White Clouds Flying Alone

Alebbian.

The elf who first gave a request to Yona when she had just become an adventurer, emerging from Eize’s shadow.

Thinking about it now, even that request was surely part of a method to approach Yona.

It’s certain, given how high the reward was for a request that was merely to go to the edge of the Shade Forest in the south and gather blue ring mushrooms.

“…I have nothing to say to you, pretty one.”

“Stop with that ‘pretty’ talk, Alebbian.”

In the carriage heading to Evian, Alebbian and Yona sat facing each other.

Kaiyak, James, and Alec deliberately avoided Yona and Alebbian, thanks to which Yona could glare at Alebbian to her heart’s content.

“Let me ask one thing. Alebbian, are you the Instigator or the Observer?”

At those words, Alebbian’s eyes widened.

Seeing her ears twitching several times as well, it seems she was quite surprised.

“…Berbaria told you, didn’t it? Right?”

“That’s none of your business. Anyway, Berbaria is on my side now, not yours. Whatever Berbaria said to me is none of your business, and you should know that neither you nor Ceres are in a position to treat me carelessly anymore. Tell me the truth, Alebbian. Are you the Observer or the Instigator?”

Alebbian silently mumbled her lips.

It seemed like an action that might be seen as stalling for time, but Yona calmly waited for her answer.

There are things that can be rushed and things that can’t, so now was the time to wait.

“…I am the Observer. I was watching you, and I was watching you… as one of the candidates for Saint.”

“Candidate? If you say candidate, does that mean there were others besides me?”

If so, that means out of all of them, Yona was the one chosen.

A feeling of resentment rose up to her chin.

Irritation was rising so madly that even reason seemed like it would drown.

“There were. But in the end, it was you, Yona. Because all the others were people who revered not the holy office, but their own safety and wealth.”

“What kind of nonsense—”

“Saint, Yona. We’re choosing someone who should become a Saint. Do you think someone who values their own body’s safety and wealth can take on the role of Saint?”

“That’s why I’m asking why it had to be me. I’m asking why it had to be me specifically.”

“Because you were the most priest-like. That’s why it was you.”

The words don’t end.

In the circling questions and answers, only Yona felt frustrated.

Alebbian’s words weren’t wrong, but.

Still, what’s unfair is unfair.

Why did it have to be me, what was the reason for choosing me, can you expect me to accept that acting like a proper clergyman was the reason—

But Yona rather closed her mouth.

It seemed like the more she spoke, the more her anger burst.

So, she decided not to speak at all.

The carriage was passing through Evian’s city gate.

Although not as much as Ceres’s, Alebbian’s carriage was also a symbol of authority at least in this Evian, so it could pass through without any particular inspection.

“You know why I came here, right?”

“You came to meet Sister Eize, didn’t you, pretty one?”

“Stop with that ‘pretty’… no, forget it. If you were going to listen when told, you would have listened long ago.”

You’re doing this because you don’t listen.

Yona thought it would be faster for her to give up and let out a deep sigh.

When Eize heard that Yona wanted to meet her, she thought for a moment that she had misheard.

But the face of Ceres, who was delivering the message to her, was quite serious, and it was an expression that seemed not at all like a lie.

“…Really, really, you’re saying Yona is here in Evian?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But… how did the Elder…”

Ceres Alkamine, an elder of the Celestine Church who came to this Evian in the position of helping to arrest the apostate with the hero’s group.

Thanks to this, Bishop Phoebe, who had to welcome three guests including the hero, saint, and elder, was sweating profusely, but Eize had little to do with such things.

Eize was someone who had hardly any connection with Ceres from the beginning.

Though she might have seen her face once in a while in passing, they had never had a conversation nor did they have any friendship at all.

Nevertheless, Eize couldn’t help but be wary of Ceres, who approached her like this, taking such a risk, to tell her that Yona was waiting.

“Actually, I have quite a close friendship with the apos— no, Miss Yona. I heard that Miss Yona follows you, the priest, so well. So I thought it might be alright for her to meet with you once before the arrest, that kind of thought.”

The face of Ceres, showing a slight smile, had not a hint of darkness.

An expression full of such kindness that truly seemed to come from the heart.

A mask so thick and thorough that even Eize, who had rolled around as an adventurer for years, couldn’t fathom her inner thoughts.

“…Where should I go?”

After briefly examining Ceres’s face, Eize slowly stood up from her chair.

The pounding in her chest was blooming into an excitement that could no longer be hidden.

Yona, whom she had regarded like her own daughter, and who had returned as sad news.

Just the news that she could see her again made Eize unable to sit still.

“You know Professor Alebbian, right? The elf Yona was close with.”

“Ah, yes. I know.”

“She’s waiting at her residence. Go quickly.”

“I understand. Thank you. This kindness…”

“There’s no need to think of it as a kindness. Just don’t mention that I told you, and go quickly.”

“…I understand.”

Eize bowed her head and quickly left the room.

After she had gone, Ceres, looking around Eize’s room filled only with plain furnishings, whistled lightly.

“Well, it should be fine to proceed a bit faster.”

Hands behind her back.

Those fingers were busily sending hand signals to someone.

Professor Alebbian’s house wasn’t very close to the cathedral.

But Eize, running down this main street, was moving towards her house as if flying.

Yona’s image was vivid before her eyes.

It felt as if she could almost touch the image of Yona following her, calling “Teacher, Teacher—”.

Soon arriving at Alebbian’s house.

In front of that gate, Eize caught her breath.

Thinking idly that she must be getting old to be out of breath like this—

Eize slowly knocked on the door.

Who is it?

“It’s, it’s Sister Eize.”

Because of her commitment to always approach lowly places, she calls herself a sister rather than a priest when referring to herself.

After giving that name, soon the door opened softly and a blonde elf appeared.

Alebbian, the elf famous for her strange expressions.

With a somewhat bored yet languid expression, she saw Eize’s face and showed a faint smile.

“…Yona will be happy.”

Ah.

So Yona is really here.

She really came here.

Yona, came—

Suppressing her even more violently beating heart, Eize entered, guided by Alebbian.

Inside the living room, and even further inside after opening another door.

In that small room, there are only a table and two chairs.

And on one of the chairs, Yona is sitting—

Ah.

It’s Yona.

Yona was here.

That lifeless pure white hair, and those bizarre tattoos.

Such a Yona, seeing Eize, her eyes widened and slowly, slowly… she stood up from her seat.

Eize bit her lip hard.

That foolish thing, that stupid thing.

I called her stupid, stupid, but to think she would be this stupid.

Look at those tattoos.

No wonder she’s misunderstood, going around like that.

Shouldn’t she at least try to go around without being seen?

Did this teacher teach you to go around as a clergyman like that?

Didn’t I teach you that above all, a clergyman should always keep their comportment proper and clean?

Yet you didn’t take off the nun’s habit.

At least the nun’s habit, you kept wearing it.

As her vision blurred, Eize took a step forward.

One step becomes two steps, two steps become three steps, and three steps become four steps.

Eize, standing face to face with Yona—

Raised her hand and struck Yona’s shoulder blade hard.

“You, who taught you to be like that? Who taught you to be like this!”

With a slapping sound, Yona’s shoulder blade turned bright red.

Yona was saying something, but Eize couldn’t hear anything.

“Apostasy, apostasy! Did I teach you to do that? Who told you to do such a terrible thing!”

Who would call you an apostate?

Who would call you, who can’t let go of the nun’s habit even in this state, an apostate?

“I, I knew this would happen when you were just fooling around instead of studying the scriptures properly!”

There must be a misunderstanding, surely there must be.

The Yona I know couldn’t have done this.

Because there’s absolutely no way, no way Yona would apostatize.

“Didn’t I tell you that even a nun needs to study, that even as a healer you’re not exempt from being a clergyman so you should keep your comportment proper!”

Striking the shoulder blade,

And again,

And again.

“Just how did you behave to be going around hearing such things about being an apostate!”

Each time, the sound gradually becomes shallower.

In the end, she was caressing the marks she had struck with that hand.

“You, you poor thing…”

Finally, her voice begins to tremble.

She felt hot tears flowing down her cheeks.

In the end, Eize hugged Yona.

The pain of the demonic energy conflicting with her holy power stung, but that didn’t matter.

“You poor thing… Yona, Yona… It’s okay, it’s okay Yona. Teacher, teacher will protect you. Even if everyone in the world curses you, teacher believes in you, Yona. That you of all people couldn’t have done this, that it’s all a misunderstanding… Teacher, teacher will definitely protect you, Yona…!”

Tears streaming down.

The affection between teacher and student who embrace each other flows so deep and intense.