“Saintess Idledra, you should think this through. This is no ordinary ritual. In the eyes of others, you will be no different from a witch.”
The man before her watched the determined Idledra.
Issar did not understand why this girl would nod so earnestly.
He had, of course, harbored his own selfish motives when he proposed the Body Double Puppet.
Surely the young woman before him already understood the plan—to use the Doll’s nature to quietly absorb Idledra’s Mana, and finally, after draining her of all value, silently replace her…
“Humph, isn’t this exactly what you want? When you stole my Mana all those years ago, you weren’t nearly so kind with your warnings…”
Idledra looked at the hypocritical man before her with a look of disdain.
However, she had to admit that the proposal he made was tempting—a person who would belong solely to her forever.
For Idledra, who had been brought to the Holy See under constant surveillance since childhood and had long craved companionship, these were conditions she could hardly refuse.
She knew Issar’s goal was to use her and take the opportunity to seize her remaining Mana, but it didn’t matter.
A person who belonged exclusively to her, who would stay by her side forever…
“Since you insist, I will go and persuade those people at the Holy See…”
Why would he refuse an opportunity to move his plan forward?
Although Issar did not understand why Idledra was so obsessed, there were times when he truly could not see through her.
Soon, during the final high-level meeting of the Holy See, Issar braved the astonished and questioning gazes of the senior members to push through this decision, which seemed far too “profane.”
***
In the garden, Idledra gently licked away the tears at the corners of Hailey’s eyes.
She brushed her cheek against the other girl’s, her face full of apology.
“So, did I force Hailey to stay by my side? Hailey won’t be so angry that she’ll ignore me, right?”
“Well… if I were angry, do you think you would let me go? Obviously not.”
From the very first moment Hailey had transmigrated, the first thing she saw was Idledra’s pure, excited gaze, as if she were looking at a precious treasure.
Of course, she also couldn’t ignore those rigid old men standing nearby, their faces filled with disgust and contempt.
“But I couldn’t bear to let Hailey go! You don’t know how happy I was when I saw Hailey appear before me as a living, breathing person!”
At the beginning, Idledra hadn’t fully believed the Pope’s high-sounding rhetoric.
She thought it would just be an ordinary Body Double Puppet—something that could move, jump, and give mechanical replies, and that would have been enough.
But when Hailey appeared as a Doll with her own consciousness, a ripple formed in Idledra’s heart.
‘This is a life just like my own, created and brought here solely for the ambition of the Holy See.’
Perhaps it was the shared sympathy of two people in the same situation, or perhaps she was licking her wounds out of compassion, but Idledra felt a strange emotion for the girl who looked exactly like her.
This feeling had gradually twisted into something indescribable when she was forced to take from Hailey due to a Mana shortage.
“…But when we first got close, I couldn’t help but want to do something… indescribable to Hailey… Forget it, I’ve said it over and over. There’s no need to mention it again. Even if I talk to you now, you might not hear me.”
Hailey looked helplessly at Idledra, who was pressing down on her, wondering when the effects of this damned pollen would clear up her hallucinogenic symptoms.
Idledra seemed to become more and more bold; her small hands were already restlessly poking and prodding Hailey’s body, causing Hailey’s ticklish spots to twitch.
Hailey was also quite frustrated.
Originally, Hailey had also been affected by the Hallucinogenic Flowers, but it seemed her Mana-attuned constitution had slightly altered the properties of the pollen, turning it into a paralyzing powder instead.
‘Why is the pollen she got hallucinogenic, while mine turned into this numbing, electric sensation? Are they messing with me?’
This was just great.
One was so dazed she didn’t know what she was doing, while the other was so paralyzed she couldn’t do anything about it.
‘Why? Why couldn’t I be the one hallucinating so I could do those indescribable things to her?’
Powerless and aggrieved, Hailey looked up at the sky.
The stars were still bright… wait, there shouldn’t be any stars right now.
The spot where they lay was covered by a canopy woven from clusters of ivy, yet the faint starlight of the night was still visible.
“Alright, if you’ve rubbed against me enough, let’s go. We have to attend the banquet soon. I don’t want my dress to be covered in the dirt you’ve kicked up…”
Since she couldn’t move anyway, what else could she do?
She couldn’t exactly scream and draw everyone over.
Idledra greedily pressed herself against Hailey’s front, acting spoiled and seeking affection, and Hailey could only let her be for the time being.
“Hailey hates me, waaah… I’m going to go and take that wretched Emperor down with me right now.”
Fine, she could still joke, so it looked like she had regained her senses.
Hailey pulled her away as if she were annoyed but amused, hurrying toward the Banquet Hall while Idledra pouted reluctantly.
In Idledra’s mind, Hailey could have just stayed there alone with her until the banquet ended.
Once the two figures had disappeared into the garden, one large and one small figure poked their heads out from the nearby bushes.
Tracy proudly took the silver-haired woman’s hand and introduced them excitedly, “See, Mother? I told you the two of them were very interesting, didn’t I?”
“Hehe, it seems the relationship between those two little ones is quite extraordinary. Little Tracy, you mustn’t disturb them at a time like this.”
The gentle, silver-haired woman softly patted Tracy’s head.
Then, holding her hand, she slowly walked toward the Banquet Hall.
For some reason, the look the woman gave Tracy was full of regret and heartache.
‘Tracy, my child, I hope these two friends will be able to give you a hand in the future…’
***
Returning straight to the private meeting room from earlier, Emperor Augustin had been waiting quietly in his seat the entire time, leisurely sipping the black tea in his hand.
He only turned around slowly when he saw Idledra and Hailey return.
“It seems the two of you have likely reached a conclusion, yes? How is it? It looks like you’ve made a decision regarding my proposal.”
“Emperor Augustin, can you swear on your honor? If our situation is exposed…”
Idledra was about to continue when Hailey gently took her hand.
Hailey spoke for her, delivering Idledra’s unspoken words along with her own thoughts to the scrutinizing Emperor before them.
“Your Majesty Augustin, what I hope for—or rather, what we hope for—is to no longer be ‘Saintesses.’ Neither of us will be the Saintess anymore. If we are not permitted to exist at the same time, then do not let us exist within the shackles of the Holy See at all.”