"My lady, shouldn't we leave quietly?"
"Yes, wouldn't it be better to just vanish without a trace?"
The two white-haired attendants asked in turn.
Rose: "Think one step further. It's best to stage it as if we were all burned alive in the fire. That would have the strongest effect."
"Why don't we do that then?"
Rose: "Several reasons. First, I'm lazy. Too much effort."
"..."
"..."
Rose: "Second, my mother has used that trick far too many times. It doesn't feel clever anymore."
"Your mother is involved in this too?"
Rose: "In truth, only this city is under my lead. All the other cities of Eldoria are handled directly by my mother. Well, except the capital. Stirring trouble there isn't wise—it could cause major problems."
"So in all the other cities right now, the same scene is playing out, the saintess of the White God Church being burned alive by the Church of Light?"
"How did your mother manage that?"
Rose: "Simple. She has many clones. She just lets one of her clones be burned. Quick and easy. That's not something I can imitate."
"But back to the earlier point, are we really going to show our faces and walk out of the city like this?"
"Surely you know what this will lead to, don't you?"
Rose: "Of course. It will easily attract a crowd of followers trailing behind us."
"Are you certain that doing so is really fine?"
Rose: "If the leaders of the Church of Light in every city were eliminated, that would escalate into outright war, which isn't our intention. But if only one place is dealt with, it's not a big issue. It also becomes a new vantage point to see whether other factions try to take advantage. Any more questions?"
"Does bringing that boy along count as part of your plan?"
The attendant pointed to a stone statue approaching them. It had the height and form of a boy they all knew well.
Rose: "Not really. Whether he follows or not doesn't matter to me. Hello, Tris, out for a walk too?"
After answering her attendant, Rose greeted the young visitor.
Tris: "Hello, Rose. Or should I call you Red instead?"
Rose: "Hehe, such a clever boy. How did you figure it out?"
Tris: "Too many coincidences stacked together. When that happens, it's easy to guess."
He paused, then continued:
"Besides, you never truly tried to hide it. Just now you admitted it so easily. And in our past meetings, if you wanted, you could have concealed everything naturally instead of acting so abruptly."
Rose only smiled, silently acknowledging his words.
Tris: "The method you used to spread the message about the Church of Light across the city, that was Space magic, wasn't it? How did you broadcast sound in so many places at once?"
Rose: "You need a 'medium' to act as a relay, like this statue of yours."
Tris: "That part was easy to guess. I don't know how you controlled the number and distance so well. It must be due not only to your ability but also the properties of the 'medium', right?"
Rose: "Correct."
Tris: "So, what's your ultimate goal? Can you share it?"
Rose: "Which one? Friendship? Or the church?"
Tris: "Both."
Rose: "Entertainment. But not only entertainment."
Tris: "..."
Rose: "Like throwing a stone into a pond. It relieves boredom, but it also lets me observe. Whether the stone hits a fish or not, whether the water is deep or shallow, fast or still, any result is fine."
Tris: "I see. So now that you've seen the results, what will you do next?"
Rose: "Go home and sleep."
Tris: "...?"
Rose: "Maybe when I'm bored again, I'll go out and toss more stones elsewhere."
Tris: "Sounds like part of a bigger scheme."
Rose: "Not necessarily. It might end up meaningless. Mostly it's just for my own amusement."
""My Lady.""
The two white-haired attendants spoke at once, cutting off the conversation.
Rose: "Yes, I know. The next group of visitors is coming."
Tris, or more precisely, the stone statue he was controlling, raised its hand to its face and rubbed it.
When the hand lowered, the features on the statue's face had vanished completely. To anyone looking, Tris's likeness could no longer be recognized.
Tris: "The next incident with the Church of Light, is that also part of your stone-throwing plan?"
Rose: "It's a result of the stone, yes. But it's a separate matter. After all, I didn't throw a stone directly at their church. If they overreact against strangers and suffer consequences, that's not my fault."
Tris: "Interesting explanation."
Rose: "It's the truth. If they hadn't targeted the White God Church from the start, things wouldn't have escalated. We would have continued preaching peacefully."
Rose sighed.
Tris: "In reality, whether the Church of Light reacts or not, the outcome still suits you, doesn't it? Just like you said, any result is fine."
Rose: "I dislike violence. So if they choose peace, that would suit me better."
(╬▔皿▔)╯ Hearing this, Tris cursed inwardly, remembering the punch to his stomach he had received earlier.
Rose: "Why do I feel like you just insulted me in your head?"
Tris: "Probably the Church of Light people are insulting you right now."
Rose: "Fair point. Do you believe in the God of Light?"
'If I say yes, you'll immediately roll up your sleeves and hit me for secretly cursing you, won't you?'
Tris: "No, I believe in science."
Rose: "Believing in science is a good choice."
Tris: "Isn't it odd for someone who calls herself a saintess to say that?"
Rose: "Why call it self-proclaimed? The god truly chooses me."
Tris: "So it's fine for a chosen one to say that?"
Rose: "Of course. Our god is broad-minded, and big-chested too."
Tris: "And you? Isn't your job to recruit as many believers as possible?"
Rose: "There's no salary anyway. Just putting on a show is enough."
The more he listened, the more Tris felt this church had serious internal issues.
Rose: "As long as people know of the church, that's enough. What they choose to believe is up to them. Our doctrine is freedom of faith."
Tris: "The White Church is that liberal?"
This truly surprised him.
Rose: "Belief doesn't matter. Actions do. Everyone must take responsibility for their own deeds. If you stand on the wrong side and get beaten to death, that's on you."
Tris: "..."
This was not at all what he had imagined.
Their conversation was cut short by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
Soon, a large group from the Church of Light appeared near where they stood.