TVSP 20🍂

Chapter 20

“If I had more money, you wouldn’t have needed to come to such a dangerous place yourself to buy this.”

His voice drooped with regret. I corrected him firmly.

“If you had chosen wealth, you and I would never have ended up like this.”

“…What?”

“If you had been just another prince, you would have remained a forgettable man. But you chose conviction over wealth and power. That’s what made you the Leandros standing here now. Surely you’re not ashamed of that, are you?”

“….”

“I rather like you for that. So don’t lose it. It would only sour my mood.”

The words left me feeling oddly light. Yet at the same time, a strange, unnameable embarrassment crept in.

“And as for this relic—I have no intention of handing it over. I’ll be the one keeping it.”

“If it is for our future, then I will abide by your will.”

My emotions bounced like a restless flame, but he looked overjoyed. To think he had once knelt in desperation to obtain the jewel, and now entrusted it to me without hesitation.

“But still… it feels a little unfair.”

“What does?”

Leandros suddenly spoke nonsense. I looked at him in puzzlement, and he gave me the most ridiculous, earnest confession.

“Grace, you’ve already lived through so much. You know when and where to find me. But I don’t. I wanted to show you only my best self, and I couldn’t. That frustrates me.”

His honesty froze me in place.

“And yet… it excites me too. The thought that you could appear before me at any time, anywhere—it feels like waiting for a surprise gift.”

Having untangled his own emotions, his expression softened with a quiet smile.

Do ordinary friends talk like this?

“But of course, it’s better to meet by appointment. So… are you free tomorrow?”

…He really did sound like a man asking for a date.

“The answer finally came for the request you made. They agreed to re-examine your holy power tomorrow.”

His next words shattered my illusion.

“They’re even willing to arrange the meeting you wanted.”

I had asked him to set up an audience with the Temple’s upper ranks to hear their views on my holy power and its changes. Normally, such prideful officials would never spare time for a mere saint candidate. But I had poured mountains of coin into their charitable works, and clearly that had caught their attention.

“Of course I’ll make time, no matter what.”

When I smiled with genuine delight, Leandros smiled too.

I wonder who will appear. If I’m lucky, perhaps the Pope himself.

“It’s late. Grace, may I escort you home?”

I was too busy rehearsing what I’d say tomorrow to pay him much mind. But I didn’t want to show it. So instead of words, I simply placed my hand upon his.

Leandros’ mask couldn’t hide the happiness in his expression.

All nobles of the Empire were required by law to undergo a formal holy power examination at the age of ten.

High holy power symbolized pure noble blood. Unless one was defective, everyone wanted their name recorded in the Temple’s registry of the faithful.

I too, as a child, had believed I would shine brilliantly.

The ceremony was simple. Priests would gather in a circle, while the child knelt within the holy sigil, praying to God. Then holy power would flow, lighting up the circle. The brighter the light, the greater the divine gift.

But unlike the other children, I produced no light.

No matter how many times I tried, the result was the same: I had no holy power. My name was never written into the registry.

To return to that place—the scene of my first crushing defeat—it feels strange.

The chamber was kept deliberately dark so that even faint holy light would be visible. The gloom only worsened my mood.

Thinking of that day makes me furious. But maybe this time will be different. Maybe I can even use it.

“This way, please.”

The priest who guided me was no one important.

No Pope. Not even a Cardinal. I felt irritation rise.

“Don’t worry.”

Leandros clenched his fist, mistaking my expression for nerves. His gesture was so earnest that I laughed despite myself, and his smile deepened.

Yes, perhaps it’s better this way.

If the relic inside me granted holy power, it would be formidable. To be treated so lightly now would only give me leverage later, when the truth emerged. And if my power was faint, then at least the Temple wouldn’t have humiliated itself with pomp.

It will only make negotiations with the Pope trickier… but still.

I gazed at the sigil and walked toward its center.

Oddly, I don’t believe it will be faint at all.

Perhaps it was because of Leandros. The way he never doubted me made it impossible to doubt myself.

I reached the place and knelt slowly, folding my hands in prayer.

My heart pounded.

Is this anticipation, or the relic itself stirring at the sight of the sigil?

Closing my eyes, I whispered—not a plea, but a warning.

“I’m in a good mood today. Don’t ruin it.”

For an instant, I thought I heard laughter at my ear. My lips curled into a smile.

Even with eyes closed, I could feel it: the warmth, the strength of power flowing through me, cloaking me in a force that promised to protect.

I opened my eyes.

Light exploded, not merely bright but overwhelming, flooding the chamber as if the sun itself had descended.

Through the radiance I thought I glimpsed Leandros smiling back at me.

A miracle.

That was the only word the priests could utter when they beheld Grace’s re-examination.

“It was as if the sun itself had chased away the night! Surely this means God Himself stands at Grace’s side!”

Even Cardinals joined in, claiming they had witnessed the brilliance from outside the chamber.

Pope Vesque pressed his fingers to his brow, annoyed.

If I had known, I would have attended.

Grace Apferdita—once dismissed as a defective noble with no holy power, a woman thought to be clawing her way into the Temple with wealth and ambition. He had mocked this “re-examination” as another cheap performance.

Now, hearing of the light too late, he was furious with himself.

Leandros recommended her. I should have realized there was something more.

He tried to convince himself she had seduced the knight, that no matter how righteous a man, he was still young and fallible.

But the truth was clear: he had been the fool.

And now, faced with the need to offer her congratulations, he could only frown.

Of all people, she had to be a Duke’s daughter. Still… it should be fine.

With holy power this great, surely it was God’s choice. She must be truly devout. They would bind her to the Temple, and quickly.

Yes, this will work. We’ll declare her Saint outright, and spread the news of God’s blessing across the land.

Comforted by this thought, Vesque finally let his shoulders ease.

But only until he raised his head—

And found Grace Apferdita standing there, her calm gaze fixed directly upon him.

Only then did he realize he had miscalculated everything.