Chapter 59 ….
“Right. If I’m to give you the strength to trust me and see this through, then I suppose I’ll have to step up.”
“Yes. I’d appreciate that.”
Our conversation seemed to come to a rough close.
We also finished discussing how, when the connection at the Grand Temple had been cut, the distance we felt had changed—what used to be about ‘21 meters’ now seemed closer to ‘10 meters.’
After that, we prepared for tomorrow.
I wrote a letter to Kaiden, and Theodore summoned Isaac to give various instructions.
“I’ll personally make sure the letter is delivered.”
He said he would prepare a courier as secretly as possible and send it to the capital without the High Priest noticing.
I could only hope it would arrive on time.
I stood up from my seat.
“Please take care of it.”
“…Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful tomorrow. I have a bad feeling.”
A bad feeling from a man with sharp instincts—honestly, that was reassuring.
“Yes. Understood.”
I nodded earnestly.
Theodore rose and saw me off. After exchanging farewells, I stepped outside.
The chilled night air carried the clear sign that the end of autumn was approaching.
* * *
Among the Beja Mountain Range, the central and largest peak—Mount Beja—was the most rugged of them all.
The High Priest and the businessmen were probably running their mining operation here in secret.
The temple stood at the foot of Mount Beja.
We decided to complete the remainder of the Rite of Reincarnation by praying before Yuria’s remains, which supposedly rested inside the temple on the mountain.
Agasa had been furious and depressed when she realized the High Priest had lied about Yuria’s remains being here and intended to exploit them.
But the process moved so quickly that even that emotional moment felt fleeting.
We finished the ritual in the old temple and stepped outside.
[This really is a place that feels wonderful.]
It was widely known that the Beja Mountain Range was sacred. Simply standing still made it feel like my vitality was being restored.
[It seems this place suits Dorothy particularly well.]
Agasa spoke in a pleased tone.
Really? Well… Kaiden’s bracelet had worked especially well for me too.
“I heard a mining village has formed nearby. We’ll stay with the residents there and return to the capital tomorrow.”
Once outside, the High Priest pretended as if she had only just learned about the mining village and led the group that way. And just like that, the Rite of Reincarnation ended rather anticlimactically.
Despite Theodore’s “bad feeling,” she did absolutely nothing—not even when we secured lodging in the mining village and were being hosted.
“You’ve worked hard, Saintess.”
Is the mining operation really… the end of it?
As for the forbidden book… well, I’d find out once we returned. The mining scheme had originally been the only incident planned here.
Still, Theodore’s instincts—and mine too—kept telling me this wasn’t over.
“Then let us retire for the night, Saintess.”
The High Priest, as if everything were truly finished, returned to her room after dinner.
“I hear there are many dangerous wild beasts around here. So if possible, please remain in your room.”
She even added a final note of concern—one that left me deeply uneasy.
I stayed quietly in my room…
…but eventually couldn’t shake the lingering suspicion and stepped outside.
I wanted to keep an eye on whether the High Priest was really doing nothing.
“Is the High Priest in her room?”
“Yes. She is resting. Would you like to see her?”
“Ah, no. I shouldn’t disturb her while she’s resting. Thank you.”
From what I discreetly gathered from the temple knights, there hadn’t been any movement yet.
To avoid being noticed, I pulled up my hood and suppressed my presence with divine power as I headed to the alley across from the small house where the High Priest was staying.
The light in the window and her shadow suggested she was indeed inside.
“…No one’s here.”
It was certainly late enough that anyone who might spot me had probably gone to sleep.
Maybe I’d come out too late.
With no signs of people around, it suddenly felt a bit creepy.
Apparently many workers had died in this mining project—the number of ghosts wandering around made the place downright eerie.
[Lady Agasa… please chase those ghosts away…]
I sent an SOS to the goddess. Sure enough, before long, the pale miner ghosts drifting nearby moved away from me.
Relieved, I looked back up at the High Priest’s window—then the light suddenly went out.
…Is there really nothing going on?
I waited longer, but she did nothing.
“Hmm…”
This was really strange.
Should I just go back? It’s getting cold…
After some hesitation, I rose to my feet.
And at that moment—
“Taking a stroll this late at night is rather dangerous, Saintess.”
A voice came from behind me.
When I turned, a familiar figure came into view.
A man who shone like sunlight even at night—Theodore Elliot stood at the end of the alley.
“…Haah.”
How many times had he startled me like this already? Seriously, how did he move around without making a sound?
Unless my connection with the goddess was cut mid-conversation, there was no way for me to notice him.
Every time Theodore appeared out of nowhere, my heart practically dropped.
“Your Majesty.”
“To sigh the moment you see me—how hurtful.”
Theodore joked with a face that clearly wasn’t hurt at all, and I grumbled with a heavy sigh.
“Your Majesty, do you have a hobby of startling people?”
“I don’t, but if I startled you, my apologies.”
He accepted it readily.
I was about to keep complaining, but shut my mouth.
Well… you can’t exactly tell someone who has mastered martial arts to please make some noise when you walk. It was probably just habit for him.
“No, well… it’s fine. What are you doing here at this hour?”
“I noticed you were here earlier. I thought I might keep you company on your night walk.”
He saw me?
“Me?”
I thought I was tucked pretty well into the corner of the alley.
I glanced around.
“I happen to be staying in that house.”
Theodore pointed to the house above the alley where I stood.
Coincidentally, the window there had a perfect view of this alley.
“…You must’ve seen me from the window.”
“Indeed. Something kept moving in the alley, so at first I thought it was a ghost and was rather frightened. But as expected, it was you, Saintess. I’m glad it wasn’t a ghost.”
His tone was clearly teasing.
This was a man who feared nothing in the world, whom even gods couldn’t touch, and whom ghosts avoided.
See? Even now, not a single ghost lingered near Theodore.
As if he’d ever be scared of ghosts.
“Stop joking. This is embarrassing.”
“Very well. Then a piece of advice.”
“Advice?”
“Since it’s clear you have no talent for hiding, you should be more careful in the future.”
Oh, come on—now he was really teasing!
Without thinking, I shot back,
“And yet Your Majesty was fooled by someone like me who can’t even hide properly?”
“Oh? Maria. You’ve grown bold enough to bring that up yourself?”
With a grin, Theodore approached. The distance between us closed in an instant.
Theodore approaching with a smile.
Before, that would have seemed terrifying…
But I didn’t sense the same killing intent as before, and under the moonlight, his sharp features looked almost translucent—simply beautiful.
So instead of being afraid, I let out a small laugh.
“Yes, yes. Maria was in the wrong.”
“That third-person thing was quite memorable.”
Third person…
Even now, recalling it was embarrassing. But who was I? Not a shameless con artist—rather, the Saintess.
Besides, the dark night would hide my flushed face. I acted boldly.
“If it was that memorable, shall I do it again for you?”
I teased him back on purpose. I wasn’t about to just take it.
“Sounds entertaining.”
But instead of the disdain I expected, Theodore’s smile only deepened with interest.
“…I lose.”
What a strange personality this man had.
“So, are you planning to keep staying here?”
“I was keeping watch on the High Priest. But she just went to sleep. It doesn’t seem like she plans to do anything.”
“Saintess, there are already plenty of people monitoring her. There’s no need to worry.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, perhaps you can’t sense them.”
Theodore gestured toward the rooftop, as if someone were up there.
“…I see.”
So I didn’t need to watch her after all.
“Geez. Then I should just go back and get some sleep.”
“Yes. Hurry back. The night air is cold—”
Jingle jingle. Bwooo—
“…What?”
At that moment—
From the distance came the frantic ringing of bells and the blare of horns.
“What is this…?”
Theodore and I turned our heads at the same time.
Lights across the entire village flicked on in an instant. The brightened village fell into chaos.
“An accident! An accident!”
“We need support!”
Villagers rushed out in their nightclothes, boots hastily pulled on. Knights poured out as well.
“What’s going on?!”
“Again? Ah… the spirits must be enraged…!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! They keep using cheap equipment—that’s why accidents keep happening!”
“Enough chatter! Assess the situation first! Move!”
“Damn it. The mine entrance is far. Please let it be nothing. Dear God…”
Workers dying due to poor conditions…
Seeing the commotion reminded me of what I had learned while dealing with Charlotte of Count Russell’s family, who oversaw the laborers.
“I have to go.”
My body moved on its own.
I had warned Charlotte about the working conditions, but apparently it hadn’t been enough.
My heart pounded.
This… might have been an accident I could have prevented.
I started running.
Hearing about someone’s death and facing the possibility that someone might die right in front of me were completely different things.
I was too focused on exposing the temple…
Guilt washed over me.
I was careless.
I bit my lip.
“Huff… huff…”
I wasn’t used to running, so I quickly grew out of breath, but I didn’t stop. I clenched my fists and kept going.
The distance from the village to the mine entrance was considerable. I had no idea how much farther I had to run.
Panic spread everywhere around me. Everyone had started moving.
[ Dorothy, this is— ha— ]
Amid the chaos, Agasa’s voice came through in broken fragments.
Right—Agasa was here.
In my panic, I had even forgotten about divine abilities.
But the connection was unstable. Was Theodore following me?
“Your Majesty, stay outside ten meters!”
Without even checking where he was, I shouted.
“Now? You’re going to use your power?”
His reply came clearly, as if he had instantly closed the distance.
“I need to assess the situation. I’ll fly ahead and check!”
“Saintess.”
At that moment, someone grabbed me.
My shaking vision steadied—and Theodore stood there, holding my hand.
