episode_0026

My first official meeting with Evan Lane was in the Hespanian Mountains.

Four years ago, when the ten-year reign of the 37 saints and saintesses came to an end. The first banquet of the year when the process of selecting candidates to choose the next generation of saints and saintesses began.

-Nice to meet you, Young Lady Heresia. I’m Evan Lane.

At that time, Evan was still a young boy of sixteen. Of course, Lethe was also young at the same time─.

As far as Lethe could remember, he was the only one at the banquet who couldn’t socialize with others.

His attire was neat and he did not look like a commoner. He probably had his attire done with the help of the First Apostle, Israfil Ha’el.

The only problem was Evan’s origins. The nobles were a people with an ideology of being chosen people, so they showed blatant contempt for the only candidate for sainthood who was of commoner origin.

The boy that day, who was greatly influenced by that gaze, was also secretly intimidated.

It’s hard to imagine the timidity of Evan now, but back then, it really was like that.

That’s why Lete approached him to help him a little in his pitiful state. Because of their different social statuses, she had no choice but to greet him first.

-Why are you calling me so formally? Just speak comfortably. We’re the same age.

At least, because of the way Lete acted back then, Evan exists now. Whether it’s a reaction or something, he’s become a bit of a shameless man…

‘It’s already been five years.’

In fact, there was one thing I had never said about that ‘official first meeting’.

Lete walked around the main mountain with a self-deprecating bitter smile. It was a vague stroll, a wandering without a destination, just going wherever her feet took her.

It was a street full of lush green plants, as if to announce the arrival of spring. It was a walking path on the outskirts, slightly off the road leading to the central square.

‘… … Does that guy know?’

Evan’s first memory of meeting Lethe Heresia was most likely at a banquet four years ago.

But it wasn’t Lethe. She remembered seeing Evan Lane five years ago.

I suddenly wondered if he had noticed, but that was quickly replaced by a sense of doubt.

What the hell does a man who has received divine blessings from the sun goddess by sacrificing that look know?

Since there hasn’t been a single mention of it until now, you probably have completely forgotten about it. It was too brief an encounter to even remember the face in the first place.

So, this memory was only my own.

‘hmm.’

As she thought about it, Lete felt her mind wandering. It was a fragment of the past that only she could remember and reminisce about…

That wasn’t such a bad feeling either.

Lete smiled quietly without saying a word, and soon began to sink deeper into reminiscence.

That incident certainly happened when Lethe was still a fifteen-year-old junior priest, and had been dispatched to the western swamps of the Cavensia Empire to carry out a mission assigned to her by the religious order.

A secret letter stating that low-quality black magicians are shamelessly and ignorantly attempting to communicate with the Demon World.

The situation was urgent, but the sender of the secret letter was unclear and the evidence was weak.

At that time, the holy war with the Lord of the Underworld was intensifying. In other words, it was a situation where it was very risky to move the Inquisitor around carelessly.

Lethe’s father, the head of House Heresia, decided to send her to the swamps.

If the secret letter is false, it will be a journey of gaining experience, and even if it is true, low-level warlocks cannot be a threat to the blessed divinity.

A decision to give my daughter the appropriate level of public service without the risk of harm.

It was a naive choice. Heresia’s judgment was critically wrong in two respects.

One is that what was written in the secret letter was true.

The two are that the group of black magicians who attempted to communicate with the demon world were by no means low-level.

‘… I still remember it. I don’t really want to think about that unpleasant goat.’

Lethe shivered at the feeling of being creeped out for no reason. It was a demonic manifestation that seemed to shatter her mental barrier just by thinking about it.

The magic that spread out with a loud roar covered the sky of the swamp with sticky darkness, and most of the lower priests who had been dispatched with her lost control of their bodies with that single roar.

He was a very powerful demon. Orthus, a demon peacock with a human body but a goat’s face, an extremely deformed creature.

No matter how blessed her talents were, she was still only a fifteen-year-old girl at the time.

What can one do in the face of a being so great that one cannot even dare to confront it?

It was the worst situation that deserved encouragement just for not losing her mind. Against the monster that was rampaging and trying to turn the swamp upside down, Lethe was only concerned with protecting the priests around her.

The skillfully placed sacred barrier lasted for quite some time, but… … .

The limitations were clear.

-Coolook… … !

Soon, the barrier was shattered by Orthos’s tail, and Lethe was left with a large wound and spitting out blood due to the use of divine power beyond the subject.

I tried my best. However, rather than stopping the demon’s rampage, I was hit by a piece of its aftermath and almost died.

Now that I think about it, it was an excessive amount of recklessness and presumption. What kind of confidence did he have to be so arrogant in front of the devil duke?

“Um… … . Hmm.”

Lethe blushed at the new embarrassment.

Well, at that time, I was just doing my best to protect the unconscious priests. In such an urgent situation, how could I have had time to consider the odds of victory?

Anyway, what’s important is that on that day, Lete Heresia was able to not die in the end.

It was a moment when I almost saw a kaleidoscope of numbers as I spat out thick, dark red blood.

-ah…….

The time we endured eventually saw the light of day.

Because it was Evan Lane back then who proved that her tantrum was not meaningless.

The demon, who had just noticed Lethe’s presence, let out a horrible laugh and swung its tail while tearing its eyes─. The red holy flames that pierced through the space.

Lethe still could not forget the sacred flame she saw that day. She could not forget it.

A moment that remains in a corner of my mind as a strong memory, like a heated flame.

Orthos’ tail, which had reached Lethe’s eyes, was set ablaze with ridiculous ease by a single clean punch from Evan.

Evan, who had come down as if to block the gap between Lethe and Orthos, glanced at her just once before deploying a sacred barrier.

A makeshift measure to protect her and the priests behind her, who were covered in blood and looked miserable.

-Don’t come out of there. If you don’t want to get caught up.

Compared to Lethe’s, it was a truly crude barrier, but in truth, Lethe at the time did not have the strength to create a barrier any better than that.

As I awkwardly nodded my head helplessly, Evan immediately ran towards Orthos─.

-Cough.

… … As a result, just like Lete, he fell to the ground after not even lasting ten minutes.

It was a rather ugly ending for something that started off quite nicely.

Whatever the process, it succeeded in stalling until Israfil Ha’el arrived.

Israfil, who, befitting his status as an apostle of the Sun Church, defeated the demonic forces cleanly.

There was nothing special to talk about after that. The commotion in the swamps had died down, and Lethe returned to the Hespanian Mountains with the help of the imperial army.

How surprised I was when I ran into him a year later at the banquet for the candidates for saints and saintesses.

The surprise of the reunion was surprising, but it was also shocking that he didn’t even remember me.

Of course, at that time, his appearance was a little, no, very ugly, soaked in blood… … .

“… … Ahem!”

Lete stopped walking with a cough. After endlessly walking around the interior of the main temple, the place she arrived at was coincidentally the central square of the first parish.

Among them, there is one oddly located bench in a rather remote place.

In a way, it is a place that holds a deep meaning for the two of them, her and Evan.

“… … .”

Lete paused for a moment and looked down at the bench.

‘Why… … . Of all people… … ?’

Did I instinctively find this place while walking, or did I arrive here by pure coincidence?

It didn’t matter either way… But she decided to just leave it as the latter, because she thought it would make her feel a bit uneasy if it was the former.

‘……anyway.’

Now, she has come out of her past memories a little and is lost in relatively shallow thoughts.

Lettera was a girl who would not allow others to treat her poorly.

The same strict rules apply to the members of the five sacred houses, so even Kazan, with whom she has had a long-standing feud, cannot treat her comfortably.

Does Evan know that he is the only one who can treat Lethe Heresia so intimately?

If you are aware of that fact, do you also know that there is a reason for such special treatment?

“Sigh.”

It was a fleeting hope, as I had no recollection of our first meeting in the true sense of the word.

Lete, who felt a tingling sensation on her head for some reason, sat down on the bench absentmindedly, placing her hand on her forehead.

What’s the use of recalling the useless past any longer?

It was just a gloomy game of memories that would soon become useless anyway. Even if I look back on what happened four days ago… … . Isn’t that right?

-I guess my consideration was annoying and troublesome to you, Evan Lane. What should I do, I’m so sorry?

-You said something to make me react sensitively… … .

“Haaah.”

A melancholy sigh escaped her. Lethe covered her face with both hands and was buried in regret.

‘Why do you insist on saying useless things?’

It was something that didn’t have to happen, and there was no need to do that. In the first place, wasn’t there a weak reason for him to be so upset about it?

I was swayed by personal feelings and became jealous of something that wasn’t jealous. That fact is so confusing.

‘… … Really, why.’

Lethe bit her lower lip, weakly wiping her face. She could taste the faint taste of blood, but her self-loathing gripped her and refused to let her go.

It was something I’d always heard. I’d always bickered with Evan like that for four years.

There would certainly be no reason to react so venomously now.

“Why are you like that, you idiot… … .”

The bitter muttering was mixed with self-deprecation and self-deprecating lamentation.

And I kept repeating to myself. It was a reprimand to correct myself for my delusions.

Evan is just a friend to her, and even further, he will always be a partner in a physical relationship.

A woman who is jealous of her friend’s romantic relationship is pathetic and shabby. Lete did not want to admit that that was exactly who she was four days ago.

Whether Evan sleeps with Elijah and has sex with him─. For example, whether the two develop into an ideal relationship in the end or not.

What does it matter?

What does it have to do with you?

‘… … Let’s talk first.’

That’s why I’ve made up my mind. This cold war has been unusually long, but if one of the two approaches first, it’s just a stalemate that will melt away quickly.

So even if it looks a little uncool.

So, even if it’s a little bit miserable.

“… … I’m sorry for being ticklish, I have to say that… … . I have to talk… … .”

Lete, who had been mumbling in a somewhat gloomy voice and without any order, could not finish her words.

Before that, for some reason, she felt a sudden urge to cry. She suddenly felt her vision becoming blurry and she couldn’t help but quiver her lips.

“… … Ah, ha. Phew.”

What escaped his lips was a tired laugh, but at the same time, a sigh.

Lethe was overcome by an inexplicable emotion and felt as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

The wet corners of my eyes were annoying for no reason. Even when I raised my head, the tears did not go away, but rather grew stronger and turned the sky cloudy.

Lethe wiped her eyes with her sleeve, a crooked sneer forming on her lips.

Of course, the target of that ridicule is…

“… … I see.”

For today only, it was myself.

Lethe chuckled helplessly.

It was thanks to this new realization that I gained.

Because I gained a realization I didn’t want to know.

Deep down, I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to admit it. Now that I found out, now that I admitted it, my heart ached like a sliver.

In addition to the low-quality complaints, jealousy, and envy from four days ago, even the dark intentions that had been blooming in secret.

It was now difficult to deny it any longer.

I realized the cause…

“You liked this.”

Once she realized it, she held back the tears that were flowing out helplessly with the back of her hand. Lethe had to occasionally giggle and burst into comical laughter.

‘iced coffee.’

I guess it was romantic feelings after all.

I thought not.

I have been vehemently ignoring it.

The passionate love had now reached a point where it was crushing the passionate exterior. This desire, which had grown so grand, could no longer be avoided.

“… … .”

Within, Lethe, in reaction to being forced to face her own emotions, collapsed like a corpse.

I decided to just close my eyes and half-bury my body in the back of the bench.

‘Fuck. I don’t know.’

Now, it was a curse that was not only disgusting but also familiar. Well, isn’t this something that can be understood as a slang term that means if you like something, you become like it?

Lethe burst into laughter, and began to play the corpse game so pitifully at such a late age─.

“Lethe… … !”

“… … .”

… … I was about to start, but then I heard a familiar voice and I couldn’t help but open my eyes. All my sleep was gone.

The presence of a man behind her must have been that of a man who had fallen into Lethe’s heart.

Her face turned pale as a natural process, but the person who approached her, breathing heavily, did not notice and just blurted out his business.

“Hoo, hoo… … . I had a feeling it would be here.”

“… … .”

“Hey, Lete.”

Evan took one last deep breath and carefully grabbed Lethe’s shoulder.

“Let’s talk.”

“… … Ah… … .”

And Lethe, who had let out a hoarse voice without thinking, had to blush like a persimmon with just one touch that was so familiar.

Despite having my clothes against the wall─. At Evan’s touch, my whole body froze as if I had been electrocuted.

‘Seriously, what do I do… … .’

Thump, thump!

Lethe had no choice but to rule out the last remaining possibility of arrhythmia.

The sound of my heart pounding as if it would burst at any moment rang loudly in my ears.

My whole body was on fire, my vision was spinning, and I felt this thrilling joy and fulfillment from being in contact with Evan for the first time in a long time.

Maybe it was just at that moment that I got wet down there.

This feeling could no longer be explained by something like the activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

“… … Ha, hahaha.”

Lethe closed her eyes with a self-deprecating laugh.

The once strong gate finally fell.