22. Beyond good and evil (6)
“… thank you.”
She muttered like that.
-side.
Suddenly, he kissed the back of my hand.
“… yes?”
“… uh?”
The eyes that had been opened slowly widened.
-Kudang!
The chair fell violently as she jumped up.
As if she had never been calmer, Helena’s expression became almost frightened.
The warmth of something soft and soft on the back of the hand is clear.
“Ah, me, uh, that, ah… That, just, that, that’s… ! of prayer, that… !”
It seemed like he was habitually looking for a tin helmet as he groped for his arms with a flushed face, but I hadn’t taken it for a long time.
“Ah, after praying, that, the object, uh, a statue of a god, a sacred object, that, sometimes… there is… .”
I was taken aback, but I know what he just said.
Devotees often kiss the object that symbolizes the god as a sign of loyalty to the god.
“Sorry, sorry… .”
Helena gave up her excuses and bowed her head.
“it’s okay. I know what.”
I don’t know why it did it to the back of my hand, but it must have been because I was too immersed in it.
“Ah, are you saying you know… ?”
“I have seen believers kissing statues and sacred objects a few times. There is nothing to be ashamed of, because I understand what you mean.”
“ah… . Ah, yes, that, right… ! you’re right… !”
“Even though I was embarrassed.”
“… sorry.”
Seeing him flustered, I want to make fun of him.
However, I endured it because I felt like I would cry if I made fun of it here.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better than before.”
It looks much better now than before, when he lost his way in the storm and swayed.
At my words, Helena looked at me and replied with a bright smile.
“Yes. It really is!”
***
It was a time when everyone was asleep.
Lying on the bed, Helena tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep easily.
“… … .”
It’s been like this for several days.
After destroying the 2nd laboratory of the Mine Soldier Training Plan, several days had passed since I returned to Superbia after meeting with Ian.
However, Helena still thinks of that night when it comes to night.
My heart doesn’t waver anymore
Faith has been replaced.
The problem was that.
What happened at the moment of replacement.
-side.
The sound is still clear in my ears.
The sound that came out of one’s own lips, as if it were unfamiliar, like a sound that came through someone else’s mouth.
Helena touched her lips as she covered herself with the blanket.
Soft, smooth, small and slightly thick, it touched the back of his rough hand.
I keep thinking of the feel and body temperature of that hand, big enough to cover my waist with one hand.
“… … .”
Helena turned over again and lay down on her back.
I remember the moment I first met Ian.
Also, when I collapsed from overdoing it, Ian has a clear memory of taking care of him wholeheartedly.
I already felt it then.
Something new had been added to the faith that had been eroded at Magdalen Abbey.
However, this feeling right now… .
Helena stopped thinking and closed her eyes.
reminds me again
That night when I held Ian’s hand, in front of Ian, thinking of Ian, and praying to Ian in my heart.
I was intoxicated by the man who came to my mind, and that moment I committed without even realizing it… .
*
“Sister, I guess… .”
“Yes, also… .”
Lucia and Vivian also had trivial but unignorable concerns.
These days, Helena has trouble falling asleep every night.
That’s not all.
They keep moving, rustling and wiggling, wondering what they are doing.
Helena doesn’t seem to know, but they hear it every night in a quiet room.
It was the same with Mercy.
“You’re about to become an adult… .”
Vivian and Lucia silently agreed.
Lucia spoke as if defending herself.
“That, well, since I’m 19… . rather late… . Oh no… .”
“Um… . As expected, it would be a bit much to tell Ian… ?”
“Yes… .”
No matter how much Ian is a role that needs to know the concerns of the warriors, there are laws that are not.
Not just for Helena, but for Ian.
“Have you ever come to like someone?”
“It doesn’t have to be like that, doesn’t it? ?”
“But there’s a good chance I’ll do it because I’ve come to like it.”
The three thought for a moment.
Their main schedule is training.
And it’s all about dungeon raids.
It’s not that I don’t have free time, but I didn’t have a point where I could meet the opposite sex and get closer.
“Since when did Helena do that?”
To Lucia’s question, Kati, who had been listening quietly, said.
“It was from the day I talked to Ian-sama after clearing the Mine Lab… .”
It was a plain tone, not high and low, as usual, but somehow I felt a chill.
But the three couldn’t afford to care about the chill.
A person you can see most naturally and have many points of contact with.
Ian was the only one.
That means… .
“a.”
Lucia denied it as if it were nonsense.
“That, that, that, kinda, um… . Oh, there’s no law saying no… Oh, that’s not what I meant… .”
Vivian, who was about to explain something, blushed all alone and kept her mouth shut.
Mercy also rested her chin in dismay.
In the end, there was no answer they could come up with.
There was only one thing he could do for Helena.
“Let’s pretend we don’t know… .”
***
“ha… .”
Returning to the room, Arya fell and fell on the bed.
My head is pounding, and my stomach is throbbing.
‘Why are you doing this to me… .’
Hallucinations are heard.
The hallucination was not an hallucination until just now.
On his way into the city, the crowds who saw him booed him.
It wasn’t just for himself.
It was a booing towards everyone in the first party.
I couldn’t really hear what he was saying.
didn’t want to hear
I just wanted the moment to pass quickly.
I missed myself, who took it for granted that many people would take care of themselves and look down on them.
There was a time when everything was within reach.
If there was anything I wanted, I could reach out and take anything.
Except for one person.
But now, besides that one person, too many are distant.
‘What should I do… ?’
Several days passed after the trial.
In the meantime, the 1st party, which has been given missions centered on Sylvia, has managed to clear several dungeons.
Beatrice, unable to fight at all, was absent because she was still in rehabilitation.
It was a very difficult schedule as Kylie was struggling after losing an arm.
Still, I did it.
It was because Sylvia moved forward with the momentum to risk her life.
She made up for the lack of power by herself.
The more so, the value of Aria drew a downward curve day by day.
‘It’s fine as it is… ? What should I do… . please… . I don’t know anything… .’
Arya prayed earnestly with her hands together for the first time in a long time.
without much faith in God.
Even knowing that praying to God won’t solve anything.
I drew Ian’s figure while holding his hand tightly.
Whenever I ran into a problem, I found the person who gave me the answer.
‘please… . give me any answer… .’
Suddenly, Arya remembered what happened in court.
It was a confidential matter, and the figure that tried to protect them.
Why?
It’s something I’ve always wondered about, but I’ve been busy and haven’t been able to think deeply about it.
‘Perhaps… .’
In his heart, hope that they might still be left sprouted.
‘Is there any other reason besides that? ?’
Unless otherwise.
if it’s really like that
Even if it is impossible to go back to the old days.
Might it be possible to improve it a bit?
– Seruk.
Arya immediately started writing the letter.
towards Ian.
Apologizing and apologizing again means that one day his heart might be more open than it is now.
Arya carefully selected the words and refined the sentences.
In the meantime, several discarded letters were scattered on the floor.
‘This should be enough… ?’
I finally picked up the finished letter and blew on the ink until it dried.
As she put the letter in an envelope, she suddenly thought that this alone was not enough.
I needed something material to express my apology.
‘What is… . Something that might help Ian… .’
Ian is currently developing a new hero.
then… .
Arya looked down at her necklace.
A holy relic that dramatically increases the effectiveness of all miracles.
It is one of the ornaments used by apostles in history.
‘This will help.’
Arya undid the necklace and put it in an envelope with the letter.
Life was controlled by the imperial family, but it wasn’t to the extent that I couldn’t send a single letter.
‘The imperial family must know where Ian is. Most of all, if it’s given to Ian, the imperial family won’t ignore it… .’
Arya sent a letter to Ian through the imperial staff.
I don’t expect this to change his mind right away.
still.
Even a little bit is good, so I prayed that I would give myself an answer again.
*
Returning to Supervia, Ian completed the application for the formal warrior exam.
I was promised that if a suitable dungeon was found and selected, I would be guided.
Vivian, Helena, and Lucia did not neglect their training and solved two more D-class dungeons in a matter of days.
In a short span of time, their reputation grew rapidly.
It was partly because Ian revealed his identity, but the growth of the three was too steep.
Ian’s party was always at the top of newsletters and bulletin boards.
Kati’s training, supervised by Galatea and Malion, has also begun.
by then
[Invitation to the Fiorene Family Disposal Auction]
Dear Ian, an invitation has arrived.
The host was Grace of the Imperial Family.
Although it was an auction, since it was hosted by the imperial family and expensive items were to be presented, it must have been a luxurious atmosphere like a banquet for nobles.
‘I don’t like going to places where there are a lot of nobles… . Still, there are things that Fiorene used to covet, so I’ll have to go. I’ve talked to Grace, hani.’
It would be a luxurious banquet as hosted by the imperial family.
Thanks to Grace’s free-spirited personality, there was no set dress code, but it was still a place that required fancy and formal attire.
The girl dresses.
Men’s suits.
‘I don’t like suits because they’re stuffy… .’
As he read the brief content, his eyes were fixed on the bottom line.
[Up to 2 companions allowed.]
Again, Ian turned his eyes to the group in front of him.
After dinner, I was eating dessert.
Kati, Vivian, Helena, and Lucia.
And Mercy in the form of an elf running around on top of Vivian’s chest.
Vivian lowered her head in shame, but still pursed her lips.
It looks like a squirrel full of fruit.
As Ian looked at them, they also looked at Ian.
Seeing that gaze asking what was going on, Ian shook his hand and lowered his gaze.
‘… What do we do?’