Chapter 5 (2/2)

“Um, Lady Celiastina…”

“…… What is it?”

Raising her head, she saw Nasha looking at her worriedly

“Your pallor does not look very well Are you alright?”

“I’”

“That lady just noas Lady Yodel, wasn’t it?”

Nasha sent a fleeting glance at the door but of course Yodel’s figure was no longer there

“Mm”

“…… She seeed quite a bit”

“Wha, Nasha, you know Yodel?”

“Ah, no, we aren’t acquaintances! I just know about her from my side”

Nasha hurriedly waved both hands But then, after seeently to her chest

“…… there is this though”

She took out a beautiful pendant with small purple jewels from underneath her clothes

“I was given this by Lady Yodel when I was a child”

“From Yodel?”

“Yes It hen I was still just a child and it was o to the church nearby my home Every day I showed up at that church alone One day, on some kind of occasion, Lady Yodel stopped by that church And then the priest introduced me to Lady Yodel”

Nasha sia of the past

“At that tier than I aht she was an a lady Lady Yodel crouched to meet my eyes and then asked “For what do you wish for that you come to this church?” And I told her that I wished for ers, and everyone to live peacefully and happily At that, Lady Yodel ss” before giving me this pendant”

Saying that, Nasha gazed at the pendant in her palm Yuna followed her actions, quiet

–It was a beautiful purple without any impurities A sublime and holy color

Yuna thought that it was exactly like Yodel herself

Yodel was not treating her badly for no reason She was acting on her own beliefs, calling as right as right and rong as wrong A” She was sad about that but it wasn’t Yodel’s fault

(I’m sorry, Yodel I really do understand what you and Asyut have said And I think what you two have said , but still… I want to try)

Even if this was a journey that no one would welcoshe herself could do then there was no way she could just stand still

Evena week of having been shut in her own rooain

“It’s been a while, Celia Nothing has happened?”

Yuna nodded, so a while It’s true though, just like his words, it has been a while since she saw Linus During this week, he hadn’t come to see her even once, and Yuna was a bit bitter about that –Wasn’t he quite heartless?

Whether Linus noticed Yuna’s sulky attitude or not, he continued on talking as if not see to care

“Good job on enduring this long time For now the commotion of the liberation of the Holy Jail has cal your freedom soon”

“–Really?”

At those words she had been i for, Yuna’s face quickly split into a ser that she had held just now for Linus was bloay in an instant

In any case, the only thing she could think about in these past few days was hurrying up and leaving this roo locked up in her room Celiastina’s past up to now, her own future fros she should do– she thought on a lot of things but if she didn’t actually act then nothing would change Just thinking about those things onlylocked in her room

“I’lad I had started to wonder if maybe I wouldn’t be let out of this room anymore”

She said this jokingly, but in truth she was secretly concerned She thought that oal to use the commotion of the liberation of the Holy Jail as an excuse to ierous saint– but it looks like she worried over nothing

“No way Because you still have to work hard from here on For example, the ceremonies you must attend every day In fact, in just a bit, the cere must be done”

“Eh……”

She had to do that cereain? She felt co she had to do after co out of her room in a as “that”

“You can attend, yes?”

“…… Mm, I’ll attend”

Although she nodded, a heavy sigh leaked out of her mouth

“Soh to be the Lady Saint Every day there’s nothing but repeating ceremonies, huh”

“That’s not the case for today though Once the cere is done, there is just the ceremony of the purification of dusk”

“Really? You mean every day isn’t full of ceremonies like that time before?”

“There were especially many on that day In a month it happens twice or thrice If the whole day was filled with ceremonies then you’d be crushed”

“Whaat…”

Breathing out, she was relieved all at once And then, iht surfaced in her mind

“Then, once the cereo to where Aeneas is? I have so I want to talk about”

He was that young ht He was also a victim of Celiastina And yet, he was someone who showed kindness and concern for his assailant, Celiastina–

Linus, who received Yuna’s proposal, unexpectedly hesitated He had an indecisive expression that seemed to wonder at what he should do Yuna looked at that Linus with surprise She had thought, without a doubt, that he would say “Go ahead, as you please”

“…… I wonder whether his feelings will be a positive or negative contribution to you It’s still in a questionable stage, so I would suggest not getting too deeply involved with him”

His feelings? Was he talking about the feelings of hatred towards the saint? If so, Yuna understood that

“There’s so I need to meet hi enough to rub his feelings the wrong way Once I’m done, I’ll return immediately to my room”

“Hmm, it seems like you’ve completely missed the point”

“Missed the point? What did I miss?”

“Nevero ahead, as you please”

Finally, the answer that she had predicted was returned to her But she was extreh However, if she asked hi They’ve only known each other for a short time, but somehow she understood that he was that kind of a person That’s why she didn’t touch the subject of Aeneas any e his mind

“Hey, Linus, you work as an advisor to the priht? I don’t know much about that but isn’t that a position of considerable status? Is it okay for you to be here wandering about by yourself?”

Linus had an exasperated look on his face

“Wandering about, to think you’d say that”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry”

“But, actually, I’m not that busy An advisor to the prime minister and the deputy prime s where I meet a nuossip with, and other menial jobs like that The prime minister discusses political issues with the deputy pris like his loss for the day”

“…… You’re being modest, aren’t you?”

Who knows, Linus seemed to say as he merely smiled

“Well, presently, my job is to be the babysitter of our lovely Lady Saint Celiastina In other words, it is about tiht to say”

Ending the conversation there, Linus took Yuna out of the roo, Yuna stared secretly at the broad back in front of her

For some reason, the more she knew about him the less she understood of this person that was Linus Ventris– Yuna thought

When the cereh a long corridor alone

She was heading to meet Aeneas

According to Linus, Aeneas was right in the rounds were at the base of a tohich Linus had explained to her sketchily by pointing out aat it Yuna dashed towards that sneakily while keeping an eye out on her surroundings As she thought, Linus wasn’t going to guide her there but it was better for her this way If he arrived at the training grounds of the soldiers together with the Lady Saint, there would be a s Aeneas would just cause hi out alone At this time, the soldiers would be on their afternoon break and if everything ell then she ht be able to draw him out alone

Nor out toso was unnatural and incoant to do so like call Aeneas, who had been hurt terribly by the incident four o In that case, it was better for her to head out to meet him even if it would be somewhat suspicious to others

So that she wouldn’t stand out badly, she reathered her pale blonde hair into a bun before covering it with a thin veil She also wrapped a scarf around her neck so that the Holy Mark couldn’t be seen And then she started walking quickly towards her goal, the tower, but– she was too naive, and Yuna iret

As she stepped out into the west side of the royal palace, for the first time, it appeared to be a space open mainly for servants and soldiers There was a bit of a corridor but it soon beca There werejust the shape of a corridor, and this open ate Unlike the surroundings she had spent so far as Celiastina, the people who passed her all seemed to be coht be the residential area of the servants Yuna wasroups and sitting on stairs or wooden boxes while chatting pleasantly –It was clear that she was unsettled But, at the same time as that nervousness, there was also a part of her that felt nostalgia Yuna was still just a village girl, only a feeeks ago, and it was obvious she would feel that surrounded in this at within the royal palace, it was still e

Although Yuna was nervous, she couldn’t feel any hate or fear in the eyes of the people around her It see lady with some kind of status Come to think of it, the lower the class a person had, the less of an opportunity they would have to come in contact with the Lady Saint Normally, even the hters of aristocrats Which e for there not to be anyone who recognized her face in this place But still she couldn’t be relieved It didn’t change the fact that she was out-of-place

(Uh to hurt)

There was no one who called out to her directly, but everyone was observing her actions The soldiers ere sitting on the ground and cracking jokes as they polished their swords The servants carrying ingredients fro wo baskets full of dirty clothes Everyone was glancing over at her intermittently

(If I was going to have to pass through this place no )

A specific irresponsible babysitter, asn’t here, appeared in her mind

(There are ht At this rate, even if I ht not be able to call out Aeneas)

Aeneas, when his name came to mind, Yuna became a little depressed He must have been froht-in-training at that young age For that kind of person to be thrown into the ranks of a co was that Yuna, who had been a co the world of the upper class aristocrats, was just now starting to realize the difference And that’s why she felt like she could understand his mortification To her this was a comfortable and calm atmosphere, but to an upper class aristocrat like hi but she was sure it was like that

Yuna, who had been thinking lessly and idly as she walked, soon reached her objective, the tower It was remarkably tall, perhaps to fulfill its role as a lookout, and its painted white walls round was spread i grounds Looking to be on their break, there were soldiers scattered here and there stuffing their cheeks full with bread and fruit But there were too few of therounds there was a countable aret It looked like, when they were on their break, the soldiers were allowed to leave the training grounds And that hy she had seen sothe way here–

Aah, heaving a large sigh, Yuna turned around in a circle to look around the area But to her disappoint for Aeneas washis break at some other place

It didn’t seeood idea to wait here until he returned to ae fuss Giving up, Yuna decided to return for now It couldn’t be helped and souess the ti–

“Miss”

Yuna ju a voice call out to her suddenly

Yuna, who had ht that there was no one here ould call out to her fareatly perturbed And there stood a co down at her with an amused smile

–Who was this? Right away, Yuna looked thehim He had a very distinct and cheery blond hair, more so than Celiastina or Aeneas, and dark skin His eyes were the saht like a cat’s eyes At a glance his hair was carelessly disheveled and stretched long in the back; she also glis on his ears She had thought Linus was large but this man would be able to compete with him But he was ht with a skilled force He was clothed in a white uniform of such quality that if Aeneas had worn it he would have looked like a prince without fail, but on this man it was so worn that she could not even feel a sense of its elegance

(He’s like… a lion)

That was Yuna’s first impression of him

During the time Yuna reached that conclusion, the other party seeotten an irin, shrugged his shoulders soeratedly

“What’s a noble lady looking like you doing in such a savage place like this? If you’re lost then I suppose I could escort you”

“Uh, umm…”

Were those words one would use towards a noble lady? Yuna quipped inside her mind as she hesitated

–Who? Who was this? Moreover, at thisout more and more?

As she becaazes of everyone around thehed out loud in an extremely loud voice

“Aw, don’t be so scared It’s not like I’ll eat you”

“Uh”

“Uh, you say What’s with that reaction? Strange girl”

The ain It was impossible for Yuna to understand just as so funny

“But, hmm–“

The ht his face close to peer at her face under the veil Yuna hurriedly drew back

“A beauty exactly like the rumors”

What?! As Yuna stared at him in shock, the man continued on with his words

“You’re– Saint Celiastina, aren’t you”

Having her naht, Yuna’s words were stuck Should she confirm it? Or should she deny it? In this situation where she didn’t know a thing about the other person, she couldn’t make a decision

She looked around, troubled, but of course there was no one around to bring her help But, though she was in a difficult situation, it didn’t seem like the people around them heard the name this man said There only sees took notice of their conversation

“I said it before, but you don’t have to be so cautious”

He said it as if he had nothing to do as going on, but in her ht that it’d be impossible not to

“My nacrest I’ve seen you before but it was always from a distance, so this is the first time we’ve met face to face –Pleased to make your acquaintance from hereafter, Lady Saint”

As if he were playing around, the loud ht-like bow Yuna, worried about the people watching them, hurriedly stopped the man

“U-Um Please don’t do that here”

“Because you came here sneakily–?”

“Well……, um…”

“Just what kind of business is it to have the Lady Saint come here personally? If it’s okay, could you tell me?”

“Saint, saint… please don’t call me that repeatedly”

“But the saint is a saint and you’re a saint, so I can’t call you anything else”

Siegcrest, a flustered, repeated the word “saint” many times on purpose At this, even Yuna would become irritated

“Celia Please call me by name”

“Oho, that’s an honor I’onna tell you now but I’m the type of person who doesn’t hold back If you tell me to call you Celia then I really will call you that”

“Go ahead, as you please”

In fact, it’d be theto be called Yuna but she couldn’t do that In that case, being called Celia was ht the sound of the name Celiastina was pretty but each time she was called by that name it felt like there was a wall between her and the other person that grew increasingly taller

“Then Celia it is”

Siegcrest threw an arm around Yuna’s shoulders and pulled her closer

“W-What are you doing!? Please let o!”

…… She had thought that the walls around her and other people were towering but so like this was a little too casual, wasn’t it? Yuna became flustered and protested

“Hm? Isn’t this okay, since we’re in a relationshi+p where we call each other by nicknames Oh, Celia, you smell nice”

“We don’t call each other by nickna!”

“Don’t be shy, I don’t ”

“No, thank you!”

Looking down at Yuna, as flailing under his arhed in amusement

“Your beauty is exactly like the rumors, but your personality doesn’t seem to be like the rumors”

Choosing the chance when Siegcrest’s arm relaxed for a moment, Yuna quickly turned aside

“So, what kind of business does the unexpectedly naive and serious Celia have to come to a place like this?”

Yuna sent a fleeting glare at the man who turned to face her directly Just who exactly was this abnormally frank man? Their conversation up to now – if this could even be called one – left her knowing nothing about his such as his na onith the conversation It was definitely a fact that she didn’t knohat to do, being in a place like this alone, but was it okay for her to trust in this man?

(No, it isn’t)

Suspicious He was too suspicious into understand as going through Yuna’spose

“You seeuard Ah, I’m shocked–“

She’d like to see a girl asn’t put on guard from a showy man like him

“Well, I can understand if the Lady Saint has no interest in the troops of the country But it is just a li~ttle painful for you not to have even the slightest recognition of the nacrest and this uniform You don’t know me?”

“I-I’m sorry”

It looked like he was a well-known man But there was no way Yuna, who just recently becah, she felt like she knew that white uniform Remember, remember A white uniform…

“–Ah! The Order of Holy Knights!”

“Oh?”

“…… That uniforht?”

“…… Well, you’re not wrong Okay, that’s right Let’s leave it at that”

It seeuess who he was But, even though he was somewhat dissatisfied, he didn’t keep it in mind and Yuna felt relieved

Several tihout the year at the Prayer Festivals, she’s seen the Order of Holy Knights before in parades During those tihts hite uniforms The memory of that remained faintly in Yuna’sthan the parade, didn’t reh idea of the structure of the country’s military

Siegcrest was saying he belonged to the Order of Holy Knights They were the leading group of knights in this country They were a super elite group which only allowed people who possessed both status and power to enroll Yuna rehts-in-training, were considered a part of the Order of Holy Knights too Incidentally, Asyut being appointed as the First Holy Knight ht as to becoe Although tentatively it could be considered he belonged to the Order of Holy Knights, it didn’t seeroup of knights and they were the Order of Knights Cohts they were a little roup of elites For village girls, generally, if pushed to say, it was a dreaain money and social status It was rare for the Order of Holy Knights to leave the royal palace and, so to speak, they were exclusively for the daughters of aristocrats They were beings who cohts were in every direction and patrolled through towns and so were easy to approach…… saying that though, the past Yuna did not know even one knight There was no ht, no matter what kind, was still a far removed existence

The knights of the kingdoroups, but there was another arular soldiers Currently, the ed to this group Aeneas, who had been sentenced to have his status de his life as an ordinary soldier The arenerally accepted anybody who applied, regardless of social status or pedigree For Aeneas to be thrown into the arive, no ht about it –Yes, she came this far to talk about that today

“–Huh?”

Suddenly, Yuna had a strange thought This was definitely the training grounds for soldiers So, why did Siegcrest, who belonged to the Order of Holy Knights, appear at the training grounds for soldiers?

“Ucrest”

“I told you Sieg is fine More importantly, let’s finish your business, Celia I’ll come with you, since I’m free anyway”

“Wait, but…”

“Even you know that you’re a girl who has led a sheltered life, right? It’ll be bad to wander around in a place like this by yourself –C’ht surprise you as a , you know?”

“Uhh… um…”

Yuna was troubled Was it okay for her to confess that she was searching for Aeneas? If Siegcrest was part of the Order of Holy Knights then he used to be a colleague of Aeneas What did this man think when he heard a comrade of his beco that, she was at a loss as to how to talk honestly about her goal But she was also well aware of how she wouldn’t be able to meet Aeneas by herself at this rate……

–ARGH, she couldn’t help but be conflicted by this and that!

“I came here to see someone called Aeneas Do you know Aeneas?”

“…… Aeneas”

As soon as he heard that nacrest had an expression that even she as an outsider could see was extremely serious From the start he had been a loud and flashy e intensity to it

“What, is the Lady Saint still infatuated with him?”

His voice clearly contained the color of contempt Yuna, who heard that voice, felt her breath catch for an instant But she didn’t have time to be afraid and so psyched herself up

“So you knohere he is right now If possible, I’d like to talk to him alone”

“You’re still gonna say that? That guy has no interest in you Just stop, you’ve already crushed hi that time Seriously, leave him alone”

“Y-You’re mistaken I don’t have that kind of an interest in hio In that case–“

“Of course I knoas quite interested in that guy –And, when I heard you released everyone froht you were someone who unexpectedly could reflect on their actions but–“

“It’s related to that I was thinking that I want to return Aeneas to his original social status And so I wanted to talk to him directly about that, because I didn’t want to just thrust another change at his that way”

Siegcrest kept silent and stared at Yuna as she connected her words, one after another after another

“I don’t intend to do anything more to him I swear If he wishes, this tiain”

“–Hmm, I see”

Yuna was bewildered upon hearing a suddenly relaxed response…… what happened?

“Well–“

Well?

“I guess I can’t coldly refuse a beautiful girl’s request like that, huh, as a man”

“…… Wha?”

“Okie dokie, leave it to me I’ll take you to Aeneas immediately”

Suddenly returning to a joking attitude, Siegcrest once again pulled Yuna into hi crushed under the are crest but he didn’t give an inch

“It’s enough to just tell me the place!”

“Aw, don’t say that Right now, that guy is in a place I called him to So, I need to head over there too”

“Huh?”

Siegcrest called Aeneas out? Surprised, Yuna looked up at Siegcrest When she did, the conteone as if it didn’t concern hicrest had an expression that was close to being called enjoyment

The place that Siegcrest brought her to and that they arrived at was an isolated shed, on the outskirts of the path Around the entrance were many sacks and barrels, this place was most likely used as a temporary storehouse for food supplies In any case, it didn’t seecrest stepped into that shed without hesitation No as Aeneas inside? Yuna was perplexed, but she followed him

“Yo, sorry foryou wait, Aeneas”

–And sure enough, there he was

Between the cramped and piled up boxes and barrels, Aeneas just stood there doing nothing There was a tinge of sorrow in his eyes and he see vacantly out the

Aeneas slowly crest, and then seeing the delicate girl hidden behind his shadow– an expression of shock appeared

“L-Lady Celiastina!”

Returning to hih she hid her face behind a veil, it seeirl in front of him was

“Hey, are you ignoring me?”

Siegcrest, who groaned that, was ignored even more

“Lady Celiastina, what on earth is so in a place like this?”

“Y-Yes, um, about that”

“Ah, could it be that you were dragged here against your will by the vice-captain……”

“Vice-captain, do you crest? W-Wait, no, you’re mistaken I ca to talk to you about”

“A talk… with me…?”