episode_0056

‘I’m sorry for harboring evil intentions!’

I didn’t do anything even though I had feelings for it! I spent the night more quietly in the mansion than I thought! In fact, I didn’t even stay in the same room as the saintess! The butler had already prepared a guest room! Anyway, I’m innocent though!

Glenn flinched at the unknown murderous intent and pressure he felt from afar, muttering to himself. No one could have missed Glenn’s stiff posture.

“Mr. Glen?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, Your Majesty.”

“Saint?”

“Ah, no, no! Mi, Millie…”

Glenn, who felt an inexplicable pressure from the gaze that was staring at him, quickly changed his title. Leaving the palace and entering the saint’s mansion, they did not part ways. The saint would not let Glenn go.

‘I told you, don’t leave my side. That is your destiny as a bodyguard, and it still applies now and in the future.’

‘Oh, no way…’

‘Yes, you must stay at my mansion today. And from now on, when you travel, you must not leave my side.’

‘Sir, Saintess. But…’

‘milli.’

‘Oh, yes?’

‘When we’re alone, Millie. I’ll call you Glen. Okay?’

‘Uh, that’s a bit…’

‘Okay?’

…Era, I don’t know.

‘Okay, Millie.’

‘Okay. Haha, okay, then…’

So, almost as if he had been dragged in, Glenn set foot in the saint’s mansion. And after a late evening snack and a drink, he went to sleep in the saint’s room… but not at all. Butler Douglas was an experienced servant who was fully prepared.

In the guest room that was quickly prepared, Glenn fell into a comfortable sleep, with a little relief. For some reason, the saintess had a sad expression on her face.

And as time passed, the darkness of night and dawn had long since disappeared. Early in the morning, the two stood facing the butler in front of the main gate of the mansion, wearing similar clothes as yesterday, carrying two bags that showed signs of being ready for the trip.

“Then, Butler Douglas, please, I entrust you with this mansion for one year. If things get worse, you must sell this mansion and use its assets…”

“I will not hear what you say after that, Saint. As I have told you before, you will definitely return. As an old butler, I will only wait for the return of my master, Saint.”

Douglas expressed his stubborn refusal to the saint. The principled attitude he had maintained since becoming the saint’s deacon over the past few years had not wavered even at this moment. Glenn wanted to express his admiration, but did not.

“…Okay, then, please.”

The saintess almost burst into tears and her emotions were in disarray, but she managed to calm herself down and spoke calmly to the butler. Butler Douglas bowed to the saintess with a stubborn but sense of duty attitude. Then, he turned his gaze to Glenn and bowed.

” Sir Glen, please take good care of the saintess.”

Wow, that’s a big deal.

It wasn’t a wrong title. ‘Escort Knight’. However, since he was usually called by his first name, Glenn’s expression turned pale for a moment at the title. However, he nodded calmly and bowed his head again to show respect to Butler Douglas.

“Please leave it to me. As your escort, I will protect you until the end of this journey. Definitely.”

“Thank you. I will trust you. Then, Saint, have a nice journey.”

“Yes, Mr. Douglas…then…”

The saint bowed her head one last time and turned around. For a moment, it seemed as if a teardrop was flowing from her eye. However, when I looked again, it was only slightly moist, and not a tear.

Glenn felt uncomfortable deep down, but he didn’t show it. He just bowed his head silently one last time to his butler, Douglas.

‘I’m at ease with you.’

‘huh?’

For a moment, it seemed as if the butler was muttering something in a very small voice. However, when I looked back, butler Douglas had calmly opened the front door of the mansion and gone inside.

It was a voice that he couldn’t tell if it was an auditory hallucination or not, but Glenn didn’t have time to stand there and focus on it. The target was the northeastern gate of the capital. The northern gate was a direct route to the palace, but if he went through the northeastern gate, he could leave the capital.

Glenn picked up his pace again. He trudged along side by side with the saint. Even so, he never forgot to be alert to his surroundings.

Leaving the fence gate, this time she was going to go towards the western wall instead of the city, then circle around and arrive at the northeast gate. As she was on a pilgrimage, it was the saint’s intention to quietly leave the capital.

And, it was also an opportunity to reveal the true feelings deep in the saint’s heart.

“Butler Douglas is someone who has taken care of me since I was little. Excluding the last warrior’s journey, this is actually the second time we have been apart for this long.”

Slowly, the saint began to unravel the story of her past.

“At that time, when I set out on a journey to defeat the Demon King with the warrior, I asked the butler the same thing. I told him that if something happened to me, he should sell this mansion and use its assets to enjoy his old age to the fullest. However, even then, the butler stubbornly refused. He swore that he could not do such a thing to such a great person as the saint, and that he would serve until the end of his life as a butler.”

For a moment, there was a wavering in the words. Glenn did not miss that subtle change.

Slowly, tears flowed down the saint’s beautiful skin. Glenn put his hand in his bosom. There was a handkerchief. It was a handkerchief with a new pattern, different from the one he had given her last time.

“Unwavering faith in you”

Glenn approached the saint. The luggage would have been a hindrance, but the two had been assured that the Air Grants Church was preparing, so they took little with them except for a few personal needs. Glenn had only taken a few more books.

Anyway, Glenn reached out and comforted the tearful woman.

“Thank you, Glen. I…”

“It’s okay if you don’t say anything, Millie. I know your longing, your state of mind. To wash away that anxiety, don’t forget that I’m here by your side.”

At those words, a small smile appeared on Milishia’s beautiful lips. Glenn felt relieved at that expression. She was truly a beautiful person. And, it was a relationship that he could not thank her enough for. To think that with just his own, pitiful actions of comfort and a few sentences, she would give him such a gentle smile.

Glenn, still unaware of how deep Milicia’s feelings for him were, wiped away the saint’s tears and gently held her left hand. A red glow swept over the beautiful beauty’s cheeks. It was definitely not a change caused by the morning sun.

Milicia, whose heart has calmed down, is delighted by Glenn’s approach.

“To wash away my anxiety…you are by my side. No one else, only you.”

As she said this, the saintess brought her face close to Glenn.

Ah, ah. Wait, wait! If it’s like this from the morning…

Glenn felt his body shrink for a moment. It wouldn’t be strange if blood rushed to his face. What is this situation! Does it feel like he’s stepped into a trap himself? The saintess was calm, but Glenn didn’t know what to do when she approached him.

You can’t panic. You’re disqualified from escort duty! Calm down, calm down!

“Uh, well…there’s also Briwen, my sister, and, well…there’s also the nuns and monks.”

“Ah…now that I think about it…”

At Glenn’s excuse that wasn’t an excuse, the saintess carefully distanced herself from Glenn. In that moment, Glenn felt his heart rate, which had been beating like crazy, slow down.

Wheein. I almost lost my mind. While Glenn was relieved, the saintess muttered calmly.

“You said you were quite close with someone named Briwen. You also said that they were companions since the beginning of your adventures…”

“Huh? Oh, yes. If we’re close, we’re close… If we’re bad, we’re bad. We’ve fought a lot because of various frictions, and recently, when I was in a bad state, we couldn’t talk properly for several months. ”

Oh my. I have a feeling that the saintess’s spirit has calmed down. Am I mistaken? Am I mistaken?

For some reason, Glenn seemed to have fallen into the role of the man who makes excuses to his girlfriend about his female friends.

“Later, I’d like to have a calm conversation with Briwen. I was curious about Glenn’s past.”

“Well, I won’t tell you such a good story. Back in the old days, we fought every other day. It was so boring…”

“One day after another…”

For a moment, the saintess held her chin with her hand and seemed to be thinking about it. Glenn unconsciously clenched his right hand tightly. Why did this tension suddenly come over him? The saintess didn’t approach him like she did a moment ago. However, even though they were keeping a little distance, the saintess’s momentum was…

“Okay, your colleagues are waiting. Shall we go? Glenn?”

“Ah, yes. I will go ahead, Saint. ”

“…”

“Mi, Millie…”

Glenn took the lead, bowing his head as if embarrassed, once again changing his title. Behind him, the presence of the saintess evoked a slight sense of fear.

What the hell was going on earlier? The saintess isn’t the type of person to get angry at someone for not being used to the title! Glenn trudged on, whipping himself.

Meanwhile, Saint Milicia was repeatedly tormenting herself in her heart.

‘What should I do…I want to know more…but I think it would be better to meet in person and talk…’

Somehow, Milicia was also influenced by the story of her colleague that Glenn casually brought up, and her thoughts were developing in a strange direction. Like a wife who suspects her husband of infidelity.

“Oh, they’re coming from over there.”

“Oppa, this way! But…wow…that person…”

What Glenn and the saint could see through the crowd was a carriage that seemed large enough to fit several people, and the figures of three or four people standing around the carriage.

It was clear that they were familiar faces. Briwen was leaning against the carriage, still exuding a cold air, and pointing her right hand at them. Next to her, Alina, carrying her luggage on her back, waved her hand lively.

“Oh my, that person…really…looks alike.”

As soon as she found out, the saint let out such sentiments, and Glenn smiled bitterly. Who would have thought that the place where blood relatives were introduced would be such a solemn(?) situation.

As Glenn and the saint approached, two figures emerged from the carriage. The old man who slowly stepped out of the carriage driver’s seat was, as expected, a Benedictine monk.

And the woman who jumped out of the carriage with her face sticking out and landing on the ground was Sister Esther.

“How are you, Saint? We have already completed preparations for departure.”

“I hope you are well, Benedict. Thank you very much.”

“Your Majesty, this is Briwen, dispatched by the Adventurer’s Guild, and me… Alina, the younger sister of ‘Escort Knight’ Glenn.”

“We’ve met before, but let me introduce myself again. My name is Briwena Crowsong. ”

“Oh, yes. How are you? Thank you so much for joining us on this pilgrimage. This is Milicia Airgrants. And, is the person next to you…”

“Oh, hello! Nice to meet you! My name is Alina! I met you again recently! Oh, no… It’s more like we met for the first time than again…”

Sister Esther calmly introduced her companions. Briwen introduced herself calmly, as expected of an experienced adventurer, but Alina looked flustered and nervous. In the first place, I should have recognized her when I saw Milicia from afar and she seemed to have lost her mind.

Glenn smirked and approached his brother, not forgetting to say hello to the others.

“Good morning, everyone. And Alina, relax. If the porter or errand boy is nervous, he might lose his stuff, ya.”

“What, what are you talking about, oppa!”

“Yeah, it’s much better to get upset like that.”

“Hoohoohoo…”

“Oops…”

The saintess let out a soft laugh at Alina’s sudden cry. Alina shrank back in shame. The saintess spoke softly to Alina, who was still trembling.

“I am always indebted to you, Brother. If your brother had not been here, I would not have been able to stand here. I am always grateful.”

“Ah, no. I, I didn’t do anything… I’m, uh, I’m really happy that such a great person as the saint is… no, that… close to my brother. No, I’m satisfied with that alone! Thank you! ”

You are my younger brother. Can you also be my older sister?

Glenn tried to resist the urge to whine. Such remarks were out of place in this warm atmosphere.

“I am so happy that you are with me on my future journey. I look forward to working with you in the future. I will do my best to make sure that you do not experience any inconvenience during your journey.”

“Ah, ah, no! I’m the one who’s really…so happy that you’ve let someone like me, who has no special skills or abilities, join! I’ll do my best to help you with anything, Saintess!”

Although she was a little shy, Alina was able to convey her determination to the saint with a cheerful tone thanks to the saint’s kindness and encouragement. As she muttered, “Oh, why am I suddenly saying this when I have no special abilities…”, her expression quickly dropped to the floor again, but there was still a warm feeling surrounding her.

Glenn felt relieved for some reason. It was the first time introducing his family, and he had hoped that Alina would become close to the saint, so this seemed like a good first meeting.

“Saint, the people are gathering. Declaration of departure…”

“Oh, yes, Benedict. You can do it right away.”

Declaration of expedition? Glenn tilted his head.

By the way, I heard that there was a ceremony scheduled to be held. But for some reason, no one from the palace showed up.

Rather than the royal palace, it feels like the nobles’ scheming is often seen, making Glenn wary…

Perhaps sensing Glenn’s confusion, the Benedictine monk smiled and whispered softly to Glenn.

“The Air Grants Order deliberately scaled down the departure ceremony. It is a pilgrimage, so it is problematic if it is too extravagant, and the environment is different from the ‘inauguration ceremony’. Pilgrimage is a ceremony that is based on simplicity and frugality, and steps forward with a learning attitude. Therefore, like a declaration of departure, it only announces the beginning by giving glory to God. ”

Ah, I get it.

I had heard it by chance before. In fact, there were many monks who practiced asceticism as their main occupation, but they traveled around the country in pairs, enjoying the natural scenery and spreading the doctrine by walking on foot.

It would be very unusual for groups of five or even dozens to move around in ‘parties’ like today.

Well, it’s only natural since there’s a hidden purpose inside.

“…With this, from Alcrea, the capital of the Alcrea Kingdom, I, Milicia Airgrants, offer you my sincere gratitude. God, please bless this journey. May you bestow your glory upon all who I meet along the way. I, Milicia Airgrants, will preach the doctrine and serve without any hesitation. ”

With a soft and warm light, the saint finished her declaration. Although it was called a declaration of departure, it was actually no different from a prayer to God.

Briwen and Glenn, who were not members of the order, watched the scene carefully, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Two members of the order, Sister Esther and Benedict, stood on either side of the saint, their hands clasped in prayer.

Alina stood near the carriage, watching the ceremony with curious eyes like the other people in the capital.

And the warm light wasn’t just a light. As it gradually flowed into the people gathered around, the people who had been noisily cheering began to express their admiration one by one.

“Oh…”

“Saint Milicia…”

“Beautiful, warm…”

“It’s strange. My body feels light…I don’t feel sick…”

“Huh? Your uncomfortable feet…are a little more comfortable?”

The light of healing. It was a power that could be used not only by the saints, but also by priests and monks of some religious orders with strong divine powers. Well, in reality, the saints were almost the only ones who could emit the most powerful healing light.

“Wow, that’s great… As expected, the rumors were just rumors.”

“Wow, as expected, a saint is a saint. A fake…”

“Saint, take care on your way back!”

“Long live! Long live the Great Lady of Militia! Long live the Air Grants Church!”

Rumor? Fake?

Those words bothered him a little, but soon Glenn lost interest in the noise of the crowd and looked around. Fortunately, people only surrounded the saint within a few meters, and did not approach her carelessly.

Now that I look at it, Sister Esther and Monk Benedict looked calm, but their expressions were not good. Ah, the two of them realized the identity of that gaze.

“Hey, Briwen…”

“I know, but we have to do it.”

Glenn felt a little regretful. And he felt suspicious.

The guild master who is calm even though he only prepared a small number of people, and the saintess who refuses all the support…

‘This journey doesn’t seem like it’ll be smooth sailing from the start.’

Despite the blessings and support of so many people, Glenn and Briwen could sense the ominousness of the future with their adventurous senses.

And soon, their premonition became reality.