Mistake (1)
A clamor of disorderly sounds from afar pulled Ariel from her sleep.
“Uuuuh...”
Her eyelids fluttered, slowly half-opening. In her hazy, sleep-clouded eyes, the dim dawn sky was reflected. Staring blankly out the window at that sky and blinking dully, Ariel’s eyes suddenly went round at the breath tickling the bridge of her nose.
“Hueh?”
A dumbfounded little sound slipped out.
“W-what is this......?”
Ariel, who had fallen asleep on the sofa, was somehow now sleeping on the floor. But that wasn’t the problem at all. What made her eyes go perfectly round was Lowen’s face, so close their lips might brush.
Using Lowen’s arm as a pillow, Ariel was clinging to him the way one hugs a teddy bear, nestled deep into his embrace. Their bodies were pressed flush together—her breasts squashed flat like round pancakes, that snug.
“Hnn...”
Lowen’s exhaled breath kept tickling her. The circumstances were these: Lowen, who had been singing her a lullaby, had lain down on the floor and drifted off just like that, and Ariel, sleeping on the sofa, had tumbled onto him in her sleep. Tossing and turning in their slumber, they had ended up exactly as they were now—Lowen providing the arm pillow, Ariel wrapped around him.
Her face burned hot. It wasn’t something to be embarrassed about. Hugging other people was something she could do anytime. After services she often embraced the congregation, so holding someone was familiar. But clinging this closely was a first. Their bodies touched here and there. Moreover, one of Lowen’s hands was gently cupping one side of Ariel’s bottom.
“Haaah......”
Clutching her pounding chest, Ariel studied Lowen’s face. Features that felt thoroughly manly. An appearance that called to mind a wild beast, like a black knight out of a fairy tale. To put it simply, Lowen was handsomely, unmistakably male.
Ariel’s trembling breath tickled his chin.
“I should get up...”
She knew it in her head, but moving her body was hard. She liked this situation right now. She didn’t know why—she just liked it. Was it because of Lowen’s solid bulk? Simply holding him made her heart feel at ease, and sleep seemed ready to steal over her again. Noisy sounds drifted in from outside, yet greedy Ariel decided to savor this comfort a little longer.
The moment she buried her face against Lowen’s chest—
“Lowen!”
The parlor door clattered open and Seria called for him in an urgent voice.
“Ah......”
“Ah......”
Ariel’s uneasy eyes; Seria watching them. Silence stretched between the two women. The warm air turned abruptly cold, as if an ice age had descended. Lowen belonged to no one, yet looking only at the scene, it was exactly as if a wife had just raided the site of her husband’s affair.
“Mm...”
While the two locked gazes in that silence, Lowen stirred and sat up.
“Hwaaah...?!”
Ariel startled like a cat and scrambled up onto the sofa in a fluster. In her haste she stubbed her little toe hard against the sofa corner.
“Oww...!”
She clutched the sharp pain and whimpered like a one-horned rabbit.
“Kyuuuung...!”
Lowen looked at Ariel curled up on the sofa.
“Saintess, why are you like that?”
As he moved to check on her trembling form, Seria cleared her throat and drew his gaze.
“Ahem. Lowen.”
“Lady Seria, good morning.”
Seria lightly furrowed her brow and shook her head.
“It’s not a particularly good morning.”
“Pardon?”
It was still dawn, and having seen Lowen sleeping with Ariel in his arms, even her authority could not fully mask her displeasure. And before that, there was another reason spoiling any good morning.
“This is no time to be sleeping leisurely.”
Public and private had to be kept separate. Seria pressed down the sticky, bubbling feelings in her heart—like a witch’s cauldron—and delivered the news.
“Monsters have appeared.”
Monsters surrounding the cathedral. Blade Wolves with razor-sharp fur—Kelthro. When danger was quantified on a five-point scale, they reached Danger Level 3: a high-threat species. Movements too fast for the eye to track. Glancing blows that left cuts as clean as if from a keen blade. Thick front teeth. Canines sharper than icicles. The bite force from those two weapons ran around 250 kilograms; one chomp shattered bone. Kelthro usually lived in packs of about five, yet the number encircling the cathedral ran into the dozens.
“Lowen!”
Edil, who had been holding the line in front of the cathedral, spotted him and ran over at once.
“What happened?”
Growls echoed from every direction like reverberating sound. Savage hostility thick enough that they might charge at any second.
“I don’t know how this came about either.”
When the report of monster sightings came from the Holy Knights on watch and they left camp, dozens of Kelthro already ringed the cathedral.
“Then why are they just standing there?”
If the pack had rushed them all at once while everyone slept, the damage would have been severe. Yet the Kelthro seemed blocked by something and could not charge.
“Because this is a sanctuary.”
The cathedral doors opened and Demian stepped out.
“This cathedral is under the protection of one of the Seventh Saintess’s sanctuaries.”
Invisible divine power had spread a barrier that guarded the building, so the Kelthro could only snarl and threaten—like beasts that would not easily leap at a fire.
“But the sanctuary is not yet fully established. The defense collapsing is only a matter of time.”
“Then we should deal with them quickly.”
Demian nodded at Lowen’s words.
“Indeed.”
Lowen gave Edil’s shoulder a couple of firm pats.
“I’ll leave the hard work to you.”
“Huh?”
Edil, who had been a little excited at the thought of fighting alongside Lowen after so long, grabbed him in fluster as he turned back toward the cathedral.
“You have to fight with us, Lowen!”
“Monsters aren’t exactly my specialty.”
“What nonsense is that from someone who went on ten monster subjugations in a single year?!”
While serving as Seria’s escort knight he had indeed gone out ten times against high-threat monsters, but Lowen’s role had been to stay at her side and protect her; the actual cleanup had been handled by the Holy Knights. He had cut down a few that targeted her, but that had been crude work—hacking until they died. For dealing with monsters, Holy Knights who could channel divine power into their blades were far more efficient.
“Edil, don’t tell me the vice-captain can’t handle trash like that alone?”
“Look at their numbers.”
Even a vice-captain would struggle against dozens of monsters.
“The other Holy Knights will be with you.”
Lowen pointed to the knights holding the line. Four of them. Including Edil, only five Holy Knights in total for escorting a Saintess. They were an elite unit drawn from the best of Deteros Great Cathedral, yet five against dozens of Danger Level 3 monsters was nearly impossible. But right beside them stood a Cardinal, and inside the cathedral were two Saintesses. With buffs from those three, five men facing that horde was not impossible—it was possible.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Seria arrived just then, having changed into her clerical robes.
“I’ll fight as well. We’re outnumbered, but I have experience with monster subjugations, and you are the finest Holy Knights and the finest Cardinal. We can overcome this hardship. So let’s join forces and destroy those blasphemous creatures.”
Her mere appearance flipped the anxious atmosphere. Five Holy Knights and one Cardinal—every one of them had fought monsters at her side before and knew her power. Under her blessing, clearing dozens of high-threat monsters would take time, but it would be easy.
“Lowen, I’ll be counting on you again this time.”
Seria held out her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I must stay inside and protect the Saintess, so I’ll leave the monsters to you, Lady Seria.”
When he refused the offered hand, Seria’s expression crumpled for an instant. She blinked, and when Lowen looked again her face was full of gentle kindness.
“Of course. You’re not my escort knight—you’re Saintess Violet’s.”
More precisely he was her guardian, but Lowen simply nodded.
“Lowen, are you really not going to fight?”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“I just wanted to see you swing a sword again after so long.”
At Edil’s words Seria showed interest as well.
“Lowen was always good at taking down monsters.”
“Lady Seria.”
“If you help, it will make a real difference.”
Lowen shot Demian a look that begged him to rein them in.
“Yes, I would like your help as well.”
Demian grinned slyly. The “help” he meant seemed to be in an entirely different field, and it left a bad taste. Lowen wanted to stay as far from blood as possible. As far from the work of taking lives as possible. The very act of gripping a sword and swinging it had become loathsome and disgusting. If he did not absolutely have to step in, better to leave it to others.
Look. Five Holy Knights, one Cardinal, one Saintess. With such reliable people in front of him, there was no need to draw a blade.
“Bishop Lowen?”
While he was still under those expectant gazes, the cathedral door opened and Ariel peeked out. She had changed from her nightclothes into white clerical robes.
“Hic... monsters......”
Seeing Danger Level monsters for the first time, Ariel flinched in fear, then glanced at the others and stepped outside.
“I-is there anything I can do to help?”
If Ariel, with her vast divine power, joined them it would be a major boost—but she had never faced monsters, and she loved every living thing to a foolish degree. Watching even monsters get cut down would only make her sick.
“Should I try talking to them? If I soothe them properly I’m sure I can send them away.”
What hopeless, flower-brained nonsense.
“Saintess, please stay hidden inside the cathedral.”
“But...!”
“If anyone is hurt, we’ll need your healing then.”
Lowen told her to go back inside, yet Ariel, wanting to be of even a little use, stubbornly held her ground.
“If you’re only going to say useless things like that, Saintess Violet, go inside.”
Seria spoke with clear irritation at Ariel’s unhelpful insistence.
“‘If I soothe them I can send them away’? You’ve never faced monsters so you don’t know, but if they could be turned away so easily, why do you think people have risked their lives fighting them until now? Even if you don’t know how the world works, that’s far too dull-witted a thought, Saintess Violet.”
Seria’s words carried venom. Personal feelings were mixed in, yet what she said was correct.
“We can’t waste any more time. They might head for the village, so let’s hurry.”
Seria gave Ariel a look of open displeasure, then turned and strode forward. Demian, Edil, and the Holy Knights followed.
“Bishop Lowen...”
Ariel had been thoroughly scolded.
“Was I wrong? God clearly taught us... to embrace every life with love...”
Lowen let out a long sigh and patted her shoulder.
“I believe the attitude of loving every life is certainly important. But I do not believe we have an obligation to love every life.”
Must one love the monsters that throw the world into chaos? Must one love the wicked who commit murder? If he were told to love even those things, he would raise a middle finger even to God.
“If monsters harmed the congregation you hold so dear, Saintess, what would you do?”
“I......”
She had been taught to forgive even what must not be forgiven. Taught to love even what must not be loved. The words “I cannot forgive them” caught in her throat and never came out.
The Holy Knights, blessed by Seria, cut through the Kelthro at high speed. Lowen, who had meant to stay and guard Ariel, now stood at Seria’s side with a single dagger in hand. Ariel had looked as though she needed time alone.
“Haa... ha...”
Seria, still pouring out blessings on the knights, was breathing hard.
“Lady Seria, aren’t you overdoing it?”
Irritated on multiple fronts because of Ariel, she was releasing divine power to an excessive degree.
“I’m fine.”
Thanks to that the knights fighting at the front were handling dozens of monsters with ease—but Lowen was worried about her.
She asked God. Was the heart that tried to love everything wrong? Was it foolish to embrace even monsters and the wicked with love?
“In the end I......”
Ariel lowered her head. No matter how precious a thing was harmed, the voice echoing in her mind still said, “Forgive.” She clenched her praying hands tight.
“I’m not wrong.”
She had to tell Lowen. He had told her to hide in the cathedral, but she would go out and say it. No matter how long she wrestled with the question, the only answer for a Saintess was forgiveness.
Ariel rose and stepped outside the cathedral.
“Ugh...!”
The stench of blood hung thick. Every time the Holy Knights swung their swords, blood and flesh sprayed in every direction. Ariel spotted Lowen standing beside Seria.
“Bishop Lowen!”
She ran toward him to deliver her answer.
“Saintess?”
Lowen, guarding Seria, turned at her voice. Ariel was charging toward them with all her might.
“You mustn’t come this way!”
This was outside the sanctuary. Seria had stepped beyond it so she could use her power without interference from Ariel’s divine energy. One Kelthro that had been heading for a Holy Knight twisted its body the instant it saw Ariel standing alone and unprotected, and lunged straight at her.
“Damn...!”
The Holy Knights were fighting at the front; Demian was supporting them. Seria was focused on pouring blessings onto the knights. The only person who could protect Ariel was Lowen.
“That idiot...!”
He sprinted toward her.
“I-I...! I...!”
Lowen shoved the Ariel who was trying to say something, and the Kelthro sank its teeth into his arm.
“Grrraaagh....!”
He drove the dagger he had been holding for self-defense into the creature’s nape. The Kelthro thrashed its head violently. Lowen restrained its struggles as best he could and sliced the nape clean through. With a single cut that nearly took its head off, the Kelthro fled, yelping.
“Ugh...!!”
Lowen’s right arm was completely shattered, bone crushed to pulp and hanging in tatters.
“Ah......”
His black clerical robes were soaked red with blood. The arm dangled limply.
—Snap.
Ariel felt something break inside her head.
“I-I... I... I......”
Guilt. A sense of sin. He had told her to stay in the cathedral. Hatred toward herself. Contempt toward herself. Because of her own stupidity, Lowen was hurt. Yes—someone precious had been hurt.
“I... can’t forgive.”
Golden waves surged through Ariel’s violet eyes.
“I can’t forgive. I absolutely cannot forgive.”
Neither the Kelthro that had bitten Lowen’s arm, nor her own foolish self who had claimed she would love everything.
Ariel slammed her foot into the ground.
—BOOOOM!
Vast divine power exploded all at once and crashed over Baram-sae Forest like a tidal wave. The brilliantly shining holy force swept away every evil existence—dead or living. It reduced every last monster to dust. Lowen’s critically injured arm was restored as good as new.
A wind blew. A golden wind that glittered in the sunlight.
Morning had come.
Morning dew gathered at the corners of Ariel’s eyes.