Chapter 174
A second-year from Efnelle wearing a knockoff uniform.
It looked amusing, so she decided to play along for a bit. Lete rose from her seat and bowed politely.
"I didn't realize a senior was in the compartment. Please forgive my rudeness."
Ellen, who had confidently crossed her arms, flinched slightly.
"S-senior...? You're calling me... senior?"
"Yes."
Lete unfastened the buttons of the robe draped over her and slid it off to the side.
It was the same Efnelle uniform made up of a white top and skirt like Ellen's, but the radiance from the clothes was completely different. With the two standing side by side, anyone could see the stark difference.
Suddenly, Ellen's uniform looked embarrassingly fake.
"I'm your direct junior, Lete Chardena, first-year of Efnelle. I was admitted as the number one pick."
Ellen's face turned noticeably pale. The girls who had been laughing with her couldn't laugh anymore either.
"Is something wrong, senior?"
Still politely bowing with both hands together, Lete raised only her head. The corners of her lips curled upward.
"You look unwell."
"N-n-no, it's n-nothing! Hahaha!"
...The real deal had shown up.
Who would've thought an actual current Efnelle student would be on this train? And she was the number one selection on top of that.
As Ellen began sweating profusely and glanced around for help, the girls had already fled.
"Ellen Zile? Ellen Zile..."
Lete frowned slightly, deep in thought, then spoke.
"Forgive me, but I've never heard that name before. May I ask what your major is?"
"H-holiness dynamics! I mean, that's my major! Hahaha!"
"Ah, I see."
Lete clapped her hands softly and gave her a kind smile. Ellen gulped and forced a smile back.
'Maybe she'll let this go? If I can just get past this moment, I can get off at the next station…'
"What a coincidence."
Lete pulled out a communication crystal from her pocket.
"I was just about to report to my advisor. If you're in holiness dynamics, you know Professor Rahol, right?"
"P-Professor Rahol...!"
"Would you like to say hello?"
Sweat dripped from Ellen's forehead onto the floor.
If Professor Rahol saw her in this fake uniform, it would truly be the end.
When Ellen couldn't respond and stammered in silence, Lete nodded knowingly and put the crystal away.
"Impersonating an Efnelle student."
Lete's voice turned cold,
"Do you even realize that's a serious crime?"
Meanwhile, Simon, who had gone to the restroom, was returning to the first-class compartment.
'Wow, this is amazing. How can there be a restroom inside a train? How do they deal with the waste?'
Lost in random thoughts, Simon belatedly noticed the strange atmosphere.
The once noisy first-class compartment was now cloaked in heavy silence.
'It was so loud before, is everyone asleep now?'
Feeling puzzled, Simon returned to compartment A2.
"Huh?"
He was met with a rather awkward scene.
Lete was sitting with her legs crossed, swirling a wine glass, and beside her was a girl in the same Efnelle uniform as Lete, kneeling on the floor with her hands raised.
"Ah! Didn't I tell you to keep your arms straight up?"
Lete snapped in annoyance, and the girl flinched and raised her arms higher.
"Don't sit on your legs! Lift your butt! Don't stretch your knees. That's it. Keep that position. Unless you really want to die."
The girl, trembling as she held the punishment pose, looked quite familiar to Simon.
"You're back."
Lete spoke indifferently when she saw Simon. Ellen, embarrassed by the presence of a third party, lowered her head but rolled her eyes toward him.
"Huh?"
Ellen's pupils began to shake violently.
"W-what?!"
Someone who absolutely should not be here was standing right before her. Shocked, Ellen's posture crumbled.
Simon recognized her too and gave a bitter smile, waving his hand.
"Long time no see, Ellen."
Ellen Zile.
A priest girl from Efnelle whom Simon had met on his first mission after entering Keyzen.
Her real identity? Just an expelled student from Efnelle. She had crossed into the Dark Alliance through a broker to earn money to feed her younger siblings, which was when she ran into Simon.
"You're still doing this?"
Simon pointed at her fake uniform. Her face flushed red as she mumbled,
"S-sorry. I meant to quit after that day... but the difference in request fees between working as an Efnelle priest and a regular priest is just too big..."
"Completely rock bottom."
Lete said coldly after hearing the full story.
She double-checked the soundproof white magic circle on the wall before returning to her seat.
"So, not only did you impersonate an Efnelle student, but you also used that fake identity to work in the Dark Alliance? Are you insane?"
When Ellen bowed her head, Lete continued.
"I was willing to treat you with some respect since you were once part of Efnelle, but you're just low-quality trash. I'm contacting Heaven Island right now to bring in the inspectors."
"N-no! Please!"
Ellen clung to Lete's leg in desperation.
"Hey! Let go of me!"
"If I get caught by them, I might really die! If I die, what'll happen to my siblings...!"
"If you truly cared about them, you wouldn't have done this crap in the first place!"
Lete coldly shook Ellen off her leg like she was a leech.
"Even if you die or get imprisoned, don't worry. I'll personally make sure your siblings are safely placed in a decent monastery."
"N-no, please! I'm begging you!"
No matter how much Ellen sobbed and pleaded, Lete was like an unshakable wall.
Seeing no hope for mercy, Ellen turned her gaze to Simon.
"S-Simon! Please help me!"
"It's no use clinging to him."
Lete sneered.
"This is the Holy Federation. What power could he possibly have—"
"Don't worry, Ellen."
Simon patted her shoulder.
"Lete's not going to send you to prison."
"Simon...!"
Ellen's eyes welled with emotion. But Lete scoffed.
"You've got to be kidding me. Who do you think you are to say that?"
"Because Lete committed a crime too. She's the one who brought me here."
"You insane bastard!!"
Lete shouted and grabbed Simon by the collar.
"Are you trying to die?! Why would you say that?!"
Simon just smiled softly.
From his perspective, it would be a huge problem if Ellen got caught. If his name or identity slipped out during questioning or torture, it would be a disaster.
Ellen, quick to assess the situation, suddenly clapped her hands with a bright face.
"Aha! Then we're tied together now!"
"Grr...!"
Lete let go of Simon's collar in frustration and slumped onto the bed, glaring at him.
"...I'll remember this."
"Sorry."
Simon apologized.
"But if Ellen gets caught knowing my identity, it'll be bad for both of us, right? There's no need to take that risk."
"You're right, but I really didn't want to be tangled up with that senior like this."
"Don't worry. Ellen's good at keeping secrets."
Right? Simon looked at Ellen and asked. She nodded enthusiastically with a loyal expression.
Lete frowned, clearly displeased.
"But senior, who told you to lower your hands?"
At Lete's remark, Ellen immediately shot her arms back up like a submissive lamb.
Afterward, the three of them chatted in the same compartment.
Ellen said she was on her way to complete a new request, and since her destination was farther than theirs, they'd be traveling together the entire train ride. Her seven younger siblings were doing well too.
"But it's strange. Wearing such a knockoff uniform, how come the inquisitors on the train didn't catch you?"
Lete asked. Ellen scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.
"Well, I do have a real priest's license! I just said this outfit was cosplay. They just gave me these really pitiful looks and let me go!"
"How very impressive."
The purpose of the Inquisitors was to identify heretics and bring them to judgment. A case like impersonation wasn't under their direct purview, so they must've just let it slide.
Simon looked at Lete.
"But don't you think it's time to let her lower her arms?"
It had been two hours, and Lete was still punishing her so harshly, it looked like she was going to kill her senior. At this point, Ellen's arms were trembling from exhaustion, and it was starting to look pitiful.
"Don't interfere. This is priest business."
Lete snorted dismissively.
"For a dropout to impersonate Efnelle? This isn't even a punishment. It's child's play. Right, senior?"
"Y-yeah! Totally! Ahahaha!"
Just then, something triggered, as if Lete had set up an alarm. She flinched, then spoke.
"The Inquisitors are coming. Senior Ellen, return to your seat quickly."
Ellen, her face turning white, gave them both a quick bow and hurried back to her seat.
Lete swiftly erased the soundproof magic circle from the wall and sat down, brushing her hair back into place.
Simon felt a surge of tension all of a sudden and pulled out the holy scripture he borrowed from Lete, pretending to read it.
"Hmm."
Lete tilted her head slightly.
"Pretending to read that thing, isn't that a bit too much?"
"I'm going for a religious zealot look."
"Ah, sure. Just don't get caught."
Step, step.
The Inquisitors really did appear. Carrying weapons and torture tools, they clanked down the hallway with heavy steps.
The train was suddenly as silent as death.
"There will be a brief inquisition. We ask for your cooperation."
Perhaps because this was an area where priests and their families were traveling, the Inquisitors' demeanor was more polite compared to what they'd shown in the market.
Simon focused on the inquisitions happening in the other compartments.
It wasn't that difficult. Mostly basic, reasonable questions. Simon thought, if it's only this level of difficulty, it should be fine.
Step, step.
Finally, the Inquisitors stopped at the compartment where Lete and Simon were.
"Apologies for interrupting your rest."
Senior Inquisitor Baccarat bowed more politely than ever. His eyes went straight to the uniform Lete was wearing. The other Inquisitors behind him flinched slightly when they saw her.
"You boarded at the last station. We'll conduct a brief inquiry. Please forgive us for doubting your faith, it is merely a matter of upper procedure. We would appreciate your cooperation."
Lete gave a cool nod.
"Sure, sure. Do whatever you want."
Baccarat asked a few simple questions, and Lete tossed out her answers like they were ridiculous to even ask.
Even when the questions were phrased a little more trickily, she answered them without a moment's hesitation, going straight to the point. Her firm faith, befitting an Efnelle student, made the Inquisitors visibly impressed.
"That will be all for the questions. We'll now proceed with a physical inspection."
"Ugh, seriously. What a pain."
"My apologies."
Baccarat glanced to the side and nodded. A female Inquisitor stepped forward and spoke.
"Priest, please follow me to the dressing room."
Lete clenched her teeth in frustration, clearly unhappy about leaving Simon alone.
"Ugh, do we really have to do it by the book like this?"
"I'm sorry. Given the current circumstances... please understand."
Even as an Efnelle student, there was no way to stop a formal procedure carried out by official Inquisitors.
In the end, as Lete walked away with the female Inquisitor, she glanced back at Simon with anxious eyes. Simon gave a subtle nod, as if to say it was fine. Lete nodded back and headed into the dressing room.
"Now then, it's your turn, priest. First, please—"
"Wait, senior."
At that moment, a younger Inquisitor pushed past Baccarat and entered.
As soon as he stepped into the compartment, he lifted his leg and stomped hard on the table with a loud thud!
"Long time no see."
Simon's eyes widened.
It was Metin, the Inquisitor he had run into at the night market.
"You slipped away like an eel back then, huh? Not this time."
Metin sniffed the air.
"Heh! This scent of Darkness. You're done for. I'll reveal your true identity right here and now!"
"Metin!"
Baccarat grabbed Metin's shoulder.
"Nothing's been confirmed yet. You're being rude, jumping to conclusions that the priest is a heretic—"
Smack.
Metin brushed Baccarat's arm away and glared at Simon with a deadly look.
"You. Right here. You're going to die."
At that moment—
Metin thought he had cornered the guy perfectly, but Simon smiled softly.
There wasn't even a speck of malice in his warm, composed smile. Metin flinched without realizing it.
"Inquisitor, it seems there's been a major misunderstanding."
Simon brought his hands together and channeled holiness.
A pleasant, gentle wave of holiness spread through the room, and the other Inquisitors murmured softly in awe, their faces relaxing into smiles.
'It's been a while since I've felt holiness this pure.'
'Feels like my soul is being cleansed.'
Metin's face twisted in frustration.
"Go on, ask me anything."
Simon smiled.
Whatever smell he'd caught or sign he thought he noticed, this time, he'd picked the wrong guy.