Saint and Saint (1)

Sunlight shining through the iron bars.

Dust was floating abundantly in that sunlight.

The girl was staring at the dust with a dazed expression.

She couldn’t count how many days it had been since she was brought here. At first, she counted the days by watching the sun set and rise – one day, two days, three days… but after it passed ten, she gave up counting.

During that time, the number of girls in this room had decreased by more than half.

They said they would investigate, and if innocence was proven after the investigation, they would send them home – but the girls who were taken away from here never returned, making her wonder if those words were lies.

A room about the size of the house where the girl’s family – including her younger siblings, seven people in total – used to live.

More than twenty girls were confined in that place.

As days passed, girls were called out one by one, and those who went out never came back.

‘Since they’re innocent, they must have been sent home…?’

She didn’t know where this place was.

She didn’t know where she was because she was just moved in a carriage for over a week and then immediately confined.

As soon as they got off, the girls were locked in this room, and every day they were given a piece of bread and a cup of water.

In such a situation, the girl was waiting for when it would be her turn to be called.

She was a girl who had been suddenly captured while arranging hay to feed the cow at home.

They said they would send her back if she was innocent, so maybe she too could safely return home.

The girl sniffled, scratching her hair that had become dirty from not being able to wash for days.

Rather, if she could be called out quickly, get investigated for whatever reason, and then she could return home.

Who would be taking care of her youngest sibling who was just a newborn?

What happened to her mother who was suffering from mastitis?

Were her other siblings doing well?

Had her father reduced his drinking?

He’s the type to keep drinking if she doesn’t nag him, isn’t he doing that again?

The girl was extremely worried about her home.

Her father who was always busy with outdoor work.

Her mother who got mastitis after giving birth to the youngest sibling.

Her younger siblings who still needed their older sister’s care.

What were those siblings doing now?

“Next, you.”

The girl, who had been hugging her knees with her head buried, suddenly raised her head at the voice heard near her ear.

A man standing at the doorway was gesturing towards the girl.

‘Ah, finally it’s my turn.’

At last, it was the girl’s turn.

It had been a long, long wait, and now that it was her turn, if she followed and received whatever investigation – finally, she could return home.

“Quite pretty, aren’t you?”

Kikikiki.

The eerie laughter somehow gave her goosebumps, and the girl rubbed her arms.

Since she had lost the shawl she had worn over her dress somewhere, coming out like this made her feel a sudden chill.

“Now, go forward.”

It was a corridor made of stone walls.

The sunlight that had been shining through the bars was nice, but coming out into this corridor, there was no place for sunlight to enter except for the torches attached to both walls.

• • Tap, tap, tap…

The corridor was paved with stones, just like the walls.

The sound of the girl’s footsteps walking on that corridor.

And the sound of the man’s footsteps following behind her.

How long had they walked?

It felt like quite a while.

A fairly thick iron door appeared before the girl.

A door with reddish-black marks of rust here and there.

Seeing that door, the girl felt another chill.

They had clearly said they would only investigate –

Somehow, it felt like something terrible was about to happen.

As the girl stood blankly in front of the door, the man walked in front of her.

And then he knocked on the door without hesitation.

“Hey, it’s me. I’ve brought the next one.”

• • Oh. Okay.

With a very small voice –

The door opens.

The door began to open with a heavy metallic sound.

The inside of the door, flickering with torch light just like the corridor they had walked through.

A place with no windows at all, no light except for the torch light.

As soon as that sight was revealed, the girl’s face turned pale.

“Now, go inside.”

The man pushed the girl’s back, and she tried to turn around hurriedly.

A face turned deathly pale, lips turned blue.

A face full of surprise and fear.

And a face filled with terror.

“W-Wait, just a moment – Ah!”

“Come on, I said go in.”

The man pushed the girl in repeatedly, and the girl, who had no chance against such brute force, was pushed into the room.

Their figures disappeared into the room –

Slowly, the door closed again.

With an unpleasant metallic sound.

“What are you going to do about that?”

Yona glared at Alec with fire in her eyes.

Unable to bear her gaze, Alec smiled awkwardly and lowered his eyes.

“I asked what you’re going to do about that. Are you going to leave it like that? I said I didn’t need an apology, so that’s fine, but I told you to make it invisible to my eyes.”

Yona raised her hand and pointed to the back of the carriage.

Where her finger was pointing.

There, a warhorse boasting a sleek figure was following.

And on that warhorse, Scarlet and Serad were riding together.

Not too slow, not too fast.

The warhorse was steadily following at a constant distance, matching the speed of the carriage.

“…Should I go talk to them again?”

“Do you think they’ll listen if you talk? They’re already doing this even after you’ve talked, do you think they’ll go away if you tell them to go somewhere else?”

Yona frowned and growled at Alec.

She really disliked Scarlet as a person.

She had hurled abusive words at Yona like ‘whore’ and such, but that didn’t matter much to her.

She also disliked Serad, who had made Yona herself save Scarlet by giving a reason that Yona couldn’t refute or deny.

There was also the reason that she looked very similar to Yona –

Yona was still in a state where she wasn’t aware of herself as a woman.

She understood and accepted that Alec was the most precious existence to her, but she ‘herself’ thought that it hadn’t reached the level of a romantic relationship yet.

So abusive words like ‘whore’, which are insulting to women, didn’t particularly impact her.

She was just angry that she had heard such abusive language from Scarlet, whom she despised.

What really made her angry was the fact that Scarlet had not only tortured Alec so cruelly but also tried to take him away and even interfered.

The fact that despite all that, she now appears calling him ‘Senior’ and acting all coy, apologizing and saying sorry while clinging to him – that’s what she really hated.

“Should I really kill her?”

Yona muttered unconsciously.

She should have let her die without worrying about remaining in Alec’s heart or whatever in the first place.

If she couldn’t let her die, she could just kill her now.

It would be best to kill her when Alec wasn’t looking, but that damn baldy doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving Yona’s side, as if he had honey smeared on him.

However, as soon as she muttered those words, Yona looked down at Rubina in surprise.

Rubina’s hand, which was tightly holding Yona’s hand, was trembling.

As soon as she heard Yona mutter about killing, Rubina’s face turned pale, and she was trembling while firmly grasping Yona’s hand.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry. Rubina, I’m sorry your sister said something bad. No, I’m not really going to do it. I’m sorry.”

Rubina just shook her head while looking up at Yona.

With tears hanging from those big eyes, and a pale complexion, Rubina kept shaking her head.

Yona hugged Rubina, lifting her into her arms and patting her back.

“Your sister was just talking to herself. I won’t do it. I really won’t, so don’t be scared. Okay?”

It hurts to look at Rubina.

What sin did Rubina commit?

Unfortunately, Rubina was in that courtroom, and she witnessed the whole chaotic scene of Yona and Bigrind confronting each other, so the shock must have been immense.

‘…If it weren’t for those damn people.’

Yona gritted her teeth.

Thinking of Scarlet ultimately leads back to the Celestine Church.

The Celestine Church was the problem.

Isn’t it all because of the Celestine Church that they’re returning to Evian now?

What nonsense is it to capture people just because their hair color is the same, their eye color is the same?

‘First, I need to meet Big. If it’s Big, she’ll surely stop this madness. Even if she’s a bit lacking, if it’s her…’

Of course, there was some uneasiness about meeting Bigrind in this state.

It would be a problem if she suddenly rushed at Yona saying, “More than my face, punishing this vicious apostate is most important!”

Moreover, if the Hero also rushes at Yona when Berbaria isn’t around – but there’s Alec.

‘…This guy was stronger than I thought too.’

Didn’t Scarlet roll over with just one shield strike?

And it didn’t even seem like he struck with full force.

I don’t know how reassuring and cool he was.

‘It’s a bit disappointing that he has hair now…’

Alec with abundant hair was, unexpectedly, too handsome.

At this rate, it seems unavoidable that women would flock to him –

No, how could that be.

What’s unavoidable about it?

Absolutely not. I absolutely won’t allow it.

Without realizing it, Yona gritted her teeth.

She absolutely can’t stand to see that.

As for why she can’t stand it, anyway.

Should I try putting a spell on him while he’s sleeping?

If I put a spell on him, wouldn’t he become bald again?

It’s not that she hasn’t thought about it –

‘No, no. This isn’t what’s important right now… First, I need to meet Big and persuade her to stop this madness, then summon Berbaria…’

She’ll have Berbaria descend over Evian’s airspace.

And then appear riding that Berbaria –

You fools who took girls with white hair thinking it was me, as if you could find me like that –

I’m going to take a ship while you’re capturing innocent citizens –

Aren’t you embarrassed to call yourselves inquisitors when you can’t even catch one apostate –

Something like that.

That’s what she was planning to do.

She planned to provoke them thoroughly so that they would only chase after her.

To prevent them from doing other useless things, to direct all that anger only towards her.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

“Thinking about how to make the Celestine Church eat shit.”

Alec sighed as he watched Yona answer without a moment’s hesitation.

Despite persuading her so earnestly again and again, all efforts had been in vain because of that one witch trial.

Alec was starting to get annoyed with the Celestine Church itself.