Chapter 183 - Damn Reincarnation

Euresia

It felt as though her heart had been stripped of its outer skin.

The heart pounding inside her chest had no such skin, of course, but that was how Kristina felt. Tender flesh she wanted no one to see had been exposed, and something had brushed across the surface of emotions even she did not fully understand.

That was why her expression faltered. It lasted only an instant, but to her, that fleeting lapse felt terribly long.

'What expression did I make?'

She did not know. She did not think... she had been smiling. For no particular reason, Kristina raised a hand and stroked her cheek. She could feel the smile she always wore, the one she had trained into second nature.

'... It was different from this, but I don't know.'

The Pope was chosen from among the priests whose faith was stronger than anyone else's in this vast Holy Empire.

After the previous Pope passed away, his soul appeared in the dreams of every bishop before reaching heaven. He examined their souls and their faith, engraving stigmata upon the bodies of those whose devotion he deemed sufficient to entrust with his succession.

The bishops who received these stigmata entered the Audience Chamber deep within the Holy See to be chosen by the Light. The chosen bishop became Pope, while those who were not chosen became cardinals.

Yuras's current Pope, Euryus, had likewise been chosen by the Light in the Audience Chamber thirty years ago. A Pope selected in this way was regarded as the Light's representative in Yuras.

The saint was different from the Pope and the cardinals. Whereas they were selected from among bishops for their faith, the saint received a divine visitation. Kristina was the only candidate for sainthood of her generation, but the previous generation had had three or four.

Several conditions were necessary for this Descent of Light: a girl who had lost her parents or been abandoned, and who had grown up in a convent. A few girls with such backgrounds would suddenly receive the Light and become capable of miracles so powerful it was hard to believe they were children.

The Light bestowed upon them gradually diminished as they grew, signifying that they had lost their qualifications as candidates. Among them, the candidate whose Light shone ever more brilliantly instead of diminishing was formally recognized as the saint. Thus, the saint became an apostle of the Light.

The Hero.

Long, long ago, in an age before Demon Kings existed, when even the boundaries between demons, demonic beasts, and monsters had not been distinguished, the God of Light descended from heaven. He forged a sword from his own flesh and blood and illuminated the darkness. That sword was the Holy Sword, Altair: the God of Light's first child, and the most brilliant torch he had left for this world.

After the god departed the earth and ascended to heaven to become Light, no one in the Holy Empire could draw Altair and kindle its light. Only Vermouth the Great, three hundred years ago, and his descendant Eugene Lionheart had done so.

That was what made the Hero special. The Hero was neither a representative nor an apostle of the Light.

He was the Incarnation of Light.

... What was strange about a saint devoting herself to the Hero? It was something she naturally ought to do. Kristina believed that without a shadow of doubt. If a situation arose that demanded it, and she was the saint at that time, she would gladly give her life for the Hero—for Eugene.

Ever since becoming a candidate for sainthood, she had been taught that she must do so. She had engraved upon her heart how noble and glorious the saint's duties were. The face she had been born with, being taken in by the cardinal, the Descent of Light—she had to become a saint worthy of all of it, one who could present herself as the second coming of Anise the Faithful from three hundred years ago.

The curve of her lips, the position of their corners, the pitch of her voice, where she directed her gaze, and the smile in her eyes. She fashioned her expression from these things and concealed her true feelings. There was no need to reveal them, nor was she permitted to.

Did his claim that she need not devote herself to the Hero simply because she was the saint mean that he still did not want to acknowledge himself as the Hero?

'... Then what about me?'

Yuras had had a saint in every age. What made Kristina special, however, was that she lived in the same era as a Hero, just as Anise the Faithful had three hundred years ago.

Like Lady Anise, Kristina hoped to fulfill her mission alongside the Hero. She believed that being born in Anise's likeness and the birth of another Hero into the Lionheart family were all parts of an interconnected destiny.

But if Eugene refused to be the Hero and had no intention of fulfilling his mission...

Would the life she had lived to be recognized as the saint have any meaning?

'... The ring.'

Things she did not want to care about—things she must not care about—kept catching her eye and circling through her mind. Kristina recalled Eugene's hand, which she had clasped earlier. On the ring finger of his left hand was a gold ring he had not worn in Samar.

She knew perfectly well what a ring on the left ring finger meant. As the saint, the Light's consort who must remain chaste all her life, such a ring was something she would never have any connection with.

'... Has it been... about three months? In that time... Well, nobles often become engaged before they even come of age.'

Besides, Eugene was considered the greatest prodigy since the founder in the illustrious Lionheart family. In Kristina's opinion, his personality had serious flaws, and his mouth was as filthy as though he had a dirty rag stuffed into it. Yet she had no choice but to admit that he was exceptionally handsome.

His abilities? Was there any reason to even discuss them? If she had to find more faults, there was the fact that he was adopted rather than of the main family's direct bloodline, and that he had voluntarily relinquished his right to succeed as family head... But considering everything Eugene possessed, any number of noble houses would overlook such minor shortcomings and arrange a marriage with him.

He was only twenty. An age better described as a boy's than a young man's. Even if he could not become the head of the prestigious Lionheart family, young Eugene Lionheart could become anything. A tower master in Aroth? Commander of the court mage corps? He might become commander of Kiel's imperial knights, or pledge himself to another country altogether.

'... Who... is she? A great noble house equal to Lionheart... Perhaps even royalty.'

It was none of Kristina's concern. She told herself that, but her heart would not cooperate.

... But... hadn't it been too plain for an engagement ring? An engagement between great noble houses would ordinarily involve an expensive ring, both to commemorate the occasion and to flaunt it before other houses.

She wanted another look to make sure, but suppressed the impulse. It was unnecessary. There was no need. She did not want to feel any needless confusion, and she was wary of accidentally meeting Eugene's eyes.

So she hurried ahead. Eugene followed without asking why she had suddenly quickened her pace. Then, happening to glance behind him, he saw Mer doing her best to keep up with quick little steps.

"So you've finally noticed me too, Eugene."

Mer narrowed her eyes and snapped at him. Looking sheepish, he opened his cloak for her, and she leaped inside as though she had been waiting for him to do just that.

'This will be my first time on a train. Have you ever ridden one, Eugene?'

'It's my first time too. Trains didn't even exist three hundred years ago.'

Kiel had trains as well. Nobles usually used warp gates for long-distance travel, but commoners who could not afford the steep fees traveled by train.

Since most of a train's machinery incorporated magical engineering, trains had yet to replace horses and carriages entirely. Still, they could run wherever rails were laid, were vastly easier to maintain than warp gates, and presented less risk of accidents. Consequently, the adoption of magical trains and the addition of new routes were steadily increasing.

Growing demand had brought various further developments. According to Melkith, the White Tower's alchemists were recently developing something called a magical automobile, which would run on roads and replace even horses and carriages.

'It's so blatant it's funny.'

Lying comfortably inside the cloak, Mer giggled.

Despite possessing the vast territory befitting an empire, the Holy Empire of Yuras had remarkably few warp gates.

Divine magic born of faith and magic that used mana followed completely different systems. Yuras's rigid high-ranking priests disapproved of mages who performed spells resembling miracles without so much as a shred of faith. This had led to longstanding discrimination against mages in Yuras.

Of course, that was in the distant past. After the war against the Demon Kings, the world had changed enough for even black mages to be accepted into magical academic societies. In truth, rather than for that reason, it was probably because they could no longer ignore how much more convenient magic was than divine magic in many respects.

'Not every believer can use divine magic. That's true of magic as well, but unlike divine magic, even non-mages can enjoy its benefits. As long as they have money.'

Even someone who could not fly could ride Aroth's flying carriages if they had money. A distant destination that would take days and days to reach by horse, carriage, or train could be reached in an instant through a warp gate—if one had money. Even in a bitter winter of heavy snowfall, anyone who installed a magical boiler and faithfully paid the fees could use all the hot water they wanted.

The fact that Eugene no longer carried a heavy money pouch and an identification tag, as he had in his previous life, was itself a benefit of magic. Magical identification linked to his blood. A magical card linked to his bank account, eliminating the need to carry cash. These were all forms of everyday magic that the magical kingdom of Aroth had spread and established.

Divine magic also had miracles intended for convenience. Unlike spells sustained by ambient mana or alchemically manufactured mana batteries, however, those miracles lasted far less time. Moreover, divine magic used the nebulous power of 'faith' rather than mana, and even its level and potency were determined by that faith.

'Yuras is one of the richest countries on the continent, isn't it? I bet its treasury holds even more wealth than Kiel's.'

'Probably. Apart from taxes, the people here pay tithes and offerings to the churches they attend. Those tithes pass through the churches to the Holy See... and it gobbles up the money collected by churches abroad too.'

'Yet despite all that money, it has fewer warp gates than Kiel. Kiel even has warp gates in your hometown, Gidol, and in Bolanyo, where everything smelled of cow dung.'

They had been installed, but were seldom used. Only nobles or wealthy people visiting the countryside for recuperation tended to use those gates. Commoners living in such rural areas more often traveled by train, carriage, or horse.

'This country is conditioning its subjects. It keeps them from growing accustomed to the comforts of magic or traveling far away, leaving them no choice but to attend the local church when they have free time. And after creating those conditions for their subjects, the high-ranking clergy probably use hidden private warp gates themselves.'

'Does the novel you're reading these days have a conspiracy like that?'

'How did you know? It doesn't actually call the country Yuras, but it does have a religious nation that would remind anyone of Yuras. The high-ranking clergy in that novel indulge in debauchery deep beneath the city.'

Mer chattered excitedly, shaking Eugene's finger.

'I'm sure Yuras's high-ranking clergy do the same. How could anyone live an ascetic life with all that money and power? They must pretend to be ascetic in public, then enjoy everything they want among themselves and live in comfort.'

'... Hmm... I think you'd better not say that to Kristina.'

'I have that much sense, you know. But Eugene, isn't it really strange?'

'What is?'

'I look like Lady Senya because she made me as a familiar in the exact likeness of her childhood self. But Lady Anise wasn't a mage, was she?'

'Kristina isn't a familiar. She's probably a distant descendant of Anise.'

She would not be merely a descendant. Eugene recalled Anise rising from Kristina's back, unfurling eight wings. The Descent of Light that supposedly came to candidates for sainthood... Perhaps Anise was connected to it and had taken up residence in her descendant's body.

'... Hmm... Is that so?'

Mer murmured, tilting her head. She still sensed something about Kristina that she could not put into words.

"... How long does it take to reach the Trechian diocese by train?"

"Unless there is an accident along the way, we should arrive tonight."

The Trechian diocese was where Cardinal Rogeris's mansion stood. One might expect a diocese governed by someone as senior as a cardinal to have a warp gate as a matter of course, but neither of the other cardinals' dioceses had one installed either.

It was not just the cardinals. Among Yuras's ancient holy sites and historic ruins, those with warp gates were actually the exception.

"Because traveling conveniently through warp gates would diminish the significance of pilgrimage."

When he voiced his dissatisfaction with this, Kristina answered in a gentle voice.

"A pilgrimage must involve a certain measure of hardship. People naturally prefer not to do things that are physically taxing, difficult, or bothersome. Overcoming those hardships, spending long periods traveling and visiting sacred places—that conquest of desire through faith is what makes a true pilgrimage."

"Was insisting on wearing your priestly robes in that sweltering, filthy jungle a kind of pilgrimage too?"

"Ah, you finally understand!"

"You didn't look like you were conquering your desires. You washed your clothes the moment they got dirty. And you ate plenty."

"... Meals have nothing to do with pilgrimage. What does keeping one's priestly robes clean have to do with desire?"

Still without turning to face Eugene, Kristina continued.

"I know warp gates are convenient. But pursuing physical comfort makes the spirit indolent. In particular, dioceses governed by cardinals, such as Trechia, regularly receive believers from other dioceses who come to pray."

"Really?"

"Yes. Once a month, the cardinals personally come to their cathedrals to preside over worship. On those days, the stations fill with believers from other dioceses hoping to attend. If you are too late, you cannot even obtain a ticket. Do you understand what that means?"

"No... I don't."

"It means that you cannot attend unless you act faster than everyone else. Some fervent believers refuse even to take the train and come on foot. Faith is what leads them to willingly embrace such hardship."

Eugene had never possessed religious faith, not even in his previous life. Thus, he simply could not understand deliberately subjecting oneself to hardship to make a pilgrimage and offer prayers.

"You, too, sweat during your training and suffer pain in the process, do you not?"

"... I do."

"Just as the blood and sweat you shed have made you strong, an arduous pilgrimage strengthens a believer's faith."

"Hmm... Right..."

Something about her expression had felt off. But there was nothing odd about this conversation. Her reasoning was still as forceful and self-serving as ever, yet Eugene found it welcome.

"Eugene, have you ever ridden a train?"

"No."

"You will like it once you do. Unlike a warp gate that takes only a few steps to traverse, or a jolting carriage, a train is both comfortable and charming."

Kristina stopped walking. Slowly raising her hand, she pointed to a stationary train.

"That is Yuras's pilgrimage train, the Sunnyside Anise Train."

"... What?"

"The Sunnyside Anise Train."

With trembling eyes, Eugene looked up at the front of the train. Like a ship's figurehead, an ornament depicting an angel praying with both eyes closed adorned the engine's nose.

... Upon closer inspection, it was a miniature version of the Anise statue he had seen in the Sun Plaza.

"... Why does its name include Lady Anise's?"

"It is not only Lady Anise. The pilgrimage trains that travel through the dioceses bear the names of other saints as well."

Couldn't that be considered a form of desecrating the dead? Eugene seriously pondered the question. He had never had children... but if he had, and one of his descendants built a train and named it the Sunnyside Hamel Train...

He felt certain he would kick his way out of his grave and grab that descendant by the collar.

"... Ha!"

With her head poking out of the cloak, Mer gave a disbelieving laugh, her lips twisting. She was not laughing because she found the Sunnyside Anise Train funny. In fact, had it not been for that name, Eugene would have felt much the same as she did.

For all their talk of refusing to install warp gates so people would not become accustomed to magical comforts and the significance of pilgrimage would not fade, this train was the pinnacle of magical engineering, incorporating every sort of magic.

Even its fuel consisted of large quantities of alchemically manufactured mana batteries. Judging by the output he could sense, they were undoubtedly the latest models. On top of that, all kinds of spells had been layered onto it to reduce its weight, increase its speed, suppress jolting, and ensure stability.

"The tickets are already prepared. Let us board."

Kristina led the way onto the train.

"... Well... It does look spacious and comfortable. Though if they're going to compromise like this, a warp gate would be hundreds of times more convenient."

Mer moved her protruding head from side to side, examining the interior. Their assigned seats were in first class. Murmured prayers and hymns drifted from the ordinary seats directly behind, but once they opened the door and stepped inside, the assorted noises could no longer be heard.

"Trains have charms that warp gates do not, little familiar."

Smiling, Kristina continued as she crossed the quiet, luxurious interior toward their assigned seats.

"In particular, sitting by the window and watching the scenery rush past is peaceful and delightful."

"... The window?"

Mer immediately showed interest. Discarding her sulky expression, she claimed a window seat with sparkling eyes.

"I'm sitting here."

"Suit yourself."

All their luggage was inside the cloak, so there was no need to stow anything separately. Eugene settled into the broad, cushioned seat beside Mer and looked up.

"Why aren't you sitting down?"

"... Ah..."

Kristina answered belatedly and turned her head. When she tried to sit elsewhere, Eugene caught her wrist, looking puzzled.

"Where are you going?"

"Pardon?"

"You can sit opposite us."

He could not understand why she was trying to sit somewhere else after choosing a set of four facing seats.

"Eugene! If you press this button and lean back, the seat reclines!"

"Yes, yes."

"I looked it up before we came here, and apparently a refreshments cart comes through the train regularly. They sell snacks like biscuits and sweets, and boxed meals too. You'll have some, won't you?"

"Yes, yes."

Answering absently, Eugene took out the magazine provided beside his seat.

Like Aroth's, it listed tourist attractions, but this booklet focused primarily on Yuras's sanctuaries.

A train pilgrimage package that took an entire month... There was even a separate list of churches specializing in guiding unbelievers, and the final pages contained prayers to the Light and passages from scripture.

"... What devotion."

Murmuring this, Eugene raised his eyes. Their gazes did not meet. Kristina had her eyes slightly lowered and was looking at his finger.

"Does this pilgrimage package actually sell?"

"... It is very popular with elderly visitors from other countries."

"Well, well... Hoping to get a ticket to heaven issued in their twilight years, are they?"

"I cannot say that their faith is pure, but that does not give you the right to ridicule it."

"Are you angry?"

"No. I am not angry. I am well aware that you are so rude and mischievous it is difficult to believe you are the young master of an illustrious noble house, let alone the Hero."

"You sound angry."

"What reason would I have to be angry with you? To begin with, as the saint, how could I feel that way toward the Hero..."

"You're going on about saints and Heroes a lot more than you did a few months ago."

Eugene chuckled and closed the magazine.

"Do you really have to go that far?"

"... What do you mean?"

"You don't seem to want to do it. Just say it's too f*ing awful and you can't. Oh, is it not quite that f*ing bad?"

"... Please mind your language. Such conduct makes you seem vulgar."

["Hamel, it is not just your posture that is poor. Your conduct itself is deplorable. Vulgar."]

"I don't mind if you think that."

["Correcting your language is important, but if you simply keep your mouth shut, people will not be able to tell what sort of filthy rag you have stuffed into it."]

"I know it's easier to do what I want than force myself into a mold that doesn't fit."

Eugene chuckled, propping his chin on his hand.

"I suppose you don't?"

"Nor do I wish to."

"So. How long are you going to keep your eyes down? What's the problem?"

"..."

"Are you curious?"

Teasing her was fun. He recalled the humiliation of having his buttocks grabbed while she carried him on her back in Samar.

"About this ring."

He could feel her gaze fix on it.