The Scent That Gave Her Away
For the past several days, the nun's complexion had refused to brighten no matter how hard she tried. The shocking information she'd received from trustworthy eyes and ears had seen to that. Ever since she'd heard the ominous rumor that individuals presumed to be members of the Hero's Party were scouring monasteries across the Capital, frantically searching for priests and nuns matching a very specific description, the dark clouds hanging over her thoughts had not dissipated for even a moment.
Moreover, no matter how she looked at it, the description of the nun they were hunting with burning eyes matched her perfectly. From that day forward, it was no exaggeration to say she had lived under the constant, crushing weight of feeling as though natural disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis had singled her out alone. She now understood to her very bones exactly how that half-baked priest must have felt when he fled from them.
A transcendent hero powerful enough to stand alone against hordes of hundreds of demonic beasts and great enough to slice a sky-ruling dragon in a single stroke. When regarded as an ally of humanity, she was the most reassuring and trustworthy existence imaginable. But the mere possibility that such a being might be pursuing her with a clear and unwavering purpose was more than enough to twist every ounce of the admiration she'd once felt into pure terror.
Yet there was, fortunately, a way out. It wasn't entirely hopeless. No matter how far beyond common sense her opponents might be, as long as they were human, as long as they possessed social standing such as rank or position, they would have ideologies rooted in principles, duties they were bound to uphold, and codes they were obligated to follow. If it were only one or two of them, she might—just might—be able to persuade them. There was at least a sliver of hope worth clinging to.
Yes. If it had only been one or two.
"Thank you so much for providing the list!"
"N-not at all..."
Her plan had already fallen apart from the very beginning. Still, it would have been far too cruel to lay the blame for the current situation solely on the nun's hasty judgment. Who could possibly have predicted that these people—who considered fighting on the front lines of humanity their duty and their pride—would abandon their responsibilities entirely and set off together with one heart and one mind on an entirely different path?
It was a famous adage that superhumans viewed the world through a different lens than ordinary people, but even that perspective had its limits. It was perfectly understandable that the nun secretly pinched her own thigh, desperately hoping the scene unfolding before her eyes was nothing more than a vivid nightmare.
"As expected, when you appeal with true sincerity, humans can understand one another! The new technique I polished just in case a moment like this might arrive—the Hero's Grand Bow—has finally shone brightly! I'm moved beyond words!"
"Well, from where I'm standing, slamming your head into the floor didn't accomplish a damn thing. It looks like everything went smoothly purely thanks to the weight of the title Hero."
The only one attempting to rein in the Hero's exuberant behavior—which seemed unable to contain the overwhelming emotion bursting from within—was Apis's thoroughly cynical response. Dawna was too busy rapidly skimming the list she'd been given, and Victim was simply dozing off with occasional nods. The nun ultimately had to abandon any vain hope that someone might mediate this excruciating situation.
"To think the unidentified knight was actually the Hero herself. I am truly astonished. Had you given us prior notice and specified a time for your visit, we would have prepared suitable hospitality. It is most regrettable."
"I'm sorry! Concealing my identity and moving while avoiding prying eyes may indeed be a cowardly act! However, this time there was a perfectly justified reason that made it unavoidable! I had no choice but to resort to such measures! Please accept my sincere apology for the sudden rudeness!"
"No, it's hardly rudeness..."
"I apologize!"
The Hero's habit of chewing up and swallowing even the hidden thorns in her own words was only further scrambling the nun's already disordered thoughts. In the midst of this dizzying exchange—calm and chaos, fire and water somehow mixed together—Apis, who had been quietly observing, draped one leg insolently over the broken edge of a table and muttered.
"Ah, sorry. Just ignore about ninety percent of what the Hero is saying right now. There's an unavoidable situation at play, so this idiot is in a state of excitement unlike anything she's ever shown before."
"What are you talking about, Apis! I am always maintaining a cool and composed state of mind! I am the Hero!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."
Apis's exhausted tone as she dealt with the Hero reminded the nun of an eldest sister in a large family who had long since mastered the art of coaxing a troublesome younger sibling. From that display, the nun instinctively realized that the one truly holding the party's reins was not the Hero but Apis, and she quickly adjusted the focus of the conversation.
"You must be Apis of the Hero's Party. I have heard many stories about you. It is a true honor to—"
"Ah! Stop! You don't need to do any of that! Just stay quiet! Don't worry. If you keep your mouth shut, we'll finish only what we need to do and leave immediately."
Her tone suggested she had grown thoroughly accustomed to such exchanges. The scene made their journey so far crystal clear: the Hero ripping open the gates of conversation, and Apis following behind to clean up the resulting disaster.
Flip. Flip.
At that moment, the nun's gaze drifted toward Dawna, who was examining the list at an unbelievable speed, as though possessed. The enormous bundle of papers contained the names of every priest who had ever served in this monastery with its thousand-year history. The nun had deliberately scrambled their order, rendering the document essentially useless as reference material. Yet...
"It appears to be a futile endeavor. We seem to have made the trip in vain once again. I must say, young lady, the management of records in this monastery is rather inadequate compared to others, is it not? It is fortunate indeed that it was I who examined them. An ordinary person would have found it an impossible acrobatic feat to extract any information from such sloppy materials. While I was at it, I took the liberty of reorganizing everything in chronological order, so please devote greater care to proper record-keeping in the future."
"Th-thank you."
She had spoken as casually as though she were merely reading a menu. The nun inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at Dawna's unbelievable feat of completely reading through the list and reorganizing it in mere dozens of minutes. It had been wise, she thought, to have removed his name from it beforehand.
The priest himself was concealed in the safest place in the world. She had ensured silence within the church, and the sole written clue now served as evidence of the priest's absence. If they could just overcome this hurdle, everything would surely proceed smoothly.
I'm sorry, everyone. But the current Saintess needs Priest Regis!
The nun squeezed her eyes shut behind her mask, inwardly chewing on the apology she could not voice aloud. It was then that the Hero spoke again.
"I see! No luck this time either! How truly unfortunate! I sincerely apologize for the sudden rudeness! Sister! This is a modest token of appreciation for taking your valuable time, so please accept it!"
"N-no! Rudeness? Not in the least! Moreover, if I were to so readily accept such a large sum, God will surely punish me for being blinded by greed!"
The nun frantically prevented the Hero—who remained bent at the waist in a perfect L-shape—from forcing the heavy pouch of gold coins into her hands. Her heart was already heavy with guilt; accepting donations from the Hero on top of everything else would mean she could never again walk proudly beneath the sun. It was an act born of genuine piety.
"Oh dear! If you insist, then I have no choice! In that case, since we've come all this way, would it be permissible to greet the Saintess before we leave?"
"Th-that is absolutely out of the question!"
The nun's voice rose sharply in alarm at the Hero's abrupt proposal.
"Have you not heard from anyone that the Saintess and the Hero must never meet until the Grace Bestowal Ceremony!? While it is true that fewer than six months remain until the ceremony, until the Saintess returns as a full adult and her Grace reaches its complete form, the two of you must never meet! Surely the Hero herself cannot be unaware of this!"
The Hero defeats the Demon King with the Saintess's Grace. It was an ancient legend that even a child just learning to walk in the Capital would know. However, the tale of a certain Hero who, blinded by the Saintess's exceptional beauty, had recklessly taken her as a comrade before her Grace was complete and suffered a devastating defeat was a stain on history. Only a very small number of involved parties were permitted to pass it down orally to future Heroes.
From that incident, a strict code had been established that the Hero and the Saintess must never meet until both had reached adulthood—a fact the current Hero, who was nearing that age, had been informed of in advance.
"Ah, that's right! I completely forgot!"
"Hero. You..."
"Haa... haa..."
Right after that storm had passed, the Hero spoke again.
"Then, one final thing! May I ask the Sister a question?"
"Y-yes! Of course!"
"Why do you smell so strongly of the priest I know so very well?"
"...Pardon?"
Another enormous storm arrived solemnly between them.
"That mask. Would you remove it for me?"
The voice crawled across the floor like thick fog, in stark contrast to the steam-like intensity that had risen until now. It was painfully obvious that murky emotions of unfathomable depth saturated every syllable.