Chapter 171: Church of Love, Ride the Express Train to Hell! (1)

The Lord's Wife, Peta Sieri. The official title felt awkward to Sieri. The Lord's Wife. A corner of her mind had always held the thought of becoming Lusius's wife, but she had never once thought of ascending to the high position of the Lord's Wife. This moment, married through an administrative document and sitting at the office desk as the Lord's Wife, felt utterly alien to Sieri.

The only things that proved she was the wife were the marriage certificate as the Lord's Wife and the letter of delegation that Lusius had written and left behind. Sieri couldn't erase the emptiness inside her heart, a feeling that something was missing from her married life.

"Ah, Wife. Here are the documents that need approval today."

Aira entered, carrying an armful of documents. With the construction projects currently being promoted internally, there was a mountain of papers to approve. After pronouncing Sieri as 'Wife,' Aira herself seemed to find it awkward, sticking out her tongue and grinning.

"Hehe......"

"Th-Thank you."

Sieri also found it awkward for Aira to call her 'Wife.' She sat in the lord's office chair and began to review the documents. Aira, sitting in the assistant seat beside her and turning the pages, asked her a question.

"Wife. Are you unwell somewhere?"

"Huh? Ah, no. I'm fine."

Sieri hastily shook her head at Aira's worry and replied. But the uncomfortable sign on her face was evident. The very fact of being called 'Wife' was something she hadn't adapted to. She looked at the documents and spoke.

"Aira. Is it, is it really okay for me to be the wife?"

"Pardon?"

Aira stopped writing and looked at Sieri. The Sieri Aira knew was always this full of worries. When Lusius went on a business trip, she worried something might happen to him; when Eve took over as acting lord, she worried Eve might kill someone; and on a normal day, she worried if she was a person worthy of Lusius.

Lusius himself didn't seem to care at all about her qualifications, but Sieri was shrinking by herself. She had tried to learn magic from Soya and was also receiving periodic training from Elsi, but the results were not very impressive.

"Nun. No talent for combat. Hesitates too much when killing people. If it were me, I wouldn't want a warrior like this watching my back."

Elsi had given a cold assessment that Sieri was not suited for combat, while Soya, with a troubled expression, had spoken evasively so as not to upset her.

"Well... magic is now a matter of talent, you see. It's not that I don't want to teach you, but a person who can handle mana has a certain resonance with a mage. But now, Ms. Sieri... no, should I perhaps be calling you 'Wife'? Ah, yes. Ms. Sieri doesn't have that. So... well... how should I put it, it's difficult for me to say......"

From Aira's perspective, having watched the entire process, she was only worried that Sieri, who was falling deeper into her worries with each passing day, might cause some kind of trouble. Recently, even when talking with Eve, her worries were only superficially resolved, while inwardly, her anxiety was laid bare.

"Aira. Am I a person who suits being the wife?"

"I think you suit it very well."

So said Aira, who was Sieri's loyal retainer and no different from Lusius's confidante. Sieri, as if finding Aira's answer untrustworthy, shook her head and spoke.

"Both Ms. Eve and My Lord say that I'll be fine. That it's okay for me to live just as I am, but strangely, I keep feeling anxious."

"But My Lord married you because he likes you, Wife. He fell for your... gentle side."

"But managing the territory can't be solved with just gentleness. Do you remember back then? My Lord accepted the rogues who came saying they would quit their lives of crime, but they all ended up dead. From fighting amongst themselves. If those people had harbored worse intentions, that incident, without greater damage, could have led to many villagers dying."

Sieri recalled the old incident. Those rogues Lusius had shown her. Sieri had argued for a pardon, but the pardoned rogues had ended up dying while trying to flee with the sacrifices. Sieri's worries had begun to sprout from that moment.

The Lord's Wife often acted as the lord's representative, and Eve, being a great help in combat, was someone who would have to leave the territory with Lusius in very urgent situations. Therefore, Sieri would often be the acting lord in the future, and if something that demanded such a cruel decision were to happen each time, would she be able to handle it properly?

To prepare for such times, Sieri had to change into a strict and cruel human being. She wanted to change. But she knew. A person's nature wasn't like a single-colored puzzle, where you could just force the pieces into a shape and it would change accordingly.

If one had to say, a person was more like a sculpted glass bottle. Because no matter what contents were put inside, to keep the person themselves from breaking, they had to digest the contents in their own way.

"Can I become strict?"

Aira could understand Sieri's worries. She said.

"Um... wouldn't it be okay to just do as the others do?"

"Like other people?"

Aira changed the subject. It was better to have Sieri focus on her work than to let her keep worrying about this issue. Among the documents Aira had brought, there were many that could draw Sieri's attention.

"Yes. More importantly, Wife. A letter has arrived. It's from the capital city, and it says the person marrying our Knight Commander Robin is coming to visit the territory this time."

"Ah, I know who you mean. You're talking about Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba, right? I met her once before, but it's surprising that she's coming to visit in person like this. It seems she's taken a liking to Mr. Robin, too."

Sieri had been deeply impressed by Rosalyn Yuba's song, so she was favorable to her. Aira agreed with her words as she spoke. Aira didn't know who Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba was, but she had heard of the Rosalyn Family's name.

The family's reputation was one thing, but the fact that she could shake the heart of that steadfast Robin made her think she must be an extraordinary person.

"I know, right, Wife."

"Please just call me Ms. Sieri. It's too... I mean, it's just too awkward."

"But a wife is a wife."

"B-But."

"Wife."

"P-Please don't. Are you going to get angry?"

Sieri shook her head, her face turning red. The burden and embarrassment were plainly written on her face, and Aira found it fun to tease her. It was one of Aira's small hobbies, one she could only enjoy when Lusius or Eve weren't around. Aira turned a page and spoke.

"Isn't this the perfect time for your delicate and gentle side to be needed, Wife? Ms. Eve or Lord Lusius might not know what kind of consideration is needed at a time like this, right? My Lord is capable and a very charming person, but he lacks delicacy. You, Wife, are the one who fills that delicacy."

"Delicacy..."

"Yes. So, you just need to show it properly this time. My Lord will also trust and cherish you more if you guide Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba around the territory perfectly."

"I-I suppose so?"

Sieri was surprisingly easy to handle. She was easy to handle because her disposition was that good. Looking at her, Aira felt the urge to take care of her. Sieri focused on her paperwork again. Her gaze stopped on the prison guard budget proposal.

"How is that priest doing?"

"The Church of Love priest? Seems to be doing just fine, so-so."

After Lusius left the territory, Sieri's first order was to make sure the priest was well-fed with three meals a day. After a merchant nearly died of starvation due to the collaboration between Eve and the guards, this was a matter Lusius was also paying close attention to.

"Did the letter arrive safely?"

The story of the priest reminded Sieri of the letter she had sent previously.

"Yes. I think it probably arrived safely."

Once a week, the priest from the Church of Love had to send a status update letter reporting their location. The priest borrowed a pen and paper from Sieri to write the letter, and Soya, Sieri, and Aira all gathered to check it several times for anything unusual before sending it to the address the priest had mentioned.

There had been a lot of talk about whether to send it or not, but there was no other method. If they didn't send the letter, the Church of Love would notice that they didn't send it.

After sending the letter, Sieri didn't torture or interrogate the priest separately. The priest, who had been trembling and praying at first, was regaining his stability as time passed.

"What do we do if the Church of Love comes looking for him?"

Sieri's worries began again. Aira told Sieri.

"Don't worry too much. We have a lot of strong people in our territory."

Of all the territories Aira had been to, the Peta Territory had the most outstanding pool of talent. Elsi alone was a strong person who beat up all the knights, and Cellu was also a powerful mermaid that soldiers were no match for. Soya the mage was ostracized at the Magic Tower for only doing bizarre research, but she was said to have been a promising genius at the Magic Tower at first.

Aira was convinced that no matter how powerful the Church of Love was, it wasn't strong enough to subdue this much manpower.

"Pardon the intrusion."

A knocking sound was heard. The door opened and Elsi poked her head in. She looked at Sieri and said.

"Nun. Someone outside is looking for Nun."

"For me?"

Aira and Sieri looked at each other. Sieri grabbed her clothes and went outside. In front of the mansion's main gate, an ominous energy was billowing up. Cellu, who had been in the swimming pool, was in Soya's arms, standing before the main gate.

Soya was leaning on her staff, holding Cellu. Robin stood in front of the main gate. With an outstretched hand, Robin was shouting in a stern tone. Opposite Robin, men in black hoods were in a confrontation.

"So. What we're saying is, we'll investigate for ourselves to see if our priest is alright. The Archdeity Church and the Church of Love are like brothers, and we want to know if our Sir Priest is really doing well in such a place, so why are you blocking our entry?"

"Unauthorized clerics are not permitted to enter."

The ones confronting Robin had a vaguely suspicious atmosphere about them. With their long, slanted eyes and rugged appearances, Sieri shrank back. Elsi patted Sieri's shoulder and said.

"Nun. Don't tremble. I'm behind you."

"Yes."

Robin sensed Sieri's presence approaching from behind and looked at her with a bright face.

"You've come, Wife? Actually, investigators from the Church of Love have come and are demanding to enter this mansion. My Lord has strictly forbidden the entry of clerics from the Church of Love and other religions, so I am blocking them for now, but they show no intention of backing down."

"Ah, is that so?"

Sieri looked at the self-proclaimed priests of the Church of Love. Judging by their facial expressions alone, it was hard to believe they were priests of the Church of Love. Soya whispered in a small voice.

"I-I don't think we should let them in. They're suspicious, aren't they?"

"Yes. I think so too."

Sieri nodded. As long as there was suspicion that the Church of Love could be a minion of the demon race, she couldn't let them in. Sieri wasn't a person who discriminated based on appearance, but their behavior didn't feel like that of priests either.

Soya spoke again.

"So, please speak very strongly. Like Ms. Eve."

"Like Ms. Eve..."

Sieri was lost in thought. Speak like Eve. Like Eve.

"He's our priest, isn't he? Is the High Priest of the Archdeity Church perhaps practicing religious persecution? Where is the precedent for holding our priest without any basis like this?"

The priests' arguments could be heard. Sieri closed her eyes and began to organize her thoughts. Now that Acting Lord Sieri had appeared here, all decisions were her responsibility. To summarize what needed to be said, it was this:

This is the private property of the Peta Territory, and the priest is currently under investigation for a simple matter. To interfere in the investigation process is an abuse of authority against the lord's authority, and a very unpleasant action. If you do not withdraw immediately, we will use force.

Sieri decided to express these words like Eve. Very roughly and boldly. It was her first time saying harsh words to someone, but Sieri decided to accept this as a trial. A trial to be reborn as a new self. A trial to be reborn as a slightly stricter and stronger lord. Taking a deep breath and looking straight at the priests, she opened her mouth.

"F..."

"F?"

The priests' gazes turned to Sieri. Sieri puckered her lips as if to whistle, then, while hesitating, she pronounced each letter with a clear tone of voice.

"F-Fuck off...?"

Heh.

As silence fell, only Cellu's snicker spread through the air.