The Saint’s Manual for Redemption - Chapter 97

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 97
The Archbishop had certainly handed this to me, saying it would be useful if I encountered a demon beast I couldn’t handle with my own strength.
At the time, I’d thought it was nothing but a suspicious object. After all, there was no reason the Archbishop would give me something out of goodwill.
I’d sooner believe the Ecclesia Church had a sudden change of heart and converted into a charity organization than trust the Archbishop.
But now, thinking back on it, something felt off.
A man of the Archbishop’s position would likely have known that the great demon Raum was sleeping in the Croen Duchy.
The Temple folk might have turned a blind eye and withdrawn their branch out of greed, but it was hard to believe someone of the Archbishop’s rank didn’t know at all.
The Archbishop, having received that mad exaggerated report, must have thought I might clash with Raum.
Otherwise, how could he have pointed so specifically at a “demon beast I couldn’t handle with my own strength,” when he’d already seen me resolve demon beast and Purification issues several times over?
I looked down at the small vial in my palm.
Truth was, I couldn’t just throw this at a sleeping Raum. If Raum woke up because of that, I’d ruin my contract with the Duke with my own hands, wouldn’t I?
I rolled the vial between my fingers and suddenly asked Arden a question.
“If someone who clearly wants to kill you gives you something that might help, would you use it?”
“I would not, Your Highness.”
It was an absolutely resolute answer with no room for hesitation.
“But what if they exploited that psychology in reverse, and it actually would have helped? What if they spread the word that they tried to help but I died because I didn’t use it? Or—what if, anticipating I’d judge it that way, they actually gave me something that wouldn’t help at all?”
“Yes, that possibility also seems to exist, Your Highness.”
Arden answered without a shred of soul in his voice.
I should have asked about this back when Calianna had separated Johan from the group.
Perhaps—Johan, who’d essentially been a watchdog then, might have been present, and I couldn’t speak freely.
Of course, I didn’t hold much hope. From what I’d seen of Calianna so far, there were far more things she didn’t know than things she did.
Still, since Calianna was the one who’d leaked information about the Judgment Flame, she might turn out to be unexpectedly helpful.
I thought for a moment, then spoke to Arden.
“Arden, I need you to spar with Johan.”
Arden’s gaze fixed on me immediately.
“Suddenly, Your Highness?”
“Yes. Johan’s been wound up tight lately. A sparring session should help him loosen up and shake off some of that tension.”
“Your intent to separate me from your side is too transparent, Your Highness.”
“Sharp as always.”
“Your Highness.”
Arden called out to me in warning, his tone measured. But that kind of gravity had never worked on me.
“I won’t do anything dangerous. Go ahead.”
Arden’s eyes showed he didn’t believe me one bit. But as I waved my hand dismissively and made it clear it was an order, he finally let out a long sigh and withdrew.
Of course, he didn’t just leave—he gave stricter instructions about the guard at the door than usual before departing. Still, it should be enough to keep Johan occupied.
Not long after Arden left, Calianna entered my room in response to my summons.
“You called for me, Your Highness?”
I waved the vial in front of Calianna, holding it between my fingers.
“Do you happen to know what this is?”
Calianna blinked the moment she saw the vial.
“Ah, that’s the vial you showed me in the carriage when we set out, isn’t it?”
“You really don’t know?”
“I… I don’t, Your Highness.”
Calianna nodded with a gloomy expression.
My suspicion had become certainty. I barely managed to stop myself from pressing my palm to my forehead.
“Did the Archbishop say anything to you separately about the liquid in here?”
“I swear by Caritas that he truly did not, Your Highness!”
Calianna seemed intent on conveying her sincerity to me, but since I’d made a habit of swearing by Caritas the way others swear at breakfast, her earnestness didn’t particularly resonate.
“But is this meant to be drunk, or to be poured out?”
With that question from Calianna, I suddenly realized that drinking it had never been an option in my mind at all.
“I’m not sure. Maybe I should try smelling it?”
I was confident I could Purify whatever was inside this vial. Besides, Arden—who usually stopped me—wasn’t here now.
I picked up the vial and gestured to Calianna to step back. She widened her eyes and took a step backward.
“Your Highness, if this turns out to be dangerous…”
“That’s exactly why I’m checking. If it’s dangerous, I’d rather not keep carrying it around.”
I wrapped a thin layer of Holy Power around my fingertips and carefully gripped the vial’s stopper. If poison, Demonic Energy, or a curse came spilling out, I’d Purify it on the spot.
As silence settled over the room, only the sound of Calianna swallowing was distinctly audible.
Pop—the cork came out with a clean, satisfying sound as the lid opened.
I brought the mouth of the vial close to my nose. It was a scent I’d never encountered before.
It was ambiguous whether to call it fragrant or repulsive. It smelled like medicinal herbs, like aged Holy Water, and seemed to have the faintest metallic, fishy undertone mixed in.
“Have you smelled this before?”
Contrary to what I’d expected, Calianna didn’t immediately shake her head in denial. Instead, she leaned close to the bottle and sniffed at it for a long moment.
“Hmm… I’m certain I’ve caught this scent somewhere before….”
“Where?”
“That’s the thing….”
Calianna furrowed her brow, straining hard to recall. But as it turned out, she couldn’t remember where she’d smelled it.
A friend who helped, yet not quite—how aggravating.
I wouldn’t have minded if Holy Power could enhance memory as well. Then I could’ve squeezed money from those taking the imperial bureaucratic examinations.
And then, thinking that naturally, I caught myself—recognizing that this very mindset was what had reduced the Temple to its current state—and fell silent. I peered into the bottle myself.
“Should I try drinking it?”
It was barely a murmur, but Calianna shook her head with utmost seriousness, restraining me.
“I do pride myself on having fairly good instincts, but I don’t think you should drink it.”
At the very least, her instinct in catching my scent alone deserved recognition. Calianna asked carefully.
“But does it really need to be revealed now? The Croen Duchy has no problems anyway, and if you just say you didn’t use it, the Archbishop shouldn’t be able to find fault, should he?”
“I’m uneasy keeping an unidentified liquid with Arden any longer.”
“From what my senses tell me, Howelin seems fine.”
“You throw around your instincts too freely—they lose credibility.”
At my words, Calianna closed her mouth obediently.
Knock, knock—
The moment the knocking sounded, I reflexively pushed the cork back into the bottle’s mouth. With a pop it had opened; this time it sealed with a dull thud.
Calianna spoke in a small voice.
“I’ll do my best to remember and tell you…!”
“I’d appreciate that.”
It looked as though I’d return to the Main Temple without ever learning what was in this bottle.
The door opened, and Arden entered. Whether he’d bathed or not, the faint scent of clean soap drifted thinly through the cold northern air.
The moment he stepped inside, he spotted the bottle in my hand and took it from me with perfect naturalness.
“I was worried Your Highness might drink it after sending me away.”
“I wanted to verify it somehow, but unfortunately I couldn’t determine what it is.”
Arden closed his eyes briefly at my words, then opened them. His expression was one of quiet resignation.
Seeing Calianna, Arden seemed to understand at once why I’d asked him to keep Johan nearby, and why he’d been slightly mistaken about my intentions.
Still, he said nothing to Calianna. He simply placed the bottle inside his robe and looked back at me.
“And I’ve finished arrangements with Rothbert—we’ll take breakfast at the Duke’s Castle tomorrow and depart at nine.”
At last, we were going home.
We’d confirmed Raum’s nest in the Croen Duchy, made a Contract Betrothal with Duke Croen, and even caught the imperial spy. For such a brief visit, it had been quite eventful.
All that remained was to return to the Main Temple and decide how to overturn this game the upper brass of the Church had orchestrated.
Just as I’d hidden a card up my sleeve against them, they too likely held cards they hadn’t yet revealed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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