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“What? Don’t you have any sense? I just said everything right now!?”

“Ah, no….”

“Hah! I never saw you like this, Colonel! Seriously, this is too much!”

I struggled to pry off her hand that was gripping my collar. I was so flustered that the shirt I had beneath my windbreaker was drenched in cold sweat.

But ignoring my predicament, Veronica continued to shake me by the collar and yelled.

“Isn’t it a problem? What did you do to my brother for you to say something like that?!”

“Le, let go of this….”

“Ugh! I’ll just—!”

We stood at a violent standstill, separated by a broken wooden spear. Whatever it was that had happened, Veronica’s eyes, dyed a brilliant blue, were wide as she pressed for an answer.

“Spit it out!”

As I pushed her arms away with my damp hands, I began to think about how I ended up in this situation.

—

Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

—

Seriousness is a fundamental virtue of a cleric.

Though there is a papal edict that suggests we should see the world from the perspective of the weak rather than through a lens of solemnity, the image of a monk dedicating their body and soul to devotion embodies an aura that ordinary people find hard to approach.

However, among the clerics of the Cult, there was one person for whom the term ‘seriousness’ could not be further from the truth.

None other than Saint Veronica, the 58th saint of the Cult.

Among the clerics of the Cult, three words symbolize Veronica.

Troublemaker.

“Saint! How many times do I have to tell you not to smoke in front of others?! How can you meet the Pope with a cigarette in your mouth?!”

Impertinent.

“Ugh, maintain some decorum! Calling the Cardinal an old man? Even if he’s a saint, that’s too much!”

Mischief.

“Saint Veronica has disappeared!”

“What happened?!”

“Priest! Saint Veronica has vanished! What should we do?!”

“There’s nothing we can do. She’ll probably return at dawn, completely wasted, just like last time.”

“Aren’t you worried at all?”

“Honestly, there’s nothing we can do but wait. Gather the people. Let’s all pray together that the Saint doesn’t cause any trouble and returns safely.”

Though the world may not know it, she is a notorious troublemaker in Lateran.

She treats esteemed Cardinals and Bishops like neighborhood uncles, often abandoning her duties to roam around, only to be scolded by the Pope afterward.

Her antics have become a part of daily life, a public secret that Veronica boasts about and the clerics are too embarrassed to gossip about behind her back.

Some say the incident where her entire family was massacred during her childhood warped her personality, while others claim the strict rules of the religion spurred her mischief.

But one thing is clear: Veronica is the Cult’s biggest troublemaker and a bane to everyone.

That day was no exception.

“I have the pleasure of meeting Saint Veronica….”

“My brother!”

On the eve of her canonization ceremony, Veronica rushed to embrace Lucia the moment she saw her.

“Oh dear, how have you been? Didn’t you miss your older sister?”

“…Could you please behave more appropriately?”

Despite Lucia’s watchful eyes, which showed her irritation, Veronica would not yield.

She pulled Lucia closer, brushing aside her soft blonde hair with a cheerful smile.

At that moment, Lucia, who had looked like a teddy bear in Veronica’s embrace, pushed her hand away and asked bluntly.

“What brings you here?”

“Of course, I came to see you!”

“Was it work-related?”

“Seriously… must we only meet when there’s work to discuss?”

Though she wore a faux disappointed expression, Veronica smiled sadly, yet Lucia merely squinted at her.

“You ran away from your duties again, didn’t you?”

“Ah, was it that obvious?”

“Yikes….”

With Veronica proudly declaring that she had abandoned her tasks for a bit of leisure, Lucia sighed deeply. No matter how much she loved her sister, there were limits.

“Please return, Saint Veronica. The canonization and coronation ceremonies are not far off. You need to prepare.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m all set.”

Veronica assured Lucia that there were no pending tasks, and though Lucia repeatedly advised her to go back,

“I said it’s fine, didn’t I?”

To Veronica, who barely listened to the Pope’s yelling, it was like speaking to a wall.

Eventually, Lucia was swept into Veronica’s atmosphere and dragged to the snack table, with Veronica shooing away the concerned clerics and the knights stuck guarding her.

Once it was just the two of them left in the garden, Veronica finally let out a deep sigh, lighting up a mini cigar.

“I’m dead tired. Why is everyone making such a fuss since this morning?”

“…It’s currently lunchtime.”

“When I wake up, whether morning or afternoon, it’s always morning for me. So, how about a drink?”

Veronica offered a drink to her sister, chatting away about this and that. Although the conversation wasn’t particularly enriching, the atmosphere was nice.

“That old man Raphael is acting like he’s the Pope, just because the coronation is approaching!”

“From what I’ve heard from the Cardinals, Cardinal Raphael is supposedly in the middle of a transition of power. He’s been busy with work, they say he’s pulling all-nighters.”

“Exactly! Who even works late like that?”

“Usually, if important work piles up, it’s normal to work through the night….”

“I met with the priest from Al-Yabd who came from the Mauritania Continent.”

“I’ve heard about it. The situation isn’t looking good.”

“Yeah. I’m worried about whether you can manage there. It’s quite a rough place.”

“I’ll be fine. No need to worry.”

“That’s right, that’s my sister.”

“They’ve come out with a new tobacco recently. Have you heard?”

“Yeah. It was a new release from the brand you like.”

“Let’s go check it out together. I told the shopkeeper to keep some for you too.”

“Shouldn’t you cut back on cigarettes? They’re harmful to your health.”

“Then do I go alone?”

“…Let’s go after the canonization ceremony when we have some time.”

Amid the chatter, just as Veronica filled her drink with ice, she tilted her head and asked curiously,

“By the way, what did you talk about with the Colonel?”

“Huh?”

“When you locked yourself in your room last time, the Colonel came here to see you. I’m curious about what you talked about. Can you share a little with your sister?”

Although I already knew what they had discussed, that didn’t matter to Veronica.

She just loved to mess around. The mere fact that they had talked was what interested her more than the contents of the conversation.

Concerned for the reclusive saint, a colleague had risked everything to sneak into the quarters. Though he hadn’t really risked his life, in Veronica’s playful mind, Frederick had already become someone who risked it for Lucia.

Veronica was plotting to tease Lucia with her own outlandish interpretation of the situation. It was less about bothering her sister than about seeing her flustered and unsure of what to do in response.

But.

This was something else.

An unexpected reaction.

“Uh, well….”

“…?”

Seeing the change in Lucia’s demeanor as she fumbled for words was shocking. She set her teacup down, fiddled with her hands, and avoided eye contact.

Veronica, taken aback by her sister’s unexpected behavior, blinked in surprise, and as Lucia stood up quickly, she was startled.

“Thinking back, I do have pending work. I’ll be right back from my office.”

“…Uh, okay….”

Veronica stared blankly at Lucia’s retreating back as she hastily left.

Left alone in the garden, she murmured after a long silence, her expression vacant.

“…What just happened?”

—

A little while after Lucia hurriedly left, as Veronica waited for her sister, she returned to the office following the fervent plea of the cardinal who was searching for the missing saint.

‘Why did Lucia react like that…?’

Back at her desk, buried under paperwork, she tapped her fountain pen on the pages while lost in thought.

‘…Could it be that they are involved in something…?’

Despite any mischief she might pull, Lucia always seemed to maintain her composure.

My younger sibling, who usually never lost her composure, suddenly made a lame excuse and fled the scene. Considering Lucia’s typically serene nature, this was clearly an unusual situation.

“…Sigh.”

But since there was no concrete evidence, only suspicions, I couldn’t act hastily.

Veronica, rolling the new fountain pen I had bought to replace the one I broke last time, summoned someone with the crystal orb on her desk.

-‘Yes, this is the Director of Security.’

“Uh, Director. Where are you right now?”

-‘I’m in the middle of a meal, Saint.’

“Could you come up for a moment?”

The Security Director, summoned by the Saint, looked at the cold, untouched food with a bewildered expression.

“I just grabbed my spoon…”

Given how many people were residing in the Cathedral, the restaurant was bustling with patrons. The Security Director, intending to finish his meal after dealing with backlogged tasks, was called away by a Priest right after receiving his food.

He was on a mission to find the missing Saint.

Veronica, who loved to go off the grid, yet again skipped her meal to search for herself, had suddenly returned to her office while hiding out elsewhere.

As much as she would have preferred to finish her meal first, it was hard to disregard the Saint’s command.

Eventually, the Security Director, having left his lunch unattended for over an hour, hurriedly gathered his belongings and went up to Veronica’s office.

“You called for me, Saint?”

“Welcome, Director.”

Veronica greeted the Director warmly as he entered her office.

“What is it?”

“Nothing much, really. I just need your help for a moment.”

“Help, you say?”

“More specifically, I need the Inquisition’s assistance.”

What could possibly warrant such a sudden request for help from the Inquisition? As the Director stood there with a puzzled expression, Veronica’s voice reached his ears.

“The device for altering voices. The Inquisition has one, right?”

“Yes, we do have such a device.”

“Could you lend it to me?”

“Pardon?”

The Director’s face went blank at the Saint’s request to borrow the equipment.

“Are you asking to borrow the equipment?”

“Yep.”

“Ah, that’s a no-go.”

“Why not?”

“The Information Agency’s equipment cannot be taken outside.”

The Inquisition is an Information Agency, and its equipment is not to be carelessly taken outside. To put it bluntly, it cannot be rotated outside the hands of non-staff members.

How could someone misuse equipment that the Information Agency had painstakingly developed? The Director calmly explained his reasoning for why he couldn’t allow the equipment to be taken outside, citing the Inquisition’s regulations and laws.

Veronica listened attentively, her expression still calm.

“…Hmm.”

But who exactly was she?

She treated Bishops and Cardinals like old-timers, blatantly disregarded the Pope’s words, and repeatedly engaged in reckless behavior. If she had been an ordinary Priest, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had been excommunicated by now.

Thus, the regulations of the Inquisition, which would normally cause others to tremble in fear, could not hold Veronica back.

And that was the issue.

“Ah, enough with the tedious talk! Just bring the equipment here!”

*

The Director and the Saint began to clash.

The first to speak was the Director.

“No way! Even if dirt gets in my eyes, I can’t give it to you!”

The Director, who held the regulations and laws in his hands, resisted the request to hand over the equipment.

But Veronica remained undeterred by the Director’s pressure.

“Brother, are you sure you wouldn’t come to your senses until dirt gets in your eyes?”

“Ah, really, I can’t… If I give that to you, my head will roll!”

“I could also make your head roll, you know.”

Veronica brazenly lit a cigarette and threatened the Director. Nevertheless, he stood firm against the Saint’s commands.

But that resolve didn’t last long.

“You keep bragging. Words won’t cut it.”

“Uh, uh?”

While sulking with a dissatisfied expression, Veronica pulled out a hammer and a wooden box from the drawer, making the Director’s eyes widen to the size of saucers.

A luxurious wooden case containing white bones.

It was something that anyone involved in the clergy could never be unaware of.

“S-Saint relics…”

What in the world was the relic of Saint Balthazar doing here? Before he could even sort out his confused thoughts, Veronica showcased her power.

“I prepared for a day like this.”

Gripping the hammer fiercely, Veronica began to swing it menacingly.

“Go on, keep talking.”

“Y-yes?”

“If you want to see bones that have been around for centuries crushed, then keep going.”

It was a threat.

The Saint, holding the remains of a holy figure as leverage, began intimidating the Inquisition Officer. Just as the Director was about to feel dizzy from the sheer absurdity of the situation, Veronica, holding the hopping remains, raised the hammer high.

“Uh, uh!”

“Oh, just stay put.”

“Y-you crazy!”

As the Saint seemed ready to smash the relic with the hammer, the Director cursed under his breath. Forgetting his pride, he lunged for the hem of Veronica’s dress.

“Please, Saint! If that breaks, we are really done for!”

“People die anyway, brother.”

“This is insane!”

It was an irreverent act, but he couldn’t afford to waste time quibbling about that now.

Lying prostrate at the Saint’s feet, the Director ultimately had no choice but to accept reality. He found the equipment he’d kept in his office and tossed it to Veronica, who beamed with satisfaction as she handed the bones back to him.

“…Hmph, hmm.”

Having exchanged the skull and the equipment, Veronica took on a grin more satisfied than ever as she sat at her dressing table. If the Pope had seen this, he would likely murmur, “Ah, that troublemaker’s up to no good again.”

Seated at her vanity, Veronica hummed happily and opened the drawer. She pulled out a lens that glimmered blue, reminiscent of Lucia’s eyes, along with a veil and some ordinary clothing, then sent a text to Frederick.

Using the mobile phone registered under her sister’s name.

[I’d like to meet tonight.]

*

Veronica was known as a troublemaker and a nuisance in the cult. This reputation stemmed not only from her unprofessional work attitude and foul mouth but also largely from her personality.

She loved to have fun more than anyone else.

People don’t change. Ever since her days as a noble in the Empire, Veronica had enjoyed play and mischief, and this trait continued even after her canonization.

What would happen when someone with such a free spirit began to face constraints that didn’t suit her? Ever since she became a Saint, Veronica had been pulling off wild pranks on the cult’s clerics and monks.

And this time was no different.

Veronica planned to impersonate Lucia and pull a prank on Frederick. Half for the desire to find out the nature of her relationship with her beloved sister, and half for revenge for the last time when the clerics sold her out.

However, what she hadn’t anticipated was—

“Is this really okay? If Veronica finds out, it will be a disaster.”

“Huh?”

Startled by the voice coming from across, Veronica, while pretending to be Lucia and sitting in the confessional, felt a cold sweat start to run down her back.

As she strained to listen to the voice coming from the other side, a foreboding feeling washed over her, making her uneasy.

And then the low voice followed.

“If she notices, she’s going to kill me first.”

“…….”

That remark became the catalyst. Losing her grip on rationality, Veronica immediately smashed the wooden cross and grabbed the collar of the man sitting across from her.

 

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