I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

20 – Outburst

Saint looked at the woman in front of him with a displeased expression.

Ariel Cielene, the Duchess. The one who became the last standing noble after the fall of Kainos.

But to Saint, she was nothing more than a foolish child.

‘No matter how I think about it, meddling in this damn political arena was a mistake.’

While those following him and the Pope hoped for the Church to reclaim its past glory, Saint did not share the same sentiment.

Certainly, I believe it’s a problem that people’s faith in the divine is fading. I didn’t wish for the decline of the ecclesiastical authority either.

But only to a certain extent.

From the beginning, the Saint never harbored any desire for the ecclesiastical order to regain its past glory.

“The ecclesiastical meddling in politics is a tale of times when demons roamed the land.”

It’s been centuries since the last demon lord died. Demons? They’ve already established a nation, seamlessly blending in with humans, and pure-blood demons are nowhere to be found—only the half-blooded descendants.

The Holy Sword is now a faint memory in people’s minds, to the point where one might wonder if it would even function anymore.

But what the hell is this talk about regaining past glory? The ecclesiastical order has no adversaries to fight against, so why bother?

In the distant past, the ecclesiastical order was known for indiscriminately burning people at the stake, but when was that?

In short, unlike those who followed him, the Saint had no intention of regaining the glory of the past, nor did he have the desire to do so.

In such a situation, there were two reasons the Saint got involved in politics.

A sense of responsibility toward those who followed him and… he got swept away by the tale of youth, two reasons.

As he asked for help on behalf of his fiancée, it felt like something out of a romantic novel, with him resembling the male protagonist.

Enchanted by the sight of him abandoning a situation that was undoubtedly advantageous for him just for the sake of his fiancée, he couldn’t help but be captivated.

Although he was nothing more than an old man wondering how much longer he had to live, he found himself wanting to casually watch over the dazzling tale of youth.

And that thought was shattered all too easily.

The Edun Kainus family had fallen apart, and his fiancée, Ariel Cielaine, had abandoned him.

It wasn’t strange. It was expected. However, if he had any fault, it would be mistaking reality for fiction.

Of course, reality is not a love story. Eternal and unconditional love does not exist, and there are no protagonists who overcome countless hardships to win love.

The Saint, already one of the two heads of the ecclesiastical order, was well aware of the harshness of reality.

But the annoyance at being dragged from his infatuation with the myth of youth to the grim reality was something he could express.

…

The Saint gazed silently at Ariel. An expression of complete unawareness. A bewildered look.

Instead of speaking, he lifted the teacup and took a sip, the tea now lukewarm.

The annoyance showed on his face, but it wasn’t enjoyable to see him frozen in confusion. He wasn’t the type to derive pleasure from causing pain in the first place.

Ariel opened her trembling lips.

“Eden, did you really speak to the saint and ask for help?”

“Yeah. He was quite a stubborn guy. Suddenly barged in, spewing all sorts of reasons while asking for your help.”

Ariel lowered her head, her eyes filled with confusion. The saint, increasingly irritated by her demeanor, continued.

“I asked him why he bothered to come here and rant, and he said it’s because of the engagement. Ridiculous.”

Ariel remained silent. The air grew heavier. Nevertheless, the saint persisted.

“It’s absurd. Apparently, just because you’re engaged, he thought it was natural not to say anything about what he did to you. Ridiculous.”

The saint, with angry eyes, let out a bitter laugh.

“And to think he dragged me into his political mess and then left the political stage alone.”

This shouldn’t be happening. Despite knowing, the saint didn’t cease stabbing Ariel with the sword concealed in his words.

The more he spoke, the more annoying it became. He felt guilt and remorse for doing things unsuitable for a saint, but the irritation surpassed everything.

Yeah, it was just a vent, nothing more, nothing less.

“Oh, I sent a letter to that guy not too long ago.”

“To him…?”

Ariel raised her head to look at the saint.

The saint, gazing at Ariel like that, snorted and said, “Bold, isn’t he? Claiming he doesn’t know what to do now and telling me to handle it.”

The saint had sent a letter to Eden Kainus.

It was a letter sent out of pity for someone who he thought would become the protagonist of a love story but had tragically fallen.

He didn’t know what the person thought of himself, but at least in the saint’s opinion, it was a plea for Ariel not to become his enemy.

A fool who couldn’t say a single harsh word to his former fiancé even after ending up in such a situation.

Eden Kainus still retained the kindness from before his downfall, but ironically, it seemed to make the saint more uncomfortable.

Because of that, he was venting his frustration. The saint emptied the cold, leftover cup.

Well, if this is what Eden Kainus wants, there’s no need to turn Cielline into an enemy.

The maid tried to pour tea into the cup, but the saint waved her away with a gesture.

…Even though I didn’t necessarily consider him an enemy, I didn’t feel the urge to assist Ariel any further with this sentiment.

Upon reflection, wasn’t it an unreasonable act from the beginning to involve oneself in politics when the initial goal was to serve as a mere devotee of a deity?

Lost in such thoughts, the saint spoke to Ariel.

“Well, you’ve already established yourself sufficiently as a duke, and you’ve even allied with the Duke of Irkalli. I don’t think I need to help you any further.”

Ariel listened to those words, gazing at the saint. The saint’s face was already firmly set.

“An old man who only memorizes the gospel of the gods need not dip his toes into politics anymore. I believe you’ve grown enough as a duke now, and it’s time for you to withdraw from politics.”

With these words, the saint stood up. Ariel remained seated, still in confusion.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Thanks for the tea.”

The saint, who bid his final farewell, left the mansion of Cielline.

Surely, he must have enjoyed a sweet tea, yet strangely, it left a bitter taste.

…

Ariel sat still for a while. He had no idea what to do.

The engagement he had thought of as a mere alliance for mutual benefit. He had considered it a politically motivated engagement.

However, Eden Keynes and her thoughts were different.

At his most vulnerable moment, she had helped him.

He had gone to the saint, pleading for assistance for Arielle Cielline, and not a single word was spoken about it.

For what purpose?

It was evident that it wasn’t for political gain. Keynes and Cielline were not intimate enough to employ such risky maneuvers to help each other in times of vulnerability.

Just an engagement. A light promise easily shattered if it meant personal gain.

What could that possibly mean? Why had he gone to such lengths for her, especially when she was at her most precarious state?

And when he was at his most vulnerable, what about him?

“I might have to break off the engagement…”

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It had been just a few months since they last met. The conversation from that time was still vividly recorded in her mind.

At his most difficult moment, she had abandoned him.

She consoled herself by saying it was natural, unavoidable.

However, however.

Ariel clenched her head.

Her head throbbed painfully. The maid spoke to Ariel with a concerned look.

“Um, are you okay? If you’re uncomfortable, maybe calling a doctor would be…”

Ariel raised her hand to reject the suggestion.

“No, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine… Don’t worry.”

Upon hearing this, the maid lowered her head and stepped back, and Ariel struggled to get up from her seat, staggering towards her room.

She sat in a chair in her room and took a deep breath.

Her mind was in turmoil. It felt like she was losing her sanity.

The news brought by the saint, that’s what it was.

What should she do? What on earth should she do?

As Ariel pondered, she closed her eyes tightly.

“…I should meet him first.”

She had to meet him. Whether it was Edun Kainus or not, she had to meet him and ask what he was thinking. Only then, this headache and miserable feeling might disappear.

Edun Kainus was undoubtedly staying at the Seris Derin estate.

She couldn’t predict how he would react when they met again. He might express vengeance, scorn, or even refuse to meet at all.

However, at least meeting him first seemed like the key to unraveling the complexities of the current situation.

With determination, she clenched her fist.