The Knight's Oath (2)
As befitting a place where people gathered, Rest Town boasted shops of every kind.
Restaurants, of course, along with clothing, accessories, weapons, sundries, magical goods, and even alchemical materials—while it could not match the scale of the imperial capital, one could purchase just about anything. And because it was a rest stop for merchant caravans, it was even possible to buy goods directly from the caravans resting there without needing a proper shop.
The street lined with shops on both sides was packed with sights to see.
A bard performing on the street corner, a painter sketching portraits on the spot, a magician demonstrating tricks more wondrous than actual magic, and an acrobat drawing thunderous applause for death-defying feats—whichever way one looked, entertainment was in abundant supply.
But what truly captured every gaze was something else entirely.
Silvery hair braided neatly into a single plait.
Violet eyes visible behind large glasses.
A black clerical robe so oversized it dragged along the ground.
And a pair of enormous breasts that bounced and swayed with every step.
At the center of all those stares stood Ariel.
To keep people from recognizing her, she had borrowed Lowen's glasses and put on one of his spare clerical robes.
Even if they could not place her face, the gentle, benevolent aura that clung to her body naturally drew every eye.
"Is that... the Seventh Saintess?"
A single nun's murmur sent a ripple through the crowd.
Speculation rose on every side and spread like a marching column of ants.
"Silver hair and purple eyes. It really does look like her."
"Come on, no way."
"Right? If it were a Saintess, a Cardinal would be with her."
Naturally, every gaze shifted to the man walking beside her.
A priest in black clerical robes.
His tall frame and broad shoulders called to mind a valiant knight.
His features were as sharp as a wild wolf's, yet when he smiled he looked as gentle as a lamb.
The robes marked him as a priest, but the impression of a knight was far stronger.
And he was certainly no Cardinal.
A Cardinal would have worn crimson, and no one had ever seen a Cardinal who looked like that.
"Must be a look-alike, then."
"She really does resemble her, though."
"No. That is the Seventh Saintess."
"How would you know?"
"Just look at those huge bouncing pouches."
"You bastard."
"Hey, looks can be similar, but those milk jugs are impossible to fake!"
"Keep talking like that and you'll get arrested for blasphemy."
Confusion reigned.
Common sense said a Saintess belonged in a great cathedral, accompanied by a Cardinal or Holy Knights. Having a well-built man at her side was one thing, but the idea that she would be strolling through a shopping district with no retinue at all was simply absurd.
"Wooow! Bishop Lowen, look at that! It's a pony that swallows fire!"
The person in question paid no mind whatsoever to the stares pouring onto her and continued happily bouncing down the street.
"By the way, the disguise is working, right?"
Ariel, hopping along, gave the glasses a little push up her nose.
"Mm... yes, it seems so."
Lowen's reply was noncommittal.
The glances aimed their way, the questions being whispered—judging by those furtive looks, he could hardly call the disguise perfect.
For the record, the idea of disguising themselves had been Ariel's.
If a Saintess suddenly appeared in the shopping district it would cause utter chaos, so she had insisted on a disguise.
In the end it had not quite reached the level of utter chaos, so one could call it a success.
"This is my first time freely wandering a shopping street this big."
As a child she had done nothing but study theology in the convent, and after becoming a Saintess even a simple outing to the plaza meant a throng of attendants trailing after her.
"Thanks to you, Bishop Lowen, I get to experience this."
Ariel, who had been examining the goods on display, gave him a shy little smile.
"Thanks to me? Not at all."
"No. It's because you're here as my reliable guardian that I can enjoy this freedom."
Don't be so modest, she scolded, poking him repeatedly in the side.
Lowen had not done anything especially grand for Ariel.
They spent ordinary days together, ate lunch, walked through the forest, chatted about nothing in particular, and shared their feelings.
To anyone else it might have looked utterly mundane, yet to Ariel it was precious.
Spending ordinary days with someone.
Taking leisurely walks with someone.
Chattering away about nothing with someone.
And coming to feel passionate emotion toward someone.
Trapped as she was inside the frame of "Saintess," every one of those things was irreplaceable.
"For someone 'enjoying her freedom,' you do spend an awful lot of time locked in the confessional."
Lowen smiled faintly.
"Huh?"
Ariel tilted her head.
A moment later she understood, and her cheeks flushed pink.
"Y-you! You—!"
She pummeled his arm with fists as soft as cotton.
"Honestly! Don't tease me about that!"
Watching her huff and puff, Lowen laughed as if he found the whole thing thoroughly entertaining.
Passing through the shopping district, the two of them arrived at the cathedral in Rest Town.
They were hungry and wanted to browse more shops, but there were matters that had to be handled first.
Reporting the monster they had encountered in Night Sky Spring Forest, and securing a carriage bound for Windfield.
Ariel stepped through the open doors of the cathedral.
She walked the long nave and approached a nun who was tidying up after the morning service.
"Hello."
Ariel greeted her.
"Oh my, a sister I haven't seen before. Welcome."
The nun greeted her warmly—then that warmth slowly turned to shock.
"Eh...?"
The nun doubted her own eyes.
For the briefest instant, the petite girl's smile shone with a gentle kindness that warmed the heart, and the light pouring through the entrance became a halo that bathed her in radiance.
That fleeting moment was like a painting, and it summoned a single word into the nun's mind.
"S-Sain... Saintess...?"
Those who knew, knew.
No—standing face to face with that presence and failing to recognize it would have been impossible unless one were blind.
Lowen had grown used to it, and knowing her true puppy-like nature had given him a certain immunity, but for someone meeting a Saintess for the first time the sheer presence was enough to leave one short of breath.
"Ah, I've been found out?"
The voice that had been cheerfully humming only moments before was now calm and composed.
"Allow me to greet you properly once more."
The disguise had only been meant to keep people from recognizing her on the street; now that they were inside the cathedral, Ariel removed the glasses.
"Hello. I am Ariel Violet."
The nun who received a Saintess's greeting sucked in a sharp breath.
Every cleric had a favorite among the Seven Saintesses, yet meeting even one of them was enough to make anyone feel as though their heart might stop.
Ariel gently closed her eyes and folded her hands.
A cleric's prayer.
"Ah..."
The nun, who had been panting with excitement, did her best to quiet her racing heart and show proper respect.
Lowen, who had also folded his hands in imitation of Ariel, surveyed the surroundings through half-lidded eyes.
The other clergy who had recognized the Saintess's presence had likewise joined their hands.
Seeing it like this...
It truly drove home that Ariel was a Saintess.
"Ahem! G-greetings."
The moment the prayer ended, a man hurried forward in a fluster.
"I am Raham, High Priest of the Rest Town cathedral. It is an honor to meet you, Saintess."
"It is a pleasure, Raham. I am likewise honored to meet you."
For a moment Lowen was stunned.
Everything about Ariel—her speech, her bearing—had completely changed.
She had lived more than half her life as a Saintess.
The side of her Lowen saw at the cathedral in Baram-sae Forest was only a little over two months of her entire life.
"What brings the Saintess to Rest Town without any prior notice?"
"Well..."
Ariel shot Lowen a quick glance.
An SOS.
Thanks to her convalescence in Baram-sae Forest she had recovered enough to manage greetings in front of a crowd, but she was not yet ready for a long conversation.
The reason Ariel had come to Baram-sae Forest in the first place.
Her fondness for lewd things played a part, but the greatest cause had been emotional instability born of stress.
The compulsion that she must always behave correctly as a Saintess.
The pressure of being unable to freely satisfy her desires.
The strain of always facing people with a smile and hiding her true feelings.
Body and mind had both been worn thin.
Her stay in the forest had improved things a great deal, yet she was still not fully recovered.
"Hello. I am Lowen, Bishop of the Baram-sae Diocese."
Answering Ariel's silent plea for help, Lowen stepped forward and addressed Raham.
"Ah! You must be the one who recently took up the post. A pleasure to meet you."
For the record, the so-called Baram-sae Diocese was a diocese in name only; its territory ended at Baram-sae Forest and Baram-shimteo Village.
Originally the region had belonged to the Windfield Great Diocese, but after Baram-shimteo Village came to be called a village of heretics it had been split off. Lowen's assignment to the area and Ariel's convalescence there had coincided, resulting in the creation of a new diocese.
Thus it was a "diocese" of a size almost embarrassing to call by the name.
Lowen shook Raham's hand.
"We have come because there is something we must report."
"Something you must report?"
"In Night Sky Spring Forest on the outskirts of Rest Town, we encountered a monster."
"A monster?!"
The clergy who had been listening stirred.
Night Sky Spring Forest was not a monster habitat.
For nearly thirty years not a single monster had appeared there.
Even a modest amount of divine power could turn the water everywhere into holy water—what monster would choose to live in such a place?
"Yes. We could not identify the exact species, but we estimate it exceeded Danger Level 4."
"Danger Level 4?!"
Raham's face went white.
An important festival was scheduled for that very night, and a monster of Danger Level 4 or higher had appeared in a nearby forest.
The festival was one thing, but the manpower required to subjugate such a creature—and the knights who would inevitably be sacrificed—made his head spin.
"Ah! Please don't worry too much. The Saintess purified it."
Like a father proudly showing off his child, Lowen ushered Ariel forward.
"Ah..."
Ariel, who had been relaxing, found every gaze suddenly fixed on her and spoke in a calm, reassuring tone.
"Yes. Bishop Lowen and I purified it together."
Voices rose all around them—"As expected of the Saintess," "Amazing," "They say the Seventh Saintess possesses vast divine power"—praising Ariel.
"Um, Bishop Lowen also—"
Ariel tried to speak of Lowen's efforts, but he gently covered her mouth.
Having Lowen's name mixed into the Saintess's exploits would be troublesome.
There was no telling how far the story might spread.
If the knight order ever heard the name Lowen in such a tale, they might come looking.
"The Saintess's divine power reduced it to dust, so we cannot present proof, but if you go to Night Sky Spring Forest you will still find traces of the monster's rampage."
Raham, who had been letting out a long breath of relief, nodded.
"I see. You have our deepest thanks, Saintess."
Raham offered Ariel his gratitude.
Ariel, pouting because she had not been allowed to mention Lowen's hard work, quietly nodded.
"Bishop Lowen worked the hardest..."
Leaving Ariel's muttered complaint behind, Lowen continued.
"And we have come with a few requests as well."
"Please, speak freely."
"We are bound for Windfield, but we have no carriage."
Raham told them not to worry.
"We will secure a carriage for you. When do you plan to depart?"
"We will rest today and leave tomorrow."
"Then we shall have it ready by tomorrow."
Lowen had one more request.
"And... if you could lend us a clerical robe."
The robe Lowen was wearing still bore the violent marks of the fight with the monster.
It was torn and frayed in several places.
"Understood. Please follow me."
"Ah—it is not for me. It is an ordinary clerical robe for the Saintess to wear."
Lowen himself could simply put on the spare robe Ariel was currently wearing.
"An ordinary clerical robe?"
"I would like to show the Saintess around Rest Town."
Walking about in a white clerical robe was no different from advertising that one was a Saintess.
Being a Saintess was nothing to be ashamed of or hide, yet it made leisurely shopping and eating at restaurants rather inconvenient.
"I understand."
Raham gestured to one of the nuns.
"Please provide the Saintess with a clerical robe."
"Yes, sir."
The nun approached Ariel with the glowing face of someone who had been granted a glorious privilege.
"Saintess, allow me to guide you."
Envious gazes converged on that nun.
They had left the aftermath of the Night Sky Spring Forest monster in the cathedral's hands, and a carriage would be ready by tomorrow morning.
Lowen and Ariel stepped back out onto the street.
"It's been so long since I wore a black clerical robe."
The black fabric made her fair skin stand out all the more.
Because it was ready-made, it clung more tightly than the robes she usually wore.
A large opening at the center of the chest revealed the smooth valley of her cleavage.
The skirt flared from her waist over childbearing hips, slit on one side so that a plump thigh was fully exposed.
It was the ordinary robe worn by nuns, yet with Ariel's sensual figure added to it, the sanctity the garment was meant to create seemed to transform into an entirely different kind of sanctity.
"Bishop Lowen, let's hurry and go eat!"
Finishing the disguise by putting Lowen's glasses back on, Ariel tugged at his arm and headed for the shopping district.