The Last Saintess's Warning
In that utterly abrupt moment, I found myself completely at a loss for words. After all, I had never imagined Alice would suddenly appear before my eyes like this. Yet apart from my shock, my gaze instantly drank in every detail of her. I took in the sight of Alice, now fully grown.
...You've grown so much.
Eight years had passed, and Alice had shot up in height. Her appearance was almost exactly like the one I remembered from the game. Just as I had predicted. Still, even though I'd expected it, the emotions that washed over me upon seeing her in the flesh refused to settle. Was it because I knew the childhood version of Alice that had never appeared in the game? Or was it simply that I had missed her far more than I'd realized? I couldn't say for certain. But one thing was clear.
...Thank goodness.
I had always known Alice would be safe. The other two were unharmed, and I'd never heard any troubling rumors about Alice, the final Saintess. Even so, knowing it in my head and confirming it with my own eyes were entirely different matters. Seeing with my own two eyes that she was safe brought me profound relief. Only after quietly pressing a hand to my chest did I wonder—
...Why?
Why was Alice here? Why had she come looking for me?
As the question formed, one possibility rose to mind.
...Could it be?
This had happened once before. With Lana. Even though I had done nothing, she had sought me out first. Later I learned Julia had asked her to treat me. Perhaps it's the same this time? If there was any reason, that seemed the most likely. Only—
There's nothing in particular she needs to help me with.
Unlike before, I couldn't think of any way I required Alice's assistance. My body was already fully healed, and I faced no particular troubles elsewhere. After rising to Honorary Monk and displaying my strength in the spar with Sebastian, no one could easily lay a hand on me. The possibility of any real trouble was faint. That was why the situation puzzled me.
At that moment—
"Answer the question. I'm asking if you're Kyle Berwen."
Alice's voice cut through again, sharp as a blade. At the sound of it—
...It's exactly the same.
In spite of everything, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The look in her eyes and the tone of her voice were identical to the Alice in my memories. She had softened a little later on, but when we first met, she had been precisely like this. Eight years had turned the small child into a young woman, yet it seemed her personality itself hadn't changed much. Of course, such a short exchange made it hard to judge deeply, but at least on the surface, that was how it appeared.
The realization filled me with complicated feelings—both gladness and a quiet regret. Even so, I couldn't remain lost in sentiment forever. I had kept Alice waiting long enough.
"...Yes. That's correct."
Emerging from my thoughts, I finally gave her an answer. At the same time, I felt a flicker of anticipation. If she had come at someone's request like Lana had, perhaps we could spend time together the way I had with the others.
And then—
"Is that so? So that's how it is."
Alice's eyes flashed at my words.
"It seems Julia and Lana are in your debt."
"That's not true. If anything, I'm the one who owes them both."
I denied it immediately. It wasn't modesty; it was fact. I had done nothing for Julia or Lana. If anything, I had been the one receiving help. So the idea that they owed me anything felt entirely wrong.
...Still, the way she phrased it suggested she really had come at someone's request. The hope in my chest began to swell—
"It's fortunate you know your place."
The words that followed were slightly off from what I'd expected. My heart, already beating faster from anticipation, suddenly hammered even harder. At the same time, the budding hope withered in an instant.
And then—
In a strange sensation as if time itself had slowed, Alice's lips parted once more. Her voice rang out, cold as frost.
"Don't approach those two people from now on."
Staring into Alice's eyes, which burned like living flames, I finally understood. She harbored clear hostility toward me. It wasn't mere indifference, displeasure, or anger. This was outright enmity.
At that realization—
"......"
I found myself utterly speechless. I was used to earning hostility. It was only natural. Ever since I had possessed Kyle's body, I'd lived under constant hostile gazes. And it hadn't stopped at looks—there had been plenty who openly schemed against me with clear malice.
Yet none of it had ever shaken me. Whether the opponent was a prince or the legitimate heir of the Ebenros family, I might have found it troublesome, but I had never once been genuinely flustered or intimidated. Now, however, I was deeply shaken.
I was someone who wouldn't falter no matter whose hostility I faced, but there were exceptions.
Julia. Lana. Alice. Only they were exceptions.
And now that very Alice was glaring at me with unmistakable hostility.
Under normal circumstances I would have calmly or coolly deduced the reason, but I had no such composure left. I had never imagined earning hostility from these girls.
"......"
My mind went completely blank.
To me in that state, Alice spoke again in a voice so icy it pierced straight through me.
"If you disobey my words, you'll regret it."
There was no need to ask if she was serious. Her eyes and aura made it perfectly clear. That was the end of it. Having said her piece, Alice turned without hesitation and walked away. I could only stare blankly at her retreating figure as it grew smaller in the distance.
On her way back after delivering her warning to Kyle Berwen, Alice reflected. He really had been nothing special, just as she'd thought. When she first heard the news, she had been genuinely surprised. The fact that the other two—Julia and Lana—had shown interest in anyone at all was shocking enough.
Julia had never cared about others to begin with. Lana appeared kind to everyone, yet she rarely opened her heart. And yet both of them had taken an interest in someone. More than that—they were clearly concerned about him. Julia had gone so far as to ask Lana to treat him, and Lana had not only done so but had even appointed him an Honorary Monk. That went far beyond simple interest.
It was only natural Alice had been surprised. But the surprise quickly gave way to anger, and that anger had not faded with time. The moment she arrived at The Academy, she had gone straight to find the man named Kyle Berwen.
The Kyle Berwen she met was, as expected, utterly unremarkable. It was difficult to understand why the other two had shown him any interest at all. In fact, anyone would have reacted the same way. Prince, great noble, or someone of even higher status—it wouldn't have mattered. Alice would have responded exactly the same. The opponent's identity was completely irrelevant.
No matter who it was, she had no intention of allowing it. She would never permit anyone to grow close to those two. She would never permit those two to grow close to anyone.
Never.
Alice's eyes blazed like flames.
Alice had left. I remained alone, standing in the empty space she left behind.
"......"
I couldn't react at all. I couldn't move my body. I couldn't even turn my head. I simply stood there, frozen, doing nothing. It wasn't intentional. The shock had simply been too great. I had never imagined receiving such a look from Alice. Never imagined hearing such words from her.
If she had simply shown no interest, or even been curt with me, I could have handled it. It would have been disappointing that I couldn't reveal my true identity, but I wouldn't have been shaken. I had already considered that such a reaction was possible.
But this was different. This was something I had never even dreamed of. That I would earn Alice's hostility. That I would be told not to approach the other two.
Confronted with a situation so completely unforeseen, I couldn't muster any reaction. I couldn't even figure out what reaction I should have. My chest simply ached. I even felt dizzy.
What should I do? What was I supposed to do now?
As confusion continued to swell inside me, a voice called out.
"Are you alright?"
I turned my head reflexively—more heavily than usual. There stood the owner of the voice: dazzling golden hair, a small frame, and a youthful face that made her youth obvious at a glance. She wore formal priestess robes that seemed at odds with her young appearance. A young female priestess stood before me.