Playing Blindfolded – 2

After finishing the third day of relief efforts and returning, Inho heard a story about a messenger who had been to the village of Albainen.

“They moved?”

“Yes. They say they left the village.”

On the way back to the lodging, Maria wiped Inho’s hands with a wet towel.

“Did they move? Or is moving a frequent occurrence?”

Inho, who obediently offered his hands to Maria, asked her back as if puzzled.

“It’s not common for people to leave the village.”

“Still, if they were neighbors, they would know why they left, right?”

When Inho demanded an explanation, Maria frowned.

It was because she didn’t know much either.

“Isn’t that messenger a scammer?”

Inho, who had abandoned the Saint’s tone and revealed his true personality, said.

Then Maria shook her head.

“That’s unlikely. I also asked the messenger, and he said that the villagers seemed reluctant to say anything.”

“Did they have a lot of debt? If that’s the case, it would make sense to call Antonio from the Order.”

Inho suggested one possibility.

“Considering the cases of apprentice Priests and nuns with family debt problems, they would rather keep Antonio in the Order than take him with them.”

Maria denied.

The carriage they were riding in was returning to the lodging.

Perhaps because their appearance was already known, it was visible from inside the carriage that onlookers were gathering to see the carriage.

“Hmm… then could it be that they really couldn’t adapt?”

Inho pondered, stroking his chin with his freed hand.

“That’s more common. Many apprentice Priests and nuns return to their hometowns every year.”

“But moving is rare, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

The conversation returned to square one. Inho scratched his complicated head and leaned back.

Maria, who had finished wiping his hands, carefully put the towel in her arms.

“We’re going back tomorrow.”

Maria muttered, looking at the orange-tinged window.

“Time flies. But it was nice to have a change of scenery.”

Inho had been tied to the Order after the Dimensional Shift.

For him, the Order and the village of Madini were not much different in scenery,

But the free atmosphere of Madini certainly soothed his mood.

“It will take some time to get back, though.”

Maria gave a soft smile.

“Camping is fun too. It reminds me of the old days.”

Inho recalled camping with Soyou.

“Did you camp often?”

Maria showed curiosity at Inho’s expression as he recalled old memories.

“Yes. Often… it’s a long time ago.”

Unable to say that it was another dimension, Inho mumbled.

Maria wanted to ask more, but she considered the Saint’s feelings.

“I heard you have a dinner appointment today.”

Nikolai had said from the morning that he would prepare a feast for the last day.

He thought about refusing, recalling yesterday’s events, but Nikolai was so persistent.

Also, the surrounding Holy Knights seemed to subtly want Inho to attend the dinner.

Thinking that refusing the dinner would be a great discourtesy, Inho accepted.

“It’s going to be noisy again today.”

Thinking of the chaotic dinner, Inho’s face was naturally frowned.

“But I warned them yesterday, so I think they will refrain today.”

Maria said as if telling him not to worry.

“I see.”

“So….”

Maria slowly looked at Inho.

She avoided his gaze and rubbed her finger on the chair.

Wondering what she was going to say, Inho looked at her.

He could see that the ear revealed from her turned profile was gradually turning red.

“D-don’t worry and, you, you can drink.”

Knowing that she was embarrassed, Maria lowered her head after speaking.

Inho made an absurd expression and said firmly to Maria.

“I’m not going to drink today.”

“T-that’s!!!”

Maria turned around with a very disappointed expression.

The next morning, the Saint had a refreshing day without a hangover.

Rather, the condition of his entourage was not good,

Because they ‘accidentally’ mistook water for wine and brought it to the Saint’s room, and ‘mistakenly’ mistook wine for water and drank it.

Maria, who was slightly drunk, asked if she could rest in the Saint’s room, but the Saint firmly sent her back to her room.

There was no way to confirm whether she drank more alcohol after returning to her room, but judging from her haggard face, she must have been drinking alone.

“It was an honor to serve the Saint.”

Nikolai and Pietro saw him off as he got into the carriage.

“Thank you for the good treatment. May the Grace of Light be with you both.”

Inho, who had become accustomed to acting as the Saint, gave a blessing.

Behind Nikolai and Pietro, who were smiling kindly, the Holy Knights could be seen carrying sacks.

Inho indifferently took in the sight. The heavy sack tied with a blue string was placed in the luggage compartment of the carriage carrying the Priests.

‘It doesn’t seem like our luggage.’

He remembered that there was no such sack in the luggage he had brought.

“Then I hope to see you again next time.”

Pietro gave Inho his last greeting, and Inho came out of his thoughts.

Amidst the send-off of a large crowd, the carriage carrying the Saint left the village of Madini.

After three days of travel, Inho was able to arrive back at the Order headquarters.

The carriage entered the village attached to the Order headquarters and passed through the square where the Saint’s execution had previously taken place.

Tired from the long journey, the Saint was aimlessly looking out the window, feeling that he had returned to the Order.

For the Saint’s procession, Holy Knights were lined up on the street.

While passing through the pleasant road they had created, a group of beggars entering an alley caught the Saint’s eye.

“…Sister Maria.”

“Yes, Saint.”

“Please send someone again to find out about Antonio’s whereabouts.”

As he watched the beggars disappearing, pushed away by the people as if they were removing things that should not be seen by the Saint, Inho muttered.