国产午夜亚洲精品AⅤ

Chapter 116

It seemed Olivia Lanche’s safe return had caused a small commotion among the upper-year students. Fortunately, because the incident had not escalated, the details regarding it did not spread among the students. It was as if the members of Grace had been sworn to secrecy by the teachers; no words about Olivia Lanche being tortured or anything of the sort had spread.

The royal family indeed wanted to handle this matter quietly.

Adriana, along with the other members of Grace, were crying tears of joy that Olivia had returned safely, and since I had confirmed she was unharmed, I did not feel the need to join their rather modest welcome-home party.

That day, I planned to attend classes as usual, eat dinner, and then train.

But then, Olivia Lanche came looking for me, all the way in the dormitory for first-year students.

“Hey, Reinhart.”

“Oh...”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

There was still a darkness to her complexion, but her expression did not look as wretched as the one I had seen in the original future.

***

The woman who had suddenly visited me in the night took me for a walk outside the Temple dormitory. The area around the Royal Class building was quiet, perhaps because it was night.

“I heard you played a big role.”

“... What role? Actually, it was Evia who did everything.”

“Yes, I’ve thanked that child too. But I’m grateful to you as well, Reinhart.”

Although Adriana and I had developed the plan in our minds, ultimately, the most critical element had been Evia’s talent in Telepathy.

Olivia walked in silence for a while. She did not set a quick pace, and it felt like we were out taking a stroll.

“I thought it would be enough for me to quit the Temple and give up my faith. I wanted to live a quiet life, without hurting anyone...”

However, Leverier Lanche couldn’t give up on Olivia. So, he tried to control Olivia even if it meant breaking her, and when he finally realized that neither mental magic nor brainwashing would work on her, he would have had to kill Olivia Lanche, who would have been left a completely broken person in the end.

“I must have been too naive.”

She believed that, by doing what she’d done, they would leave her alone, but they didn’t. Instead, they had imprisoned her and threatened her. Leverier Lanche was fully intent on making Olivia live the way he wanted her to, even if it meant torture and brainwashing.

What had she been forced to listen to during those days of captivity? Olivia, who had radiated gentleness and affection when I’d first met her, was wrapped in an air of loneliness after just a few days.

“What will you do about the Temple?”

Olivia had intended to leave the Temple, but she had only been released from the Order of the Holy Knights because she was a student at the Temple.

“... Leaving the Temple might actually put me in danger now.”

“... Is that so?”

“Yes, I’ve come to know too many things that I shouldn’t have.”

Olivia had learned about the secrets of the Order of the Holy Knights, the corruption within the religion, and how terrible their actions were. Moreover, she had been rescued just before the Order of the Holy Knights could harm her.

Without the protection of the Temple, Olivia might end up back in the hands of the Order of the Holy Knights again. The last time, they wanted to brainwash her, but this time, it would be to silence her.

In the end, it seemed Olivia had decided to stay at the Temple, at least as a way to protect herself.

“Shall we sit for a moment?”

“Sure.”

Olivia walked on for a while before sitting on a bench, and I sat down next to her. There was a strangely comforting fragrance emanating from her, either from her body or her hair.

“Then... are you giving up on your faith?”

“Yes.”

“I mean, you don’t necessarily have to belong to a group in order to practice your faith, do you?”

Olivia Lanche had mentioned previously that she wasn’t just giving up on joining the Order of the Holy Knights, but was giving up on the faith itself.

However, it wasn’t as though it was impossible to believe in a god on one’s own.

I was suddenly curious as to why she wanted to give up on the faith entirely.

“I know what you’re trying to say,” Olivia said as she nodded.

She smiled faintly. “Do you want to see something?”

“What is it?”

Whirr...

A white aura was forming around her right hand. It was a manifestation of Divine Power.

“It’s the power of Ouen, the god of purity.”

“Yes... Well, that would make sense.”

Olivia looked at me with sad eyes. “Why is it that people who are not at all pure can use this power? Why can so many priests and holy knights, who act against their faith and doctrine, still wield such strong divine powers?”

There were priests and holy knights within the Order who had betrayed their doctrines and committed countless terrible acts. Yet, they were neither judged nor punished by the heavens, but still possessed immense divine power.

“And why can I still use this power, even though I’ve decided not to serve Ouen anymore?” she continued.

Even if one rejected the faith, Divine Power still resided within them.

It seemed Olivia was plagued by too many questions.

“But then I figured it out. Divine Power doesn’t seem to be proportional to the size of one’s faith, and it can still be used even if one doesn’t live while adhering strictly to the doctrine.”

She expressed this opinion calmly, although it was one that could easily have her referred to a religious tribunal. It seemed she was beginning to doubt the entire pantheon of gods within the Divine Cult of the Almighty after seeing the corrupted priests and the powers they wielded.

“The gods lend us their power, but they don’t care at all what we do with it. That must be why the Order of the Holy Knights, which should have disappeared long ago, still exists.”

“The gods don’t watch over us. They simply lend us power, but what we do with that power doesn’t concern them in the slightest.”

“What use is it to offer all the prayers and hymns to beings that don’t watch over us?”

Olivia, after her period of powerlessness and disillusionment, had come to the conclusion that faith was useless. Many sermons and teachings were disconnected from the gods themselves.

It wasn’t emotional; Olivia had come to a logical conclusion that she would give up on her faith. She realized that she would continue to be strong in Divine Power, independent of her faith.

“Who knows, maybe it’s just the major gods who are like that.”

“... Pardon?”

“Hm? Oh, no, nothing.”

Olivia had made a strange comment, then fumbled around, trying to act as if she had misspoken.

“The major gods lack interest in the world.”

Could it be then, that their opposites, the demon gods, might be different?

Why would she suddenly make such a dangerous remark? Since Olivia awkwardly laughed it off, I couldn’t probe any further.

‘Could it be... Has she turned dark?’

Olivia changed the subject, and asked about something entirely different. “Anyway, Reinhart, why did you decide to help me? I heard about that letter, the one you and Adriana wrote.”

“Ah... Is that so?”

It all turned out well in the end, so I hadn’t been too concerned about the letter, but it seemed like everyone had suspected us from the moment I’d spoken up during the meeting. Because of that, Adriana had apparently spilled everything to them.

That meant Olivia knew that Adriana and I were the key figures who had saved her.

“Was it because Adriana asked you to do it?” Olivia said, smiling at me.

This had to be this feeling that people meant when they said that their heart seemed about to burst. The person in front of me was dazzlingly beautiful, and it felt as if my brain had stopped working.

‘Is this really happening right now?’

Seeing me at a loss for words, Olivia looked me in the eyes and chuckled mischievously.

“Or did you fall for me at first sight, perhaps?”

“P-P-Pardon?!”

‘What the heck? Why this, all of a sudden?! It wasn’t love at first sight, but I admit it, you’re driving me crazy!’

It felt as though my soul might actually get sucked out if I let my guard down even a little more.

Olivia covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. “I was just kidding. Why are you so surprised?”

‘What? So now that she’s let everything go, she’s suddenly turned into someone who can make such bizarre jokes?’

Olivia narrowed her eyes, and suddenly brought her face closer to mine.

More precisely, next to my ear.

“You know how I said I won’t serve Ouen anymore?” she whispered softly.

“The priests of Ouen aren’t allowed to marry. But now that I’ve given that up, I’m free from such concerns.”

Was that what she was trying to say to me?

With a peculiar chuckle, Olivia continued to whisper, “Of course, you’re too young right now, so you’ll need to grow a little more. Maybe... when you’re around your fourth year?”

“Why are you doing this to me?!” I exclaimed, flustered, and Olivia tilted her head.

“I’ve heard that being too modest about this kind of thing can actually be more annoying, so I’m just being pretty honest about it.”

Olivia played with her hair and smiled at me. “I’m quite pretty, aren’t I?”

‘Fine, I admit it.’

Honestly, if anyone had called her the most beautiful girl in school, it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration. Saying she looked average would be considered a crime.

However, hearing her confidently acknowledge her beauty felt really odd.

“Well, yes, I get that, but you don’t have to say it yourself...”

‘She’s turned dark.’

She had definitely turned darker in various ways.

Seeing my bewildered expression, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, displaying a captivating smile.

‘Wow.’

She hadn’t been like this before, but the gentle saintess was now beginning to unleash the charm that she had sealed away.

Wasn’t this a disaster in its own right?

Olivia pulled me slightly closer.

“Anyway, thank you, Reinhart.”

Peck!

She kissed my cheek lightly, but firmly enough to make a sound.

“Let’s do other things when you’re a bit older, shall we?”

“Oh.”

I remained in that position, unable to do anything for about ten seconds.

My brain had truly frozen up.

This fallen saintess had now turned into a lunatic who flirted with and tossed dirty adult jokes at a first-year kid.

***

“... So, it’s a big problem.”

“Senior Olivia said that...?”

The next day, when I relayed to Adriana what had happened with Olivia the night before as we were doing our early morning exercises, her complexion turned pale.

Her idol and role model had not only abandoned her faith, but her personality had also undergone a 180-degree flip, which shocked her profoundly. Moreover, her actions suggested an attitude that, since she had thrown away the doctrine of purity, she was going to do whatever she wanted to from now on.

They say that late learners are more frightening, and if the top beauty of the region had undergone such a drastic change, there was no one who wouldn’t fall for her.

“Um... Although it’s a bit shocking... shouldn’t you technically be happy about it, junior?”

Despite her shock, Adriana was somehow suggesting that since Olivia, who was even called the Saintess of Eredian, had gone as far as giving a peck, I was supposed to be happy about it.

“Happiness aside, it seems like she’s just teasing me. Even knowing that, though, I can’t handle it when she does it right in front of me.”

She clearly enjoyed seeing me all flustered and struggling. She probably thought of me as just a kid. But when she did such things in front of me, I had no idea what to do and my brain just froze.

The person who had given me resistance to mental attacks was the very one attacking my mind!

“Um... What’s there to do? I-I guess it’s not bad to enjoy it...?”

Adriana was implying that, if I couldn’t escape it, I might as well consider it an honor.

‘Well, I mean, I guess...’

When would I ever experience something like this again?

But this wasn’t good for my heart at all.

After running for a while, Adriana suddenly remembered something.

“Um... The senior said she wanted to have a meal with you and me together... as a way of saying thanks,” she said.

“C-Can... Can I decline?”

Adriana was adamant.

“No, you have to come.”