A Suspicious Companion
Sigh…
The room was elegantly appointed in an antique style. To be precise, the carriage only appeared shabby from the outside. Inside, it was a vast, refined space that would put even a noble’s reception hall to shame.
It’s been so long since I last stepped outside the Holy Kingdom.
At the very center of that interior, half-reclining on the most luxurious sofa, sat Arcelia. She was thoroughly displeased with her current circumstances.
No matter how much they emphasize safety first, telling me I can’t even step outside the carriage except at set times…
She had finally left the Holy Kingdom, yet she remained trapped, unable to move freely. It was deeply frustrating.
There were so many things she had wanted to do upon reaching a normal village. She longed to stroll along the streets and chat with the children. She even wanted to haggle with merchants over the price of fruit. What others found mundane and tedious was, for her, an entirely foreign experience.
I understand why, but still…
Arcelia’s lips pursed into a small pout.
Saintess. She knew the weight that title carried. In fact, because she understood it better than anyone, she had managed to endure this long.
If anything were to happen to her, the shock would ripple beyond the Order and shake the entire continent.
High Priest Robelon said he could not yield any further.
Yes, she could understand. But accepting it was another matter entirely.
Plop. Poof.
I’m so bored…
Even a disguise was out of the question—Robelon had been adamant. In the end, all Arcelia could do was toss and turn on the sofa.
They said we’d visit the adventurers’ guild and the residential district tomorrow.
Although she had come to investigate the Bell of Catastrophe, it felt as though she were spending more time on everything else.
In truth, on the road to Enton Village, Arcelia had stopped at numerous temples. She had spoken with the local priests and bestowed blessings upon the residents.
It was meaningful work. It was what a Saintess was meant to do.
Yet none of it was what Arcelia truly longed for. As she had thought earlier, she simply wanted to stand in the middle of their everyday lives as an ordinary, nameless woman.
Still, it would be difficult.
Impossible, really. No matter where she went, people saw only the Saintess.
Some gazed at her with reverence. Others with fear. Still others wept tears of overwhelming emotion simply from meeting her eyes.
That was the weight of the name Saintess.
Because of it, Arcelia—
Tap. Tap.
“……”
But at that moment, an unidentified noise drifted in from outside the carriage.
Is that Sir Belkras?
At first, Arcelia assumed it was her guardian, Sir Belkras. After all, only a handful of people even knew she was here. And the only person who would dare knock on the carriage was the escort knight High Priest Robelon had personally assigned.
Tap. Thud.
“……”
Yet something felt off. Sir Belkras always knocked lightly, then immediately asked, “Are you resting comfortably?”
Tap.
This time the sound came from the door handle, as though someone were cautiously testing it.
Only then did Arcelia’s gaze grow calm and focused.
An intruder?
Had someone actually discovered the carriage?
No, that’s impossible.
But it was strange. The carriage was protected by a Recognition-Impairment Relic.
The artifact naturally diverted people’s attention, making it nearly impossible to notice its presence unless one possessed extraordinary mental strength. The relic Arcelia carried herself was even more potent.
It didn’t erase one’s form—it simply caused others to naturally overlook it. Anyone with ordinary mental fortitude would never detect it.
Yet…
Creeeeak…
The carriage door was opening. Slowly. Carefully. As if someone were trying to slip inside unnoticed.
He’s actually coming in?
Arcelia’s eyes narrowed to slits.
In her hand was a small signaling device.
Even with the relic’s protection, she had prepared it for emergencies. The instant she pressed the button, Sir Belkras would rush to the carriage faster than anyone.
Just as her finger moved toward the button—
“What the…?” “……”
The person who carefully opened the door and stepped inside was neither an assassin seeking her life nor Sir Belkras coming to check on her.
“Oh…”
Black hair. Black clothes. An utterly ordinary outfit one might see anywhere.
The figure who appeared through the gap was, surprisingly, a rather plain-looking young man.
“…?”
Arcelia blinked despite herself. He looked nothing like the intruder she had imagined.
“What is this? Is there space magic cast on it?”
The moment the young man slipped inside and closed the door, he began glancing around with open curiosity.
He looked up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, studied the antique painting on the wall, and even reached out toward the various objects displayed inside the carriage. Then, as if realizing he was touching someone else’s belongings, he quietly withdrew his hand.
He doesn’t seem to be acting, and he doesn’t feel suspicious. What is he?
It appeared the young man wasn’t even aware he had bypassed the relic.
…Who is this person?
Arcelia didn’t even notice that she had withdrawn the finger hovering over the button. She simply watched him in silence.
And the strongest impression she received while observing him was that he was clean.
What an interesting person.
Of course, she didn’t mean his appearance. To a Saintess, outward looks were little more than superficial shells.
What Arcelia focused on when observing people was desire. And she could read human desire better than anyone.
It’s clear.
Yet the young man before her was strangely pure. He seemed to maintain a proper distance from everything in the world. Of course, that impression didn’t last long.
The young man, who had been murmuring “Oh…” in quiet admiration as he looked around, suddenly noticed her sitting on the sofa and met her eyes.
“……”
How he had seen through the relic and found her, she could no longer guess. Perhaps his mental strength was simply that exceptional. But one thing was certain…
He’s a good person.
This young man seemed more innocent than anyone she had ever encountered. The only evidence was a Saintess’s intuition, but to her there was nothing more reliable.
“Uh…”
The young man’s mouth fell open in clear bewilderment. It seemed he had only just realized she had been watching him the entire time.
And the first question he asked her was—
“Who are you?” “……”
A rather absurd question.
“…Pardon?”
Arcelia’s mind went blank for a moment. The person who had sneaked into the carriage and looked around was now asking her who she was?
“Isn’t that what I should be asking?”
The words slipped out sharper than she intended.
“Uh… I suppose so.” “……”
Hearing her pointed reply, the young man nodded as if she had a fair point. Arcelia felt her sense of reality rapidly departing as she watched him.
But there was something even more important.
“No, more than that…”
This young man was behaving as though he genuinely didn’t know who she was—even though she was Arcelia, Saintess of the Bistro Order.
“You don’t know who I am?”
“Huh?”
The question came out almost accusatory. Even she felt a little embarrassed saying it aloud. Yet the answer that left the young man’s mouth far exceeded anything she could have imagined.
“Who are you?” “……”
“You seem like someone important from the Order… but no? I don’t sense any power from you at all.”
Arcelia found herself completely at a loss for words. She had no idea how to respond.
He really doesn’t know?
He didn’t appear to be lying. Nor did he seem to be mocking or teasing her. The young man was simply looking at her with pure, unfiltered curiosity.
And then—
Knock, knock.
“This is Belkras.”
The voice of her guardian, Belkras, came from outside the door. He had come looking for her.
What could be the matter? As curiosity flickered in the Saintess’s eyes—
“Be-Belkras? Isn’t that the name of that holy knight?”
“?”
Strangely, the young man seemed even more startled than she was. His gaze darted to the door, then back to her.
“Could you open the door, please?”
Belkras’s question continued from outside. The young man now looked far more nervous than Arcelia.
“Just a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Where can I hide… No, never mind. It’d be better to just leave.”
Swish. Swish.
Perhaps he did feel some guilt for sneaking in after all. The young man began frantically looking around for an escape route. He even muttered, “I could slip out that window,” under his breath.
After seemingly reaching a decision, he said, “Hmm… Ha, what should I do?” Yet instead of heading for the window, he stared intently at Arcelia, as though he still had something to say.
His behavior naturally piqued her curiosity.
What is it?
She couldn’t begin to guess what he wanted to tell her. For a brief moment she even worried he might try to harm her and moved her finger back toward the button, but—
“Ha, forget it.”
The young man shook his head as if giving up, then spoke in a tone that sounded like he was throwing caution to the wind.
“Would you run away with me for a little while?”
“Eh?”
The sudden suggestion that she flee with him was the last thing she had expected.
“What did you say?”
“No, I don’t mean anything strange by it…”
When Arcelia asked in a tone that clearly implied he was talking nonsense, he waved both hands as if to dispel any misunderstanding and continued.
“That person out there has been looking for me. It’ll probably get really annoying if I’m caught.”
“So you think I’d tell him about you?”
“Not exactly, but…”
In other words, he was worried that she—whom he assumed was on Belkras’s side—might say something about him.
“I didn’t even do anything wrong, but… ha, why does that old man keep chasing after me?”
“……”
Arcelia stared at the young man without answering for a moment.
His expression was sincere. There was no exaggeration or bravado. He genuinely looked confused.
“You didn’t cause any trouble, did you?”
“Trouble? On the contrary, even though I told him I wasn’t interested in that Holy Stigma or whatever it’s called, he keeps following me.”
“Then why is he looking for you?”
“…Sigh, well…”
The young man hesitated, debating whether he should say it. Finally, as if he had no choice if he wanted to convince her, he spoke.
“He suddenly told me to become a holy knight. Even though I have zero intention of doing so.”
“He asked you in person if you wanted to be a holy knight?”
“And he’s been searching for me ever since.”
“That can’t be…”
It was difficult for her to believe. She knew Belkras had an eye for talent, but she couldn’t imagine him approaching a complete stranger like this.
“Are you sleeping?”
“O-oh no.”
Naturally, there was no answer to her question. As Belkras’s voice continued asking if she was all right, the young man only grew more flustered.
Still… I shouldn’t leave.
Even with the young man’s suggestion, Arcelia had no intention of abandoning the carriage. She had promised Robelon, and if she left recklessly, it would cause chaos. She was slightly tempted, but she had been about to refuse.
But then—
“You looked really frustrated earlier.”
“…Pardon?”
The young man’s observation that she looked frustrated made Arcelia unconsciously close her mouth, which had been forming a refusal.
“While you were talking, you kept making that expression.”
“……”
“Let’s just call it a short walk. You’ll feel better.”
She had never heard words like these before.
People only ever asked if she was tired, if she was uncomfortable, or if there was anything she desired. They never directly said she looked a certain way.
It would be more accurate to say they didn’t dare.
“……”
Arcelia continued watching the young man.
Scratch.
Perhaps her intense gaze made him uncomfortable, because he began scratching his head awkwardly. In the end, as if he had no other choice, he spoke to her again.
“Sigh, then just promise you absolutely won’t say anyth—”
But at that moment, Arcelia interrupted him.
“All right.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go. For a walk.”
The young man’s face went blank.
He had clearly expected her to refuse, yet she had agreed to go with him? The thought was written plainly across his face.
Pfft.
Oddly enough, it was Arcelia who found his reaction amusing. No one had ever made such an unguarded expression toward her before.
“Why are you surprised? You were the one who suggested it first.”
Under normal circumstances, she should have refused. He was someone she had met today for the first time, and she didn’t even know his true identity. But strangely… she had a feeling that if she followed this young man, she might truly be able to walk the streets like an ordinary person.
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Thud.
“Hmm… Are you sleeping?”
Belkras’s voice came again at just the right moment.
Startled.
The young man’s shoulders flinched at the sound. He quickly turned to Arcelia.
“L-let’s go out first. Anywhere is better than staying here.”
“Pfft.”
In the end, Arcelia couldn’t hold back a small laugh.
And that was the beginning of her first walk as an ordinary woman rather than the Saintess—the first since the day she was born.