The Treasure of Arhen (Part 3)
"Could it be...?"
The Pope—or rather, Asselina—gazed down at the girl before her with a conflicted, heavy expression.
It had happened so long ago, and most holy relics possessed an ego of their own; once lost, they hid away of their own volition, making them exceedingly difficult to locate. Under such circumstances, the fact that the relic had not only revealed itself to Aria but had also acknowledged her as its master was nothing short of astonishing.
Yet, far more troubling than the Red Stone of Radiant Sunlight choosing Aria was the prophecy she had just relayed.
‘The time has come to shine the sun that shall halt the bitter cold…’
Down in those depths, there was only one thing that could ever be meant by "the bitter cold." It was impossible not to understand.
Asselina lowered her gaze once more to look down at Aria. Just as when they had first met, the girl kept her eyes closed, quietly facing her with an innocent, unblemished expression. Seeing Asselina remain motionless and silent without offering any immediate response, Aria seemed to be growing faintly uneasy.
Asselina offered a wistful, tender smile in the quiet of her own heart. To think that the Divine Power Detection, once so awkward and clumsy, has now proudly become the lantern that illuminates this child's path forward.
Even after enduring such an agonizing life in the Demonic Realm, Aria had never lost the light within her heart, constantly striving to live for the sake of helping just one more person. Watching her, Asselina felt a deep ache in her chest. The child had already suffered far more than enough hardship and adversity. Even if she were to spend the rest of her days in unmarred bliss from this moment on, no one in the world would ever have the right to utter a word of complaint.
Asselina closed her eyes.
‘I must pay a visit to the Demonic Realm.’
Even if Aria had journeyed there of her own volition rather than being dragged off by the Northern frontier's people, if she had been lending them her aid, they should have cherished and protected her above all else. Just what on earth had they been doing to let her tumble off a cliff?
Even if plunging down that precipice was an ordeal guided by the holy relic and divine destiny, the mere fact that she had fallen at all was an outrage. No matter how teeming with vicious beasts the Demonic Realm was, it was utterly nonsensical that the veterans who had held the line there for centuries hadn't been vigilant enough to prevent Aria from falling into an abyss.
And furthermore...
"Aria."
"[Yes?]"
"Do you recall the holy knight who accompanied you as your personal escort when you traveled to the Demonic Realm?"
"[...May I ask why you inquire?]"
Aria cautiously asked in return, seeming to sense an ominous undertone in the abrupt question. Asselina felt a chuckle threatening to escape, but she firmly held it back. Of course, she was well aware of how perilous the Demonic Realm truly was, so she did not intend to lay excessive blame upon the knight. Even so, she could not help the simmering dissatisfaction that welled up within her. What kind of holy knight sets out as an escort, only to do nothing while his charge plummets to the bottom of a ravine?
To think someone had let a child as precious as a beloved granddaughter suffer such a fate—an inexplicable urge seized her to track down whichever scoundrel was responsible and give him a piece of her mind.
Perhaps unsettled by the silent, gentle smile lingering on Asselina's lips, Aria turned her head away and murmured that she couldn't say.
What an endearing child.
Finding out the knight's identity wouldn't be difficult in the least if Asselina investigated, yet Aria was deliberately keeping her lips sealed just to shield the knight who had guarded her.
‘Still... it leaves me feeling rather uneasy.’
On the other hand, Asselina could not help wondering what kind of sentiment Aria harbored toward that holy knight to go to such lengths to protect him. Knowing Aria's character, she understood that the girl's refusal to speak stemmed from her gentle, benevolent nature. Moreover, it had surely been an unforeseen catastrophe far beyond any mortal knight's power to prevent, which was why she defended him so dearly.
Yet why was she feeling this way?
In all her endless years of living as an ancient dragon, Asselina had never experienced such a strange, unfamiliar emotion. Whenever she had met previous generations of Saints, she had merely acted out of duty, believing she had to keep them alive until the Demon King was defeated. But this generation's Saint was profoundly different. Someone much closer...
Yes, almost like family.
A Saintess had always emerged whenever the time came to subjugate the Demon King, but this girl was unlike any who had come before. A destitute, unfortunate child who could neither see nor hear, who had never even been granted the chance to learn spoken words and had endured an agonizing existence, had miraculously risen to become a Saintess. In all the ages she had spent watching over this world as a Guardian Dragon, Asselina had never encountered a soul like Aria.
Perhaps that was why this possessive warmth welled up within her so intensely.
It truly was a bizarre feeling.
Truly.
Not much time remained now.
It was the content of our first-semester practical exam, and effectively the final boss of the term. Though called a "final boss," it was more accurately described as a massive raid involving a substantial portion of the Academy's elite forces. Between that northern clan, the Academy, and Asselina stepping onto the field in her guise as the Pope, it was practically an all-out war, making "raid" the only fitting term.
"Did you hear the news?"
"That our exam is a field expedition to the Demonic Realm? That's terrifying..."
"Still, Grand Duke Valencia is stationed there, so wouldn't it be safe?"
Quite a few students in the classroom were voicing their distress over having their practical exam set in the Demonic Realm. It was only natural. The mere name "Demonic Realm" was enough to strike sheer terror into the hearts of ordinary people.
It was a cursed territory where ferocious demonic beasts, having crossed over from the Demon Realm in the distant past, had established an ecosystem entirely their own. The strategic weight and mortal hazard of the region were so extreme that it was said the day the Demonic Realm fell would mark the very day the Empire perished.
"Uwah... I feel like I just heard something totally insane today..." Stella muttered, looking thoroughly unsettled at the prospect of taking their semester exam in such a dreadful place.
"The Demonic Realm, huh..." Evan murmured, sinking into contemplation at the mention of the name. He was probably reminiscing about the time he had traveled there alongside his master. Since he had roamed far and wide across the continent, he had almost certainly set foot in the Demonic Realm at least once.
As for me, having lived there for two whole years, the place almost felt nostalgic.
Though I died an awful lot of times there.
"Come to think of it, Aria, didn't you say you used to live in the Demonic Realm?" Stella asked, her eyes brimming with sheer curiosity.
Even if she asked me like that, there wasn't much of a romantic answer I could offer. It was just an impossibly brutal landscape where blizzards howled year-round, freezing you to the bone... and where boulder-sized demonic monstrosities were merely the local wildlife. Literally a living hell on earth. I wasn't sure if it was wise to tell her, considering the more she heard, the more terrified she'd be to go.
"[Do you truly wish to hear it? I wouldn't particularly recommend it, though...]"
If I wanted to give them a realistic picture, recounting the things I personally experienced would be the most vivid method, so I offered the two of them a fair warning. Yet they were apparently so desperate to learn about the Demonic Realm that they brushed off my caution entirely, clamoring for me to spill the details.
Is that so?
Hmm...
"[Well, if that is the case—]"
"Excuse me for a moment."
Huh? What's this? A thought wave I've never sensed before.
Shifting my focus toward the voice, an oddly familiar silhouette registered within my Divine Power Detection. These elegant features, this distinct mental resonance...
Could it be?
"P-Princess Uriel?!" Evan cried out in utter shock.
Startled by his outburst, Uriel whipped her head around, frantically scanning the surroundings before pressing a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
"Could you please keep your voice down...?! I am not particularly fond of drawing unnecessary attention...!"
"Ah, I-I'm so sorry."
"It seems no one noticed, thank goodness."
So it was Uriel. I finally remembered who she was. The imperial princess who embodied the textbook 'princess knight' archetype: Yuriel Arhen. As her surname plainly declared, she was the beloved, golden branch of the Arhen Imperial Family. Why on earth was she hanging around here?
"Are you... the Saintess?" Uriel asked, immediately turning toward me.
"[Yes... I am indeed the Saintess, but...]"
"—! I have wanted to meet you so very dearly! It is an immense honor, Saintess!"
Uriel clasped both of my hands, her eyes sparkling with radiant admiration.
Whoa, hold on...
"You have no idea how desperately I have longed to speak with you all this time—"
Seeing her get swept away by her own fervor, I hurriedly projected my thoughts to interject.
"[If you wished to see me, you could have visited the confessional booth...]"
"I could never dare interrupt your sacred public duties over a mere personal matter such as this."
"..."
Uh...
Well, if she insists on framing it with such lofty reverence, I suppose I have nothing to say. I never anticipated that Uriel would take such an intense liking to me—not in the slightest. Granted, it made sense that she would admire someone who was a great asset to the Empire ruled by her revered father, but this felt a bit over the top. Even if she seemed entirely oblivious to her own excessive enthusiasm.
"And so, if it wouldn't be an imposition... might I also listen to your account of the Demonic Realm?"
"[The Demonic Realm... you say?]"
"It is rather embarrassing to confess... but aside from honing my swordsmanship within the Imperial Knights Order, I lack any true combat experience on a real battlefield."
Ah... well.
I don't really mind, but...
‘She won't get PTSD from this, will she?’
I was genuinely a bit concerned since I'd be recounting my personal survival memoirs. But with her eyes shining that brightly, turning her down was practically impossible. Resigned, I decided to humor her.
Well, whatever happens, happens. Not my problem!