* * *
Some days, Sister's face could not be brighter.
Some shocking information from trusted eyes and ears.
Ever since she had heard that vile rumor, that a party of men, supposedly members of a party of warriors, were traveling from monastery to monastery throughout the islands, searching endlessly for priests and nuns of a certain appearance, the dark cloud that had hung over her mind had not been lifted for a moment.
Moreover, the fact that they were searching with lights in their eyes could only mean that they were looking for her.
It is not an exaggeration to say that from that day forward, Sister lived with a heavy feeling that natural disasters such as earthquakes and tidal waves were aimed at her alone.
One could almost sympathize with the priest as he fled from them.
A so-called transcendent hero, strong enough to fight hordes of demons and blood gods by the hundreds, and great enough to slay even the dragons that ruled the skies with a single blow.
They were so reassuring and trustworthy when they were considered allies of mankind, but the fear that such a being might be on their tail, with an unwavering sense of purpose, was enough to turn any admiration they might have harbored into fear.
But thankfully, there was a way out. It wasn't like there was no way out.
Even if the other person is outside the scope of common sense, as long as he or she is using the fear of being human, as long as he or she has a social position such as status or position.
There will be ideologies, there will be responsibilities, there will be laws that must be obeyed.
If it's just one or two people.
There would be a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of a possibility, that they might be able to work something out.
Yeah, if it was just one or two people.
◈◈◈◈
''Thank you very much for handing over the list!''
''Rice, you're welcome----.''
My plans were already going awry.
But to blame the current situation on her rash judgment was too harsh.
They consider it their duty, their pride, to fight on the front lines of humanity.
How could anyone dare to anticipate such an extraordinary situation when they all went their separate ways in unison without realizing their responsibilities?
It's a popular myth that the superhuman sees the world from a different perspective than the criminal, but even that has a certain upper limit.
It was no wonder that the nun secretly pinched her own thigh, and for a moment she wondered if the scene before her was a vivid nightmare.
''So it's true that humans can understand each other when we appeal to them with desperate hearts! The new technology we've been honing just in case a moment like this ever comes along! To see the 'Great Temple of the Warriors' shine like this, it's truly overwhelming!''
''I don't know. From what I can see, it seems that your head on the floor was of little use, and things went smoothly purely because of your name as a warrior.''
Apis's cynical response was the only thing in the room to temper the warrior's flippant behavior, as he seemed unable to contain the emotion that was welling up within him.
Downah was busy perusing the list she'd been handed, and by the time they reached the Big Team, she'd simply dozed off.
She had to give up on the vain hope that someone else would intervene in her current predicament.
''I'm surprised to learn that the nameless knight is indeed you. It's a pity you didn't give us advance notice and set aside a time for your visit, so that we could give you a fitting reception.''
''I apologize! It may be a cowardly act to move about in the shadows, concealing one's true identity, but in this case, I had good reason to do so! I had no choice but to resort to such means! I sincerely apologize for my rudeness!''
''No, I wouldn't go so far as to call it rudeness----.''
''I apologize!''
The warrior's words, like a thorn in the side of a horse, were chewing away at the thorns in his mouth, further disturbing the nun's already disorganized thoughts.
Such calm and distraction. In the midst of a dizzying exchange of questions and answers that seemed to be mixing fire and water.
Apis, who had been watching the scene in silence, stumbled over the corner of the broken table and spoke.
''Ah, I'm sorry. Just skip about nine percent of what the warrior is saying right now. There are some unavoidable circumstances, and he's in an unprecedented state of excitement right now.''
''What are you talking about, Apis, I'm always in a cool and calm state of mind, I'm a warrior!''
''Yeah, yeah. You're right.''
Apis's tired demeanor towards the warrior was reminiscent of the eldest sister of a multi-person family, who was used to pacifying her younger siblings.
Sensing from that, that it was she, not the warrior, who held the reins of this party, the nun corrected the conversation.
''You must be Apis of the Warrior Party, I've heard of you before. It is indeed an honor to meet you----.''
''Ah! Never mind, you don't have to do that, just stay put, don't worry. Needless to say, I'll leave this place as soon as I finish what I need to do.''
He sounded annoyed by the question.
It was a picture of their journey so far, with the warrior interrupting the conversation and her cleaning up the mess.
Parak. Parak.
Just then, the nun's gaze flicked toward Downa, who was scanning the list at an unbelievable pace, as if mesmerized by something.
The enormous stack of paper, containing the names of all the priests who had ever served in the thousand-year-old monastery, was obviously unfit to serve as a source, as the nun had deliberately mixed up the order of the names.
''What a waste. ''Looks like I'm in vain again. By the way, you! Isn't it true that the monastery here is quite poor at managing materials compared to other places? I'm sorry that it was me. Gleaning information from such crappy sources would have been an impossible feat for a lesser man. I've rearranged them chronologically by hand while you're reading, so you'll have to be more diligent in organizing them in the future.''
''Go, thank you.''
As nonchalantly as if she had read the menu at a restaurant. It was unbelievable that she was able to read through the list in just a few dozen minutes and organize it separately.
She breathed a sigh of relief, glad she'd crossed his name off the list beforehand, just in case.
The priest himself is hidden in the safest place in the world, his silence within the Order is assured, and the lone written clue serves as proof of his absence.
It seemed clear that if they could just get past this hump, everything would be fine.
"I'm sorry. Gentlemen. But right now, the saintess really needs Priest Rages!'
The two eyes inside the mask narrowed, and the nun was chewing on the apology she couldn't bring herself to utter.
''I see, it's a waste of time again! What a pity! I sincerely apologize for my unnecessary rudeness! Sister, this is a small reward for taking up your precious time, so please accept it!''
''Ah, no, rudeness, it's unwarranted! Moreover, if I were to accept such a large amount of gratuity, the gods would surely punish me for being blinded by greed!''
The nun desperately restrained the warrior's movements as he was about to hand over the heavy sack of gold coins, his upper body still in a bowed G position.
Her guilty conscience was uncomfortable to say the least, but she was acting out of a sincere belief that if she were to accept money from the warrior here, she would never be able to walk out into the sunlight again.
''Oh, well, if that's what you're saying, then I suppose it's okay if I pay my respects to the saintess since I've come all this way!
''That, that's a bad idea!''
Hearing the warrior's unexpected suggestion, the saintess was taken aback and spoke up.
''Didn't you or anyone else tell you that the saintess and the warrior should never meet face-to-face until after the granting ceremony! ''Of course, there's less than half a year left until the guardianship ceremony, but until SAINTESS's earl has reached adulthood and the guardianship is fully formed, there's no way you, if not anyone else, shouldn't know that the two of you must never meet!
The warrior defeats the demon with the help of the saintess.
It's a time-honored tale that even the youngest child in the system knows.
The story of an early warrior who, blinded by Saintess's stunning beauty, hastily challenged a demon with Saintess as his companion while she was still incompletely enchanted, and suffered a devastating defeat, is one of the stains on history that only a select few were allowed to pass on to later generations of warriors.
From then on, it was strictly enforced that a warrior and a saintess should never meet until they were both adults, information that even the soon-to-be-adult warrior had heard beforehand.
''Oh, by the way, that was the case! I had forgotten!''
''Hero. You mean----.
''Hoo, hoo----.''
Just like that, the storm passed.
''Then, one last time, do you mind if I ask Sister a question!''
''Yes, yes, of course!''
''Why is it that you smell like the priest I know so well!''
''It's ----, isn't it?''
Another huge storm majestically arrived among them.
''That mask, I wonder if you could take it off.''
The atmosphere was so different from before, reminiscent of rising steam.
It was obvious that the voice, which drifted down like a dense fog, was imbued with a dull emotion whose clarity could not even be guessed at.
* * *