"Master. I simplified things, but that is all the explanation I can give you without breaking my vow"
"Vow? The vow that you established with your first owner? Let me guess, you cannot even tell me what was the vow because not revealing your vow also came under the vow. Did I guess it right?"
She nodded to confirm my point.
"If my master, you, able to grasp the situation then we should be deciding on a plan of action"
She leaned forward.
She is the same type as Beatrice. Both of their ideas revolve around wiping out the problem before it wipes you out. That's good thinking, but I prefer not to take action until they take action first. I don't want to harm anyone.
"Hmm.....we should wait and see from now on. We don't have any information on the other candidates and I am curious about this war. I think——"
I think it is dangerous to wander around aimlessly without any plan. Damn it! I am feeling guilty to reject the offer of Beatrice.
"What about that wicked girl we fought last night, master?"
"Huh? I don't know anything about her. It was the first time we met. I never saw her in Japan, especially in this area. So far what we have information on her is that she is from some cursed family Illyrios whose origin came from Greece"
"....."
Her eyes widened. Sraosha is giving me a hard look after hearing this name.
"Sraosha? Did you also know this family?"
"Yes, I do. Pardon me for asking this question to you. But, did you hear about this family name before you were pulled into this war, master?"
"Well, I heard it today from the mouth of Beatrice. She has a vast knowledge in terms of Greek mythology and the dark side of this world. Italian world really worship horror tentacles"
"I see.....you are not aware of them. Fate got us here. In order to still your mind, you should seek counsel of the priest within holy walls of the church"
"The church? You mean the church we went to yesterday? Are you sure that you are talking about the same church? I am sure there is only one church here"
That's very smart coming from me. I am getting embarrassed by my own words.
Otto Johann Anton Skorzeny. He seems different from anyone. He is not a dangerous man but he is not a holy man either. He is a devil in disguise of an angel.
"I know how you feel. I too desire no dealings with that man"
"Huh.....?"
That's unexpected coming from Sraosha. She was created at the time when humanity was still developing, we can conclude that she is somewhat around more than a million years old.
Why does she hate him? I get it that he is Austrian and his leader was also Austrian——Austrian painter in full name. He was part of the most evil political group of that era. A big evil if you check his background. This gives reason for humans not for immortals like her. She probably had seen worse than him in her life. But, she doesn't want to deal with someone like him.
"I know that I don't like him. You didn't meet him yet you hate him. Why?"
"——"
She hesitates to speak. She lifted her face to look at me like she had made her mind to tell me.
"He is one of those candidates to become God and one of the surviving candidates who survived the war of 10 years ago. I never saw him or met him face to face that much but Yusuke always take him seriously"
I know it! I knew that something was wrong the first time I saw how Sraosha reacted to my brother. My brother might have ruined something which was precious to her. This is why she hates him. It is just my theory. There is no way to prove this unless my brother or she tells me.
"Sraosha.....how do you know the name of my brother?"
"He was my previous wielder. Nakajima Yusuke was my master in the last war. He was the original hero until the roles were switched due to his contradiction"
"Contradiction?"
"I apologize to you for this but I cannot tell you as it is against the vow I made"
Damn! God created her not only beautiful but filled her character with a unique color of chivalry.
"10 years ago, Nakajima Yusuke was my master and one of the candidates in that war. We had reached all the way to the last point of war. During the war, Nakajima Yusuke saw the priest as his greatest archenemy. He believed that the priest is too much dangerous and can kill him in that war"
"——"
He saved me. He saved me from that fire. Wait a second.....he lied. He lied that the city was on fire because of a terrorist attack. The truth was something I realized right here. There was no terrorist attack. It was the war which cost several lives of the people. I lost my parents, maybe a family of mine who I no longer remember in that fire. Fire was caused by this war. This is the truth.
"I cannot handle this information in one way. I don't think you are lying. If this is true then why didn't the priest tell me about this?"
"I do not know, master. The mind of your brother was very sharp. It was difficult to find out what he was thinking. But I am sure the priest didn't tell you about this because you never gave him your full name. This might be the reason behind this. He will answer to the questions if you ask him"
"Really? Can I ask him if he is planning on stabbing me on the back? Would his reply be like——yes, why not?"
Sraosha silently stares at me. I got it. My jokes were bad.
Next moment——
I head to the church. Sraosha is following me. It looks like she planned to watch me.
I look at the church. Even though I wanted to come here someday, fate had me the next day.....I was not prepared for this.
"Master"
I turn back to the girl behind.
"I shall wait outside for you, master. This for your own good if you face the priest by your will"
"I came this far, so I won't back down now. I will be back quickly, so wait for me here"
"Okay. If you face any danger then just think about this sword of yours, master. I will be there for you"
"Don't worry. I can run fast"
What will I ask the priest? Hey, Father, how does it feel after getting destroyed by my brother? Or why did this sword choose me but not him again? Forget the last part.
I entered the church.
I don't see the priest.
I saw a man sitting on the chair instead.
"Excuse me. Did you see Father Skorzeny?"
I asked him.
The man slowly gets up. At that instant.....
I was captivated by this man. He is different. My mind is trying to think of something else but I cannot. His appearance is too beautiful for a man. Too sharp for a woman. It is impossible to pinpoint any mistake in the appearance of this man. He looks like the finest work of God.
"Are you here to confess your sins to the son of God?"
His voice is filled without any emotion in those words.
"I am not Christian. I am here to meet the priest of this church"
"It is very strange to see a Japanese person coming to the church despite not being a Christian"
What should I say?
"Well, I got some.....work with the priest to discuss a charity event that this city is going to hold. So, I am here for the donation for this event"
I made up a story about this foreign man. My only hope is that this man is a tourist because if he is a resident of this town then it would be a big problem as he will catch up with my lie.
"A charity event? It is an amusing idea. I am looking forward to that day when this charity event will be held. I was here to see the son of my father"
"Son of your father? Is.....Father Skorzeny your brother?"
It would be a big problem. It would mean that he is also the candidate in this war. They don't look similar but there is one thing in common, they both have blonde hair and an unsettling presence.
He gave me a smirk.
"No. He is not my brother"
This answer gives a relief to my soul. So, he is a normal person.
"Then who is your brother? Is he someone who lives in this town or something?"
He smiled.
"Right now, my eyes are watching him"
I followed the direction of his gaze. Looking at the altar. The image of Christ all over the place.
"You mean Jesus?"
He nodded.
"In simple terms, God is the Father of all as he is creator. This is why I said that I came here to watch my Father's son. Son of my Father——Jesus Christ as he is the son"
"You come here praying too?"
"Pray to who? Son of my Father or my Father?"
He stood up. His behavior is different from other people.
"You have business with the priest. I should go now. My time is over here"
He left the place with those words.
"....."
Several minutes later.
"I am surprised that I am seeing you again this quickly. I knew that we will meet but never thought you will present yourself in the morning in front of me"
Skorzeny appears, greeting me with his usual voice.
"I come here because I have something ask to you"
"Very well, I am a very busy man and you are not related to me. But, go ahead and ask if you have a question"
Skorzeny comes closer, the sound of his footsteps fill the air. His body is emitting pressure on me. Is this what they call invisible pressure?
"What is it? There is no need for greeting between us"
"——"
He is right. There is no need to be friendly with him. I come here to confirm the story that Sraosha told me. I want to know the full story behind my brother in order to clear my doubts about him.
"You know about me and yet, you didn't tell me about it"
"Hmm. What did I not tell you?"
"It is about my older brother. Why didn't you tell me that Nakajima Yusuke was the participant of the previous war?! I want an answer"
He smiled when he heard the name of his like he is enjoying it.
"Why should I have told you about this? The achievements of Nakajima Yusuke have nothing to do with you"
His words made me silent. It is true that whatever things my older brother has done will not give me any benefits especially when he is in this war again. But—
"There should be a connection. I am the owner of that sword which once belonged to him. He is my older brother!"
He raised me. He betrayed me but he was the one who saved me from death. He was the one who gave me shelter, food and a family. He is the reason why I am alive and who I am today.
"So, tell me why you didn't tell me before?"
"This is none of my concern. I have never seen that heredity determine if you are a candidate or not. It is the will of the Lord, not your mortal reasons. You are chosen because Lord chosen you"
"There should be a connection"
"Maybe the Lord wants you to atone for the sins of Nakajima Yusuke when he rejected the will of Lord by denying the pleasure of divine might"
"W-what? What did my brother do?!"
"Denying the right to become a god. He came to this land to become one. It was the pure and most desired thing. He wants to change everything. A man with nothing to lose. But he betrayed the help of Lord and committed the sin"
I mistook him as a betrayer. He never betrayed me. He wanted to save me from the dark side he faced. It is a tragedy that despite all of his efforts to save me from this side of the world, I was dragged into this war.
"He did not betray anyone! He rejected that, probably thinking that it is just a madness of chaos where people are killing each other like they are animals!"
"Hm. It seems that you do not know what Yusuke was like before. —All right. I shall tell you the true identity of the man named Nakajima Yusuke"
The priest smiles. It was a smile of evil praising someone of his level.