Vol 2 Chapter 3 (2/2)

Silence

“M-My na”

The second person, who seeether, said these words timidly

“…… Our God, Vida, will always be at your side at any time”

When she said that, the second man’s eyes widened and he raised his head

They are scared They were absolutely terrified Yuna could see that but, that being said, she had not the slightest idea of what she should do The nobles themselves looked extremely defeated; everyone was stiff with pale faces To be this frightened of co, just what kind of abuse had been hurled at them norinable

This wasn’t good In the end, being decent wasn’t going to work Yuna hid her grim resolve in her chest

“L-Lady Saint, ”

The seventh reat noble who lived carefreely in his own land And yet, right now, he was amore than a child would in that area

“You–“

As she gave him a look of pity, Yuna opened her mouth

“–look like a peacock wrapped in a fancy scarf Are you an idiot?”

In that moment, the area was completely frozen

“I’m done No more!”

“Calm down, Celia”

Linus entered the roo to hold back his chuckles

“As I thought, this is impossible for me! I can’t be like Lady Celiastina!”

“No, really, that was a masterpiece”

Linus wiped away a tear in the corner of his eyes while his shoulders still shook Yuna felt a great resentlare

“Isn’t it strange? I just said sos and they were that scared That was absolutely weird”

“What are you angry about? Tobut a cloho failed at their perfor person”

“Are you callinglike that!”

“No, you still did well I didn’t think that, after coo there at the very end… ahaha”

“Please stop laughing already!”

It was really terrible At the very, very end because she lost her mind and blurted out those words, the place became wrapped in a cold atmosphere The only man as spoken ill of, the peacock man Claude Trevasen, looked to be incomprehensibly at a loss Each and every one of the others, ere also dumbfounded, looked between Yuna and Trevasen, silent Unable to endure being in this quiet confusion, where no one said a word, one second longer Yuna told them “Get out” The moment she said that the aristocrats scattered and disappeared like spiderlings When Yuna opened the door, while falling into deep self-loathing, Linus was there – having stealthily been taking a look at how things were going fro

“If you treated the then it would have ended without an incident”

“I can’t do that normally”

“Didn’t you just do that at the end? Well, in short, you’ll become accustomed There are heaps of other ceremonies like that, so sooner or later you’ll be able to naturally be insulting”

“Is that supposed to be soood……?”

Thisand only kept s

“At any rate, you ht actually have more talent than the real Celia It’s more powerful to show conte contempt for all of them equally”

“I’ve told you to stop talking about that already!”

“Anyway, keep up with this attitude You can do it when you try, Celia”

It was neither soood about doing That hat she thought, but Yuna didn’t have the energy left to open her mouth any more than that

Yuna had deliberately ignored what Linus said about there being “heaps of ceremonies like that” but, after half the day, she caht of those words

First, after the Cere, there was the Ceremony of Noon Purification, where she was thrown into a roo incense for an hour Once that was done, the next was the Ceremony of Hymns where a number of priests and priestesses faced each other on their knees and praised God Yuna was able to rest a short while after that but then, around evening, she had to appear on the balcony of the royal palace and wave in response to the cheers of the people who gathered there Even more, after that, the Cereive a kiss of blessing to the statue of a fantastical animal, the God’s beast, Arco

Why exactly was this necessary? There were

Yuna, and other people like her, were followers of their God, Vida, who they held with reverence She couldn’t they say they were zealous, they were pious enough to devote prayers occasionally to God in their daily lives…… though, she had been pious For so seeless cere blasphemous to God but she couldn’t understand the importance of these ceremonies at all

Besides, in that “white world”, the er of God was nothing but a pretence that the people made up, and that they weren’t God If that was the case then what exactly were the saints and God they worshi+pped? Even though she tried thinking on it, she couldn’t see the answer

(These ceres to satisfy ourselves as humans?)

Haa, breathing out a large sigh, Yuna staggered alone through a long, long passage

She had just finished the Ceremony of Dusk Purification, where she had to bathe in cold water away froless ceremony but she was able to spend tie of pace There had been many people who minded over her excessively; htened of the saint Considering how Celiastina was up to now, it would have been unnatural if she was amiable But even so, Yuna wasn’t able to treat them badly She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and so it was extre her hand on the balcony, she had been so tired she couldn’t even feel nervous

However, the servants really couldn’t see at Yuna It see all the ceremonies was normally unthinkable And so, the expressions of the people who looked at Yuna – though unsociable had waved at the people without complaint – had such a pained pallor that, on the contrary, she was the one who became scared

(I also haven’t seen Linus at all since that time)

That person was still someone she didn’t knoell But even so, the other had no hesitance in interacting with her that she was able to relax She would have liked to have him by her side to support her but it looked like he didn’t have any intentions of concerning himself with her more than was necessary Maybe because he was the advisor to the prime minister of the country he didn’t have thather that since it is her body she was to do so about it herself He seeht be the type of person to draw a clear line between him and others

Suddenly, there was the sound of other footsteps in the passage Tap, tap, the footsteps were brisk and had a regular rhyth aimlessly at the die, she saw the fa her way She recalled that his name was Asyut

“…… Good evening”

Because he see speed didn’t change, Yuna spoke up first It seeh, since he stopped and greeted her with a bow

“Have you recovered your good health?”

Those words were an obligatory expression; they held no emotion It was plain that he did not really care about Yuna’s health

“Yes, thanks to you”

“I a were to happen to your body, I would not be able to express the depths of ret”

Do you really think that? Yuna reflexively wanted to ask this

“Where are you heading to from here?”

Soh and threw out a safe question She re but places set aside for ceremonies, and so she suddenly had questions about why thisthere

“I thought to practice my swordsmanshi+p I believe Lady Celiastina is not aware of this, but on the way to the purification rooround”

“I see”

Looking at him, Asyut’s clothes were definitely different fro a shi+rt that opened loosely around his chest, black pants, and boots; the whole ensemble looked comparatively easy toshich was ill-matched with the simplicity of his clothes

“Alone?”

“Yes Though I was training with the soldiers until just now”

“I see”

There was absolutely no ht that was natural since the other person hated her but there was so she still couldn’t understand The relationshi+p between these two Linus had said these tere engaged But no matter how she looked at it, he acted like he was a retainer She couldn’t feel any air of the a future couple

“It appears that you are alone as well Has so come to pass with your maids?”

A fleeting of accusation appeared in Asyut’s eyes And Yuna, as not used to his gaze, flinched

Moreover, she couldn’t possibly tell him that she pressured her maids to leave her

“Please limit your acts of convenience and be careful with your health”

It looked like he hadn’t been wanting an answer froh he was indifferent to her, all he did was scold her Yuna suddenly becary

“Thank you for your concern!”

Saying that, Yuna went to pass by Asyut If they spoke any more than this they would just increase their mutual hate for each other She needed to hurry and li

However, unexpectedly, Asyut stopped Yuna, who had been leaving

“Lady Celiastina”

What? All she did was turn her head to glance at him

“May I inquire about so?”

“What is it?”

“Did so happen yesterday?”

Yesterday Even if he asked that, she couldn’t think of anything but what happened at the brook

“I felt that you were acting strange since the , you went alone into the forest What happened there? After I found you in the river, this sense of discomfort has increased even more”

“T-That’s…”

She was obviously flustered Asyut narrowed his eyes slightly and examined Yuna

It looked like he aiting for the continuation of “That’s…”

“I don’t re”

Nervously, Yuna opened her mouth However, it didn’t seem like that was an answer that satisfied him For a lared at Yuna

“What are you saying…”

“I don’t re around me Because I’ve lost my memories”

Upon seeing the color of Asyut’s face change, Yuna hurriedly talked on and on

“What I re to awareness underneath that cliff I know absolutely nothing about what I’ve done up to now, and what kind of person I am I discussed this with Linus, but he said that my memory loss wouldn’t be welcomed and so I was to do my best not to tell anyone…… I told you because you didn’t seem like you’d drop this”

“Truly, you’ve ed to come up with another vicious torment”

“It’s not a torh this day with a lot of difficulty Do you kno glad I’d be if this was all just a trick…?”

“I don’t care about any of that”

Asyut declared this flatly His eyes were cold And he looked down on Yuna, as if piercing her with that look

“If you claiotten, then I would like for you to re as soon as possible Did you think that these words aboutthat happened up to now? At least, it has no effect onme to be kind and considerate to you, please throw those expectations away immediately”

“Wha……”

At those extre pale It didn’t reatly mistaken to think he’d treat her kindly? — those words — were they not too much?

“How are you able to say such cruel things? Weren’t you the one just noho toldthat happened? So, why do you have to look down on me? If you hadn’t asked, then I wouldn’t have told you about my memory loss”

“Because you are too irresponsible”

“Are you talking aboutand falling into the river? If so then yes, you s because of that…!”

“You’re mistaken”

Asyut interrupted Yuna’s agitated words and shook his head

“It is i I absolutely won’t forgive you That is all”

It felt like her head had been struck with how his words crashed into her head That stinging pain passed down into the inner corner of her eyes when she blinked

“In addition, Lady Celiastina, please do not use polite words on me You are a person who stands at the very top of all the people You do not have to treat a retainer like me equally”

Yuna glared at Asyut

“Linus said the sahed when he said that it was creepy for e towards him You–… are different, aren’t you You don’t see er of God You think that as long as I’h”

“……”

“You… hate me very much, huh”

You’re saying that now, at this point? Asyut’s uniaze seemed to say as he looked at Yuna

Her heart was in unbearable pain

Every time, when she looked back on that incident, it feels like so her chest

Yuna buried herself in her bed and hugged her treht dinner but she didn’t have an appetite Even the war but a bother to Yuna right now

Asyut’s powerful eyes His strong voice When she firstdrawn to both of those But now that was futile It wasn’t ever going to happen again, the way his eyes and voice enveloped her directly like that time at the river Besides, at that time, the only point of importance for him hether or not the “saint” was alive or dead There was unhtest hint of consideration for the young girl who had been suddenly dropped into a forest with no one there

Why did he hate the saint? He even declared that he wouldn’t forgive the deeds that had been done up to now What exactly did Celiastina do to him? Could it be, that it wasn’t just hile person around her?

(That ht be it)

It wasn’t norhtened of her Would they shrink away so blatantly if she had been a saint as justand selfish? Wouldn’t they just have had disgusted expressions and think, ah, it’s that troubleso that appeared on everyone’s faces was the color of terror

(Should I try asking Linus?)

And then he could tell her in detail as to how Celiastina acted up until now But then again, he wouldn’t tell her about the antagonism between Celiastina and Asyut

(What should I do?)

Haa, releasing a big sigh, Yuna turned over in her bed In the quiet of the large rooh resounded terribly

There was also one o, there were additional feelings that occupied her heart Anger, hatred, and– sadness Which, right now, s well However, it was clear that these feelings were “someone else’s”

(Are you… here?)

In her heart

Yuna tried asking softly

She’s experienced this several times since yesterday; this sensation of another person’s feelings eroding her heart Someone else There was only one person to be considered

Celiastina

Without speaking, Yuna tried calling that name There was no response However, Yuna had confidence in this She couldn’t explain it well but she felt like she was definitely right

Celiastina

Once again, she called out

Right now, you’re feeling sad, aren’t you

Yuna tried closing her eyes patiently like that but there was no response, through feelings or words Instead, for so closer to here It seemed like people’s footsteps Several of them At the sale

(…… What the?)

Suspicious, Yuna sat up in bed The footsteps that she had thought would pass by stopped unexpectedly in front of her room As a voice rose loudly into a shout, someone knocked on her door

“Who is it?”

When she answered, frightened, the voices outside ceased suddenly Even through the door she could hear the presence of so their breath But then, soon, the voice of a young man called out “Excuse me” and opened the door with force

The person who entered was a young e With blond hair and blue eyes, he brought about an aristocratic air but going by his appearance she didn’t think he had much status Theat his wits’ end, and kneeled Behind him stood soldiers, who appeared to be his coered near the vicinity of the door Yuna was completely bewildered, but it was obvious that they would do nothing but stand and watch

“Please excuse ht”

The young nified voice, in contrast to the faint sweat on his face due to his nervousness

“My na of you, Lady Celiastina I acknowledge my rudeness”

Aeneas, one of the soldiers, ere standing bolt upright at the door, muttered this in a voice packed with censure It looked like they had done everything they could to chase after and stop this young man But, because that didn’t happen, they were now at a complete loss

“A request of me?”

Yuna was also puzzled In this entire day, there hadn’t been a single person who called out to her in this form It was probably an abnormal situation

“Yes”

Aeneas sed loudly

“It is about theNeisan”

“…… Neisan?”

“Perhaps Lady Celiastina does not remember this This is about the soldier who acted with impoliteness towards Lady Celiastina previously and was sent to the Holy Jail”

Holy Jail? Those ords that she had never heard of before Yuna furrowed her broondering what it was, but that expressiondispleased to Aeneas The faint sweat on his brow became a drop that slid down his cheek But, even still, he didn’t avert his eyes

“As you are the wise Lady Celiastina, you must already be aware of what I a of you, grant Neisan your forgiveness Please, pereon”

“Dungeon…?”

Yuna vaguely began to understand the situation And, at the saers suddenly became cold

“Lady Celiastina, I’ve turned to you before for Neisan You toldin the Holy Jail for three rant him your mercy It has already been four months since Neisan has entered the Holy Jail He has endured it Please, as you’ve stated, I beg of you to grant hiiveness”

Saying that, Aeneas lowered his head to the ground

At once the chill fro The an to recall distinctly the merciless treatment that Celiastina of the past had done– her vision hite It can’t be No way The ination vastly

“I… ordered for Neisan… to be transferred to the dungeon, didn’t I”

Yuna said this in a hoarse voice; she needed to confirm this firmly

Aeneas raised his face and nodded weakly

This happened four o Furthermore, the promised period of three months had passed, which meant that Neisan had been left as he was there

“Neisan… what did he do to me? Do you know?”

“Yes, he…”

“Could you tell me?”

“…… Four uard Lady Celiastina personally, and so we careet our lady On that occasion, um, Lady Celiastina, you…… called out to me, especially”

Aeneas suddenly becaed to somehow understand what he wanted to say

“Right, I was interested in you And then?”

“At that time, I had a fiancée that had been decided by my family Because of that, I could not… accept Lady Celiastina’s…… words”

In other words, he had been the target of a seduction but refused that invitation

“Right”

“Neisan knew the circumstances and proposed to be my replacement to Lady Celiastina”

“Right”

“That… was an unforgiveable proposal from someone such as a squire”

“……”

That was it? It was just that? Just because of that, Celiastina had a person called Neisan tossed into jail? Her cold body began to grow hot At the same time, her heart quickened

Yuna closed her eyes and told herself repeatedly to calm down

“–Aeneas”

When she opened her eyes again, she directly met Aeneas’ eyes

“Will you guide me to the Holy Jail?”

“What?”

Those words must have been unexpected, because Aeneas’ mouth dropped open and he lost his voice The soldiers who had been watching the development of these events also widened their eyes

“But, the dungeon of the royal palace, is not a place suited for soo…”

“Please”

Yuna said this strongly and so Aeneas, while still being soed her words

“We’re leaving right away Now, please stand”

At her words, Aeneas staggered to his feet He most likely came here with the resolve that this time he would be the one ordered to jail When he realized he wasn’t going to be threatened, he seemed somewhat astonished Moreover, he extended a hand to Yuna who had been getting out of bed with the proprieties of a knight Just now, he said his comrade, Neisan, was a “squire” It was probable that he had the saht of him as an ordinary soldier who didn’t know etiquette The town soldiers that Yuna kneere all sociable and frank people They may have slapped each other’s shoulders fa a hand But then, right noas he wearing the clothes of a soldier? Most likely, when the events of four o happened, Celiastina also ordered his status to be revoked

“What are you all going to do? If there are things you wish to say then I will listen to everything”

Yuna looked to the other soldiers ere still standing there Upon receiving her look, their bodies which had relaxed immediately stiffened; they looked at each other with confused faces, but soon shook their heads timidly

“If that’s the case, then would you all return to your stations for this evening? I absolutely won’t do anything bad to Aeneas If you are worried about him then I can promise that much, so please be at ease”

When they heard those words, their expressions beca themselves to completely trust Celiastina and threorried looks at Aeneas before bowing their head scatteredly and, though they still had hesitations, they soon left in uncertainty

–It is i Asyut’s words were brought back to her mind Yuna bit her lip and left her room

In the royal palace, where the evening was deepening and there were few people, the sight of the two of them was conspicious Each time the occasional servant passed by they would take a quick look at both of them with a surprised expression A soldier and a saint Froe co by the expression of Aeneas, alking in front with a scared look, they probably suspected some sort of misfortune befell him However, his actual expression was more akin to bafflement than fear From time to time, the look on his face when he turned his head to confir see in particular, she just followed after Aeneas in silence

The glaed draht about an indescribable illusionary atently by rare artists, and the delicate carvings on all the pillars holly concealed in the darkness Instead, the light from the candle that reached the walls and their feet wrapped dimly around this space

“Please watch your footing”

Yuna took Aeneas’ hand and slowly decended the stairs of a spiral staircase

“Are you absolutely certain about this?”

Suddenly, Aeneas’ spoke up and asked this question When Yuna nodded, he turned to face forward again in resignation, and it was as if he had never asked this question at all

And then, at that tied abruptly The ated entirely and distinctly The elegantly designed spiral staircase, within one step, changed without warning to stone stairs covered in dust There was no divide or anything Theon had just, in the next step, disappeared and changed into plain stone steps that had not been polished The path to the prison was clearly displayed

Even though the beautiful royal palace was right there if they turned around, right now, Yuna was certain that she was stepping into the entrance of despair Putting one hand on the hard and cold stone wall that appeared suddenly, and descending down the stairs that had bad footholds, Yuna was filled with uneasiness Even though she came all this way to confirm precisely what Celiastina had done, perhaps this decision was too dreadful for this body Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on Aeneas’ hand Aeneas’, who felt that, sent a glance at Yuna But the silence remained protected; the only sounds were the echoes of their shoes

When they reached the botto flat stone wall in front of the froroans, “Ahh… ahh…”, resounded

Yuna sed, hard

“… You are certain?”

Aeneas confirmed at this last moment

She couldn’t draw back at this point Once ave a firm nod

When they passed through the narrow passage, what lay ahead of thees which only allowed one person to pass through There weretheir visibility There was barely any light and this damp and clammy space only made Yuna more depressed And it was cold A cold that could not even be expressed with the word cold Yuna rewound the stole around her body slightly fir body trembled

She continued walking slowly, following after Aeneas as advancing with a lamp in hand Every time she took a step, there was an indescribable ser It was like the stench of so A stench of sweat, dust, and ether And– s were ether and pierced her nose sharply Yuna reflexively grimaced

As the passage slightly opened up, prison bars appeared on both sides Fearfully, she turned her eyes in those directions but, contrary to her expectations, there was no one there, only a gapingly e like a darkish malice that seemed to swirl there, and Yuna was unable to feel relieved at it being uninhabited

The faint groaning sounds of prisoners steadily grew louder And, as if it were covering up those voices, the sound of heavy clothing being rustled followed lowly In the nextshaken, and that high-pitched sound tore at her ears

She reached her limit

She felt like she realizedunspeakably heartless Because she was able to force unconcerned people into this world without any light of day reaching them Without any just reason Justice? No, on the contrary, it ith unjust reasons

Without realizing it, Yuna stopped Both of her legs were tre, and she couldn’t ell Aeneas, who turned around, immediately came to her