#083

He had no gray hairs in his head nor was he coughing fitfully, but he was unmistakably Bishop Andrea. Perhaps because he wasn’t sick, he looked nearly twenty years younger than he had been described in the game.

‘Why is Andrea here…?’

“Don’t just stand there hesitating; come in. My door is always open to you.”

“My apologies. I didn’t realize there was another guest; I didn’t mean to interrupt….”

“Another guest? Ah, you mean this unwelcome visitor?”

At Casimir’s response, a vein bulged in Andrea’s neck.

“To summon a Chanter to the office before the workday has even ended! How can one who does not even uphold the Doctrine that only those who have fulfilled their duties have the right to enjoy other things presume to judge the sins of others?”

Casimir rose quietly from his seat.

“Thank you for reminding me of something I had forgotten, Bishop Andrea. Neglecting my duties during office hours was indeed a sin deserving of condemnation. It is surprising that I had forgotten that.”

“If you understand, then cast this Chanter out immediately and….”

“O Loclem, before me stands a sinner who has neglected his assigned duties to slander another before the workday has even ended. Please forgive me for leaving this sinner uncondemned!”

The moment Andrea’s face contorted to shout something, no sound escaped his lips.

“…!! ……!!”

It was like watching a muted video. Casimir wore a mocking smile, his lips curling.

“There is no need to be overly grateful that your tongue has prevented you from committing further sins, Bishop Andrea. I have simply done what I had to do.”

‘Wow, the humiliation is insane….’

Andrea’s face turned beet red.

Perhaps deciding he could no longer endure such indignity, Andrea stopped gaping and spun around. I quickly stepped aside toward the door and bowed my head. However, Andrea deliberately stopped in front of me.

‘What the fuck.’

Why isn’t he leaving? When I looked up, Andrea was staring intensely at me.

Does he only bully the weak?

When I didn’t avert my gaze, Andrea’s eyebrows twitched, and then he left the room.

‘My first impression is ruined.’

I had intended to approach him cautiously since he might hold clues about the game….

Of all times, why did I have to run into him in the worst possible situation?

Sighing inwardly, I stepped into the office.

“Why was that person so angry? He was glaring at me intensely as he left.”

“No need to worry about it. He’s always had a nasty personality.”

“Was he Bishop Andrea? To think that a Priest serving the Lord cannot even govern his own emotions….”

I glanced at Casimir’s desk. The astrolabe Antonio had given me was gleaming with a proud brilliance.

“…It makes me realize once again that truly wonderful Priests like Lord Antonio are rare, even in a great Capital Church like this. I thought everyone who believed in Order would be like Lord Antonio.”

“If that were the case, I would be quite idle. There would be no one left to condemn.”

I felt no ill will toward me from the smiling Casimir.

I had wondered if the head of the Heretic Inquisitors would be a bit angry that he was punished for testing a ‘Watched One’….

‘I guess he really was just given a few words of admonishment and let go.’

“…Is that Bishop one of the hypocrites you mentioned before?”

Antonio had changed the law through great sacrifice, but far from his achievement spreading, people began to treat Antonio as if he didn’t even exist. Casimir called those who went along with that “hypocrites.”

‘…And he threw that at me as an essay topic during our first meeting, without even mentioning it was related to him.’

Seriously, I wonder what would have happened if I had answered that Antonio’s actions were wrong back then….

“What makes you think so?”

“Because while that man was shouting, you were polishing the astrolabe as if showing it off.”

Casimir chuckled and ruffled my hair vigorously.

“Yes. I took your advice into account.”

“…May I ask what law Lord Antonio changed? I’m curious why that Bishop was so angry.”

“That fellow isn’t angry because of the content of the changed law.”

“Then…?”

“He is the type who believes the very event—that a law notarized by God was changed due to a human suggestion—is problematic. He claims that if laws can change, people will start thinking that a judgment handed down now might become wrong later….”

Casimir snorted.

“I wonder who is the one committing blasphemy. A law that does not change is a dead law, and those who insist on a dead law will only end up dead, even if they are gods.”

‘…Is he talking about Nephiton?’

“So, what brings you here? Do you have a request?”

It was true that I came because I had a request, but in this situation, saying “The door is broken” felt a bit awkward.

“I, uh, I’m sorry to bother you with such a trivial matter. But I couldn’t think of anyone else to ask….”

“Is that so? Did someone else annoy you? So you want me to make sure they never pester you again??”

“No! It’s not that kind of problem!”

“Then what?”

“…I wanted to ask when the door will be fixed.”

“The door?”

Casimir blinked.

“What happened to the door? If it was simply broken, Elamin would have helped.”

“I’m not sure if ‘broken’ is the right word….”

When I explained that Adna had smashed it with an axe and now the door was simply gone, Casimir looked bewildered.

“The Fifth Apostle? Why? For what reason did she destroy the door?”

“…When the Saintess called me, saying she had something to tell me, I was inside the room.”

“Then couldn’t she have just knocked?”

“I don’t know why she did that.”

“Were you doing something in the room at the time?”

‘Doing what, exactly.’

Did he think I had locked the door and set up some suspicious altar?

Just as I was about to prove my innocence, I remembered that what actually happened then was an attempted exchange of oral microbiota with Tartarus.

“…I was changing my clothes because something had gotten on them.”

“Well, I suppose she had a reason for breaking it. I’ll look into it.”

‘Among those who say they’ll “look into it,” I’ve noticed no one actually does.’

“Come to think of it, I haven’t apologized yet.”

Casimir rummaged through a desk drawer and placed something in my hand.

“You must have been very distressed because I didn’t tell you anything. This won’t be full compensation, but….”

The object wrapped in linen cloth was smaller than a palm. Judging by the lack of hardness, it didn’t seem to be jewelry.

As I tried to unwrap the cloth, Casimir naturally blocked me by covering my hand with his.

“I recommend listening to what this is first before opening it.”

“…What is it?”

“A severed tongue.”

“What?”

I doubted my ears for a moment.

“Whose….”

“Whose else? Mine.”

My mouth fell open in shock and horror.

“Why the tongue….”

“It was a punishment for failing to follow instructions. I was punished to spend that day without a tongue.”

‘Gah!’

He said it was a light punishment!

He said it was a light punishment!

‘Is cutting off a tongue considered a light matter? Because it can regenerate?’

Then is the current tongue made of Ledeia’s Sacred Vessel?

I was twice as creeped out.

“W-why are you giving this to me….”

“Because if it’s made into a Sacred Relic, something quite good will come of it. Elamin mentioned that she should give you a Talisman, so I thought I’d bring this to use for the crafting.”

…Is this how it feels when a bear gives you its own gall bladder for nutritional supplement?

I was grateful, but I wasn’t.

‘You want me… to carry this around?’

A human’s severed tongue?

“Could I just accept the thought? Carrying it around is a bit….”

“You feel a sense of repulsion, I see.”

I nodded.

I know it’s polite to say you love a gift regardless, but I absolutely couldn’t do that now. I felt that if I pretended to be happy receiving this, I might receive another body part next time.

“That’s understandable. Usually, you’ve only seen Sacred Relics made of bone. Even Elamin said that relics made of flesh are still a bit creepy.”

‘Bones aren’t okay either.’

“Well, once it’s placed in a reliquary, you won’t have to look at it often, so it won’t bother you much.”

‘Is there no option to not accept it?’

More importantly, if there’s a reliquary, just put it in there and give it to me.

Why give it to me like someone bringing an extracted tooth wrapped in a tissue….

“Now that I think about it, it would be good to engrave my name largely on the reliquary.”

“…Your name, Lord Casimir?”

‘Is this a country-of-origin label?’

No, he probably wants to do that for some other effect.

Just as calling a name has a special effect, perhaps engraving the name makes the Sacred Relic’s effect more powerful….

“Usually, that’s what lovers do.”

“What?”

“It means that they will always be with the person they love. Well, since Priests cannot exchange tokens of marriage, they do this instead.”

Lovers cut off body parts, exchange them, and carry them around to show their love?

‘…Can’t they just carry portraits of each other?’

Do the people of the Dark Realm miss their lovers when they see a severed tongue?

It was a sensibility I truly did not wish to understand.

“If my name is written on it, no one who bothers you will ever appear again.”

“…If that’s the meaning, I cannot have the name engraved.”

Casimir blinked, then soon wore a mischievous smile.

“Why, do you wish for someone to approach you?”

I was about to say no, but then I remembered that I was currently in a situation where I had to spread the rumor that I was dating ‘Athanas.’

“I, uh, it’s not that I want someone to approach me….”

“Hmm?”

“…It’s because there is already someone I’ve agreed to date.”

As those words left my mouth, I felt an impulse to slam my head against the wall.

“Since when?”

“Today….”

“The name?”

“Athanas… he’s a Holy Knight….”

“A man?”

With my head bowed low, I nodded slightly.

Even without looking, I knew my face was beet red.

“…I thought you had a repulsion toward dating the same gender?”

“I did, while I thought it was something that shouldn’t be done, that it was forbidden. But once I realized that wasn’t actually the case….”

I could feel my mouth going dry as I spoke.

“I started thinking that the reason I couldn’t take my eyes off him even though we’re the same gender, and the reason my heart pounded when I got close, might actually be love….”

Love, tension, fear, anxiety, and stress all activate the sympathetic nervous system.

That is to say, the physiological physical reaction one shows when facing a loved one can be similar to the reaction when seeing a tiger.

“Is that why you asked to have the door fixed?”

‘?’

What does that mean.

‘Does he mean the door was just an excuse, and I actually came to tell him I have someone I’m dating?’

Casimir spoke as he took the object back from my hand.

“When the reliquary is finished, I’ll send it via Elamin. That would be more convenient, right?”

“Thank you for your consideration!”

‘I’m saved!’

I felt a great sense of relief.

I didn’t want to carry that thing back to my room.

The shape, texture, and weight felt through the linen were so distracting….

“…It is a good thing to be able to fall in love.”

Casimir suddenly muttered, sounding like Elamin.

“Because it is a very human emotion.”

“Haha….”

I could only laugh awkwardly.

‘Yes, actually I am a robot bastard with no human emotions.’

When you talk about human emotions, isn’t compassion the obvious one?

Damn lovers….

Before my SAN value dropped further, I quickly said my goodbyes and left the office.

‘…Seriously, if I could just be alone, I’d even go into a coffin.’

I had been so tense all day that my head was throbbing with pain.

For now, I should just rest without thinking about anything.

‘I can think about tomorrow’s matters tomorrow….’

It was while I was walking with that resolve.

Someone suddenly blocked my path, and I tried to step aside.

‘…What is this?’

Why do they keep moving in the direction I’m avoiding to block the way?

My patience was already at its limit, and meeting someone who pissed me off made me feel truly miserable.

“Excuse me, why are you block—”

I was about to get angry and ask why they were blocking the path, but as soon as I saw the other person’s face, I shut my mouth.

‘…Bishop Andrea?’

Why is he here?

Was he waiting for me?

‘He’s too scared to touch Casimir, so he’s going to take his anger out on me?’

Reflexively, I placed my hand over my chest. I planned to call the Saintess if he acted even slightly threatening.

“…Your name is Fabio, was it not.”

Andrea flipped through a book that looked like a Scripture, then snapped it shut.

“Fabio, could you spare me a moment of your time?”

“…Why?”

“I wish to deliver some good words to you.”

Chapter 84