“What? Did I just hear that wrong?”
Ares, maintaining his composure, asked his sister again.
“Nuna, what do you mean by that? What do you mean she doesn’t exist?”
“I mean, there’s no nun named Karen in this cathedral, at least not in Igogoden.”
“What are you saying? That can’t be. She’s wearing a nun’s habit, always carrying a Bible, and most importantly, she’s someone sent by the Saintess. Also—”
“Wait, Ares. Calm down first.”
Linnea placed a hand on his shoulder, as if to stop his protest, gently pushing him back while speaking soothingly.
“Start from the beginning. Why are you looking for the nun? Do you need something from her? Or did something happen?”
Now that she mentioned it, Linnea, unlike himself or Yuria, who both lived in the royal capital, was practically an outsider.
Ares began explaining in detail the events that had unfolded so far.
“The Saintess sent nuns to teach us about religious doctrine?”
“Yes. Not just me, but Yuria-nuna also had a nun assigned to her.”
‘Not proselytizing is one of the core principles of the doctrine… and yet, they sent nuns to members of the royal family?’
Something about it seemed contradictory, but Ares didn’t appear to be lying.
“Alright. I’ll look into it. If she’s an assigned nun, she might not necessarily be from the cathedral.”
Although Linnea said this, Ares couldn’t help but recall how well Karen seemed to know the details of what went on at the Igogoden Cathedral.
Yet, he chose not to bring it up.
He wanted to hold onto hope—the hope that if he searched, he might find her.
“Please, Nuna.”
With that, Ares turned and left the cathedral.
Karen’s voice lingered in his ears.
***
Several days passed.
“Princess Linnea has sent for you, Your Highness.”
‘Finally!’
Expressing his gratitude to the maid who delivered the message, Ares promptly dressed in formal attire and boarded a carriage.
Before long, he arrived at the Igogoden Cathedral, where he saw Linnea, now seemingly accustomed to the attire of a holy knight.
“You’re here, Ares.”
“Nuna. Did you find anything?”
Before even exchanging greetings, Ares jumped straight to the point.
Linnea replied with a troubled expression.
“…Yes.”
“Thank you. So, which order does Sister Karen belong to?”
Linnea hesitated, fidgeting as if unsure how to respond.
“Listen carefully, Ares.”
With an expression of solemnity she hadn’t shown since they were children, Linnea placed a hand on his shoulder.
“There is no nun in our church named Karen.”
“What?”
“I checked the list of nuns dispatched across the continent. I cross-checked it multiple times, but… there’s no one by that name. I’m really sorry, but are you sure you didn’t get her name wrong?”
‘Got her name wrong?’
“Then did she lie to me? But what reason would she have to hide her name? There’s no benefit in doing so.”
Ares found it hard to accept the explanation. Yet—
‘No. It makes more sense to think she used an alias.’
Though he didn’t know the exact circumstances, it wasn’t impossible for someone to hide their real name.
Karen did exist—of that, he was sure.
The strongest evidence was himself.
The moments they shared—laughing, talking, playing board games, or having meaningless conversations—were etched into his memory with striking clarity.
Ignoring Linnea’s muttered words, Ares focused on his own thoughts.
‘Even if she hid her name, that’s fine. She must have had her reasons. I just want to apologize for getting angry at her.’
‘How can I meet Sister Karen again? Is there any way?’
‘Wait.’
‘Come to think of it, didn’t Mother say the Saintess personally commanded it? That means the person who sent Karen to me was the Saintess herself.’
‘So… if I ask the Saintess, won’t she help me?’
“Ares? Are you listening to me?”
“Oh, Nuna. Sorry, I wasn’t.”
Linnea sighed deeply at Ares’ frank response.
“I figured as much.”
“More importantly, Nuna. I want to meet the Saintess.”
“What? All of a sudden?”
“Yes. If possible, right now. Can you help me?”
Linnea shook her head, clearly troubled.
“I told you, the Saintess is extremely busy with public affairs. If you want to meet her, you have to schedule it in advance.”
“Is she out right now?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll wait here until she returns!”
“What?”
“Please, Nuna! I’m still royalty, right? You’re the only one I can rely on…!”
Linnea looked at him with confusion as Ares bent at a 90-degree angle, pleading earnestly.
His serious expression made it even harder for her to understand.
‘Why is he acting like this?’
Ares had never taken anything seriously.
Whether it was studying royal etiquette or dealing with the political aftermath of their mother’s death, he always seemed indifferent, as if claiming, ‘There’s no point for me in this system.’
But now, that same Ares was acting completely out of character.
He was earnest, emphasizing his royal status, and setting aside his pride to ask for her help.
Even so, no matter how desperate he seemed, as a holy knight, she couldn’t let him meet the Saintess without proper procedures.
While a sovereign like the Emperor might have that privilege, a prince did not.
After all, the Saintess’ status in the current political climate far exceeded that of a mere prince.
Just as she decided to calm him down and send him back before arranging a meeting—
“What’s going on?”
“The Saintess…?”
From a distance, Erin appeared, accompanied by high priests and clutching a Bible to her chest.
“You’re early. I heard you wouldn’t be back until later today….”
“The schedule was canceled. I wanted to spend some quiet time in prayer.”
At that moment, Erin’s eyes met Ares’.
And as if understanding everything, Erin gave a small nod.
“It seems we have a visitor.”
“Ah, Saintess! This is—”
“Please, I beg of you!”
Before Linnea could say anything, Ares bowed deeply toward Erin and spoke.
“Please spare me a moment of your time! I have something to ask!”
“Hey, you really—”
At that moment, Erin raised her hand lightly toward Linnea.
It was clear to Linnea that Erin was signaling for her to leave this matter to her.
“Your Highness, I hope you’ve been well. It seems you have some business with me… is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Very well. As a Saintess, it is my duty to share the plain truth even with non-believers. Please follow me this way.”
“Thank you!”
Ares bowed several times to Erin before eagerly following her.
***
In the reception room, Erin lightly offered him tea, but—
“I’m fine. More than that, I have something I wish to ask.”
“I heard you enjoy tea. You must be in quite a hurry. Well, go ahead. Speak freely.”
Ares took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
Then he looked directly into Erin’s eyes and asked firmly:
“Let me ask you directly. Recently, did you send nuns to the royal family to teach the Bible?”
“Yes, I did. It was the will of God.”
“However, I lost contact with a nun named Karen. Judging from the circumstances, it seems she was using an alias. But since you personally ordered her to be sent, I thought you might know about her… If possible, I’d like to meet her again.”
Thump. Thump.
Though all he did was ask, Ares’ heart began pounding, as if it might explode.
This wasn’t the sweet and sour sensation of youthful love.
It was something entirely different—fear.
The fear that he had asked a question he shouldn’t have.
Erin remained silent for a moment before her pink lips moved slowly.
“Ares, you know, don’t you? Everything you’ve experienced is simply Igogoden’s plain truth.”
“…What?”
“You know that, right?”
Plain truth.
“And the time we’ve spent learning about each other like this is also Igogoden’s plain truth!”
Though he didn’t understand what she was saying, for some reason, Karen’s voice echoed in his ears.
Slowly, Ares nodded.
“Yes, I understand.”
And then, Erin, with a calm tone as though there was no alternative, told him:
“Unfortunately, it seems that all of God’s plain truth has been used up, so arranging a meeting will be difficult.”
“…What?”
“Everything is part of Igogoden’s plain truth delivered to you, Ares. And it has simply run out.”
In the language of the devout, she was speaking the truth.
“Uh… Excuse me, but what do you mean?”
“What I’m saying is, I’d love to help you meet her, but doing so requires plain truth, and there’s none left.”
“If there were any plain truth remaining, I could have arranged for you to meet her. I’m sorry.”
Ares’ mind spun into chaos once again.
‘What did she mean by saying there wasn’t enough plain truth to meet Karen?’
To him, it didn’t even feel like a sentence anymore—it was just a random jumble of words.
“Wait… So, what you’re saying is—”
Calm down.
Faced with the incomprehensible words of a zealous religious figure, Ares regained his composure and began analyzing her words with remarkable speed.
‘Ah.’
Including Erin, believers of the Igogoden faith had a tendency to immerse themselves in rules strictly based on scripture.
While their interpretations of certain aspects—such as revering a woman’s chest as a “divine vessel of holy energy”—were extreme, the underlying meanings behind their expressions were often easy to grasp for outsiders.
For example, the phrase “Abandon the old and embrace the new” might seem nonsensical at first glance, but it served as a rallying cry for dismantling the contradictions of the old system.
Similarly, Erin’s use of “plain truth” seemed to be a conceptual tool often employed by the faith.
‘Does this mean…?’
Ares pieced together her intent.
‘She’s implying that if I want to meet Sister Karen, I must formally convert to the faith and submit to the religious hierarchy.’
Plain truth, in this context, appeared to symbolize religious enlightenment.
By compelling him to join their ranks, they sought to eliminate any potential risks he might pose to their faith.
With a newfound clarity, Ares looked at Erin, his expression hardened.
Erin, noticing his gaze, simply smiled faintly.
‘She’s far more cunning than I thought.’
‘If she weren’t using her intelligence for the betterment of the people, it would be terrifying to think of what might happen if she turned malicious.’
Meeting her eyes with determination, Ares finally spoke.
“Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot comply with your wishes. While I understand, as Sister Karen conveyed to me, that my methods may be too forceful and that I must reflect on them, I cannot bring myself to submit to the Igogoden faith here and now.”
“…Excuse me?”
Watching Erin tilt her head in confusion, Ares turned away, a sentimental look in his eyes.
“If it’s alright, please tell Sister Karen… how deeply thankful I am. If it’s too difficult to convey that message, then you don’t have to.”
“Your Highness, I think you’re misunderstanding something. What I meant was not a demand to convert, but literally—”
“Excuse me for the intrusion. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Before Erin could finish her sentence, Ares stood up and left the reception room without looking back.
Erin stared at the closed door for a moment before—
—she simply tilted her head in confusion once again.
***
The next day.
While Ares seemed to have reluctantly accepted the situation, casually stating that it was fine if Erin couldn’t deliver his message—
—his heart, full of unyielding sincerity, could not accept the circumstances.