion that he could afford to delay his judgment for another day. Though, it was just an excuse.
****
Renee thought to herself.
No matter how much she pondered over it, the attire she was wearing right now was far too cumbersome.
No other clothing in the world required so much attention to put on.
Several more large fabrics were wrapped over the priest's attire, covering her entire body. She then had to fasten everything with either a belt or an ornamental pin, and to top it all off, a shawl with various jewels embedded to decorate it.
Was that the end? Not in the slightest.
They then combed her hair, which had grown long and reached down to her waist. Next, a few strands of her hair were pulled back on the side to make a braid. Finally, they would decorate it.
And even after all that, she was still required to put on makeup.
Even after experiencing this for nearly three years, Renee still felt disoriented from this dizzily long dressing process. Then, fortunately, the voice of salvation she longed to hear came, and she immediately brightened at those words.
"It's done."
Those were Renee's favorite words.
"Thank you, everyone. You've all worked hard."
"It's what we have to do."
"Well, I'll go now."
"Yes."
Tap. Tap.
Her cane touched the ground.
Renee opened the door and went out, and as usual, Vera was waiting in front of her.
"I hope you're doing fine?"
"Yes, what about Sir Vera?"
"As usual."
Renee, who held Vera’s hands during the brief conversation, immediately walked down the corridor. She then asked a question.
"Will it take a long time?"
"From my experience, it didn't take very long. From what I remember, Rohan did the preparations and I was just standing still until the end."
"That's a relief. I was nervous for no reason..."
It wasn't just to spark up a chat.
Two days had passed since the day she declared that she wanted to receive a revelation. But what kind of revelation would be given to her? What would the commands of the Gods be? She couldn’t sleep well because of such worries.
Of course, it was natural.
Revelations were the only way to communicate with the Gods, so even if it was a one-way street, she couldn't help but be nervous when she thought about it.
Renee took a deep breath, ‘Huff', as she continued to dwell on the growing uncertainty. She then asked Vera a question.
"Isn't it possible that I’ll receive a ludicrous revelation?"
"That won't happen. As far as I know, the Gods would never give an ordeal you cannot overcome."
"Ah, I'm glad..."
'Phew,'she heaved a sigh.
Feeling her heart beating faster, Renee continued her train of thought.
'Vera is…'
She heard he received a revelation that only showed the word 'Pass'. Trevor said that such an event had never occurred since the birth of the Holy Kingdom. She remembered it vividly because Trevor was really enthusiastic when he informed her about it.
Whenever she thought of something like that, she would come to an astounding admiration.
"Vera is special."
While receiving a peculiar revelation from the Gods, although he was relatively younger than the other Apostles, he was strong enough to already pursue his own path.
In Renee's world, no one was more special than Vera.
Suddenly, Renee, who felt her face burning again while thinking about Vera, took a deep breath and began shaking her head to brush off those thoughts.
"Is something wrong?"
"Oh, I'm just nervous."
"You don't have to be nervous. No matter the revelation you receive, the Saint will be able to overcome it."
"...Stop that."
Do you even know how often my heart skips a beat because of words you say unintentionally?
Renee admonished Vera, who made her heart flutter once again.
"I apologize."
Vera replied as such.
'You always apologize over and over again without realizing what you did wrong.'
Vera became concerned because whenever he looked at Renee, she would always have a pouty look.
'...Is she going through puberty now?'
It seemed so.
What was Renee like when she was in her teens? Wasn't she so gentle that it was hard to believe she was going through puberty?
Perhaps it's late puberty.
In the recent years, it has become clear that she is obsessed with 'maturity' as she frequently talks about liquor.
Vera arrived at such a conclusion in his mind and began to think of words to comfort Renee.
...Of course, Vera's conjecture was far from reality.
Renee's obsession with maturity was in the hopes that he would see her as a woman, not as a child.
And she talked about liquor because she was worried that Vera would indulge himself in the nightlife if he went out for drinks.
If Renee had known what Vera's thoughts were, she would have been quite upset, but fortunately for Vera, Renee didn’t have the ability to peek into other people's minds.
"...I just wanted to say that you don't have to worry too much. Even if a daunting revelation comes, I'll be by your side. So feel free to rely on me..."
"S-Stop!"
"…I apologize."
Renee froze upon hearing Vera's words, as her cheeks flared up.
"...No. Thank you for your kindness."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Droop.
Renee’s head drooped. Renee thought it was fortunate that Vera was dense at moments like these.
The heat burned beyond her face as it spread down to her neck and ears. Right now, she looked like a ripe apple.
Renee was so embarrassed about her face blushing in excitement after hearing his trivial words that she hastily averted her gaze towards her innocent cane.
****
A secret room at the heart of the Grand Hall.
Behind the 'creaking' sound of the door inside, Renee shivered slightly as the chilly air brushed past her face.
"Are you here?"
Vargo’s voice resounded. Renee smiled slightly and answered.
"I apologize. I’m not too late, am I?"
"No, you came at the right time. Rohan will be ready soon, so could you wait a little longer?"
"Oh, yes."
Nod.
Renee nodded her head.
Vera listened to the conversation while observing Rohan, who was working on setting up the revelation.
A small spring at the center of the room. It wasn’t an artificial structure, but it seemed as if the water had been transferred from a natural spring.
Above it, an elevated indigo magic circle was being drawn by Rohan using divine art, while Trevor was reinforcing it on the side.
Vera asked Vargo a question that crossed his mind.
"Why is Trevor over there?"
"I sent him to help Rohan because he still isn’t sober."
Vera frowned upon hearing that explanation.
How could he get drunk on such an important day?
Vera looked at Rohan with his brows furrowed, but soon nodded his head as he thought of conducting one last ‘lesson’ before his departure.
While the circle was being drawn, the twins, who had already approached Renee, spoke.
"Saint, you're nervous. You have to relax."
"Right, I get dizzy when I'm nervous."
"Oh, thank you, Sir Krek and Sir Marek."
Renee responded with a smile upon hearing the twins' words, and then took a deep breath to calm her mind.
'It's alright.'
It's going to be alright. It's only just beginning. It's just one sentence.
Even if it turns out to be a difficult sentence, aren’t there people who are willing to help me and Vera who will stand by me?
Renee, who had calmed down and clenched her hand, immediately felt her heart beating as she felt Vera's hand overlapped with her own.
"The twins are right. You don't have to be nervous. As I have always said, I will stand by you, and you don't need to worry about anything."
Her face began to heat up after hearing his words.
"...Yes."
That love, which didn’t fade over the last three years, made her heart pound even at this moment.
The atmosphere around them became awkward for some reason. The twins, who were listening in from afar, began to whisper while observing the ticklish heated atmosphere.
"That's not Vera at all."
"Yeah, that's a playboy."
Nod, nod.
The twins both nodded at the same time.
Vargo soon clicked his tongue and shook his head.
He soon heard Rohan's voice shortly after that.
"All done!"
It was a cry filled with fatigue and he appeared to now have hollow cheeks.
Renee, who was momentarily taken aback, nodded and walked over while holding Vera's hand tightly.
About eight steps.
Renee, who kept walking following Vera's lead, frozen upon feeling the divinity right in front of her. She was nervous.
"Come, Saint, you just need to be still. It will be over soon."
"Ah, yes."
Renee replied.
Soon the circle’s light shone.
Vera looked at the circle, which began to operate.
Woo woo-
With a low echo, the indigo-colored divinity began to glow. Then, the platonic solids that made up the circle moved and began getting attached with each other like a jigsaw puzzle.
This was the second time Vera had witnessed a revelation.
Vera focused his gaze on the spring, now remembering that the divinity would seep in and inscribe letters.
The indigo-colored divinity began seeping into the spring. The seeped divinity intertwined and formed distinct shapes.
Finally, letters were getting inscribed.
When Vera saw the letters, he turned to Renee and recited what he saw.
Letters that emerged were.
『 Moving forward, benefit, do...』
A single sentence.
"…The revelation has been made."
Amidst her nervousness, Renee was startled by the words she had heard. However, she quickly shook off the bewilderment, then tilted her head and asked.
"...Is that it?"
"Yes."
Renee felt all the tension that had running over her body melt away instantly. Her emotional state right now could be unmistakably called utter disappointment.
She naturally drifted away in thoughts.
'Isn't this too vague?'