喵绅HCMOIC士网页版

Chapter 141

“Young Lord Karl Adelheit. We wish to hold a prayer meeting for you in the southern part of the Empire. If you could attend, it would be an unparalleled honor for the southern territories…”

< Ministry of Internal Affairs – To Young Lord Karl Adelheit, with apologies for the inconvenience, we inquire about the possibility of your attendance at a prayer meeting in the capital >

< If you confirm your attendance, Cardinal Nicolaos, Head of the 1st Diocese, will accompany you from the beginning >

[ Greetings, Benefactor. This is Auxiliary Bishop Reclem of the 4th Diocese. I apologize for this sudden contact. I was wondering if you could visit the 4th Diocese one more time… ]

[TL/N: Weird ahh name]

Hmm. Hmm. Strange. Isn’t it vacation time? It’s vacation time, isn’t it?! Argh!!

Please stop asking! Don’t you know even the military leaves you alone during vacation?!

Ever since I visited the Holy See—To be precise, ever since I was showered with that so-called ‘miracle’. People from all over the Empire suddenly started looking for me like crazy. They’re begging me to visit them.

This is especially true in the capital, where the 1st Diocese is located, and in the south, where the 4th Diocese is.

In the capital, it seems like more than just the church is involved. It looks like the Empire itself, specifically the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is working together with them.

It makes sense, though.

If they announce that the ‘miracle worker’ or the ‘one loved by the Goddess’ is an Imperial noble, it would be a huge national advantage.

And the 4th Diocese is similar.

In fact, they might be even more desperate than the 1st Diocese.

Not long ago, the loss of their sacred relic shook their position quite a bit. But then a young man suddenly found it? And the same guy went to the Holy See and received a miracle?

‘If the 4th Diocese isn’t inviting me after all that, then the Archbishop and the Cardinal should be reprimanded.’

I have to go somewhere eventually.

To be precise, I have to visit every diocese in the Empire.

But from the 1st to the 5th Diocese, which one should I visit first? That’s the important question—

“Alright. Then I’ll visit the 4th Diocese in the south first. And then, in order, the 5th Diocese in the north, the 2nd Diocese in the east, the 3rd Diocese in the west. Finally, I’ll go to the 1st Diocese in the capital. If I time it right, I can go straight back to the academy when the vacation ends, don’t you think?”

That was the best decision I could make.

The 4th Diocese was the first place I got directly involved with the church, so it seemed fitting to go there first.

And the reason I chose the 1st Diocese for last is not just because my vacation ends around that time, but also because the first and last events are always the most memorable.

‘Right. This is how it should be. Honestly, considering the cardinals who blessed my greatsword, this is the right thing to do.’

So, less than a week after returning from the Holy See, I ended up in the 4th Diocese in the southern part of the Empire.

And as soon as I arrived, I was surrounded by Cardinal Beolant, the head of the 4th Diocese, and various church officials, and was called a benefactor, a Blessed One, and even a saint.

I didn’t raise a cripple, or come back from the dead. I didn’t even part the sea or walk on water, so calling me a saint seemed a bit much.

I wanted to say something about it, but the atmosphere made it impossible.

If I had said, ‘I’m definitely not a saint’ right there, everyone might have knelt down and said, ‘You are a saint!’

They say you define yourself, but others ultimately define you.

It’s strangely sad, but in a way, it’s also true.

What can I do? Even if I say I’m not, if others say I am, there are only two options—Accept it, or prove them wrong.

But in this situation, proving I’m not a saint is harder than just accepting it.

It’s too late to ask the Goddess to ‘tone down the light,’ and I’m a bit scared that if I do, people will say, ‘Goddess is angry! He’s not a saint, he’s a sinner!’

‘Besides… I’ve earned the favor of Selena’s grandfather to the point where he’d probably go to war if anyone touched his future grandson-in-law… I have nothing to say. Sigh.’

Anyway. For these reasons, I did my best after arriving in the south.

I met with all the church people, and when it got too overwhelming, I’d throw out a ‘Let’s pray,’ a kind of trump card to calm them down instantly.

But I couldn’t use it too often. Cardinal Beolant started looking at me with eyes that said, ‘Oh! The Blessed One is so pious!’

“Hmm. Your Eminence. Now that I’m in the south, I’d like to see the sea. I saw the southern winter last time, so I’d like to experience the summer too.”

I couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up in a subtle tone. It meant, ‘I’m dying here, please give me some time to rest.’

Fortunately, our Cardinal Beolant was not someone who lacked tact.

“Very well. It was a hot spring last time, so the sea is the right choice this time. Hahaha! I hear that the academy students are currently visiting Lidea Beach, the pride of the South. Go there and rest, while also greeting your juniors, Blessed One.”

Having received permission from the person in charge, I took off without looking back.

Honestly, I’ve done enough. I’m not doing anything more! If they want more, they can pay me with money or something!

What? They’re already making donations to the church and the pension fund?! Ah! I’ll sign it later!

“Phew.”

And so, I arrived here at Lidea Beach, said to be one of the top three most beautiful beaches in the southern Empire.

Swoosh—

—Crash!

So, what are my thoughts right now?

‘Hmm. It’s water. Hmm. It’s sand.’

No matter how bleak it sounds, I can’t help it. I’ve never been a fan of the sea, neither in my past life nor in this one.

Why on earth would anyone go into that salty water? Huh? Why would you go into salt-filled water?! Go to a valley instead! It’s much better!

I came here to avoid being surrounded by people shouting ‘Blessed One! Benefactor! Saint!’, but now that I’m at this beach, I have nothing to do.

Hmm. Should I brainstorm the next patented item while I’m here? This beach looks quite different from the ones I remember from my past life.

If we set up parasols and sunbeds like this, it would look more like a proper beach—

“Oh.”

Isn’t that Lefia? It is Junior Lefia. Wow, what a surprise to see her here.

“Junior Lefia.”

“Eek?!”

Why is she reacting like that? It’s like she’s seen something she shouldn’t have.

I’m suddenly feeling hurt. Sob, sob. I’ve taken such good care of Junior Lefia!

[TL/N: Bros hurt lmao]

[PR/N: ]

“S-Senior Karl? What are you doing here?!”

“Ah. Well…”

I considered explaining, but it seemed like it would take too long. And it would sound too much like bragging.

“I had some business here. But it got too overwhelming, so I escaped here for a bit of rest.”

“Escaped…?”

“Yes.”

Lefia’s expression becomes even stranger.

It’s as if she’s asking, ‘What kind of trouble could make the son of Baba Yaga run away?! Are you being chased by assassins?!’

But, Junior? Assassins are something you can fight, at least. The people surrounding me would tear those assassins apart and eat them alive!

“Anyway, I heard you were on a trip with your classmates as part of a club activity. So you were here.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I heard the southern sea of the Empire is completely different from my home country…”

Lasker. Right, that’s right. It’s located a bit further north, so even the summer sea there is said to be more terrifying than the winter sea in the southern Empire.

“Is that why you’re dressed so… freely, Junior Lefia?”

At my words, Lefia lets out a ‘Ahaha!’ laugh.

Her outfit, how should I describe it… It’s like a swimsuit, but also a cool summer outfit.

She doesn’t seem too embarrassed, so I guess this world is quite open-minded in that regard.

“Ah, there’s another junior here as well. Sorry, I was busy greeting Junior Lefia.”

“Not at all, Senior Karl! It’s an honor to meet you!”

That’s odd. Is this junior an aspiring officer? If she wasn’t interested in the military, there’s no reason for her to react like—

“I heard the news! You received a miracle in the Holy See! Benefactor of the church! Blessed One of the Light! A saint! To meet someone like you in person!!”

“…”

Ah, right. That happened. Another crazy achievement has been added to my list, one that makes medals seem like ‘trifles’. Haha.

“Ah! I’m losing my mind!”

The junior suddenly exclaims to herself and starts patting Lefia’s back.

“Eek?! Wh-why are you doing this?!”

“Do your best! I’ll get rid of the obstacle for you! Fighting, Lefia!”

“What? W-wait a minute! Wait…”

Despite Lefia’s desperate cries, the female junior had already run off into the distance.

And as if they had heard her words, the other students also started cheering, ‘Fighting!’ and ‘Oooh!’

“…”

“S-Senior! This is a misunderstanding! My friends are getting the wrong idea!”

That’s right. It’s a misunderstanding. We’re not like that. But, even so, I understand what’s going on.

“Let’s go, Junior Lefia.”

“Huh?”

“If I say, ‘Ah, I have no business with Junior Lefia’ here, it’ll put you in a very awkward position. I

heard you adapted quickly because you were close to me.”

“That’s…”

“So I’ll use my influence to help you adapt even more. So that next time, you can mingle with the people of the Empire even without me.”

How could I leave someone in trouble? It wouldn’t be fitting for a noble, a Medal of Honor recipient, or even for someone whom the church calls a Blessed One or a saint.

I carefully extended my hand.

Lefia hesitated for a moment, looking at it with a conflicted expression.

But soon, she grabbed my hand and muttered, ‘I’ll be in your care until then.’