But Leonardt was not such an easy opponent.
Though he looked flustered for a moment, he soon narrowed his eyes again, lips pressing into a firm line.
Then he bowed his head slightly, and spoke in a low, resolute voice.
“Very well. I too… shall offer up a prayer.”
His unexpected response left me just a little startled.
‘Oh, he’s actually going along with it? Figures, he’s not someone who caves that easily.’
He then took it a step further.
“Dear Lord Callisto, if this woman… rather, if this Saintess has truly received Your blessing, please grant me a sign so clear I may cast aside all doubt.”
I sucked in a breath.
‘He’s praying right here in the middle of the Temple, directly asking if I’m a fraud? How the hell am I supposed to counter that?’
And I couldn’t exactly yank my hands away and cry ‘Stop this!’—not when my whole image was that of a reverent, all-loving Saintess.
So I calmly closed my eyes and lowered my voice.
“Yes, Inquisitor. I’m sure Callisto is watching over that warm heart of yours, so desperate to find the truth.”
Just then, the consultation room door burst open and someone let out a sharp shriek.
“Ahhh?!”
I immediately opened my eyes and turned toward the sound. A few priests who’d apparently been pressed up to the door to watch had toppled over and were now sprawled across the floor. One priest who’d landed flat on his stomach lifted his head, face pale as he stared between me and Leonardt.
“Y-Your Most Holy Saintess is actually holding hands with the Inquisitor… and praying?!”
And it didn’t end there. Other priests and monks came rushing in from behind, probably drawn by the noise.
“Is it true? The Saintess is holding the Inquisitor’s hand…?”
“Oh, God above, what a holy sight!”
Gasps and exclamations burst forth in a chain reaction.
Inside, I nearly let out a sly little laugh.
This was exactly the scene I’d hoped for.
Me, the Saintess, eyes closed in serene prayer while clasping the hand of an Inquisitor.
Doesn’t it just look ridiculously spiritually profound?
It was obvious the priests were thinking, ‘Ah, look how our Saintess even seeks to save that terrifying Inquisitor!’
Through their sparkling eyes, I could see exactly how they were interpreting it.
Leonardt, apparently rattled by how quickly things had escalated, tried to pull his hand away—but it was far too late.
From somewhere, there came a borderline shrieking outburst.
“The Inquisitor and the Saintess…! Ah, surely this is a revelation from the heavens!”
“To think the Saintess would welcome even an Inquisitor—how moving!”
Inside, I was all but pumping my fist. Yet outwardly, I kept my face perfectly solemn.
Feigning the closing of a gentle prayer, I slowly began to let go of Leonardt’s hand.
“…The prayer is over now.”
I lifted my head in time to see Leonardt still looking thoroughly dazed.
“I hope your heavy heart feels even a little lighter, Inquisitor.”
Leonardt just opened and closed his mouth like he couldn’t figure out what to say.
His gaze darted about the air, lost, before finally settling back on me. He cleared his throat and took a step back.
“If that concludes our… meeting, I have nothing further to say. I-I’ll be on my way.”
His brusque words earned only a sweet smile and a nod from me.
Leonardt then tugged his hat down low and turned away in haste. Oddly, his steps seemed a bit unsteady.
He even gave a tiny stumble, like his foot had caught on something.
In that moment, I was silently screaming a triumphant ‘Hell yes!’ inside my head.
‘Oh, it totally worked! Holding hands and praying together—congrats, Inquisitor, from today you’re officially the man who prayed hand-in-hand with the Saintess.’
I beamed the most beatific Saintess smile. Then spoke up brightly.
“If ever the flames of doubt trouble you again, do not hesitate to come pray with me. God will surely be with us.”
Instantly, gasps of awe burst from among the priests.
It was like the grand finale of a stage play, the protagonist delivering their last shining line.
One priest—the very one who’d toppled over earlier—spoke in a breathless voice.
“Your Most Holy Saintess… you are truly incredible!”
And from there, praises tangled with tears of emotion spread throughout the crowd.
“To witness the Saintess embracing even an Inquisitor—what greater glory could there be?!”
For a few seconds, I simply stood there, basking in their murmurs and sparkling eyes.
‘They’re… this impressed?’
I was even shocked at how much the Saintess + Inquisitor Prayer Scene blew up.
***
That evening, after I’d finally completed all my congregate meetings and other obligations, I was at long last given free time.
Finally, I can rest!
I practically speed-walked back toward my room, dreaming of collapsing straight onto the bed.
Then I heard voices chatting off to the side of the dim hallway.
It was already growing dark outside. Who was still standing around gossiping at this hour…?
I automatically slowed my steps. I craned my neck, half expecting to see a bunch of believers, when I distinctly heard someone say ‘Inquisitor.’
“…Inquisitor. It’s not just the priests and monks. Even the believers are overwhelmingly swayed. Further investigation may be difficult to continue.”
The speaker sounded like a lay priest of some rank.
My heart pounded at the mention of ‘investigation.’
“Still, we should observe a little longer. Who knows if the Saintess truly possesses divine power or if it was just a stroke of luck.”
That low, familiar tone was definitely Leonardt.
I strained to listen, a swirl of curiosity and dread in my chest.
“But Inquisitor, there’s been no additional directive from the Temple, has there? From the looks of the believers, they’re practically saying ‘surely there’s no more reason to doubt.’”
“That doesn’t mean we simply drop it. There’s still insufficient basis to explain what’s happening.”
Leonardt’s answer was icy calm.
“Right now it’s all just rumor, and the person at the center of it hasn’t offered much in the way of clear explanations. It bothers me.”
A soft sigh left his lips, winding straight into my ears.
“Even if the Temple issues no new orders, it’s still my duty to uncover the truth. If this misguided fervor grows unchecked, it’ll only breed far worse chaos later.”
At those words—misguided fervor—something in my heart gave a faint painful twitch.
‘So, he still sees me as a fake Saintess after all.’
Even if the believers trusted me after the incident with the boy, Leonardt clearly wasn’t going to back down easily.
“But, Inquisitor… at this point, you might just come off as being unreasonable. The story of how the Saintess healed that boy is already spreading far and wide. And earlier, when you two were… praying while holding hands and— uh, anyway, if the upper ranks of the Temple voice no objections… Won’t it just look like you’re stirring up needless trouble?”
The priest awkwardly shifted away from directly mentioning our hand-holding.
Why? That was a perfect point to press!
Leonardt gave the tiniest flinch at the word ‘hand,’ then answered in a low voice.
“Even so, I cannot give up until I have a conclusion. If it later turns out to be false, both the Temple and the believers will feel immense betrayal. And if it’s true… then that is just as vital to make certain.”
***
The next morning, while answering a summons from the Bishop’s office.
I had barely rounded the corridor when a priest came rushing at me in a flurry.
At the sight of me, he jumped in surprise, sweat dripping down his tense face as he stammered out,
“Y-Your Most Holy Saintess! Have you seen the Inquisitor anywhere?”
The instant I heard that, my heart started racing wildly.
‘Inquisitor… Leonardt? Did something happen?’
I forced myself to keep calm as I asked,
“Is there some trouble?”
“A-ah, the Inquisitor’s been going all around the Temple since early this morning, questioning monks, asking priests a ton of things. Says he’s going to record every meeting, every healing, all the believers’ testimonies… It seems he’s formally launching an investigation!”
For a split second, my mind went blank white.
‘So… he’s planning to gather concrete proof of whether the believers’ fervor for me is real. Shit. Was I too over-the-top yesterday? What if this is him getting back at me for embarrassing him? That look he gave me after the prayer ended—it wasn’t normal…’
I quickly steeled myself, nodding with as serene a face as I could manage.
“I see. I’m sure it’s nothing serious. The Inquisitor is merely dedicated to doing his duty.”
Regardless, internally I could feel cold sweat dripping down my back.
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