"—Return to the Holy City at once, and from this day forward, let us live together in the Cathedral!"
"""...What?"""
I felt the very air crack.
It was the sound of Master, Yulitia, and Atri speaking with voices that had dropped into a terrifyingly low register. I knew those voices weren't meant for me, but I felt a primal chill that made my skin crawl.
Despite the reaction, Anze didn't let her smile—one filled with pure affection—waver for even a second. Even as a staggering pressure began to emanate from the others, the kind that felt like it might cause the earth to shake, she acted as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"The Cathedral is the safest place in this world. You can take all the time you need to heal your wounds there."
"Ah... Anze, about that..."
"Please, do not worry. I will not let anyone harm you, Master Wolka. With the full weight of the Chryscles Holy Church behind me, I will provide you with every possible support. Please, leave everything to me..."
Wow. That is some heavy-hitting emotion.
I was thinking about Anze, the sister with a heart larger than the heavens and deeper than the sea.
If my unreliable knowledge of the original story was correct, she wasn't actually a character from it. If a girl this striking had appeared, even as a background extra, I’m sure she would have occupied at least a corner of my memory. Since she didn't ring a bell at all, it was reasonable to assume she had never appeared in the original work.
To begin with, as far as I had read, the "Holy City" was treated as nothing more than a vague concept in the original story.
There were two reasons for that.
First, the original protagonist deliberately avoided the two major cities: the Holy City and the Royal Capital. Since the protagonist never went near them, the story never depicted them. It made perfect sense.
To the protagonist—a berserker obsessed with the total eradication of monsters—the Royal Capital and the Holy City were objects of hatred. They were places that possessed mighty military forces yet had failed to save his people. From what I remembered, the protagonist only began to reluctantly interact with characters from the Royal Capital once the series was several volumes in. I assumed the focus would have eventually shifted to the Holy City, but the author's updates had slowed down in the later years, and I had passed away before I could find out how it ended.
The second reason was my own speculation: the author had likely planned the Holy City as the stage for the final act and was intentionally withholding information about it.
I recalled a mention that there were Four Saints in the Holy City, and that they alone supposedly surpassed the combined military strength of the entire Royal Capital. No matter how you looked at it, they were the type of faction meant to make a grand entrance late in the game, so the fact that they were only hinted at made sense.
That said, I seemed to have completely forgotten the details of those hints...
Because of that, my meager knowledge of the original plot was almost useless when it came to the Holy City.
Back to Anze.
She was a sister belonging to the Cathedral, the central institution of the Chryscles Holy Church. Like any typical sister, she was modestly dressed in a chaste black habit. Her long platinum blonde hair cascaded down her back, and her jade-colored eyes seemed to glow with an inner light. As for her skin, it was so pure that I could hardly believe we were the same species. I felt a sense of divinity from her—as if touching her with my bare hands would invite divine punishment.
Matching her refined appearance perfectly, her personality was as clear as a sacred spring. She never lost her merciful smile, faced everyone with a pure heart, and acted with innocent goodwill. Her conduct, which showed no trace of negative emotions like anger or jealousy, was truly fitting for a servant of God.
And perhaps as a side effect of her untainted heart, the scale of Anze's words and actions was simply extravagant. One could call her broad-minded, magnanimous, or high-spirited—but for my part, I preferred the term "monumental goodwill."
I mean it. She approached life with the momentum of someone who saw the entire world as a place glowing with God's blessing.
For example, a moment ago, she had boldly said something that could easily be misunderstood—and was currently being misunderstood—like "Let's live together in the Cathedral." In her mind, that was likely just a grander way of saying "Please come recuperate at the Cathedral."
To be honest, I found Anze a little difficult to deal with.
In my previous life, I was a Japanese person raised with a belief in the "Eight Million Gods," so I instinctively tensed up when faced with a "Believe in God and be saved" vibe. It always felt a bit like a suspicious cult to me. It wasn't Anze's fault, so I was trying my best to get used to it, but still...
Aside from her monumental goodwill, she was a normal girl. If I recalled correctly, she was the same age as Atri. She was shorter than Atri, and since she was a stranger to physical conflict, the lines of her body were soft and radiated a sense of maternal comfort.
And above all, her bust was every bit as large as her heart—no, let's stop right there. It’s rude to look at her like that.
However, my cliff-chested Master had once looked at her and felt utterly crushed by the social inequality, muttering, "Just what kind of food do you have to eat to end up like that...?"
Perhaps because of that, even now, Master seemed to view Anze with a strange sense of rivalry.
"—Hey, brat."
I felt the cracks in the room’s atmosphere spreading rapidly until they reached the point of no return.
Master hopped down from Atri's lap and stood right next to Anze, placing me squarely in the middle.
"You... surely you don't intend to just haul Wolka away? Wolka is my—ahem, he is our precious comrade. Don't go spouting such nonsense."
Master, who was quick to pick a fight at the best of times, was about thirty percent more dangerous than usual when facing Anze. Mana was unconsciously leaking from her body, making her silver hair rustle and sway like some eerie creature.
She had likely interpreted Anze's statement as an attempt to poach me from the party. Rest easy, Master, I have absolutely no interest in joining the Chrys Knights. For now, please pull back your mana; my stomach is starting to knot up from the pressure.
I hoped Yulitia or Atri would calm her down—but Yulitia's eyes were pitch black, like dark matter, as she muttered, "Senior is going to be taken away... I have to protect him..." Yeah, I’m just going to pretend I didn't see that. Her gaze was too terrifying to meet.
On the other hand, Atri was calm as always... wait, no she wasn't. She was standing by, ready to undo Accessorize—the magic that shrinks equipment into small ornaments—and summon her halberd at a moment's notice. What is wrong with you people? The Old Sister is trembling so hard her eyes look like they're going to pop out of her head.
I had no choice. I had to stop this.
"Ma—"
"Wolka, stay quiet."
"Y-Yes, ma'am..."
Master is terrifying... She didn't even let me get a word in. As for Anze, who faced this fury head-on without losing a shred of her composure, her mental fortitude had to be from another dimension.
"Oh dear..." Anze said, putting a hand to her cheek. "Is it not allowed? Considering Master Wolka's condition, I truly believe leaving his care to the Cathedral is the best course of action..."
"That..."
Master bit her lip in frustration.
"...I can't deny that. Agh, I hate to admit it, but I can't. From your perspective... we, who couldn't even protect Wolka, must be absolutely unforgivable."
"No, Lieselalte-sama. That is not true at all."
Anze immediately shook her head. With an expression of deep pity, she took Master's small hands into hers, then looked toward Yulitia and Atri.
"I am well aware of how much you all treasure Master Wolka. I can only imagine how great your heartache must be... It is almost too much to bear."
"O-Oh...?"
"How could I, who knew nothing and could not even be there to help, possibly blame any of you...?"
This was it. This was why I struggled with Anze—she had absolutely zero malice. She was too pure.
Even when her opinion conflicted with someone else's, it was a thought born from one hundred percent goodwill. She was sincere to a fault. Simply put, you couldn't help but lose your rhythm when talking to her.
Master was completely thrown off her stride.
"I-Is that so...? N-No! But still!"
Master had been radiating her "eldest member" aura for the first time in a while, but she was so swayed by Anze's kindness that she couldn't maintain her dignity.
She puffed out her cheeks and began to stomp her feet in frustration.
"Then what about just now! What did you mean by 'living together'!? That's... that's scandalous! It's improper! I absolutely won't allow it, so there!!"
Her charisma as an elder just plummeted into the negatives.
Well, I suppose this was better than the murderous atmosphere continuing. It felt like a balloon that was about to burst had suddenly deflated.
"Wolka is my... uh, my... disciple! He's my precious disciple! I won't hand him over to someone with a chest as big as yours!"
"Master, calm down."
Your resentment about the "social inequality" is leaking. Don't say things like that in front of a man. It's incredibly rude to Anze.
However, Anze accepted even this with a calm, gentle smile.
"Fufu. As I thought, Lieselalte-sama, you care for Master Wolka very deeply."
"Of course I do!"
"In that case, let me rephrase. Why don't you all—"
"W-Wait a moment!"
At that point, the Old Sister finally rebooted and cut in. Her aura of a veteran who had seen it all was gone; she approached Master with a pale face, looking as if she were seeing something impossible.
"Y-You, do you have any idea who you are speaking to...?"
Anze chuckled softly.
"It is quite alright. Please, do not mind."
"But—"
"I just said it is quite alright."
The Old Sister swallowed the rest of her words and fell silent instantly. ...Wait, is Anze so high-ranking that she can silence a superior sister with one sentence? As expected of an elite from the Cathedral...
"Let us return to the subject. Yes, I believe I fully understand that Master Wolka is your precious comrade. Therefore—"
Anze clasped her hands in front of her chest and proclaimed, as if light were pouring down from the heavens:
"Why don't you all come live in the Cathedral as well? That way, we can all nurse Master Wolka together!"
This woman is a threat...! She’s an assassin from the Church sent to obstruct my return to society with one hundred percent pure goodwill...!
"As I mentioned, the Cathedral is the safest place in this world. There is no need to worry about outside threats, and should an emergency occur, I can heal you immediately. The Cathedral will provide daily meals, personal belongings, a superior prosthetic leg, and every other form of support imaginable!"
"""...I see..."""
Don't "I see" her.
"Furthermore, since the Holy Knights are always on patrol... fufu, there is no need to worry about losing sight of Master Wolka even for a moment."
That’s strange. To my ears, that sounded a lot like she was planning to keep me under house arrest.
"Master Wolka can focus on his recovery, and you can all focus on nursing him... What do you think? I believe it is a flawless plan..."
"""..."""
Hey, don't actually consider it. Don't look at me with eyes that say, "Why didn't we think of that?" My pride and my stomach won't survive a life like that.
"Anze."
"Yes, what is it?"
Anze turned toward me, her eyes sparkling. While I flinched slightly at her dazzling, innocent radiance, I spoke up.
"I appreciate the offer, but you don't need to go that far."
"Master Wolka, please do not worry about it. If anything, it pained me to realize how powerless I was. While you were suffering, I was in the Holy City knowing nothing—ah, if it were possible, I would want to give my everything to heal you...!"
Her monumental goodwill is so heavy...
But I couldn't let her win. I wanted to return to society. To sit idly by, taking advantage of the kindness of my comrades without even making an effort to stand on my own—that just wasn't right.
"My body ended up like this... but I'm not so fragile that I'd give up because of it."
"But..."
"I'll get used to the prosthetic leg soon and be able to walk. There's no need to impose on the Cathedral."
As a baseline, I was going back to the Holy City. That was a given. I still had a room I was renting there, and there were people I needed to check in with.
And if I could make it back to the Holy City with this prosthetic leg, it would mean I had already taken the first step toward returning to society. I believed I could manage a daily life without being a burden on the Church.
Fortunately, Anze's goodwill was part of her nature; she didn't have the same crushing guilt that Master and the others were struggling with. So, I thought she would understand if I just declined normally—but.
"Is that... so. As I thought, I... cannot be of any help to you, Master Wolka."
...Huh? Wait. Somehow, she looked way more shocked than I expected. Anze's smile, which hadn't flickered even when Master was screaming at her, suddenly withered.
"I am sorry. I was... a nuisance, wasn't I? ...I truly am useless..."
"Ugh..."
Wait, she didn't move an inch no matter what was said to her before, but now she's genuinely depressed? Even I could tell that her smile had been replaced by genuine heartbreak.
Master and the others were looking at me with eyes that said, "You didn't have to be so mean..." Hey, you guys were about to draw weapons on her a minute ago! Don't switch sides now!
What do you think, Old Siste—ah, she looked away instantly. She has completely abandoned me to my fate.
I-I see. Thinking about it, Anze rushed all the way to this town from the Holy City solely because she was worried about me... and that's something to be grateful for. I suppose rejecting her offer so flatly was a bit cold.
"S-Sorry, Anze. You're not a nuisance."
But even so, I couldn't let myself be entirely swept away by the mood. I'd already made up my mind.
I didn't risk my life just to have everything handed to me.
"I trust you. That's why I feel I shouldn't rely on you too much. ...I'm sure I'll run into trouble once I'm back in the Holy City. When that happens, I'll come to you for advice. So for now, let me try to do this on my own a little longer."
"..."
Anze pressed her lips together. She looked like she was filled with regret... or perhaps disappointment in herself.
"...If I can ever be of help, please tell me. My heart is with you at all times, Master Wolka."
"Y-Yeah..."
...I suppose I didn't actually know the girl named Anze very well.
I didn't have years of history with her like I did with my party. The first time we met was shortly after Silvery Grey made the Holy City our base, during an escort request. But there were several other parties involved then, and I had no memory of talking to her beyond basic pleasantries.
Was this devotion—this desire to bless everything in her path—truly her own heart's desire, or was she simply following her script as a sister?
It would take a little more time for me to truly remember the girl known as Anze.