The Saintess's Shadow
The morning sun had risen. I rose from bed earlier than usual, finished my preparations, and stepped out of the dormitory. Leaving the building behind, I quickened my pace beneath the crisp morning air. After walking for some time, my destination came into view—the lodging where Alice was staying.
Not long ago, Rita had made a rather sudden proposal. She wanted me to take on the role of assistant priest in her stead. Her intention was clear: to keep me closer to Alice so that I might bring about some change in her. When I first heard it, I was honestly dumbfounded. It made no sense. Entrusting the duties of an assistant priest to an outsider—someone outside the Church—was already absurd. On top of that, I was a man with a poor reputation. I was hardly the sort of person suited to serve as the Saintess's assistant priest.
Of course, I voiced my concerns, but Rita paid them no heed. She went straight to Alice and settled the matter on her own. At the time, I had been certain Alice would never accept the arrangement. I expected her to oppose it fiercely. Yet, contrary to my expectations, Alice agreed to Rita's proposal. …To be fair, it was half coercion on Rita's part, but she had accepted it nonetheless. Though shocked and bewildered by the outcome, I ultimately agreed to the proposal as well. Regardless of how chaotic the situation was, I could not deny that this was an opportunity.
And so here I stood. Waiting in front of the lodging to fulfill the role of Alice's assistant priest in Rita's place. Normally, an assistant priest would remain constantly at the Saintess's side, but I was an outsider—and a man, at that. There was no way I could enter the lodging itself. Even if I could, I would not have. I knew it would only invite unnecessary gossip. So I simply waited for Alice to come out.
Time passed. By the time the sun had fully revealed itself, the door to the lodging opened, and Alice appeared.
“……”
Because I had been standing right in front of the door, Alice spotted me the moment she stepped out. Her brow furrowed sharply—a clear display of hostility that anyone could recognize. My heart skipped a beat, but I did not let it show. Striving to maintain a calm demeanor, I spoke to her.
“I'll escort you to the lecture hall.”
Since I had taken on Rita's role, I needed to carry out the duties she had performed. Chief among them was guiding Alice through her daily schedule. Though she was not a student but merely an invited guest, Alice still attended lectures. Having been invited to the Academy—the very cradle of learning—and being of the appropriate age, the intent was to let the Saintess experience the lectures firsthand. Julia and Lana had attended for the same reason, and Alice was no different.
Of course, her schedule was nowhere near as rigorous as that of actual Academy students. Since it was merely an experience, it had been arranged to be quite relaxed. And if she truly did not wish to attend, she was under no obligation. It was an invitation, not a requirement. Yet Alice attended every lecture without fail. Judging by her demeanor alone, one would think she had no interest in such things whatsoever.
“Honestly, the Saintess isn't the type to act recklessly.”
Rita's words suddenly came to mind. When she had been explaining the duties of an assistant priest, I had asked her if this was truly all right. If it was acceptable for me to take on the role. I could not help but worry. I had no way of predicting how Alice might behave. Even if she had accepted Rita's near-coercive proposal, I did not believe she would simply accept me without resistance. If she merely acted prickly or threw tantrums, I could smile and let it pass. But what if it went beyond that? What if she lost control and lashed out in anger? There was a real possibility of a situation I could not handle.
At the time, Rita had reassured me with those words. It was fine. Alice was not as reckless as she appeared. According to her explanation, Alice was indeed sharp-tongued, but that did not mean she did whatever she pleased. She respected procedure more than one might expect. Even when faced with something she disliked, she tended to resolve matters in a relatively gentle manner rather than causing a scene. It was as if, despite disliking the title of Saintess, she still possessed a sense of responsibility. …Of course, that did not mean she never broke the rules entirely.
Regardless, seeing Alice attend every lecture despite showing no apparent interest made me think Rita might have been right. At the same time, my doubts only deepened. Why did Alice not rejoice in the position of Saintess? And yet, why did she still carry a sense of responsibility? I pushed the thoughts aside. Now was not the time for such musings.
“……”
When I returned to the present, I saw Alice's face, her brow deeply furrowed. Her expression made it obvious she was displeased, yet she said nothing. It seemed she was at least willing to follow my lead for now. I finally began walking. With some uncertainty, I took a step forward.
Thud. Thud.
Fortunately, Alice followed me properly. …Though she kept a noticeable distance between us.
“……”
Would this really be all right? I was already deeply worried at this point, but there was nothing I could do. For now, I would simply fulfill my role.
Thus began my duties as Alice's assistant priest. Though calling it a role was generous—there was not much to it at the moment. All I had to do was escort her to the lecture hall on time and wait in a corner until her class ended. Normally, as an Academy student myself, I would have attended my own lectures, but that issue had already been resolved thanks to Rika speaking with the Academy administration while I quietly followed Alice. Of course, if exams were involved, I would need to study separately, but that was not a major concern. I did not need to worry excessively about my grades. As long as I avoided failing, it would be fine.
So I led Alice from one lecture hall to another. The task itself was simple, but it was not without problems. Wherever we went, eyes began to gather on us.
“……?”
“…What the—?”
Everyone who saw us reacted with visible confusion. It was only natural. The sight was undeniably strange. The assistant priest who should have been there was nowhere to be seen, and I had taken her place. They might not have known the exact circumstances, but the image of me leading the way with Alice following behind was enough to make them realize something was amiss. People murmured as they watched us, and whispers followed us wherever we went.
Yet despite the many eyes upon us, no one approached to voice their questions. There were two reasons for this. First, rumors about Alice had already spread throughout the Academy. Unlike Saintess Lana, the Saintess of Velinus was not known for her friendliness. In fact, she found it unpleasant when people approached her at all. Such rumors had already reached every corner of the Academy. Until recently, there had been those who tried to speak with Alice, but they had all retreated after being intimidated by her piercing gaze and fierce demeanor. As a result, no one spoke to her anymore. That was likely the fundamental reason no one approached us now—they knew Alice's temperament and had no desire to incur her wrath.
The second reason was that I was the one escorting her. If it had been anyone else in this role, someone might have mustered the courage to ask. What happened? Where did the assistant priest go, and why are you doing it instead? But because it was me, no one did. Even though I had been appointed an Honorary Monk and proven my strength in a duel with Sebastian, I was still someone to be avoided. Everyone at the Academy shunned me. No one approached or spoke to me. So they merely whispered from a distance.
“……”
Everything was within my expectations, yet my heart was far from at ease. I knew well that drawing attention was never a good thing. Rita's absence becoming widely known was not ideal either, and more than anything, being so closely associated with me could harm Alice's reputation. Of course, I knew Alice was not the type to care about such things, but I could not help feeling uneasy. Trying my best to ignore the murmurs, I could only hope that these stares would not lead to any unfortunate consequences.