Chapter 31

Chapter 31

What Could Possibly Happen?

Pitch-black darkness covered everything, while heavy rain poured from the sky.

[Huaa... Haa...]

White breath drifted from my mouth.

The sound of pounding rain filled the surroundings.

Frowning at the unpleasant sensation of my soaked clothes clinging to my body, I kept walking in search of somewhere to escape the rain.

We didn't even have proper equipment, so if things went badly, we might have to spend the night huddled beneath a tree.

Fortunately, lights from a village appeared in the distance, and after hurrying inside, the two of us managed to find a decent inn.

Light shone through its windows and I could sense people inside, so it seemed to be open.

[Good thing we found somewhere to get out of the rain. Let's hurry inside.]

Getting drenched wasn't particularly pleasant.

My clothes clung uncomfortably to my body, and my long hair grew heavy from soaking up the rain. Every part of it was irritating.

I wanted to hurry into that inn, tear off these wet clothes, wash away the clammy feeling with a bath, put on something warm and dry, then sit in front of a cozy fireplace with a cold beer.

Just as I reached for the doorknob...

[Wah!?]

Something suddenly covered my body, making me jump and turn around.

The black-haired man was wrapping the coat he'd been wearing around me.

[...Hey, you scared me. What are you doing without saying anything?]

I snapped at him irritably while brushing my wet hair aside.

[I think it would be better if you wore a coat before going inside.]

[Why all of a sudden? Worried I'll catch a cold from the rain?]

A Saintess's body was filled with powerful divine power. There was no way a little rain would give me a cold.

And if that was the reason, why hadn't he given me the coat while we were still outside? Why wait until right before we entered the inn? I'm not some coat rack.

[That's not it...]

When I stared up at him, the man turned his gaze away. His exposed ears were bright red, perhaps from the cold.

[Then what is it? Stop hesitating and spit it out.]

[Your clothes are soaked through, Saintess, so... your body is rather visible...]

I lowered my head.

My wet clothes were plastered against me, shamelessly outlining every curve of my body.

Aha?

So that was why this guy had been answering me while staring into empty space instead of looking at me?

Well, I suppose my body could be pretty overwhelming for a man.

A crooked smile tugged at my lips as I looked back up at him.

[Heeeh~ What's this? Are you seeing me as a ‘woman’ right now?]

At my playful teasing, the man recoiled as though I'd accused him of some terrible crime and frantically waved his hands.

[N-No! Absolutely not! I do not see you as a woman!]

[...]

The man practically shouted his answer.

I'd only said it to tease him, but once I heard that response, the strange swelling feeling inside me deflated like a punctured balloon.

...Am I... disappointed right now?

Why?

For some inexplicable reason, annoyance and hurt welled inside me, and I kicked him hard in the shin.

[Oof!]

[...Hmph. Serves you right.]

Snorting at the sight of him crying out, I pulled the coat he'd given me tightly around myself.

...Maybe because it had gotten wet in the rain, his scent suddenly filled my nose.

I found myself sniffing it unconsciously because I liked the smell, which only irritated me more.

Damn bastard.

You don't see me as a woman?

Let's see if you can keep saying that after this.

[Hey.]

[Ugh... Yes?]

[Apparently there's only one room left.]

That was a lie.

The inn's rooms were practically empty.

The only other person in the place was an old woman who seemed hard of hearing and kept nodding off no matter how many times we called to her.

I gave the man a mischievous smile.

His face was red enough to burst.

Hmph. So much for not seeing me as a woman.

I'd even asked for a room with only one bed.

There was no way that bastard was getting any sleep tonight, right?

Heheh. Call it revenge for irritating me for some reason, bastard.

[Apparently there's only one bed too. Guess we'll have to sleep together tonight.]

I grabbed him by the collar, pulled him closer, and whispered into his ear.

And then...

“Kyaaaaaah!”

I screamed and woke up.

Thud-

“Ugh-”

At the same time, I fell off the bed with a short cry.

Owww... That hurts.

Why is the floor made of stone?

Groaning, I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.

It wasn't an unfamiliar ceiling... but the ceiling of the healing room.

Why was I sleeping in the healing room again?

Ah, right.

Clarice was treating me.

And she'd put me to sleep because she needed to examine the outline of my soul.

The dream had been so shocking that I'd forgotten for a moment.

And once I figured out where I was, the memory of the prophetic dream came rushing back.

...I wasn't just disappointed because he didn't see me as a woman. I actually lied about there being only one room?

And what else did I say?

Guess we'll have to sleep together tonight?

Me?

No way.

A Saintess's dreams are prophetic.

A power granted only to the Saintess, allowing her to foresee a future that will someday come to pass.

“Enough!”

That line popped into my head again, and I raked my hands through my hair in irritation.

I desperately needed some kind of message-blocking feature.

God, this is annoying.

What pissed me off even more was that whenever I had dreams like these, I could never see the man's face.

If I at least knew who he was, I could prepare some countermeasures.

The only thing I knew was that he was a tall man with black hair.

Who fit that description?

“Hmm...”

No one immediately came to mind.

People in the Eris Order tended to have unusually colorful hair.

From a distance, they looked almost like a field of multicolored flowers.

Ah, stop thinking about useless things.

Who do I know with black hair...

“Huh?”

Only one person came to mind.

Cassian.

“Yeah, fucking right.”

And rather than horrified, the thought actually made me feel relieved.

Because even if I somehow did fall in love someday, there's no way in hell I'd fall for someone like Cassian, right?

“Big Sis? What are you doing on the floor?”

While I lay there on the cold stone floor, blankly lost in thought, Clarice's voice pulled me back to reality.

I turned my head and saw her standing there with a tray, staring at me awkwardly.

“Uh... I fell out of bed.”

“You fell out of bed? You're not a child anymore... Are you hurt anywhere?”

“You really think something like this could hurt me?”

“That habit of showing off really never goes away.”

Clarice pouted, but still helped me up until I was sitting on the bed.

I staggered slightly, but managed to rise without trouble and sit on the healing table.

“I brought breakfast, so eat. Your stomach's empty, so I brought soup and soft bread. That's okay, right?”

“Hm? Breakfast?”

Of everything Clarice had said, the word breakfast lodged itself in my ears.

My eyes widened as I repeated it.

It had been a little past lunchtime when we'd reached Septimoa's central citadel and entered the healing room.

And now she was saying breakfast?

“Surprised? It's the next morning.”

...Wow.

I slept a lot.

Or had healing my soul taken that long?

Well, it wasn't exactly a simple procedure, so I suppose that made sense.

Still dazed, I accepted the breakfast Clarice handed me.

“Listen while you eat. First, the conclusion: your treatment was successful, Big Sis.”

“Oh, really? That's good news.”

I answered while spooning soup into my mouth.

Wow.

This soup is almost as good as the stuff Jean, our Order's head cook, makes.

Jean would probably be devastated if he heard me say that.

He's incredibly proud of his cooking.

Ah, stop getting distracted.

Focus on Clarice.

“So I'm okay now?”

“Yes. There's just one thing you need to know.”

“Mmm? What?”

“Your soul. Honestly, I didn't actually have to do anything to heal it.”

I'd been expecting her to say I still couldn't overexert myself, so I looked at Clarice in surprise.

“You didn't have to do anything?”

“Your soul was already repairing itself without my help.”

“Then isn't that a good thing?”

“Of course. There's nothing better than healing naturally. It's proof you're healthy too.”

“Really? Then that's a relief.”

“But there is something that bothers me a little...”

“What?”

I lowered the spoon I'd been using and looked at Clarice.

“The soul is extremely fragile and sensitive. Even a small wound can completely change a person. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

The soul.

The word existed back on Earth too, but there it was nothing more than a concept with no proven physical existence.

Here, things were different.

Maybe because this was a fantasy world, souls genuinely existed.

The easiest way to understand the soul was probably to compare it to the brain.

Even a small injury or bleeding in the brain could kill someone.

It was an incredibly sensitive organ.

The soul was similar.

“When I first examined you, there was an unbelievably large hole in your soul.”

“...Huh? Seriously? How am I still alive?”

Basically, Clarice was saying there'd been a huge hole in my brain and yet I was sitting here perfectly fine.

“I don't know. There's only one hypothesis I can think of. Maybe the damage happened in a part where losing a chunk wouldn't cause anything especially serious.”

“...Oh. So that's why I'm okay?”

“I don't know. I can't be certain.”

Can't be certain?

That's terrifying, Clarice.

I said earlier that comparing the soul to the brain made it easier to understand, right?

I'd heard that people who suffered damage to their souls and recovered often ended up with significantly different personalities afterward.

And because the person themselves couldn't recognize the change, they tended to think everyone around them was strange for claiming they'd become different.

“Do I seem different somehow?”

I swallowed before asking.

“...”

Clarice fell silent.

She looked slightly flustered, so I tilted my head and stared at her.

“...Now I understand why men hate that question.”

“Hm? What did you say?”

I hadn't heard the words she'd muttered so quietly, so I asked again.

“Nothing. Right now, you don't seem particularly different. As far as I can tell, you seem pretty much like the usual you.”

“Hmm... So I'm probably okay for now?”

Clarice wasn't the type to offer empty reassurance about something like this.

So I could relax a little.

“I think so. But I only spend time with you a few times a year, so it might be better to ask the people from your Order too.”

“How?”

“Just like you asked me. ‘Do I seem different somehow?’”

“Got it.”

For some reason Clarice wore a mischievous expression, but I didn't think much of it.

“Once you finish eating, would you like to look around Septimoa with me?”

“Hm? Sure.”

I accepted Clarice's invitation without hesitation.

If I stayed inside the citadel, there was a high chance I'd run into the Saintesses of the other Seven Great Holy Orders as they kept arriving.

If we went outside, we'd be less likely to encounter those crazy bitches.

And I got to go on a date with a beauty like Clarice.

Two birds with one stone.

Why would I refuse?

“By the way, aren't you eating, Clarice?”

“I already ate. I called it breakfast, but it's already eleven.”

“Wow, I really slept a long time.”

I'd spent an entire day in the healing room.

If I'd been in here this long, everyone from my Order must've been worried.

“Did anyone from our Order come looking for me?”

“They came in the evening. I told them your treatment had ended successfully and that you were sleeping deeply during recovery, so they shouldn't disturb you. They left after that.”

“I see.”

Then there was no need to go find them.

I could just go out and have fun with Clarice.

The old man would be busy preparing for the Council, and the Holy Knights were probably scattered around enjoying their rare free time.

No reason to hunt them down.

Everyone would return to the citadel around sunset anyway.

I could see them then.

“Our Order's staying in the Western Palace, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I'm finished eating, so shall we head out?”

Now that I knew where I needed to return, it was time to go out.

I could drop the tray off at the kitchen on the way.

There was only one slightly strange thing.

“Clarice, are you sure you can go out without an escort?”

Unlike me, Clarice didn't have much combat ability, so she always had guards around her.

High-ranking Holy Knights, at that.

Clarice was the treasured Saintess of the Justitia Order.

But even after we'd left the room and walked quite a distance down the corridor, there wasn't an escort beside us or any sign of someone following from afar.

“Why would I need to worry when you're with me, Big Sis? Besides, this is Septimoa.”

“Oh? But I'm a patient. You're the one who told me not to overdo it.”

“What could possibly happen in Septimoa that would make you overexert yourself?”

True.

If something happened here serious enough to make me summon Astra and push myself, that would be an enormous problem in itself.

Still, you shouldn't be so confident, Clarice.

Who would've guessed I'd run into Selenia, a legion commander of Lust, on the way here?

“Come on. Big Sis will protect you.”

“Yes!”

Still, this wasn't some quiet countryside village.

This was Septimoa, filled with high-ranking priests and Holy Knights.

And with powerful forces from all Seven Great Holy Orders gathered here, there really wasn't much chance of anything happening.

The most dangerous thing we'd probably encounter was another Saintess while wandering around.

But what were the odds of running into one in a city as enormous as Septimoa?

With that thought, Clarice and I left the citadel.