Chapter 83
Who on earth let Elizia Semperion into the temple!
He had already heard the story when he first arrived at the temple, but seeing it with his own eyes was even more absurd. Perhaps sensing the high priest’s bewilderment, the other priests also averted their eyes with troubled expressions. At least the attendant priest beside Frillien quickly rushed over to explain the situation.
“The Saintess said she absolutely wanted to learn swordsmanship from Lady Semperion… so we brought her here.”
“…I see.”
The Saintess’s wishes.
That was enough justification, and there would have been no way to stop it. After all, in this temple, no one outranked the Saintess. The High Priest also tended to respect her words. Still—
“Saintess, would you like to swing this way this time?”
“Hyaah!”
Whoosh!
The problem was that Frillien’s training ground happened to be right in front of the Saintess’s residence. Since an intruder had once broken in there, the place had been deliberately left untouched.
“Hyaaap!”
Thud-thump!
Frillien, attempting to swing her sword, lost her balance and rolled across the grass. The lawn was ruined, and any remaining traces of the intruder were now scattered away.
“Why this location…?”
“The Saintess insisted on doing it here. She said the only building assigned to her was this one.”
“…”
Listening to the attendant, the High Priest turned a sharp gaze on Elizia. Yet, despite his scrutinizing eyes, Elizia Semperion remained composed and continued speaking calmly.
“You seem to have some basic strength. If you couldn’t even hold a sword, I was planning to start with muscle training.”
“This much… is fine!”
Frillien replied brightly with enthusiasm. The High Priest, silently watching this comedic scene, slowly approached them.
“It’s been a while, Lady Elizia Semperion.”
“Yes, it has.”
Elizia greeted him calmly and politely, unshaken. The High Priest thought to himself:
…She isn’t nervous at all.
At first glance, it might even seem as though he were falsely accusing her. Still, he had to question her at least once. Without hesitation, he asked:
“Where were you last night?”
“Pardon? At home, of course.”
…She knows I’m suspicious.
Elizia forced herself to answer calmly, careful not to reveal tension. She hadn’t expected such a direct question. Did he find out? Just as she tried to refocus on the sword lesson, the High Priest pressed further.
“Then, would it be all right if I asked the same question directly to His Grace the Duke?”
“…”
Could it be… he really knew something?
Asking the Duke was dangerous. He was the only one who knew she had slipped out last night. If he spoke the truth, Elizia would immediately become a prime suspect.
How should she answer? Elizia swallowed hard. At that moment—
“There’s no need to ask him separately.”
A low voice cut between them. Elizia turned her head.
Father?!
The Duke of Semperion was standing there.
He said he was going to pray…
He had accompanied them to the temple when they came with Frillien, claiming he had business at the prayer hall. Since it was far, she hadn’t expected to run into him. Yet he had finished early and arrived. He continued,
“At that time, Elly was at home. I personally tucked her in.”
“…I see.”
The High Priest nodded slowly. The Duke studied his expression with a piercing gaze.
“I heard there was an intruder in the temple last night. Surely you don’t suspect Elly of that…”
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean to imply such a thing.”
The High Priest shook his head gently with a reassuring smile. Elizia quickly glanced at her father.
“…”
Why did you cover for me?
Wasn’t he the one who first doubted her? Did he do it just to avoid trouble? Or—
‘Will you keep today’s matter a secret between just us?’
She recalled her earlier words to him. No way… could he have really listened? While she was stealing glances at him, the Duke spoke again.
“I’ll head home first. Don’t wander off and come straight back.”
“…Yes.”
So many eyes and ears were here. Perhaps that was why he didn’t say anything more. Or maybe… he truly intended to let it go.
Elizia silently watched his retreating back. While she was lost in thought—
“High Priest, did you really suspect Lady Semperion?”
Frillien’s clear voice interrupted. She had been quiet all this time, but apparently she had something to say. With firm conviction, she continued,
“There’s no way Lady Semperion could be involved. Didn’t you hear the news yesterday? She fought monsters with Sir Ende. After going through that, she wouldn’t even have had the strength to come all the way to the temple…”
It was a reasonable point. An ordinary person would indeed be too exhausted. Frillien turned toward Elizia.
“I believe in you, my lady.”
Her serious eyes were difficult to read—whether she truly meant it or was simply expressionless. Either way, the High Priest followed suit.
“No, as I said, I wasn’t doubting Lady Semperion. It was only a matter of procedure. Since you were home, I need not ask further. I, too, believe in Lady Semperion.”
With a gentle smile, he looked at her as though he truly supported her. Then he shifted the subject.
“I hear you are teaching the Saintess swordsmanship?”
“Yes. I requested it specially,” Frillien answered.
“The temple or even the palace could easily provide instructors for the Saintess. It seems unnecessary to trouble Lady Semperion…”
“No, I insisted,” Elizia replied immediately.
“To have an opportunity to help the Saintess—it’s an honor, not a burden.”
“…”
The High Priest fell silent for a moment. Elizia thought to herself,
Shouldn’t he be pleased about this?
He clearly didn’t like that she was teaching the Saintess. Was it because she was getting close to her? Or because it gave her an excuse to keep entering the temple?
“…Very well. But in the future, please refrain from unannounced visits.”
Finding nothing else to criticize, he gave her that warning and withdrew.
But just because he left didn’t mean the surveillance was gone. The attendant priest still watched them, and Frillien could always report directly to the High Priest. Sneaking around the temple like last time would be nearly impossible now. The attendant priest calmly added,
“From now on, we’ll guide you so you may only enter at designated times.”
So I can’t come at other times.
Still, her father often came under the pretext of prayer, and she had received gifts from the Saintess. Surely she could find another way to return. While she pondered this, Frillien swung her sword energetically.
Whoosh!
“How is it, Lady Semperion? Am I good at this?”
She called out proudly to Elizia, who thought,
Anyway… where should I even start teaching her?
She had agreed in order to find a way into the temple, but her sword knowledge mostly came from games. Would teaching her game-style sword skills really work? While she was considering, Frillien asked,
“How do you usually dodge attacks, my lady?”
“…I just dodge when I see them.”
“You can see them! What if you can’t?”
That was a fair question. Elizia answered honestly.
“When I can’t be bothered, I just take the hit.”
“So you just take it!”
Frillien nodded as if it made perfect sense. The attendant priest, however, interrupted in dismay.
“Pardon me, but… wouldn’t you die if you just take the hit?”
“Ah… well, yes.”
Elizia nodded. With her high stamina, she wouldn’t die, but an ordinary person could easily be killed by a sword cut or an arrow. Yet Frillien nodded with understanding.
“It’s fine! I can heal myself, so I can just get hit and fix it after. Isn’t that enough?”
…Huh? Would that actually work?
Elizia pictured a zombie-like Frillien endlessly taking damage and regenerating. Frillien added excitedly,
“Lady Semperion’s teaching style suits me perfectly! I’m glad I chose you as my teacher.”
“…”
For a moment, Elizia thought she saw a glint of madness in Frillien’s eyes—but perhaps it was just her imagination.
