She was grateful that the incident that had brought the whole cathedral to its feet last night and worried everyone had ended without anything bad happening.
Sivina knew that Yu Valarfin had an illness, but she didn't know the details and didn't realize how serious it was.
This was more than a disease. The disgusting substance that had covered part of Yu's body was still fresh in Sivina's mind, and what she had seen had frightened her so much that it would probably remain fresh for many years and sometimes haunt her nightmares.
“I don't remember anything. I'm fine, I'm fine.”
When the sun came up and Yu woke up safe and sound, he was sincerely glad that his friend was okay, but Sivina was annoyed by the way he dodged questions and ignored the people around him who were worried about him.
Everyone was worried about him and he had to at least tell them what had happened to him, she didn't like Yu's mysterious side.
But right now she couldn't deny that there was something impressive about Yu acting as if nothing had happened. He was a good actor.
Sivina wondered if Yu didn't share his problems with others and seek solutions because he couldn't swallow his pride.
Sometimes everyone wants to keep their troubles to themselves, but Yu seemed like the kind of person who would do that all the time. Yu was withdrawn than any man the she had ever seen.
If Yu had wanted to, Sivina would have listened to his troubles. Even if Yu didn't want to, Sivina would share his troubles. She could even share his feelings.
A person could not live like that. The only person Yu kept close to him was Yurine, whom he adopted in Rolderhelm. Sivina knew that Yu didn't consider anyone else close to him except Yurine and she didn't think it was fair.
“It's unfair for him to behave like this when we consider him a friend.”
As she squinted her eyes at Yu, she let out a small scream as a girl took her arm.
“Why are you following Mr. Valarfin? You'll make me jealous.”
“Uh...”
Sivina was a brave girl, but if someone suddenly came up behind her, she might be afraid too. She was relieved to see it was Ana.
But her cheeks were also pink because Ana was so close to her. Ever since they had finished their mission in Rolderhelm, Ana had been acting in public as if they were lovers and Sivina was embarrassed.
It wasn't that she didn't like Ana, but was it appropriate for two girls to be like this? Of course it wasn't.
“I was thinking about last night.”
“He said there was no problem.”
“But there's a problem, Ana. We all know there is a problem.”
Yu Valarfin looked as handsome as ever in his black butler's outfit. He already looked good in all the clothes he wore.
He combed his brown hair and his face was the most beautiful Sivina had ever seen in a man. Maybe Yu could make her heart flutter if he tried.
Yu had his bad points, of course, but apart from those bad points, he was the kind of person Sivina liked, handsome, intelligent, diligent, and in need of protection.
Noticing his gaze, Yu turned to Sivina, smiled and started walking towards her. Unsurprisingly, Yurine was at his side and Kigaro and Dimen accompanied them as bodyguards.
“I still don't understand why we’re waiting,” Yu said. He was acting as if last night had never happened.
Sivina had learned that traditional dress was worn at the cardinalate ceremonies, but as the only female cardinal before Yurine was her mother, there was no traditional dress for girls yet.
That's why Yurine was wearing an outfit designed by Yu. It was white and loose, with sleeves that covered half of Yurine's hands. It was sewn in one piece and tied around her waist with a gold-colored sash. The cloak on her back and the white dress had red flowers on it. On top of her black stockings, she had chosen white boots that matched her outfit.
It was an outfit that looked good on Yurine, made of white, gold and red. She was sure it would have looked cool on an adult, but on Yurine it only made her look cuter.
“Yu, I'm really going to be angry. They're crossing their limits by keeping me waiting. What do they think they're doing?” Yurine asked.
“The pontifex is not here yet,” Ana said.
“Uh, maybe he's still coming down the stairs.”
Even though Yu was just making fun of an old man, the chances that the pontifex was still descending the stairs were too high for him to ignore. When she had met the pontifex, she had seen that he was old enough to be called ‘forgotten by the Nefaera’ as her vagabond brother had once said for some people. It was a miracle he was even standing.
After the funeral in the morning, Sivina's day was spent constantly behind Yurine and Yu, like a rehearsal for the days to come.
Yu was running around to take care of things that Yurine was too small to take care of, Yurine was following him, and Sivina and Ana were also following them as part of their duties.
Sivina took it as an insult that they were holding a funeral for the former Virgo Cardinal six months after her death, but Yurine remained calm throughout the ceremony.
Sivina had only been to the El Island and Rolderhelm in her lifetime, where funerals were not expected for six months and the deceased’s family would get angry if they were delayed.
“But there was an extraordinary situation.”
Sivina learned that Rie, Yurine's mother, had died shortly before they met.
Yurine was calm throughout the ceremony, but it was clear that she was upset. She had lost the person closest to her and Sivina, who had never lost a relative, could not understand her pain.
When she saw a little girl struggling with a pain she had never experienced, she began to respect her. Sivina didn't even want to think about the effects of the pain she would feel if she were in her shoes.
“Sivina, do you see there?”
“Yes.”
Yu pointed with his finger at the statue behind the Star Altar, the Morning Knight. Sivina, like almost everyone else, knew the stories about him or them.
“Do you want to try to draw the sword?”
“Mr. Valarfin!” Ana raised her voice slightly towards Yu. “We talked about this, I want Sivina to remain Sivina.”
“I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist asking.”
Whoever was worthy to draw that sword left behind the name his family had given him and became simply the Morning Knight.
Sivina had tried to draw the sword earlier, but the guards of the Andromeda Church wouldn't let her. Then Ana said it was better and used the same words she had just used against Yu.
“Maybe...” She looked into Ana's eyes. It was not certain that Sivina would draw the sword, but Ana still wanted her to stay away from it.
But the sword was on Sivina's mind and she wanted to at least try to draw the sword she had grown up listening to the legends of since childhood.
“Maybe, one day... But only maybe,” she said. She didn't want to give an answer that would reject them both outright, but her heart was with the sword.
It was not a good thing to lose its name, but the thing they were talking about was called the Morning Sword.
“Is that so? If you were the Morning Knight, it would be a great advertisement for the Virgo Cathedral.”
“Mr. Valarfin, please stop using me as an advertising face.”
It was enough for her, even too much, to have her face painted on the walls in Redchapel. She couldn't explain how embarrassed she was to see her face when she walked the streets of the town and how uncomfortable it was when people pointed their fingers at her.
“You have a beautiful and charismatic face and you are a knight. Of course, I could be the face of advertising, but it wouldn't be fair to put all the spotlight on me. Besides, I am a source of light in my own right.”
“Don't try to hit her, Yu.”
When Yurine grabbed Yu's hand and pulled him to her quickly, Yu had to bend down involuntarily. Since they were talking face to face, if Sivina hadn't taken a step back, Yu's head would have been between Sivina's two breasts.
“The heir to Libra is coming, make way!”
Virgo Cathedral was small and the Cardinalate of Virgo was a minor title. So Sivina could not understand why it was so crowded.
But now she knew why: her little lady was not the only one to be made a cardinal here today. A much more popular cathedral would have a new cardinal today.
Even though they were an insignificant group, they still represented a sect, so they were given a special place in the hall from which they had a commanding view of the area.
Four men entered first, carrying banners with scales engraved on them, followed by eight guards in blue armor but disarmed, and the one who came after the eight guards...
“S-Satoshi?” Sivina couldn't believe her eyes.
“Satoshi?” Ana was watching with her mouth open.
“It's the idiot,” Yurine said. There was no expression on her face.
“Who the fuck is Satushi?” Kigaro had the most innocent reaction.
With his short black hair, slanted eyes, dark skin and lean body, Satoshi entered the hall of the Andromeda Church.
“It's not Satoshi. We buried him.”
Satoshi was hanging by his neck and his intestines were spilling out onto the floor. It was impossible for anyone to live after that moment, not even Satoshi's healing powers could keep someone alive in that state.
On top of that, as Yu had said, they had buried his dead body in a graveyard in Redchapel. Sivina had watched as the soil was thrown over his body, so there was no way he could have come out of the grave.
“Look at that most normal face Japanese iskeai guy and look at the girl next to him.”
Next to her walked a girl with rose-colored red hair and green eyes that shone like emeralds. The smile on her lips was seductive to men, but as a girl Sivina could see the slyness in it.
She took men's breath away with her long legs and slender waist, her jeweled neck and wrists, and the green silk dress she wore. The gods had also given her porcelain-white skin and large breasts.
“It's not about the girl right now.” Sivina still couldn't take her eyes off the boy as Ana reached out and pulled Yu's ear.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Were Sivina's eyes playing tricks on her? Then what was it that Ana saw? The person walking in front of her couldn't be anyone else. A person could not look so much like another person.
“That girl is the pontifex's niece, Akalda,” an unexpected man said. “So actually, I guess the niece of his niece is also his niece.”
“This is the special place reserved for the Virgo Cathedral.”
“Hey, buddy.”
Link, the blond man who had come to their cathedral yesterday to pick up the prisoners, had made a creepy entrance, suddenly appearing behind them. Apparently he and Yu were not on friendly terms.
“We're not talking about the girl, the boy...”
He entered the hall with twenty people, and those twenty people were only soldiers, and there was an army of servants who kept coming behind them.
“That boy is not Satoshi. Sivina, you can't possibly believe that something so illogical could be true. And even if he did come out of the grave, with his level of intelligence, there is no way he could have tracked us here and become the Cardinal of Libra on top of it.”
It made sense, it was impossible for Satoshi to live. His soul must have already reached the other world.
“Then who is he? Satoshi's twin or something? There's no other explanation for the resemblance.” Ana was waiting for an explanation.
“It's surprising to me too, the only human male I've ever met with his phenotype was Satoshi. Either there is a land east of this world where slant-eyed people live and that's where he comes from, or like Satoshi, he comes from where I come from.”
“You look nothing alike,” Sivina said.
“There's a saying that Japanese people look alike, and I think the gods want to give us that saying, but the reason I don't look like him is because I'm unique. And I'm not Japanese, so I can't possibly look like him.”
“His nation is called Japanese? I've never heard of it, thanks for the information.”
“Why are you still here?”
“Can't I come to my friends? I thought that since we traveled a long journey together, we must have become friends.”
Sivina might have thought that Yu would be jealous of Link because he was handsome, but Yu was still the most handsome man she had ever seen, so she didn't think so.
“Good thing you're not like him, Yu. You're good like this.” Yurine took Yu's hand in both of hers and brought it to her cheek. Yu stroked her cheek too.
“I feel like you were being racist sometimes, but thank you.”
Yu's eyes were on the boy who looked like Satoshi, locked on him, following his every move. He said he came from where he came from, but don't people from the same place look alike? Yu was again withholding information, giving off an air of mystery and making Sivina uneasy.
“I understand that she thinks you are handsome, but it is not the behavior of a cardinal to insult another.”
“This man speaks the truth.”
Kigaro supported Link's comment by slapping him on the back.
Sivina agreed with him. Yurine had to change her attitude towards people. Her contempt for others, even as a small child, might one day become intolerable.
“What do you know...” Yu reproached.
The Japanese boy, the heir to Libra, and his entourage moved to their allotted territory. It was bigger and attracted more attention than Sivina's territory.
“The Duke is coming,” Ana said.
In the past, Duke Leoral dri Vermilia would have attracted the same attention as the Libra heir.
But now, as an old man who had lost his land, all he could muster were looks of pity.
He was seated in a wheelchair, a servant was pushing it, when the Duke arrived with his army of servants, no less than the Libra followers that had just arrived. He was the greatest and only supporter of Virgo Cathedral.
“My young lady,” Leoral greeted Yurine.
“Welcome back.”
“I apologize for standing in front of you like this.”
It was hard not to be struck by the respect that a man over seventy years old had for a child who pretended to be nine but was actually three years old.
“That's what you said this morning, I told you it was okay.”
“The young lady is very kind.”
“Hmph, I know how to behave with my subordinates.”
Yu praised Yurine while Yurine continued to hold his hand. Leoral stared at their hands for a moment, but then had to tear his eyes away from them as his chair was turned towards the Star Altar.
As the Pontifex entered the hall, escorted by the Andromeda Guardians, the number of people talking slowly diminished and after a few seconds the hall was completely silent. The last to stop talking were the Pontifex's smiling relatives.
The Church of Andromeda was supposed to be neutral, while the Pontifex's relatives were intertwined with the Libra group.
“The ceremony is about to begin, go to your place.”
Yu didn't hesitate to turn to Link and dismiss him. Sivina wondered what had happened between them.
“I'm in my place.”
“This is for members of the Virgo Cathedral.”
“I'm a member too.”
To everyone's surprise, the Pontifex started to speak, so Yu, who was preparing to argue with him, had to keep quiet.
“Let he who inherits the Libra Blessing step forward.”
Standing in front of the Star Altar, the Pontifex wasted no time and began the ceremony. The first person to be called was the Cardinal of Libra, and the Pontifex's decision angered Yurine.
“How dare they? How dare they stand in my way!”
“The lead singers are the last to go on stage, young lady, let the rookies prepare the stage first.”
“Hmph.”
As Ana was trying to calm Yurine down, the heir to Libra's legacy stepped forward. He was dressed in traditional Libra Cardinal attire, a one-piece blue robe and golden sash.
“Keichi Tempo, I inherited the Libra Blessing from the Libra Cardinal before me.”
The boy, who said his name was Keichi, came before the Pontifex and bowed his neck, not yet kneeling.
“What kind of a last name is Tempo? He must have gotten it after he came here. Not only that, we speak the same language.”
While Yu Valarfin was talking to himself, the Pontifex was muttering a prayer. After he finished praying, he ran out of Keichi's way and led the way to the Star Altar.
“Go up to the altar.”
If he went up to the altar and it didn't shine, he would be recognized as not having the Blessing of Libra and he would be called a liar. What would these people gathered around him think then?
Keichi Tempo stepped behind the Pontifex and walked towards the Star Altar.
Sivina didn't miss Yu and Yurine's watchful gaze. They were both watching him as if it was the most important thing in the world.
The altar resembled a large floor table. It was slightly off the ground and had thirty corners. The floor of the altar was matte black, like glass. As soon as Keichi Tempo's foot touched the altar, a blue light emanated from its corners.
“Like that time,” Yurine said.
When it was confirmed that he had the Libra Blessing, Keichi received a round of applause from the people. “The Libra Cardinal!” everyone exclaimed, except those in the Virgo Cathedral section.
“Cardinal of Libra!”
“Long live the Cardinal of Libra!”
“Azer bless you!”
The ceiling reflected the image of stars that appeared on the floor beneath Keichi, which when combined resembled the shape of a scale. Sivina had never seen such a constellation before.
When Kiechi stepped down from the altar, it was clear that he was now eligible for the title of Cardinal of Libra. He went before the Pontifex and knelt.
The Pontifex dipped his hand into the cauldron brought to him and pulled it out wet. He waved his soaked fingers towards the kneeling Keichi, splashing water on his face and hair. This gesture symbolized that the Cardinal of Libra was also affiliated with the Church of Andromeda.
“May our God Azer be with you, and from now on you will be one of his representatives as Cardinal of Libra.”
“I will work hard to fulfill my mission and be worthy of our God.”
“I appoint you governor of Libra City, historically the seat of the Libra Cardinals.”
“I would be honored.”
“As soon as he became a cardinal, they gave the boy a city, but they’re threatening Virgo Cathedral like a stepchild.”
When Keichi took his place, the Pontifex's niece Akalda took his arm. Sivina could tell at a glance that the woman was deliberately pressing her large breasts against Keichi's arm.
“Is she trying to control him like this?”
When people had finished congratulating the new Libra Cardinal and things had calmed down, it was time for his own little lady to be made a cardinal.
“Let she who inherits the Virgo Blessing come forward.” The Pontifex called Yurine. Everyone turned to face Yurine.
“You can do it, my sweet lady,” Ana whispered.
Yurine stepped forward and took a few steps. The eyes of the whole hall were on the cat-eared girl. Sivina didn't know how she felt, but she was sure that if she were Yurine, she would be embarrassed to have people watching her.
Yurine walked a little further, then stopped and turned around as if she had forgotten something.
“Yu, why don't you come?”
Just now the whole church had fallen silent and it was out of respect. Silence out of respect would not have been uncomfortable.
The reason for the silence now was different, there was an uneasy silence in the hall. Everyone was wondering what Yurine was trying to do.
“I'll watch you from here, young lady.”
Yu was also annoyed by Yurine's unexpected behavior. If even he didn't think Yurine would do something like this to disrupt the ceremony, how could anyone else know?
“Come with me.”
All the members of the Virgo group swallowed at the same time as Sivina when their young lady gave her order in a very serious tone. If anything that people would call a disgrace happened here, it would be a bad start for their little cathedral.
Some people would say that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but a child making a scene, especially if that child is the leader of the cathedral, would not create a good impression. People wouldn't want to join a religious group led by a spoiled child.
“You have to do it on your own, it's been like this for hundreds of years.”
No one cared what Leoral said in his weak voice.
Yu must have wanted to fulfill Yurine's request, so he put one foot forward.
But he couldn't do that, at least not on his own initiative.
“Let she who inherits the Virgo Blessing come forward.”
When the Pontifex spoke again as if nothing had just happened, Yurine ignored him and repeated her own words.
“Yu, come with me!”
This time she shouted and stomped her foot hard. She was signaling that she would not move forward unless Yu came.
The silence was broken by a whisper from someone in the Libra Cathedral. The whisper was heard in a way that the whisperer had not anticipated.
“This is what happens when you bring a child here, a child who is a witch.”
The unrecognizable man's sarcastic comment turned Yurine red with anger, and she turned back to where the voice had come from.
“HOW DARE YOU! COME AND SAY THE SAME TO MY FACE, LOW LIFE FORM!”
The whirlwind that began to swirl around her body indicated that Yurine was preparing for an attack.
“What are you doing?!”
Yurine's caller must have been so frightened that he did not show himself, but the Andromeda Guardians drew their weapons against Yurine. The fact that she was a Blessing bearer was irrelevant when it came to the possibility that the Andromeda Pontifex might be compromised.
The soldiers of the Libra Cathedral could not bring weapons with them because weapons were forbidden here, but they too stepped forward to protect their group.
Kigaro and Dimen immediately went ahead of Yurine when they saw the treatment of their wives, although no one could understand exactly what had happened. Sivina was hesitant at first, but her duty was to protect Yurine, so she stepped forward. She didn't have a weapon, but she was capable of fighting with her hands.
“Young lady, that's enough!”
To prevent a war from breaking out inside, Yu ran to Yurine's side and Yurine, hearing his footsteps, immediately turned around. Yu kneeled down and hugged her to calm her down.
“Yu, come with me.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between Yu and the floor as she asked him to be with her. She was shy to confess her feelings, even to her own father. At any other time, Sivina's heart would have warmed at this sweet sight, but not in this tense atmosphere.
“But...”
Yu looked around at the eyes watching them. He looked indecisive. Even if he wanted to be by Yurine's side, they were in the middle of something serious and would people accept that?
“Yu, this is what I want.”
Yurine grabbed the hand of Yu, her butler and father, and tried to drag him away, but failed. Yu was still as indecisive as ever. He looked around for support.
At first he turned his back, but he did not find the support he wanted here as the Virgo group was also undecided. They were just waiting to see what Yu would do.
Unable to find the support he was looking for where he wanted it, Yu looked across, but there was no one in the Libra group to support him. Finally, Yu looked to the Pontifex.
“You can go out together,” said the Pontifex.
Sivina couldn't quite make out who he was looking at.
“Then I'll be with the young lady.”
“Y-Yu, always be by my side.”
“Yes, young lady.”
Yurine faced the Pontifex without letting go of Yu's hand and Sivina returned to her seat, grateful that Yurine had calmed down before she caused chaos and started a fight.
“My name is Neko, I inherited the Virgo and Hunter Blessings from my mother.”
After the Pontifex said the prayer for Neko in silence, he stepped out of the way and told her to go up to the altar. Yurine came to the altar, dragging Yu with her. She and Yu stood side by side and Yurine looked up at Yu, a childlike joy in her eyes.
“Yu, come out with me.”
“Yes, young lady.”
There were uneasy murmurs among the people, but the Pontifex gave his approval so that the two of them could ascend the altar together.
They breathed in and stepped on the altar in synchronization with each other. Thanks to Yurine, half of the thirty corners of the altar burned purple and the other half red.
The purple and red light showed that Yurine had the Blessings of Virgo and Hunter. Now that she had the Blessings, her being declared a cardinal depended only on the words that would pass between the lips of the Pontifex.
There were more stars forming on the floor of the altar and reflected in the ceiling than for the Cardinal of Libra. The stars for Yurine were also constellations, and Sivina had never seen these stars before.
Unlike the Libra Cardinal, Yurine received less applause. It was only the Virgo Cathedral and Duke Vermilia's entourage who applauded her, and it was only Link who shouted “Long live!” for her.
Sivina thought it would be pathetic if only one person shouted, so she shouted, “Long live the Cardinal of Virgo!”
Ana cried out, followed by Sivina. Kigaro and Dimen's voices were strong enough to drown out everyone else's and the hall trembled as the roarons shouted. After a while, everyone on their side began to cry out for Yurine. Even Leoral, who could barely speak, was shouting his support.
Yurine and Yu descended in synchronization with the way they had ascended and the Pontifex continued with the rest of the ceremony.
As Yurine and Yu knelt, the Pontifex dipped his hand into the cauldron and pulled it out, waving his soaked fingers at Yurine.
“May our Lord Azer help you, from now on you will be one of his representatives as Cardinal of Virgo.”
“I will fulfill my duty and be worthy of our God.”
She was now officially Cardinal of Virgo. As they prepared to rise, the Pontifex spoke again.
“I appoint you governor of Virgo City, once home to the Virgo Cardinals.”
The Pontifex spoke and the hall fell silent again. After people had recovered from the initial surprise, they began to whisper slowly.
“To her?”
“To witch...”
The words might have angered Yurine, if she hadn't been frozen with surprise. Even Yu Valarfin's face was frozen, looking at the Pontifex as if to confirm the truth of what he had just said.
“Us?” Yurine asked. Of course, she wasn't sure what she had heard either.
"Because of your age, there will be a committee to oversee you, but you will still hold that office. May God help you, Neko.”
“I-I'd be honored.”
The honor, which had not even been given to her mother, was given to Yurine, who had been absent from the Mora for a year and had suddenly become Cardinal of Virgo when she arrived.
Sivina hoped she was not the only one who found this strange.