“Surely…… it’s not that ‘Saint Patricia,’ is it?”
“No. It’s probably right, Yan.”
“Th-that. How on earth are we supposed to obtain that!”
Yan shouted, forgetting he’d been on the verge of tears just moments ago. It was surprising to see Yan, who had only been gentle or tearful, raise his voice. When Rou stared at him with wide eyes, Yan seemed to realize his mistake and quickly bowed his head.
“I apologize for making a scene. High Priest, Jes.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, is Patricia’s belt such an important holy relic?”
Since Rou only remembered Patricia crying, he found it hard to believe her belt held such tremendous significance.
“What? High Priest. Saint Patricia’s story…… have you never heard it?”
Patricia was a saint so famous that any child living on the continent would have heard of her at least once during their childhood. Moreover, if one frequented the temple, stories about her were not hard to come by. It was quite unconventional that someone as devout as the High Priest didn’t know about that saint.
“I’ve heard the name. Isn’t she from the Cana Kingdom at the far south? Their hazelnut butter is quite famous there.”
Yan had a puzzled look, seemingly unaware of such details. In contrast, Jes spoke.
“That’s correct. The fact that the Saint was from the Cana Kingdom is not a well-known fact—you’re quite knowledgeable. While it’s true that the Cana Kingdom was once famous for hazelnuts, about a hundred years ago it became a private forest and they planted grapevines there, so it’s no longer produced.”
At the mention of something from a century ago, Rou flinched and stammered. He hadn’t eaten hazelnut butter in a while, but had that much time really passed?
“I-is that so? I remembered it because the lilac syrup from the Cana Kingdom that I ate before left a deep impression.”
Unlike Yan, who couldn’t hide his surprise, Jes was calm. He was too old in years to be surprised by every little thing. Having already become well acquainted with the High Priest’s unexpectedness also played a part in not being surprised by most strange occurrences.
“Saint Patricia’s belt is not an ordinary holy relic. Unlike the relics of saints who performed miracles or holy relics that record moments of great miracles, that belt can still create miracles even now.”
Jes calmly began recounting an anecdote that showed Patricia’s deep faith.
One cold winter. Patricia, an ordinary girl, went out on an errand for her father. Upon entering the shopping district, she couldn’t help but offer a prayer of thanks. The devout girl felt the Goddess’s mercy in the fresh scent of fruit with each step she took, the savory aroma of baking bread, and the especially dazzling sunlight that day.
While walking and praying to the Goddess in her heart, Patricia discovered a beggar sitting alone in a dark alley.
Winters in the south were short and mild compared to the north. Therefore, unlike the north which began earnest relief efforts when winter came, the south simply waited for spring to come quickly as winter passed.
The cold wasn’t severe enough to freeze standing water, but to southerners accustomed to mild weather, it felt harsh. Moreover, that winter was particularly cold and long, so there were occasional cases of those who hadn’t prepared in time freezing to death.
The cold wind still blew, and it was still too early for spring, yet the beggar was wearing summer clothes and shivering. With a pale face and purple fingertips, it seemed he’d have difficulty surviving the night.
Compassion bloomed in Patricia’s heart. She was lucky enough to have a warm home and a goose-down quilt that perfectly blocked the cold wind, but the beggar didn’t. She took off her thick wool coat and placed it over the beggar’s shoulders.
The beggar who had been shivering for so long must have been too exhausted, as he curled up inside the coat and soon fell asleep.
Patricia was grateful she could perform this good deed. How much would her father praise her when she told him of this good act? And how pleased would the Goddess be if She had seen it? With such imaginings, Patricia’s cheeks flushed red with joy.
Patricia finished her father’s errand and came out. The air had grown even colder in the meantime. She was walking down the street preparing to return home when, not far away, another beggar was begging for alms.
He seemed to have difficulty standing barefoot on the cold ground, so he constantly rubbed his feet together while begging for charity in a trembling voice. His feet and legs were covered in mud, seemingly having tried to escape the cold rising from the ground by kneading and applying mud.
Patricia couldn’t ignore that beggar. Having already decided to help beggars, if one entered her sight, it was only right to help them.
Patricia eventually took off her soft calfskin shoes. Stepping barefoot on the cold stone pavement, the chill seemed to spread throughout her entire body. The area below her ankles became numb and tingly, gradually losing sensation. Patricia put the shoes on the beggar’s feet. The beggar left only words of thanks and fled the scene as if fearing Patricia might change her mind.
Patricia walked down the street shivering. She wasn’t accustomed to this kind of cold. She could understand completely why the beggar had applied mud to his soles. She felt that she would have done the same if given the chance.
Patricia tried to run quickly to her house. Even if she met more beggars now, it seemed she had nothing left to give. Patricia retied her belt and prepared to sprint at full speed.
However, she soon stopped at the sound of crying. The very faint crying was precarious, as if it would extinguish at any moment. Like a tiny candle before the north wind, it kept going out and lighting again.
Patricia followed that thin crying sound. A gaunt woman sat in the cold alley, holding a nursing infant. The woman seemed to have already half-given up, as she wasn’t nursing the child despite its crying.
The woman just stared indifferently at the crying baby, as if all sparks of hope had been extinguished.
Patricia approached them. The dazed woman strongly tried to stop Patricia from removing her clothes. It was 200 years ago. For a woman to walk the streets wearing only thin undergarments was shameful. If her family found out, it would surely become a source of shame for the entire household.
But Patricia was firm. The moment she said she would give her clothes, she had already seen hope reignite in the woman’s eyes. The high-quality clothes would fetch money if sold, and with that, this mother and child could survive the winter.
The woman received the clothes and bowed her head repeatedly in thanks. The woman was now filled with the will to live, so Patricia wasn’t worried about her at all. Even while clutching the clothes, the woman repeatedly asked Patricia if she would be alright.
After giving her clothes to the woman, only Patricia’s belt remained in her hands. However, Patricia had an inexplicable conviction. All of this was the Goddess’s will, and the Goddess would not simply abandon her.
Patricia strode boldly out of the alley. The woman ran after her to stop Patricia, but she couldn’t approach her any closer.
As Patricia walked out under the sun, her body began to shine as if wearing golden clothes. Wrapped in golden energy, Patricia no longer felt the cold. She was filled with warm heat as if frolicking on a meadow of blooming flowers on a summer day.
People gathered at the brilliant radiance, but not a single one saw her face.
Thus, Patricia’s remaining belt represented philanthropy and love.
“Ever since then, each time someone rubbed the belt and prayed, that golden radiance would stain their fingertips. There’s also a saying that the Goddess’s blessing still remains, and if you rub the belt while offering prayers, anything can be achieved.”
“Hmm……”
Having heard the full story, a memory came to mind. Patricia had been a crybaby, but she was certainly no coward. Rather, she was a splendid person who accomplished everything she wanted to say and do even while crying. After removing her clothes for the beggars, she might have walked the streets proudly with pride in herself.
Moreover, whether the story had been distorted as it was passed down orally, or for some other reason, the belt was considered quite sacred, different from the purpose he knew. The reason Rou immediately recalled Patricia and that belt was because the sight of her confronting ruffians who insulted Goddess Kaine while crying had been quite impressive.
The sight of her wielding the belt like a whip while preaching about the Goddess’s mercy and love was a scene difficult to forget.
However, not wanting to bring out musty old knowledge and leave confusion for later generations, Rou chose to simply agree.
“I see.”
Even with the distorted history, Rou wasn’t greatly shaken. He didn’t know what significance Patricia’s belt held for humans, but for Brukisel’s sake, there was nothing he couldn’t bring. Moreover, Patricia was a saint who only remained in history, and Rou was a High Priest of the modern era.
In Rou’s hands was a card the other party couldn’t refuse.
“That belt now remains as the royal family’s treasure…… The Cana Kingdom will never willingly give up that holy relic.”
The King of Cana was famous for his deep faith. Even when rumors circulated that the Emperor was persecuting the Kaine Religion, he had willingly accepted Jes. The only source of pride for this weak nation with no notable specialties or famous tourist attractions was Saint Patricia’s belt.
Having seen how much they cherished the holy relic while by his side, Jes knew he wouldn’t easily give up the relic. Moreover, if they had to take it by the Emperor’s order, even more so. Therefore, they had no choice but to approach it in a completely different way.
“First, I need to meet with the King of Cana, Jes.”
“……I’ll have a letter delivered.”
Jes had a bitter taste in his mouth. To think he had to ask for Patricia’s belt. It was like repaying kindness with enmity.
* * *
The day after sending the letter, at dawn still tinged with blue. The sound of knocking on the temple door was heard. Yan, who had worked as a servant for a long time and lived a life far from morning sleep, kicked off his bed without hesitation and got up. Since the High Priest had collapsed from overexertion while greeting the flood of believers, they had decided not to receive such uninvited guests who came without prior appointment.
Yet those who came anyway would use their pitiful circumstances as a weapon to demand the Goddess’s mercy. Yan opened the door with a heavy heart, wondering what words he would have to use to send these people away.
“No, I told you it’s troublesome to come like this. First, if you arrange an appointment with Jes through a letter…… Het!”
Yan, who had been rubbing his eyes and speaking half-asleep, raised his head at the cool gaze and was startled to meet a familiar face. Het, who looked more haggard and somehow more tired than Yan last remembered, stood guarding the entrance.
He couldn’t keep his hands still and kept running them through his hair, as if hesitating whether his choice was truly right.
“What…… brings you here?”
If Het had come because of a headache or head lice, Yan was thinking he would close the temple door without a second thought and lock it. However, Het silently stepped back two paces. Only then did Yan discover another uninvited guest standing behind Het.
Just as Yan’s eyes were about to narrow at the situation of an uninvited guest bringing another uninvited guest, an unexpected introduction began to emerge from the first uninvited guest’s mouth.
“This is the King of the Cana Kingdom. Please allow me to escort him inside.”
