Chapter 100

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The God's Snake Hunt
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Instead of the Main Temple where my sister would be alone, we headed toward the Second Temple, which was relatively less crowded.

Kivrin said he had rented out an entire nearby cafe with a great view.

On a day like today, business should have been booming, yet the cafe owner showed no sign of having reluctantly yielded to power.

Whatever amount Kivrin had given her, she looked ecstatic, on the verge of splitting her face with a grin.

“Thank you, Young Lord! And you, my lady! I've been eagerly awaiting your visit! I'll take the best care of you!”

The owner, commenting that the scales on Kivrin's face were a symbol of wealth, brought us an assortment of desserts.

The power of money was incredible.

I set the flowerpot down in a sunny spot.

Somehow, I felt even the flower was touched by my consideration.

I was smiling to myself, feeling quite proud.

Kivrin relayed what he had heard from his animal friends stationed at the Main Temple.

Since last night, the atmosphere at the Main Temple had been quite grim.

This was the reason.

My sister had gone to the Pope and asked him point-blank if he was going to oust me.

Hearing the news, the high priests had gathered in a hurry.

While some high priests sided with the Pope, a considerable number opposed him.

—Even if the Saintess's power isn't divine, the fact remains that she was chosen by the god. Did Your Holiness not receive the god's call yourself and bless the newborn Saintess? Shouldn't this be considered a separate matter?

—I agree. I am concerned that Your Holiness may have made too hasty a judgment this time. We cannot allow the Saintess to leave the order.

—Hmm, was this decision made with the Temple's financial state in mind? Moreover, for even Your Holiness to decide on such a grave matter unilaterally is...

Before my sister appeared, the Temple had been on a path of decline.

Just as in the novel, where the Temple's revival was solely due to her efforts, my sister's influence was immense.

For better or for worse.

In the end, after arguing all night, the Pope had no choice but to back down.

“S-so, he said he'd p-postpone the announcement that the second moon is the Saintess's weakness, but he told, he told the Saintess, not to call him Net.”

“Net?”

I recalled Cheshire's note.

Kivrin said.

“It's the name Nocturne... u-used before he became Pope.”

Whoa!

Cheshire was an incredible informant!

I apologized to Cheshire ten times in my head.

*Sorry! So sorry! I won't doubt you again!*

*I'll be sure to leave out lots of snacks when I put out the note later!*

Just then, the noise outside the window grew louder.

“It's the Count!”

“The Count is here!”

Even though the window was closed, I could hear the shouts, and my head turned instinctively.

A carriage had stopped at the intersection.

I gasped when I saw the family crest emblazoned on the carriage.

Presently, the carriage door opened, and a man stepped out.

He was a handsome, middle-aged man with black hair and dark violet eyes.

The priests who had been waiting rushed toward him, each trying to be first.

The man, frowning under the glaring sun, formally accepted their greetings.

Isteban Mayol.

...Right. It was a major event centered around the Temple; of course Count Mayol would be here.

I had overlooked a problem even greater than divine power.

Suddenly, Isteban's gaze shifted in my direction.

I scrambled away from the window.

Rose looked puzzled.

“Someone you know?”

“He's my father. My biological father.”

Though he himself finds that fact deeply unpleasant.

Rose frowned at my awkward reply.

“He doesn't look anything like you.”

“...I'll take that as a compliment.”

I tried to push away the passage from the novel that mentioned my sister had inherited Isteban's looks, and that Cheria, in turn, resembled her sister.

Kivrin's eyes crinkled as he smiled.

“Th-thank you for the introduction.”

It seemed the magnanimous Kivrin was willing to count even this shoddy introduction as a proper one.

Slightly calmed by his smile, I peered out the window again.

Isteban was transferring to one of the Temple's carriages.

Soon, the Temple's carriage set off.

I could faintly see small animals clinging to the carriage wheels.

The carriage momentarily tilted.

It managed not to tip over, but it was precarious enough to make passersby turn and look.

“I, I didn't ask them to do that.”

Kivrin explained.

“They're doing that... b-because they want to impress you, Cheria.”

“...Could it be that rumors of what happened in the marquisate have spread?”

“M-maybe.”

A little later, I also spotted a carriage carrying members of the collateral branches of the Ingram family.

I'd heard that Marquis Ingram, unable to pay the reparations, had given up half of his territory.

That land now belonged to the ducal family.

The marquis must have gladly handed it over, believing it to be useless land due to the magic circles, but Kivrin had restored it long ago.

In the end, the ducal family had acquired perfectly good land.

As I was thinking about my animal friends from the marquisate and Rebecca, the communication stone began to glow.

I was puzzled, since my sister was the only one who would contact me.

I pressed the stone and spoke at the same time.

“Sister?”

*The animal friends are keeping me updated, so nothing could have happened already.*

[I figured out what those magic circles are for.]

My sister got straight to the point.

I tilted my head.

“Weren't they for destroying the ecosystem?”

Having nearly been framed as a destroyer of ecosystems, I unconsciously wrinkled my nose.

My double nosebleed had been well worth it.

My sister clicked her tongue.

[Turns out, they've already gathered the energy obtained from that in one place. It seems they're not just planning to offer monsters at this Consecration Festival.]

I could hear her muttering about whether it was right for them to conspire like this behind the Saintess's back.

I recalled the priest saying the Pope wanted this Consecration Festival to be especially memorable.

It seems that statement held many different meanings.

I fell into deep thought.

According to my sister, the god was asleep, stockpiling its power.

It was only natural that the less time it spent stockpiling, the sooner it would awaken.

So, what then?

What happens next?

[They must have done a few things to keep me from discovering it, which is why I didn't know. But as soon as the power vanished, it became visible. If you're curious, little sis, you can come see for yourself. You'll have to hurry, though. The old man doesn't seem to plan on leaving me alone in the Main Temple. Something about not needing to follow all the rules of the festival? Well, let me tell you how much of a scene I made yesterday to get the Pope to act this way...]

My sister launched into her tale of valor.

Aside from the part where she used her steak-replenished stamina to grab the Pope by the collar, it was mostly what I'd already heard from Kivrin.

I played along with her story for a bit before asking,

“What happens if the god receives that energy and wakes up?”

I could hear my sister pondering.

[Hmm, maybe it'll throw a party? It did announce it would descend more spectacularly than any other god.]

Its attitude really lacked any sense of dignity.

How was that any different from my sister, who possessed immense power and a personality that didn't match it?

If my sister were to pose as a god, she'd probably do a similar, if not better, job.

I glanced up at Kivrin, but his expression was unreadable.

Rose had her arms crossed.

After a moment of silence, during which she seemed to be considering various possibilities, my sister blurted out,

[I can't think of anything else. Maybe it'll go on a snake hunt, like in the old tales?]

Huh?

“W-what kind of hunt?”

My eyes trembled in shock.

I knew the Empire's state god was famous for hunting snakes.

But a snake as large as the ones depicted in the Temple's ceiling and wall murals didn't exist in this world.

A being that called itself a god wouldn't hunt ordinary slithering snakes.

Which left only Kivrin and me.

H-how could this be happening!

I shot up from my chair.

As unfair as it felt, the motives and consequences of the Pope's actions were suddenly becoming crystal clear.

Unlike my sister, the Pope had been acting not only for his own benefit but for the god's as well.

He had tried to frame Del for the magic circles.

In the Moritia Kingdom, she was known as Del, but in the Empire, she was called the snake.

The god could use the pretext of Del causing chaos in the Empire to subjugate her.

Soon, the paintings of hunted snakes that decorated the Temple might be taken down, and I could be the one to take their place.

I'm still only eleven!

I haven't even escaped my sunfish-like fragility yet!

A-and I'm not even sure if my parents-in-law will get their happy ending...