I Just Found It Curious
Right after Alicia shook off her pursuers and made her escape, Saint Belia was seething in her sanctuary.
The family she had abducted to drive that girl into despair had been stolen from her. Belia found herself regretting that she hadn't simply killed them outright instead of keeping them hanging by a thread, and she hounded the fairies who had returned, demanding they go after her and drag her back.
The fairies refused.
"No! I'm scared!!"
"Hiding doesn't even work!"
After the fairies had first been driven off, Belia had soothed them, insisting that if they simply concealed themselves the enemy would have no recourse, and sent them in pursuit once more. This time, however, an elf had joined the opposing side, and they had suffered heavy losses. The elf's arrows, which pierced their kin with every shot, seemed to have left the fairies with a trauma they could not shake.
Belia had a headache.
Just who was that priestess who had infiltrated, and how had she managed to extract those families? No — more importantly, how had she gotten in here at all?
Having stolen the World Tree's power, Belia had sealed this place so that none but the fairies could enter or leave. And yet that priestess had walked in as if it were nothing, slipped the hostages out without anyone noticing, and left. Without the World Tree's power, that should have been impossible.
No. Wait a moment.
Belia thought it through. Without the World Tree's power, what that priestess had done was all but impossible. Which meant she had possessed the World Tree's power? But where? If such a thing existed, there was no way she wouldn't know of it.
Ah...!
It came to her.
A memory from the journey to slay the Demon King. A treasure a young priestess had received as a gift from the World Tree — a relic the World Tree itself had imbued with its own power and bestowed upon one who had rendered great service. She could still see it. She had watched that scene with a smile, and yet how envious she had been, deep down.
Why had I forgotten that?
If that treasure existed, it would explain how the priestess had been able to enter this place. Belia's face twisted with rage.
Hostages no longer mattered in Belia's mind. She moved at once.
The next oracle to descend upon Cardinal Gerald arrived just before the incident in which four severed heads were discovered at the Central Church.
Seek the believer who is with the shrine maiden's family.
That one is an apostate.
In truth, anyone who had long kept faith with the World Tree ought to have found something wrong with the oracle at this point. World Tree Yggdrasil was a merciful being who loved all life — even those who did not worship her, even those who turned to another object of faith. For that reason, the World Tree Church had always recognized other religions, and in all of history it had never once taken a hard line against conversion. And yet here was an oracle from the World Tree speaking of apostates.
To Cardinal Gerald, flushed with the rapture of receiving a second oracle, none of that mattered in the slightest.
Even so, he had nothing to go on. The shrine maiden's family could only mean House Ignis. But Duke Ignis had been silent for years, and the rest of the family likewise. The only person whose whereabouts could be known was the shrine maiden's older sister, Eve Ignis — and she was away on a distant mission with the Magic Division. Eve Ignis, moreover, harbored an extreme dislike of the Church even among the members of her house. That she would be in the company of a Church priestess? The idea was unimaginable.
Gerald was still turning it over when, the following day, a report arrived that served as his clue.
That wench from House Melote was with the Ignis ducal family.
The oracle had fallen into place. The apostate could be none other than Alicia Melote.
She would have to be executed. But Alicia Melote was strong. Though still young and occupying no great office in the Church, she was a combat priestess possessed of formidable holy power and terrifying physical ability — the sort of person people around her had more than once suggested might as well become a Holy Knight.
Gerald went straight to the barracks where the Holy Knights were stationed and summoned them.
"The Central Church's 2nd Holy Knight Order, assembled as ordered."
The commander of the 2nd Holy Knight Order stood before the cardinal in full armor.
"And the 1st Knights?"
"They have departed on expedition training!"
"I see."
The 1st Holy Knights, the elite of the orders, had taken on new recruits and left for distant field training. No helping it, then. He would have preferred to deploy the 1st Holy Knights as a precaution, but there was no time to wait for their return. The opponent, however strong, was still a single combat priestess. The 2nd Holy Knight Order ought to be enough to subdue her — or hunt her down and kill her. That was Gerald's judgment.
"I am assigning a mission to the 2nd Knights."
"Yes, Your Eminence!"
"At present, there are sighting reports of Alicia Melote in the Grace Duchy, in the west of the Kingdom of Pallazinia."
"Pardon? You mean Sister Alicia?"
At the commander's question, Gerald chewed on the words inwardly — Hmph. "Sister," my ass — and continued.
"That one is an apostate. Go and execute her."
"...Pardon? An apostate?"
"Yes. An apostate who has dared turn her back on the World Tree. See that she is dealt with. Without fail."
"B-but..."
Bewilderment flickered across the commander's face. They had been family, sharing the same table in the same Church — and now, suddenly, an apostate? As the commander hesitated, Cardinal Gerald's eyes narrowed and his voice rose.
"This is an order."
"Your Eminence... but our Church..."
"Are you defying me?"
Meeting the cardinal's glare, the commander felt a chill run down his spine. The man who currently held the Church in his grip was Cardinal Gerald, the head of the Cardinal Faction. There was no telling what would happen if one incurred his wrath. If it were only himself, it would not have mattered — but he had the many knights of his order to think of.
I have no idea what's going on, but...
In the end, the commander bowed his head as if in surrender.
"...I shall carry out the order."
"Hmph. You should have done so from the start."
Zenon, Commander of the 2nd Holy Knight Order, decided for the moment to sortie as ordered. He had no intention, however, of taking the matter seriously.
And so, several days later, Cardinal Gerald found himself receiving a report that the target had already left the Grace Duchy.
A small garden on the Academy grounds, not far from the dormitories. Chairs and tables had been set out so that people could take tea or a light snack. It was the sort of place nobles fond of tea time would frequent, though at the Academy one often saw commoner students as well, dragged along by their noble friends.
"......"
"H-here's your black tea, my lady."
Luca set the teacup before Riel with a taut, nervous expression. Riel lifted the cup and took a sip. Behind her, Luca held her breath; in front of her, Phyllis and I did the same, watching.
A moment later—
"Mm. It's delicious!"
Riel said it with a bright smile, and Luca's face, frozen with tension, lit up.
"Heheh... it seems my training has paid off."
Phyllis murmured it from behind me, and I found myself nodding. That girl Luca had probably worked herself to the bone. And no wonder... her face had gone completely gaunt.
"...You did well too, Phyllis."
"Not at all. However... even with my lady present, being so nervous is a problem. I shall have to correct that later."
...Yeah. I was fairly sure she wasn't nervous because of Riel. She was nervous because you were standing right there, Phyllis. I almost said as much, then thought better of it and took a sip of the tea Phyllis had poured for me.
Mm. It was good.
Whenever Riel and I left for Academy classes, Phyllis put Luca through her training. Cleaning, laundry, cooking, the proper way to prepare tea — and on top of that, hand-to-hand combat and assassination techniques. ...Those last two were not, I suspected, things an ordinary maid would ever learn. That was probably why, among the attendants who came to meet us after class, I so often spotted Luca looking thoroughly worn out. Still, the results were there: her household skills improved by the day.
Phyllis and Luca withdrew, leaving Riel and me sitting across from each other at the table.
"So, what's the occasion? I thought we had tea time almost every day."
Riel beamed at that.
"Mm~ well, there's been so much going on lately, hasn't there? And I felt like the two of us haven't had as much time together."
She had a point. These days Emilia and Senior Iris were often with us. And since the Martial God Festival, Aria or Ferris would join in now and then as well. ...Those two still flinched and shrank back whenever their eyes met mine, though.
"...Does it bother you?"
Riel was looking at me with a touch of anxiety, and a laugh slipped out of me before I could help it.
"Of course not. You're always welcome."
"...Hehe."
Riel smiled brightly again. Then, as if something had just occurred to her, she spoke up.
"Ah, that's right! Summer break is coming up soon, isn't it?"
"Huh... is it that time already?"
Come to think of it, the weather had started getting quite hot. I'd assumed I was just feeling it more because I'd grown up somewhere cold, but it seemed summer break was already approaching.
"Yeah! So... I was wondering what your plans were for the break."
"Hmm... I'll probably just spend it at home, same as usual."
The Academy's summer break lasted a little under two months. Being as sensitive to the heat as I was, I rather wanted to go home. And besides, there was a mountain of work waiting for me once I got back...
"Yeah... so, about that. Um..."
"......"
Riel seemed to want to say something, but she kept fidgeting and trailing off.
"...Um... the thing is..."
"Uh— Riel...?"
"Hm? Yeah?"
I had something I'd meant to say to her as well. But since Riel had brought it up first, I'd been trying to hear her out — until I felt Phyllis shooting me a look from behind. That was why I'd called Riel's name without thinking, and she'd stopped and looked at me.
...Ah, to hell with it. I'll just say it first.
"Um... if it's all right with you... would you like to come to the county for the break?"
"Huh...?"
"I mean... Mother said she'd love to see you again, too, and... I'd be happy if you came with me..."
Riel stared at my face, startled. Well. Of course she'd be surprised if I suddenly asked her to come home with me for the break.
"A-and Emilia lives in the county too, so... you might get to see her."
...I used Emilia as an excuse, just a little. I felt a twinge of guilt, but it wasn't as if I were lying, so it was probably fine.
"So, um... what do you think?"
Riel looked at me with her eyes wide. Then—
"Ahahahahaha!!"
—she suddenly burst out laughing. What? Why was she laughing all of a sudden...?
"Um... Riel?"
"Ahaha... no, it's fine. I just found it curious, that's all."
Uh... I had no idea what was supposed to be curious about it. But Riel was smiling, her face bright, as if something had delighted her.
"Yeah, I'll come. There's no one at my house anyway."
"R-right...!"
Yes! I cheered inwardly, and the anxious tightness in my chest eased.
"So, um... what was it you were going to say?"
"Hm? That?"
Riel grinned from ear to ear.
"I don't think I need to say it anymore!"
...
What had it been, really?
The tea and snacks were just about gone when Phyllis approached us quietly.
"Young master. My lady."
When Riel and I both looked at her, Phyllis drew an envelope from her pocket.
"A telegram has arrived for you, young master. It was waiting at the dormitory."
...
When had she even gone all the way to the dormitory? ...Not that it was worth wondering about at this point.
I took the envelope from Phyllis and looked it over. The sender was none other than Her Highness Princess Aine. I tore it open and read the short sentence written on the paper inside.
I steadied my startled heart and held the paper out to Riel. She read the words as well, and her eyes went wide.
Young Master Andrew Ignis, Duchess Rachel Ignis.
Returned to the ducal house.