“N-No way! Yuzuriha-san fought just as hard against the Ogres! And during the coup, she was the one who drew their attention!”
Desperately trying to downplay my role, I glanced at Yuzuriha-san—only to see her grimace as she leaned in to whisper something in my ear.
“This Saintess, just like Tōko, has a sharp tongue. That much they share—but her elder sister’s even worse.”
“Yuzuriha, I can hear you, you know?”
“Uh, w-well, it’s clear you two get along.”
This Saintess-sama… On the outside, she was White Tōko-san, but on the inside, she was Black Tōko-san. What a nightmare.
And Tōko-san, rather than getting angry at the Saintess-sama’s attitude—
“It’s been a long time, but you’re as lively as ever, Big Sister. That’s a relief.”
“Obviously. I ain’t about to let some damn illness beat me.”
……Was Saintess-sama sick?
As I wondered, Tōko-san explained.
“You see, there’s a rare illness said to only affect Saintesses. And Big Sister caught it.”
“Well, what can you do? It’s the fate of a Saintess.”
Saintess-sama was so nonchalant about it that I didn’t think it was that serious.
……At the time, anyway.
“More importantly, Lohengrin Margrave.”
“Yes?”
“The Holy Theocracy is looking for candidates to become a new Cardinal. Care to apply?”
“O-Big Sister!?”
“Uh, well, I’m not exactly devout… Sorry.”
“That doesn’t matter. I mean, look at me—I’m the Saintess, and honestly? My faith is below average. No different from some commoner.”
“Isn’t that something you shouldn’t admit…?”
“If the Lohengrin Margrave is willing, I can use my full authority to shove you straight into the lowest ranks of the Cardinals. From there, it’s up to your skill—but how about crushing those corrupt, bribe-loving fake clergy and seizing power with me?”
The scariest part was how she said that with Tōko-san’s face.
Meanwhile, the real Tōko-san—
“D-d-don’t be stupid!! Suzuha-nii is staying with me forever!”
“Ohohohoho!”
“Don’t take Suzuha-nii! Stupid Big Sister!!”
……I’d never seen Tōko-san throw a tantrum like a little kid before. Was she exhausted from her duties as queen?
And as for Yuzuriha-san—
“Hmm… Me as the Saintess and my partner as the Pope… Sounds about right.”
Muttering some suspicious monologue, she grinned to herself.
Later, the discussion between the now-calm Tōko-san and Saintess-sama proceeded smoothly.
I answered whatever Saintess-sama asked,
and each time, she exaggeratedly gasped in awe, making me feel good.
That kind of consideration… really feels like something only a true leader has.
“—So, Margrave, you infiltrated the royal palace alone to save Tōko!? Risking your own life!? Crawling through the sewers to rescue the captive princess—UWAHH, SO COOL!!”
“S-Suzuha-nii! I’m begging you, it’s embarrassing, so…?”
“Then, what was Tōko like when you saved her!?”
“Well, Tōko-san had been stabbed in the chest by the chancellor. I panicked like crazy.”
“The chancellor!? What happened to that evil bastard!?”
“I apparently punched him without realizing it. I only found out later—at the time, I could only see Tōko-san.”
“KYAAAA!! A true knight!!”
“H-hey, Suzuha-nii! Let’s drop that and talk about the orichalcum info or fixing the gem, PLEASE!?”
“And then, what did Tōko look like at that moment!?”
“She couldn’t speak, but her lips moved just slightly. I understood what she wanted to say.”
“S-Suzuha-nii!?”
“WHAT DID SHE SAY!?”
“Well, uh—”
“I’m listening~”
“……Do I have to say it?”
“Of course you do.”
“Suzuha-nii, DON’T!! I’m begging you—”
“Yuzuriha. Silence her.”
“Mmph!?”
“Sorry, Tōko…”
“Listen well, Lohengrin Margrave! As the Saintess of the Holy Theocracy—and as her sister—I have the right to know! Now that Tōko’s mouth is shut, SPEAK!!”
“……‘Kiss me’……”
“Here it comes────────────────!!!”
“……Just kill me……”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
……Look, I didn’t want to keep going either. It’s embarrassing as hell.
But Saintess-sama’s pressure was just… overwhelming.
That tyrannical aura of “Spill it. Spill everything—you know what’ll happen if you don’t, right?”
So I had no choice.
It’s not that I couldn’t help talking too much because Toko-san’s tearful eyes were so cute. I’m sure I’m not at fault.
By the way, here’s what happened next:
Saintess-sama went wild with joy over her sister’s rescue story, while Tōko-san turned into pure white ash and crumbled beside her—and there I was, trembling like a Chihuahua in this hellish spectacle of screaming and chaos.
The only one in a position to stop it, Yuzuriha-san, was—
“Hey, what about the kiss!? Did you do it!? Did you kiss her—!?”
—joining Saintess-sama in the frenzy.
7
Returning to the guest room prepared for attendants, I collapsed onto the bed.
“I’m… exhausted……”
“Brother, how was the audience?”
“It was too chaotic to explain……”
“What on earth happened!?”
Suzuha looked shocked, but my shock was even worse—spare me.
After that, Tōko-san—who’d barely recovered from her ash state—glared at me with teary eyes and warned, “If you tell Suzuha and the others, I’ll never forgive you!”
Meaning if I don’t tell them, I’m safe. Thank goodness.
“Well, I managed to make the request.”
“About restoring the gem?”
“Yeah. Saintess-sama said she’d do it herself. But since she has to slowly pour in her magic, it’ll take a long time. Oh, and the orichalcum info sounds tough.”
“How long will it take?”
“She wasn’t sure. At least a few years, maybe decades.”
“That’s… a long time……”
“Also, Saintess-sama is sick. She seemed fine during the audience, though.”
Casually bringing it up, Suzuha muttered, “Ah.”
“She has Saintess’s Disease……? Then it might be difficult while she’s still alive. Saintesses with it are said to be short-lived.”
“Saintess’s Disease?”
“It’s a rare illness only Saintesses get—hence the name. It’s unofficial, but… from what I recall, Saintesses rarely live past thirty with it.”
“Seriously……?”
“It’s not widely known, but it’s not obscure either. I heard about it at knight school.”
She’d seemed so energetic—I never imagined it was that serious.
“……I see……”
If she was Tōko-san’s sister, I wanted to help however I could.
Not that I could do much, but…
Maybe at least ease her pain?
“Hey, Suzuha, where’s Kanade?”
“She said she was cleaning and left earlier… Oh, she’s back.”
“Called for, so I came.”
“Uh, Kanade, you don’t need to clean here…?”
“Not clean enough for master’s stay. So I deep-cleaned. Praise me.”
“O-oh…… Good job, Kanade.”
Knowing her, she probably didn’t get in the way of the local maids.
I patted her head, and she narrowed her eyes like a cat—looking pleased.
“Kanade, I need a favor.”
“What?”
“Any chance you could get info on this building’s attic?”
“Leave it to me.”
I didn’t expect much, but Kanade agreed instantly.
Having such a skilled maid is a blessing.
*
Late that night, after my audience with Saintess-sama and Tōko-san…
Using the attic info Kanade provided, I went to see Saintess-sama.
Security might as well have been nonexistent.
I reached the space above her room without issue and peered down—only to see Saintess-sama lying in bed, coughing painfully over and over.
“cough, cough.” A far cry from her daytime vigor.
She didn’t notice me at first, but after I waved a few times, she finally did.
“—You—!?”
“Good evening. I wanted to talk, so I came. May I?”
“Y-yes……”
“Thank you.”
Dropping down from the attic into her bedroom, Saintess-sama sat up in bed.
“……The Lohengrin Margrave is quite the bold one, isn’t he……?”
“Not really.”
If I were normal, no matter how much I wanted to talk, I wouldn’t do this.
But Saintess-sama and Tōko-san were sisters, and they clearly got along well.
Our conversation about Tōko-san had gone surprisingly lively, breaking the ice unexpectedly.
And she seemed like the type who’d sigh and forgive me if I groveled hard enough.
—That’s why I’m not bold. When I explained, Saintess-sama gave me a puzzled look.
“None of that explains why you infiltrated via the attic.”
Fair point.
I’m not so much of a creep that I’d sneak into any attic.
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