The noonday sunlight streamed through the “windows” of the Saint Elliott Cathedral, crafted from transparent crystal, casting mottled yet warm patches of light and enveloping the two girls in a holy radiance.
Within the quiet and solemn atmosphere of the Church, Marianne’s tangled emotions gradually settled.
To be honest… spending time with Amelia like this didn’t feel bad at all.
Perhaps this is what it means to have a friend?
Though Marianne knew her own intentions were far from pure, the ease and happiness she felt in this moment were undeniably real.
“To toy with a friend in the palm of your hand” — that too is a kind of friendship, isn’t it?
Still, Marianne really wasn’t fond of Hugo’s overly familiar sort.
Amelia’s concern for Marianne came from her inherent kindness and virtue as a nun.
Unlike Hugo and Anna, she understood how to maintain boundaries between friends, making it comfortable and pleasant to converse with her.
But whenever Marianne was with Anna, the pressure became immense.
If there were another dazzling, sun-like “social butterfly” around, someone like her — inwardly a bit gloomy, a fellow “dark and damp” yandere just like Allen — might truly get roasted alive.
She and Allen were the perfect “two negatives make a positive” pairing; as for anyone else… better forget it.
The serious topics between Amelia and Marianne soon gave way to girl talk about trivial matters.
To Marianne’s surprise, Amelia was truly intelligent.
Whether it was the history of the Church, Capital gossip, or some obscure facts, she could bring them up with ease.
The ever-eager-to-teach Amelia also felt a rare sense of joy during her conversation with Marianne.
In the Church Headquarters here in the Capital, there was never a shortage of geniuses.
Her own cleverness was nothing compared to the other talents and prodigies.
If her only source of pride was being “the student of Luthien, the Archbishop,” it would indeed be a pitiable thing.
That’s why she was so enthusiastic about uncovering Allen’s “true face” and so eager to “save” Livia — all her motivation stemmed from this: an urgent desire to prove her uniqueness.
People always crave to be one of a kind, even as they struggle to escape endless uniformity.
Attractive faces are common; an interesting soul is one in a million.
Marianne’s soul was interesting — the kind of interesting that came from being fundamentally “flawed.” Perhaps that’s why someone had once set their eyes on her.
But Allen’s “flaws” ran even deeper; he was a rare super lunatic and chuunibyou combined.
And so, Marianne was “out of favor,” abandoned by that deity.
After all, the drama and conflict of a Marianne and Livia pairing could never compete with the explosive “love-hate, nemesis pretend play” that Allen and Livia shared.
Maybe Amelia also had an interesting soul… which made Marianne just a little wary of her.
What if this little nun was truly captured by Allen?
Just imagining pure-hearted Amelia, unaware of her feelings for Allen, running to her best friend Marianne for advice about love — Marianne could already feel a dull ache in her stomach.
Marianne firmly believed that Amelia would fall for Allen, because she herself was already completely smitten!
Allen was God’s Messenger! Who in the world could possibly not like him?
The thought that everyone in this world could receive a share of Allen’s “love,” yet she herself might end up with only “neglect PLAY,” left Marianne feeling rather sour inside.
If Amelia knew about Marianne’s gloomy and peculiar thoughts, she’d probably be embarrassed beyond words.
Of course, she didn’t know, nor could she ever know.
At this moment, gazing at Marianne’s gentle smile and her infinitely tolerant, attentive presence, Amelia’s endless chatter began to slow.
Today, Marianne wore a pure white dress, looking completely different from when she wore her maid uniform.
Though she had been cute then as well, now she seemed to be enveloped in a soft glow, making Amelia feel a strange stirring in her heart.
Marianne… really is an outstanding and mature woman…
Are we… really the same age?
Unconsciously, Amelia glanced down at her own plain black nun’s habit. She’d always taken pride in it, believing it set her apart from the mundane crowd.
But looking at Marianne like this, she couldn’t help but wonder: if I dressed up a bit too, would I… become a little cuter as well?
She didn’t know much about fashion, but she secretly longed for that world of ordinary girls.
Her meticulously braided twin plaits were, in fact, inspired by the Noble Ladies who visited the Church.
Amelia could never hide her thoughts; her blush and anticipation were instantly noticed by Marianne.
“What’s wrong?” Marianne asked, concern in her voice.
“Actually…”
Amelia hesitated for a moment. Though she felt a bit embarrassed, friends ought to share their troubles, right? So she shyly confessed her thoughts to Marianne.
Marianne was startled upon hearing it.
To yearn for… a more mature me?
Well, she was indeed a little more mature than her peers, but not nearly as charming as Amelia claimed.
She was just a country girl after all… though she’d definitely changed since first arriving in the Capital.
No wonder the other servants had started looking at her differently…
Have I really… changed?
Marianne had always thought Allen was indifferent to her because she lacked charm, but from what Amelia said, she might… actually be rather cute?
That made her a little happy…
“Amelia, if you dressed up a little, you’d definitely be adorable too!” Marianne said, smiling in encouragement.
“Eh? Really? But… I don’t know how to dress up at all.” Amelia’s eyes lit up for a moment, but then she looked dejected again.
“It’s alright, I can teach you! Maids from noble families are always the first to notice shifts in fashion!”
“Thank you so much! But… I’m a nun, is it really okay for me to do this?” Amelia was still hesitant.
“It’s fine, everyone loves beauty. Of course servants of the Lord can pursue beauty too.” Marianne comforted her.
“Mm-hmm! Then, can I visit you when I have a day off? We could… go shopping together?” Amelia asked, eyes shining with hope.
“Of course… though I’ll have to ask Young Master Laval for leave first.” Marianne nodded.
“Grr… That damn Laval! If he dares to stop you, I’ll… I’ll…” Amelia puffed up her cheeks, thinking hard. “Eh? Actually, there’s nothing I can do to him…”
Watching the two girls laugh and set their plans for their next “date,” Allen, who had arranged everything behind the scenes, almost couldn’t bear to interrupt them.
Come on, Marianne, you… always turn dark and yandere in front of me, but isn’t this sunny, cheerful side of you just fine?
This is the side of you Livia liked in the first place—your gentle, kind heart!
Honestly… damn, it’s all my fault for making her turn out the way she did.
Yuri is so beautiful… Lord, this is truly the most precious gift you’ve given me!
Catching sight of Allen nearby, covering his face and moved to tears by the scene, Marianne could only sigh inwardly.
Young Master Laval… could it be that you have some strange hobby?
Do you really like watching girls together this much?
Idiot… wouldn’t just watching me alone be enough for you!
“Amelia, I really enjoyed talking with you today. I’ll be heading back now.”
“Mm, you must come find me next time, alright? I’ll miss you, Marianne.”
Marianne looked at Amelia quietly. “Of course. But from now on, you should get along well with Young Master Laval too.”
It seemed Amelia underwent some fierce internal struggle before she nodded solemnly:
“I… I’ll try to get along with him.”
After parting reluctantly with Amelia, Marianne and Allen set out on their way home.
“How wonderful.” Allen sighed sincerely.
“Sigh, here you go again.” Marianne let out a breath and couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, what exactly is so wonderful about the ‘Yuri’ you love so much?”
She truly couldn’t understand.
“Because Yuri will eventually wilt, just like this world. That’s precisely why I love Yuri more than anyone.”
His tone brimmed with a genuine appreciation for tragic beauty.
Longing for tragedy seemed to fill his entire heart.
“Eh?” Marianne was stunned.
The moment “Yuri” was mentioned, Allen instantly switched into philosopher mode and began his romantic, impassioned speech:
“Marianne, you don’t get it, do you? Yuri is a romance unique to pure-hearted girls. Two girls, in the cold cracks of the world, use their unsullied courage to build a utopia belonging to just the two of them. The utmost beauty of this love comes from its inherent ‘transience’ — like cherry blossoms blooming suddenly at sunset’s end, all its sorrow and preciousness arise from an inevitable, foreknown vanishing point.”
“A girls’ utopia can never last forever. In a reality long since filled with the rules of mediocrity, anything pure is destined to be eroded and defiled by reality. As long as you live, you can’t escape the trivialities of life, nor the endless mess.”
“The cruelty of time isn’t in the adding of wrinkles, but in how ‘everyday life’ slowly erodes away their ‘romance.’ The pure intentions that could once defy the world, will gradually be worn down by the ‘realities’ of rice, oil, and salt. Eyes that once sparkled only for each other will eventually be filled with the exhaustion and helplessness left by the years.”
“Yuri is like a bubble in the sunlight — beautiful, alluring, yet fragile and doomed to disappear. But what truly moves me is that, even foreseeing all that sorrow, the girls still choose to step forward with courage. In a fate where all things must be destroyed and the universe will eventually go silent, that courage alone is enough to illuminate the dark sky.”
“The beauty of Yuri is not a weak beauty, but the beauty of going forward without hesitation; its passing isn’t meaningless, but the most heroic proof of the fact that we once existed. Even if humanity is destroyed, the radiance of Yuri will live on forever.”
Allen concluded, “I love Yuri simply because, in fantasy, only by utterly surrendering can one surpass fantasy and reach the fundamental reality behind it — a true, absolute romance that the real world can never attain.”
After hearing Allen’s grandiose nonsense, Marianne could only think… is this what it means to be God’s Messenger?
To elevate personal tastes to such a philosophical, even cosmic height!
Young Master Laval… you really are… an extraordinary person.
She “understood” Allen’s subtext: what he loved wasn’t Yuri itself, but the courage and great love it symbolized.
So that’s it. As expected, the Young Master’s love for girls being together isn’t shallow at all, but a manifestation of his “boundless love”!
If Allen knew about Marianne’s inner monologue at this moment, he’d definitely cry out: No, no, no! You’re completely misunderstanding! I really, truly love Yuri as a gentleman!
No one knew what Allen truly thought. Yet it seemed Marianne’s understanding of Allen had reached the soul.
Thanks to Allen’s “wild theories,” Marianne suddenly felt she understood the root logic behind many of his bizarre behaviors.
She suddenly spoke, with a trace of realization in her voice: “Allen… the story between me and Livia, it’s destined to be a tragedy, isn’t it? The ‘Yuri’ you long for is, at its core, a fragile bubble with no future, right?”
Marianne’s words made all the mischief and levity on Allen’s face vanish in an instant.
He grew abnormally quiet, as if Marianne had pierced straight to the secret thoughts he’d tried so hard to hide.
“Perhaps… yes, Marianne.” Allen was silent for a long time before he sighed in relief.
“There’s something I have to confess to you. What I told you before — that on other worldlines, you killed me dozens, even hundreds of times… wasn’t a joke.”
“We’ve met nine hundred and ninety-nine times, and in those endless cycles, we were almost always enemies, always meeting the same destructive end.”
“In those countless loops, Livia always tried to save you, but she failed. This time, I want to change your fate. I want to see whether the script written by those ‘gods’ can really be rewritten.”
“Young Master…” Marianne, having learned so many truths, felt an unprecedented shock at this one — her eyes reddened in an instant.
“Why? After going through so many tragedies, being hurt by me… by that version of me, so many times, why are you still willing to reach out? How did you manage to hold on until now?”
Allen lifted his head and gazed at the bustling street outside the cathedral.
Though the Triumphal Procession was over, the people still lingered, unwilling to let the festive atmosphere fade.
Turning an ordinary day into a celebration — wasn’t that the beautiful dream everyone sought?
He’d never intended to become the Savior, yet here he was walking the path of one.
Perhaps, he too, was dreaming all along.