Chapter 262: Holy Church [2]

Episode 67 - Holy Church [2]

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Then, using a fork, she brought a piece of chocolate cake to her mouth.

"Mhm."

Her expression immediately changed to one of satisfaction. After finishing the cake, she took a sip of the tea Elizabeth had brought her.

A few minutes passed before she let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Aah."

Then, she looked at Elizabeth and said:

"Lady Elizabeth, we can go for a walk."

Elizabeth nodded slightly before replying:

"But you are not allowed to enter the Great Holy Hall, my Lady."

"....."

Rinna tilted her head, slightly confused.

"Huh, why not? It's not like there's anything special in there besides the Ceremony, right?"

However, Elizabeth firmly shook her head.

"Those are the rules, my Lady."

Hearing her response, Rinna nodded without pressing the matter any further. After all, it wasn't unusual for her to be forbidden from entering certain places.

Although she was destined to inherit the title of Saint after graduating from the Holy Academy, the Pope was still the highest authority within the Holy Church.

Even if Rinna became the Saint of the Holy Church, his authority would still be above hers.

Rinna let out a small sigh and rose from her seat.

Originally, she had planned to sleep for a few hours, but after eating what Elizabeth had brought her, she was no longer sleepy.

So, she walked over to the wardrobe, which was filled with all kinds of clothes, and searched for something more casual.

About five minutes later, she left her room alongside Elizabeth. The two of them walked through the corridors until they reached a large garden.

"It's a beautiful day today, isn't it, Lady Elizabeth?"

As she walked beside her, Elizabeth simply nodded.

"Yes, it's a nice day."

Shortly afterward, they sat on a pair of swings located atop a small hill and gazed at the scenery before them.

From there, they could see the entire garden. Birds and butterflies flew from one place to another as the warm rays of sunlight bathed every corner of the area.

Rinna began gently swinging back and forth.

Then, a light breeze swept across her body.

Her pale pink hair fluttered softly in the breeze, while the cool air caressed her face.

"Lady Elizabeth, aren't you curious about the Holy Academy? You've never left this place either, right?"

Elizabeth, maintaining her usual expressionless face, replied:

"My work is in the Holy Church. I have no need to go anywhere else, and I have no curiosity about the outside world."

"Is it because of the rule about not being curious about the outside world? Because you might try to leave the Holy Church?"

Elizabeth nodded without hesitation.

"I faithfully follow the rules I was taught, for my own sake and for the sake of my purpose."

"Taking care of me isn't really a purpose, Lady Elizabeth."

"The Pope said that is my purpose, my Lady."

"Well, even so…"

"I merely follow the rules, my Lady."

Rinna let out a sigh and turned her gaze away from Elizabeth.

To be honest, Rinna found it difficult to hold a conversation with her.

Perhaps it was because the rules she was required to follow had been deeply engraved into her mind.

Or perhaps it was because Elizabeth didn't seem to have any emotions, at least not in any way that could be perceived at a glance.

"Even if you aren't curious about the Holy Academy, I'll tell you about it anyway."

"I'm all ears if that is what you wish, my Lady."

Rinna smiled faintly as she continued swinging.

Then, she began telling Elizabeth about everything that had happened throughout the year.

She told her about her first days at the Academy, the new experiences she had, and all the things she had discovered during that time.

If a third person had witnessed the scene, they probably would have been surprised to see her talking for so long about everything she had experienced at the Holy Academy, her expression overflowing with joy and happiness.

Even after several minutes of talking nonstop, her radiant smile remained on her face.

Before long, she began telling her about the friends she had made.

"Julian is the most childish of all of them. He's always telling terrible jokes, although we all laugh at them so he doesn't get embarrassed. Though, at first, we used to tell him outright that his jokes were bad…"

"Oh, and there's Diana. She's pretty shy, and the way she speaks is a little different, although she doesn't stutter…"

"Charlotte tends to be rather reserved, and she's the one who talks the least in the group. It's actually pretty funny because she always talks with a bored expression on her face…"

"Lumina always reminds me of you, Lady Elizabeth. She's always expressionless, as if she doesn't have any emotions. Even so, I've seen her spying on us whenever we're in the cafeteria, as if she wants to join us…"

"And Clementine is a tsundere. Whenever we get hurt during class, she tries to hide how worried she is, but whenever you ask her about it, she avoids answering or simply denies it…"

"Veronica is the only one who tells genuinely funny jokes, and her personality can be a little childish sometimes. Oh, and she's the only one who directly teases Adel…"

"And finally, there's Adel. He was the first friend I made at the Academy, but I was also his first friend. And Adel is…"

"....."

Rinna's radiant smile faded slightly.

Normally, she would have talked about all sorts of things regarding Adel, just as she had with the others.

However, this time, she fell silent.

After all, no one could deny that she and Adel spent most of their time together.

On one hand, Rinna used to help him with basic things that required sight, since he was blind.

On the other hand, Adel would also often ask her for help with various things, which was why the two of them ended up spending so much time together.

However, ever since what happened that day at the Holy Academy, she had stopped seeing him. And to this day, she had never encountered him again.

Adel was being hunted everywhere, branded as a villain who had indiscriminately massacred an entire Order of Inquisitors.

Even so, when Adel said goodbye to them that day, Rinna understood that he had no choice but to do what he did.

Over time, Rinna and the others also came to understand why Adel had killed the Inquisitors.

He had been falsely accused of something he hadn't done, and if he had simply allowed things to continue that way, they would have killed him.

"Speak of the villain who killed our faithful followers, my Lady."

"....."

Rinna frowned and turned her gaze toward Elizabeth.

"He isn't a villain. He was falsely accused and had no choice but to kill the Inquisitors."

"My apologies, my Lady, but if the Holy Church says he is a villain, then he is a villain. Those are the rules."

Rinna's frown deepened before she replied in a raised voice:

"He is innocent. If you believe he is a villain simply because of some foolish rules and refuse to even believe my words, I'll let it slide this once. But I'll keep saying it: Adel is innocent."

Elizabeth silently observed Rinna's expression.

It was the first time she had ever seen Rinna angry specifically at her, the woman who had raised her since she was a child.

Rinna had become angry countless times because others never believed her words and didn't even try to understand her.

To them, the rules were absolute. If the rules stated that certain people were villains, then that meant they were villains.

And Elizabeth was no different.

To her, the rules had always been the standard she was meant to follow.

"My apologies, my Lady, but rules are rules."

Rinna briefly looked at Elizabeth before turning her gaze away and pressing her lips together.

'Why doesn't anyone want to believe me?'

If she was the future Saint, a person known for never lying, and yet no one was willing to believe her words...

Then what was the point of being called a Saint?

A Saint wasn't supposed to be merely kind. She was also supposed to be someone who never lied, someone capable of distinguishing right from wrong and changing people's lives through her actions.

But if they weren't even willing to believe her then...

Who would truly become the future Saint?

At that moment, Rinna only wished for someone to believe her words for the first time.

'I always tell the truth. So why don't they believe me?'

As she felt frustrated and stared blankly at the garden before her, imaginary figures began to emerge in her mind.

"..."

It was an afternoon when, after spending the entire day doing all sorts of things while following the rules and various orders given by the Archbishops, she had finally managed to find a moment alone.

That day, she had been punished for breaking a single rule.

That afternoon, after receiving her punishment, she had ended up silently crying beneath a large tree as the sun slowly sank below the horizon.

Elizabeth wasn't there at the time, so there was no one who could ease little Rinna's pain.

Tears continued to stream from her eyes.

Perhaps it was because she had spent the entire day being scolded over and over again for failing to properly follow orders.

Or perhaps it was because of the punishment she had received for breaking that rule.

Rinna didn't know.

Either way, this wasn't the first time she had gone out to cry in that garden.

The tree beneath which Rinna sat was the farthest one from the Holy Church. From there, she could overlook the entire city and enjoy an unobstructed view of the sunset.

And as she continued to cry...

Tap! Tap!

She didn't hear the footsteps of someone approaching.

And then...

"....."

When the footsteps stopped, she suddenly felt someone gently stroking her hair.

At first, she thought it was Elizabeth, who had come looking for her.

However, a second later, she realized that the stranger's hands were far too small.

She then raised her head to see who it was.

It was a boy her age.

However, for some reason, she couldn't clearly remember his face or features.

The only thing she remembered clearly was his hair, white as moonlight.

Furthermore, since the sun was directly behind the boy, Rinna had to squint to see him.

At that moment, while she continued crying, the simple yet strange words spoken by that boy made her stop.

— —"Big kids don't cry, or are you a crybaby?"

Rinna remembered getting angry for the first time that day after hearing the words of that unfamiliar boy.

A boy she would never see again after that day.