Arhen's Treasure (5)
Evan felt a complicated tangle of emotions as he watched Aria.
He had heard of the Demonic Realm before. It was a hellish frontier situated at the furthest edge of the Empire, humanity's final line of defense from which ordinary men were said to never return alive. In truth, the rumors were hardly an exaggeration; if that frozen barricade ever fell, humanity would be plunged into an unending war against the swarms of demonic beasts pouring down from the north. Formed in the distant past in the wake of the Calamity War, many regarded the hostile ecosystem as a burden the Empire had brought upon itself through reckless campaigns of conquest—and that crushing responsibility had ultimately been thrust upon the Grand Duchy.
The people of the Grand Duchy... must have witnessed so much.
Aria spoke of her time there with utter nonchalance, but even through hearsay alone, the Demonic Realm was notoriously lethal. Granted, compared to the past when garrison troops died by the scores without recourse, the soldiers holding the line today had developed a certain knack for survival. With so many seasoned veterans manning the wall, fatal casualties were far less common under ordinary circumstances. Even so, severe injuries remained an everyday occurrence.
The tales of Aria treating every last one of those wounded soldiers with boundless devotion—even laying down her own life to revive those who perished in tragic accidents—were famous throughout the Empire. So renowned was her heroism that a grand statue of her had already been erected in the imperial capital. While political motives certainly played a part in such public tributes, the citizens' genuine adoration for this generation's Saint was undeniable. None felt that reverence more deeply than the soldiers of the Grand Duchy, who had watched her horrific sacrifices unfold before their very eyes.
Evan, Aria, Uriel, and Stella had stepped out together onto the lively streets of the Academy grounds, having all eagerly agreed when Aria suggested they take a break to enjoy themselves.
"Hehe... This is the first time I've ever gone out for fun with everyone like this," Uriel remarked beside them, a soft, bashful smile spreading across her face.
At her words, Aria tilted her head, conveying her gentle curiosity.
[Surely someone like you could make friends whenever you wished, Sister Uriel?]
"Ah... well, technically yes, but..."
It was not difficult to understand her hesitation. As the Imperial Princess, sycophants would have constantly swarmed around her, desperate to curry favor and snatch up whatever political crumbs fell from her table. Yet if asked whether a single one of them approached her out of genuine fondness, the answer was an undeniable no—a bitter reality that must have left her disheartened. Enduring people sidling up with opportunistic eyes, masking naked ambition beneath ingratiating smiles, was enough to make anyone sick to their stomach.
"I really wanted to become close with you, Saintess, so I turned all of them down, despite how regrettable it might have seemed."
[You truly did not need to go that far on my account...]
Aria asked with evident concern whether that was really all right, but Uriel waved her hands dismissively, reassuring her with a bright grin.
"Rather than dwelling on that, let's just look around and have some fun!"
"Ugh... Crowded places are really a bit much for me..." Stella groaned, a nauseous grimace twisting her features.
She had looked uneasy ever since hearing the grim stories of the Demonic Realm earlier, but now her complexion was so ghastly pale that she seemed ready to throw up at any second.
[Sister Stella?]
Sensing Stella's distress despite her sightless eyes, Aria smoothly turned her head and glided toward her.
"H-Huh?"
Startled, Stella instinctively stumbled back to dodge her approach, but a subtle aura of sacred light—so faint ordinary onlookers would hardly notice—was already swirling around Aria's fingertips.
[If you are feeling unwell, you can always tell me. Something of this degree can be soothed in an instant.]
Uriel and Evan watched in blank astonishment as Stella, who had suffered no visible wound whatsoever, received the miracle of healing. The delicate glow of divine power faded from Aria's hands, and the color instantly rushed back into Stella's cheeks. Breaking into a nervous cold sweat, the young mage patted her own chest in disbelief.
"I... I'm all better..."
[It only taxes my stamina a tiny bit, so please do not fret.]
As if reading the guilt written all over their faces, Aria offered a warm, reassuring smile. Flustered by the gesture, Stella scratched the back of her head before muttering a quiet word of thanks.
"So that is the Saintess's..."
"...Come to think of it, Your Highness has probably never seen it firsthand."
Uriel had undoubtedly heard rumors of Aria's miracles, but she had likely never witnessed the divine power manifest with her own eyes. About the only time ordinary students ever caught a glimpse of Aria invoking her authority was during practical field exercises when receiving treatment for combat injuries. Yet even then, thick partitions were erected to shield her from sight so no one could see her taking their mutilations onto her own flesh. And once the treatments concluded, her holy robes would be soaked through with dark crimson blood, throwing the Academy's cathedral staff into endless bouts of weeping and despair.
"That is the Authority of Healing."
"..."
Uriel likely didn't comprehend the horror of it yet. After all, Stella had not sustained a grave injury; it was merely a passing wave of nausea, so Aria had resolved it with nothing more than slight physical fatigue.
"We must do everything we can... not to get hurt. That is the only way to protect Aria."
Receiving treatment when wounded was inevitable. Given Aria's selfless nature, if anyone were seriously maimed, she would never turn a blind eye, sacrificing her own body without hesitation to restore them. Therefore, the only thing they could do was stay unharmed, ensuring Aria would never have a reason to invoke her agonizing authority in the first place.
Understanding his earnest tone, Uriel turned her eyes toward Evan.
"Excuse me... you're Evan, right?"
"Pardon?"
"I really don't mind, so would you simply call me Uriel?"
"...What?"
Where was this coming from out of nowhere? Evan stared back at her, baffled. Yet Uriel's expression was entirely sincere.
"I intend to ask the others to drop the formal speech as well."
"But Your Highness is..."
"I am already used to being spoken to normally by my peers."
Evan found himself at a loss for words. After studying her earnest gaze in silence for a moment, he let out a quiet sigh of surrender.
"All right. I just need to call you Uriel, then?"
"You don't even need to call me Princess! Ever since I lived in the imperial palace, I've always longed for an ordinary friendship like this!"
She truly was an extraordinary person. That meant she had approached Aria with such warm, effortless familiarity despite having virtually no experience treating anyone as an equal friend. Uriel claimed she merely wished for a friendship unbound by status, but did she have any inkling of the truth? That the boy walking casually by her side was none other than the destined Hero?
—Evan... you're making a terribly shady face right now.
Shady? What are you talking about...?
Estel chimed in telepathically from the blade at his hip, but Evan brushed her off. A peculiar, bittersweet sentiment washed over him as he reflected on the irony of befriending the Imperial Princess while concealing his true identity. It was a bizarre sensation.
Wait a second.
Concealing his identity as the Hero...?
Huh?
A sudden realization struck Evan like a bolt of lightning, causing his entire body to freeze.
Something didn't add up.
Did I... ever tell Aria that I was the Hero?
Naturally, later on, Aria had conversed telepathically with Estel, and he had openly spoken of his duty as the Hero, so he had never given it a second thought. But when they had first met—specifically, up until the day of the entrance ceremony—he had never once revealed to Aria that he was the chosen wielder of the Holy Sword.
Yet Aria had addressed him as 'the Hero' with absolute certainty... as though she had known from the very beginning.
Wait...
In the chaos of that day, the thought had never crossed his mind, but he had never unsheathed the Holy Sword in front of Aria prior to that moment. True, he had drawn the sacred blade to parry the High Demon's strike during the exam, so if she had realized his identity then, it would make sense. But Aria had called out to him with intimate familiarity, as if she had possessed that knowledge long before the demon ever appeared.
And... her very first approach had taken place well before the exam.
Why else would a blind and deaf Saint have wandered into the training grounds on the eve of the entrance ceremony, if not specifically to seek him out?
Could it be...?
He told himself it was impossible, but the pieces fit together with terrifying precision.
What if her taking the blame and receiving a suspension on the eve of the entrance ceremony—stepping in to take the punishment for his near-brawl—had all been part of a deliberate, precalculated plan? What if it was Aria's calculated design to face the High Demon alone in his stead, knowing he had yet to awaken his dormant powers as the Hero?
The more the thought took root, the more violent goosebumps erupted across his skin. To think she might have anticipated every single variable and orchestrated the entire tragedy just to protect him...
Evan turned his eyes back toward Aria.
Like any ordinary teenage girl, she was walking cheerfully down the Academy thoroughfare, chatting and laughing warmly, if a bit awkwardly, alongside Uriel and Stella.
No, surely not...
It couldn't be.
He desperately wanted to believe it couldn't be true. The horrific ambush of the High Demon during the entrance ceremony... the agony she had endured restoring Albert after he succumbed to demonization... Even now, just recalling the sight of her mutilated flesh made his hands tremble uncontrollably.
Stop it.
This was hardly something to brood over on an outing meant for leisure. Evan vigorously shook his head, clearing the dark thoughts from his mind.
Right now, their only duty was to smile and enjoy the day together.