She’s The Older Sister Of The Yandere Male Lead In A BL Novel - Chapter 18

“Noonim!”

“Lisandro!”

As though we were family that was reunited after decades, we hugged each other fiercely.

I really have missed him since it’s been a while since I saw him. After the scripture ceremony, I stayed alone at the temple where I didn’t know anyone.

I didn’t feel lonely exactly. Actually, I didn’t have the time to feel lonely.

After the scripture ceremony, the temple officially announced that the saint had appeared.

The people cheered and the date for the appointment, or the ascension ceremony was set.

They couldn’t even wait for the eve as there were several festivals being held just for me.

For a while, the empire was so noisy.

Even during the dark evenings, the lamps shone brightly as the sound of musical instruments and people’s singing filled the streets.

Emissaries from other countries also came to visit and congratulated the empire in advance, and the temples of L’Aquila that were scattered all over the empire also sent representatives to express their deep gratitude for my presence.

Because I couldn’t go out due to safety reasons until the ascension ceremony, which the temple told me about before it happened.

Towards the east where the sun rose, I went on a parade along a road where the people of the empire were.

As I went down that road, I reached the altar where the Pope—Grandfather—and His Majesty the Emperor were and they respectively put a crown on me and gave me an orb.

Finally, after Grandfather’s congratulatory speech, the ceremony would end.

In short, I only got to meet Lisandro and Frey after the ceremony.

My parents gave us space for just the three of us, and they left while saying they had something to talk about with Grandfather.

It hadn’t even been a year or anything, but Lisandro and Frey seemed unfamiliar.

Perhaps because I hadn’t seen them in a while, Frey’s beauty shines even more than before, and my brother had gotten taller and his face got more handsome.

And he became more of a crybaby.

“Lisandro, did you get tanned?”

“Ah, yeah. You don’t like it…?”

He fumbled with his face and carefully asked back, but I shook my head.

“No. You look healthy, and it’s a good look on you.”

“I was really bored without Noonim, so I trained more. That’s why I got tanner, I guess. I did put on the cream you gave me.”

Listening to Lisandro who was chattering nonstop, I beckoned to Frey, who was standing behind him.

Fortunately, neither of them looked like they got hurt.

Their relationship didn’t seem bad either.

I took out two copies of the same notes from my pocket and gave one each to them.

“That’s my schedule. If there’s nothing special going on, I think that’s how my days will go.”

I heard that the temple was strict with discipline, so I don’t think they’d do anything that would derail the schedule.

Since the ceremony was over, I’d have to enter the ministry academy next year and start studying.

Before that, they said that the priests would help me a little with my studies. It wasn’t a great effort on my part, but the people of the temple were still pleased.

They didn’t know that my power was supposedly weaker than my predecessor because it hasn’t been officially announced that I was weak.

Of course, I hid the truth.

Grandfather and the high priests patted me on the back of my hand and said, ‘Even if your divine power is weak, the divine power of saints is much more superior than ordinary disciples of God.’

The schedule I have even lists down as far as prayer at dawn.

They said that it shouldn’t be excluded from the schedule, and that I must pray and read the scripture.

“Can you see the day of the week when I have some free time? I marked it in red, so you’ll be able to visit me then.”

The two nodded in unison as they looked at the notes.

“You guys can always come see me on that day. Especially Frey.”

I pointed at Frey with my finger.

But Lisandro snatched up the finger and frowned.

“Why does Frey have to come?”

“I’m going to heal his sickness.”

“…Can Noonim do that?”

As Lisandro widened his eyes, I looked around furtively then leaned forward slightly, beckoning them forward.

With a small voice as our heads met each other in a circle, I whispered.

“Yes. The temple doesn’t know, but my strength is actually not that bad.”

“Are you confident that you won’t get caught, Noona?”

“Yup, I’m confident.”

I answered Frey unhesitatingly and lifted one corner of my lips.

From now on, my schedule would be full, and today would likely be the last time we can meet and relax like this.

Word had already spread widely throughout the empire that the saint had appeared. And during the parade, my face and identity already got revealed. Thanks to that, it’d be a while until I can go out.

There were many people who coveted the power of the one and only precious saint of the continent.

Even if I was known to have only a little power, I was still the God L’Aquila’s beloved saint, so all attention was still on me.

There was a legend that if you have the saint and treat them well with all your heart, your land would be blessed, holy grounds would be kept up, and the one who keeps the saint would have everything.

The blessings of L’Aquila would follow the saint, not the people.

Nevertheless, the attitude of the people was still… I could only shake my head and click my tongue.

“In two months’ time for sure.”

Tino said that Frey could be healed within two months with the divine power I had.

He said that even if I was inexperienced with wielding the divine power, my skills could progress over those two months, and there would be no disease that I wouldn’t be able to heal at once.

“Two months?”

“I’ll heal you in two months.”

When I held up two fingers and spoke confidently, Frey and Lisandro exchanged glances.

They nodded slightly at each other, then they turned to look at me again.

“This is really good.”

“Huh? What is?”

“Even when Noonim became a saint, you didn’t change!”

“I did change though, I got stronger.”

“Of course, Noona. It’s just so nice to see you.”

Frey was always on my side. I pinched the sulking Lisandro’s soft cheeks.

“But what’s good for you?”

“We’re going to enter the academy.”

“Oh, here? You’re entering the ministry academy? To become a priest?”

“No!”

I couldn’t tease him these days, but I didn’t know how refreshing it was to tease him again like this. It might be true that peace of mind would come to me only after teasing Lisandro.

I already knew that the two of them would enter the academy anyway.

Since their relationship had remained unchanged even though I’ve been away from them for a while now, I don’t think I need to worry anymore while I’m at the temple.

“You’re going to Lude, right?”

Lude Academy was a place where nobles of the highest ranks among aristocracy sent their children, and the examination was extremely difficult.

Apart from that, the tuition was also enormously expensive.

I haven’t been there in person, but I heard that the buildings were so colorful and marvelous that they could be called art.

As much as they’re charging, I also heard that it’s worth the price. The professors were among the most competent in the entire empire, and the dormitories also boast of single-person rooms.

Nothing about the academy was low-level, and that included the quality of education and the buildings themselves.

The academy itself was also known as the gateway for mid to low rank nobility because as long as an individual could graduate from that place, it’s almost a guarantee that they’d excel.

All in all, it’s worth the cost of sending a kid there.

“What the, it’s like you already know.”

“I didn’t think you’d stay still just because I entered the temple.”

Even in the novel, after Yurenia became a saint and entered the temple, they entered the academy.

Compared to aristocrats who enter the academy at a much younger age, they’re a bit late.

Usually, students would enter at the age of nine to twelve, then they’d complete a five-year curriculum. After that, they could choose either to return to their household or to stay at the academy for more personal research endeavors.

In the novel, Lisandro and Frey graduated early due to their extraordinary skills, so they’d receive their diplomas at the same time I’ll graduate from the ministry academy.

And if that happens, Frey will graduate even before he comes of age…!

Why is the world so unfair…

“Annoying, both of you.”

“…Why are you being like this again?”

“Noona’s just tired because she entered the temple.”

It’s not like that.

I haven’t entered the ministry academy yet, so I was mostly free these days. Maybe it’s because I had to meet many key figures in the empire after the ceremony.

I wasn’t thinking anything in particular, but Tino suddenly popped into my mind and said that many saints were fundamentally gentle and weak-willed, so it would be easy for me to slip into that mindset. And he added that I should be more alert.

Don’t get weak like that again, he said.

Perhaps Tino was mistaking me for being the same Yurenia as before.

Anyway, contrary to his worries, I wasn’t weak-minded.

I could guarantee that Tino had nothing to worry about.

In any case, even if I ask these two to hide their abilities, they wouldn’t be able to hide them. So instead, I tried to dampen their spirits instead.

“Once you go to the academy, you can just cry when you see other people’s superior abilities.”

“Why must Noona criticize us?”

“Is there anyone better than me, huh?!”

Frey heard such words from me for the first time now, and Lisandro came up close to try and see if I couldn’t think of anyone.

“You’re too close. Keep some distance, will you.”

“Ugh, Noonim!”

It was a lot of fun to meet up like this and talk after such a long time.

It must be thanks to my brother that I feel more comfortable now, after I’ve entered the temple.

* * * 

“Is it difficult, Lady?”

The young attendant next to me named Sara asked me as I was handed a glass of cool water.

“Yeah. I wanna drop everything and quit.”

It hasn’t been a year yet, but tears were already brimming in my eyes.

It wasn’t that hard to study at the ministry academy. And the worshipping wasn’t taxing either.

I had to meet people, including some nobles, sure, but it was only an occasional thing. In fact, I was actually a difficult person to meet, since there’s a lot of processes to go through.

That’s all swell, but the hardest thing was… not being able to sleep in.

Even if it’s not that, isn’t it just generally difficult to wake up in the morning?

Everyone in the ministry academy was required to wake up at an ungodly time, and classes started earlier in the morning than usual. This was because there were morning worship services to be attended.

To be honest, it hasn’t been only once or twice when I was overcome with the urge to run away and play hooky.

To be more precise, I already attempted it a few times, but I had gotten caught quickly.

Because of my attempts to skip class, I was rumored to be a tomboy.

Honestly, this was good. If there’s a rumor that I was a tomboy who couldn’t use my power that well and wouldn’t even try to learn, then the expectations around me would decrease.

Even if I don’t attend my lessons, I already have the basic knowledge of a saint. But of course, I didn’t reveal this.

It’s true that constant training was needed anyway.

Above all, I didn’t want to feel burdened by making them anticipate that the saint was competent.

“Your Eminence is also good at joking.”

Sara laughed at what I said, not knowing that I meant it.

Even if I said my true feelings like this, everyone, including Sara, would only laugh. They would say that I was good at keeping the mood light, as if I was a comedian.

I wanted to be a saint with a terrible personality, not a clown saint.

“We also don’t want you to have a hard time, Lady Saint¹, but please don’t skip classes and listen well to your lessons.”

“Because there are people targeting me?”

“Yes. Because our Lady Saint appeared after seventy years, everyone is so captivated by you that they’d want you for themselves! No matter how much the saint’s power is decreasing, it still remains the same that the saint has continued to appear in the Angelus Empire, which makes our empire the ruler of the continent. Like Angelus right now.”

In short, what Sara was saying was that if I didn’t want to die, I should thoroughly learn how to protect myself.

“Our paladins will protect the Lady, but you never know when you go out.”

Rather, there’d be nothing to be afraid of if Lisandro was next to me. Frey, too.

As much as my younger brother was going to be a sword master, Frey was also an elementalist who entered a contract with a spirit king.

Who’d ever be able to win against those two?

“And here is the new schedule. It’s a bit tight because we thought that we had to pretend you’re busy so that Lady Saint wouldn’t need to show yourself to others.”

“…For whose sake?”

“Of course, for our saint! I was going to give it to you after you’ve gotten used to life here, but you must have been very worried.”

“What if I faint while doing all this?”

“Our Lady Saint is really good at cracking jokes!”

I’m being serious here!

Despite my internal scream, Sara only smiled.

“And what’s this? Self-defense techniques and defensive martial arts? That’s not something I’m being taught at the ministry academy.”

“Preliminary theology students only learn subjects they’re most confident or most interested in. Of course, the saint learns how to wield divine power and learns the doctrines at the academy, but just in case, the saint is also taught self defense. It’s pertinent to learn how to protect oneself.”

“Am I going out to war the moment I get out of here? With self defense techniques and defensive martial arts…”

Not just anyone can be a saint.

A person can only become a great saint after polishing their abilities and shedding blood, sweat and tears.

After hearing me mutter, Sara tilted her head to the side, then opened her lips to speak.

“Since you said it’s a war, then I agree, it’s kind of like a war.”

“Huh?”

“I am not joking. The moment the saint leaves the temple, you’ll be everyone’s target. Whether you like it or not.”

With that brutally honest, ominous remark, I decided to thoroughly absorb the classes I’m being taught like a sponge.

After suffering through all these ordeals, wouldn’t it be so unfair if I get kidnapped or caught by those who want to use me for their own gain the moment I leave the temple?

It’s basically like exploitation without proper compensation.

That should never, ever happen.

“I’ll work really hard.”

“That’s the spirit!”

——

¹ here the Korean text actually says ‘Saint-nim’ and ‘-nim’ is like Miss/Mister but with more respect, kind of like Lady or Lord. that’s why I used ‘Lady Saint’ instead of just ‘Saint’ to evoke the speaker’s respect for Yurenia. (grandpa pope also calls her ‘Yurenia-nim’, hence ‘Lady Yurenia’.)