ARML Side Story Episodes 1-3 (Extras 1-3)🍒

Side Story Episodes 1–3 (Extras 1–3)

At the time when Saintess Leila was engaged in the South and enjoying a long rest,

Roxana was locked up in a prison reserved for the highest class.

There were no bars, and it looked more like a comfortable reception room—but it was still a prison.

How did I end up like this…?!

Roxana fell into despair.

After despair came anger at reality itself.

And that anger gave strength to her arms.

“You expect me to eat this? Get lost, you vermin!”

Bang!

Food made with imperial taxes went flying.

The Emperor watched the scene with a heavy heart.

“Roxana…”

“Father!”

Roxana burst into tears, overwhelmed by rage.

“How could you do this to me? Locking me up like this?!”

No matter how much she thought about it, she could not understand.

If a noble had been seriously hurt, that would be one thing.

But in the end, the damage was minimal—at worst, a few commoners were slightly caught up in it.

“It was all for Arpelt! Even Mother sacrificed herself because she wanted the imperial family to become great!”

“Roxana…”

“I’m your only daughter! Are you really fine with the imperial family ending like this?!”

“…Of course not, my daughter.”

The Emperor felt conflicted.

Not because of his daughter’s attitude, but because of Saintess Leila.

At first, he was relieved that his daughter had at least survived. But that feeling did not last long.

The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt.

Isn’t this a bit too much?

No matter how much Leila Lowell was a Saintess, she was still born a commoner.

Worse—she came from an orphanage!

I even granted her Sienamarin and gave her a quasi-royal position.

If the Saintess had acted more proactively, Roxana’s sentence could have been different.

After all, she was a special being who appeared once every 300 years.

But the Saintess was ruthless, even while claiming she was on engagement leave!

She did not bend—even when the Emperor personally contacted her.

[Saintess, please reconsider—.]

[Your Majesty. Are you saying that kidnapping, charges of murdering officials, and pollution of the South are nothing?]

[That’s not—!]

[No matter what Roxana insists, she is a criminal. The most I can help with is life imprisonment.]

At the time, he thought she was right.

But words that are correct are often the hardest to accept.

He gently comforted his crying daughter.

“Don’t worry, Roxana.”

“Sniff…!”

“There will soon be the Saintess’s official inauguration. I’ll handle it then.”

He planned to pressure the Saintess—just a little.

I’ll push her in front of everyone at the inauguration.

A Saintess was a special role where kindness was considered basic competence.

So if he publicly declared, ‘Saintess, please guide Roxana!’—

She would not be able to refuse easily.

Then Roxana will at least be able to go outside freely.

That was why he was pressuring the Temple through nobles loyal to the imperial faction.

In the end, the Temple runs on donations.

If there was one concern…

The Saintess didn’t look that foolish.

Luella Halifax claimed that the “workshop” idea came from the Saintess herself.

But could that really be true?

Surely Carlyle Lupesk or Edgar Crow had planned it for her…

Carlyle departed from the North with Leila, heading for the capital.

Because Leila’s blood pressure had exceeded safe limits, they traveled as fast as possible.

And the first place they went to, of course, was the Temple.

“Priest Lumiere! I’m back!”

Leila shouted like someone returning to her parents’ home.

Three hundred years ago, she had hated this place—but all the rotten people from back then were gone.

“Our Saintess!”

Priest Lumiere rushed out like an exhausted chick.

Other priests, looking just as worn out, followed after him.

“She’s back!”

“The imperial family bullied us, Saintess!”

“They even used donations against us!”

The authority of the imperial family had weakened, but money could still corner the Temple.

“Oh dear, you’ve all worked so hard.”

As Leila gently patted the priests like a kindergarten teacher—

A familiar voice sounded from behind her.

“It’s been a while, both of you.”

“…! Edgar?”

Leila’s eyes widened in shock.

The former head of the Black Spoon Division, now supposedly gone, was approaching with a smile.

“What brings you to the Temple? Here to pray?”

“Haha. I’m here to work.”

“…What?”

At that moment, Carlyle felt a bad premonition.

Especially when he saw Edgar wearing a white robe with silver decorations.

“Edgar. That outfit—?”

“Oh, this? It’s the formal uniform of the High Priest.”

“…That position disappeared hundreds of years ago.”

“I restored it by the family head’s authority. The Crow family originally inherited the High Priest position anyway.”

Edgar smiled brightly.

But to Carlyle, he looked downright sinister.

Leila, still stunned, finally managed to speak.

“Then… Edgar will be? My…?”

“Your servant, of course, Leila.”

Edgar bowed politely, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

After parting at Sienamarin, Edgar had become certain.

If he wanted to end his life beside Leila, this was the answer.

“I’ll be assisting the Saintess in her duties as the High Priest from now on.”

“Uh, um…”

Leila stammered in confusion, but Edgar naturally took her left hand and bowed his head.

“I’m glad to meet you again like this. I hope you feel the same, Leila.”

“Well, I also look forward to—”

Snap!

Carlyle flicked Edgar’s hand away with aura.

Edgar smiled teasingly.

“Lupesk. I heard you became the Grand Duke of the North. Why did you get so barbaric?”

“And you became a High Priest, yet somehow even more sly, Edgar Crow.”

Carlyle’s eyes darkened.

“No matter how I hear it, it sounds like you’re clinging to Leila while calling yourself her servant.”

“Oh my. If the owner of the Temple needs help, isn’t that only natural?”

His former subordinate was shameless beyond belief.

Just then, a bright voice rang out.

“Leila!”

“Yuliana?”

“It’s been so long!”

Yuliana Crosswell ran over and hugged Leila tightly.

“Yuliana, I heard you transferred to the Magic Knights. Have you been well?”

“Yeah! It suits me much better!”

“That’s a relief. And—”

Leila smiled at the person with her.

“Seamus, it’s been a while.”

“…Yeah.”

Seamus looked a little thinner than before, giving him a more mature appearance.

“It’s been a while, Leila.”

The affection in his eyes made Carlyle’s blood pressure rise.

He remembered…

Finley confessed to Leila.

Carlyle stared sharply at Seamus.

Even an impossible unrequited love does not disappear so easily.

It seemed Leila had already talked things through properly, but still—

“Seamus, then where are you assigned now?”

“…External Cooperation Team of the Magic Institute.”

“Huh? I’ve never heard of that. Did it exist when we were there?”

“The Magic Knights created a new team. If the Temple needs cooperation, you can contact us through this team.”

Seamus smiled like a satisfied cat.

“…Not as often as the Black Spoon days, but we’ll be seeing each other frequently. I’m in charge.”

This was driving him insane.

Carlyle rubbed his stiff neck.

Not one of them could properly let go of their old feelings.

Enough lingering regret to fill the River Somersby.

Edgar smiled faintly, while Seamus calmly held out his hand.

“…How have you been, Senior?”

“Fine.”

His blood pressure almost spiked, but he held it back.

For the record, Carlyle shook hands with the hand wearing his engagement ring.

“Congratulations on the transfer. Leila has a good cooperation partner.”

“…And congratulations on your engagement. I believe I said that once a year ago as well.”

Crackle.

Sparks flew through the air—without a single spell being cast.