Chapter 7 – Does the Saint Visit Men in the Middle of the Night?
Winter opened her eyes in the middle of the night, when everyone else was asleep.
A crushing pressure weighed on her body. Every time she tried to sit up, a groan slipped from her lips.
She forced herself to recall how she had even made it back to her room. With unsteady legs, she had barely walked in on her own. After that, the girls had laid her down in bed. Then darkness had swallowed her whole.
Honestly…
She hadn’t even used holy power, yet she fainted just from staying outside too long. She would have to be more careful next time.
Winter stepped carefully onto the red-carpeted floor. Something slid off the blanket and fell.
“This is…”
A green cloak, its color unfaded even under blue moonlight.
Kyle’s.
She picked it up and fell into thought.
He was a strange man.
She had meant to watch him carefully, yet he had noticed her poor condition instead.
Perhaps the instincts he had sharpened on the battlefield were still alive. The kind of senses that could detect even the smallest change in breathing.
After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
I’ll just hang it on his doorknob.
Meeting him in daylight would be awkward. Leaving it without seeing him would be better.
With her veil back on, Winter left her room.
The moon shone brightly over the quiet sanctuary.
She walked alone down the dark corridor, her back to the moonlight.
It was silent.
Winter had grown up in noisy surroundings. She liked silence. When the world quieted like this, she felt an inexplicable sense of fullness.
After passing two courtyards, she arrived at the guest rooms.
She almost knocked out of habit, then stopped herself and hung the cloak on the doorknob.
That’s all.
She turned to leave—
“Why are you here?”
A guarded voice cut through the stillness.
He could even sense someone outside his door?
Winter inhaled slowly and answered calmly.
“I came to return your cloak.”
“Does the Saint usually visit men at such an hour?”
“…I think that’s better than someone who drags out a quiet departure at midnight.”
She shouldn’t let emotions take over.
But whenever she faced him, irritation rose from deep within.
She wanted to leave, but his voice stopped her again.
“You must be curious.”
Winter paused.
“…Did you find anything?”
“I did. And I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“The three girls who follow you around. I need them.”
Anne, Nina, Chloe.
Winter considered it briefly and nodded, even though he couldn’t see her.
“Fine. I’ll lend them to you.”
“Unexpected. I thought you’d refuse.”
“They should judge what kind of person you are themselves.”
Kyle stood and approached the door.
“Saint.”
She did not answer.
“There may be an enemy inside the sanctuary.”
“…On what basis?”
Her tone sharpened.
“It’s impossible for demons to breach the sanctuary on their own. Which means someone inside may be cooperating.”
The sanctuary only repelled demons. Humans could pass freely.
If someone inside helped open a gate—
It would explain everything.
And his suspicion extended to the three girls.
A suffocating silence filled the space.
Winter spoke first.
“Perhaps.”
Kyle listened carefully.
Inside, her emotions were boiling.
“But there is no enemy among my people.”
He said nothing.
Stubborn.
As her footsteps faded, he sighed and returned to his desk.
His papers were filled with chaotic notes.
Even during the war, there were human collaborators.
Their reasons had varied. Their endings had been miserable.
But if there was no collaborator—
He glanced toward the window.
Moonlight bathed the room in blue.
***
“Why do you look so tired, Sir Knight?”
The next morning, the cook set down a pot of stew and stared at the dark circles under Kyle’s eyes.
“I had… something to investigate.”
“You just arrived at the sanctuary. Must be exhausting.”
She ladled generous portions of stew into his bowl.
“Eat plenty!”
“I don’t usually eat much—”
“Nonsense! An empty stomach makes for a dull mind.”
The warm, creamy stew steamed in his bowl.
The smell stirred something in him.
A memory surfaced.
Get up, Kyle.
Under a blazing sun, his father had pointed a real sword at him as he lay exhausted.
How long will you lie there? A demon will kill you in an instant.
Why think of that now?
Kyle brushed his hair back and murmured,
“…Thank you.”
At another table, the three girls blinked in surprise.
“He doesn’t seem as cold as I thought,” Chloe muttered.
“I heard he’s investigating the camellia forest,” Nina added.
Anne replied flatly, “It won’t make any difference.”
Chloe shrugged.
“Well… we don’t have any solution either.”
The forest troubled them too. They had been purifying it little by little to spare Winter from using holy power.
But without knowing the cause, it was pointless.
“…True,” Anne admitted.
“So maybe he can solve it?”
“Alone?”
“…I’ll go greet him.”
“Anne!”
Ignoring them, Anne walked toward Kyle.
He looked exhausted as he ate.
“Sir Ascalon. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Anne.”
He turned his head.
Up close, he was undeniably handsome.
Dark blue hair. Icy blue eyes. Even his tired shadows added to his appeal.
Still—
Not as beautiful as the Saintess.
Anne’s standard of beauty was Winter without her veil.
Kyle set down his spoon.
“I know.”
“…Pardon?”
“Your names. You’re Anne. The blonde is Nina. The green-haired one is Chloe.”
“How do you—?”
“I memorized them when the Saint called you. Don’t be suspicious.”
Was her tension that obvious?
Anne clasped her hands.
“The Saintess said we’ll assist you.”
“Good.”
“Do you need anything?”
“Yes. Tell the Saint something for me.”
Kyle stood and draped the dark green cloak over his shoulders.
“Tell her I was wrong.”
“…Wrong?”
“There’s no enemy inside the sanctuary.”
