A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The room I followed Veronica into was truly peculiar.

A slightly dim interior with a soft reflective light. A massive bed added weight to the space, while a rug turned the whole atmosphere upside down.

The bedroom was on par with the hotel I was staying in. Yet, throughout my inspection, I felt an odd discomfort that I couldn’t shake off.

From the crucifix hanging on the wall to the pastel-colored icons displayed in the drawer near the head of the bed.

This place, thick with religious overtones, was the bedroom of Altiora Cathedral.

Veronica introduced the bedroom just like this.

“This will be the Colonel’s bedroom from now on.”

“……”

To be honest, it was absurd.

I was waiting for Veronica, who had locked herself in the bathroom for some time, when suddenly the door burst open and she rushed out, grabbing my hand. Before I could even ask what was going on, Veronica shouted for me to follow her.

And so, somewhat bewildered, I found myself here, discovering that this was now my bedroom.

“…You weren’t joking earlier?”

“It was the truth. Did you think it was a lie, Colonel?”

“……”

“Do you have any other plans for tomorrow morning?”

“No, not really, but…”

“Then you’ll be tired, so sleep quickly. I’ll turn off the lights before I leave.”

I had no idea how to respond.

Should I thank her for giving me a place to rest instead of sending me back out into the cold early morning? Or should I protest against changing a diplomat’s lodging so casually?

Or maybe ask if she really meant it when she told me to part with my sisters?

I wasn’t entirely certain, but one thing was certain.

Veronica had arranged something for me.

I found that incredibly commendable.

And yet, at the same time, infuriating.

After a long moment of contemplation on how to best get under Veronica’s skin, I slyly approached her and offered a particularly provocative suggestion.

“…Want to share the bed?”

—

Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

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The night was deep.

In Lateran, where the uproar of drunkenness, the prayers of pilgrims, and the calls of merchants had ceased, it was surprisingly calm, as if the sweltering heat of yesterday had been forgotten.

In the void left behind by the excitement celebrating the birth of a new saint, only silence lingered, but everyone knew that when tomorrow’s sun rose, the festival would continue, so the tranquil atmosphere felt devoid of loneliness.

The sacred land, now enveloped in darkness, was astonishingly quiet.

Except for one place.

In the holy chamber where the saint resided, a faint sound of a shrill scream echoed through the corridors of Altiora Cathedral from the crack in the open door.

“Wha-what grotesque words…!”

It was a sudden uproar.

Yet no one rushed in surprise. I spread my palms in a “What do you expect me to do?” gesture, while Veronica raised her voice sharply.

“Y-you want to share a bed? A single bed for an unmarried man and woman?! Is that even something you can say right now?! Not even as a joke should such words be spoken….”

Approximately 20 years ago, according to a report produced by a now-retired domestic information officer from the Imperial Guard HQ, it was noted that Veronica had a rather strong sense of self-awareness and assertion.

Even when she was younger, her temper was fierce, and she disliked losing to anyone. So much so that a puppy playing with her in the yard had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

Maybe that’s why Veronica was so tenaciously attached. Not even the thought of uttering “It was just a joke” had crossed her mind.

“How reckless must you be to bring up sharing a bed so easily? You didn’t even use that kind of language in front of my sisters, did you?!”

“Not that I can remember….”

I faltered at my fading memories, perhaps due to all the drinking. It was hard to recall everything clearly. While I had shared a bed with Luciana Francesca, no one had ever directly suggested sharing a bed.

To be precise, it was more like Luciana Francesca had coerced me into it. If we were to get technical, I had some responsibility in that too.

However, it seemed Veronica had misinterpreted my meaning.

“You don’t remember? Just how badly have you messed around…!”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant….”

Despite my look of disbelief at her response, it was useless.

The intoxicated saint was already lost in the labyrinth of her delusions, engulfed by her own words.

“Even though you spent more than a month with Luciana, wasn’t your time with Francesca just shy of two weeks?”

“About a week; we spent it at a villa together….”

“A week? My word…!”

It seemed in her mind, I was being regarded as quite the womanizer. While it was true I had spent a week with Francesca, aside from the first day, nothing particularly special had happened between us.

It was because Francesca had caught a terrible cold.

So, I attempted to clarify the misunderstanding, but—

“What did you say? Francesca didn’t get out of bed for two days?”

“……”

At this point, I wondered if she was deliberately trying to mess with me. A sudden thought crossed my mind that Veronica was teasing me on purpose.

While I seriously wanted to give her a playful slap, I couldn’t help but focus on the utterly flushed Veronica, who was angrily fuming.

Veronica, now a bright red, was far from the image of a saint. To make matters worse, the distinct smell of alcohol lingered around her.

I asked.

“So, you dislike the idea?”

“Eep….”

Seemingly stunned by my assertiveness, Veronica found herself at a loss for words. Putting it frankly, my suggestion might have been so ridiculous that even I found it absurd.

Sharing a bed, indeed.

Scarcely would anyone dare say such a thing to a priest, irrespective of their social standing. More so if the target was a one-of-a-kind saint in the world.

To be precise, now there were two saints.

Regardless, Veronica appeared to be rather peeved. But frankly, everything was feeling like a bother to me.

“No, what’s the issue? Luciana and Francesca are both grown adults now.”

“W-well, there are lines that should not be crossed! They’re not even people who have made promises of the future together, how can a man and woman….”

“Veronica, that’s something you can’t say after having done, ahem, that kind of thing with some outside man, especially in a cathedral….”

“Ah, stop! No! Stop it! Aaack! Aaargh!”

In the end, Veronica couldn’t take it anymore and even covered my mouth. She succeeded, but it was a truly ugly scene.

There couldn’t be a more disgraceful display. Perhaps she herself was aware of that, as embarrassment colored Veronica’s cheeks.

Face flushed, gripping her skirt tightly, she trembled as if trying to hold back her anger. Unable to overcome the combination of shame and rage, she finally redirected her ire toward me.

“W-what gives you the right to be so brazen…?!”

“Well, good question.”

What made me so bold, you ask? Who knows.

If it had been any other time, I surely would have been overwhelmed, but even with Veronica trembling before me, I still remained composed. Upon reflection, there was really just one plausible answer.

“…Because Luciana has finally been canonized?”

“Wha….”

Because I had Luciana.

If Veronica, for some ridiculous reason, decided to knock me out, I had now a valid reason to run to Luciana. Now that Luciana was a proper saint, she could surely hide me from an irate drunkard.

It would surely invite scandal should two saints start bickering over a single man; the world would gawk, and the bishops and cardinals of the cult would be left aghast, but that, frankly, was not my concern.

I sniffled quietly, turning back to a bemused Veronica.

“You told me to stay at the cathedral for a few days. Are you just going to throw that away because you can’t wait to be with Luciana…?”

Her flushed face contrasted sharply with her ashen hands.

As Veronica brought her trembling hand to her mouth, she clenched it into a tight fist.

“…Colonel.”

“Yes?”

“Get inside….”

“What?”

Just as I was about to inquire further.

The warmth of her skin muffled my lips.

The motions of her arms wrapped around my neck and the sensation of her soft, pink flesh gliding past my lips. It was just a single touch, yet it was one I would forever remember, familiar yet heavy. The plump lips, unlike those of Luciana Francesca, appeared to be sensitive; each brush against my skin made her flinch lightly.

Though her movements were clumsy, it felt pleasant. Perhaps it was precisely because they were awkward.

I stopped staggering and wrapped my arms around her; Veronica, hanging onto me, inhaled deeply.

Skin intertwined, fabrics tussled. As our heat rose, the sensitivity of our skin tingled in our depths.

With the alluring saint draping her silvery essence, she offered a bewitching smile and spoke.

“Shut up and get inside.”

Who was it that said it?

Once fooled, the deceiver is the bad guy; fooled twice, the fooled is a fool; fooled thrice, you’re complicit.

Surely, this couldn’t be the second occurrence yet.

And yet, Veronica had become an accomplice.

“…Hurry. Before someone sees us.”

And that was all it took.

I quickly closed the door with my foot to avoid being seen.