Chapter 26
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 26
Banquet (4)
"Princess Your Highness. I confirmed that he left safely."
"I see."
Even after Allen left, Lucia continued to keep her seat.
In this place where she was together with him, ruminating on the things she had with him.
'If I had my way, I wanted to say how about playing even chess like this though.'
When he said he would take his leave, Lucia tried to firmly hold his hand and say let's spend a little more time together.
Play chess, eat a meal, and also do something else together.
However, instead of holding him, it changed into Lucia waving her hand and telling him to return carefully.
Exactly after seeing the ring put on his hand.
'The reason my magic didn't work was all because of you.'
Lucia knew what that ring was.
A magic item activated at a moment of crisis.
It was the legendary ring that disappeared when Emperor Baisar was kidnapped by demons, blocking not only magic attacks but also physical attacks.
Because it was a ring bestowed solely upon the Emperor, there was an uproar at first, but coming to now, 70 years after it disappeared, memories had become faint.
Even that was in a state where its shape changed so it could be unrecognizable, but Lucia who possessed natural magic talent was different.
"I wonder how far that woman intends to interfere with me."
There's no way the Margrave Wiesent family found this and gave it to Allen.
If that were the case, a series of events would have occurred during the spar with Aniel early in the admission.
The assumption that Allen hid it back then was also strange.
Because looking until now, she had never seen an appearance of him wearing accessories even once.
In that sense, this was given by someone. Wandering around demon territories at that.
There was only one person capable of that right now.
That's why she let Allen go. Because if that woman comes to find him again and acts wildly for no reason, it would only be annoying.
Thinking that she would stand side by side with her at the banquet too made her insides twist, but Lucia tried hard to smile and said.
"But it doesn't matter. If I become the Emperor, if it becomes like that, inevitably you also...."
Right, as long as she becomes the Emperor, everything above this Empire will become entirely hers anyway.
Even if it's Aniel Windelof.
She wouldn't be able to care whatever she owns and possesses.
'The most important thing is I must have power.'
So, to do so, she must possess massive power.
Power enough that absolutely no one dares thrust a sword at her.
***
"They say there are many crazy people among mages."
Clearly mages were a selected category, but as they had to accumulate that much knowledge, there were many geniuses.
Unless one is a genius, it is difficult to improve skills.
The reason is simple. Because they boasted a massive amount of study enough to slap the cheeks of Republic of Korea exam candidates and civil service exam students several times.
While continuously studying through an eternity of time like that, naturally people who go crazy are bound to appear.
And I doubted if she was also doing that, recalling the event that happened with Lucia just now.
'If it's not that, there's no reason to try making me a partner.'
Even though I revealed my circumstances, she steadfastly wanted to partner with me.
I simply couldn't understand. Even after returning, the thought 'Why on earth?' keeps occurring.
It seems I keep getting swayed by surroundings since entering the Academy.
"Is it really okay for me to go to this banquet."
Right tomorrow night the banquet starts, should I just say I'm sick and not go out.
But it's a situation where I already made a promise with Aniel.
Recalling her appearance standing alone without a partner among countless people, a bitter taste was felt in my mouth.
"I must keep a promise."
In a situation where I have continuously only received help, if I can't even do something like just standing next to her, would that be a human.
Trying hard to erase what happened with Lucia from my head, I firmed my mind.
That I will surely attend the banquet no matter what happens.
"Ah, Allen! We meet again!"
".... Saintess?"
I encountered her while returning to the dormitory recalling what time we decided to meet tomorrow.
With Saintess Lily. She smiled brightly and approached in one step as soon as she saw me as if glad.
"I am very glad to meet Allen again, you know? Actually, I wanted to share a little more conversation."
"It is a very overwhelming honor that the Saintess thought so."
As the distance narrowed in an instant, feeling awkward to leave pretending not to see, I smiled awkwardly and waved my hand.
It was before I contacted the family yet. So I hadn't fully fathomed what kind of relationship Lily and I had yet.
In the midst of being cautious to speak, Lily asked with a good-natured smile.
"Really?"
In front of the question asking if it's really, I was momentarily dumbfounded and couldn't answer.
Watching this appearance of mine, Lily maintained a benevolent smile reminiscent of a Goddess, placed her hand on my cheek, and said.
"Do you really think it's an overwhelming honor?"
So she was talking about that. While letting out a sigh inwardly, conscious of the snow-white touch placed on my cheek, I said.
"Yes. To think a person who received the Goddess's grace remembers me is a great...."
"You really lost your memory."
"Ah."
And that hand pinched my cheek. I had no gap to even be conscious of what was happening.
My gaze was directed solely to Lily.
She was also the same.
She looked fully at me with two upright eyes of deep greenery. As our gazes met, I felt like something was about to come to mind.
A feeling that there would certainly be something between her and me for some reason.
"When we first met, Allen said so. That you hate hypocritical and corrupt churches like yours terribly."
"Saintess?"
In the midst of that, a shocking remark came out of Lily's mouth.
I said such words?
Opening my eyes wide, I looked forward to the word joke coming out of Lily's mouth.
Rightly so, to dare bring up such words to a Saintess. Isn't that totally like claiming I am a heretic?
I felt like I would go crazy wondering what on earth the past me went around committing.
In this world, a heretic was practically equal to death. But ruminating over it, it was strange.
"If the Saintess's words are correct, why didn't you indict me to the Order."
It was strange. Why did a person devout enough to be chosen by a Saintess stay still even after hearing such words?
No matter if it's royalty, if the Order intervenes, it doesn't end well.
They could drag away an incompetent child of a Margrave as much as they wanted.
But the current me had all limbs intact, let alone death.
When asked containing a doubtful gaze, Lily smiled brightly and whispered in my ear.
"Well, because I also agree."
.... Yes? I tried to ask back for a moment, but because it was shocking, my mouth wouldn't open.
As I stared quietly with blank eyes, Lily continuously moved her mouth.
"Oh right, next time let's go to the cafe with me too, not the Princess Your Highness. Because a private room for me exists."
I didn't even dare to ask how she knew I was with Lucia.
But Lily brought up her last words towards me as if it didn't matter.
"If you wish to regain your memory, please request it of me anytime. I wouldn't know if it were another person, but if it's Allen's request, I can listen to it as much as desired."
If you wish to regain memory, come find me anytime. Ending with those words, Lily left saying she had a place to go.
Watching Lily leaving, my thinking stopped in front of the thing that happened too suddenly.
While wondering if it was a dream, a tingling sensation still remained on my cheek.
***
The place Lily headed to was the chapel in the Academy.
As a Saintess, she had to offer prayers towards the Goddess unconditionally three times a day.
Once in the morning, once at lunch, once in the evening.
Whether it snowed, rained, or she was sick, it didn't matter, she had to do it consecutively for 365 days.
It was something she had to do more by others' will than her own will, but still, she didn't dislike prayer.
Because through prayer, she came to know what she truly wished for.
"Fufu."
And right now Lily felt very good.
"The Goddess listened to my will. Because she let me meet you again like this."
Wouldn't it be the first time feeling this good since being born after the first meeting with Allen.
While feeling her heart moving violently, on one hand, a bitter taste was felt in her mouth.
"But I didn't know you wouldn't remember at all though."
Because she was born with the body of a Saintess and was in the church for her whole life, Lily had never gone outside the capital.
Naturally, visiting the Wiesent territory was also impossible, so unless he came to find her, they couldn't meet.
And since he didn't come to find her, she thought they wouldn't meet again. But Lily offered prayers endlessly.
Wishing desperately, please let me be able to meet him.
The moment she encountered him at the Academy like that, Lily thought she could finish the conversation she couldn't fully share with him back then.
But sadly, whether the rumors were correct, he was in a state of having lost his memory.
Everything including memories with herself.
"It's regrettable but it's okay. Because we met again."
A sorrowful emotion occurred for a moment, but Lily smiled and said as she always did.
"Allen wouldn't have changed at all. So if he hears my plan, surely he would join me."
He didn't change. Still Allen as is.
The plan proceeds without modification.
By meeting him again, Lily looked forward to the future.
"Goddess. I will request today as well. Please show me what Allen is doing right now."
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