Chapter 01: Her Tender Kisses and the Shadowed Ascension Rite
Warm sunlight filtered through the tall arched windows of the Pope's private chambers, painting the stone walls in soft gold and filling the air with the fragrant steam of herbal tea. Sweet desserts crowded the low table between us—cakes glistening with sugar, delicate pastries, and cubes of rare chocolate arranged like jewels. I sat there in the middle of it all, wrapped in a rare pocket of peace that made the weight of the coming days feel distant.
She knew my tastes better than anyone. Only Vespera Langford could have prepared something so perfectly suited to me.
"Lirian," she said quietly, setting her teacup down. "Does it please you?"
I looked across at her—long white hair spilling to her waist, golden eyes steady and warm. As Pope of the Holy See of Akadonia, former saint and hero of the demon wars, she carried more titles than I could count. To the world she was untouchable power. To me she had always been something far simpler and far more precious.
"Hehe… it's so delicious…" My voice came out high and sweet, the way it always did when I felt safe and spoiled.
She smiled, the kind of smile that made the whole room feel softer. "Eat slowly, my dear. There is more than enough."
This little tea party was her gift to me before the Ascension Rite. Just sitting here with her made confidence bubble up inside me, pushing away every flicker of doubt.
"Lirian, the Ascension Rite is only a few days away now."
"Yes… it really has come quickly, hasn't it?"
"Are your preparations going well?"
"Of course!"
I had been taught directly by the Pope herself. Mid-level healing spells were effortless now, and even the advanced restoration arts felt within reach if I truly pushed. I gestured grandly, letting a little theatrical confidence color my words.
She laughed softly. "I was worried, but it seems there was no need."
"Ehehe…"
A short silence stretched between us, comfortable and familiar.
Then she spoke again. "Lirian."
The soft clink of her teacup meeting the saucer carried a different weight this time. Her golden eyes had sharpened with purpose.
I felt the shift instantly and set down the pastry I had been nibbling, fingers tracing the delicate handle of my own cup.
"Do you know what the final test of the Ascension Rite truly involves?"
"Huh? I thought it was just the healing examination…"
Her voice stayed gentle, but the words landed heavily. "The trials for male devotees are… a little different from those given to the women."
My stomach tightened. I had assumed the worst—some brutal combat trial I had never been trained for. During all my years of study under her, Vespera had insisted that battle magic was unnecessary in this peaceful age. Now the reassurance I had clung to suddenly felt thin.
"Your Holiness… it isn't a combat test, is it?" I asked, unable to keep the anxiety from bleeding into my tone.
She shook her head, the smile returning like sunlight after a cloud. "No combat, so breathe easy."
Relief flooded through me. "Phew… thank goodness…"
"Though…"
"Though?" I tilted my head, leaning forward.
She paused, then waved the thought away with a graceful hand. "Never mind. Here—try these sweets instead."
"Eek! Tell me!"
She had been on the verge of saying something important; I could feel it. But she changed course and offered me another piece of chocolate instead. The rich, melting sweetness bloomed on my tongue, but it couldn't quite cover the frustration of being left hanging. I pressed her again, yet all she gave me was that same indulgent smile and another treat.
"Lirian," she said after a moment, voice softer now.
"Yes?"
"The years we have spent together have flown by like arrows loosed from a bow…"
Her golden eyes held a quiet sadness that pulled every memory forward in a rush.
Yes… time really had passed in a blur.
I remembered the night I first came to the Grand Cathedral—clothes ragged, legs painfully thin, snow clinging to my white hair as I staggered through the doors half-delirious. The great hall had been cold and echoing, incense thick in the air, candlelight flickering across ancient stone. I had been lost, broken, drawn there by nothing I could name. And then she had been there, arms opening without hesitation, pulling my shivering body against her robes. That single embrace had saved me. It still did.
"Once the Ascension Rite is complete," she continued, "you will live as a full member of the Holy See."
"Yes…"
"After that, we will be Pope and devotee. Nothing more. Nothing less."
The words lodged in my throat. My nose stung. My eyes burned. It felt exactly like standing at the edge of graduation, knowing the safe chapter was ending. I lowered my head quickly so she wouldn't see the tears threatening to spill.
"Don't be too sad, Lirian. I will always love you."
She leaned across the table and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
The word "Mama" rose hot in my throat, but I swallowed it down. She had never liked that name.
"Hehe… I love you too, Your Holiness."
"Oh my… I love you even more."
She drew me into her arms then, hugging me tight against her chest. Her lips found my forehead again and again—gentle, lingering kisses that left warm traces across my skin. She kept going until my face glistened with the faint sheen of her affection, until the scent of her hair and the faint incense on her robes wrapped around me completely. I stayed there, small and held, letting the moment stretch.
When the tea finally ended, I slipped away under the excuse of reviewing mana circulation principles in the archives. The truth was simpler: I needed to fill the hours somehow.
I passed the towering central altar of the Grand Cathedral, its carved saints and demon-war reliefs watching silently as my footsteps echoed along the corridor. That was when I spotted him.
"Hey, Bastian!"
He turned, tall and broad-shouldered, the kind of striking male beauty that still felt rare even after all these years. My senior among the devotees looked especially worn today—eyes heavy, posture carrying the quiet exhaustion I was starting to fear I would soon know too.
"Hmm…? Ah, Lirian."
He offered a small wave, the motion tired but genuine.
I wanted to tease him about looking like a groom fresh from a honeymoon, but I kept my innocent mask firmly in place. "Bastian… are you all right? You look really tired."
"Eh…? You know how it is. Male devotee life, right?"
He sighed, the sound heavy with long habit. The sight of him sent a quiet worry curling through me. If this was what waited after the Rite, then maybe I wasn't as ready as I pretended.
"Anyway, your Ascension Rite is only days away now."
"Yeah!"
"Haa… poor Lirian. May the gods watch over you."
"What? You're being weird, Bastian!"
He laughed softly and popped something small into my mouth. Rich chocolate melted across my tongue.
"Hmm? Is this chocolate?"
"Yep."
"This expensive stuff… did you sneak it from the reception hall?"
"Haha, you little rascal. No—I was given it fair and square."
Chocolate was a true luxury, the sort of indulgence only the highest nobility tasted with any regularity. I had joked, but we both knew how rare it truly was for someone like him. I grinned up at him anyway. "Ehehe… thanks, Bastian."
"Soon enough you'll be getting plenty yourself."
"Huh? Why?"
"There's… a reason, Lirian."
The words Vespera had left unfinished earlier came rushing back. "Bastian! About the Ascension Rite—there's another test, right? The Pope mentioned it but wouldn't say what it is. Can you tell me?"
"Hmm… the mid-level healing exam? You'd walk through that one."
"No, not that. The other one…"
"Ah. So Her Holiness did bring it up."
"Yeah… but she stopped short. Please?"
He sighed, clearly reluctant. "Sorry. I can't tell you either."
The refusal only sharpened my curiosity until it felt like an itch under my skin. "Eek…! Come on, tell me!"
"Haha… I really can't."
"Bastian… pleeease…"
I looked up at him with my widest, most sparkling eyes and caught the edge of his robe in my fingers, tugging gently. The performance was perfect, and I knew it.
He exhaled in defeat. "Haa… all right. Just this much. You need to choose your first partner carefully."
"Huh? What does that even mean?"
"You'll understand soon enough, Lirian."
A duel? A pairing? My thoughts spun, but Vespera had promised no combat. Before I could ask anything more he ruffled my hair, the touch affectionate and final.
"I'm needed elsewhere. Good luck with the Rite."
He slipped away down the corridor before I could cling any tighter. I stood there a moment, pouting inwardly, then turned toward the archives.
I selected a heavy tome on mana theory and dropped into a chair, hoping the quiet would settle my racing mind. No television, no phones—just the hush of ancient books and the distant echo of hymns from the cathedral proper.
"Lirian."
I startled. "Ah, hello…"
The cardinal adjusted her round glasses, brow furrowed in disapproval. "I believe I mentioned not dragging the chair across the floor."
"Sorry…"
Stacks of sealed documents covered the table in front of her—reports meant for the Pope, no doubt.
"A few days until the Ascension Rite," she said crisply. "Do not tarnish Her Holiness's name."
"Yes…"
She clicked her tongue once and returned to her writing, the steady scratch of her quill the only sound in the room.
The archives wrapped around me again, peaceful and still. I hoped this calm would last forever. Somehow, I passed the rest of the day in its quiet embrace, the weight of unanswered questions lingering just beneath the surface like a shadow that had not yet grown teeth.