Chapter 15
"Hehe, I'm not drunk. I only had a little to drink while I was waiting for you, Riko."
Julius-san gave a floppy little smile and buried his face against my shoulder. I could faintly smell alcohol on him...
(...He's drunk! He's definitely drunk!!
Wait, Julius-san's a lightweight!? W-what do I do!??)
As I hesitantly reached out, unsure whether I should call a maid, a large hand enveloped mine. His fingers intertwined with mine as if seeking comfort, and I nearly stopped breathing.
(Uwaaah... m-maybe I should get him some water...)
"...My grandmother was the previous Saint."
"!"
His voice, quieter than usual but low and composed, reached my ears.
"My grandmother became the Saint at eighteen and remained one for her entire life, until she passed away half a year ago.
...During that time, no one with the Purification Skill was born in the Kingdom of Viene."
I don't know what the marriageable age is in this world, but since she was Julius-san's grandmother, she must have been around sixty or seventy at the youngest.
That must have been a source of great anxiety, with not a single Saint born during all that time.
"Preparations for the Saint summoning began when I was only five.
I was called away while climbing a tree with Theodore, and my uncle... the king, told me, 'Dedicate yourself to the Saint who will soon arrive.'"
"That means..."
"Edgardo only hinted at it, but that's what the 'supporters' we talked about today really were.
Our role was to support the Saint from another world so she could live comfortably here, while making her grow attached to the country so she wouldn't leave, and tempting her into wanting to contribute of her own accord."
(What kind of role is that...? It's heavier than I thought...!!)
I couldn't come up with a proper response. Only a voiceless sound escaped my open mouth.
(...I'm so sorry for casually thinking of them as reverse harem candidates!!!)
It's a bad habit of mine to mix things up with novels and anime and take them lightly.
"...As a means of accomplishing that, they selected people who might be able to marry the Saint."
"I-I see..."
Unable to say anything insightful, all I could manage was a rather foolish-sounding reply.
Indeed, even if you came to an unfamiliar otherworld, having handsome men support you would make you want to do your best. And stories where you ended up marrying one of them were common, too.
But...
(From the perspective of the people forced into that role... it was unfair...)
This was reality, and everyone had their own will.
"...You've had to bear such tremendous pressure since you were little."
I wanted to pat his head, but with his arms wrapped around my stomach from behind, I couldn't reach.
I thought it might be rude, but I twisted as much as I could and managed to stroke his cheek.
Perhaps he hadn't expected it, because I caught a glimpse of Julius-san's surprised expression.
Maybe because of the alcohol, the cheek I stroked was a little warm.
"...You don't despise me?"
"Huh? Of course not!? ...Though I do despise the king a little for suggesting that to a five-year-old...
You didn't manipulate anyone or anything like that, Julius-san. You just helped someone who was in trouble after being summoned. You're a very kind person."
When I laughed and added, "Though I wasn't the Saint—it was me," his hand around my stomach tightened.
I faintly heard him murmur, "It's a deep yellowish green..." Was he talking about the color of the leaves nearby?
After enduring the squeeze around my stomach for a while, Julius-san's arms suddenly relaxed, and I was finally free.
Taking advantage of the opening, I slid off his lap and sat beside him on the long sofa.
Maybe because I'd moved so swiftly, Julius-san gave a small laugh, poured some grape juice the maid had just brought into a glass, and handed it to me.
"...After that, I petitioned the king, presenting it as the Saint's wishes. Since this would have precisely the opposite effect on the current Saint, I said we should disband the supporters whose purpose was to manipulate her.
He was reluctant at first, but when I told him Edgardo's blunder had earned them the lowest possible rating, he agreed."
That explained why Julius-san had gotten home late today.
When Julius-san tilted his glass slightly, the red wine rippled.
"But the organization of supporters in the original sense will remain.
Even the strongest-willed Saint needs people to back her up."
I was relieved when Julius-san added that they wouldn't be there to wait on her.
"Toko-san must feel reassured to have allies, too.
And... I'm glad you don't have to stay physically close to her anymore, Julius-san..."
"Hm?"
"Ah, no, I mean... y-you and Toko-san seem a little tense around each other! Yeah!! I think it's better to keep a reasonable distance!!!"
I hurriedly added that, and unusually for him, Julius-san let the corners of his mouth lift a little as he popped a dried raisin into my mouth. Forced feeding, once again...!