Chapter 80: The Nun and the Prince Part 4

Ares, lying in bed, turned his head to look at the door.

Then he slowly checked the clock.

It was the scheduled time, yet there was no sound of knocking at the door.

Today marked the fourth day since Karen’s last visit.

Even though it was about time for her to come, she still didn’t appear today either.

On the second day, he considered going directly to the cathedral instead of waiting endlessly like this—

But he decided against it, judging there was no need to provoke unnecessary trouble when he had no intention of truly embracing religion.

‘Yeah, let’s just be patient. After all, they’re the ones in a hurry. Sooner or later, they’ll contact me in some way…’

That’s what he thought.

And yet, today—

The patience he had managed to maintain had already crumbled, leaving him with nothing but anxiety and unease.

‘Did I speak too harshly?’

He couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Karen had decided it was best to avoid crossing him due to his unexpectedly firm stance.

Regardless, the blood of the Einsbergs ran through his veins.

That blood symbolized the ruler of the continent.

Was it overly self-centered of him to think they stopped sending Karen because they feared upsetting him?

Ares buried his face in the pillow and let out a deep sigh.

In truth—

It might all be simpler than he thought.

‘Maybe it’s just that her assignment period is over.’

She had mentioned that the education would only last for ‘a certain period.’

Karen’s schedule had aligned perfectly with that period, and the last day was indeed four days ago.

This explanation seemed plausible enough.

‘If that’s the case, then did I show such an embarrassing display on the final day?’

‘Ugh, my head hurts…’

Feeling like he was going to explode if he stayed like this, Ares decided to step outside for some fresh air.

***

And that’s when he ran into someone he had completely forgotten about—

Yuria, the First Imperial Princess, who was supposed to study religious texts with him.

“Ares. To think I’d see you walking around instead of cooped up in your room—what a rare sight today.”

“Right? Pretty unusual, isn’t it, Sister…”

Yuria raised an eyebrow at Ares’s awkward expression but didn’t press further, as if uninterested.

Despite changing after converting to religion, Yuria was not someone with a naturally amiable personality.

“So, have you finished your religious studies?”

“Huh? Didn’t that end four days ago?”

Yuria shook her head slowly and lightly covered her mouth with the fan in her hand.

“Four days ago? What nonsense are you spouting, Ares? Your studies ended long before that.”

“What? They’re already done?”

“The nun said this about you: ‘His understanding of the Pure Facts is so remarkable that there’s no need to teach him further.’ She said she was so proud of how sincere you are toward the Pure Facts that she had nothing left to teach.”

“Is that true?”

“Why would I, your sister, lie to you, Ares?”

Apparently, the duration of the studies wasn’t fixed but rather depended on grasping the Pure Facts.

But he hadn’t studied the Pure Facts at all—

All he did was chat and play board games every day.

‘Then… the reason she isn’t coming to see me isn’t because her time is up but because…

‘Did I really say something too harsh?”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“What? Wait, hold on! At least let me finish my—”

Ignoring Yuria’s call, Ares turned around and returned to his room.

***

What followed was the ultimate human skill—rationalization.

‘It seems like I should visit the cathedral to see her myself.’

Yes, visiting the cathedral didn’t mean he intended to embrace religion.

He just needed to meet Karen, apologize for his behavior, and thank her for everything.

He couldn’t leave things with her in such an unresolved state.

Resolving himself, Ares immediately cleaned himself up and—

Donning the royal male ceremonial attire he had always avoided wearing due to discomfort, he prepared to head out.

For someone who usually wore outfits indistinguishable from those of common adventurers or citizens, this was an unusually bold decision.

‘Regardless of my personal preferences, I am a prince. This is an official visit to the royal cathedral, so it’s only right to display proper manners.’

Even as he nodded in agreement with himself, he knew deep down this wasn’t his real motivation.

The truth was simple—

He just wanted to impress Karen.

From the beginning, the idea of seeking her out instead of dismissing her absence as giving up on converting him was already uncharacteristic of Ares.

***

Exiting the palace, he approached the stationed guard captain.

The guard captain was visibly startled to see Ares dressed so formally.

“Prince Ares!? What brings you here, Your Highness?”

“Could you prepare a carriage for me?”

“Certainly, Your Highness. However, if I may ask, I was under the impression there were no official engagements today—”

“Please, it’s a personal matter…”

“Of course, Your Highness. Please wait a moment; I’ll arrange it immediately.”

Thus, Ares, who rarely ventured beyond his domain, suddenly set out for the cathedral.

***

The Grand Cathedral of Igogodon, located not far from the royal palace—

Linnea von Einsberg, the Second Imperial Princess and now a holy knight affiliated with the church, was busily handling various chores as usual.

“Thank you so much for your help, Lady Linnea. May the Pure Facts be with you…”

“No need to thank me. This is part of my duty. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything else.”

That day, the three holy knights had been assigned separate duties for the church.

Luca had departed for the rural regions to deliver food supplies, while Ophel was dispatched to the demon border to explain the church’s teachings and, if possible, attempt conversion.

And so, Linnea carried out her tasks diligently within the cathedral.

It was truly an astonishing turn of events.

The title of “Holy Knight” was given to those empowered by the sacred order, specialized in defeating demons.

Yet now, one of those holy knights was spreading the teachings of the Igogodon faith to demons.

‘Who could have imagined that humans and demons might coexist on the same continent?’

By now, everyone had to admit it— the miracles wrought by the Igogodon faith and Saint Erin were changing the world for the better.

Linnea suddenly recalled something her younger brother, Ares, had once said:

‘If the world has changed because of these miracles, then perhaps the real god is not Igogodon but Saint Erin herself.’

But having observed the saint up close, she couldn’t help but think of her as an ordinary human.

This did nothing to explain why there were no miracles in the past.

If performing miracles proved the existence of a god, there had to be some divine entity behind them.

At that moment, a thought struck Linnea like lightning.

Perhaps—

Perhaps when the human saint descended into this world, the god descended alongside her.

But wasn’t Igogodon supposed to be the one and only god?

In that case, did Igogodon’s descent occur not during the biblical Genesis but—

***

“Sister.”

“Ahhh?!?”

Startled by the sudden voice breaking her deep thoughts, Linnea jumped, only to see her younger brother Ares standing there.

“Why are you so surprised, Sister? It’s not like I’m someone you wouldn’t expect to see.”

“Ares…? What are you doing here?”

Embarrassed by the sound she had made, Linnea observed Ares, her face slightly flushed.

To her surprise, Ares had tidied his hair and was dressed impeccably in formal attire.

“Why are you all dressed up? Did you eat something strange?”

“Is that what you think of me, Sister?”

“Well, you usually wear casual, comfortable clothes, saying things like, ‘Extravagant attire rots the soul,’ or something along those lines.”

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. This is my first time at the cathedral, and… I was worried it might be awkward if I ran into another holy knight instead.”

“Right… But what brings you to the cathedral?”

Linnea couldn’t help but ask, considering Ares was one of the last people she would ever expect to show up at a cathedral.

“I’m here to meet someone.”

“Someone… The saint?”

If anyone from the royal family were to visit, it would usually be to meet either the pope or the saint.

Given that the pope had been preoccupied with internal church matters and spreading teachings to remote regions, the saint had been handling most external affairs lately.

“But you need to schedule a meeting with the saint several days in advance—”

“No, not the saint. I came to meet someone else.”

“Who, then?”

For once, Ares hesitated.

Scratching his cheek with his finger, his face reddened, and he muttered in a barely audible voice:

“…Sister Karen.”

“What?”

“Sister Karen… I came to see her.”

Linnea blinked in disbelief.

The prince of the royal family… came all the way here, of his own accord, just to meet a single nun?

“You mean Karen? Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand something?”

“If I can’t meet her today, even scheduling a meeting would be fine. Do you think that’s possible?”

Linnea was too stunned to interrogate him further, as Ares’s earnest expression left no room for doubt.

A prince wanting to meet a nun wouldn’t exactly cause a stir in the church.

“Karen, huh… Wait here. I’ll go ask.”

With that, Linnea disappeared somewhere.

Ares placed a hand over his chest, feeling his heart pounding wildly.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Even though he had made up his mind, he hadn’t been able to calm down since the carriage ride.

This was the first time in his life that he had gone out of his way to cause a commotion just to meet someone.

It was surprising, even to himself, that he could act so boldly.

If Duke Kal bayan saw this, he would probably faint from shock.

‘I’ll apologize as soon as I see her. I’ll say I’m sorry for getting angry. Sister was right. I was willing to sacrifice those who didn’t want this for the greater good…’

‘How much time had passed?’

“Ares.”

Linnea called out to him from a distance as she approached.

“Yes?”

Her expression… was strange.

It looked as though something wasn’t right.

“How did it go? Can I meet her?”

“Well… Yes, about that.”

“What is it?”

“The person you want to meet—Sister Karen—are you sure that’s her name?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Sister Karen.”

“Absolutely certain?”

“…Why? Did she say she doesn’t want to see me?”

Ares asked, his tone almost accusing, as if such a scenario were impossible.

“No, it’s not that…”

Linnea hesitated for a moment before delivering a shocking response.

“There’s no one named Sister Karen at the Grand Cathedral of Igogodon.”

“What?”

“I mean it. No nun by the name of Karen exists here. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake somewhere?”

Ares was left completely dumbfounded by her words.