episode_0103

Hiding in an alley, Aria watched with Riera as the villagers searched for them. Many people wandered the square, holding farming tools or weapons, looking for them. Riera noticed someone among them who wasn’t a typical villager and quietly said to Aria.

“…!! Saintess-nim. It seems there are more than just villagers here. That attire… they must be adventurers.”

“Your sister seems to despise me terribly. But I don’t care. Whether she hates me or not… simply separating Lord Zeke and me is enough reason for her to die by my hands.”

“…You really intend to kill Eli…”

“Huh? Of course. What are you talking about now?”

Realizing that Aria truly intended to kill her sister, Riera spoke with a mournful voice. Aria, seemingly unable to understand Riera’s reaction, tilted her head and then pointed her finger at the people outside.

“Do you see those people? They are those whose wills have been sealed by your sister’s abilities. Lord Zeke dislikes such actions the most… How could even Lord Zeke forgive your sister? Moreover, if you look behind you…”

“Huh? What’s behind…!!”

As Aria pointed behind her, Riera slowly turned her head to look. When she saw Tiara behind her, holding a kitchen knife with blank eyes and staring at her, Riera felt a chilling sensation and muttered in a trembling voice.

“Ti… Tiara….”

“Lord Zeke would never forgive such a graceless person who uses even her own sister in her schemes. But… what about you? Right now, even your sister is being controlled, holding a knife and glaring as if she’s about to attack.”

“I… I… I…!!”

Riera couldn’t utter any questions in response to Aria’s question. Aria sighed deeply, then, holding her staff, slowly began to walk towards Tiara. Riera became greatly flustered and cried out to Aria.

“Sa… Saintess-nim?! Wh-What in the world are you going to do?!”

“Can’t you tell by looking? If we just stand still, we’ll be attacked. So we’ll make the first move…”

“N-No!! That child is my sister!! Didn’t Saintess-nim know first that she’s just being controlled by Eli?!”

“So you’re just going to keep shouting from behind? If you can’t do anything, then just stay quiet.”

No matter what Riera said, Aria was filled with the intent to attack Tiara. Knowing this well, Riera bowed her head deeply and gave up trying to stop Aria. Then Tiara charged at Aria, holding the kitchen knife upright, and Aria swung her staff at Tiara. At that moment….

“…Oh my. I thought you had no courage… This is unexpected.”

A pained groan… Ugh…!!

Riera quickly ran forward and blocked Aria’s staff and Tiara’s kitchen knife with her bare hands. However, because of this, blood dripped from Riera’s hand, cut by Tiara’s kitchen knife, and Aria admired Riera for enduring the pain to stop both her and Tiara.

“So you still had the will to move.”

“Saintess-nim… Please leave Tiara to me. So… please hurry and save Lord Zeke and stop Eli!! Quickly!!”

“…You’re helping me again this time. Very well. Take care, Riera.”

“Yes… You too, Saintess-nim.”

Perhaps because Riera had helped her before, Aria, having opened her heart to Riera a little, worried about her and immediately ran towards the square. Then Riera watched Aria run farther away, recalling Aria’s recent behavior and thinking.

‘Saintess-nim… something has changed about her… and greatly so… She said that even though Eli committed a big wrong, it wasn’t my fault as her family… And when I saw her in Melodian and Alteon, she was never the type to empathize with others’ feelings… except for Lord Zeke’s… but just now…’

‘I understand that feeling.’

Riera kept replaying Aria’s words about understanding her feelings of worry for her sisters. At that moment, as Tiara put more strength into the hand holding the knife, Riera was startled and began to focus on Tiara again.

‘It’s bothering me, but… saving Tiara is the priority…!! It’s really fortunate that Saintess-nim saved me… because I also know how to use the Siren’s Song, and therefore, I naturally know how to break it!! To do that, first!!’

Riera began to make a noise from her mouth. As Riera produced a sound like a skewer scraping against stone, Tiara, seemingly distressed by the unpleasant noise, dropped her knife to the ground and covered her ears. Then Riera immediately grabbed both of Tiara’s arms to prevent her from covering her ears.

“Tiara, I’m sorry…!! Forgive your older sister for tormenting you later!! Now, then!!”

Riera held Tiara’s arms to prevent her from covering her ears and began to sing a certain song. As she sang a song similar to the Siren’s Song but different, Tiara focused her mind on the song and thought.

‘A song that can break the Siren’s Song…!! It’s a good thing I learned the Song of Release in secret, without Eli or Tiara knowing… With this, Tiara will regain her senses… huh?!’

As she sang, Riera became greatly flustered upon seeing Tiara’s strength gradually increasing. At that moment, Riera noticed something in Tiara’s ear and was greatly horrified to see an opaque blue membrane blocking Tiara’s ear.

‘Th-That’s sound nullification…?! But that’s an ability Tiara can’t use… Could it be Eli… Did you know the Song of Release?! Did you really implant this ability in your sister, intending to go all the way?!’

Seeing the sound nullification ability implanted in Tiara’s ear automatically activate in response to her Song of Release, Riera realized that Eli was truly determined. At that moment, perhaps due to the shock, the strength in Riera’s arms began to weaken, and Tiara, not missing the opportunity, immediately pushed Riera away.

“Aargh!”

Riera, pushed by Tiara, was thrown to the ground, and Tiara picked up the kitchen knife that had fallen nearby and stood up. She then pointed the kitchen knife at Riera, who was trying to get up, and stared at her with empty eyes. Riera then wore a troubled expression and thought.

‘Wh-What should I do? If this drags on, the people controlled by Eli will surely come to help Tiara… Even if Saintess-nim is distracting them… not one more person can come… I’m not as strong as Saintess-nim, so this situation is already a headache!! Besides….’

Riera instinctively knew that sound attacks would no longer work due to the membrane created by the sound nullification ability implanted in Tiara’s ear, and she nervously swallowed. Furthermore, while she had been able to block Tiara with a surprise move just now, she was now in a difficult situation, unsure how to handle Tiara, who was clearly looking at her and holding the kitchen knife upright. Realizing instinctively that there was no answer, Riera sighed as if in lamentation and thought.

‘To die by my sister’s hand… This must be the price for my past actions of luring people with the Siren’s Song to earn money… If that’s the case, I’ll humbly accept it… But if Tiara stabs me… and then regains her senses, she’ll torment herself with guilt… What should I do…?’

Riera considered it her karma and worried that Tiara, upon regaining her senses later, would be greatly tormented by the guilt of having killed her own family with her own hands. At that moment, Tiara charged at Riera, holding the knife upright, and Riera squeezed her eyes shut, thinking.

‘I’m sorry, Tiara… I’m sorry your sister is a sinful sister… Truly….’

“You, what are you doing?”

Just as Riera was about to humbly accept death, Aria jumped down from the rooftop of a building and struck the knife in Tiara’s hand with her staff. Then, grabbing both of Tiara’s arms, she threw her to the ground, and Riera stared blankly at Aria.

“…Huh?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to get hurt? Did you intend to just die? That’s not why you got up, is it?”

“Sa… Saintess-nim? Why did you come back…? You were clearly going to find Lord Zeke….”

“Yes. But… I was sure you’d be in such a bind, so I briefly came back. Hmm… An strange membrane was blocking her ear. That’s why you couldn’t help but be in such a predicament, right? Your song ability wouldn’t have worked at all.”

“Ah… Yes….”

“Then…”

Aria, who had been analyzing Riera’s situation, heard Riera’s answer and immediately released her right hand from Tiara’s arm. Then she quickly grabbed Tiara’s face with her right hand and emitted light from it. As the light faded, Tiara’s resistance stopped, and when Aria removed her hand, Riera saw Tiara sleeping with her eyes closed.

“Wh-What did you do…?”

“I broke the curse, just like with you. She’ll regain consciousness soon and be confused, just like you were, so handle the rest. I’ll be going then….”

“W-Wait a moment! Saintess-nim!!!”

Just as Aria was about to run towards the square again, Riera hastily called out to stop her, and Aria turned her head towards Riera. Then Aria asked Riera, who seemed somewhat tense.

“What is it? Speak quickly.”

“…Why… why did you help Tiara and me…? In Melodian, we almost committed a grave wrong against Lord Zeke… and Saintess-nim hadn’t forgiven us then… So why did you help us?”

“….Are you calling that a question? Isn’t it obvious? Thanks to you, I was able to find Lord Zeke back then. Since you saved Lord Zeke’s life, it’s only right that I save you. Is there anything else you want to ask?”

Riera, upon hearing Aria’s answer, seemed greatly surprised and stared blankly at Aria with wide eyes. Then, recalling that Aria was busy, Riera came to her senses and shook her head, saying.

“Ah… No. Thank you, Saintess-nim… I made you waste your time. I apologize.”

“….Lord Zeke would have done the same in this situation anyway. Farewell.”

With those words, implying Zeke would have acted the same in this situation, Aria left again to find Zeke. Then Riera went to the sleeping Tiara, laid her head on her lap, and stroked Tiara’s hair, thinking.

‘Saintess-nim… forgave us, who committed a grave wrong before… who were almost heading down a path from which we could never escape….’

Perhaps still greatly shocked that Aria had forgiven them, Riera’s hands were trembling. Recalling the atrocities she had committed against people in Melodian, Riera’s guilt seemed to grow, and she bowed her head, then burst into tears.

“Tiara… Do you remember…? How we… how we lured many people… to… to earn a lot of money… and then received abilities… so we could live happily afterwards…? We knew it was wrong, but we still did it… And Saintess-nim… Saintess-nim, who loves Lord Zeke so terribly… she… she forgave us… and saved us… *sobbing*…”

Riera, who had been recalling Aria’s recent words and her first meeting with Zeke and Aria, finally lifted her head upon remembering Aria’s forgiveness, and with a faint smile, tears streaming down her face, she murmured.

“That… that people like us could be forgiven… and by that Saintess-nim, no less… that we could be forgiven… Do… do we still… have the right to live powerfully in this world…? Even now… even now… I still remember what happened back then so vividly…”

Riera realized through Aria’s forgiveness that they still had the right to live in this world, and she couldn’t control her tears. And so, for a while, Riera lay Tiara on her lap and cried out, looking up at the sky. Meanwhile, Aria looked at the people blocking her way and sighed deeply, saying.

“Haaah… I really don’t like you, Eli. To think you’ve been hiding such dirty schemes all this time… even from your own family… I know you’re listening to all of this, Eli. Answer me.”

“Oh my~ As expected of the Saintess~ How did you know I was listening to all of this?…. You’re truly an eyesore, it’s even more irritating.”

When Aria realized that Eli was listening to her murmuring, Eli spoke through an echo in a surprised voice. Then, perhaps disliking that Aria kept figuring things out about her one by one, she said with a serious face. Aria then frowned and said.

“Why did you kidnap Lord Zeke? Surely you weren’t also in love with Lord Zeke, were you?”

“Haaah… I didn’t want you to find that out… but I guess there’s nothing I can do since you’ve already figured it out. That’s right, Saintess. I like the old man. A lot, even.”

“….. Haaah… Lately, there have been so many women who’ve fallen for Lord Zeke that it’s a headache… If you’re going to be like this too, then I’ll have no choice but to hide Lord Zeke even more from others. The only person who can love Lord Zeke is me, and the only person Lord Zeke will love is me.”

“….. What? While I was gone, there were many women trying to flirt with the old man?…. You really know you’re not qualified to like the old man, don’t you?”

Eli, realizing that other women had also fallen for Zeke, was greatly shocked and then said to Aria in an irritated voice that she was not qualified to like Zeke. Aria, dumbfounded, scoffed and said to Eli.

“By what right are you saying such things? You, who kidnapped Lord Zeke… Who are you to judge whether I’m qualified to like Lord Zeke or not?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? What have you done for the old man all this time? And you must have known that other women liked the old man… What have you been doing all this time? Haven’t you made any effort? So why do I get to judge whether you’re qualified to like the old man or not? It’s because… I’m the one who loves the old man the most in this world.”

“….This is absurd. Further conversation seems unnecessary. There is only one thing I must do now….”

Aria, unable to listen to Eli’s words any longer, gripped her staff tightly and pointed it at the controlled people. Then, glaring at the people with serious eyes, she spoke to Eli, who was somewhere out of sight.

“To rescue Lord Zeke from you. And to do that… I need to find out where you, the coward, are hiding, and where Lord Zeke is.”

“Oh, really? Then I’ll give you one good piece of information. Right now, the old man… Hehehe… he’s with me, you know?”

“….”

When Aria stated her objective, Eli chuckled slyly and revealed that Zeke was with her. Aria’s complexion changed, and she spoke in a very angry voice.

“You… I will never let you get away with this!!!”