An Outing (2)
Uncomfortable beneath the barrage of stares from all around, Danas soon seemed to make up his mind and led me toward a secluded corner.
The other holy knights were thrown into an utter fluster seeing Danas briskly whisk me away, calling out in alarm to ask where he was taking me. Fearing he might find the interrogation unbearable, I stepped in first to reassure them that everything was fine. I firmly laid down the law, explaining that we had private business to discuss and that no one was to follow.
Honestly, didn't I handle that brilliantly?
In any case, this was meant for Danas's ears alone, so there was no reason for an entourage. Not that I disliked the other holy knights who doted on me—I was quite fond of them, really—but it was only natural that I felt far more at ease around Danas, given all the time we had spent together.
Only after we reached an empty, secluded alcove did Danas scan our surroundings and let out a deep, heavy sigh of relief.
"Please... I beg of you, do not approach me like that when the others are present..."
"[I am sorry. I didn't realize it would put you in such a bind...]"
That much was entirely sincere.
I had figured we could simply slip away to another spot and be done with it, but the holy knights seemed to revere me far more preciously than I'd anticipated.
Well, I suppose it makes sense considering I'm one of the highest leaders in the Holy Kingdom.
If the Pope served as the administrative leader, then I was the realm's sacred figurehead. Naturally, they were bound to obsess over my safety with borderline fanatical zeal.
At any rate...
Danas glanced around our perimeter once more before asking what it was I had brought him here to discuss.
Right then. Time to get down to business.
Just to be safe, I pulsed my divine power outward to ensure no one was eavesdropping on our conversation before broaching the topic.
"[The truth is...]"
Only then did I hit a massive snag.
Getting Danas alone was all well and good, but how on earth was I supposed to convince him?
Wait a second.
Now that I thought about it, stepping outside required a legitimate reason. I couldn't just boss Danas around and declare, 'It's an order, so follow me!' Saintess or not, highest authority of the faith or not, Danas had his own official duties as a holy knight. Dragging him along by brute force was out of the question.
Of course, the power dynamic meant that if I truly commanded him, he would have no choice but to obey. But I had no desire to stoop to that level.
Which meant I needed an excuse—something solid enough to smuggle him out without raising suspicion. Yet no matter how much I racked my brain, nothing came to mind.
"Saintess?"
When I pulled him aside only to stand there in dead silence, Danas tilted his head with an inquisitive look and called out to me cautiously.
If I kept stalling like this, whatever excuse I offered later would reek of suspicion. Wasn't there an ironclad pretense that a man like Danas would buy without a shadow of a doubt?
What could it be... Ah!
A brilliant idea struck me.
Even if he had been an adventurer in the past, he was now a devout believer in the Goddess. And deeply religious people invariably had a soft spot for anything regarding divine will.
Well... it wasn't like the Goddess had actually whispered into my ear, but securing this item would be instrumental in defeating the future Demon King. Surely Her Divinity wouldn't mind turning a blind eye to a little white lie?
That's it. It's my only option.
I would claim to have received an oracle from the Goddess.
Anyone else might doubt it, but the knights of Varkan would have to swallow it whole whether they liked it or not. This wasn't some random stranger talking; it was the Saintess personally chosen by the Goddess Herself. If they didn't believe me, whose word could they possibly take?
"[The matter is... I have received an oracle from the Goddess.]"
At my words, Danas's usually gentle, rounded gaze sharpened in an instant. He clearly realized that any divine revelation spoken by the Saintess demanded absolute gravity.
Watching him brace himself with such utter solemnity gave me a strange, prickling pang of guilt, as if I were committing some heinous sacrilege.
Still, what choice did I have?
As things stood, this was the only way I could slip past the Academy's gates to farm gear for Evan. Besides, once we went to the location I cited and retrieved a genuinely miraculous relic, he would naturally conclude, 'Ah, so the Goddess truly did bestow an oracle upon her!' In a way, no harm, no foul.
The Goddess's ultimate objective was the subjugation of the Demon King anyway. Surely she wouldn't fault a humble fabrication if it helped us procure an item crucial to that exact mission...
Right? She'd understand... wouldn't she?
Please understand, Your Divinity...
"[And so, there is a place I must visit at all costs... However, the Academy strictly requires that a guardian accompany any student leaving the grounds.]"
The real issue was that none of my peers fit the bill. Stella was virtually my only close friend, but she couldn't act as a guardian, nor did she have connections who could vouch for us. As for Evan, he had no one to call a guardian aside from his master, and that master was hardly in a position to pop over at a moment's notice.
In other words, if Danas didn't step up as my guardian right here and now, stepping foot outside the Academy was an utter impossibility.
Well, perhaps not entirely impossible forever. I could wait for the term break, or bide my time until Evan's master visited the campus. But waiting that long was far too slow. Securing it today, as early as humanly possible, would provide the massive boost Evan needed to accelerate his growth down the line.
"[Therefore, I beseech you... Would you be willing to accompany me beyond the gates as my guardian?]"
I cast my senses toward him, cautiously probing his reaction. Not knowing whether his dispatch was permanent or if he was slated to return soon, I had to tread carefully.
"An oracle... Is that truly so?"
"[...Yes, it is.]"
To be honest, deceiving him left a bitter taste in my mouth. But under the circumstances, this was the only viable card I had. It wasn't as if I could casually tell him that a sheltered girl who had lived only inside the Academy suddenly had an urgent errand out in the wilderness.
Yet...
"..."
Danas merely stared down at me with an intricate, unreadable expression.
Judging by his silence, was it hard for him to accept? I had assumed playing the oracle card was a surefire pass, so this reaction caught me off guard.
"[Is it difficult for you...?]"
"No... It is not that it is difficult, but..."
"...?"
Just as I was about to ask why he was hesitating if it wasn't a problem—
"What you just said about an oracle... That was a lie, wasn't it?"
"..."
How on earth did he figure that out?
Could he have read it from my aura? But my eyes were closed as always, and after years of acting the part of the Saintess, my poker face when spinning tall tales was second to none. I shouldn't have given away the slightest tell.
Yet he knew I was lying as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.
More than that, the mental resonance wafting from him carried no trace of accusation or denial; it was steeped in quiet, unflinching certainty. Feigning ignorance at this point would be utterly pointless.
"[...If it were a lie, would you refuse my request?]"
I had no choice but to ask him outright. It was practically an open confession that the oracle was bogus, yet Danas broke into a faint, warm grin.
"Thank you for placing your trust in me."
"[Then...?]"
"Ordinarily, of course, protocol would dictate that I refuse..." Danas glanced around once more, his grin giving way to a resolute, proud smile. "However, I became a holy knight solely for your sake."
Wait, this guy...
I never dreamt he would lay it on the line like that.
"..."
I was genuinely, deeply moved. So moved, in fact, that it made me feel like an utter piece of scum for trying to deceive him with a fake oracle just to drag him along as an errand boy...
"[I'm sorry...]"
I had no choice but to apologize. If I didn't say it now, my already degraded conscience would plummet straight through rock bottom into the subterranean abyss.
...Was it just my imagination, or had my moral standing already sunk to the absolute pits?
No, it definitely wasn't just my imagination.
"Pardon?" Danas asked, tilting his head with an uncomprehending chuckle at my abrupt contrition.
Regardless...
"[I am counting on you. It is a matter of great importance.]"
It was for the sake of saving the world, after all.
I held out a hand to Danas as I spoke.
"Leave it entirely to me." Danas smiled warmly, clasping my outstretched hand in firm agreement.
Silently, I made a solemn vow to myself never to swindle Danas like this ever again.