Chapter 16
I woke up.
The ceiling I’d grown used to seeing came into view.
I turned my head, looking for Mr. Ashtein.
He wasn’t in the room.
Had he gone downstairs first?
After freshening up, I went down to the inn’s first floor.
As expected, Mr. Ashtein had already come down and claimed a table.
Perhaps he’d ordered the food ahead of time; a tempting spread of dishes lined the tabletop.
I walked over to his table, pulled out the wooden chair across from him, and sat down.
Then I voiced my complaint.
“Would it hurt you to wake me up?”
“You were sleeping so soundly that I thought it’d be rude to wake you. Nobody likes being disturbed when they’re sleeping peacefully, right?”
I wouldn’t mind if it were you, Mr. Ashtein.
Too embarrassed to say that, I let my words trail off.
“……Next time, wake me up.”
“Maybe you should start by trying to wake up on your own.”
“You’re so cold.”
“What can I do? That’s just how I am.”
Liar.
Do you think I’d believe such sweet talk?
I know better than anyone that you’re kind.
I’m not so clueless that I fail to notice the thoughtfulness he shows me.
Mr. Ashtein looks out for me whenever I’m sick or having a hard time.
Still, whenever I point that out, he sometimes furrows his brow.
As if he’d just heard something he couldn’t believe.
I really hate it when Mr. Ashtein makes that face.
So I deliberately complained in a sulky voice.
“Do you know, Mr. Ashtein? Sometimes you seem like a Hero, and sometimes you don’t.”
He smiled, took a bite of a grilled skewer, and swallowed some dark beer.
A satisfied “Ahh” escaped Mr. Ashtein’s lips.
“Sorry I’m not the storybook kind of Hero.”
I hadn’t meant it as something I wanted him to apologize for, so I felt conflicted.
What had I just said?
Had I criticized Mr. Ashtein without realizing it?
Who was I to say something like that……?
When I looked downcast, Mr. Ashtein noticed my expression, plucked a piece of meat from the skewer, and fed it to me.
The meat was spicy yet sweet, with a savory depth to it as well.
“Mmph?”
“People tend to get touchy for no reason when they’re hungry.”
“I-I’m not touchy because I’m hungry.”
“I know, I know. Have another.”
That didn’t sound like you knew at all.
He deftly pulled another piece of meat from the wooden skewer.
I refused with all my might, but I had no choice but to give in when he pushed the piece of meat right into my mouth.
“Aria.”
Aria.
Mr. Ashtein had called me by my name instead of my title, Saintess.
I like hearing him say my name, Aria.
My heart fluttered.
It felt as if he were rousing the ‘me’ whose sense of self had grown faint.
As if he were engraving the existence of ‘me’ into my sense of self.
“Tasty, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
To hide my flushed face, I nodded quickly up and down.
“It is, but I haven’t even said my prayer of thanks before the meal. Mr. Ashtein, do you want me to be a bad Saintess, forcing food on me like that?”
“What’s wrong with being a little bad?”
“The Goddess is watching.”
“What does it matter if She watches people suffer and die without lifting a finger?”
My expression stiffened.
“………That’s blasphemy.”
Mr. Ashtein seemed to realize he’d spoken thoughtlessly, too, and lowered his head.
“You’re right. I did go too far.”
“You can tease me all you like, but please be careful when you talk about the Goddess.”
“You don’t mind me teasing you?”
That wasn’t what I meant, was it?
I glared at him, and he reached out a hand.
Was he going to flick my forehead again?
I instinctively covered my forehead with both hands.
“I’m sorry, so have another piece.”
Mr. Ashtein grinned as he plucked off another piece of meat and put it in my mouth.
Since both my hands were covering my forehead, I couldn’t push his hand away.
Another piece of meat slipped past my lips.
“P-please stop.”
“Nope.”
His assault continued.
In the end, my cheeks were stuffed like a hamster’s.
Mr. Ashtein burst out laughing, apparently finding the sight hilarious.
“Th-that’s m-mean.”
“You’re cute, you know.”
I desperately chewed, concentrating on swallowing the food.
Then, belatedly, I closed my eyes and offered my prayer of thanks before the meal.
Goddess, I’m sorry.
Please look kindly upon this lamb who partakes of her daily bread before offering her prayer.
I finished my brief prayer and opened my eyes to find Mr. Ashtein gazing at me.
“When I look at you like this, you really do seem like a Saintess.”
“……Do I seem unfit to be a Saintess? Then Mr. Ashtein, who’s drinking in broad daylight, is unfit to be a Hero.”
At my snippy reply, he gave me a gentle smile.
“That’s not what I meant, so don’t get defensive. I just find it interesting that you don’t force things on people like other religious types do. You know, ‘That goes against the will of God,’ or ‘You must believe in divine grace.’”
I let out a long sigh.
“Have other members of the clergy said things like that to you?”
“Yeah, most of them. That’s why I found you a little unusual at first. I thought you’d bring up the Goddess’s will every chance you got, but you turned out to be surprisingly ordinary once I talked to you.”
“Faith doesn’t come from forcing it on someone.”
Mr. Ashtein’s eyes widened.
Had he not expected me to say something like that?
He answered in a more serious tone.
“That’s true.”
“Forcing it on people only makes them reject it. My role is to guide those who want to believe onto the right path.”
“You’re a proper Saintess, all right.”
“………Don’t tease me.”
We enjoyed a fine breakfast and made ordinary conversation.
Most of it was about the monsters that had settled on Mount Asendio, but I enjoyed it all the same.
Talking with him put my heart at ease.
We’d finished eating, and I was sipping tea while Mr. Ashtein drank dark beer.
Suddenly, Mr. Ashtein whipped his head around and stared at the inn’s entrance.
“……Hm? Looks like someone’s here.”
Was that the Hero’s keen senses at work?
Just as Mr. Ashtein had said, the inn door opened.
For an instant, I held my breath.
Was this what it felt like when your heart stopped?
A stinging sensation pierced my lungs.
What I saw was a familiar outfit.
Far too familiar.
The man looked around, then fixed his gaze on me.
“There you are.”
When he spotted me, his eyes crinkled with a smile.
My teeth began to chatter.
“Aria?”
Mr. Ashtein looked at me with concern.
I’d wondered where the noise was coming from, but apparently it was coming from my own mouth.
My body trembled.
Why had you come here?
The question couldn’t make it past my lips.
“Bishop Ronin.”
He gave me a gentle, unassuming smile.
“It’s been a long time, Saintess.”
* * *
To put it bluntly, Ashtein didn’t like the man with the ever-present smile.
There was nothing about his appearance that he found off-putting.
Neat attire, polite speech, and dignified manners.
To be instantly hostile toward someone like that would make him nothing more than a lunatic.
But Ashtein had seen Aria’s intense reaction of revulsion.
She’d been chatting away cheerfully just moments ago.
And now, just look at her.
Her teeth were chattering nonstop, and she couldn’t even meet his eyes properly.
There was no doubt the man’s arrival had shaken her.
Ashtein wasn’t an idiot.
If anything, he was fairly sharp.
If Ashtein had been dull-witted, he would’ve been swept away by the hardships of the world long ago.
The Hero’s mind worked quickly.
Aria treating her body as something filthy and hurting herself in the bathroom.
Aria saying she was afraid to be alone and asking him to hold her.
And now Aria recoiling from a man who’d come from the cult.
The fragments of the puzzle fit together.
All of it pointed to one conclusion.
Something had happened to Aria at the cult.
It couldn’t have been anything good.
Having quickly sorted through the situation, Ashtein looked at the man as he extended his hand in a warm greeting.
A strong, bloody stench seemed to waft from his eyes.
He was one of his kind.
“This must be our first time meeting. I’m Ronin Edric, a bishop of the Erotic Cult. It’s an honor to meet you, Hero Ashtein.”
He knew Ashtein’s name.
There was no need to waste time introducing himself, then.
Ashtein got straight to the point.
“Why are you here?”
“That was rather curt.”
His tone was sharp.
The purple-haired nun standing behind Bishop Ronin bristled and started to step forward, but Ronin raised a hand to stop her.
“Please refrain from speaking or acting disrespectfully toward the Hero, Gina.”
The nun called Gina reluctantly lowered her head.
“……I’m sorry, He-Hero.”
Ashtein waved her off dismissively.
There was no way he’d feel good about an apology dragged out of someone.
It would’ve been better if she hadn’t apologized at all.
Besides, the nun’s apology had been meant for Ronin, not him.
Ashtein slowly looked at Ronin.
“So, what’s your answer?”
Ronin could have twitched at Ashtein’s rude attitude, but instead he responded with an easy smile.
There must have been a cold, sharp needle behind that smile.
As far as Ashtein could tell, Bishop Ronin was skilled at hiding his emotions.
“The Cardinal wanted to call you to account for the unsavory incident you caused. So, our official reason for coming is to demand an explanation for what you’ve done, but……”
He deliberately let his words trail off.
He was inviting Ashtein to ask what else he had in mind.
Ashtein couldn’t be bothered, but decided to play along with his ploy.
“But?”
“That’s just a formal pretext. The main reason I came all this way is that I very much wished to see the Saintess looking well.”
Ronin’s gentle gaze turned to Aria.
She stared back at him, trembling as if she’d been electrocuted.
“B-Bishop R-Ronin.”
Her voice trembled, and so did her body.
She looked like a frightened mouse in front of a cat.
Ashtein found her trembling like this unfamiliar, and heartbreaking.
“I’m absolutely delighted to see how happy you look.”
Ronin smiled brightly.
His smile was so radiant that even Ashtein felt himself relax.
Aria’s face, meanwhile, had turned a sickly, dark shade.
“Do you remember what I said to you before?”
‘I hope you’ll have a little more hope.’
How could Aria ever forget those words, which had echoed in her ears?
She bit her lip, delaying her answer.
“Oh dear. Have you forgotten?”
“………No, I remember.”
“I see.”
Ronin brushed back his neatly parted hair.
A very brief silence.
Then he spoke.
“It seems you found it, then?”
At Ronin’s words, Ashtein furrowed his brow.
Found it?
What?
Ronin reached out toward Aria.
Had he meant to stroke her?
There was no way to know for sure.
Aria had instinctively knocked his hand away.
She stared at her own hand, dazed.
“Ah, th-this……”
Ronin quietly looked at the hand she’d slapped away.
The corners of his lips curved into a crescent.
“How cruel of you.”
“I’m sor—”
Ashtein covered Aria’s mouth with his hand.
He didn’t want to hear her apologize.
That was reason enough for his action.
Ronin’s eyes curved gently as he watched them.
“I’m quite pleased to see that the Hero is more upright than I expected.”
Ashtein furrowed his brow.
“If all you’re going to do is spout incomprehensible bullshit, I’d appreciate it if you left right now.”
“Ha ha, I’m a busy man myself, so I intend to leave as soon as I’ve delivered my message.”
“Your message? You want me to explain why I brought Aria with me?”
“That would be fine, but there’s still something the cult needs to take back with it, isn’t there?”
Was there?
Ashtein rested his chin on his hand and scratched his temple.
“What was it?”
“The ‘Holy Sword,’ of course.”