I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

33 – World in the Mirror

A mirror is before my eyes.

Within that mirror stands a woman preserved for eternity.

The woman in the mirror raises her hand to touch the stars.

With a smile, she imparts the meaning of those things to the me in the mirror.

Dark and damp seasons, the seemingly eternal purity, the sun that lost its light, words that never became language.

All of it constricts my breath.

I raise my fist and strike the mirror.

In the cracked, gilded mirror, a distorted world within reflects.

Fragments of the broken mirror embed in my hand.

Blood flows.

I strike the mirror again.

To let the blood flow, to shatter the world in the mirror,

Again and again, dozens of times, I strike the mirror.

Now, only my blood stains the mirror.

Where did it start?

From which point in the past?

When did I have to make such a choice?

The blood doesn’t stop flowing.

Bracing my legs, I rise, and the chains of my body tighten.

In an instant, it swallowed me whole, from the top of my head.

Amidst the crimson-tinted vision, I slowly closed my eyes.

***

“……”

I awoke from a horrifying nightmare.

My entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

What was that dream just now?

Why did my subconscious world show me such a nightmare while I was asleep, and for what purpose?

Was it because of the struggle with Viscount Akied?

Certainly, the aftereffects of that incident still linger.

After treating three monsters and two monstrous individuals, my body naturally loosens up.

Even though several weeks have passed since I woke up, it’s still challenging to focus my body.

‘Surely, it won’t stay like this forever…’

I realized, to my surprise, how scared I was.

To confirm that I am truly alive, I clenched my hand.

Then, I felt something squishy.

Soft, flexible, and something like… a giant rice cake…

Unconsciously, I continued to mold that pleasant sensation. And then,

A woman’s scream reached my ears, and I looked in that direction.

“Ugh…”

“?”

There, Saint Amelia was present.

She seemed embarrassed, her cheeks flushed, and it was easy to understand the reason why.

What I held in my hand was her chest… no, her bosom, of course she would feel embarrassed.

Startled, I let go of her bosom.

As I lingered in the sensation that was once in my hand, a question suddenly arose.

…Why is the saint in my bed?

I knew the house arrest had ended a while ago, so why was she staring at me so intently by my bedside?

Surely she didn’t come to attack me while I slept?

“Oh, what a ridiculous delusion…”

After a moment’s thought, it didn’t seem so ridiculous.

The saint seemed to be fixated on me, overlapping me with a past friend, to a somewhat frightening degree.

People fixated on someone in the media did anything.

Some of them attacked or kidnapped and imprisoned their sleeping targets.

Could it be that the saint also came to attack me in my weakened state?

“Eek!!! You creepy saint!!!”

Feeling uneasy, I pushed her away with all my might.

“What? Creepy saint…”

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Stepping back a little, the saint looked at me with a bewildered expression.

I hugged myself and fled to the corner of the bed.

“Why have you come to my bed? Surely… you…”

“Sister Selena sent for me.”

…?

“In that case, why were you staring at me so intently from up close?”

“W-Well… I thought being nearby might help if you were having a nightmare, with your expression and cold sweat…”

Huh, that actually makes sense.

My assumption that the nun was trying to attack me was just a complete delusion.

I must have developed a persecution complex due to recent stressful events.

I cleared my throat and got up from the bed.

“I’m sorry, Sister. It seems I misunderstood.”

“No, I should have acted more cautiously to avoid causing any misunderstanding… I’m sorry.”

Why did I have such sinister thoughts about this kind woman?

After a moment of self-reflection, I met her gaze.

“So, what did you need to see me about?”

“Sister Selena requested to see you. I happen to be on my way there, so I thought we could go together.”

“Ah, I see. Alright, let’s go together.”

“Yes!”

The nun, who seemed overly delighted, went ahead.

As I roughly put on a monk’s robe and prepared to leave, I glanced at the latch of the door.

The latch was not secured.

‘Huh? Did I forget to lock it?’

I thought hard about whether I locked the door last night, but I couldn’t remember.

I usually lock it thoroughly, but I was tired the day before yesterday, so maybe I forgot…

Thinking to be more careful in the future, I followed the saint.

***

While walking to the statue of the goddess in the cathedral where Sister Selena was, we had trivial conversations.

We didn’t talk about anything really important, just things like favorite foods… and hobbies. When she asked, I answered sincerely.

“But isn’t this the kind of question you ask on a blind date?”

When I questioned the intention behind the question, we arrived at the statue of the goddess.

“You’ve come.”

Sister Selena was sitting in her usual small chair, sipping her tea.

The scent of the tea, gently brushing my nose, seemed to clear my mind.

I gathered my thoughts and looked at Sister Selena.

“I came when you called. Is there something you need?”

Sister Selena, upon hearing my words, looked at me and the saint with a puzzled expression for a moment.

Then she sipped her tea a little.

“… It seems you haven’t heard from the saint. As of today, there is a place you must go as a priest.”

“What? Is it a commission? I’m sorry, but I’m still not feeling well enough to travel far…”

I wasn’t just making excuses. My body was already not fully cooperating because of the struggle with the viscount, and taking on something else right away would be too much, both physically and mentally.

“I have no intention of burdening the priest, so please rest assured.”

“Then, could you please tell me exactly for what and where you are going…”

“Well… for a retreat, something similar.”

After clearing away the tea, she handed over a letter from her bosom.

To secure it in a small envelope, the sealing wax was quite ordinary… no, no.

It was not ordinary.

Certainly, the letter envelope seemed very ordinary, but the crest engraved on the sealing wax was anything but ordinary.

On the wax, the sentences of the imperial family, worthy of calling themselves viscounts, marquises, and the like, were engraved.

“What is this… what kind of letter is this, Sister?”

“It’s a letter containing the participants in the religious summit set by the imperial court.”

“A religious summit… you say? Then, why am I, only a mid-ranking priest, supposed to be there…”

If it was a religious summit, she had heard about it.

Once every three years, the imperial court gathered representatives of each religion for a summit to discuss matters concerning the existence of humanity.

It might sound like an important event at first, but it wasn’t necessarily so.

In reality, only the highest-ranking clergy participated in the summit, and it was rumored that other invited individuals could comfortably stay in accommodations provided by the imperial court.

Thinking about why the imperial court would go to such lengths for religious figures was easily understandable.

Unlike other countries, the empire, except for the heretical faith, embraced most religions to prevent conflicts among religions. It was also to show a friendly relationship between them for appearances.

If their relationship soured, the fragile peace of the empire would collapse like a thread on the line, so the imperial court had to put on a show for the religious figures.

It was contradictory for the empire to be strict only with the heretical faith, but… considering the empire’s role as a model alongside the celestial faith, it made sense.

“A few months ago, it seems Ivan, the priest who resolved the incident involving Viscount Akid, was recommended by His Highness the Crown Prince to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Ah…”

“The Emperor has invited the priest for this religious summit to acknowledge the priest’s achievements.”

To think that our noble prince reported to the Emperor on my behalf, it brings tears to my eyes.

Sniff… He has always taken good care of me since I was young…

“For this reason, the priest will be participating as the exclusive healer for the Saint. Is there any issue with that?”

“None… Absolutely none…”

“…Why are you crying?”

“I’m just happy that my efforts have not been in vain. For the Saint…”

“Anyway, those participating in the summit will be me, the Saint, Sub-Lieutenant Priest Ivan, High Priestess Tina, and…”

The nun briefly recited the list and gestured towards our back.

There stood a heavily armored holy knight.

He was a striking young man with a muddy blond hair and a golden gaze.

“Ensuring our safety within is High Holy Knight Briel.”

“We count on you. I am Briel Las Trient, who will be with you as your security personnel.”

Briel shook hands with me.

I blankly stared at his sturdy hand for a moment before coming to my senses and shaking it.

‘Briel… He’s the highest-ranking knight among the holy knights, right?’

While investigating the high-ranking clergy of the Earth Deity Church, I had some knowledge about Briel, the high holy knight.

I knew that he was the first to step forward to resolve any battle-related matters within the church and was recognized as the church’s top force.

And he was also Sister Selena’s son…

I still don’t know much about him, but I like the impression of kindness and bright friendliness.

‘Having such a reliable person as a bodyguard would be wonderful!’

I smiled brightly, looking forward to the religious conference.

I had no idea what would happen there…