SOTBW - 87

“That’s right. It was the most common male name in my homeland...”

Najane recalled Mikael, who had taught her the sword, despite Nellis’ threats. Just thinking about Mikael made her heart heavy with both gratitude and regret. If she ever returned to Kalonosia, she wanted to make Mikael’s grave first.

Rockbell cautiously observed Najane, who had briefly fallen into sorrow but quickly regained her composure, and asked gently, “Should I help you find someone named Kieron?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I was just curious,” Najane replied. “I have to leave soon for a mission, so I’ll take my leave now. But if you do find any clues, please let me know, even if you don’t find my sister.”

Najane casually stood up from the sofa. Rockbell, sensing that something was amiss, saw her off without pressing further. As she exited the study, she turned and said one last time to Rockbell, asking him to take care of everything. When the door closed and she faced the corridor, she saw Maximón approaching from where he had been leaning against the wall.

Maximón had been waiting eagerly for her, and as soon as the door closed, he strode over to her. Najane wanted to say so many things, but this wasn’t the right place. Still, she wanted to express her gratitude. According to Rockbell, they would soon find Luna.

Trying to keep her excitement in check, Najane met Maximón’s gaze. But as soon as she looked at his face, her emotions for Luna mixed with her deep gratitude for him. Like a child receiving the longed-for toy, Najane couldn’t hold back her joy and threw herself into Maximón’s embrace, her face full of happiness, as if she might cry at any moment.

When people are truly happy, tears come naturally.

Najane, holding onto Maximón’s waist, bit her lower lip to keep herself from crying.

They would find Luna.

Finally, they would find Luna...

With red eyes, Najane looked up at Maximón. He didn’t ask any questions but gently swept his palm across her forehead. Not knowing how to express her feelings, Najane rested her forehead on his chest.

“…Thank you.”

Najane spoke, trying to steady her emotions.

“Really, truly, thank you...”

“It looks like bringing you here was worth it,” Maximón said, supporting Najane’s head with both hands as it kept sinking lower from her tears. He smiled softly.

“We should head back now. The sun will set soon.”

His words sounded like an invitation to return home. Instead of replying, Najane smiled brightly. It was as though she had forgotten all about the looming battle with the hated Seriths.

Maximón couldn’t help but feel a warm, fluttering feeling in his chest when he saw how genuinely happy Najane looked. He had the strong impulse to pull her closer and kiss her. The way Najane smiled so radiantly, as though the world was her own, was unbearably sweet.

Maximón tightly embraced Najane’s small frame before letting go. In truth, his mind was full of thoughts that were no less than deceptive, but he didn’t feel an ounce of guilt. Instead, he hoped that when Najane looked back on this moment, she would understand and forgive whatever he had done.

Maximón, too, was happy.

He wanted Najane to look at him with those eyes.

Now, he no longer needed Edwin.

________________________________________

Gwyneth stared at the luxurious sofa placed in the middle of the office with a look of disdain.

This was exactly why he never wanted to visit the Noctis branch. It was true that the priests in Noctis struggled, but no matter how much they made holy water, they didn’t deserve to live such extravagant lives. If the money spent on that sofa had been used to buy bread, it could have alleviated the hunger of those who begged at the cathedral every day, even if just for a short while.

Of course, not all of Noctis’s priests lived in luxury. Only the high-ranking ones could afford such indulgences.

Gwyneth, glaring at the lavish decorations adorning the cozy room, kicked the expensive display cabinet. When the sound of something jingling from the carpet covering the cabinet reached his ears, Venus briefly glanced up from the paperwork he was working on and gave Gwyneth a sharp look.

“Don’t just stand there, sit down. It’s distracting.”

Gwyneth vaguely saw Daniel’s face in Venus’. If Daniel were to age with a bad temper, he might end up looking just like that. Gwyneth, hands behind his back, slowly walked along the wall, tapping on the expensive ornaments.

“I think your office is more chaotic than mine. Just look at the mounted trophies on the wall. Ghosts will be coming out at night.”

“Do you believe in such things while serving Sir Sylin?”

“Sometimes, what can you do about things that are visible?”

“...”

Venus glared at Gwyneth, as if telling him to stop spouting nonsense.

Gwyneth shrugged his shoulders as he approached the desk.

“I suppose you’ve forgotten, but the eyes of a divine ability user are quite special. Not everything in the world is just what is visible.”

“Are you here to start an argument?”

“Well, sort of...”

“I’m not as idle as you.”

“Do you still have those fancy dinners with the nobles?”

Gwyneth casually asked, pulling a book from the bookshelf. Instead of answering, Venus merely stared at Gwyneth’s back.

The two of them had entered the priesthood school together, but unlike the other classmates, their relationship was not particularly good. Even though they were of the same age, Venus, as a member of the Luamars family, was determined to become the pope, and as a result, he viewed Gwyneth with suspicion and kept him at a distance.

Gwyneth, though not ill-willed, was quite displeased by the interference of nobility in the affairs of the church. Thus, their relationship was bound to remain awkward and uncomfortable.

“You must have heard that Nathan Armunzen was attacked by Maximón, right?”

“I heard they cut off his ear.”

“Are you not going to visit him?”

“Nathan Armunzen isn’t even the second son and is far behind in the succession race. Visiting him would be a waste of time.”

Venus spoke coldly, as if he had no time to waste on someone like Nathan. Gwyneth, flipping through the book he had picked up, let out a small laugh.

“You’re cold. Aren’t you from the same ducal family? You should at least try to get along.”

“Why are you even here?”

Putting down his ink pen, Venus fully turned toward Gwyneth. Gwyneth, placing the book back on the shelf, repeated his earlier question.

“Why didn’t you answer about those dinners with the nobles?”

“I’m not free enough to deal with the nobility who were practically thrown out to Noctis.”

“Still, you used to meet them sometimes for tea.”

“Yes, only once in a while, when I was forced to. So, what exactly do you want, Archbishop Gwyneth?”

Venus snapped irritably. He was ready to send Gwyneth away if he kept pestering him.

Gwyneth crossed his arms and stared at Venus. The desk in front of him was piled high with documents. They were related to the relief activities, holy water production, Bible translations, and ritual research that the Noctis branch had to carry out. Originally, Gwyneth would have been buried under the same piles of paperwork, but thanks to the pope’s orders, he was able to live more freely.

Gwyneth randomly picked up a document and casually started reading it. Then, as though it was nothing important, he spoke.

“What do you think of priests who take money to back merchants?”

“Pathetic and foolish to the point of being a disgrace to the clergy. They should be executed immediately.”

“Exactly. I think so too. Though execution might be a bit much.”

Venus was from the Luamars family. Daniel, the head of the Luamars family, was Venus’ older brother. Venus had never faced any financial difficulties in his life, nor had he ever needed to bathe or change his clothes himself.

So, it was natural for him to view priests who took bribes and used the church’s influence as disgraceful.

After seeing the intricate curse engraved on Najane’s body, Venus had thought that only someone like him could successfully carry out such a ritual, but as time passed, more questions arose. What exactly had Venus hoped to gain by placing a ritual on Najane?

Money and fame meant nothing to Venus.

His sole ambition was to reach the position of pope for the Luamars family.

However, no one dares to strike a deal over the papacy. Only the current pope has the authority to appoint the new leader of the Church.

It might be possible to exert political pressure on the cardinals, but would Venus really go so far as to curse Najane with the Curse of the Goat for such a trivial matter?

Maximón believes that someone pushed Nathan Armunzen into trying to abduct Najane. Without the captain of the guard, the only ones who could exert influence over the commander were the Church, and the only person who might approach Nathan politically would be Venus.

If Venus had met with Nathan, it would have been to win the Armunzen family over to his side in the fight for the papacy, but that also seemed strange.

Didn’t Venus himself say just earlier that Nathan had long been pushed out of the succession race, and that his opinions were completely ignored by the Armunzen family? Venus doesn’t act recklessly unless it benefits him.

So, Venus wasn’t the one who cursed Najane. There must be someone else in the Kingdom of Bastronian whose knowledge of ritual far surpasses that of Venus.

While thinking, Gwyneth took a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a replica of the curse that had been engraved on Najane’s body.

“Do you know what this is?”

Venus reluctantly glanced at the paper Gwyneth handed him, and upon realizing it was a ritual, he immediately adjusted his glasses on his nose.

Rituals typically consist of three elements: the outer frame (Type 1) that maintains the ritual, the central command (Type 2) where instructions are inscribed, and the connecting ring (Type 3) that links the frame and central command. The shape of the ritual can be circular, triangular, or any other form—it doesn’t matter as long as the frame, center, and ring are properly maintained, even if it’s coiled like a spiral.

However, the ritual Gwyneth presented was of Type 4. It had a circular shape, but inside the frame, three structures were visible. There was an additional layer between the center and the ring—something Gwyneth had never seen before in any activated ritual.

Venus’ gaze shifted as he studied it.

“...Where did you get this?”

“That’s what we need to figure out now.”

“What?”

Gwyneth pulled up a chair and sat across from Venus.

“We need to analyze this, Archbishop Venus. You might not understand this situation immediately, but interpreting it could be the only way to save many people.”

“Why are you sharing this with me?”

Venus, having removed his glasses, stared at Gwyneth. His eyes weren’t suspicious, but it seemed he didn’t quite understand the situation.

If Venus had obtained this, he wouldn’t have shown it to anyone. Even if it took time, he would have researched the ritual on his own and made a public announcement to gain attention and exclusive rewards from the papacy.

However, Gwyneth didn’t seem to take Venus’ question seriously. There was only one reason why he was sharing this with him.

“As you know, I’ve always been... less focused on things other than honing my divine abilities since my days as a novice priest.”

“You neglected other matters while focusing on your divine skills.”

Venus spoke politely, and Gwyneth chuckled awkwardly.

“Thank you for putting it so nicely. Anyway, yes, that’s true. I can’t interpret this on my own, so I need your help. Look at this ritual structure! If we succeed in interpreting it, it will be a huge contribution to ritual research.”

Gwyneth was right. Bastronian had lost nearly all its books related to rituals, so despite continued research, no one had achieved results as good as Astien’s. The Church had always believed that rituals were structured in three types, but if the Type 4 structure Gwyneth brought could be proven to function correctly, it would be nothing short of a revolution.

All the research and conclusions accumulated by theologians over the centuries would be overturned, and there would undoubtedly be strong opposition. However, this new structure could provide the foundation to trace the rituals Aron Noctis is said to have used thousands of years ago. It’s said that Aron could freely manipulate thousands of rituals, much like casting spells. But such feats were impossible for today’s priests.

Rubbing his forehead, Venus sighed and put his glasses back on.

“...This isn’t something we can interpret in a day or two. We’ll need to call in the theologians.”

Venus pushed the mountain of paperwork aside and moved quickly. Gwyneth, sitting in his chair, watched Venus pull books from the bookshelf in a hurry.

As they worked together, Gwyneth was reminded of their days as novice priests, competing fiercely until they bled in the library. They were too old now for all-nighters, but still, everyone had their place and their duty.

In the end, they had to do what they could in their respective roles.

The farmer treads on barley, the tailor makes new winter clothes from cloth, the blacksmith forges excellent swords and shields from fine iron, the minstrel sings beautiful songs to weary souls, the priest offers prayers and holy water, and the knight fights battles in which he can stand proudly before himself...

Gwyneth took the books that Venus had brought and sat back down in his chair.

Before attempting to interpret the ritual, the two of them recited a prayer with reverence in their hearts.

“O countless saviors who have redeemed the world, we do not wish to become heroes. Rather, guide us to understand that true salvation, while our bodies remain alive, is not in tending to those in paradise, but in standing with those in hell. Watch over us so that the weak do not depend on miracles. Grant us the courage to live our lives without needing to gaze at the stars...”