Sneak Peek
The sight of peeking under the bed stirred up feelings of guilt in more ways than one.
Just a slight turn of my gaze revealed only ankles. I couldn't see anyone's face. Not Elysia's either.
I'd never thought about ankles in a strange way before, but once only the ankles caught my eye, it became hard to keep looking at them.
I held my breath as if I might be caught at any moment.
When was the last time I hid in such a place during my life?
During the covenants, I had hidden in a large oak barrel that reeked of alcohol to avoid being followed, and spent the long dawn there.
Compared to that, this was indeed close to heaven, but the problem was...
“Sister?”
“……….”
“Sister!”
“Huh? Yeah? Yeah! What did I just say…?”
“Why are you like that? Is something wrong? Are you feeling sick somewhere?”
“Uh… Yeah…? Sick? Me?”
“The orphans just arrived from the orphanage, and suddenly they disappeared, so I don't see them anymore. They came to my room too… with Tina…”
“… Ah, right, that's what happened… Oh… My mind is a bit off. That… that… Ah! Ria, do you have any medicine? My head hurts…”
Lucia said, fidgeting awkwardly. Her voice trembled so much that anyone listening would suspect something. Even ten years ago, she was a person who couldn't tell even one lie well.
“Headache medicine… If it's something like that… Yeah. I have some I made before. I'll check.”
“Thanks.”
Lucia approached the bed subtly, as if to hide my presence. But Elysia, who couldn't suspect that, rummaged through the drawer without suspicion and plopped down on the bed.
Now, bare feet were swaying in front of me.
“Tina, has your mom been sick since earlier?”
“…… T-Tina knows nothing.”
With a puffed-up whistle, Tina avoided her gaze awkwardly.
“It's suspicious… Well, whatever. And, sister. This is the headache medicine I made. Take one bottle every hour.”
“Thanks… You started doing alchemy, and now you're like a pharmacist.”
“I didn't start it to make medicine….”
Elysia said with a wry smile, wiggling her legs.
Her legs swung back and forth.
After taking a sip, Lucia said briefly, “Oh, this is sweet and delicious even though it's medicine.” Then Tina shot up.
“Sister Ria, can Tina drink too!”
“Is Tina's head hurting?”
“No, it doesn't hurt.”
“Then you can't. If someone whose head doesn't hurt drinks it, something bad will happen.”
“Why?”
I was expecting the simple answer “Because it's medicine,” but Elysia gave an unexpected one.
“If someone whose head doesn't hurt takes it, they'll have a terrifying side effect of hiccuping all day.”
“T-Tina won't drink it.”
“…… Kya!”
I saw Lucia's foot, which was purely lying about having a headache, tremble.
“Then, since you're sick, rest here a bit. I'll handle the rest with Rosa or the others.”
“No. I have to go too. I'm fine. I took the medicine. Come on, Tina. Let's go to work. Hi… Kk…”
Lucia laughed weakly, ha ha ha, and got up from her seat.
Has the side effect already appeared?
Lucia and Tina headed to the entrance first, and Elysia seemed to follow after tidying up the room.
Elysia, who had been laughing and talking until just now, her eyes darkened as she was left alone in the room.
The quiet silence in the room was explored with her breathing.
Following her ankles.
She wouldn't come this way, right? No way.
Elysia walked lightly and muttered softly.
“………… Familiar scent. It's deeper than earlier.”
“………?”
My heart skipped a beat for a moment, but I barely suppressed it.
The experience of rolling around in all sorts of situations over the past 10 years hadn't been in vain.
“Is the scent leaking from the perfume? The cap has been old for a while….”
Elysia opened a bottle and brought her nose to it.
This is… the treasure Tina showed me.
This was what number was it? The one Elysia sprayed on the pillow and sniffed, kinky kinky.
I didn't really want to imagine what kind of scent was in it.
“Haa…… I'm going to live…….”
Elysia's expression after taking two sniffs of the scent and slowly exhaling wasn't visible here.
I still hadn't properly seen her face once, but out of fear of being caught, I held my breath. I barely managed to confirm the back view of her putting down the perfume bottle and going out. Her silver hair, still beautiful, was falling.
With the sound of the door closing far away, her voice gradually faded.
From under the bed, where I had been quietly crouched, I finally pressed my forehead and muttered.
“What am I doing here….”
***
Fortunately, no one came looking for me after that.
Occasionally, the cheerful voices of children from the temple could be heard, so I could tell that Lucia, Elysia, and the other priestesses were smoothly continuing their temple exploration.
Of course, I wasn't staying still.
Since Lucia had asked me to stay inside the house, I didn't wander outside, but I didn't forget to question the one who created this embarrassing situation.
“Hey, you're looking right now, right?”
“………”
“No, really, don't mess around. There's no way a goddess like yourself couldn't hear the commotion that happened in your own backyard.”
“…… Backyard. Is this what you mean?”
“Your own temple is your backyard, isn't it?”
“Can I not call the house where my beloved children live a backyard?”
“Beloved children? What a generous act. Wouldn't it be better to consider that when I call, you respond immediately?”
“Haa~ Sorry. But what can I do. You have completed all the covenants, but I still have the aftermath to deal with. After working for two hours, tired from the backlash, I was taking a break with some gambling to refresh my mood when my faithful messenger found me and told me that you were looking for me earnestly.”
“Gambling again? The gods living there really have nothing to do. The god of wisdom and gambling… Isn't that scary?”
“Scary? I'm doing it fairly. Elaim can vouch for me.”
“…… How pitiful. Elaim-nim also has to deal with strange gods, so she's always suffering a lot.”
“K, kyu! Suffering? There's no way. It's one of the few things she says about how being with me is an honor. There are no other angels like me in the divine realm.”
The goddess's words that there are no angels like me are somewhat true.
There is one angel like an angel in Astasia: Elaim. What does “angel like an angel” mean? There's no other way to describe her.
Actually, since Elaim is an angel, she's resisting against Astasia, so the angel position of Astasia goddess is a famous disliked job even in the divine realm, I heard.
The rumor that hundreds of angels have submitted resignation letters in a depleted state has been a well-known gossip that even I, her messenger, have heard.
“…… Anyway, I don't want to talk about that. You know about Elysia, right?”
“You knew? What do you mean?”
“What else, like that thing earlier.”
Instead of answering, I recalled Elysia's desk.
Elysia's perfume bottle that she had sniffed.
… Actually, even if I smelled it directly, I wouldn't know what the scent was, but I could roughly guess what kind of scent it was made from.
“A new story, but I am a goddess, my child.”
“That's quite new.”
“There are really many priests in my temple. Countless prayers and wishes are offered to me every day.”
“… You don't listen to all of them, do you?”
“That's true. However......”
“However?”
“Every morning, noon, and evening. If someone prays the same wish without fail for 10 years with utmost sincerity, even a weak-hearted god like me can't ignore it.”
I was pondering what kind of nonsense that was when my mouth went dry.
“You abandoned me.”
“Abandoned? What are you talking about.”
“While I rolled around earnestly for 10 years without caring, you only took care of your own god who only prayed morning and night with a click. This is betrayal.”
“Whoa. You can't express a person's sincere heart with a word like click. How much Elysia waited for you with utmost sincerity......”
Then, as if realizing it wasn't something she thought, the text disappeared quickly, as if making an excuse.
“And since you are old enough now, it's better to meet and settle with many people.”
“Don't talk to me like I'm a child with a full head of steam. And if you think about it, the one who made me suffer through all those bright times with all those covenants is you, isn't it?”
“…… Hoo~ Hoo hoo~”
Even if I blew a whistle with the letters, it wouldn't help.
“Then, let's meet directly and talk.”
“Directly meet… I haven't prepared my heart yet…”
To be honest, since I saw this first, I wasn't sure how to face her.
In my memory, Elysia was a girl who was aloof yet like a thorny ice flower.
She had rejected everyone who approached her out of fear that she might hurt someone, and endured countless suppressions and discrimination because of the 'Witch's Red Eyes' alone.
Thud! Thud thud…!
“Sister, really! Why did you lie about having a headache? You didn't even make a medicine to stop hiccuping….”
Now, how should I respond….
“Huh? Who's there… ……”
Squeak, bang.
“………… Uh.”
“………… Ah.”
“………….”
“………….”
“………….”
“………….”
…… I don't know.