~ Chapter : 20 ~
Fortunately, Ena regained consciousness. The pain that had made her claw desperately at her chest seemed to have subsided as well.
Gondor was seen belatedly pulling something out from his arms and feeding it to Ena.
Did the divine power work?
She hadn’t yet fully mastered how divine power functioned, and it certainly wasn’t a cure-all. Still, judging by how Ena had recovered—whether temporarily or not—it didn’t seem like she was suffering from a serious illness.
Gondor had also given her what looked like medicine just now.
Even so, he probably knew better than Litia did.
“……Brother?”
“I told you not to leave the house, didn’t I?”
“Hehe. The kids were waiting for me.”
Ena looked to be at most ten years old—possibly even younger—and the age gap between them was obvious at a glance. So he had a much younger sister. Litia, who had practically collapsed earlier, dusted off her clothes as she stood up.
Thankfully, she hadn’t worn a dress with the intention of doing volunteer work. Just imagining what would have happened if she had was horrifying.
In any case, Litia had ended up standing there like a useless bystander.
To be honest, she’d wanted to grab Gondor by the shoulder, turn him around, and explain that she hadn’t meant to harm his sister—she was only trying to help. But seeing him frantically checking his sister’s face, body, and condition, she decided to let it go.
“……It looks like things are mostly settled, so let’s go.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Litia, feeling somewhat drained, spoke to Emilia as she brushed off her trousers and turned away.
“May I ask why the young lady is here?”
It was Gondor.
His voice was sharp—almost accusatory.
Having held it in the whole time, Litia stopped mid-step, raised one eyebrow slightly, then turned back around.
She’d been trying to be nice, nice enough to recruit him into Temes, but still.
Shouldn’t the first thing he did be to apologize to someone who had nearly collapsed on the ground? Still, since he asked, she would answer.
Litia smiled faintly.
“I was volunteering. I had no intention of harming her. I was trying to help the child. I thought my power might be useful… In any case, since your sister’s pain seems to have eased, it’d be best to take her to the hospital before it’s too late. Goodbye.”
She turned away again.
“Brother, that lady helped me……”
At Ena’s voice, Gondor’s eyes trembled.
“Let’s go straight home.”
“Yes, my lady. I’ll close the door.”
“Lady Mont!”
Gondor ran up belatedly and grabbed the carriage door just as it was closing.
“What do you think you’re doing to the young lady?”
Seri snapped sharply.
Litia raised a hand to stop Seri, then looked at Gondor.
“……Go ahead, Sir Gondor.”
At the same time, Gondor bent at the waist in a perfect ninety-degree bow.
Litia flinched in surprise.
“No—wait!”
“I sincerely apologize for my rudeness earlier. My sister sometimes suffers seizures, and I believe I lost my composure. I am deeply sorry.”
The crisp apology made Litia rub the back of her neck awkwardly.
It was true that her feelings had been hurt, but now that he’d apologized, there was no reason to stay angry.
And considering his sister had been in pain, it felt awkward to say he’d gone too far.
She’d been sick herself before—she understood that feeling better than anyone.
“It’s okay. I’m really glad the misunderstanding was cleared up. I’ll accept your apology.”
“……”
“And if you still feel bad about it, you might consider becoming my Temes.”
At that, Gondor straightened and looked at her.
Litia smiled brightly and told Seri it was time to go. When Gondor stepped back, the carriage door finally closed.
Only after the carriage began moving did Litia release the tension she’d been holding in her body.
“……That was exhausting, trying to look cool.”
“Are you really going to bring that knight into your Temes?”
Emilia asked from beside her.
Seeing Seri’s gaze also turn toward her, it seemed Seri was curious too.
“Yes. I have to.”
“But he’s rude, ill-mannered, and seems hot-tempered. What if he causes you trouble the entire pilgrimage? There are far more impressive knights out there!”
Emilia looked angrier than Litia herself, pounding her knee with her fist as she tried to stop her.
“I’ve seen Sir Gondor’s abilities.”
“When? Have you seen them before?”
“Well… um… the priest mentioned him to me quietly once. That’s why.”
“Oh, I see… Still, I don’t think he’s a good choice. But since it’s your decision, I’ll support you. That said, if he’s rude to you again, I won’t stand by.”
Emilia clenched both fists as if she were ready to knock Gondor flat at any moment.
Only then did Litia look away from Emilia and down at her own hands.
I still don’t have full control.
She’d thought meeting him would resolve everything—but it hadn’t completely.
It was almost as if something was mocking her confidence that she could cut ties at any moment.
At the same time, it felt as though something was trying to stop her from becoming Tenia. Maybe she was overthinking it—but she hoped that wasn’t the case.
“Greetings. I am Peluga, and I hope to become your Temes.”
“Please call me Marmati. I look forward to serving you, Lady.”
“……Gondor.”
Litia rolled her eyes slightly.
She’d received word from the temple and hurried over, only to find three large knights standing before her.
The priest who had brought them asked if anything else was needed, then stepped back so they could exchange greetings.
“Ah, it’s nice to meet you all. Thank you—this couldn’t have been an easy decision.”
Litia began by expressing her gratitude.
Then she looked over the three men, each of whom had a presence so distinct it was overwhelming.
Gondor—dark brown eyes, dark skin, and a massive build with thick, solid lines—looked like the embodiment of raw offense and defense.
In contrast, Peluga had sharp, refined features—so much so that he might have suited priesthood better than knighthood. He smiled gently, looking just as curious about Litia as she was about him.
Silver hair and blue eyes gave him a subtly cold impression.
And then—
“May I ask why you chose us, my lady?”
The knight who had introduced himself as Marmati spoke up, his face full of mischief.
Wavy blond hair that covered his ears and sparkling green eyes. He looked to be the youngest of the three.
Only then did Litia realize she’d seen his name in the original story—mentioned several times as being close with Gondor and Peluga, though never described in detail.
“Well……”
“Well?”
“Just… I thought the three of you would suit me well. Um, the priest also said you were all very impressive, so……”
She tried to improvise, but the words didn’t come easily.
Litia cleared her throat awkwardly.
Apparently, it wasn’t a bad answer—Marmati commented that it was surprising she’d chosen them directly rather than selecting from the other Temes candidates.
Honestly, she’d expected it to take longer.
Sure, there had been yesterday’s incident in the slums, but she hadn’t thought they’d change their minds so quickly.
Especially with Peluga—whose name she’d only mentioned uncertainly—and Marmati, whom she was meeting for the first time.
Yet just like that, the group was complete.
And she hadn’t even pressured them.
Though the final decision was still hers, the priest had said all three came early that morning, asking to become her Temes.
She remained outwardly calm, but inside she felt a joy she couldn’t put into words.
Still, Gondor had been staring at her without saying much.
Whether he was displeased, or had agreed out of obligation because of yesterday, he didn’t look happy at all.
Just as she was about to speak again, Gondor opened his mouth first.
“Thank you again for what you did yesterday. Thanks to the blessing you gave, Ena’s condition has improved significantly.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief. But what exactly is your sister suffering from?”
At that, Gondor’s expression darkened.
“It’s an illness of unknown cause. The medicine from the temple reduces the seizures, but that’s all. In any case, please forgive my rudeness yesterday.”
“I already accepted your apology yesterday. Not knowing the cause… that must weigh heavily on you. Thank you for making this decision despite that. If there’s anything I can help with, please tell me—any of you.”
The three knights exchanged glances, then stared at Litia in surprise.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Well……”
Marmati began to speak, but Peluga nudged him sharply in the side.
“Well?”
“Ahem—well, you’re very different from the rumors! And more than that, you’re the first strong Tenia candidate I’ve ever seen say something like that to their Temes.”
“That’s because you all gathered here out of necessity—for mine. You’ll be protecting me from now on. It’s better if we can rely on each other, isn’t it?”
Their expressions grew even stranger.
Feeling awkward, Litia extended her hand to each of them in turn.
“Then I look forward to working with you.”
Gondor was the first to take her pale hand.
After a brief handshake, Peluga and Marmati followed.
“We look forward to serving you, my lady.”
“I look forward to it as well, Lady Mont.”
“I’ll do my utmost.”
Only now did it feel like she’d finally stepped onto the starting line everyone else had already crossed.
She could do this. She would do well.
That was why she’d been given this chance.
Somehow, it felt like a good beginning.
