episode_0248

I gently closed my eyes, let out a long sigh, and leaned back against Hermel, who was standing right behind me.

I took control of my mind by enjoying the small but certain presence. I was so excited. I was so excited because I had never had a confrontation with anyone for 10 years since that day, and I had never had to sharpen my edge like this.

I can’t believe I’ve fallen this far in just 10 years. Peace is so scary. … That’s why it’s better.

I closed my eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them and looked at Seria.

“Okay… . If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay if you don’t.”

“Unexpected. I thought he was going to tell me to speak in anger.”

Seeing Seria blinking and talking as if she was really surprised, I smiled and looked at Seria.

“Well, okay. I’ll admit it. The last breaking ball I threw was quite unpleasant.”

“Ahaha… . Sorry. Are you angry?”

“It’s not really something to be angry about. You and I are not in a relationship to the point where I would get angry over that, and I didn’t think I would get a proper answer anyway.”

Seria smiled faintly as she saw me speaking clearly, nodded and said.

“I see… . hmm. So can you answer just this one thing?”

“… under! It’s become quite bold. okay. Tell me where. I will listen.”

“Before admission to the academy, after admission, and even the events and ending. Everything went according to your plan, right?”

What was Seria’s true intention in asking that question? What are they hiding?

… No, I guess it doesn’t matter. Anyway, in this situation, nothing will change whether you answer or not.

“Okay. As I said before, it was all my will and I planned and did it.”

At my words, Seria smiled and nodded. What are you trying to say by nodding your head with that face?

As I looked at Seria with a slight frown, Seria, who had been looking at me without saying anything, let out a long sigh and opened her mouth.

“Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything to deserve your gratitude.”

“Yes. I knew you would say that. This is just a selfish thank you for me. I’m saying thank you because I want to put my mind at ease. So, let me just say it. Thank you.”

I expressed a question about the thank you that came out of nowhere, and Hermel wriggled and trembled, then fiercely gained momentum and tried to move forward.

“You… . As expected, they came after Charles… !! Are you thankful that you can get rid of Charles!?”

He tried to stop Hermel by grabbing his hand, which looked like he was going to pull out his sword at any moment, but this time, Hermel’s hand was shaking, as if he was really angry.

This is not the time to sit quietly. Thinking that, I immediately stood up, looked Hermel in the eye, and shook my head.

“Hermel. calm down. That’s paranoia.”

“But! What if that guy came after Charles?”

“If they were really targeting me, they would have blown up the entire barrier covering this area. But you’re not doing that.”

“… That’s true though. It could be a threat to Charles. No, its very existence is already a threat. That guy coming back alive is too big of a threat to Charles.”

“But if you kill him here, the unclear threat will become a definite danger and he will come back. Uncertain threats are better than certain risks.”

Hermel, who was catching his breath and chewing his lip, seemed to be a little sincere in those words, and he held her hand tightly and smiled a little.

Since my back was turned to Ceria anyway, she wouldn’t be able to see my smile, so I whispered and comforted Hermel with the soft smile that I always give only to Hermel.

“And no matter what danger comes, Hermel will protect you. Right?”

“… … .”

Only then did Hermel lose his momentum and slowly relaxed his body and closed his eyes.

Hermel closed his eyes, took a deep breath, looked at Ceria, and opened his mouth. The eyes were still closed.

“I can feel the presence of humans wandering around this area. If there is at least one knight in a thousand or ten thousand who comes running straight to where Charles is, or a strong person of a threatening level――”

Hermel slowly opened his eyes, looked straight at Ceria with eyes shining with hideous murder, and gently hugged me, pulling me into his arms.

“――I will cut off your head without hesitation.”

“Yes. Okay.”

“… Tsk.”

Hermel clicked his tongue and closed his eyes again, as if he didn’t like Ceria’s calm appearance. I slowly got out of Hermel’s arms and looked back.

Despite receiving the brunt of Hermel’s murderous attack, Ceria’s complexion did not change at all and she was smiling slightly. That’s a really scary amount of mental strength.

“You really care about each other a lot.”

“Stop talking nonsense. We’re not close enough to have a chat.”

“That’s right… . It has become like that now.”

Ceria nodded with a bitter smile, shook her head and looked at me.

“I don’t think there’s anything more to talk about. Above all, it doesn’t seem like the mood to talk.”

“I’m glad you have that level of insight. So that’s the end of the story, right? Well then, that’s it――”

I guess the story is over. The moment I was about to lift the barrier to leave, Ceria cut me off and said,

“Wait a minute.”

“I think the story is over. Or do you still have something left to say?”

Seria shook her head at my words.

“There’s nothing left to say. That’s because I want to repay you for talking to me.”

“Not only is it not something I did hoping for something in return, but it’s also not something I deserve in return.”

“Then let’s say it is not compensation, but compensation to apologize for my unruly behavior.”

Seeing Seria not backing down even an inch reminded me of the fight of wits and wits I had with the conservative nobles of the noble council in a past episode, and I massaged my eyebrows.

However, this does not mean that Seria is shady and rebellious like the nobles of the noble family. Their unbending attitude is exactly like that of conservative aristocrats.

Of course, unlike the nobles who break when pushed to the limit, the difference is that when pushed to the limit, they pierce through the force and carry out their will… . The annoying thing was the same.

“It’s really annoying. I don’t want anything from you, I don’t want anything from you. There is nothing needed. Your reward or reward is just annoying and unnecessary, so just leave. If you want to return the favor and make amends, just keep quiet about everything that happened today and just disappear before my eyes.”

When I glared at Seria and glared at her like that, Seria, who was quietly examining me, pointed to my lower abdomen with her finger.

“The aftereffects of the curse remaining on your body. I will treat you.”

“――… .”

“What… !?”

Seeing Seria speaking so calmly, I was at a loss for words and took a deep breath.

No one knows that except Hermel, with whom I shared my memories, so how could he… ?

I was trying my best to keep a straight face, but I couldn’t even suppress the fluttering under my eyes.

“You seem very surprised. You and Hermel too.”

First of all, it’s not like Seria was spying on me. If there were people watching me, Hermel would have noticed and dealt with it before me.

Above all, my uterus was destroyed before I even entered the academy. There is no way to find out even if it is only from a glimpse of the past.

If I had the power to peek into the past through some kind of method, I wouldn’t have bothered to point out and ask about every single thing that happened in the past. Is a specific method needed to peek into the past?

no… . I gave the same answer every time. If answering is a trigger… .

No, that doesn’t make sense either. If you had the power to peek into the past, you would have peeked into the entire past during the first conversation, so there’s no need to go through the trouble of asking multiple times.

“Ha… .”

Let’s not make it complicated. No matter how much Seria has grown, she is such a nice person that it is no wonder that she is called a pushover.

She did not have that personality because she was a saint, but she was chosen to be a saint because that was her nature.

The reason I’m having such annoying and twisted thoughts is because I was messed up, not because Seria came up with complicated plans and tricks.

When I slowly thought about it again, I realized I was thinking too complicatedly. okay. Let’s not make it complicated.

After taking a deep breath, I looked at Seria and asked her directly.

“How did you find out?”

“This is an ability I gained after becoming a saint. When I look at a person, should I say that I can see things like chronic diseases or wounds that that person has? . Should I say it pops into my head… . Anyway, yeah. It must be an ability given by heaven to help people.”

“It’s amazing that even with such terrible abilities, you still live and walk around just fine. If combined with the power to heal everything, ordinary life would be like nothing.”

“Thanks to people’s help and consideration, I live without any major problems.”

How is it possible to live without major problems? At best, I’ll be stuck living in a building somewhere. Like expensive decorations in a museum display case.

The one that came out this time may have been forced, or the higher-ups may have released Seria for a while to manage her stress.

Thinking about it, I felt bad for no reason, so I clicked my tongue and frowned.

“Well, okay. it’s okay. It’s not something I should worry about anyway. And, I don’t really need any treatment, so get rid of it.”

“Mmm. I see Then can I just shake your hand one last time?”

“Bullshit. Who would be fooled if you suggest it at this timing?”

“Yes. I thought so.”

The moment I heard Seria’s laughing voice, before I could even express my doubts, a white light fell on me.

Because it was midday, it may not have been visible to others, but standing in the dark alley, we could see the shining sunlight very clearly.

At that moment, I felt a sense of satisfaction and a feeling of blood rushing to one side of my body.

“You… !!”

“I was secretly preparing because I thought he would say that. Originally, it required prayer, but I had been practicing for a while. Using a miracle without prayer.”

I also learned this from you. It’s chantless magic.

Seria said that and smiled with satisfaction.

“I told you you didn’t need me!! It’s none of your business! Or what, are you calling me a virgin!? Do not be ridiculous!! I feel bad!!”

When I shouted with a frown, Seria widened her eyes in surprise, smiled brightly, and winked.

“It’s not for you. For me. I did it for my personal satisfaction and peace of mind. So it’s not something you need to worry about.”

I give back as much as I get… . Is that so?

I looked at Seria blankly, feeling a tingling sensation as if I had been hit hard on the chin, and burst out laughing.

“I thought he was just a brat, but he turned out to be clever. You.”

“After living as a saint for 10 years, I learned that there are some things that just aren’t good enough.”

“Huh.”

“Anyway. I’m done with my work, so I’ll go now. We have an awkward relationship when we face each other for no reason.”

After saying that, Ceria looked at Hermel and spoke with the same gentle smile as when she first saw him.

“I was late in speaking because I was talking with Charlotte. I was grateful at that time, for saving my life, for giving me courage, in many ways.”

Then I’ll go.

After saying that, Ceria calmly passed through the barrier I had set up and left, and I kept my mouth shut while stroking my throbbing lower abdomen.

Isn’t this a too far-fetched development? If this were a novel, readers would definitely laugh and wonder what this is. Isn’t this development too expedient?

As I stood there in a daze, Hermel came up to me and hugged me by the shoulder, resting his chin on my head and sighing.

“You took a big hit. Charles.”

“… Be quiet.”

Hehe, Hermel laughed.

“… okay. Good things must be good.”

I decided not to think too much.

But then I realized that only my head was hurting.