Merchant Noble is out (2/3 chapters for today)
To Marie
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After successfully concluding the discussions with Chief Priest Zenon, Arc and Yulia were returning to Mikanda in the darkness.
“Arc-sama. I’m glad it went well.” (Yulia)
“Is that man Zenon really a priest? I’ve never encountered such a commoner. Well, you can’t become a chief priest at such a young age without ambition and a sense of balance.” (Arc)
Arc’s impression of Zenon was that of a ‘commoner’. The Sheeb Order had provided advance information about what kind of person Zenon was. However, Arc couldn’t believe that someone like him would be in the Church, so he went to meet him with some doubts.
However, Arc’s anxiety was unfounded, as Zenon was indeed just as the Sheeb Order had described. Zenon, who could accurately calculate gains and losses and had clear self-centered goals, was very easy for Arc to talk to. In short, he just needed to present Zenon’s benefits as much as possible while minimizing the drawbacks. For a merchant like Arc, such negotiations were second nature.
Since it was nighttime, there were no holy knights wandering about, and the village was deserted. However, the large cathedral near the Church was brightly lit.
According to the Church’s information, it seemed that the Saintess Marie was also participating in this Church army. He wanted to see her once more. If he missed this opportunity, who knows when he would meet her again?
“Yulia. Is it alright if we take a little detour?” (Arc)
“Won’t we be discovered by the enemy?” (Yulia)
“If we were found, no one would know I’m Arc.” (Arc)
The two hid their horses behind a bush and cautiously approached the cathedral.
Marie, as the Saintess, was leading the sisters to form a medical team. They had rented out this cathedral in the village near the battlefield to treat the injured. Particularly, Marie was working every night without barely taking a break.
“Alright, this will make you feel better.” (Marie)
“Thank you very much, Saintess-sama.” (Soldier)
“May God bless you.” (Marie)
One by one, soldiers from the Church were brought in, and even though it was night, the sisters continued to treat the wounded in shifts. The spacious cathedral was so filled with injured people lying around that there was hardly any space to step.
Marie skillfully weaved between the injured, quickly providing treatment. Just when she was about to treat someone near the cathedral’s exit, she was called out.
“Marie-sama.” (Arc)
“Yes…!!” (Marie)
Upon turning around, Marie was astonished to see Arc’s face. To prevent her from accidentally saying Arc’s name, he placed a hand over her mouth.
“Could we talk for a moment?” (Arc)
“…Understood.” (Marie)
Marie nodded, though she was a bit flustered by Arc’s words.
“I’m sorry, Sister. I’m going to get a drink of water.” (Marie)
“Understood.” (Sister)
Marie told the other sisters this and tried to leave the cathedral. Although she felt guilty leaving the sisters who were working hard, there must have been a reason for Arc to go out of his way to meet her, risking danger.
“Saintess-sama.” (Sister)
Unexpectedly, a sister called out to Marie, making her jump. She instinctively halted in her tracks. The sister looked at Marie with genuine concern.
“You haven’t rested in the past few days, have you? Please don’t push yourself too hard.” (Sister)
“Yes. Thank you.” (Marie)
When she exited the cathedral, Arc beckoned her to a shadowy spot. It was a part hidden from view by the light spilling from the cathedral, reducing the risk of being seen by those around.
“Have you been working without rest?” (Arc)
“Yes. It’s my duty as a Saintess.” (Marie)
It seemed that Arc had overheard her conversation with the sister. He asked with a worried expression. Marie answered bravely, as if nothing was wrong, and wiped her face, which was dirty with sweat and blood.
“So, Arc-sama. What brings you here? It’s dangerous to come right into the enemy camp.” (Marie)
“I was concerned about you. I thought you might be troubled by having to fight indirectly.” (Arc)
Arc said it jokingly, but Marie looked down and answered with a pained expression.
“I am a Saintess. I work for the Church.” (Marie)
“I’m not blaming you.” (Arc)
Though it was meant as a joke, it seemed to be quite a painful question for Marie. Seeing her looking down in distress, Arc hurriedly tried to follow up.
“However, knowing you, I thought you might be shouldering a lot of burdens and suffering alone.” (Arc)
Reacting to the word ‘shouldering’, Marie lifted her face as if she had been startled. It was easy to imagine from Marie’s character that she felt a heavy responsibility from her role as a Saintess.
“You must not push yourself too hard.” (Arc)
“…That’s my duty.” (Marie)
Marie mumbled with her head down. It was difficult to hear.
“Pardon?” (Arc)
Marie lifted her face. Staring at Arc… no, glaring at him… her expression clearly showed her anger.
“It’s irresponsible. What do you know about me, Arc-sama? You can’t become a Saintess. Don’t say irresponsible things!” (Marie)
Marie raised her voice, causing Yulia to hurriedly keep an eye on their surroundings. However, Marie’s anger did not subside.
“I am a Saintess. If I do my best, I can save more people. So… so I must do my best.” (Marie)
Arc embraced Marie to calm her down. Being hugged seemed to soothe her emotional waves just a little. At the same time, various feelings of helplessness and sadness overwhelmed her. Marie appeared to be holding back tears. She trembled while stifling sobs.
“Arc-sama. It’s about time.” (Yulia)
Yulia whispered to Arc.
If someone had heard Marie’s loud voice, it would cause trouble. As Yulia said, it was indeed time to leave.
Finally, Arc decided to convey his thoughts to Marie.
“Marie-sama. You must have wanted to be free. Not a constrained princess, but to freely save people. You are a Saintess now. You can save people, but you are far from being free.” (Arc)
Marie had resolved to become a Saintess on her own. Therefore, she could not easily abandon her duties as a Saintess for trivial matters. This was what had bound her. She couldn’t save the people she wanted to save, and even though it was not what she wanted to do, she had to do it. These circumstances were what tormented her.
“What did you want to do? Now is the time to remember.” (Arc)
In response to Arc’s words, Marie silently nodded repeatedly in her heart.
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