Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Kidnapping (3)
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Suddenly, such a thought crossed my mind.
If the 'god' that Ortella speaks of is watching this scene right now.
“I'm fine. There's no need to commit falsehoods on my account.”
“No, listen to me...”
“Tsk. She said it's fine.”
It must be quite absurd.
Seeing Ortella's stubborn reaction, I decided to give up persuading her.
Think whatever. Anyway, this is actually more helpful.
“So, why did you kidnap me?”
At the abrupt question, I scratched my head.
...My business is already done.
Since I'd come here from the start just to check on Ortella's condition, there was no reason to stay any longer.
“It's resolved.”
“Huh?”
Ortella wore an incredulous expression at my answer.
“What? Then why kidnap me? If it was something that could be settled with a conversation like this, there was no need to kidnap me at all.”
“True, but I'm in a position where I need to save time.”
“You call that an excuse...!”
Anyway, I'd seen to my business, so it was about time to head back...
But leaving her here alone felt worrisome.
“Can you make it back by yourself?”
“...Are you serious?”
“Ah.”
I sometimes forget because she acts like she can see everything.
This saintess is blind.
If she went off alone, forget finding the path—she'd obviously get attacked by monsters.
“No choice then.”
I approached Ortella.
Just pick her up and run like before. If I dropped her off in front of her escorts, they'd handle the rest, right?
“Huh? W-wait. What are you trying to do?!”
Ortella freaked out and staggered backward.
Her unsteady steps made me anxious for a moment, and then she stepped on a protruding rock and began to wobble.
A perfectly predictable outcome.
This was a forest. Not even on a proper path, so it was full of obstacles that would be tough for a blind person to avoid.
Unfortunately, the rocks embedded in the ground weren't being cleared away by her god.
“Hyaaak!”
She ended up screaming as she toppled backward.
I reached out and grabbed the collar of her clothes.
The falling Ortella froze in place right there.
“How's a blind girl supposed to wander around like that.”
I immediately helped her to her feet.
Ortella stared blankly for a moment before muttering.
“Whether I should thank you for this...”
Her face looked faintly troubled as she straightened her clothes.
“You're the first person to grab my collar.”
“Oh, an honor.”
“You're aware the person in front of you is a saintess, right?”
Ortella let out deep sighs.
It was a breath carrying more worry than irritation.
Complex. This concern was for herself as much as it was for me.
“Phew, now I'm ready.”
“What?”
“I'm prepared.”
Ortella spread her arms wide.
A posture anyone could recognize as 'it's okay to hug me.'
I stared at her blankly for a moment, then casually walked past.
“Let's just walk.”
“...”
Carrying her and running would be more convenient for me too.
The shorter the time spent in avatar form, the better.
The issue was that Ortella's body looked even frailer than I'd thought.
I hadn't given it much thought at first, but seeing her nearly fall changed my mind.
“I-I prefer walking anyway.”
Ortella hurried to keep up right behind me.
I gave her a sidelong glance.
Petite stature and slender limbs.
In a word, she looked like she'd snap if kicked lightly.
That's why I'd grabbed her collar. Holding her arm seemed like it might hurt her.
Ortella was someone trying to help 'me.'
If possible, I didn't want to cause her pain.
“How long will it take?”
“Who knows. Probably a while.”
It had been a short time, but I'd run at full speed.
We were already quite a distance from the academy, so at this pace, it'd take about an hour to arrive.
Of course, I had no intention of sticking around for a full hour.
It'd be a waste to burn through half of the mid-grade avatar I'd bought just escorting the saintess a little.
“Aren't you in a hurry?”
“Well, it'll be fine.”
If I couldn't go to them, they'd come to me.
Her escorts were probably scouring the area for me with fury in their eyes by now.
Since her senses seemed reliable enough, if we just wandered around, they'd find us on their own.
About 10 minutes? I'd stay with Ortella until then.
You are currently using the avatar.
Remaining usage time: 1 hour 47 minutes 17 seconds
Honestly, spending another 10 minutes here didn't seem like too much strain. My business had wrapped up faster than expected.
I cautioned Ortella.
“Follow close. Don't stray onto other paths.”
“Don't worry. Keeping up is easy for me.”
“So you don't need me holding you?”
“Of course. It's been seven years since I stopped needing support when walking.”
With those words, Ortella tripped the very next instant.
This time, it was plant roots tangled in the ground.
I grabbed the fabric at her waist firmly and halted her face-plant.
Then I pulled her upright.
Second time already. At this rate, there was no telling how many times she'd fall in the remaining 10 minutes.
“Let's just hold on.”
“...”
Ortella meekly took hold of my arm.
“Can I make an excuse?”
“Go ahead.”
“Normally, I only walk on flat paths. This is my first time in a forest. I had no idea the ground was this uneven.”
Well, what could a blind girl do?
She couldn't read the thoughts of soil or plants, and her ability was sealed anyway, so there was nothing for it.
“Fair enough.”
“Really. I'm not usually this clumsy...”
Ortella kept making excuses.
She might not have a clumsy personality, but she was definitely a bit tedious.
Time to change the subject.
I scanned the surroundings and spotted a sturdy apple tree.
“Come over here.”
“...What now?”
I hopped lightly and plucked a fruit hanging high up.
A red fruit a bit larger than my fist—it looked delicious.
“Like apples?”
“An apple out of nowhere?”
“There's an apple tree here.”
I took a bite of the apple in my hand.
Sweet-and-sour flavor bursting as I chewed. The standard apple taste.
...Now that I thought about it, was this the first food I'd eaten since possessing this body?
I couldn't eat anything in the inner world, so it felt strangely novel.
“You didn't just eat that, did you?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“You can't just pick fruit willy-nilly. It might belong to someone.”
Ortella began prattling on in her stuffy way.
I ignored her and pondered the apple.
The taste was ordinary, and it didn't seem to have any problematic flesh. Should be fine to give her.
“Here, chew on this, Saintess.”
“Ah, I don't wan...”
I shoved the sweet apple into the mouth of the protesting saintess.
“Tasty, right?”
Ortella eventually took a bite of the apple.
Munch munch. Her expression didn't look displeased, so it must taste good.
“Want more?”
“...Thanks to you, I've become a sinner too.”
I picked another apple and handed it over.
Now Ortella was a full accomplice.
Beston thought.
'I'm screwed.'
With his eyes wide open, he'd allowed the saintess to be kidnapped.
His concentration and vigilance hadn't slipped.
It was simply a matter of speed. The kidnapper's legs had been far faster than his own.
Of course, this wasn't the kind of blunder where such excuses would fly.
If he failed to retrieve the saintess, his head would roll.
Even if he brought her back safely, he'd be stripped of all status and cast out.
In practical terms, Beston was already finished.
“Damn, damn...!”
Even so, he couldn't give up.
It wasn't just about his life. This was a matter of duty.
He couldn't betray the faith the saintess had placed in him by entrusting her protection to him.
Beston ran without pause.
He sharpened his already keen senses even further, detecting every presence in the vicinity.
'No matter how fast, they can't keep it up forever. I'll catch them for sure.'
Being fast didn't guarantee superior stamina.
Beston was a holy knight of the church.
Holy knights were forbidden from giving up in any situation, and their stamina training was the harshest on the entire continent.
He poured every ounce of that training into maintaining full speed with his legs.
“...There!”
Finally, Beston detected a presence beyond his own.
One was, needless to say, the holy existence herself—the saintess.
She was safe. What a relief.
And the other one...
'What unholy aura...!'
A presence that couldn't be called human.
Not demonkin either—an indescribable entity was with her.
Beston gnashed his teeth.
He didn't know their purpose for this outrage, but the moment he found them, he'd take that bastard's head.
Paat!
Beston burst through the underbrush.
The instant he confirmed the saintess's safety, he charged the kidnapper.
“Ah, there you are.”
The kidnapper's gaze turned to Beston.
She looked almost welcoming, but that leisure was about to end.
Beston swung his sword with all his might.
It was a single strike channeling his full intent to kill.
“Stoooop!!”
“...!”
However, the sword never completed its arc.
The saintess's intervention midway halted Beston.
“Sir Beston, no...!”
“S-Saintess?”
An incomprehensible situation unfolded before his eyes.
The 'why?' blooming in his mind lingered even as he withdrew his blade.
The saintess still stood there, her face urgent.
'...An expression fully revealing her emotions.'
A sight he would never see under normal circumstances.
He couldn't believe it.
The saintess had become five times stranger than she was yesterday.