Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Episode 10
"Wahahaha!"
Her laughter was truly boisterous. Even if she hid in the forest, her location would be completely exposed. She was probably hoping for that, but I couldn't help but get a headache listening to her laughter.
"Prince Oz, I believe I have shown you a considerable amount of respect."
The Disciplinary Committee had been quite polite. Apart from initially surrounding and threatening me, they hadn't done anything. So, I could understand why Olivia was now raising a menacing-looking mace. I was the one who disregarded her respect.
"Therefore, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from causing us further trouble."
It was too close to rely on [Mana Dominator]. Moreover, there were other members of the Disciplinary Committee who hadn't gone after Eleanor. If I picked a fight, I would only end up getting beaten up in my current state.
Besides, there was no reason to fight in the first place. I had already achieved my goal, hadn't I? Eleanor was probably enjoying a fun game of tag right now.
"Alright, I'll come quietly."
I raised both hands in surrender, but Olivia and the Disciplinary Committee didn't lower their guard. Were they still wary of me? I had even deactivated [Contemplation].
Then I had no choice but to use the all-purpose cheat code.
"If you still don't trust me, I'll swear on mana..."
"...If you insist, it's fine."
The Disciplinary Committee members, who had been nervously handling their weapons, sighed in relief and lowered their hands. Just how effective was the mana oath? It was almost frightening how much trust it could garner.
"Prince Oz... I don't know what you're planning, but I hope you'll show respect to the person you're about to meet."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
There was that person in the Disciplinary Committee. The Disciplinary Committee was mostly comprised of paladins and priests. Then it was obvious who was at the top. [Saintess of Hope] Arietta Domine would be there.
"...I don't mind you speaking informally to me, a second-year, since you have a high status, but if you show the same attitude towards the Saintess, we can't guarantee what will happen."
It was a blatant threat. It was understandable. The reason they were in Scientia in the first place was to protect the Saintess.
"By the way, you're a second-year?"
"Did you think I joined the Disciplinary Committee before the semester even started?"
"No..."
I hadn't really thought about it. I remembered [Saintess of Hope] Arietta Domine being a first-year. So, I assumed the [Shield of Light], her escort, would be the same.
"Wait, then is the Saintess of Hope also a second-year?"
"No, she failed a semester because she didn't meet the attendance requirement."
"Oh, I see."
The atmosphere became a bit awkward. Was her attendance lacking because she was busy running around? No, that was strange too. If she had things to do, there was no reason for the [Shield of Light] not to accompany her. Weren't they her escorts?
"But you guys..."
"The Saintess..."
"..."
"...didn't meet the attendance requirement. Do you understand, Prince Oz? She lacked attendance."
"Uh..."
There seemed to be something I shouldn't ask about. But with such a blatant statement, I couldn't not know. Perhaps Saintess of Hope Arietta wasn't very bright.
"I understand."
"Do you really understand?"
"Yes, have you forgotten who I am?"
"...I'll trust you."
She was telling me to be careful not to touch upon the Saintess's sore spot, right? I also didn't want to upset her by bringing up grades.
"Then, let's go. We'll try to let you go before class starts."
"Alright."
Perhaps because I had mentioned the mana oath, the Disciplinary Committee members led me with lighter steps. They didn't seem to think I would run away. I wasn't planning to run away anyway, but it was a bit anticlimactic.
"Then, please come in."
The place they led me to was, unexpectedly, a church. There was a church where the Disciplinary Committee room should have been. I didn't know why the Disciplinary Committee room was a church. I glanced at Olivia and the other members, and they seemed completely indifferent. This wasn't a recent development.
Wasn't this an abuse of power...? I gave them a questioning look, but they just stared back expressionlessly.
"Please come in."
As I stepped inside the church, half-pushed from behind, I felt a strange sense of discomfort. It wasn't unpleasant or uncomfortable. Rather, it felt comfortable, like suddenly lying down on a warm blanket.
So, this was holy power? Come to think of it, I had seen and felt mana countless times, but this was my first encounter with holy power.
"Prince Oz? Is something wrong?"
"No, let's go in."
Olivia urged me on when I paused, momentarily captivated by the unfamiliar sensation. Why were they so insistent on bringing me inside the church? Were they investigating me?
"This way."
Olivia pointed to a door. I already knew. The holy power I had been feeling was emanating from inside that door. And all that holy power was coming from a single person.
The wooden door creaked open, and Olivia led me inside. As I stepped through the door, a refreshing scent of apple mint wafted through the air. In the center of the room, there was a large executive chair that seemed out of place.
"Welcome."
A girl's voice came from behind the chair. It was a soothing voice.
Whirl.
The girl sitting in the chair suddenly spun around.
"Oh..."
She spun a bit too much. She quickly turned back to her original position. I only saw her for a moment, but [Contemplation] didn't miss it.
[SSR Saintess of Hope]
Arietta Domine
As expected, [Saintess of Hope] Arietta Domine, the healer character with the highest performance in the game, was here.
"Saintess, you turned too much."
"Ah, thank you, Olivia."
Olivia casually turned the executive chair so that it faced me. Pure white hair, as if all color had been drained from it, caught my eye. Then I saw her closed eyes. She had a gentle impression, but I couldn't just see her in a positive light.
She was blind. That was why, despite possessing such powerful holy power, she needed protection. In the game, she sometimes appeared with her eyes open depending on her character rank, but even then, her gaze was unfocused. She possessed holy power that could even reattach severed limbs, yet she couldn't heal her own eyes. A Saintess who showed the light of hope to others, but couldn't see anything herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Saintess of Hope, Arietta Domine. I am Oz Quabadis. It's an honor to meet you."
"First time...?"
"...?"
I heard a sigh-like sound, and I raised my head, which I had lowered in greeting, but Arietta's expression remained unchanged. Did I hear wrong?
"..."
No, I didn't hear wrong. Arietta's expression didn't change, but the Disciplinary Committee members were glaring at me. I wasn't sure what it was, but I must have made a mistake.
"Um, w-well, Oz... what brings you to the Disciplinary Committee?"
"I caused a small commotion in the academy, so I'm here as a person of interest. How unfortunate."
"...Prince Oz vandalized the Headmaster's statue with a strange female student and was arrested on the spot."
"What?"
Olivia, still directing blatant hostility towards me, made an unnecessary remark. Arietta became speechless at those words. An awkward silence filled the air. What should I say? If I spoke carelessly like before, wouldn't the Disciplinary Committee members kill me?
As I was pondering...
"Olivia, we've caught Noah, who ran away."
"...Yes, bring her here."
A savior appeared to break the tension. Or perhaps it was another troll, I wasn't sure. A moment later, Eleanor, whom I had set free, was brought in, tied up with rope. What did she do to get tied up like that?
She seemed to have a regretful expression, but considering the time, she hadn't lasted long. She was incompetent in many ways.
"Well... It seems we meet again, Saintess."
"Uh... Ah, yes, hello?"
Arietta started to sweat at Eleanor's confident demeanor, despite being captured. I would be flustered too if someone acted like that after being caught. What made her so proud?
"W-Well, let's start the confession..."
Arietta said hesitantly, as if something was bothering her.
"Confession? What should we do, Master? This seems interesting."
"...I don't see anything interesting about this."
The Saintess's confession was special. It had appeared a few times in the game. It seemed that in a confession conducted under her rules, you could remain silent, but you couldn't lie.
And I think I knew why. Seeing the weapons of the Disciplinary Committee members right under my chin, I could understand why lying wasn't an option. This was a different kind of structure that prevented lying.
"Then, I'll ask Oz... first."
"...Yes."
"Why did you try to vandalize the Headmaster's statue?"
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I didn't vandalize the statue. I smashed a window."
I shuddered at the words that naturally came out of my mouth. It wasn't because of the Disciplinary Committee's threat. I really couldn't lie. I couldn't even subtly twist my words. I felt the most chilling sense of unease yet, as if I could only speak the truth.
"Why did you do that? D-Did you see a ghost or something?"
"Are you afraid of ghosts?"
"N-No... Ugh?!"
Arietta suddenly lowered her head. The Saintess experienced physical pain, beyond just guilt, when she lied. She seemed to be afraid of ghosts.
"Um, could you please only answer the questions I ask?"
"Prince Oz, please don't bother the Saintess. As you can see, she's quite delicate."
"Alright..."
Arietta lowered her head again at Olivia's pointed remark. She seemed quite embarrassed.
"S-So, could you tell me why you did that?"
"I saw Noah trying to destroy the Headmaster's statue, and I wanted to stop her."
"So, Oz, you're innocent? I'm glad my judgment wasn't wrong. Hee hee."
"..."
What was that? Black humor? How should I react to her using the phrase "my judgment" when she couldn't see? Should I laugh? But what if it was a mistake? Wouldn't I look strange?
Fortunately, Arietta turned her head before I could react. The target of interrogation had changed.
"Then..."
"It's Noah."
"Yes, then Noah, why did you try to vandalize the Headmaster's statue?"
"I didn't."
"Huh...?"
Arietta looked back and forth between us with a blank expression. She probably hadn't imagined our statements would contradict each other so perfectly. Honestly, I was dumbfounded too. She could lie?
"I didn't try to vandalize the statue. It was just accidentally scratched while I was trying to dismantle it and erect a new one!"
"Ah, I see... I understand."
Arietta's adaptability was beyond imagination. She seemed to have already grasped what kind of person Eleanor was. Her questions shifted away from me and focused entirely on Eleanor. It was practically a sermon at this point.
"Saintess, there's also the matter of Prince Oz and Noah seeming to be plotting something."
"Is that so?"
Olivia interjected again. She still didn't seem to be in a good mood. She was quite hostile.
"Could you tell us what you two are plotting?"
"Nothing in particular."
"We're going to turn this academy upside down and spread our names."
I told the truth, and Eleanor told a lie. The scary part was that this lie wasn't a lie to her. It was a truly grand ambition. As expected, wasn't Eleanor closer to a villain than a protagonist?
"...It seems the target of interrogation has been decided."
Naturally, the target was Eleanor, not me.
"I'm... tired..."
Eleanor and I left the Disciplinary Committee room after the interrogation. It really did end before class started. The problem was that even if we ran at full speed, we would still be late. I couldn't even get angry since they technically kept their promise.
Were we supposed to find our own way back? They dragged us to the middle of the forest and didn't even offer to take us back.
"We're definitely late. Let's just take it easy."
"Then how about we decide on a grand entrance? I like flashy things."
"...Sometimes, I envy your positivity."
"As expected, I'm someone who inspires envy."
It was amazing how she could be so positive even after being dragged to the Disciplinary Committee on the first day of school. I would be too worried about the rumors spreading to even open the classroom door.
"The Saintess, she was pretty, wasn't she?"
"Huh? Well, yeah..."
Eleanor spoke to me as we walked silently through the forest. Being the attention-seeker she was, she couldn't stand the current silence. She wanted to talk about something.
"I thought flour would come off if I touched her hair."
"That doesn't sound like a compliment."
Wouldn't it be better to say she looked like pristine white marble?
"Speaking of which, I heard the Saintess is a first-year like us. Does she not have to attend classes?"
"She already took them last year, so orientation is fine. Besides, I don't think she'll be attending much anyway."
As Olivia said, if it was just a matter of lacking attendance, she just needed to make up for those few days. If she failed the classes, she just needed to retake them. I wondered if she even intended to graduate.
"But... I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm curious what color her eyes are."
"Mint green."
A bright turquoise that reminded me of summer.
"...?"
Eleanor suddenly stopped and put her index fingers on her temples, lost in thought. She seemed to be wondering how I knew Arietta's eye color. After pondering for a while, she asked suspiciously,
"Were you two acquainted?"
"...Perhaps."
I decided to be vague since she wouldn't understand even if I explained. She didn't seem too interested and didn't press further.
"Come to think of it, isn't it strange? She's practically the embodiment of holy power, yet she can't heal her own eyes?"
Eleanor tilted her head and commented.
"Arie... No, the Saintess's blindness is caused by holy power."
"Holy power?"
"A light too bright can blind you."
"That kind of metaphor... it stimulates the darkness within, so I don't dislike it."
"...I hate it when you say things like that. It gives me goosebumps."
A brief silence followed. Then Eleanor continued as if nothing had happened.
"By the way, Master, you seem to know a lot about the Saintess."
"...That's true."
I couldn't help but know a lot about her. The reason I started playing this crappy game, Broken Sky, was Arietta.
She was my favorite character.
"But it seems we weren't fated."
I spent about 3,000 dollars trying to get her, but she never came home. Damn probability manipulation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Olivia Blue, a paladin belonging to the [Shield of Light], the Saintess's direct escort unit, disliked Oz from the moment she saw him. He exuded the typical arrogance of those in power. He had that kind of look in his eyes.
Nevertheless, she showed him respect. Because Arietta, the Saintess she served, wished for it. She was a member of the [Shield of Light], Arietta's escort. She was someone who had always observed Arietta from close by. Therefore, she knew better than anyone how delicate Arietta was, that she was just a kind and easily hurt girl. Yes, to her, Arietta was like a younger sister.
"How dare he..."
And there was someone Arietta always talked about. Oz Quabadis, who was apparently from the same monastery as her. Arietta, who had been eagerly waiting for the day she would meet him again, even gave up on advancing to her second year when she heard the rumor that Oz would be entering Scientia.
-It's a pleasure to meet you, Saintess of Hope, Arietta Domine. I am Oz Quabadis. It's an honor to meet you.
But Oz betrayed that expectation. He drew a clear line between them, expressing his intention to reject her. That was unforgivable. If Arietta hadn't been there, she would have immediately swung her mace and smashed his head.
"Saintess..."
"I-It's okay, Olivia. It's only natural. Remembering things from when we were young... Ugh!"
After Oz and Eleanor left, chattering away, Arietta slumped over her desk. She said she was just tired, but Olivia could tell how heartbroken she was.
"...I'll be back in a moment."
"Okay."
Grit!
Olivia gritted her teeth and went looking for Oz. She knew it couldn't be helped, as Arietta said, but she couldn't accept it. She wanted to lash out at him, even if it was just a single word.
"I thought flour would come off if I touched her hair."
"That doesn't sound like a compliment."
Soon, she found Oz chatting with the girl called Noah. Seeing that, Olivia tightened her grip on her mace.
"But... I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm curious what color her eyes are."
"Mint green."
But the moment she heard those words, her grip on the mace loosened. If he had truly forgotten Arietta, there was no way he would know that information. Yes, he hadn't forgotten Arietta.
'Then why...?'
Why did he draw the line? As Olivia pondered this question, Oz muttered with a wistful expression,
"But it seems we weren't fated."
Olivia flinched as if a shiver ran down her spine and dropped her mace. She finally understood what he meant. Oz was currently being pursued by the Mage Kingdom, Spellerge. The moment he left Scientia, he would be in constant d
anger of assassination. And Arietta wasn't heartless enough to abandon him. She would probably use all means to protect him, which would create a huge rift between the Church and Spellerge.
"So that's it..."
He didn't want to involve Arietta.
Olivia came to that conclusion and turned back. What a cruel twist of fate. Olivia felt pity for the two whose paths could never cross.