Chapter 10
“Damn you.”
The brief conversation with the goddess, which had begun with harsh curses, ended in harsh words as well.
It was only natural.
Even the greatest sage in the world wouldn't want to have a long conversation with someone who had stabbed them in the back.
“Bitch.”
Muttering curses nonstop, Vieta rushed out of the prayer room and hid behind a nearby pillar.
Then she pressed hard on her eyelids, afraid the tears she'd been holding back might spill over.
The goddess she'd met again after so long was still noble, beautiful, and effortlessly serene.
That only made Vieta even more irritated.
She couldn't return to her original world and was living hand to mouth under a mountain of debt; her situation was so miserable.
Still, there was one thing she liked.
Vieta looked down at the Three Jewels in her hand.
The goddess had held out the Three Jewels to Vieta and asked her to protect the Empire as her final assignment.
The Three Jewels were the only reason Vieta hadn't refused to speak with the goddess she hated so much.
The Three Jewels.
As their name suggested, they were a set of three jewels, a consumable holy relic that shattered after granting its owner's wish.
The first had been used to create the world,
and another to summon Vieta.
Only the last one remained.
After the war in the demon realm ended, Vieta searched for the goddess and the remaining Three Jewels so she could return to her original world.
She had searched for three whole years, but in the end, she couldn't find either the goddess or the Three Jewels.
When the goddess suddenly appeared one day and said she'd lost the Three Jewels and would look for another solution, telling Vieta to stay put and behave for the time being, Vieta had wanted to break their pact and charge straight at her, even if it killed her.
She wasn't stupid enough not to realize that the goddess had hidden the Three Jewels on purpose.
A cool breeze flowing in through the always-open doors of the grand temple freely tousled Vieta's clothes and hair.
“…Damn it.”
Vieta tipped her head back toward the ceiling and dried the tears filling her eyes.
As she inhaled the cool air with all her might amid the hissing wind, the tightness and resentment in her chest eased a little.
Having regained some control of her emotions, Vieta was about to burst through the temple doors as she thought of Fulcare and Iseria when someone snatched her wrist.
“Fixer!”
It was Blanc.
As though he'd been running through the quiet temple, Blanc's hair was disheveled and his face was slightly flushed.
“…W-What is it?”
At Blanc's flushed, excited expression, Vieta instinctively stepped backward, but Blanc showed no sign of letting go of her wrist. Instead, he pulled it toward himself.
“I'd like to commission you!”
A commission? From Vieta's perspective, that was a very welcome thing to hear.
Though commissions weren't compulsory, she had to pay off all her debts before she could return.
There were, however, two problems.
One was that the prince's voice was far too loud,
and the other was that they happened to be in the temple.
Blanc's voice rang out beneath the temple's high ceiling, where everyone else remained silent.
“Isn't that Prince Roen?”
“I think so. Then is the worshipper standing before him a noble too?”
As a result, the worshippers who had been praying quietly behind their veils turned their attention to Vieta and Blanc.
‘This damn prince bastard.’
Vieta's insides churned.
Though the dye job had turned out badly, she'd spent every last bit of money she had on it.
But if she continued drawing attention like this, she'd have to dye it all over again.
“I accept commissions at my office.”
Before the murmuring around her grew any louder, Vieta tossed out the words and fled the temple.
***
“Goddess, you're here.”
Theodore, who was tidying his office, wasn't surprised to see the goddess sitting on the sofa, having appeared there without his noticing.
Appearing out of nowhere was the goddess's specialty even under normal circumstances.
Besides, since Vieta had come today, he had naturally assumed the goddess would show herself.
[Hello?]
Bathed in the brilliant radiance of her halo, the goddess's long hair shone pure gold, while her clear, deep blue eyes, reminiscent of an autumn sky, curved into gentle arcs.
The thin silver cloth draped around her body accentuated her beauty simply by resting against her.
“Seeing you in such a good mood, I take it things went well with the captain.”
[I wish they had.]
The goddess muttered softly.
[Because of me, Ali—no, Vieta now. Vieta really did suffer.]
The goddess lifted a goblet that appeared in midair.
Golden liquor, known as the drink of the gods, flowed smoothly into her mouth.
[Whew.]
Theodore watched the goddess let out a long sigh.
Was it because the conversation had ended well?
Whenever Vieta came up, the corners of the goddess's eyes usually drooped, but today they were still curved, unlike usual.
Seeing her like that, Theodore felt that perhaps he could ask today.
“Aurea, this may be irreverent, but may I ask you one thing?”
[Anything? The high priest has listened to so many of my laments over the years, so I can certainly grant you that.]
“Wasn't it possible to defeat the Demon King with the Three Jewels from the beginning?”
Theodore had always wondered about that.
If it was a holy relic with enough power to create the world, then surely it could have defeated the Demon King in the first place.
Then why had she gone so far as to summon Vieta here?
The goddess's deep gaze seemed to tremble pitifully, and she once again moistened her lips with golden liquor.
[…Hmm.]
A deep groan escaped her liquor-glossed red lips.
Theodore waited patiently, and at last, the goddess opened her mouth to her faithful servant.
[Yes, since we're almost at the final chapter, I suppose I can tell you.]
Why the Three Jewels couldn't be used to defeat the Demon King,
and why she had yet to send Vieta back.
A truly long story unfolded in Theodore's office.
***
“Our Vieta~.”
Vieta let out a short sigh.
Fulcare's voice slipped through the crack in the consultation room door she'd left slightly ajar.
Even though she'd locked the door because she had a special guest, that seemed to mean nothing to Fulcare.
“Please wait a moment.”
After asking Blanc to excuse her, Vieta stepped outside the consultation room.
“I have a guest! Keep it down.”
Vieta scolded Fulcare, who was holding a box and flashing a bright smile.
The prince and Fulcare knew each other, but privacy was still a thing.
“I was so happy to receive your letter last night that I came right over, and this is how I'm treated?”
At Vieta's cold reception, Fulcare pushed out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout and dropped onto the sofa.
“That won't work. Stay put.”
Vieta had gone to see Fulcare the previous night, but unfortunately, he hadn't been there.
As a result, she had no choice but to leave behind a letter of thanks and turn back.
Fortunately, she had been able to see Iseria, but Iseria's face hadn't looked well.
Vieta had firmly told her to say something if anything was wrong, no matter how trivial, before leaving, but she was still worried.
Elves rarely revealed their true feelings.
“Anyway, wait until my guest leaves. Want to have lunch together?”
Vieta tried to placate Fulcare.
Whether she liked him or not, he was a precious companion.
She couldn't imagine simply turning away Fulcare, who was even secretly paying off her debts.
“I can certainly manage that.”
Fulcare naturally headed for the kitchenette and began brewing black tea.
He was treating the place like his own home. His own home.
Seeing him, Vieta muttered in disbelief.
“You can have some, but make it one cup at a time. If you're going to drink it.”
They said generosity came from a well-stocked granary; the cost of maintaining the office had turned Vieta into a penny-pincher.
*
When she returned to the consultation room, another problem was waiting for Vieta.
For some reason, the prince's expression was far from pleasant.
“It was a little noisy, wasn't it? I'm sorry. A friend suddenly dropped by.”
Vieta quickly apologized.
It didn't mean anything in particular; it was simply a habit from working in customer service.
To someone in debt, every commission was precious.
“…Who was that?”
Even though Vieta put on a business smile, the prince's reaction remained cold.
“He's a friend. A friend.”
“That friend seemed to be a man. Is he really your friend?”
“He really is my friend. Could you finish filling out the commission form first?”
Was he suspicious even of her friendships?
By this point, Vieta was a little offended too, but she didn't lose her smile.
Meanwhile, Blanc stared silently down at the commission form Vieta had held out to him.
He couldn't even bring himself to pick up the pen.
He had come so early in the morning to commission her for an escort, but the moment he heard that she exchanged letters with a man, Blanc was stunned.
They were exchanging letters….
Even if they were only friends, surely that was enough to call them lovers.
He had already felt upset seeing how close she seemed to the high priest, but was this friend who had just arrived even worse?
No, being close was possible.
'Then why not with me….'
They had met as fixer and client,
but if he kept approaching her, shouldn't she approach him first at least once?
Even if she didn't exchange letters with him like that friend outside,
they could at least exchange casual greetings, asking whether she'd gotten home safely or eaten.
Vieta always dealt with him while drawing an invisible line, and that made Blanc feel hurt.
‘Could I be ugly? Do I lack ability?’
The insecure thoughts that had sprung up out of nowhere began to chip away at Blanc's pride, and pessimistic thoughts followed one after another. After spending quite some time assessing himself, Blanc clenched both fists.
‘…But why am I trying to get close to this woman?”
To put it bluntly, whatever Vieta thought of him was none of Blanc's concern.
Nor did he need to go begging her for attention.
“That's enough. I've decided to cancel this commission.”
“Pardon? Why?”
Vieta opened her eyes wide, but Blanc ignored her gaze.
“That's none of your concern.”
“Sir!”
Since she clearly disliked him, he no longer wanted to keep agonizing over it alone.
Vieta called after him, but Blanc rose from his seat and, without hesitation, stepped toward the blue glow at the exit.