"Here."
The place Astina and I arrived at was a temple in the capital.
The temple, adorned with white marble, was beautiful, and its appearance under the sunlight was sublime.
If I hadn't known about the clergy, I would have exclaimed in admiration.
However, now I thought about how much money had been spent to build this building.
How much money must those religious groups have to build such a temple?
From the architectural style to the location of the land, it was evident a lot of money had been splurged.
"Let's go in."
I followed Astina into the temple.
As we entered, a priest greeted us.
"Hello. What brings you here?"
"We've come to see a high priest."
Astina had a brief conversation with the priest, and I stepped back to look up at the ceiling.
Angels descending from the sky and humans welcoming them.
And a woman standing at the forefront.
She was a sacrifice presented before the angels.
What does this mean...
Just a decoration carved out?
"Rudy."
Astina, having finished her conversation, walked over to me.
"Did it go well?"
"Yeah, he's inside. Let's go in."
I followed Astina into the room.
Inside, an old man was sitting.
His face was deeply wrinkled, and he looked so old that he moved with difficulty.
"High Priest Johann, how are you?"
"Astina, it's been a long time. How is your father?"
The grandfather greeted Astina with a kind smile.
Despite his age, he had a gentlemanly appearance.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Yes, he's doing well in the fief."
"That's good to hear. May Karua's blessing be upon you. But what brings you here, Miss Astina?"
"Oh, I came to talk about that land you mentioned last time."
Astina spoke to High Priest Johann about the incident we caused.
High Priest Johann was taken aback but soon let out a resigned laugh.
"Ah... Training can lead to such outcomes... Now, the aftermath is the problem."
"I will take care of it with my family. It's my responsibility since I caused it."
"No. I'm the one who said you could train on that land, so this old man will take responsibility. Ah..."
"I'm sorry."
"No need. It must be Karua's will. But, who is this behind you?"
High Priest Johann pointed at me standing behind Astina.
"Hello. My name is Rudy Astria."
"Oh, Rudy Astria? Are you...?"
High Priest Johann looked at me with wide eyes.
Then, he carefully opened his mouth.
"Are you the Rudy Astria of the Astria family I know of?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I see..."
High Priest Johann licked his lips.
I tilted my head, wondering if there was something going on.
"Do you have something to say?"
"No, it's just fascinating to meet someone I've only heard about in stories. Ahaha."
It didn't seem like that was all...
"How do you know the clergy, Astina?"
I had never heard that Astina was a follower.
Nor had I seen her praying alone.
If anything, Astina didn't seem to like the clergy much.
Always believing in her own power and living in reality, it was unlikely for someone who is a wizard to favor an invisible god.
In response to my question, Astina smiled and answered.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Our fief has some connections with the temple."
"Connections?"
"You know our fief is a commercial city, right?"
"Yes, I know that..."
"Because there are a lot of people coming and going, many of them follow religions. So, our fief and the temple have developed a sort of connection."
Her words meant the connection wasn't because Astina or her father were followers, but more of a political reason.
"So, you got to know High Priest Johann through such reasons?"
"Something like that. He's a good person, unlike other clergy members, so we got to know each other better."
It felt almost like insulting the clergy in front of one, which was a bit embarrassing.
I glanced at High Priest Johann.
"Ahaha, it's okay. Even within the clergy, there can be those who are lacking."
"Regardless, High Priest Johann has helped a lot in expanding our territory. He even helped to establish a small school for nurturing talents and facilities like orphanages, all at his own expense. Back then, we were just a small fief unable to offer any compensation."
"Ahaha, I only did what Beatrice commanded. Any thanks should be directed to Beatrice."
Beatrice?
My eyes widened.
The saint of the previous generation and the one who summoned me.
I had heard stories about that person, but aside from Haruna, I had never met anyone who actually knew her.
And Haruna didn't speak much about her, only in a business-like manner, as if discussing history.
Curious, I asked.
"Do you know much about her?"
"Eh? Are you talking about Beatrice?"
"Yes, I'm quite curious about her."
"If you're curious..."
"It's about who she was. I'm quite interested in her."
I knew somewhat about Beatrice's death.
Her sudden disappearance and the emergence of the next saint, Haruna, had been discussed at the academy.
I couldn't say I knew much about her life.
Since people weren't interested in the clergy, they also didn't know much about the movements of the saints.
Upon hearing my words, High Priest Johann displayed a somewhat sad smile.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Do you understand what the position of a saint really entails, Rudy?"
A saint is supposed to represent the clergy and be a girl who has received God's will.
Technically, it means someone like Haruna, who inherited dimensional magic.
But I didn't answer directly, instead throwing the question back somewhat to gauge his thoughts.
"A saint is someone who has received the greatest blessing from God, isn't it?"
That's how the clergy described saints.
However, High Priest Johann shook his head.
"A saint is someone who has received a curse from God."
"Excuse me?"
A curse?
"You know that a saint can see the future, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware of that much..."
"Some might see the ability to foresee the future as a blessing, but seeing the future is no different from a curse."
"So, are you saying God cursed the saints?"
"What may be a gift of goodwill to some may also be a curse to others. If truly it was a blessing bestowed by God, then He should have also given the saints the power to change that future."
High Priest Johann said this and then looked up at the ceiling.
"Beatrice did her best to struggle against such a curse. She tried to use the future she saw to prevent even the smallest sacrifices. But not all events in the world can be stopped. That's why she spent many nights in tears, blaming herself for not being able to prevent what she foresaw..."
High Priest Johann said this and then laughed hollowly.
"For some, seeing the future might be a blessing. But for some... at least for Beatrice, it was a curse."
One cannot control all futures.
We can only choose our futures.
Saving one might lead to the deaths of many, and saving many might require the sacrifice of an individual.
If there was a choice where no one dies, that would be ideal, but the world isn't so accommodating.
"The future is not something that humans can handle. Knowing the future, whether you conform to it or try to overcome it, both are incorrect."
Knowing this, Beatrice still tried to overcome it.
To conform to the future or to try to overcome it, both are wrong...
"Rather than explaining in detail about Beatrice, it's best to describe her as 'one who tried to overcome.' She tried to overcome everything. The past, the present, and the future. Ahaha, the position of a saint is truly a painful one. Truly..."
One who tried to overcome.
That remark implied a failure to overcome.
"Thank you for the wise words."
I was left pondering.
"Ah, don't mention it."
Did Beatrice truly fail?
Did she ultimately conform to the future?
Was she unable to overcome it?
"Rudy, let's head back."
"Understood."
I didn't dwell on it further.
Or rather, even if I did, I couldn't have found an answer.
This answer...
I had to create it myself.
After Astina and Rudy left, High Priest Johann remained alone in the room.
'High Priest Johann, please take good care of Haruna.'
He recalled what Beatrice had said.
That little girl had entrusted him with an even smaller girl.
Johann had interfered with the search for Haruna in the temple.
So that Haruna could escape.
To prevent her from being caught by the temple.
And to keep her hidden from others.
Johann himself could no longer find Haruna.
He thought it was for the best.
"What power does this old man have..."
Johann knew there was a connection between Rudy and Haruna.
Yet, he did not ask about Haruna.
He simply wanted to offer help to Haruna through that boy.
'There are things that those who cannot see the future can do.'
Believing that his intention was understood.
He looked towards the place Rudy had disappeared.
