Chapter 2
After coming down from the mountain, I safely arrived at a nearby village.
Quite a bit of time must have passed, because the sun had already risen high and the streets were bustling with people.
‘Okay, up to here is a success. Then next is…….’
I need to go where the protagonist is!
I racked my brain.
‘Right, in the novel the protagonist spent his childhood at the duke’s residence in the ducal territory.’
Thanks to the many stories told by the older brother I had known as an adventurer…… I knew the imperial geography fairly well, considering I had been locked away in a temple.
‘And the ducal residence isn’t some hidden place. If I ask around, I should be able to get there.’
But there was a problem.
‘……How am I supposed to get there?’
Walking all the way in my current condition didn’t seem possible.
I thought I had recovered, but perhaps because I had walked all night, my forehead felt slightly hot. If I wasn’t careful, I might come down with a fever again.
‘Should I try renting a carriage?’
I fiddled with the two gold coins in my pocket. I had taken them when I left the room.
‘The money my brother gave me to use as emergency funds.’
He had secretly slipped it to me when we met before, but I’d never had a chance to use it, so I’d just kept it.
‘This is exactly when you use it. Don’t be stingy!’
Clenching the gold coins tightly, I headed to where the carriages were gathered.
A coachman happened to be calling out to customers.
“To the capital, one gold coin! To Liberamon, two gold coins! Cheap, cheap!”
Liberamon!
The name of the region where the ducal residence was located.
‘And the cost is exactly two gold coins!’
I immediately approached the coachman.
“Um, could I rent a carriage? To Liberamon.”
“Huh? Just you, kid?”
The coachman looked me up and down. I clenched my hands and spoke.
“Yes. I have urgent business.”
“Well, alright.”
Fortunately, the coachman accepted easily.
“The fare is five gold coins.”
“…Excuse me?”
I froze just as I was about to hand over the coins.
“You said two gold coins just now….”
“Did I say that? Hah, that’s ridiculous. If you want to ride, stop spouting nonsense and pay up.”
I didn’t have five gold coins….
When I hesitated, unable to pay, the coachman scowled and waved his hand dismissively.
“What, you’re messing around without any money? This is why you shouldn’t entertain kids’ games. Don’t bother me and get lost.”
I was chased away just like that.
‘This is bad. I really need to rent a carriage…… Should I ask the other coachmen?’
But as soon as I looked their way, the other coachmen snickered.
“Five gold coins is already too cheap, isn’t it?”
“There’d be no profit left. If it were me, I wouldn’t take her. You’re a generous man.”
It seemed the other coachmen were no good either.
‘What should I do? I can’t suddenly get more money…….’
I stamped my feet and let out a deep sigh.
‘What am I even doing right now? If I stay this weak, I won’t be able to do anything. I made up my mind, didn’t I?’
If I was going to save my brother, I had to change myself first.
‘I need to be confident! If I shrink back and can’t do anything, it’s all over!’
I took a deep breath and approached the coachman again.
“You’re back? I told you not to joke around.”
The coachman sneered at me.
Without blinking, I spoke clearly and firmly.
“It seems like you’re the one joking around, sir.”
“W-What? Hah, what is this kid saying now?”
The coachman laughed in disbelief.
But I didn’t back down and retorted confidently.
“You told others it was two gold coins, but you told me five.”
“I didn’t. And even if I did, so what? I say what I say. Who do you think you are?”
“I’m a Saintess candidate.”
I showed him the temple insignia I wore on my wrist. It was like an identification badge given to those affiliated with the temple.
As a Saintess candidate, of course I had one.
‘I never thought I’d use this like this.’
Feeling a bit strange, I tried to stay calm.
‘Because dark magic is spreading through the Empire, the temple’s status is incredibly high right now. So mistreating someone from the temple is out of the question.’
On top of that, since there was currently no Saintess, Saintess candidates were treated with even more respect.
I had never left the temple before, so I hadn’t experienced it myself.
‘Even if it’s power I never wanted, I have to use whatever I can.’
Because I was going to save my brother, no matter what.
“A Saintess candidate……? Is this real? Ah—no, is it truly real?!”
The coachman panicked after seeing my insignia, and even his tone changed.
Silently, I infused the insignia with holy power instead of answering.
The insignia shone with a white light, flashing briefly.
“Ugh!”
The coachman jumped in shock. I decided to press my advantage.
“Right now, you were playing tricks with money on a Saintess candidate.”
“H-huh…….”
“I wonder what I should tell the temple about this…….”
As I shook my head slowly, the coachman’s face turned pale, and he bowed deeply.
“I-I’m so sorry! I will take you there immediately!”
Yes!
I quickly climbed into the carriage.
“Thank you. May the blessing of God be with you.”
“…?”
Perhaps puzzled by my changed attitude compared to before, the coachman looked at me with a confused expression.
I met his gaze without flinching and said firmly.
“What are you doing? Please depart at once.”
“Y-Yes…….”
Soon, the carriage rattled as it set off.
‘Being confident actually suits me more than I thought.’
I watched the passing scenery and thought to myself.
The carriage arrived in Liberamon when it was already dark.
“Thank you for your trouble! Then I’ll be off!”
“Ah, um…!”
Since he had taken me there, I was about to give him money, but the coachman disappeared with the carriage the moment I stepped down.
He was probably afraid I might report his earlier behavior to the temple and ran off.
Watching the carriage kick up a cloud of dust, I thought to myself.
‘Is this really okay?’
Of course, the coachman was wrong for playing tricks with money and mocking me, but I was a Saintess candidate.
‘I’m supposed to be kinder and more forgiving than others.’
In the end, it looked like I had punished him and not paid at all.
That was something that should weigh on the conscience of a Saintess candidate, but…….
“Phew, saved some money.”
Such generous feelings had nothing to do with me. It wasn’t like I had chosen to be a Saintess candidate anyway.
And in a situation where I had to use everything available to me, saving money was a good thing.
‘Besides, he ran off on his own.’
I wiped the past from my mind and stepped forward lightly.
A little while later—
“This is it……!”
After asking a passing patrol, I arrived at the Argent Ducal Residence.
“Who goes there?”
When I approached the main gate, the guards became alert.
“Hello. I’m a Saintess candidate named Winiel. I have something to discuss with House Argent. Please let me see Young Master Kain Argent.”
Once again, I brought up my status as a Saintess candidate.
“A Saintess candidate? Uh…… please wait a moment.”
Fortunately, it worked again.
After checking my insignia, the guard looked back and forth between me and it in shock, then ran into the mansion to ask.
‘I didn’t know this would be this helpful.’
When I was in the temple, I’d thought it was completely useless.
I leaned against the wall and waited for the guard to return.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, dizziness washed over me.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten anything all day.’
Unlike the coachman, who ate his stored food along the way, I had nothing and went completely hungry.
‘I wasn’t eating well even when I was sick.’
Hilla had given me hard bread as usual, regardless of whether I was ill or not.
I ate it just to survive, but I didn’t have the strength to chew much.
‘My fever feels worse than before.’
Feeling my forehead grow hotter than it had been during the day, I became anxious.
‘What if I can’t explain properly even if I meet him?’
My strength kept draining away, and it became hard to stand. Just then, the guard returned.
I quickly pushed myself off the wall and prepared to go inside.
‘Of course they’ll let me in. I’m a Saintess candidate.’
But what I heard was shocking news.
“I’m sorry, but it seems it will be difficult for you to meet the young master.”
“What? Why?”
“Since it’s so late and you appeared suddenly claiming to be a Saintess candidate, it seems they judged you suspicious.”
“What? You saw the temple insignia!”
I took out my insignia and infused it with holy power.
The white light flickered.
But the guard merely shrugged.
“These days, even fake ones are made quite well.”
“That’s ridiculous. Who would dare impersonate one!”
I thrust the insignia into the guard’s hand.
“If you think it’s a lie, try it yourself. If it’s fake, it’ll shine no matter who uses it.”
“Well, you probably set it up so it wouldn’t work when I try.”
The guard didn’t even try to listen.
“If you wanted to come to the ducal residence, you could have contacted us officially through the temple. Why would you show up in the middle of the night looking like that? Honestly, it is suspicious, isn’t it?”
I clamped my mouth shut.
Honestly, he wasn’t wrong. As a Saintess candidate, I could have formally requested a visit, yet here I was appearing suddenly at night.
And it was true that I looked a mess.
“Alright, go back now. A kid with no fear, impersonating a Saintess candidate. I’ll let you off just this once.”
Shoo, shoo.
The guard, now speaking casually, even came out of the gate and pushed me away.
“No……!”
I tried to brace myself and resist, but I was no match and was shoved aside.
‘I’ll get in somehow.’
After being chased away, I lingered around the ducal residence, looking for an opening.
But perhaps because they were ducal knights, no matter how much I looked, there was no gap I could slip through.
‘What should I do? Should I make a fake letter pretending it’s from the temple and try again?’
It was a ridiculous idea. I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if I were caught.
‘Then should I come back tomorrow and try again? It might be different in the daytime. If they know I waited all night, they might believe me.’
But despite the decision, my feet wouldn’t move.
‘To turn back with the ducal residence right in front of me…’
My heart grew anxious. I wanted to run over and beg right now.
Just as I let out a deep, ground-shaking sigh—
“!”
I felt a murky presence from somewhere.
‘This is…… dark magic?’
I snapped my head toward where the sensation was coming from.
It was the forest right next to the ducal residence.
What was happening there?
‘W-wait, dark magic is used to summon monsters. And if dark magic is activated right there……!’
If a monster was summoned, the temple would move to deal with it.
‘Then they might find out that I was here……!’
I have to stop it! Quickly!
Turning pale, I ran into the forest.
Huff, huff.
My breath quickly grew ragged.
Still, fortunately, the source of the presence wasn’t far.
‘There!’
Running between the trees, I stopped in front of a small pond.
And there, I saw a monster, seemingly summoned by dark magic—and—
“……”
A boy holding a sheathed sword, standing there blankly.
