Chapter 56
She's gone.
The emotions that had flared up sank as if plunged into a deep freeze.
Ashtein slowly looked out the window.
The deep navy sky after sunset.
The view was cloaked in darkness.
Azazel was one thing, but Aria still hadn't come back at this hour?
It was impossible.
Wasn't she someone who preferred shutting herself up in a room to wandering around?
And yet she'd gone out of her own accord and still hadn't returned?
‘No way.’
Unlike in the mountain village, the bustling city had excited Aria—but Ashtein had no idea.
His thoughts sank deeper and deeper into a quagmire, and his worry for Aria continued to grow.
‘Something must have happened.’
Ashtein examined the doorknob.
There were no signs that anyone had forced it open.
That meant no intruder had taken her from outside.
Even a fairly skilled professional would usually leave some subtle clue.
Even if someone had picked the lock cleanly, Aria, who'd been inside, would surely have resisted.
But there was no sign that she'd resisted in this room.
‘Then did someone use mind-manipulation magic to make Aria move?’
That was uncertain, too, since Aria was a Saintess.
If it was magic that harmed the mind, she could easily dispel it with holy arts.
The most likely possibility was that Aria had gone out on her own.
Ashtein irritably scratched his hair.
“……But that's the one thing that makes the least sense.”
He stopped his thoughts from tangling up like a complicated knot or a hopelessly snarled skein of thread.
Let's not overthink it.
Let's focus on what was happening right now.
One.
Aria wasn't in the room.
Two.
It was late.
Three.
Aria wasn't the kind of person to do something like this without a word.
Conclusion.
Aria might be in danger.
Ashtein's eyes gleamed with a razor-sharp light.
The holy sword resonated at his ominous aura.
It may have been trying to tell him to calm down, but it was pointless.
Aria was Ashtein's one sore spot.
How could he stay calm when someone had touched such a sensitive place?
In truth, Ashtein was extremely anxious.
She was a beautiful woman.
Even a well-policed capital had its seedy underbelly.
That meant she might have suffered something terrible.
Bubbling.
His head was boiling over.
This isn't the time to stand around.
Bang!
Ashtein flung open the door.
He intended to go out and find her.
“Gah, what the—?”
Just then, Azazel, who was taking out her key just outside the door, groaned and pressed her forehead.
She looked up at Ashtein in surprise.
“Huh, Ashtein? What's with that expression? Planning to kill someone?”
“Where have you been?”
His voice was chilling.
Azazel replied, bewildered.
“Me? I'm with the Mage Tower, so I went there and talked about this and that. I reported that I'd be traveling with you a little longer, submitted a magic research paper…… I told you earlier.”
“I see.”
Azazel pointed at Ashtein's face as if something seemed off and asked.
“What's with the ‘I see’? Hey, do you know how scary your face looks right now? What happened?”
“Aria still isn't in the room.”
“………Huh? Big Sis?”
“Yeah.”
Azazel, too, had spent several weeks with Aria and knew her habits well. Realizing how serious this was, she asked again with a stiff expression.
“……Isn't this really bad?”
“This is unprecedented.”
“Do you have any idea who did it?”
Ashtein's brow furrowed deeply.
“No, I have no idea. I thought I'd cut off every possible source of trouble.”
“This isn't the time for that. Shouldn't we at least look around outside? Someone nearby might've seen Big Sis.”
At Azazel's suggestion, he nodded.
“That was what I was planning.”
As Ashtein started walking, he thought:
If someone touched what was precious to another person, shouldn't they pay a price to match?
Whoever did this, if they so much as touched a single hair on Aria's head, he'd erase them from the world.
Ashtein had actually erased Bishop Ronin before.
The Hero and the mage left the inn.
* * *
Following the man in silence, Aria arrived at a shabby inn.
Aria cautiously looked around.
It was so deserted that it made her uneasy.
“Don't be too afraid.”
He may have intended to put her at ease, but instead, it only heightened Aria's wariness.
Don't be afraid.
You'll get used to it with time.
You might even come to like it.
Those were things the people who'd gang-raped her often said.
At the sight of Aria on guard like a cat, the man ran a hand through his soft blond hair and sighed.
“I'll go in first, so follow me in slowly. Would that help you relax a little?”
“I-I'm not scared.”
Though her expression was impassive, the man detected the fear hidden beneath it.
Perhaps his instincts had been honed at the royal court, where people wore masks and spouted honeyed words.
He could read it whether he wanted to or not.
‘A cleric whose words and body tell different stories.’
Rather than contradict Aria and antagonize her, the man chose to get along with her.
After all, she was the only cleric who could treat him.
“Let's go with that, then.”
“……That's annoying.”
Perhaps coexisting with her was going to be difficult.
The man shrugged and entered the shabby inn.
Aria felt uneasy, but she couldn't bring herself to run away.
Was it because his desperate plea had reached her?
Or because she wanted to be a Saintess who could face Ashtein without shame?
Maybe both.
Jingle, jingle.
The wind chime hanging by the inn's entrance rang out clearly.
It happened then.
Aria's field of vision changed as she followed the man.
“Huh?”
A stupid gasp slipped from her lips.
What she saw was the ceiling.
The ceiling of the shabby inn.
She wondered what had happened and tried to turn her head, but the view changed again.
Her body was being dragged by force.
“Ugh!”
The one pulling Aria was the blond man who'd been leading her just moments ago.
He moved her over to a nearby overturned table.
The tumble left Aria's ankle and buttocks aching.
The two of them had ended up taking cover behind the table.
“W-what are you doing all of a sudden?”
“Sorry about this. We're under attack.”
The man jerked his chin toward the other side of the table.
Aria looked up and saw a group of people dressed all in black.
Judging by their crossbows, which were easy to use indoors, and narrow-bladed short swords, it seemed like a planned assault.
Aria glared at the man and asked,
“Did you make some enemies?”
“There are people who find the mere fact that I'm still alive and breathing unpleasant.”
“……Did you kill one of their parents or something?”
“That's harsh. Do I look like such a scoundrel?”
“Yes.”
It was a categorical answer.
The man grimaced and groaned.
It wasn't only because of Aria's reply.
Aria noticed a long arrow stuck in his shoulder.
“……Is that arrow because of me?”
“I was hit because I was careless.”
Wasn't he the one who'd been moving so nimbly and swiftly just moments ago?
It was a lie even a child wouldn't believe.
“Thank you. For protecting me.”
“I'm the one who got you into trouble. There's no need to thank me.”
A stubborn reply.
Aria exhaled softly and grasped the shaft embedded in the man's shoulder with both hands.
“I'll pull it out.”
The man shook his head and tried to stop her.
“Leave it. If you pull it out now, it'll be hard to fight back…… Ngh.”
She pulled the arrow from the man's shoulder with force.
A chunk of flesh came out with the arrowhead, and blood gushed out in spurts.
Just as the man was about to say something about the gaping wound,
“Rapid Healing.”
A brilliant light flickered, and the hole in the man's shoulder quickly closed.
The man, who hadn't expected such a skilled cleric, stared at Aria with wide eyes.
“……Who are you?”
“Isn't that what I should be asking you?”
The man gave a rueful smile as if she'd landed a blow.
“So the last thing I grabbed wasn't a straw, but a lifeline?”
“Who are you calling a straw—Eek!”
Crack.
As if they couldn't wait any longer, several arrows struck the table.
Seeing this, the man smiled fiercely.
“Impatient lot. Stay here for a moment. I'll take care of them.”
“It's not as easy as you make it sound, is it?”
Saying he'd take care of them wouldn't suddenly give him the ability to handle the attackers, would it?
If that were the case, Aria would've killed the cardinals and bishops countless times over.
She'd shouted countless times that she would.
“It's easy.”
Even at Aria's cynical remark, the man smiled brightly.
His blue eyes didn't waver.
As unwavering as Ashtein's usually were.
“I can't bring dead people back to life. You should run.”
“You worry too much.”
The man rose from his concealed position and drew the sword at his waist.
Shing.
The silver-white blade gleamed into view.
“I intend to repay the rudeness shown to my guest with your blood. Any objections?”
There was no answer.
Well, it would've been ridiculous for the attackers to chatter on and on.
The man swung his sword.
As the blade swept in a straight line, it stretched strangely and reached an opponent in the distance.
Aria was startled.
‘The sword stretched?’
Slice.
The sound of flesh being severed was always chilling.
Blood sprayed.
Aria tore her eyes away from the horrible scene.
The sight of people being killed was too much for her.
Only the dying screams rang out through the shabby inn.
A few minutes passed like that.
Thud, thud.
Footsteps sounded.
Was it the man, or the attackers in masks?
Regret set in.
She should've listened to Ashtein and stayed quietly in the inn.
She shouldn't have gone wandering around just because she was excited.
And she shouldn't have followed him just because he'd mentioned an injured person.
Clutching her hair, she curled up.
Suddenly, the footsteps stopped.
Aria uncurled and cautiously poked her head out from behind the table.
Then the blood-soaked man was right in front of her.
“Aaaaaah!”
Aria let out a shrill scream.
The man awkwardly wiped the blood from his face.
“I've taken care of them all.”
Aria's heart nearly stopped.
Even now, it was pounding away.
“Y-you scared me.”
“You have surprisingly little courage.”
“………Anyone would be startled if someone covered in blood suddenly shoved his face at them.”
“You pulled out the arrow so boldly, I thought you weren't afraid.”
“…That's different.”
“Is it?”
The man gave a hearty laugh and held out his hand.
His hand was clean, as though he'd wiped it on his clothes.
Of course, Aria didn't take it.
“I can get up by myself.”
The only man whose hand she should ever take was Ashtein.
At her cold reaction, the man gave an awkward smile.
“Hmm, looking at you now, you don't seem all that timid.”
“Enough of that. Where's the injured person?”
“I'll take you there.”
The man started walking.
Aria followed him, doing her best not to look at the dismembered corpses.