Chapter 43
The brightest time of day, 3 PM sharp.
It was the busiest hour, and the bustling streets were packed with people. District 11 was no exception.
Street vendors raised their voices competitively to attract customers, and pedestrians chattered noisily as they walked the streets.
Everyone’s faces were full of vitality.
‘Tsk.’
All except for one person: Garnet, the head of the Luna Merchant Company, who had just returned to the capital after a two-month schedule.
She clicked her tongue softly and walked down the street. Her back already ached unbearably from the grueling schedule, and now the surrounding noise was giving her a headache.
‘Damn it. Why is the clinic so far away?’
Maybe I should just postpone it until tomorrow. Garnet stopped abruptly, cursing internally.
That’s when it happened.
“This seems like a perfect spot! Let’s try it here!”
A large group swarmed toward where Garnet was standing. They wore identical outfits, so neat and tidy that it seemed excessive for commoners.
‘…Judging by their attire, they seem to be from a religious order.’
However, none of the four major religions wore such vestments. Moreover, the quality of their clothes was uniformly excellent.
It was the kind of material high-ranking priests might wear.
‘What kind of place is this?’
Forgetting her throbbing pain, Garnet watched them.
Her merchant instincts whispered subtly. This was no ordinary group to just glance at and pass by.
Especially the woman at the front of the group.
As a merchant leader ranked within the top ten in the Empire, Garnet could recognize who she was.
‘Isn’t that Princess Eisens?’
She vaguely knew the rumors circulating about the princess among the nobles.
That she was an eccentric princess with a limited lifespan, a spoiled brat raised without manners in a ducal household, and so on.
But the princess before her eyes seemed far removed from such nicknames.
Draped alone in a blue cloak, she had a strangely captivating charm.
Especially since she was holding a cat in her arms, which made her seem even more so.
‘…The cat is cute.’
It was an adorableness that seemed to make her headache vanish just by looking at it.
Forgetting her steps toward the clinic, Garnet watched to see what the group in front of her was doing.
Soon, a strange song began to flow from the phonograph they had brought.
Unlike the bland and antiquated songs typical of the time, it was an intense melody that instantly caught the ear.
Her shoulders began to sway on their own.
“Hmm, Arte will…”
Even after hearing it just briefly, the song was easy to hum along to.
Especially whenever the princess in front sang energetically, a smile naturally formed on Garnet’s lips.
‘This is fun…’
It felt like watching an opera made for the common people. For a moment wasted on the street, it was an unexpectedly joyous time.
*Pfft.*
Garnet let out a small smile and quickened her steps. The song had ended, so it was time to head to the clinic.
But the moment Garnet was about to leave.
*Thud.*
“Um… do you know about Arte-nim?”
Someone suddenly blocked her path. It was the princess holding the cat.
“Arte-nim?”
Garnet reflexively asked back, caught off guard by the sudden appearance.
‘Ah.’
Then, something suddenly came to mind.
‘Now that I think of it, there was that scam group called the Arte Sect.’
Most sects deify their founder, but this sect worshipped a deity named ‘Arte.’
For a short while, it attracted attention because it claimed the divine authority of ‘healing,’ of all things.
‘Ugh, that bizarre talisman! Just thinking about it gives me chills.’
Far from healing, the Arte Sect began distributing cursed talismans that seemed to make flesh rot away.
Moreover, a year ago, they publicly announced an ‘oracle’ to the sect with the phrase ‘Saintess HODL.’
‘What does HODL mean? I still don’t get it.’
If you’re going to scam people, do it properly. The Arte Sect was just too sloppy.
Yet, perhaps because they claimed ‘healing’ as their divine authority, their number of fanatics was significantly higher than other sects.
That’s what made them such a vicious scam group.
“Ahem, ahem. Um, here… take this first!”
As if not noticing Garnet’s increasingly crumpled expression, Princess Ciela suddenly shoved a small bag into her hand.
Inside were three precious candies.
They were even colored and had a strange luster, like premium goods fit for the imperial palace.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
Perhaps because of the harmless cat cradled in her arms, Garnet felt more curiosity than wariness.
Then, Ciela blushed deeply and spoke.
“Umm, they’re candies that aid healing. W-would you like to try one?”
“Meow.”
The cat meowed as if agreeing with Ciela’s words. Garnet looked at the bag of candies with a suspicious expression.
‘Aid healing? Are they trying to pull another scam like this?’
Brainwashing should have its limits. A lump of sugar couldn’t possibly have such effects.
‘I don’t understand why a princess is doing this.’
Ah, perhaps it’s a last-ditch effort to grab at any rotten straw, given her limited lifespan.
‘No matter how irredeemable a delinquent she’s said to be…’
Seeing her being brainwashed and exploited by a sect in such a manner, Garnet couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity.
Garnet met Ciela’s sparkling gaze, then fixed her eyes back on the candy.
‘…Still, she’s the daughter of Duke Eisens. She probably didn’t do anything strange to the candy.’
Hesitating slightly, Garnet took a candy from the bag and put it in her mouth.
“Mmm…”
For something that supposedly aided healing, the candy was just sickeningly sweet.
Having eaten it without much expectation, Garnet wasn’t disappointed.
But the moment the sweet candy melted completely in the warmth of her mouth.
“…!”
The stabbing pain in her lower back, which had felt like it was about to break, vanished as if it had never been there.
‘W-what in the world…’
In the face of this incomprehensible situation, Garnet’s eyes widened. Ciela smiled triumphantly at her.
“I’m glad. If it hurts again next time, come here. Understood?”
Ciela handed Garnet one more thing. It was a rectangular piece of paper that fit perfectly in one hand.
On it were written the name ‘Arte Sect’ and a simple map.
“The Arte Sect…”
Garnet dazedly read the sect’s name aloud.
*Whoosh!*
A sudden gust of wind stirred between them.
“Yes, please come find us at the Arte Sect.”
Through her wind-tossed hair, Ciela gave a radiant smile.
Garnet found herself nodding involuntarily.
It was the first beginning of a connection that would utterly change someone’s life.
***
‘Did I… do the right thing just now?’
I boldly led the followers out into the streets, but honestly, this was my first time doing something like this…
I somehow managed to proselytize using phrases I vaguely remembered from my past life, but who knew this method would work?
‘Is it because of Tete?’
Even that red-haired woman who just left after receiving the Arte Sect’s card immediately let her guard down when she saw Tete.
Since it was my first time and I felt shy doing it alone, I tightly held Tete, and it surprisingly created a synergistic effect.
‘The power of cats is truly great!’
*Pat pat.* While stroking Tete, I looked around.
Just a month ago, these were people who only holed up in the prayer room, so I was worried.
But surprisingly, they were people who didn’t need my worry.
Or rather, they needed energetic encouragement more than worry.
‘Even though it must be unfamiliar and scary, they’re all trying hard to adapt.’
Despite their clearly nervous expressions, they were courageously approaching people to proselytize.
“U-um, d-do, do y-you k-know A-Arte-nim…?”
“Candy! Candy helps and heals! Uh, uh, please take one?”
“Sorry! P-please take the candy and this! Be happy! Arte-nim! Yes, yess!”
At first, they stumbled over their words, unable to finish properly.
Ironically, perhaps because of their awkward demeanor, passersby chuckled *pfft* and took the candy.
‘That’s it! If you work hard, anything is possible!’
I mouthed “Fighting!” to cheer them on, and the followers finally nodded in relief.
Among them, one follower who had been fumbling earlier seemed to have awakened, now speaking fluently.
“Oh? You still don’t know Arte-nim? Aww, you’re kidding~”
“It’s candy that aids healing, would you like to try one? Worried it might be poisoned? Here, give me any one. I’ll eat it myself!”
His speech was so proficient, I felt he would have been disappointed if we hadn’t decided to go out for proselytizing today!
Of course, to avoid making people feel uncomfortable, we tried our best, but some passersby still scrunched their faces angrily.
“Tsk! What has the world come to! A religious sect openly doing this on the streets!”
“Vile sect bastards, why don’t you just disappear?!”
“Call the guards! Call the guards! Get rid of these sect folks!”
