Free Web NovelChapter 52: Saga 52: Her Holiness
The chamber they were eventually led to was considerably grander than the waiting room, all soaring stained glass and gilded fixtures, sunlight fracturing into rainbow patterns across marble floors polished to a near-mirror shine. At the far end, seated upon an elevated dais that made her look considerably more imposing than her actual stature suggested, sat the Benevolent Saintess of the Church of Songrel.
She was younger than Kael expected, perhaps close to his own age, with pale golden hair braided in an intricate style that spoke of hours spent by attendants ensuring perfection down to the last strand. Her expression, when she finally looked up from whatever documents she’d been reviewing, carried a coldness that seemed almost rehearsed, every muscle in her face composed into practiced serenity.
"Foreign hunters," she said, voice carrying easily across the chamber despite its quiet register. "I’m told you breached our sacred wards. A considerable feat, whether intentional or otherwise."
"Apologies for the intrusion, Your Holiness," Sylvia said, bowing properly. "It was entirely accidental, I assure you."
"Accidents of this magnitude rarely happen without reason." The Saintess’s gaze shifted to Kael, sharp and assessing in a way that made him distinctly uncomfortable. "You. What’s your name?"
"Kael. Kael LongHeart."
"LongHeart." She turned the name over like she was tasting it. "Unremarkable. I expected something more befitting a member of the group responsible for containing an awakened Ruin."
’Charming,’ Kael thought, keeping his expression neutral. ’Absolutely delightful personality on this one.’
"We serve where we’re needed, Your Holiness," Sylvia said diplomatically. "Titles matter less than results, in our experience."
"A convenient philosophy." The Saintess rose from her seat, robes settling around her with practiced elegance. "The Cardinal informs me your arrival, however accidental, may prove useful. Our Church currently faces certain... difficulties. Difficulties your particular skill set might address."
"What kind of difficulties?" Kael asked.
The Saintess’s composed expression flickered, just slightly, something harder and more guarded settling behind her eyes. "A secret organization known as Umbra Black recently attempted to assassinate the King of Reinburg. An act that has, understandably, infuriated our Church considerably, given certain treaty obligations between our nations."
Kael straightened at that. "Wait, they tried to kill our king? When did this happen?"
"Recently. The attempt failed, thankfully, but the implications concern us gravely. Umbra Black has grown considerably bolder in recent months, and we suspect their ambitions extend well beyond a single assassination attempt." The Saintess’s gaze sharpened further. "We suspect, in fact, that they may target me next."
The chamber fell silent for a long moment, the weight of that statement settling over everyone present.
"Why would they target the Saintess specifically?" Sylvia asked carefully.
"That," the Saintess said, voice going flat, "is a conversation for considerably more private company. Cardinal, arrange quarters for our unexpected guests. It seems fate has decided Azure Blake belongs here a while longer, whether any of us intended it or not."
As the attendants moved to escort them out, Kael caught the Saintess watching him with an expression he couldn’t quite place—something calculating, yes, but underneath it, something else entirely that flickered away the instant she noticed him looking.
’That was weird,’ Kael thought.
[Agreed. Also, for the record, her mana signature is considerably more complex than a standard Saintess role should carry. Something’s not adding up about her yet.]
’Noted. Let’s figure out what, exactly, before we get any deeper into whatever this is.’
The attendants led them down a separate corridor from the one they’d entered by, toward what was described as guest quarters typically reserved for visiting dignitaries. Along the way, Sylvia kept glancing sideways at Kael, something clearly turning over in her mind.
"What is it?" he asked quietly, once the attendants had drifted a few paces ahead.
"Something about her felt rehearsed. Overly rehearsed, even for someone raised in ceremonial politics. The way she paused before certain phrases, like she was reciting from memory rather than speaking naturally."
"You think the cold act isn’t genuine?"
"I think there’s more happening beneath the surface than a simple assassination threat. Call it instinct." Sylvia’s expression sharpened into the focused calculation Kael had come to associate with her battlefield thinking. "We should be careful how much we reveal until we understand exactly what we’ve walked into."
"Agreed. Though something tells me we’re not exactly in a position to just walk back out, given how we got here in the first place."
"No," Sylvia admitted. "We’re not."
They reached their assigned quarters shortly after, the attendants bowing formally before retreating, leaving the two of them alone in the ornate guest chamber to process everything that had happened in the span of a single disorienting afternoon.
Kael dropped his pack onto the nearest chair, running a hand through his hair. "So. We came here to deliver trade documents to Luscenidron, and instead we’ve ended up bodyguards for a foreign Saintess who might be hiding something."
"When you say it out loud, it does sound rather absurd," Sylvia admitted, a tired smile tugging at her lips despite the tension of the day.
"Everything about our lives sounds absurd when you say it out loud. I stopped questioning it somewhere around the mythical heart incident."
"Fair point." Sylvia moved to the window, looking out over the cathedral grounds spread below, golden light catching on distant spires. "Whatever’s really happening here, we should send word back to Baldric. He’ll want to know we’re considerably further from Luscenidron than intended, and why."
"Agreed. Though explaining ’the system teleported us to the wrong holy capital entirely’ is going to be a fun conversation."
"You’re the one with the system. You can explain it."
"Traitor."
Despite the exhaustion of the day and the uncertainty still hanging over everything, Kael found a strange comfort in the familiar rhythm of bickering with Sylvia, a small piece of normalcy in the middle of an entirely abnormal situation. Whatever waited for them in Songrel, at least he wasn’t facing it alone.
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End of Chapter—
