"Sigh..."
Margarita, with a disheveled face, sat hunched in the temple's backyard, clutching a cigarette butt.
'How did it come to this...'
She had become a priestess because she wanted to heal the sick.
If there was a problem, it was that she had been too enthusiastic about it.
As a result of performing healing magic in the slums of the Imperial Capital, her reputation as a saintess soared, and her rank within the religious order was continually promoted.
She became the youngest to hold the position of head priestess in the order's history. A position responsible for an entire temple.
So far, it was all fine.
As her rank increased, so did her privileges within the order, which would help even more in healing the sick.
The problem was the host of other unrelated tasks that came with the promotion, having nothing to do with being a healing priestess.
Not only did she have to handle administrative duties as head priestess, but also the management of subordinate priestesses, temple budgeting, collection of offerings, and so on...
These were things she didn't have to worry about when working as a front-line healing priestess but had followed her once she moved into management.
'I just want to treat and care for the sick, that's all.'
The biggest problem was the intelligence mission.
It was her task to accurately gauge the situation and atmosphere of the assigned city and report back to the Imperial Capital. From this point on, it began to annoy her.
'What does this have to do with being a healing priestess, seriously?'
But she performed it quietly. After all, she had to do what she was given.
After receiving high praise for a few years of working in a provincial city, her new assignment was - precisely at the Crossroad frontline with monsters.
A place where monsters were trying to kill people.
It was a dangerous city where, if the defensive line were to break, everything including the temple would be lost.
Margarita was genuinely scared there.
Healing the sick was one thing, but stepping into the battlefield was another.
But what could she do? If those above said jump, she had to jump.
Day after day, soldiers with severed arms and legs were carried into the temple, screaming in agony.
Specialized in chasing plagues with magic, Margarita now had to get used to bandages, disinfectants, threads and needles, and even saws.
But it was still bearable. Although the corridors of the small temple were drenched with blood after each battle, she could manage.
If anything, every day felt fulfilling.
In the recent years working in management, she hardly had time to do her job as a healing priestess.
But Crossroad had a chronic shortage of manpower. Margarita, despite holding the title of head priestess, was on the front lines healing the soldiers.
Administrative duties as a head priestess, intelligence tasks she didn't understand why she was doing, and on-site duties as a healing priestess.
It was insanely hard, but not bad.
Everything seemed to be going well, but...
Prince Ash, the frontline commander, made a sudden request.
- "Please lend me your strength, Margarita. Your healing abilities are needed."
He wanted her to go up on the wall and fight the monsters.
Was he insane?
What could she do facing the monsters, except for casting healing magic?
But there was no choice. Her opponent was not only the frontline commander but also a prince. It was a command, not a request.
If he said jump... she had to jump...
So she went up on the wall too.
Seeing the face of a vampire made her feel like wetting herself, but she fought on. They won. Hey, it's doable?!
...But now her intelligence mission has been discovered.
Grilled by Prince Ash, scorned by others in the castle, and soon someone from the central temple would come down to chastise her.
Stress exploded as she was criticized and trampled from all sides, having long since passed the breaking point.
When she came to her senses, she had alcohol and cigarettes in hand. No, in her mouth.
'I just want to be... an ordinary citizen... curing the sick with magic, receiving thanks...'
Margarita was sorrowful.
'I'm pained when the soldiers, whose arms and legs are flying off, and intestines are spilling out, die one by one. I'm sick of bathing in someone else's blood every time a battle breaks out. I'm terrified that monsters are outside the walls, but now I'm told to face them on the wall. It's outrageous.'
She missed the days when she first started her priestess duties.
The slums of the Imperial Capital were horrendous places, but compared to Crossroad, they were heaven.
How I longed to return to those times.
A time without concerns about administration, espionage, or monsters, when I was purely engaged in relief activities as a healing priest...
"Where is my life going...?" Saintess Margarita lamented.
"Feeling down, huh? Here, have a smoke," a gentle voice came from the side, along with a neatly packed new cigarette.
"Oh, thank you..." Margarita absentmindedly accepted the cigarette and put it to her lips. Then she looked to the side.
A woman she had never seen before was standing there, her long black hair tied back, dressed in the tidy uniform of an imperial officer. A female officer of the Empire.
"Who are you?" Margarita asked nervously, and the woman who gave her the cigarette—Reina—smiled wickedly.
"I'm from 'Central.' You're in charge of the 'South,' Saintess Margarita."
"...!"
In front of Margarita's widening eyes, Reina licked her lips.
"You know why I'm here, right?"
Of course, it was because her spying mission had been exposed and the divine communication device had been discovered by Prince Ash.
"Phew~"
Next to the stiff Margarita, Reina put the cigarette to her lips and lit it.
"I've always told those above that something like this would happen. It might be convenient to use priests as spies, but without proper training, I knew that something would go wrong at some point."
"..."
"But my warnings were ignored. The cost of raising new spies and rebuilding the communication network nationwide was much cheaper than using the old method of employing priests. And look, eventually, something went wrong."
Reina grinned widely.
"Anyway, you've made a mistake, so you have to take responsibility, right, Saintess Margarita?"
"Ah, um, what... what should I do...?" Margarita finally stammered.
"That was quite a debate up above," Reina said, stretching out her gloved hand. "You failed as a spy, but as a priest, you were nothing short of diligent. Central has decided that it's not right to punish Priest Margarita for this."
"Then..."
"So, only Spy Margarita will be punished."
Reina's extended hand formed the shape of a gun.
"The mistake you made is too big to just overlook, Margarita. Let's die here cleanly."
"...!"
"You will be honored as having died in service, and the church will promote you. You will be able to join the Goddess in glory."
Reina's eyes twinkled.
"It's a conclusion that satisfies both the church and the secret organization. It's a win-win, right?"
"EEK?!"
Terrified, Margarita sprang up and started running. Reina aimed at her back with her fingertip.
"I don't really like doing this, always ending up with this role, really."
Whoosh-!
A wind bullet shot from Reina's fingertip.
A wind magic spell she had wearisomely fired all her life.
Reina was certain that in the next moment, Margarita's back would be punctured.
However,
BANG-!
It did not happen.
Almost simultaneously with Reina's wind bullet, a gunshot rang out, and a magical bullet flew like a beam of light.
The flying magical bullet collided precisely with the wind bullet, neutralizing each other in mid-air and shattering into pieces.
"Huh?"
Reina looked in the direction the magical bullet had come from.
There stood a curly brown-haired boy—Damien, dressed as a priest.
With the magical gun [Cerberus] aimed forward, Damien shouted.
"Saintess! This way!"
"AAAAAH!"
Margarita screamed and ran towards Damien, and Reina didn't just stand and watch.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Whoosh-!
Reina lightly shot another wind bullet. Damien's brown eyes flashed as he pulled the trigger on his gun. BANG!
Pop, burst-!
The magic and the magical bullet collided in mid-air and shattered. Reina shivered and muttered.
"What kind of sniping skill is that, kid?"
"..."
"I've spent my lifetime on the battlefield, but I've never seen anything like this...!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh-!
Reina kept shooting the wind's magic bullets, and Damien precisely intercepted and burst them in midair.
When the counter had reached more than ten times, Reina couldn't help but laugh, disbelief in her eyes.
"To pierce through the center of the magic with magic bullets and forcibly dispel it? This is beyond the realm of humanity. What are you seeing with those eyes?"
"..."
"Alright, then let's see if you can destroy this spell with that gun - shall we test it?!"
With a mighty roar, a tornado began to form behind Reina. Damien gritted his teeth and gripped the handle of the shotgun slung over his back.
That was when it happened.
"Enough!"
Lucas and Evangeline rushed desperately into the temple.
Almost simultaneously, Junior, sensing the magical energy, hurried in.
Lucas yelled furiously at Reina.
"Lieutenant Reina, what are you doing?"
"Ah, dear me. I've spent too much time on this."
Reina, grumbling, dispelled the tornado magic and spread her hands to show they were empty.
"It's nothing, Deputy Commander. Just a small quarrel."
Lucas's icy eyes glared coldly.
"Lieutenant Reina, you are merely the captain of the reinforcements for the defense battle here. Do not overstep your authority."
"I understand. I'll behave myself next time."
With a casual smile, Reina raised both hands and exited the temple.
"See you next time, little sniper. And... Priestess Margarita. It would be best if you stayed well hidden."
"Heeiiiek."
Margarita shivered, hiding behind Damien.
Reina's eyes met Junior's as she chuckled.
"..."
"..."
The two magicians exchanged a silent battle of glares. Eventually, Reina completely left the temple, and her figure was concealed.
"Whew, that was tough..."
Only after Reina had vanished did Damien slide to the floor. Evangeline rushed over to support him.
"...What a headache."
Lucas rubbed his forehead, sighing.
He had suspected that Reina had other schemes but hadn't expected her to act so brazenly.
To think she would openly try to kill Margarita.
And was that really all? If there were more hidden schemes...
"Waaaaah! I don't want to dieeeee!"
As Margarita wailed and sobbed, and Damien and Evangeline tried to calm her, Lucas turned his head. Junior was sternly glaring in the direction Reina had left.
'Phew...'
He longed for Ash to come back and sort out this entire mess. Lucas sincerely wished inwardly.
'Please return soon, my lord...'
***
Imperial Capital, New Terra.
Silver Winter Merchant Guild building, 5th floor, Auditorium.
"Huh?"
Sitting in a chair, waiting for Serenade, I suddenly looked up. It felt as though someone had called me.
'A hallucination?'
As I pondered, the auditorium door creaked open, and someone entered. I looked in that direction.
Serenade stumbled in, her eyes widening in surprise when they met mine.
Having taken off her work suit and changed into a comfortable two-piece dress for dancing, she looked as stunning as she did professional.
Startled and flustered, Serenade rushed up to me, her eyes tightly shut.
"You've been waiting for a long time, right, my lord?"
"No, not at all."
I smiled warmly and stood up from my chair.
"Alright, shall we start?"
"A-Ah, yes, sure!"
Then silence.
I stood there, blankly, and Serenade's silver eyes sparkled as she looked up at me.
No, um, well, I mean...
"... I really don't know how to dance. At all."
"...Really?"
Serenade's brow slightly furrowed.
"...Must have forgotten then. I need to learn properly from the beginning since I have to dance at formal gatherings."
"I understand, then... Could you extend your left hand, please?"
I extended my left hand, and Serenade reached out with her right to gently take it.
Her long, slender fingers were cool to the touch.
They felt like snowflakes falling in summer.