"Claudina."
Claudina looked up. Sylvester was standing in front of her holding a bottle. "Here have some water." She took it from him and gulped down a few mouthful of water. She didn't realize how preached her throat was until now.
'I should restrict my usage of Holy magic from now on. The pain is more painful than I thought.'
There was only one way to describe the pain of having no more Holy mana in a saint's body. It was like laying down on a bed of knives and razors, wearing hot iron shoes and being stuck on purgatory as your mind played hallucinations of death by falling, hanging and drowning. And the pain was very realistic. Some saints would go in a coma because they couldn't deal with it.
Currently there was no medicine to alleviate it.
She handed the bottle back to him. "Thank for your hard work today." She looked up again.
Though Sylvester looks tired he smiled down at her. He reached forward and placed his cold hand on her cheek. "I am truly thankful." She leaned on to his touch, coy looked through her lashes and said "If you are thankful, treat me to a date tomorrow."
He gave a closed eye smile. "Your wish is my command princess."
"Aren't you guys too close?"
Both of them turned. Shulia was standing with her hands on her hips. "What, are you two dating or something? It would be awkward in the future too."
"No," she answered as she pulled herself up. Her legs wobbled and she fell forward but Sylvester caught her by her arm. "Due to reasons Claudina and I pretended to court each other."
"Oh. No wonder it was weird."
"What is?"
"Sylvester was looking at you as if you were one of his sisters."
"Really Sylvester? I am a sister to you?" She beamed up at him. "I never knew you thought of me that way!"
He looked away bashful. "Yes its fine if you don't feel the same way." His grip on her arm loosened but she touched his fingers stopping him. "I like it. I am an only child so this is a nice experience. Please continue to take care of me as you have done before." The corners of his eyes wrinkled.
"Adorable but it makes me think what the reasons are."
"That's highly confidential. By the way are you all done?"
"Hm? Almost. Anatole and Oriane are setting up barriers but I don't think that's necessary," she chuckled. "Not when the four islands are oozing with Holy magic."
Claudina scratched her cheek with a finger. "That wasn't my intention."
"We know but how are you feeling?" Shulia touched her forehead. "Doesn't look like you have a fever."
"I am a bit dizzy."
"Then you should go back. I don't think the inn is burned to the ground. Sylvester will take you back while we clear up the last bits here."
Claudina nodded and leaned on Sylvester for support. Before leaving she retrieved her handkerchief and shredded cloak. Even after her Holy magic has returned after the rest her body still hadn't stabilized. She kept on stumbling on shaky legs.
After fifth time she fell down Sylvester put her down. "By no means can you reach the inn like this." "Maybe if I create a sledge th- Whoa!" She wasn't allowed to finish when he swooped her off her feet. Instinctively she put her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arm around her to prop up her back while his left hand was tucked under her knees.
"This should do," he said now carrying her in his arms. She blinked. She tilted her head to see if she was comfortable and said "Very conventional," she said patting his back. She pointed her index finger straight forward. "Now my fine knight move homewards!" she ordered while giggling.
Sylvester obeyed and he walked towards the direction of the inn. Claudina swung her legs as she hummed. They used a discreet path near the edge of the jungle. However they weren't sneaky enough as Sullivan's quick eyes found them
He took out a piece of cloth and waved it at them as they passed him.
Claudina woke up late in the morning. The sun was pouring in through the open windows while the curtains swayed in the breeze. Stretching herself she saw Oriane had already made her bed and already left for breakfast.
Thankfully the inn wasn't damaged when they arrived last night. All their belongings were alright while the staff only suffered minor injuries.
Claudina had expected the inn to be most damaged since the imps and monsters all ran inside the jungle and the inn was closer to the jungle.
'The behavior is odd. They came from the ground and fled to the jungle? Wouldn't it make more sense if they went back the same way they came from?'
She placed her hand on her chin. 'If they use their tunnels it would be harder to track them since some of the monsters could dig.' She closed her eyes. 'No if I was an imp following the orders of a Child grade demon why would I be following it? For starters it is quite sadistic towards humans. It also shows no mercy to it's own subordinates. Maybe so it shares some of it's powers. No if they wanted to they would follow it's order to a T.'
She opened her eyes in realization. 'The future! The demon ate the island lord the one who summoned it after it got bored! That can't be the only reason now can it?'
She threw off the covers and jumbled out of bed. Hurrying to the table she flipped open a notebook. Dipping the quill in the inkpot she started to quickly jot down her thoughts.
'Eating the person that summoned it just because it was bored? Highly unlikely! If it was bored it would move on to the nearest island. But it didn't! Why? The imps that ran towards the jungle instead of escaping, the monsters that cleared a path for them to possess children, dragging women to the jungle doesn't it all point to a summoning done by demons to summon a bigger, stronger demon.'
'The newer summoned demon must have resided in the Child grade demon which caused it to go on a rampage to kill its summoner since clearly the body couldn't house the new demon if it was a higher ranked one. And in demonic laws it states those who killed their summoner they would face punishment by having their hearts exploding thus killing them.'
She stopped, frowning. 'But why? It's not like the imps' situation would change. If anything it would get worse.' She tapped the quill on the paper which created splotches of ink. 'It's like someone is behind the imps controlling them.' She shook her head. 'Now that's just stupid…but… ' She narrowed her eyes. 'not out of the realm of possibility. My father's motto is 'be prepared for everything' after all.'
She leaned on her hand while sideways crossing her legs. She looked outside. Sea salt assaulted her nose. She closed her eyes to breathe in and out. She opened her eyes again. 'No more dilly dallying. The day is high up. I need to get a move on.'
She got up from her chair and changed out off her lace nightgown. She quickly put on a pair of frilled shirt, black pants and her brown boots. She tied a red sash on her waist while she secured her sword under it. Yesterday she didn't take her sword and regretted it.
The Stars' Blessing had been covered in demon blood and was tainted quite a bit. The bright sheen that came out from it had dimmed so she let it recover as she fed it her Holy magic from the seal on her hand.
A tainted Holy sword is the same as wielding a stick to a demon. At least a normal sword will cause some amount of damage.
Just before she left, she tore the paper from the notebook and burned it. 'Leave no trace of your work.' She watched it as it crumbled into a soft black ball which ultimately crumbled into ash.
She opened the door and left.
Downstairs sitting on a bench like table were Oriane, Sullivan and Anatole finishing of their breakfast. Pausing her spoon of porridge midway Oriane brightened up seeing Claudina. Anatole and Sullivan were sitting opposite of her so they didn't know however Sullivan spoke up. "Is Miss Fairy up? Only she can make Ori's face all sunny~"
"Yes I am up. Good morning," she said coming up behind them. "Good morning Miss Fairy!"
Anatole curtly nodded at her "Morning."
"A very lovely morning to you Claudina. I hope you had a good rest."
She smiled sweetly as she sat down. "Thank you. I rested well enough."
She looked around.
"If you are looking for Shulia and Sylvester then they are down the orphanage," Anatole informed her. "Someone for Gaiarit came this morning and they left with them." He bought a mug of coffee behind his veil and drank half of it.
'I heard that he was quite the charmer in his prime so I wanted to have a look but at this rate he's not opening that veil anytime soon now is he?'
She nodded.
She pulled a plate in front of her and helped herself to some marmalade and bread.
"You should eat more." Oriane had been observing her for a while. After the second slice of bread that Claudina forced in her mouth with great difficulty she said she was done eating and ordered some tea with honey.
"Ah could it be you want Sylvester to treat you on your date!" Sullivan exclaimed.
Anatole spurt out the coffee while Oriane dropped her spoon. "WHAT?!" they both wildly turned to look at her. She blinked innocently. "C-Claudina you a-are dating someone already?! J-jus when I-I thought I could introduce you to my b-brother," Oriane stammered.
'Why would you introduce me to your brother?'
"Saintess Claudina I have nothing against you perusing love with whomever you see worth. Not when my god himself is the personification of passion," Anatole said. "However I will not encourage you to form a romantic relationship with Saint Sylvester. Please think, after you return should you meet him, he will be considerably old. People will not only slander his good name but also yours and the future Duke Crowley's name. Also the same flame may not burn in either of your hearts after you return. It's painful to see the candle you held for a loved one so dearly to be so easily snuffed away. It will also be more painful to see them in love with someone in the future."
'Is he saying that from experience? Is that why he covers his face? Because his heart got broken?'
"If you still wish go after him I will not stop you. It is your life. I am simply giving advice. It's your choice if you wish to ignore it. "
'He's still going on? I am reminded of Chronos. Once that pathetic bag of bones starts he never stops.' "I never said I was dating Sylvester though."
"That means my brother still has a chance!"
'No. Wait. I didn't even agree to meet your brother. Calm down.'
"You…are not?" Sullivan tilted his head in confusion. "But yesterday…Li-Li…"
"It's fake dating. Due to confidential reasons we agreed to it. Both of us view each as platonic friends and comrades in arms." 'Although what I feel for him is up to debate as I still see everyone as a pawn.'
"And besides I have no intention on seeing anyone at the moment. Or ever for that matter." 'Get the hint Oriane. I don't want be your sister-in-law.'
"Oh."
Everyone settled down. Anatole however went on staring at Claudina. Though she couldn't see his eyes she could feel his eyes boring them into her soul.
Also he gave her chills. Almost as if he could read her mind.
"But still you should eat more. You are all skin and bones. No wait is this one of those weird etiquettes you practice. I am sorry though it's rare for someone from the nobility to be a saint I was sent to the temple so I never learned this stuffy manners before."
"I don't eat much during breakfast," she replied. "As my schedule is packed most of the time I never ate much at breakfast. I simply eat some snacks in between breaks so I never went hungry."
Oriane wasn't convinced. "...Still unhealthy..." she muttered returning back to her third helping of porridge.
'I am not commenting on your eating habits so why are you still on it?' She sneaked a glance at Oriane's flat stomach. 'Must be nice to be so thin yet eat so much.'
An hour later or so Sylvester and Shulia came back. Shulia carried a brown bag that had parchment sticking out.
"How are you feeling now?" Sylvester asked after they sat down.
"Much better. Why were you at the orphanage this early in the day?"
"Somebody came from Gaiarit to check on the islands so they could report back to lard Gaia. While they were here Shulia wanted them to see condition of the orphanage. I was asked to accompany with them."
"Then I suppose you all reached a conclusion?"
"Yup." Shulia took out a roll of parchment from her bag. She unfurled it in front of her. "Gaiarit and Chronostis will have shared custody over Whirlpool Reefs islands for the next two hundred years. Sylvester and I already signed it. All that is left is to seal the demon and have the island lord sign over it."
'An expected boon came from it. Joint custody of the Whirlpool Reefs with Gaiarit meaning future relationships will be peaceful... not a bad outcome….but,' Claudina paused from reading the clauses. "Correction Shulia. Not one but two demons."
"…what?" Shulia widened her eyes.
She went back to reading. "This is just a hunch but I think there are two demons. Not now, but later on."
"Please elaborate Saintess."
She looked up again. Anatole had his hands together on the table. 'Of all the saints he is keener on eradicating Evil. Such an upright man is so not my type. Not to mention he is a bastard that dares to raise his hand against me.'
"Of course," she smiled.
'I intend to use all of you after all. So Anatole bastard be useful like the rest.'