6 – Episode 1. Return of the Trust (6)
Thump.
The floor conveyed solidness with every step taken. The interior was bone-chillingly cold and gloomy, making it hard to discern if it was outdoors or indoors.
The outer walls, composed of connected wooden planks, were riddled with holes, allowing a harsh gust of wind to invade the inside undeterred. There wasn’t even a semblance of decent furniture within.
There was just a single dirty robe spread out across the floor.
The faint stench wafting throughout inside pricked the nostrils though there was no indication of disgust.
Had Clara lived in such conditions before being dragged off by the demon worshippers?
Recognizing it as a scene from the novel, it was hard not to feel sympathy for the sight that unfolded.
With such a life, even I may have joined the demon worshippers.
Her narrative was devastating, but how could anyone hold off the darkness when even basic sustenance wasn’t ensured?
“Who are you…?”
Hmm. What should I say?
Under what pretext should I take her away?
It was natural for strangers to be wary when someone unexpected came to take them away.
“I am—”
Clink, clink.
I halted my introduction upon hearing the sound of armor from behind. I turned to gaze at the Fors standing behind me.
“Fors.”
“Yes, Abel.”
His voice was gruff and it seemed as though he was displeased with my command.
Resignedly I accepted the ill treatment. I couldn’t object to their attitude given the many messes created by Abel.
I suppose… gradually we could create a positive image.
“Secure the area around this hut. Given the knights have entered the slums, the demon worshippers might also be observing us.”
Fors looked down at me quietly. Then he suddenly raised his head as if he had noticed something and stared at Clara who was inside.
“Don’t tell me… Is that girl a witch?”
“I’ll explain everything in detail later. May we have a moment to converse alone?”
“… I see. For now, I’ll comply.”
After confirming Fors’ departure, I closed the door and walked deeper into the room.
“Don’t come any closer!”
Clara sprang to her feet, crying out in a cracked voice. Her throat was parched from thirst.
“If you come any closer… I will kill you.”
In her hands, she was gripping something, outstretched towards me.
In the light seeping through the gaps in the boards, a glimmer reflected off what was none other than a steel skewer.
Although a common household item, if it were thrust into an ordinary human like me, serious injury was a certainty.
“Alright. We’ll talk from here.”
I raised my hands above my shoulders as I spoke.
But even my harmless gesture did not lower her guard.
In a slum where crimes happen unflinchingly, her vigilance is justified.
“First… drink this.”
From within my robe, I tossed a flask made of leather in front of her. Thankfully, it didn’t burst.
“Drink that first then we can talk. Your throat must be sore.”
“How… how do I know it’s not poisoned?”
“If you can’t trust me, so be it….”
Given that she’s survived in the slum until now by suspecting everyone, I can understand if she doesn’t trust me.
I took off the badge that was hanging around my neck and tossed it onto the water bottle.
“Check that.”
Clara glared at me as she slowly lowered her stance. Her eyes widened as she picked up Huston’s badge with her hand.
“Huston Sirius…?”
“Thankfully, you can read the characters.”
“Huston Sirius means… Sir Huston?”
“You’re well informed. I’m the third son of the House of Sirius, Abel Sirius.”
Now that she’s seen the badge of the Sirius family, and I introduced myself, maybe she’ll resolve some of her suspicions?
However, to my disappointment, Clara only gripped the steel skewer tighter.
“Ah, Abel…!”
She muttered my name as if she were taking a vow.
Why does it seem her vigilance has increased?
Abel, what on earth have you been doing in the slums?
“Why is a disgusting person who plays with people’s lives here?!”
Because of the real Abel, my quest is being blocked as if there’s a barrier, damn it.
The very act of trying to erase doubt with Abel’s image seemed toxic. It seemed better to go straight to the point now.
“Okay. I understand.”
I sighed.
“Clara.”
“H-how do you know my name…?”
“I know that you were banished from Bemoni Village. And of course, I know you’re not a witch.”
“No, no! I’m not a witch—— what?”
Clara had hastily denied my words only to pause.
As if to repeat the words I spat out, she was frozen for a moment.
“Did you just… what did you…?”
“You’re not a witch.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Do you not understand the words? It’d be troublesome if you can’t even understand this much.”
I crossed my arms and spoke awkwardly. Even in the medieval ages, despite the high illiteracy rate, there shouldn’t be an issue with conversation.
“I did understand the words! Cough cough!”
She strained herself to raise her voice, grabbed her throat in agony and started coughing. She should just drink it when I tell her to.
“I, I… what I wanna say… don’t know. I don’t know why this is happening.”
“I know it, just calm down and drink the water there. I’ll explain calmly.”
“I won’t drink the water.”
Pretty stubborn. She’s got some personality.
But if she drinks that, she might trust me a bit more……
“Sigh. Alright. Anyway, that thing…”
I laughed hollowly. It seemed like I would need a considerable amount of time to find trust in the events Abel had caused.
“In short, you are a saint.”
“……What?”
“To be precise…… a saint infected with magic.”
I calmly spat out the information. Perhaps due to the suddenly popping out of an unexpected word, her breathing stopped abruptly.
“I’m a saint? Infected with magic……?”
“When you awakened, black magic…… what so-called ‘magic’ would have come out of your body.”
According to the setting of this world, magic could infect mana. Since divine power was essentially the same as mana, it could be infected by magic.
If there was any difference, it was that it had a stronger resistance than ordinary mana, and the rate of infection was slower.
“Since it was your first awakening, you obviously couldn’t control your power, and you had no choice but to expose it to the villagers. As a result, the villagers probably tried to kill you, calling you a witch. Am I right?”
“How do you know all this? You’ve never been to Bemoni village…”
“Simple. I’ve been searching for you ever since.”
That was a lie.
What do you mean search? I came to rescue her because she was in danger on a quest.
Also, if the princess, who was the protagonist, did not have to fight with the saint, he thought he could easily unfold the story.
“Do you plan to believe what I say now?”
Maybe she didn’t have time to answer the sudden influx of information, she kept silent.
Well, it would be difficult to decide when information that even she didn’t know suddenly poured in. He decided to wait patiently.
Only then did she, who had been quiet for a long time, open her mouth.
“….I don’t believe it. If I… If I had really been a saint… I wouldn’t have had such a hard time…! I would have enjoyed lots of delicious meals at the Beatra sect. Wear clean clothes. I would have surely…. surely lived happily…!”
Clara said, choking back tears.
It seemed like she could no longer hold back her tears as the terrible life she had experienced so far flashed back like a lantern.
“I can give you that happy life.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Don’t lie to me. I know what you’re trying to do to me!”
The end of the pitchfork again pointed at me.
Again, I sighed.
It seems that long-term pain has made her unable to open her heart.
“Clara. I can take you by force now. Yet, the reason I am still talking to you is because I hope you will trust me.”
“I don’t trust! Since I left the village, so far, there hasn’t been a single person who has done me a favor without any reward…! You don’t even know how I survived until now…!”
Looking at her, still standing, I could feel frustrated. I even wanted to give up persuading her.
But in order to move her according to my plan, I cannot choose a forced way.
“Clara.”
“Stop calling…!”
Ignoring her sharp voice, I said.
“When I leave, the demon worshipers will come to find you. And when today passes, you will die.”
She really wouldn’t die. The demon worshipers would need her too.
But sometimes a lie is more persuasive. Especially in extreme situations like now.
Thinking that the other person will trust you one hundred percent just because you reveal all the truth is arrogance.
“If that’s what you really want, I won’t try to persuade you any longer. But… if you still dream of happiness, I would like you to accept my hand.”
He slowly extended his hand in her direction.
“I promise to make you happy. You aren’t a person who is okay to stay in this place.”
If she refused him again, he intended to bring her along, even if it meant knocking her out. After all, he had to save her to have a future.
“Ah……”
A small whimper slipped past her lips. He saw the dagger she was holding shake ever so slightly.
Humans always instinctively act before they think, especially so when the situations become extreme. It was just natural that the basic instincts grow stronger.
“……Give me proof I can trust. Proof that you won’t hurt me.”
Such evidence was not something he could provide at the moment. It was something that could only be known with time.
The most tangible proof would be the noble’s signature she held, but it seemed she hesitated to believe it because he was Abel.
Then he had to make a resolution.
He strode over to her.
“Do, don’t come near……!”
“If you want to stab me, go ahead.”
Ignoring Clara’s defensive stance, he picked up the water vessel he had dropped earlier. He uncapped it, took a drink, and wiped the water that spilled onto his lips onto the back of his hand. He then offered the bottle to her.
“This is my proof.”
“What……?”
The blade she had been wielding dropped as she looked at him and then back at the water vessel. She extended the hand holding the signature to take it.
After glancing back and forth between the vessel and his face, she started to drink. Her throat moved non-stop, as if she was trying to quench a long-standing thirst.
“Whew…!”
“I also brought some bread here.”
He then offered the basket of bread to her.
Again, she switched her gaze between his face and the basket.
He gave up and took a piece of bread, tearing it off and taking a bite. The bread wasn’t freshly baked, but it was still warm.
“Do you trust me a little now?”
Without replying, she began to shove the bread into her mouth. When he set the basket on the floor, she crouched down and began to let out the hunger she had been holding back.
“……That’s right, eat as much as you can. Let’s talk after you eat.”
He felt like he’d somehow become a kitchen maid, but it didn’t really matter.