Chapter 55
After passing several buildings and a large plaza, we arrived at our destination: the temple of Goddess Yuno.
“Here we are, milady,” someone announced.
The temple resembled the one dedicated to Goddess Vesta, though its location in the heart of the city made it different.
The outer plaza was packed with people, so we got off the carriage and began walking.
As we moved, I carefully retraced the route we had taken so far in my mind.
“Exit the main gate, go along the main road, then turn left… from there, just go straight.”
Next time, I thought, I would try coming alone—of course, secretly.
While I was lost in thought, I felt Ankus’s gaze fixed on me.
“Anku, what is it?” I asked.
“You’re still… round. Like a bean…”
“Stop calling me that. I’m not a child anymore.”
“…Like a giant kidney bean, then.”
I stopped my thoughts and gave Ankus a sharp look.
Just then, a woman’s voice called out from behind.
“Ah, Ankus…! You’re Ankus Ignitus, right?”
“Huh?”
Ankus and I turned around simultaneously.
“Who’s that, Anku?” I whispered.
Standing there was a woman who seemed to come from a prestigious family, her eyes glistening with tears of joy.
“You’ve returned safely…!”
Ignoring the surrounding maids, she ran straight to Ankus.
“I was so worried! Ever since I heard the Fire Legion had been deployed, I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep even once.”
“Haha… thank you,” Ankus replied nervously.
Oh, what’s going on here?
I discreetly stepped back and watched the interaction.
“Would you like some honeyed berries, young lady?”
“Mm-hmm.”
The woman’s maids kindly handed me a snack.
“I still vividly remember our last meeting. It was the most beautiful memory of my life… Ankus, do you feel the same?”
The woman was completely sentimental, but Ankus kept glancing at me awkwardly.
“Y-yeah… it really was a beautiful meeting. We walked together… and parted ways before heading home.”
Oh my goodness.
Listening to their conversation, I realized with certainty: Ankus clearly didn’t remember her name.
During the entire time she called him by her name eighteen times, he never once called her by name.
Whether the woman noticed this or not, she held onto him for quite some time, refusing to let go.
As I started feeling bored, I turned my attention to the interior of the temple.
Inside the temple of the Goddess of Home, numerous people were already praying for their families’ well-being.
“Nothing is more precious than you!”
“Of course, you can feel that way. I also tend to value what’s important.”
It didn’t look like their conversation would end anytime soon.
I quietly slipped away and walked toward the temple interior.
“Shh!”
Of course, I didn’t forget to ask the maids to keep my presence a secret.
“Anku, good work!”
The temple interior, which I had entered alone, was fairly spacious.
But my attention was drawn elsewhere.
Through the pillars, I could see the Eternal Palace, just as Gordio had said—the temple sat between the palace and the council.
Serbius Tinitrius must be over there.
With rumors of my father’s grave condition spreading throughout the kingdom, I had no idea what he might be thinking.
I unconsciously stepped toward the palace side and tripped over something hidden behind a pillar.
“Ah!”
“Eek!”
Someone collided with me, letting out a high-pitched scream.
“Sorry!”
I clutched the pillar and apologized first.
Huddled behind the pillar was a young girl wearing an old robe.
She looked a few years older than me, perhaps around Velikia’s age, but her thin, grimy appearance suggested she had been wandering the streets for quite a while.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She shook her head vigorously, then pressed the robe over herself and held her breath.
A street urchin?
But something seemed off.
I could faintly sense magical power from her—noble blood must be mixed in.
Moreover, even though her hair was shadowed by the robe, a greenish tint peeked through, hinting at an extraordinary lineage.
I should at least bring her some food.
As I thought this, Ankus came running and nearly collided with me.
“Milady!”
“Ah, Anku…”
Ankus looked like he was about to scold me but then laughed at himself.
“It’s entirely my fault for being distracted. Thankfully, we didn’t go far.”
“Sorry, it must have been boring for you.”
“If the house master had seen this, we might not have survived.”
Exactly. The master trusted you and left you in charge.
The woman from earlier was still standing in the same spot, watching us, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
“Anku, who was that woman?”
“Hmm… an old friend.”
“Really? What’s her name then?”
“….”
“You don’t even know your friend’s name?”
“….”
“You flirt!”
Ankus stammered in embarrassment.
“No, I… where did you even hear that word…? This is unfair!”
I found his reaction amusing and teased him further.
“Anku, stay outside! This is the temple of the Goddess of Home; flirts are not allowed in!”
“Ah, milady…”
I offered a brief prayer to the goddess statue and called Ankus again.
“Anku, let’s go now!”
“Is that enough?”
“Yes, I’ve prayed.”
The temple wasn’t our true destination. I had only come to memorize the route from the mansion to the forum.
“Alright, let’s head back. And I’m not a flirt, believe me.”
“Hmm… what should I do?”
“Milady, please…”
Just as we were leaving the temple, a group of burly men came running, carrying a large scroll.
They pinned it to the notice board in the temple plaza—it was an official notice from the city guard searching for a missing child.
Nearby, a couple, presumably the child’s parents, watched in tears.
“Please, help us find our daughter.”
“How did you lose her?”
“We are a migrant family. Our only daughter fell from the cart while crossing the border. We searched too late and couldn’t find her…”
What a heartbreaking story.
“Seems they’ve lost a child.”
“Yes… we must find her soon.”
Curious, I carefully read the notice:
Name – Iolante
Age – Fifteen
Description – Very thin. Height: 3.45 cubits. Long greenish hair. User of healing powers.
“That girl…!”
“Have you seen her before?”
“Yes! She was right there!”
I pointed to the pillar where I had seen her earlier.
“Wh-what did you just say…?”
“I saw the child!”
Apparently, I had shouted too loudly.
People swarmed and began searching where I had pointed.
“We found the child!”
As a result, the girl named Iolante was soon located.
“Io!”
“Oh my, my daughter… how much she must have suffered…”
Soon after, an emotional reunion occurred.
The parents held the child tightly, weeping uncontrollably, while everyone watched with teary eyes.
That’s strange.
I felt a sense of unease watching.
Why doesn’t she look happy to see her family?
The child stared blankly ahead, neither crying nor smiling.
Though it felt uncomfortable, it was time to return.
I got back into the carriage with Ankus.
Just as Ankus took hold of the reins:
“Milady! Wait!”
It was the father of the child we had found.
“I heard you discovered our daughter. Please, allow us to offer some token of gratitude. We wish to repay you.”
He kneeled on the stone floor as people nearby identified us as the ones who found the child.
“A token, you say? Let’s hear it.”
Ankus spoke on my behalf.
