Chapter 218: Enlightenment and Regret
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Enlightenment and Regret
The area in front of the temple was bathed in brilliant light.
I had expected a scene of total chaos, but surprisingly, the knights were all perfectly calm. Only the priests were in a frantic state, pacing and shouting.
"This is no time to be standing around! We must set out to find the Saintess immediately!"
"Do you truly believe Blenheim will remain unscathed if something happens to Her Eminence?"
Gamon, who had been standing there without so much as batting an eye at their protests, spotted us stepping out of the carriage and approached.
"Commander. Your Highness."
He offered a polite salutation.
"What happened?" Loik asked.
"The Saintess has entered the mountains."
"In the middle of the night?"
"We don't know the exact reason. The 9th Knight Division was monitoring her, and they reported that she scaled the temple wall alone and disappeared into the woods."
It was so dark that the mountain paths wouldn't even be visible. Where could she have gone?
"Is anyone tailing her?" Loik asked Gamon, noticing my worried expression.
"Tiern is on her."
This meant that instead of stopping her, Sir Tiern was secretly following her to determine her destination.
"Will Sir Tiern be alright alone? The moonlight is bright, but it must still be difficult to discern the path."
Loik smiled as he tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear.
"Don't worry. No knight knows these mountains better than Tiern. He'll be fine."
The knights of the 9th Division who saw me bit their lips, clearly trying to maintain their composure. Their faces suggested they thought I was worrying over the most useless thing in the world.
"We originally intended to wait for Sir Tiern’s return, but..." Gamon looked apologetic, explaining that they had only alerted us because the priests had discovered her absence and started a commotion.
Suddenly, Loik narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings. "Where is Duke Kyle?"
"Upon hearing that the Saintess was missing, he took the Holy Knights and headed into the mountains."
"He really is a piece of work."
"I gave him ample warning, but..."
"Did you not even attach a guide to him?"
Gamon’s face stiffened slightly in disapproval. "He claimed that as a Sword Master, he had no need for such things as 'directions.'"
At those words, the knights all wore identical expressions of pathetic disbelief.
"He underestimates the northern mountains far too much."
"What would a precious Duke who’s spent his whole life in the capital know?"
Gamon cleared his throat softly and added, "I didn't send anyone after Duke Kyle." He offered the excuse that the Duke would likely have sensed their presence anyway.
Loik gave a dry response. Honestly, his gaze suggested he didn't particularly care what happened to Duke Kyle.
Just then, a knight arrived, leading the village elder.
"Commander, I believe I know why the Saintess went into the mountains."
"To think Her Highness the Grand Duchess would grace us with her presence so late at night!"
The elder, whose eyes sparkled for a long moment upon seeing me, reported that he had told the Saintess about the Spring of Enlightenment.
"Seeing as the Goddess's Cup is missing, there is no doubt!" The elder fumed, saying that despite being told not to touch it, the Saintess had resorted to 'theft.'
"Are you talking about the spring we saw when we went to look at the winery? You said that was the Goddess's Spring."
"That is merely a place where a path was cleared for easy access. The original source is much higher up," Miel said, stepping forward from the back.
"But it's a difficult place to find without a guide..." He trailed off worriedly.
Gamon looked at Loik, waiting for orders.
Loik let out a weary sigh as he looked toward the mountains. "We'll put together a small team and head to the Spring of Enlightenment. I'm going as well."
"Pardon? There's no need for the Commander himself to go..."
"She went there of her own volition; it wouldn't hurt for her to suffer a little, would it?"
"I have a favor to ask of the Saintess," Norton added quietly, causing the knights to look bewildered.
"A... favor?"
"Y-you should have said so sooner."
It seemed they all felt they had committed many sins against the Saintess until now. Though, out of everyone, I was probably the worst offender.
"I want to go too," I announced.
Loik's brows furrowed. "No. The mountain paths are far too dangerous at night."
"What's dangerous about it when the Grand Duke is with me?"
"The terrain is rugged. It will be exhausting."
"Even so, I need to be there when we rescue her so I can take the credit."
"I'll take the credit on your behalf."
"You're not very good at that sort of thing, Your Grace." I paused, then added, "And honestly, I'm worried."
I wondered if I had pushed Constine too far into a corner... I felt I needed to see with my own eyes that she was safe to be at peace.
Ultimately, Loik raised the white flag.
Enolius, who had been summoned to the temple, meticulously cast magic on my shoes so I could walk comfortably.
"I've added a warming spell as well, so you won't feel the cold."
"I could have just carried her," Loik grumbled.
"I can walk too," I muttered back.
With everything prepared, I began the trek alongside the grumbling Loik. Thus, an unexpected night hike began.
*
Where on earth is it?
Constine was trudging upward, relying solely on the moonlight.
The mountain path was darker and more treacherous than she had imagined. When she had found the signposted 'Goddess's Spring' earlier, she thought she was almost there. But in the darkness, even finding the water's trail was no easy feat.
Unbeknownst to her, Constine had taken the wrong direction and was heading toward the spring by taking a massive detour.
The Goddess's Cup tucked into her bodice felt heavier by the second.
Huff, huff.
Gasping for air, Constine finally slumped onto a boulder to catch her breath. Leaning her head against the large rock, she looked up at the sky. The brilliant moonlight poured down, illuminating the surroundings as if by design.
Is it just my imagination?
It felt as though the moonlight was specifically shining on this spot.
A thought suddenly flashed through Constine's mind. The scriptures definitely said, 'The moonlight led the woman.' Perhaps it meant there was a path where the moonlight fell.
And then, almost perfectly timed, she heard the faint sound of running water from behind the boulder she was leaning on.
Constine scrambled around to the back of the rock.
Found it!
A small stream led behind the boulder. And at the end of that stream sat a small cave entrance, bathed in moonlight.
As if possessed, Constine moved toward it.
Stepping inside the cave, she found a surprisingly spacious interior. The stone floor was wide and flat, like a clearing. Beyond it, rocks of various sizes rose like a steep staircase, forming a small cliff.
Moonlight, seeping through a crack in the cave ceiling, illuminated the top of the stone wall. From the center of that wall, water bubbled up and cascaded down the rocks in several streams, soaking the cave floor.
After a moment of awe at the overwhelming sight, Constine moved toward the stone wall. The wall before her was easily twice her height. She wondered if she could even climb such a steep path.
I can't turn back now, not after coming all this way.
Steeling her resolve, Constine carefully began to climb, using the crevices in the rock as footholds. The stone was sharper than expected. When she gripped it tight to keep from slipping, the tips of her fingers tore, and blood began to bead. Furthermore, the path was slick from the constant flow of water.
With her legs trembling, she exerted every ounce of strength to haul herself up the stone steps. After a long struggle, soaked to the bone, she finally managed to crawl onto the top of the stone wall.
The Spring of Enlightenment lay before her.
In the center of the flat surface, water was bubbling up with a soft, rhythmic sound.
Constine slowly approached the spring, knelt, and pulled out the precious Goddess's Cup. She filled it with the spring water.
Please, Goddess. Show me the way.
She repeated the prayer fervently in her heart as she drank the water.
Suddenly, the surroundings seemed to dim, and the scenery before her eyes shifted.
Constine found herself standing somewhere else. Around her were countless priests dressed in the same white robes as her. Then, all the priests turned their gaze toward a single point.
Following their eyes, she saw a dais radiating a pure white halo. Someone was walking out toward the front of it. The priests all bowed their heads in unison, showing their respect.
Who is it? The High Priest?
She blinked in confusion. As the figure stepped into the light of the halo, their silhouette became clear.
Constine felt as if her heart had stopped.
Annette Blenheim.
The Grand Duchess of Blenheim stood upon the dais with a divine presence. She slowly lowered her head and looked directly at Constine.
The moment their eyes met...
Beyond those sapphire-blue eyes, an infinitely deep and serene existence gazed back at her. That gaze held no blame, no reproach. There was only a transparent resonance that seemed to pierce through to the very truth.
"Ah...!"
Clang!
The cup fell powerlessly from Constine's hand. Simultaneously, the vision vanished without a trace.
However, an indescribable storm raged within Constine. It was a painful enlightenment.
Constine pushed herself up, her body shaking violently. She couldn't stay here a moment longer. As she stumbled backward in a daze, her foot suddenly slipped, and her body tilted back.
After a couple of heavy stumbles, her heel caught on the edge of the stone wall. Her body lurched violently, and she fell backward.
Before she could even scream, Constine plummeted from the ledge.
Am I going to die so pointlessly?
As a fake Saintess?
In that brief instant, a whirlwind of regrets flashed through her mind. Just as she squeezed her eyes shut in despair...
Thump.
A firm, solid pair of arms caught her completely.