Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The Saint is more of a troublemaker than I expected
It was peaceful.
It was the kind of peace you can’t fully enjoy, knowing that destruction might come someday, but even so, the wind brushing against my cheeks was so soft that I just wanted to surrender myself to it.
“Luca?”
“What is it, Evelyn?”
Evelyn’s silver hair swayed gently with the wind.
…Wait a second.
Wasn’t her hair shorter when we first met? I clearly remember it being around chin length. Now, just three months later, it had grown all the way down to her shoulders.
“Evelyn, your hair grows fast.”
“Huh? Ah… haha. When you use aura, your body grows faster, right? Something like that.”
“I see.”
So even hair grows faster? I accepted it without thinking too deeply. It wasn’t really an important issue anyway.
“So, what were you doing, Luca?”
“I was lying down and enjoying the scenery.”
Shouldn’t a person be allowed to rest sometimes? Not every day has to be about running around.
I was lying down in the grass, letting my body relax, even though my mind kept insisting I should always be alert.
In my past life, I would never have lain down in grass like this where bugs crawl everywhere. But here, as long as I lightly release aura, insects don’t come near, so it’s possible.
“Really?”
Thud.
Evelyn suddenly lay down next to me, smiling softly.
“A boy doing something like this is kind of gross.”
“Then would it be fine if I were a girl?”
It was just a joke, but I thought about it seriously for a moment. Evelyn as a girl… she already looks androgynous enough, so the appearance wouldn’t change much. The issue was more the mental perception of gender.
If Evelyn were a girl…
“Then I might have proposed marriage on the spot.”
I said it lightly as a joke.
“…You shouldn’t say things like that.”
Looks like she didn’t like that kind of joke.
“Sorry.”
I quickly apologized and went back to enjoying the wind.
“Huff… huff…”
After a while, someone came running toward us, out of breath.
“L-lord!”
“What is it, Bell?”
I recognized her immediately. She was one of the maids who had worked here since I was young.
“T-there’s a guest!”
“Calm down and breathe first. Slowly.”
Bell nodded, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. After calming herself a little, she spoke again.
“The Saint has arrived!”
I didn’t fully understand what she meant, but one thing became clear.
Peace is always closest to the storm.
“What is going on.”
The Griffir territory was not the kind of place where a Saint would normally appear. In fact, even Evelyn came here to avoid the political eyes of the ducal estate. This was a remote, out-of-the-way noble house.
And yet the Saint had come here.
There was only one possible reason.
Evelyn.
When I turned my head, I saw her.
Evelyn tilted her head and looked at me. For a moment, she looked less like a boy and more like a girl.
…Is something wrong with my mind? No, Evelyn really does have a soft, androgynous look. Especially now that her hair has grown to her shoulders.
A sensitive child becoming emotionless… or maybe someone this emotional was actually bound to become emotionless someday.
Anyway, the Saint’s arrival was probably because of Evelyn.
One of the Saint’s duties is to find the chosen owners of divine swords.
And Evelyn had just reached Sword Expert.
“Pherens.”
One of the four sacred swords known as the Fingers of God, representing Temperance.
“Pherens? What’s that? Achoo!”
That sword was the one destined for Evelyn, the Sword of Temperance.
“Hello!”
A loud voice pierced through the air from far away.
“The Saint’s main requirement is probably strong lungs…”
She was obviously the Saint.
Bright personality, bright voice. My heart oddly skipped for a moment, but not for romantic reasons. She was twelve years old, after all. I wasn’t some kind of lunatic attracted to children.
Still… this was the first meeting of the male lead and the heroine. Slightly different from the original, but still the first meeting.
Beside her stood an old man. He didn’t look ordinary at all. Even from a distance, I could feel pressure radiating from him.
Realizing it himself, the old man quickly suppressed his aura.
“I apologize, Saint. My parents are currently away, so I will be receiving you in their place.”
“It’s fine! Luca! And that person next to you is Evelyn… right?”
Did I introduce my name? Well, the Saint probably already knew it.
Evelyn bowed politely.
“An honor to meet you, Saint.”
“May I ask why you’ve come here?”
“Hmm…”
The Saint smiled and looked at me.
“Maybe I just wanted to see Luca.”
“…Huh?”
The confusion didn’t come from me, but from Evelyn.
“Saint… I advise you not to say things that could cause misunderstandings.”
“Hehe. Was that too mischievous? Especially for Evelyn?”
“….”
Evelyn stepped back slightly, as if she had been hit in a sensitive spot.
“Don’t tease my friend. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not completely clueless.”
“Eh? Luca is the one who’s clueless. He probably lacks self-awareness, so maybe he should reflect on himself a bit.”
“We just met, you know.”
“True, isn’t it?”
This is exhausting. I quickly changed the subject.
“So, why exactly did you come here again?”
“You’re dodging the question.”
“….”
“Just kidding. I really did want to see you.”
Her expression softened as she looked up at me.
“Please don’t make that face, Amelia.”
“I never told you my name!”
“It’s a famous name.”
“Really? That can’t be right. Hehe.”
Damn it. Was the Saint’s name supposed to be secret? I made a mistake.
“It’s not exactly a secret. Just not something commonly heard.”
“You’re quite mature for a twelve-year-old.”
“I’m very grown up. You can call me Amelia.”
She stepped closer, leaning in.
“Or even Ria, if you want.”
“…I’ll pass.”
Something felt off. She was paying too much attention to me, not Evelyn. Does she already know I’m a transmigrator?
Our eyes met. Mine probably looked like a thief caught hiding something. Hers looked like someone who had just caught that thief.
Yeah. This woman knows something.
Before I could think further—
“Stay away from him.”
Evelyn stepped between us.
I sighed internally. This idiot… she just fell for the heroine, didn’t she?
“Luca, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. There was never anything to be not fine about.”
“…That woman said something strange to you.”
Eh?
“What? That girl?”
“Tell me if she bothers you. I’ll deal with it if I have to.”
“W-wait, no.”
Something is wrong. Not just something, everything.
Kill her?
The heroine?
If that happens, readers would riot so hard the author would get hit by trucks of criticism.
…Then again, that bastard kind of deserves a truck or two.
Before I could spiral further, Amelia spoke again.
“Alright, enough playing around. I should get to work now. Sir Beryl?”
“Yes, Saint.”
The old knight stepped forward.
“Bring it.”
He returned carrying something wrapped in sacred cloth.
When the cloth was removed, a beautiful sword was revealed.
Even Evelyn stared at it, slightly dazed.
“Now, Evelyn. Please touch it.”
She reached out.
Flash.
A blinding light swallowed everything.
This was the reaction when a chosen one meets a divine sword. It’s the sealed divine power finally released after a long time. Like fermenting broth suddenly boiling over. Not the best analogy, but still.
The Saint looked calm. The old knight was crying.
After what felt like forever, the light faded.
“Congratulations, Evelyn Aurelion. Or should I call you the Hero now?”
“…Just call me Evelyn.”
She summoned the sword again, then it disappeared.
A mark appeared on her hand.
“A sacred mark.”
“It means you’ve formed a contract. You can summon and store the divine sword through it.”
She showed it to me proudly.
“Cool.”
“Right?”
“Congrats, you brat.”
I patted her head.
Flash.
Light exploded again.
“GYAaaah!!”
“Careful, Luca.”
The Saint laughed.
“Pherens is the Sword of Temperance. That means it becomes stronger when you practice restraint.”
What the hell does that even mean?
My eyes were still burning.
“AGHHH!!”
The Saint, Amelia, tilted her head as she looked toward the Griffir estate again.
Her smile was small.
And suspiciously mischievous.