Ch.287Chapter 287 – The Saint and the Orphanage

It was shortly after Kei had set out to track down Beatrice, in the Kingdom of Mikea.

Cara was standing in front of a building.

“So this is the orphanage…”

Looking at the large house that appeared somewhat worn but gave off a warm feeling, Cara glanced once more at the papers she held in her hand.

It was a paper with a simple map and someone’s notes.

Looking at the crooked handwriting that seemed to have been written by someone grumbling, Cara took a deep breath.

Then, gathering her resolve, she was about to knock on the door of the building.

“Just knock already, what are you doing making my arm tired?”

“Eek!”

Cara flinched and screamed at the brusque female voice.

She was startled by the sudden voice, having felt no presence behind her.

Slowly turning her head, Cara looked at the woman who had spoken to her from behind.

And then, she was taken aback.

‘…What is this?’

It felt like seeing something incredibly nostalgic.

Though slightly confused by this unfamiliar emotion, Cara somehow managed to calm herself and slowly asked the woman.

“Who are you?”

“Diana. That’s what people who know me call me. Little miss with a hood in this weather.”

Diana said with a smirk, asking if she was sensitive to sunlight.

Unlike when she had parted ways with Kei’s group in Ferarius, Cara was now fully dressed as a traveler with her hood pulled down.

Being the former Saint of the Emiris Order, it had become routine for her to hide her face with a hood or something similar in her daily life.

‘By the way, is this person really Diana?’

Cara observed the elderly woman wearing ordinary clothes for a moment.

From what she had heard from Kei, Diana was supposed to be a general of the Mikea Kingdom.

Cara couldn’t really see that in the old woman before her eyes.

And seeing Cara like this, Diana smirked and said.

“Despite how I look, I’m currently on vacation.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right. I only temporarily returned to service because of the dragon, so I’ll be retiring again soon. I only came back after retiring and setting up the orphanage to save up some money.”

Diana waved her hand dismissively as she spoke.

Cara held out the paper to Diana and said.

“It’s a letter of introduction.”

“A letter of introduction? For an old woman whose strings are about to break?”

Cara nodded.

Seeing this, Diana reached out and lightly took the letter of introduction.

Then she pushed it back.

“…What?”

“Letter of introduction or whatever, I don’t want to receive it standing up. Let’s talk inside.”

After saying that, Diana pointed behind her with her thumb.

There was a cart loaded with what looked like several months’ worth of food supplies, and Diana grinned as she said.

“You don’t seem like you exercise much, miss, but I’ll trust you to help me carry these in.”

“……”

Cara found herself inevitably drawn into physical labor.

+

“…That was hard labor.”

She was exhausted from moving the large amount of food supplies.

Feeling her muscles ache all over for the first time in a while, Cara leaned back in her chair.

The slightly worn chair made a dangerous creaking sound.

‘Surely it won’t break.’

Cara was light-bodied to begin with.

She casually dismissed the concern and leaned back.

Then Diana came forward with a teacup and said.

“Good work, miss.”

“…Do you happen to have cold water?”

“I thought you might ask, so I brought cool water.”

Wondering why she brought it in a teacup, Cara narrowed her eyes slightly.

But that didn’t last long as she drank the water in the teacup.

A pleasant coolness passed through her throat, and she could feel the cold sensation spreading throughout her body.

“I feel better now.”

“That’s good.”

Along with a somewhat pleasant voice, the sound of pouring was heard.

This time, warm tea was poured into the cup Cara had just drunk from.

“It’s not as good as my former subordinate’s, but it should be drinkable.”

“Former subordinate?”

“There was a fellow named George. When he was young, I worked him hard, and at some point, he became better at brewing tea than me.”

Cara quietly drank her tea.

‘Is she more rough than she appears?’

While thinking such impolite thoughts, Cara lowered her head to avoid being caught.

Of course, Diana didn’t care whether Cara did so or not, and she extended her hand and said.

“The letter of introduction you mentioned earlier?”

“Here it is.”

The letter of introduction was finally handed over to Diana’s hand.

After reading it for a while, Diana laughed incredulously and said.

“Ha, really. Rudger, that one-armed old man.”

“Was there something strange written in it?”

To Cara’s question, Diana shook her head with a laugh.

“Nothing like that. Rather, you also have quite a complicated situation.”

“…In many ways, yes.”

Diana could only nod with a bitter smile.

And soon she quietly said.

“Well, welcome. Saint of the Emiris Order.”

Diana’s voice trembled slightly at the word “saint.”

Cara, having spent a long time with people from the Order, didn’t miss this detail, but she deliberately pretended not to notice and quietly said.

“I’m sorry, but I’d prefer if you didn’t use the title of Saint.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I no longer am one.”

Cara said quietly.

And Diana quietly nodded.

“Indeed. For someone who’s supposed to be a Saint, I no longer feel any divine blessing from you, child.”

“You can tell?”

“Despite how I look, I used to be a Holy Knight of that damned Order.”

After saying that, Diana lowered her voice a bit and continued.

“And my daughter was the original owner of the seat you’re sitting in. Did you know?”

“…I didn’t.”

Cara quietly bowed her head and said.

“I heard that the mother of the previous Saint, Platina, was alive, but I never heard it was you.”

“That’s strange. Why didn’t Somnus tell you about that? Would something terrible happen to you if you knew who I was?”

Diana spoke lightly, but Cara actually thought it might be possible.

It was because of the emotion she had felt when she first saw Diana.

“Well, I understand the situation now. You want to stay safe from the Emiris Order, so you came to me.”

“I could stay at the Magic Tower, but… things are complicated there right now.”

Cara said this while briefly recalling the Red Holy Knight Order.

She remembered the knights who couldn’t open their eyes for some reason, and Eina and Asam who were working hard to care for them.

‘Come to think of it, Asam is busy with other things too.’

Asam had research commissioned by Kei and was busy with other matters as well.

She had heard that his previous trip to Ferarius, though necessary, was quite strenuous.

In fact, she had overheard that part of the reason he went was for a change of pace because things were becoming unbearable.

Anyway, while she could rely on the Magic Tower, Cara felt she would be imposing too much.

“And I couldn’t entrust myself to other Orders.”

“Other Orders?”

“The Hati Order and the Evgenia Order.”

Before coming to Diana, Cara had already secretly visited both Orders.

In the case of the Hati Order, she had gone to meet Aria, who was a friend of Asam and Beatrice, and also knew Kei and Christina.

The Evgenia Order was like Christina’s home, so she had visited there as well.

Though they had been somewhat uncomfortable and burdened by her presence, their attitudes softened when she talked about Christina and her companions.

But gaining their favor was one thing; entrusting herself to them was another matter.

“…If I went to the Hati Order, I might burden Saint Aria, and I could be caught by Emiris Order intelligence.”

“And as for entrusting myself to the Evgenia Order, honestly, it’s only an Order in name and not that impressive.”

In the end, coming to Diana was the best option for Cara.

And Diana grinned and said.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place. As a former Holy Knight, no one knows their tracking methods better than I do. I can hide you as much as needed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you’re sorry, then earn your keep. Play with the children, cook for them, bathe them, and so on.”

Isn’t that asking me to do all the orphanage work?

While Cara was slightly taken aback, Diana grinned and said.

“Oh, and you’ll have to pay rent too.”

“…Isn’t that too much?”

“You know I’m the boss and you’re the employee, right?”

At Diana’s slightly teasing words, Cara nodded heavily.

As she trembled slightly, wondering if this was the filth of social life, Diana laughed loudly and said.

“I’ll give you pocket money from time to time, so don’t worry too much. I’ll work hard to divert the eyes of those Order bastards. Seriously speaking, even if your identity is revealed under my protection, I’m confident I can smooth things over.”

“Really?”

“Would I say something unnecessary?”

Diana said with a smile.

“So feel free to entrust yourself to me, child. …You’re welcome anytime.”

“Thank you.”

Cara sighed in relief, thinking that despite her mischievous side, Diana seemed to be a good person.

At least she had found a place to stay.

Next would be finding a job.

“As for jobs, going to the Adventurer’s Guild is good. There are various options, so I’ll arrange something for you.”

“Thank you.”

“If you keep wearing that hood like now, it should be fine if your face is exposed… Speaking of which, are you going to keep wearing that hood?”

At Diana’s remark, Cara shook her head.

Somehow, she had been wearing the hood unconsciously.

“We’re going to be living together, so why not show your face?”

“Of course.”

Cara carefully lowered her hood.

As the hood came down, it slightly disheveled her hair, and she was now tidying her tousled locks.

Feeling a slight sense of openness, Cara smiled at Diana.

“I look forward to your guidance, Diana.”

The moment she said this and looked at Diana.

Cara realized something was wrong.

“Diana?”

“…Christina’s sister? No, no… that child resembled her greatly too, but…”

The composed elderly woman from earlier was gone.

Diana’s gaze wavered slightly with a face that looked somewhat anxious.

Feeling uneasy, Cara said.

“Diana, please calm down.”

“I am… in my right mind. Don’t worry.”

Though her voice trembled slightly, Diana nodded and spoke.

And it seemed she had genuinely calmed down a bit.

“…Is there something wrong with my face?”

“No. On the contrary, it’s a beautiful face.”

Diana answered weakly to Cara’s question.

And soon she quietly opened her mouth.

“Child, let me ask you one thing.”

It was a serious voice.

As Cara leaned forward, Diana slowly asked, as if she couldn’t believe it, yet half-convinced:

“…What is your relationship with Platina?”

Cara was slightly overwhelmed by Diana’s desperate gaze.

And just as she was about to open her mouth—

“…This energy!”

The unpleasant energy she had felt in Ferarius swept over Cara’s body.

Reflexively, Cara sprang from her seat and headed to the window.

And her eyes began to waver, no less than Diana’s.

“…What are those demon bastards doing…!”

The sky of the Mikea Kingdom was being stained with an impure red.

+

“It’s beginning.”

That was what Sirius said as she drank tea in a luxurious room in the Firenchena Palace.

Then, a human sitting across from her asked.

“What’s beginning?”

“The Soul-Devouring Formation. It’s been activated at the location you specified.”

Sirius spoke with a slightly annoyed tone.

However, the man didn’t seem to care and said.

“I’d appreciate it if you minded your manners. Don’t you know who’s sitting in front of you?”

“I don’t really care. King of Firenchena.”

Sirius narrowed her eyes and said.

“But you are a human king. I am a vampire. I am neither your citizen nor your subordinate, so there’s no need for excessive courtesy.”

“…Have you forgotten that the Demon Lord promised me an equal position?”

At the man’s words, Sirius briefly recalled.

Indeed, that Demon Lord had said something like that.

“Indeed, it was agreed upon.”

“Then…”

“But that’s not for today, is it?”

“……”

Sirius showed her fangs slightly and said.

“That agreement takes effect after you fulfill your promise. Not yet.”

“The deal…”

“Has not been completed yet.”

Sirius smiled coldly and said.

“You haven’t fulfilled one of the two conditions. You’re still far from joining us.”

The other party gritted his teeth at Sirius’s words.

But realizing there was nothing else to say, the man spoke while suppressing his anger.

“…The deal can’t be helped. But do you remember that you agreed to cooperate with us?”

“Ah, you mean driving out the resistance and the Emiris Order?”

Sirius grinned and said.

“We will faithfully fulfill that part. Don’t worry.”

“I sincerely hope so.”

At the King of Firenchena’s words, Sirius smiled.

Seeing his eyes drawn to the tea she had been drinking, she could guess what was causing his dissatisfaction.

“Unfortunately, all my useless subordinates are dead. So I’ve called for reinforcements to ensure a definite victory. We’re waiting for them.”

“You talk well. Despite bringing nothing but news of defeat.”

The king spoke with dissatisfaction.

“I just hope it doesn’t end with you being all talk, unable to defeat either the resistance or the Emiris Order.”

“Oh my, goodness.”

Sirius said with a smile.

And the next moment.

“…Shall I pierce that insolent mouth of yours?”

Sirius was suddenly standing behind the King of Firenchena.

Her sharp nails were poised just before piercing the king’s neck.

Unable to follow her movement with his eyes, the king slowly turned his head to look at Sirius.

And he quietly said.

“Go ahead. Are you going to ruin your Demon Lord’s plans with your own hands?”

“…How annoying.”

Sirius withdrew her nails.

And the King of Firenchena quietly glared at Sirius and said.

“For the strengthening of your forces, I am providing what I can provide. Remember that without me, all of that disappears.”

“That’s right. I apologize.”

Having regained her composure, Sirius apologized readily.

Even if she disliked the king, she couldn’t kill him now.

Regardless, she couldn’t ruin the plan with her own hands.

Now was the time to endure.

“More importantly, are you really confident?”

“About what?”

“Everything.”

The king quietly said.

“I’m asking if you can really drive out the Emiris Order from this land and cut off the heads of the rebels.”

“I see.”

Sirius bowed her head and spoke.

Then, passing by the king, she drank the tea on the table.

After quietly putting down the teacup, she said.

“We demons will be victorious.”

“Fulfilling the Demon Lord’s will is our path to victory.”

“Even if it’s a thorny path, I, Sirius, will surely make the plan succeed.”

Sirius spoke firmly.

And looking back at the king, she said.

“So rest assured. Excellent reinforcements will come.”

“I’ll believe that.”

The king rose with a displeased look and said.

And he muttered softly.

“…Just make sure to bring Gabriella back to my side.”

“I’ll see to it.”

The vampire and the king glared coldly at each other.

Soon the king left the room, and Sirius muttered softly.

“…I hope some strong reinforcements come.”

With a leisurely voice, she looked at the moon and said.

And soon, taking out a small crystal, she said.

“First, I should do what needs to be done.”

Sirius manipulated the crystal as she spoke.

Soon, something like clouds began to spread inside the crystal, and a figure appeared within it.

It showed a knight pulling a carriage.

“…I wish you success, White Dragon.”

According to the information gathered through her bats, the reason the White Dragon was moving was to recover a comrade who had gone to the resistance.

“I hope you succeed and come here.”

Watching Kei, who was traveling day and night, Sirius smiled fiercely.