It had been two days since Kael failed to obtain the Soul Peach, a fruit that would have greatly helped his plans in this city. However, not everything was going as expected.
So he decided to continue with his initial plan, albeit with several adjustnts. Now he had to play a different role, one more useful to his purposes.
A saint.
Or, more precisely, he would beco Saint Rasen.
But becoming a saint was much easier said than done. The real question was not "how" to achieve it, but "what" it really ant to be one.
What exactly is a saint?
Soone who watches over the weak?
A beacon of light in the midst of darkness?
A salvation for the desperate?
Beautiful, empty, and useful concepts.
There are many ways to interpret this. For so, a saint is the purest tool of power: a sacred figure that the Church elevates as a banner to manipulate the masses.
For others, however, a saint is a demon by another na, soone who destroys their beliefs, their interests, or their world under the pretext of virtue.
Both views are correct. And both are false.
A contradiction in itself, but also a simple truth: titles are only worth what the power behind them can sustain.
For Kael, a saint was nothing more than a fraud with a better disguise.
A rchant of the human soul, who sells hope in exchange for obedience.
Every word he utters is a coin; every gesture of compassion, an investnt.
They all want more, more, and more. Because as long as you follow them, they will shower you with glory; but if you reject them, they will throw you into ruin.
As he consolidated his role, Kael couldn't help but think about the eting he would have that sa day with the Cardinals. At first glance, it was just another political eting. But for him, it could be the perfect setting to plant the first seed.
The first step toward his new identity:
The Saint Rasen.
Kael gets up from the desk, looks at himself in the broken mirror in the room, and a kind smile forms on his face, as do his eyes, which now take on an innocent glow like those of a child.
He was quickly slipping into the role of a saint, and the audience was going to be the great city of San Martín.
He went down to the first floor, where the children were, and began his daily work, but this ti with a different air about him.
And the children noticed it; it was as if Rasen had undergone a change overnight, but that kindness with which they were being treated cut short by Sister Mily, and it is still present in their hearts.
"Mr. Rasen, I don't understand this," a girl with delicate features approaches him. It is very noticeable that her parents were nobles.
Kael smiles kindly and begins to explain in an easy-to-understand way, and she, being an intelligent girl, quickly understands.
Seeing such kindness, the girl hesitated for a mont about what to say, until she plucked up her courage and said, "Um... Mr. Rasen, if I could beco your assistant and accompany you..." She lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers, expecting a refusal.
He looks at her for a brief mont, but keeping his smile, he says in a friendly tone, "Of course you can help ! Can you repeat your na?"
"!!!" The girl raises her head, her eyes wide with surprise and shining with intense emotion, and says with a smile, "My na is Rosan... Rosan!"
"Very good, Rosan." He pats him on the head: "Now you're my assistant. I'll tell you what you need to help with. Understood?"
"Yes!" Rosan smiles happily, as if his innocent smile has lit up the whole room.
Kael just smiles as the day continues as normal, but the atmosphere in the two-story house has changed completely; now it is much warr.
As the hours passed, the sun began to slowly sink below the horizon. Its orange light cast long shadows on the ground. Little by little, the golden glow gave way to the faint pallor of the moon.
In a matter of monts, nightfall took over the sky.
Darkness descended. The stars twinkled faintly in the sky, and a cold breeze swept through the city of San Martín.
Amidst the stillness, a carriage drawn by blue three-horned horses advanced along the cobblestone road, leaving behind a deep, tallic sound that echoed with each step.
Finally, the vehicle stopped in front of a two-story house.
Kael, who already knew the exact ti, opened the front door without haste. His steps were calm and asured, and his eyes reflected the moonlight like two fragnts of silver. Without saying a word, he approached the carriage and climbed in.
Inside, the atmosphere was cramped, lit only by a small lamp.
In that dim glow, the slave Schwein looked up. His expression visibly tightened. For a mont, he thought he saw soone else in front of him.
His posture, his gaze, even the air around him... everything about Kael had changed. He was no longer the sa man she had seen hours earlier. That kindness now seed to co from the mysticism of the Ancient Sun God, as if she were facing sothing that should not exist.
Schwein felt the question forming in his mind, but he held it back. He didn't dare break the silence.
Curiosity gnawed at him, yes... but he knew full well what he was facing: a demon dressed in human skin.
The carriage continued onward, leaving Zone 1 behind. Through the window, the landscape slowly changed. The dusty streets, lined with worn wooden houses and cracked walls, were left behind as they crossed into Zone 2.
There, the structures were much better: well-carved walls, clean ceilings, and more. Even the appearance of the people reflected the change; their clothes were neater, their steps firr, their gazes more confident.
A few minutes passed, and finally, the carriage crossed into Zone 3. The change was so drastic that it seed like a leap between different worlds.
It was completely luxurious. The difference between the previous zone and this one was like that between a common rock and a diamond.
It was as if, from Zone 2 to Zone 3, they had changed mountains, as if they were on the Royal Mountain, where everything radiated wealth.
The buildings were tall and elegant, each decorated with religious emblems. Even the priestly robes of the passersby seed to be made of a different fabric, soft and shiny, embroidered with silver and gold thread.
Around the necks of so were diamond crucifixes with gold edges, symbols of faith and status. The abundance was evident even in the smallest details: in the shape of the lamps, in the sparkle of the rings, in the perfud air that floated between the avenues.
In that place, even silence seed to cost a fortune.
Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of a white mansion, whose walls glowed in the moonlight. At the entrance, a golden gate reflected warm flashes of light.
Kael descended calmly. His gaze swept across the room with a neutral expression, but deep in his eyes, a warm glow could be seen.
Before entering, he paused for a mont and changed his robe. The black priest's robe was replaced by a white one with gold trim, adorned with a gold crucifix that shone with a sacred glow.
In a single gesture, the air of sanctity emanating from Kael rose to another level. His presence now seed that of a true divine emissary.
A few feet away, Cardinal Schwein watched the scene from inside the doorway. His expression remained composed, but his thoughts were silently agitated.
Rasen's change... is too abrupt.
Did he have a split personality? Or perhaps... had he been blessed by the Ancient Sun God? That possibility crossed his mind like a flash of doubt and fear.
The cardinal frowned and, after a mont of silence, shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. This was not the ti for speculation. And yet, the unease lingered deep in his heart.
Kael, with his hands behind his back, enters the mansion ready to et with those cardinals.
...
Inside the mansion.
Several n in priestly robes were gathered together, with several nuns serving as servants, chatting among themselves.
"Today, at last, we will et that young man whom Schwein said we should not et," said Cardinal Hasin, drinking a cup of wine.
"I'm also quite curious, but that day Schwein seed a little nervous, it's like..." Cardinal Ernest added, without finishing his sentence.
"Hmph! A cardinal can't be threatened, especially a young man who has just arrived in the city." This ti, Cardinal Harold spoke with a snort.
As they chat among themselves, suddenly the front door of the mansion begins to open slowly, and they see a young man with long black hair, intensely shining black eyes, and a friendly smile, dressed in a white tunic, entering.
His facial features were sowhat ordinary, but they were much more defined, attracting the attention of those around him.
It was none other than Kael dici.
"Good evening, may the Lord be with us all."
For a mont, no one responded. It was as if his voice had filled the air with a presence too pure...
Reviews
All reviews (0)