Chapter 12
Come to think of it, even when I first asked about Count Artur, he had looked at me strangely, as if questioning whether I had memory loss.
At that time, I had just possessed this body and wasn’t thinking much, but now it felt… unsettling.
I had thought it didn’t matter since the world was already ruined. That was why I had used my own name instead of Yurina’s.
“All done. Marie, can you come over and check the seasoning?”
“Huh? Ah, no… I’m sure you handled it just fine.”
I shook my head at Killian, who gestured toward me. As expected, this guy was suspicious. From one thing to another, nothing about him seemed ordinary.
“Sis, are you here?”
I was pondering how to probe Killian when Rita, hugging the rabbit doll I had given her, peeked her head out.
“I smelled something delicious… I couldn’t help it. Hehe.”
Her cheeks were flushed red as she gave an awkward smile. She had even widened her eyes when she saw the handsome man with a cold expression wearing thick pink kitchen gloves.
“O-oh, um… the flower hairpin suits you really well.”
“Of course it does.”
Killian smiled at Rita and carried a hot pot toward her.
“I made a simple chicken soup.”
“Wow, I’m so excited!”
Rita raised her hands above her head in delight. I held her small hands and followed Killian, who led the way to the dining room.
As we walked, I thought for a moment. Even if Killian realized I wasn’t really Yurina…
…would it change anything? After all, I was still the strongest in this mansion.
Even if Killian tried to take over the mansion, he wouldn’t be able to open the food storage without my touch.
So… in the end, it really didn’t matter what happened. I paused, lost in thought.
“What’s wrong, sis?”
“Huh? Nothing.”
Rita asked, puzzled, as I stopped walking. I smiled at her and continued onward.
We arrived at the dining room. I didn’t need to call the rest of the group separately.
The archbishop and Grandpa Eugen had already entered, drawn by the smell of food.
The archbishop, as if forgetting he had threatened Killian and me earlier, sat at the table, swallowing nervously.
“Thank you, miss. Really… thank you…”
Grandpa Eugen bowed his head so low it almost touched the floor as Killian handed him the soup. I gently made him sit and took a seat next to Rita.
Once again, Killian’s cooking boasted Michelin-level quality.
“How long has it been since I had a proper meal like this!”
Grandpa Eugen wiped tears while taking a bite of the chicken soup. Rita, next to him, buried her face in her bowl, too focused on eating.
The archbishop, on the other hand, was too greedy to even look around. For a while, the only sounds in the dining room were the clinking of dishes and the chewing and swallowing of food—no conversation passed.
Once everyone finished eating, I grabbed a fresh bowl and ladled the remaining soup.
“Where are you going, Marie?”
I only gave a little vegetables and broth to Grandpa Eugen and the archbishop, while Killian had served generous portions of chicken to Rita and me, so we were full.
Still, I took a new bowl to bring a meal to Sir Barren upstairs, who was struggling alone.
“I want to bring some food to the paladin as well.”
“That could be done by me or the new guy.”
“No, Killian worked hard cooking already.”
“Don’t you think the paladin might get jealous if you start chatting with him and getting attached?”
Despite the calm, emotionless look on his face, I glared at Killian and left the dining room first.
Killian had to stay behind anyway to manage the gluttonous archbishop.
Thud.
I entered Sir Barren’s bedroom and closed the door. He woke with difficulty, squinting his eyes.
“Mm…”
I placed the bowl on the bedside table and turned on a soft lamp.
“Feeling a bit better?”
“Yes… surprisingly so.”
It was the first time I had seen Sir Barren’s peaceful face, not contorted with pain. As I expected, he was a handsome man with soft blonde hair and lake-blue eyes, giving a warm impression—different from Killian’s icy elegance. His hair was messy from not being able to wash it properly due to the injuries.
“Sorry, but could you help me a little?”
He lay with the blanket pulled up to his neck, blinking only his eyes, and tried to sit up but paused. Only a few hours had passed since his wounds were treated—it was better for him not to move too much.
“You can just lie down, and I’ll feed you. I’m not doing this out of selfishness, I promise.”
“Haha, I know that much. Look at me… I’m such a pitiful sight right now.”
Despite his rough state, he was quite presentable. I had seen Grandpa Eugen bandage his side earlier, so I knew the figure hidden under the blanket was perfectly sculpted.
Unfortunately, he was a paladin devoted to God. Thinking of his status didn’t make my heart race.
“You… don’t even know my name yet. You saved my life. How can I ever repay you?”
“My name is Marie.”
“That’s a name from the scriptures. The only daughter of the deity Lavale, who descended in human form as the goddess Maria Rene.”
I didn’t know much about that. But when he mentioned scripture, his eyes lit up fanatically, which seemed almost obsessive.
“Yes, yes, I hear that a lot. I’ll help you sit up—surely you can eat by yourself, right?”
I got up to prevent him from starting some unnecessary lecture on scripture. Pulling down the blanket, I leaned forward, and he tensed, his shoulder muscles stiffening.
“Ah, sorry. I’ve never touched a woman before…”
Did he forget the time he pressed his cheek against my hand earlier? Even outside, Rita and I had helped support him.
He looked embarrassed, cheeks flushing red.
“You must have touched your mother before. She’s a woman too, isn’t she?”
“Oh… I grew up in the temple orphanage since I was little.”
“Ah… sorry.”
Why were there so many abandoned children in this country? Truly the end times. No wonder fire pillars rose and the world fell apart.
Anyway, because Sir Barren shivered whenever my hand touched bare skin, I had to bundle him tightly in the blanket before helping him sit upright.
Leaning against the headboard, he groaned and rubbed his side.
“This is amazing. I can still feel the pain, but it’s bearable.”
“That’s because I used a good potion.”
“I’ve heard that a mage’s potion is worth its weight in gold. In this desolate world after the great catastrophe… to give me something so precious…”
His blue eyes, framed by golden eyelashes, began to glisten. Was he crying? Surely not… that would be awkward.
“Huh… Marie, you are the savior of my life. Now that the pope has perished in the fire, I swear my loyalty to you.”
“Huh? Suddenly? But as a paladin, shouldn’t your loyalty be to God…”
“No. You saw it too. When fire pillars erupted across the land and the people panicked… Archbishop Sandro sacrificed dozens, even hundreds, just to save you.”
“My goodness… such a thing happened.”
I hadn’t seen the fire pillars Killian or Sir Barren mentioned.
“Turning away the apprentice priests and children begging to be saved… the archbishop who commanded to protect only you was no longer worthy of worship.”
A tear fell from his wet eyes. Sir Barren clenched his fists, covered in small cuts.
“I do not deny Lavale. Since the disaster, I am not like those who abandoned their faith and cursed Lavale. But…”
He drew a slow, warm breath. Raising his head slowly, he gently took my hand.
“I no longer wish to follow the temple. The one I must protect now… is you.”
His dry lips briefly touched the back of my hand and fell away. The paladin who had abandoned the temple was now looking at me with reverence.
