Chapter 37
The woman who asked to be called the Saintess had an unusual appearance.
Her hair, which fell all the way to her hips, was pure white—and her eyes were white as well. Even her pupils were white, making it hard to tell where she was looking.
She looks… fascinating.
Her appearance was so striking that my gaze kept drifting toward her, but staring felt rude, so I followed her guidance and sat down on the plush chair placed across from her.
As if everything had been prepared in advance, there was a cradle beside the chair where Axion could be laid down.
Um… so, should I greet her first?
“Ah—hello.”
At my awkward greeting, the Saintess smiled gently.
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you. You must have been surprised that I spoke so familiarly all of a sudden. I’ve heard about you so often that I suppose I ended up feeling close without realizing it.”
Hmm.
Stories about me.
Recalling the unflattering reputation attached to this body, I lifted the corners of my lips a little stiffly.
Haha. I’m sure you heard nothing but delightful things.
“I see.”
“Yes. Didn’t Elstern tell you?”
“…Pardon?”
Why was Elstern’s name suddenly coming up here?
As I blinked in confusion and tilted my head, the Saintess smiled softly.
“Oh dear. It seems Elstern didn’t mention me at all.”
“Um… are you acquainted with Elstern?”
The Saintess nodded slightly.
“For someone like me, who cannot go outside, he’s a dear friend who brings me news of the world. I also know that he’s begun teaching the young lady of the Ciaster ducal house.”
That scatterbrained tower master… and this mysterious Saintess… friends?
It was hard—no, very hard—to believe, but I nodded anyway.
“Ah, I see. So you’re friends.”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen Elstern so flustered over someone, so I’d been looking forward to meeting you. I’m glad we finally could.”
“Haha…”
I didn’t know what Elstern had been muttering about me, but it was easy to guess it hadn’t been anything nice.
Hmm. Then when Elstern told me not to mention the Dragon Heart of the Demon Dragon, he must have meant not to tell the Saintess.
Even if they were close friends, it seemed they didn’t share absolutely everything.
“Then who is this child you brought with you today?” the Saintess asked. “Lady Evanroir has never been married, so he can’t be your son…”
“Ah.”
Since Axion’s adoption wasn’t something that should be officially known yet, I answered carefully.
“He’s a child who carries the bloodline of the Evanroir barony.”
“Oh my, is that so.”
I deliberately spoke vaguely, neither confirming nor denying that he was my child.
The Saintess, quick on the uptake, immediately understood what I meant.
“I’ve heard that members of the Evanroir family have blond hair and blue eyes. Then this child must have such lovely colors as well.”
…Huh?
Axion and I were standing right in front of her.
For her to say that meant—
“Oh. I’m blind,” the Saintess said with an easy smile, lightly waving her hand. “Please don’t feel uncomfortable.”
Now that she mentioned it, her body was angled ever so slightly off, as if she weren’t facing me directly.
Her eyes were so white that I hadn’t realized it before.
So that’s why even her pupils are white.
I hurriedly reviewed my actions, wondering if I’d done anything that might have seemed rude, but the Saintess spoke casually.
“We shouldn’t take up too much time, so shall we begin?”
“Ah—yes.”
The Saintess smiled gently and held out her hand.
“Excuse me, but could you rest your forehead here? I’m going to remove any remaining demonic energy from your body.”
I slowly leaned forward and pressed my forehead to her hand. Her skin was colder than I’d expected.
“The child might be startled, so please cover his eyes.”
I did as she asked without hesitation.
Axion, who had been gripping his own feet and playing, shook his head when his vision was suddenly blocked.
“Wah?”
“Shh. Just wait a moment.”
Once I covered Axion’s eyes, the Saintess parted her lips as if speaking.
“…?”
But no sound reached my ears.
She was clearly saying something—yet I couldn’t hear a thing.
At the same time, a brilliant light spread out from her hand. It flooded the room, so bright that I wondered if my eyes might go blind.
“All done.”
The moment her words ended, the light vanished as if it had never been there.
“Dazar said you might have demonic energy clinging to you, but there’s none at all. It seems you came just in case.”
“I-is that so?”
I’d spent all day watching monsters explode right in front of me.
And yet there was nothing on me?
Is this also because of this body’s unusual constitution?
As I glanced down at myself, the Saintess extended her hand again.
“Now, could you bring the child’s forehead here as well?”
With a slightly tense expression, I lifted Axion into my arms.
Nothing’s going to happen to the Dragon Heart… right? She won’t notice it…
Contrary to my worries, the Saintess’s work ended without incident.
“It seems you came because of the child. There was a small amount of demonic energy on him. Fortunately, it’s all taken care of now.”
“Ah—thank you.”
To think Axion had demonic energy on him—and that it was removed.
I was truly relieved.
I bowed deeply to the Saintess, glad I’d brought Axion with me. When I peeked at his face, he looked peaceful.
There were no signs that the Dragon Heart of the Demon Dragon had been discovered, nor any strange side effects.
My heart finally eased.
“It’s a shame to send you off like this,” the Saintess said regretfully. “Next time, could you come together with Elstern? I’d love to serve you some tea then.”
Her expression was genuinely wistful.
Seeing her clasp her hands and look at me so earnestly, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse outright.
“When I have time, I’ll come by.”
“Thank you.”
I’d thought this body was practically allergic to the temple, but now that I’d actually come, it wasn’t frightening at all.
I thought temples were scary places. Guess not.
At my words, the Saintess nodded happily.
“Thank you, Lady Evanroir. Ah—if it’s not too rude… may I call you by your name?”
My name?
Just as I was about to stand up, relaxed now that everything was over, I paused.
“W-would that be too much of an imposition?”
The Saintess hunched her shoulders and lowered her head slightly.
Hey now. If you look that timid, it really tugs at my heart.
“It’s fine. You can call me by my name.”
“Really? Thank you, Sillia!”
The Saintess beamed.
Only then did I realize—despite her unusual appearance and mysterious aura, she was still young. She was just a girl.
“Then please, come again next time. Promise!”
“Yes. I promise.”
After sealing the promise with a firm pinky swear, I left the room.
“Phew. Then I’ll wait outside for a bit.”
Dazar had said he still had business to attend to in the temple, and we’d agreed to meet outside.
Holding Axion, I hummed a tune as I walked.
Thud.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the room.
The Saintess’s cheerful expression slowly faded into a blank one.
“Hm. I was curious what kind of person she was, since Dazar brought her into his residence… but she’s nothing special.”
The pure, innocent Saintess Sillia that Silia had thought her to be was nowhere to be seen.
In an instant, her face became that of a woman who had seen it all—world-weary and bored—as she leaned back against her chair.
“She’s just ordinary.”
Resting her chin on her hand, the Saintess swung her leg lazily.
“Just as Elstern said, that baby definitely isn’t of Dazar’s blood. I had Elstern send the child here on purpose, just in case.”
In truth, while blessing Axion, the Saintess had also cast another spell—to determine whether he carried Dazar’s blood, that is, whether he was a Transcendent.
It seemed Dazar had placed several protective barriers around the child, as if he cherished him—but Axion was not of Transcendent blood.
With a flick of her hand, the papers and pen resting on the distant desk began to move.
They were magical tools Elstern had once created for her, back when she had lost her sight.
The pen began to scratch across the paper, writing exactly what she intended.
It was a letter to Elstern.
“Still… something doesn’t sit right with me. Even if it’s supposedly for food development, for Dazar to bring two people into his side. And those protective barriers were strange, too.”
She had already received a revelation about the birth of a new Transcendent, so Vanilla being adopted as Dazar’s daughter had followed naturally.
But bringing an unrelated woman and child—without ties or background—into his home at around the same time was still suspicious.
The Saintess tilted her head, her face expressionless.
“It’s not like he’s fallen in love… is it?”
Dazar, who despised humans?
That was impossible.
Shaking her head briskly, the Saintess snapped her fingers. The pen, which had been writing on its own, dropped limply, and the letter folded itself.
If left like this, a priest would deliver it to Elstern.
“There’s something there,” the Saintess murmured quietly.
“Something.”
