Chapter 55
One week later.
Unable to resist the temptation in the postscript Hazel had sent, I boarded a carriage heading for the Nisephoriel Temple.
“Um, this is my first time going to the Nisephoriel Temple. Have you ever been there, Lady Pradan?”
“No. It’s my first time as well.”
Across from me sat Hupperson with an excited expression, and Siana, who maintained an elegant smile from start to finish.
His Majesty……
“As an instructor at the Nisephoriel Temple? …It should be fine. However, it seems it will be difficult for me to accompany you.”
Unfortunately, our schedules didn’t align.
Instead, he assigned the Imperial Guard to this journey and told me to bring along other companions as well, since I’d probably be bored.
Hehe……
‘His Majesty is so kind…… but why do I feel like crying.’
Drip. I swallowed back the tears welling up inside.
This isn’t that thing, right? He’s not drawing a line with me or anything, right……!
My legs trembled slightly with anxiety, but maybe this was for the best.
The current me is far too dangerous to be in the same space as His Majesty…… sob.
The past few days.
His Majesty’s unplanned avoidance had been quite a shock to me.
Because of that, the boldly executed “From His Majesty’s lips~ something something” operation was put under a full revision.
There were various minor adjustments, but the core point was this: “No more simping.”
I’d been blinded by love and forgotten the most important rule of fangirling.
Namely, you don’t do things your favorite dislikes.
People need to remember their初心, their original resolve. Exactly.
But what’s the point of revising the plan?
‘My body won’t cooperate!’
Once a simping mouth had been unleashed, it was terrifyingly hard to restrain.
At this rate, rather than getting together with His Majesty and ending up on a short-lived route,
it might actually be faster to reach an ending where His Majesty, fed up with me, unknowingly swings his sword and kills me.
So.
My simping…… please stop now…….
“We’ve arrived.”
Lost in thought, the carriage had already entered the Nisephoriel Temple grounds.
As I got down from the carriage with Captain Henkel’s escort, familiar faces ran over and surrounded me.
“Hello, Saintess!”
“We missed you!”
“Why didn’t you come with the Emperor last time?”
“Kyle, we said we wouldn’t say things like that……! The Saintess is busy……!”
“Gah. Right…… I didn’t say anything! Saintess!”
Kheh. These chirping little voices. Is this what healing feels like?
My face muscles relaxed into a silly grin when Hupperson, who had gotten down from the carriage after me, spoke up.
“Saintess, what should we do with this?”
Hupperson was holding a large paper bag stuffed to the brim in his arms.
As for what it was—
It had been delivered this morning from Antoine Patisserie, filled with my desserts that are hard to get even if you line up.
I’d specially asked Olivia, the owner of Antoine Patisserie, to prepare them for the children.
“Ah, that’s—”
“Is that Antoine Patisserie’s desserts?!”
Before I could even finish speaking, the children spotted the shop logo on the bag and crowded around Hupperson.
Siana, who was standing next to him, was also swept up and surrounded by the children as a bonus.
“Wow! There’s pudding too!”
“It’s the limited Lili Dessert!”
“Is it really okay for us to eat these?”
“Ah, um, well…….”
“Of course. The Saintess prepared them for you.”
Unlike Siana, who answered smoothly, Hupperson was clearly flustered, though visibly pleased.
Hupperson is probably the most textbook example of a Zendal person I’ve ever seen.
I mean, if someone asked, “What are the characteristics of people from Zendal?” you could just answer, “Take a look at Hupperson Duman.”
Basically kind, diligent, weak to people with strong holy power.
‘Just like how I’m weak to good looks.’
Anyway. I’m jealous of Hupperson.
I stared emptily at the children’s backs as they flowed away like the tide.
“Oh ho. Antoine Patisserie, I see. Ever since His Majesty brought some last time, the children have been singing about wanting it every day. That’s probably why they’re so happy.”
Hazel, who had come up beside me, spoke as if to console me.
Figures. People being happy to see you only lasts a moment. Of course I’d lose to presents.
It was short, but happy. The children’s attention…….
“I’m happy too. I didn’t expect them to like it this much.”
In truth, I was confident and fully aiming for this.
Since the children’s letters never failed to mention Antoine Patisserie, I figured this was it. Hehe.
Putting on my practiced so-called “noble smile,” I played it off.
“I’m glad my gift suited the children’s tastes.”
‘Ugh. This is so cringey.’
My whole body felt like it was twisting up from the fakeness, but with His Majesty not here—
Officially, I was the representative of this group.
I needed to play the Saintess role properly.
Still, it was true that seeing the children happy made me feel proud.
I was soothing my emptiness with that thought when—
Thud-thud-thud, a child ran over and flung themselves into my arms.
That fluffy, cotton-candy-like light brown hair was……
“Noel?”
“…….”
Noel, with his face buried against my stomach, didn’t say a word.
As I looked down at the crown of his head, I unconsciously reached out and patted it.
‘Ah. It looked so soft, I just—’
I wondered if he’d dislike it and watched his reaction, but Noel only flinched at first and then didn’t move at all.
Seems he doesn’t hate it, so I patted him a bit more.
What is this texture. It’s insanely soft.
“Noel, have you been well?”
“Yes……. I missed you, Saintess.”
There was moisture in Noel’s cautious voice.
‘Was he upset because it’s been so long?’
To be fair, I had said I’d come again, and then ended up being pretty late.
Several months had already passed.
I was about to apologize when Noel’s green eyes, reminiscent of fresh greenery, fixed themselves on a single point.
At the end of his gaze was—
‘Gasp. Pyu……!’
It was Pyu, dangling from my waist.
After hearing that Pyu was “darkness,” I couldn’t leave him alone.
I believe His Majesty when he says Pyu can’t do anything, but you never know with these things.
What if some kind of accident happened?
So I attached a string to the doll’s body and tied it to a hook on my clothes……
‘No way Noel recognizes it, right……!’
Cold sweat poured down inside.
Noel is sharp—he might’ve noticed something—!
“Noel? Is there something at my waist?”
I asked as calmly as I could. Noel lifted his head and met my eyes.
Even after all this time, his looks are still—no, now’s not the time for that.
“Saintess, this is…….”
I slowly waited for Noel’s next words.
A black land filled with a stench.
The corpses of people or animals scattered everywhere.
Plants so thoroughly rotted they’d lost their shape, squelching against the ground.
This place, reeking of death, had been a green meadow with a peaceful village just one month ago.
“Commander Carpenter. Over there—it’s appeared.”
Carpenter, commander of the Second Knight Order of the Zendal Empire, turned his gaze at his subordinate’s report.
“Disgusting creatures.”
Carpenter frowned.
On the black land, something even darker—black shapes in the form of humans—were moving.
The end of foolish humans who defied the god Seikan and ultimately incurred divine wrath: Apostates.
Their black was not a “sacred black,” but a “cursed black” that brought death.
“Eight of them. Quite a lot.”
Standing outside the boundary of the black land, Carpenter muttered as he counted the Apostates.
In the past, after the Kingdom of Babernon—which had summoned the second Saintess—was cursed by the god and became a land of Apostates,
the nations that formed the Oditria Pact erected barriers using vast quantities of holy stones.
A massive barrier surrounding all lands of Apostates across the continent.
However, as time passed, weakened sections of the barrier were occasionally breached, allowing Apostates to emerge.
Those Apostates, like now, dyed the land with death, making it crucial to eliminate them as quickly as possible to minimize affected territory.
“Graa…….”
“Uuugh…….”
Grotesque sounds escaped from the throats of Apostates who had lost their vocal cords.
When one of them stepped on a bird’s corpse, it instantly melted into black sludge and seeped into the ground.
Drawing his sword, Carpenter addressed the subordinates behind him.
“Everyone, prepare yourselves. We’re going in.”
“Yes.”
White light bloomed over the knights’ armor, and yellow light over their weapons, fueled by each knight’s holy power and holy stones.
The white holy power prevented death, while the yellow holy power could cut down Apostates.
There were seventeen holy knights in the Second Knight Order.
Eight Apostates were more than manageable.
“Let’s go! For the god Seikan, for Zendal!”
“For the god Seikan! For Zendal!”
Shouting their chant, the knights stepped onto the black land and charged at the Apostates.
“Uh, ugh…….”
“Disappear!”
“Ah…… ah…….”
“Damn it. I can’t see the soul stone.”
The knights’ swords mercilessly cut through the Apostates’ bodies.
Some disintegrated into dust immediately—but others didn’t.
Even when their limbs were severed, they reattached or regrew.
Because only by cutting the pebble-sized soul stone, located randomly within their bodies, could Apostates be destroyed.
The key was to find and cut the soul stone before the holy power coating armor and weapons ran out.
The knights cut and were cut in turn, without a moment to catch their breath.
Finally, the last Apostate crawled on the ground, having lost both legs and one arm.
“Graa…… uh…….”
It’s almost over.
That’s what everyone there thought.
Until the Apostate raised its remaining arm and drew a line in the air with its index finger.
Seeing despair through the tearing space, Carpenter shouted.
“It’s one that commands a familiar! Retreat! Now!”
Apostates had two kinds of power.
A power that brought death with mere contact, and the power to command familiars.
The former could be countered with holy power—but familiars were different.
Familiars, said to be usable only by Apostates, were beings of unknown origin.
And they were extremely strong.
“It’s coming out!”
While running toward the boundary, one knight glanced back and shouted.
A lumpy black mass began forcing its way out of the rift in the air.
It looked like a low-intelligence entity, but with their holy power already waning, facing that thing on the black land risked total annihilation.
“Run!”
But the familiar emerged and gave chase faster than the knights could escape the black land.
Death stretched out its hand toward their ankles.
“Commander……!”
“Run! Just run straight ahead!”
Carpenter, who had been running at the rear, twisted his body in the opposite direction.
Behind him, the subordinates who faithfully followed his orders ran toward the boundary of the black land.
‘O god Seikan…….’
Gazing at the massively swollen body of the familiar lunging at him, Carpenter sought the god.
He gripped his sword, but had no confidence that its blade would prevail.
His experience from countless battlefields was not telling him this would be a victory.
‘If only I can buy my men time to escape…….’
As Carpenter’s vision darkened beneath the familiar’s shadow, a brilliant golden light entered his sight.
