Royal Capital Gallia (7)
A woman lay upon the bed. Silver hair cropped short. Pale skin and fine lashes. A straight nose and petal-pink lips. She was beautiful as a porcelain doll.
Aria hesitated for a moment before she spoke. “The assailants didn’t touch her?”
“All they want is my life,” the man replied. It was a simple goal, and precisely because it was so simple, it was also brutally direct. Aria voiced the question that had been weighing on her mind.
“Whoever sent those attackers clearly knows you well. So why didn’t they take her hostage?”
“Because he doesn’t want her put in danger.”
A lovers’ quarrel, perhaps? Looking at the woman’s exquisite features, Aria could easily believe it.
“I see. She really is lovely—like a sculpture come to life.”
“She’d hate to hear you say that.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s the sort who snaps at anyone who calls a knight beautiful.”
Aria’s obsidian eyes narrowed. “A knight?”
“Ah, did I not mention it? She is a knight I personally appointed.”
“……You didn’t.”
So it wasn’t a romantic entanglement after all. Hiding her embarrassment, Aria changed the subject. “In any case, now that this place has been discovered, shouldn’t we move?”
The man gave a small nod, acknowledging the sensible suggestion. “We should. But first, the treatment.”
Both their gazes turned toward the woman sleeping on the bed.
“There are no visible external injuries,” Aria observed.
The man gently brushed the woman’s bangs aside as he answered. “I used a potion I had with me.”
A potion. It could heal wounds at an astonishing speed. In this world, potions were priceless commodities. Demand far outstripped supply. The manufacturing process was finicky, the ingredients exorbitantly expensive, and the whole thing resisted mass production. Anyone who carried potions on their person belonged to the truly wealthy.
Between his talk of knighthoods, his archaic speech, and his refined manners, he had to be the son of a high-ranking noble. It was a reasonable deduction.
Aria turned to face him. “If it isn’t physical damage, then I’d guess it’s some form of curse.”
“Exactly right.”
“Do you know anything about the curse placed on her?”
“Only that it is one of the ancient curses.”
An ancient curse. A sinister sorcery with a ninety-percent fatality rate. That was why Aria could clearly sense the malevolent energy saturating the room.
She placed her hand on the sleeping woman’s forehead. The moment physical contact was made, she felt the deep-seated grudges and resentments buried within her. Screaming. Suffering. Jealousy, despair, melancholy. A whirlwind of emotions roaring like a beast. And at its center, a curse laced with murderous intent lay coiled like a clam.
This would be difficult.
“If I handle it carelessly, I won’t dispel it—I’ll only make it rebound.”
It was a curse that hid behind a barrier of raging emotion and slowly strangled its victim. At Aria’s grim assessment, the man swept a hand down his face, expression darkening.
“……Is it that bad? Can you still treat her?”
“There’s a fifty-fifty chance.”
“Fifty percent is still quite high.”
Aria shook her head at his words. “No. It’s only fifty percent. If I fail, she will definitely die.”
That was the nature of this curse. Touch it wrongly and the sack containing it would tear open; the woman would never open her eyes again.
“……At this rate she’ll die anyway.”
That was true. Aria looked at the man with pity in her eyes.
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave this to an officially recognized priest from the Church rather than someone like me?”
The man shook his head. The gesture was resolute. “I can’t. I don’t trust them.”
“But you trust me, a complete stranger?”
“I’m confident in my ability to read people.”
It must have taken considerable courage for him to say that.
“If you keep trusting so easily, you’ll suffer for it one day.”
“At least not today, right?”
What a sly man. Aria almost glared at him, then stopped. His eyes were desperate, earnest. Had she looked at Ashtain the same way?
Receiving someone’s expectations was a heavy burden. The cold rejection that followed failure would be unbearable. That was why Ashtain was so amazing. He fulfilled those expectations without effort. That was why she was proud of him. He met her hopes. That was why she loved him. She loved him more than anything. She wanted to stay by his side. But he was so magnificent that she sometimes wondered if someone like her had any right to stand there. She wanted to become someone worthy. As a saintess. As his comrade.
Aria let out a soft sigh. Her thoughts were too cluttered. At this rate she would never succeed.
“Even if she dies… you won’t regret asking me?”
“I will regret it. But I won’t blame you. The choice was mine.”
That only made the burden heavier. She swallowed the words and drew holy power into her body. She concentrated it in her fingertips. A brilliant glow enveloped her hand.
“All right. Let’s try.”
The man watched the sight and murmured in quiet admiration. The radiance was several times stronger than that of an ordinary priest. An enormous amount of holy power for a wandering cleric. Her appearance had already suggested it, but she was no ordinary woman.
Who is she?
Once this was over, perhaps he should look into it. The thought stopped there. He could not treat someone who had helped him out of kindness with suspicion. After all, she had been dragged into this complicated affair because of him. The man gazed at Aria with a strange sense of responsibility.
Meanwhile, Aria’s right hand touched the woman’s forehead.
Thud!
The woman’s body jerked violently. When the man instinctively moved closer, Aria cut him off sharply.
“Stay back. You’ll only interfere.”
The man bit his lip and retreated. She could feel his frustration from where she stood. Aria steadied her trembling right hand by interlocking it with her left, then poured in more strength. Opposing forces had met; resistance was inevitable. Holy power and malevolent energy. At first the two seemed to struggle against each other, but the steadily growing holy power gradually overwhelmed the curse, smothering its momentum.
She suppressed it. Suppressed it without letting it burst. Like pressing down on a water balloon filled to its limit. If it ruptured, the venom would ravage the woman from within. Slowly, as if draining pus, Aria reduced the curse’s volume. As its size shrank, the negative emotions that leaked out seeped into Aria.
Emotions that would plunge an ordinary person into rapid depression. Aria endured them without flinching. She was used to such feelings. She had built a resistance to them.
The massive curse gradually shrank. However, as its volume decreased, the compressed curse grew unstable. Touch it any further and it would explode. This was as far as she could go for now.
Aria withdrew her hand from the woman’s forehead. It was not a complete purification. The curse would need to be gradually reduced over multiple sessions.
“……Is it finished?”
Aria tried to answer but her body swayed. The man caught the staggering saintess.
“I’m sorry. I feel dizzy.”
“You were at it for two full hours. It’s no wonder.”
“……Two hours?”
She had thought only a few minutes had passed. How had time slipped away so quickly? While Aria stood there stunned, the man asked anxiously.
“Is she all right?”
“Yes. She endured it well.”
Life returned to his face. “……So that means?”
“It is not a complete purification. It is an ancient curse, after all. However, I have reduced its size and influence. I believe she should regain consciousness……”
Suddenly, Aria was pulled into the stranger’s embrace. His joy and delight seemed to pour into her as well.
“Thank you. Truly, truly, thank you! No words of gratitude could ever be enough!”
Seeing him so happy made her feel proud. All her effort had been worth it. Still—
“L-let go and speak! I-I understand, so p-please!”
After a brief, awkward scuffle, Aria pulled away, breathing hard. He wore an apologetic expression.
“I was so overjoyed I lost control.”
“I’m glad you realize it.”
Aria’s tone was icy. Yet the man paid no mind to her cold response and extended his hand.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t even introduced myself to my benefactor.”
“I haven’t either.”
“Shall we exchange names?”
Aria stared blankly at the offered hand. “I’m Aria Lameld.”
“Are you really going to leave my hand hanging like this?” The man shook his hand slightly.
……
A thousand thoughts swirled through her mind. This was the hand of a man who was not Ashtain. Taking it—wouldn’t that be a betrayal? A formal handshake in public might be unavoidable, but this was different. Strictly speaking, even this was physical contact. Was she really going to quibble over such a thing after already being embraced by another man? Precisely because of that, she had to be even more careful with her conduct. She didn’t want to give even the slightest cause for misunderstanding.
I belong only to you. This body, this heart—everything.
While Aria wrestled with serious internal conflict, the man took her hand without waiting.
“I am Leon. The one lying there is Edelis.”
It felt unfair. She hadn’t meant to take his hand. I’m sorry, Ashtain. But this wasn’t on purpose. Doesn’t that count as extenuating circumstances?
“Lady Lameld?”
“Let go of my hand.”
The near-pathological tone made Leon release her at once. “Do you have some kind of allergy to men? If so, I apologize……”
“I have a partner.”
“……? Lady Lameld’s complexion is lovely, but I assure you I had no improper intentions whatsoever.”
At Leon’s courteous reply, Aria came back to her senses. She realized belatedly what she had just done.
“……P-pardon me.”
He laughed heartily. “You may be as rude as you like, Lady Lameld. You are my savior, after all!”
His expression had brightened considerably. Only then did Aria feel some of the tension leave her.
“Then may I return now? It’s late, and I’m sure I’ve caused worry. I’ll come periodically to continue treating her curse, so please don’t worry.”
“Do you have somewhere to stay? If possible, I’d like to know where. I wish to repay this debt.”
“I didn’t help you expecting repayment. I simply felt moved by your desperation, Leon. Please think of it as the grace bestowed by the Goddess of Sacred Love.”
“Are you a priestess of the Church of Sacred Love?”
“Yes. Though I am unworthy, I serve the Goddess of Sacred Love.”
Leon looked genuinely moved. “You are someone worthy of receiving my gratitude.”
“It’s quite all right, Leon.”
Wait. Leon? She felt as if she had heard that name somewhere before. Aria’s thoughts did not continue for long. A new variable had appeared.
BOOM!
The wall of the building collapsed. Leon drew his sword and knocked away the flying debris so it wouldn’t strike Edelis or Aria. Or rather, he didn’t need to. Every fragment froze in midair.
“Is this the place?”
It was a girl’s voice thick with irritation. Then came a low, icy tone as cold as frozen earth.
“It is. The Holy Sword was pointing here.”
Leon swallowed hard as he looked at the intruders. The thick dust made it hard to see their faces. Were they additional assassins sent after him? It seemed he had taken too long.
The woman spoke again, voice sharp. “Ugh, the dust.”
The thick cloud was swept away by a sudden gust. There was no way such a powerful wind could arise naturally inside an inn. It was artificial.
A mage. This won’t be easy.
Leon gripped his sword tighter. At the very least, he wanted to get Edelis and Lady Aria out safely.
“Don’t even think about running. I’ll make sure you regret it.”
The heavy bass voice reverberated through the space like an echo in a cave. The immense killing intent behind the words made tension coil in his gut. Even so, he had no intention of listening obediently.
“If you think you can, then try it.”
Leon provoked the man. “Very well.”
And the other party accepted the provocation with open hostility. The moment their vision cleared, both men froze, unable to finish their sentences.
“Prince?”
“Hero?”
They were already acquainted.