You Are Beautiful
"Are you saying you're going to ask Cadet Zeto to show you around the academy?! Wasn't one of the instructors supposed to do that?"
Ecklin's voice was booming, even though it was the first thing in the morning.
Then again, I wondered if there was ever a time when she wasn't loud.
"Didn't you say so, Ecklin? That men like it when a woman is proactive?"
I replied in a flat voice to the wide-eyed girl.
At this, Ines, who had her arms crossed, glared at Ecklin and growled.
"Ecklin, what on earth have you been babbling to the Saintess..."
"No... well, you see... the Saintess kept asking, so... I just squeezed my brain for the best answer I could think of!"
"You're too much, Ines. I kept telling you how curious I was, but you didn't tell me a single thing."
I cut off their banter and brushed back my hair.
"It's not that, it's just that I haven't really had any experience with men myself... But even I can tell that Ecklin's advice is utterly ridiculous."
"Never mind. In any case, it means you don't know either, Ines... so I have no choice but to follow the Vice-Commander's advice."
I said with a bright smile, looking at Ines, whose eyes had narrowed.
Ines pinched the bridge of her nose.
Ecklin, who had been hanging her head and fidgeting with her fingers, suddenly snapped her head up as if she had just remembered something.
"But how is Cadet Zeto supposed to show you around the academy? Isn't he... visually impaired...?"
"...Indeed. I fear we might be asking too much of Cadet Zeto, regardless of his abilities."
Ines chimed in, agreeing with Ecklin.
Was it because they disliked Zeto?
Or was the idea of being 'proactive' truly that wrong?
"Cadet Zeto seemed to navigate the academy without much trouble, but Ines, you do have a point."
At my quiet response, Ines and Ecklin let out sighs of relief.
"We can just ask him directly."
""Saintess?""
They cried out in unison at my follow-up.
For my part, I wasn't particularly curious about the academy, nor did I have any specific place I wanted to see.
I simply wanted to walk with Zeto.
If it was just that, surely it wouldn't be too difficult a request for him.
Though it would hurt a little if he rejected me, I felt it wouldn't be so bad to muster up some courage.
Above all...
Last night, while I was offering my prayers, the Almighty God had handed down a revelation to me.
"Keep pursuing what you have been pursuing. If you lose it, it will be too late."
It was a shorter revelation than usual.
The Almighty God would occasionally point out the path I should take beforehand.
My first thought upon receiving the revelation was whether there was actually something I had been pursuing.
Soon, that question led me to Zeto.
And so, I had been pondering it ever since.
Why was the Almighty God telling me not to lose Zeto?
The answer was... simpler than I thought.
Zeto had slain a demon.
I was trying to recruit him into the knights.
Perhaps his joining the knights meant he would become a source of strength for the Almighty God as well.
'Which means his influence would be at least on par with Ines's...'
So far, Ines was the only talent I had recruited through a divine revelation.
She was an exceptionally outstanding holy knight.
Her influence was so immense that the Silver Wing Knights without Ines was simply unimaginable.
Moreover, she had helped me immensely in establishing my position as the Saintess.
"...Well then, shall we go find Cadet Zeto?"
Ines and Ecklin could not stop me as I rose from my seat.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Zeto accepted the Saintess's request.
He smiled and confidently said something along the lines of, "If it's just a tour, I can do that anytime."
Ines and Ecklin stared at the blindfold covering his eyes, wondering if this was really okay, but since the Saintess insisted, they had no choice.
Afterward, the Saintess, Bernice, expressing her desire to tour with Zeto alone, suggested that Ecklin and Ines take a day off.
'Saintess!'
Ines immediately tried to dissuade Bernice, but...
'That's a wonderful idea!'
Ecklin simply raised her hand and cheered excitedly at the mention of a break.
In the end, Ecklin did not get to rest.
But Ines couldn't openly follow Bernice either.
Ines and Ecklin were sitting in a cafe.
Across the street, Bernice and Zeto could be seen touring the academy.
Ines sat quietly, staring blankly at them as she recalled the words Bernice had left her with.
'Ines... we're inside the academy anyway, so there won't be any danger. And even if something does happen, I have Cadet Zeto by my side, don't I?'
She couldn't find a single word to refute Bernice's logic.
Besides, it was an order.
Even so, as the Commander of the Silver Wing Knights, she couldn't abandon her duty to guard the Saintess, which was why she had resorted to spying on them like this.
"Commander... is it really okay for us to be doing this? If the Saintess finds out later..."
Ecklin, who was sipping her coffee next to her, asked the dazed Ines.
"This is... escort duty."
Ecklin nodded at Ines's solemn tone.
Across the way, Bernice and Zeto seemed to have entered a restaurant for a meal and were waiting for their food.
Just then, Bernice burst into a bright, ringing laugh while talking to Zeto.
Watching this, Ecklin muttered.
"Do you think... we might actually get to see the Saintess's wedding one day?"
"A wedding...?"
Ines narrowed her eyes and glared at Ecklin.
Her look demanded to know what on earth she was talking about.
Ecklin quickly explained.
"Commander, have you ever seen the Saintess laugh so brightly before?"
"...Not particularly, no."
"Exactly! And she suddenly asked how to get close to a man... There's definitely something going on."
"Still, I think jumping to marriage is a bit of a stretch."
Saints and Saintesses, as apostles of the Almighty God, were perfectly free to marry.
In fact, the Holy Kingdom actively encouraged it.
Their weddings were celebrated as grand festivals throughout the nation.
And there was a good reason for it.
Saints and Saintesses were beings showered with the blessings and love of the Almighty God.
When they bore fruit through love and a child was born, the Almighty God's blessing would descend upon that child as well.
The children of Saints and Saintesses were invariably born possessing immense divine power.
Naturally, the Holy Kingdom welcomed such marriages with open arms.
However, there was one strict condition that had to be met.
It had to be true love.
This was a lesson learned from a foolish incident in the past, where people tried to exploit this trait and force a Saintess to bear a child.
It was said that a truly horrific event occurred afterward.
Even the history books lacked a detailed account.
'The Almighty God was greatly angered.'
Only that brief sentence remained, and about thirty years of records had vanished entirely from the history books.
Thus, interfering in the marriage—or rather, the love—of a Saint or Saintess had long been strictly taboo.
"I heard the last wedding happened before I was born. Do you remember it, Commander? I believe it was a Saint back then."
"That was probably around the time I was born. I was too young to remember it myself..."
The Saintess before Bernice had lost her life in battle, leaving no time for marriage, but the Saint before her had indeed married.
"The Saint..."
Ines muttered, stroking her chin.
There was one strange thing, though.
The life of the Saint Ecklin had just mentioned was shrouded in mystery after his marriage.
Even she did not know what had happened back then.
Even now, as the Commander of the Saintess's Knights, that information remained strictly classified and inaccessible to her.
While Ecklin and Ines were deep in conversation about marriage...
A bizarre sound echoed from the seat next to Ecklin.
*Crunch, crunch.*
It was the sound of something hard being ground to pieces.
Turning her head, Ecklin's eyes fell upon a girl with platinum-blonde hair.
'Cadet Eisel...?'
Eisel, who could be considered the star of this joint class alongside Zeto, was sitting right there.
Eisel was glaring out the window.
On her table sat a single glass of ice water.
'I wondered what that sound was. She's chewing on ice.'
Ecklin assumed as much and turned her head back toward Zeto and Bernice.
Since she didn't know Eisel personally, she couldn't think of anything to say to her.
Besides, the expression on Eisel's face as she stared out the window looked incredibly displeased.
Meanwhile, Bernice was dining with Zeto.
Observed from afar, Bernice looked quite happy.
While Ines might not have noticed, Ecklin felt that the smile Bernice directed at Zeto was far from ordinary.
'Maybe I really will get to see it...'
Watching a Saintess's wedding had been one of Ecklin's small, childhood wishes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time flew by without my realizing it.
The sun had long since set, and moonlight now bathed the academy grounds.
Despite the late hour, quite a few people were still wandering around the main academy building.
Most of them appeared to be cadets and their families.
I had asked Zeto about this earlier.
If his family was here, it would only be right for him to spend time with them.
He had replied in a calm, even voice.
That he had no family to visit him.
It was only natural, but it was the truth.
At times like this, having my authority felt a bit burdensome.
In any case... Zeto worked hard to show me around the academy, just as confidently as he had promised.
As I followed him, I asked how he managed to remember the paths so well.
Zeto explained that it felt as though a map of the entire city was drawn inside his head.
It was fascinating.
Observing him closely, it seemed that Zeto's other senses were incredibly well-developed to compensate for his lack of sight.
He even claimed he could hear the heartbeats of passersby...
...I thought he was joking, but that, too, was the absolute truth.
"How was it?"
Zeto, walking beside me, asked.
"It was truly wonderful."
I replied, looking down at the ground.
In truth, I didn't care much about the academy itself.
Even so, I wasn't lying.
I simply enjoyed the time I spent with him.
Being with him allowed me to experience emotions that had been hard to feel ever since I became the Saintess.
Comfort, joy, refreshment, and so on.
Ah, even a small sense of happiness.
"The kraken leg...? That was truly delicious."
"I'm glad. I thought you might like it."
He was a man whose every word, even trivial remarks like this, was the truth.
He was a person full of truth, though in a different sense than Ines.
'Was being proactive really the right answer after all?'
I was able to become close with Zeto incredibly quickly.
We got along so well that it made me wonder if he had researched my likes and dislikes beforehand.
As we grew closer, the physical distance between us shrank.
And eventually, I managed to pinpoint the faint, ominous energy I had been sensing.
It was only an approximate location... but that location was the problem.
The places emitting that negative energy were the sword at his waist, and near his chest.
The sword... I could understand, but why was such an energy lingering near his chest?
If left unchecked, it could be life-threatening.
But I couldn't bring myself to ask.
The more time I spent with Zeto, the stronger my desire to 'have him' became.
I feared that if I asked prematurely without fully understanding the situation, he might grow wary of me, ruining any chance of recruiting him.
For now, he didn't look critically ill or in immediate danger. He was in excellent health.
So, for the time being... this might be for the best.
"...It seems to be getting late, so I should probably head back."
I stopped in my tracks and said, gazing intently at Zeto.
"Is that so?"
"I had a wonderful time, thanks to you."
"No, I enjoyed it as well."
Just as a faint smile was forming on my lips at yet another 'truth' he spoke...
*Rumble...!!*
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from afar, and the lights illuminating the surroundings vanished in an instant.
In a split second, everything plunged into pitch-black darkness, blinding my vision.
Looking around, the entire city had been swallowed by darkness.
Zeto, whom I could barely make out in the dark, seemed to tilt his head. It made sense, as he wouldn't be able to tell whether the surroundings had gone dark or remained bright.
"What's going on?"
"The lights went out all of a sudden!"
"Sweetie, where are you?"
Soon, the worried murmurs of other people inside the main building began to echo.
"...It seems the mana supply to the entire city was cut off in an instant."
"If you don't mind, would you like to hold onto me? This doesn't affect me at all."
At my explanation, Zeto replied and lightly tapped my hand.
For now, I took Zeto's hand.
Then, a familiar voice calling out to me echoed from the far end of the hallway.
"Saintess...? Where are you?"
It was Ines.
Judging by the sound of rushing footsteps, Ecklin seemed to be with her.
I had clearly told them to rest, but they must have been secretly tailing me all this time.
"...Should we hide for a moment?"
Thinking about how they had probably been watching Zeto and me the entire time made me feel a bit mischievous, so I decided to play a small prank.
"I don't think that's a very good idea...?"
Despite Zeto's hesitant reply, I smiled and pulled his hand, leading him toward a corner I couldn't even clearly see.
Zeto followed me without any resistance.
Moving slightly to the side, I found a door, opened it, and stepped inside.
*Click.*
"Whew..."
I quietly closed the door and let out a sigh of relief.
Then, Zeto, standing in front of me, spoke.
"...Is this really alright?"
"Hmm... I wonder. But we should probably head out before they panic too much, right? Let's just call it a small punishment for disobeying my orders. Hehe."
"Well, if it's just for a moment..."
Zeto seemed to accept it.
Perhaps he couldn't say much because I was the Saintess.
Leaning against the door, I stared blankly at Zeto in front of me.
Even though the lights were gone, my eyes were gradually adjusting to the dark, allowing me to make out his faint silhouette.
"By the way... I feel like we've only been looking at things I wanted to see all day... Don't you have anything you're curious about regarding me, Cadet Zeto?"
It suddenly occurred to me that he hadn't asked me a single question.
At my question, Zeto tilted his head.
"Hmm... something I'm curious about..."
Was this really a question that required such deep contemplation?
To think he had so little curiosity about me that he had to think this hard... I felt a tiny, just a tiny bit disappointed.
'Men like it when a woman is proactive, right?'
With that thought in mind, I immediately grabbed his hand.
And then, I placed his hand against my face.
"For example... what the Saintess of Purity, Bernice, looks like...?"
"..."
"I thought if we did this, you might be able to tell what I look like, Cadet Zeto..."
Holding his hand, I guided it across my face, explaining as I went.
"This is... my nose. It's shaped like this."
He silently followed my touch, tracing the contours of my face.
"And... my lips..."
Gazing at his face, barely visible in the darkness, I pondered what part of my face to explain next.
"Hmm... my eyes... Since you can't touch my eyes directly, I suppose touching my eyelids would be better."
After that, we went over my eyebrows, my cheeks... tracing every feature we could.
Finally, my sudden attempt at 'shoving my face' at Zeto came to an end.
Having a man trace my face... was far more embarrassing than I had anticipated.
It was especially embarrassing because Zeto had touched my face in complete silence.
"How was it...? The Saintess's face..."
I asked Zeto, my voice turning uncharacteristically timid.
I put on a relaxed smile and quietly awaited his response.
Because of my authority, I would inevitably distinguish between heartfelt praise and empty flattery, so I wasn't expecting much.
After all, surely it would be difficult to describe how someone looked just from this.
Even though I was the one who initiated it, that was what I thought.
Just then, a faint smile played on Zeto's lips.
"You are... very beautiful, Saintess."
Zeto's gentle voice drifted into my ears.
At his answer, a soft gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"...Ah."
The quiet reply Zeto had uttered...
Was a crystal-clear, undeniable truth.