77 – Inner mind
It was the day when the blessing meeting was held. She was walking through the Holy Land with Shael. While I was in anguish about what awaited me at the Blessing Meeting, I heard Shael’s voice.
“What are you doing without walking fast?”
“Oh, I had another thought for a moment.”
“⋯⋯Don’t think of anything else.”
Come to think of it, even when I walk, I can feel the changed relationship with Shael.
Originally, I think Shael was ignoring me and walking quickly.
Not anymore. Shael and I were walking together.
If I slow down even slightly, Shael slows down too. If I speed up, Sael also speeds up.
That alone made me feel good and laugh out loud.
“⋯⋯ Why is that? Not stupid.”
“You can see the souvenir shop of the Holy Kingdom.”
Shael turned her words around before getting more rude. She headed towards the well-equipped souvenir shop.
Feeling bored at the moment, Shael moved to her souvenir shop. I also followed her into her souvenir shop.
From crosses to objects plastered in white. Items that could be sold in the Holy Land are on display.
She looked at things for a while and then Shael pointed to one of her books.
“There is a book that intrigues me.”
It was a book with a title that made you doubt your eyes. No, is it okay to sell things like this in the Holy Kingdom in the first place?
“I want to buy it.”
I couldn’t stop Shael from suddenly nodding her head and buying her book.
“Why are you buying something like that?”
“It’s a secret.”
Shael teasing me. I get goosebumps. Because I felt the thought that he bought the book for me.
After that, Shael looked at things.
“A button equipped with magic to detect lies.”
“It will not necessarily be perfect.”
There really is magic that detects lies. Still, like fraudulent magic, it requires a lot of mana. So, at most, you can’t capture such magic perfectly with a button.
But Shael didn’t listen to me and bought her button.
“⋯.”
Shael turned her head before she bought more strange things. At least she recommended normal things to Shael.
“If you make a wish every night, it is said that the cross will make your wish come true.”
“I should buy it.”
It was only then that Shael smiled as if he was satisfied. Finally, she left the souvenir shop with Shael.
“Then, let’s go quickly.”
“Okay.”
Now it was time to go to the cathedral where the blessing meeting would be held.
*
It was a time when I walked very little time. I saw a building of grand size.
A building with a grand atmosphere. It was so huge that I couldn’t even close it at a glance.
It was the cathedral where the Blessing of the Holy Kingdom was held. Shael and I entered the cathedral, overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
“You must stick together.”
That was what I said to Shael. Holy Kingdom Blessing Party. It was a sacred ceremony just by hearing it, but the participants were unbelievable people.
It would be different again if the powerful Duke Jespen or Rayel Tarden came together.
But I couldn’t. It was a blessing party that any aristocrat of the empire wanted to come. However, those who were not invited could never participate in the blessing meeting.
Since the standard for that invitation was young age, only Shael and I were able to come to the Blessing Meeting.
Shael opened his mouth to my words.
“⋯Who said that?”
Then he grabs my arm. As soon as I relaxed even a little bit from cute Sael’s behavior, someone approached me and started talking to me.
He was a believer in the holy kingdom. Judging by his clothes, he was a believer who had a fairly high status in the Holy Land.
“Are you Eran from the Barslet family?”
A word with a tone that makes it obvious that it is a nuisance. At the same time, the cold gaze feels full.
He nodded, and he chinned, not even politely. It meant follow me.
It was like a believer in the holy kingdom. He doesn’t care about the status of the Empire, and he expresses his feelings openly, unlike a believer who believes in God.
For now, I agreed. You shouldn’t create problems with this.
Since it was Shael who had ignored all the events at the previous Blessing Meeting in the first place, I expected this situation a bit.
However, Shael couldn’t do that.
“Did all the believers in the holy kingdom break their manners?”
“⋯.”
Perhaps he didn’t expect to say such a thing so blatantly, the believer hardened his face.
It wasn’t just that. From the moment I entered the cathedral, there were many people’s eyes.
It was only natural that their eyes were focused on Sael and me. It was necessary to quickly stop Shael.
“Shael.”
“⋯⋯ Go.”
Fortunately, Sael nodded at my words and moved on. He wasn’t perfect, but he passed the first crisis that came suddenly.
As I followed the believer in silence, I saw a tower stacked one by one with white bricks. He pointed at the tower and said at the same time.
“First is the Tower of Good Deeds. Usual conduct. And, the tower will show your faith towards the main god.”
It was a tower that I hadn’t seen before at the Blessing Meeting. It was thanks to Sael not following all kinds of events and getting into it.
He gestured. Understanding the meaning, he put his hand on the tower and it began to hum and tremble.
There was no change. Then the believer was surprised and opened his mouth.
“I didn’t know someone with a will, so I saw him.”
Unlike before, it was a polite tone. At most, it would have been only to check the patronage through the tower.
As expected, he was a believer in the holy kingdom. Because they were fanatics, faith was everything.
This time, Shael stretched out his hand toward the tower.
“⋯.”
“⋯.”
The pure white tower was stained dark. Sael’s behavior could not have been good, so it was natural.
Shael didn’t believe in God at all.
After the color of the tower changed, the attention of the believers was felt. Among them, I saw a few even frowning.
He is openly showing irritation to Shael.
If this were an empire, a high status would have been a shield.
Not in the Holy Land.
It was time to leave while holding Shael’s hand so as not to attract attention. Someone hurried up to the believer who was guiding us.
“Jack! A commotion appeared in front of the cathedral.”
“⋯⋯What did you say?”
“He, he is making a fuss while claiming that he is the lord of the mage tower of the empire.”
It was a conversation that had to be listened to.
‘Magic tower lord. The tower master is at the entrance of the cathedral?’
If so, we cannot rule out the possibility that Clie and the crown prince were also at the Blessing Meeting.
I calmed my breath so that I could prepare for anything. While closing the distance with Shael even more.
The believer, who had been conversing for a while, opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry. I’m going to be away for a while because I have something urgent to do. I will hurry up and send someone so that another believer can guide you.”
“No. There is a lot of time, so you can come and see the work slowly.”
I just needed time to talk to Shael. After Sael dyed the tower dark, the eyes of many believers were fixed on him.
Everyone had a look of disgust. In addition, even the believer who was guiding us frowned when Sael reached out for the tower.
No matter how much Sael neglected human relationships, he must have felt sad.
So I wanted to make Shael feel better right away.
As soon as the believers left their seats, they said to Shael.
“Are you okay?”
“⋯⋯ What is it?”
Shael tilts his head. Are you feeling sad, or are you really okay?
I don’t know what Sael is thinking. Still, this one thing was certain. That I feel sorrow for Shael as much as I do.
She only ignored the event in the previous Blessing Meeting, but she is a Shael who did not directly harm the believers.
Actually, I almost did, but I prevented this from happening in the past. The event of the Blessing Meeting, which Sael was missing, wasn’t that important either.
So Sael’s position was not right. Shael hadn’t done anything wrong enough to deserve the cold gaze.
I glared at the believers so that they would no longer send hateful glances at them. Then she hugged Shael.
Hugging Sael gave her a new feeling. She only wanted to protect her.
“What… In front of people!”
“What do you think? We are already engaged.”
I asked Shael, who grumbled, once again.
“Really, are you okay?”
When I was ignored by a believer even a little bit, it was Shael who showed annoyance, saying that I was not polite.
This time she accepted the rude behavior herself. So she must be feeling even more annoyed with Sael.
Contrary to her behavior, she is soft-hearted and like Sael, she may be feeling sadness. That she would be rotting alone while hiding her thoughts firmly.
She thought so ⋯⋯.
No.
“I really don’t mind.”
Before I could say anything, Shael opened her mouth.
“I…”
This time, we see Shael’s blushing face. Her face, which had blushed when we hugged her, blushed even more with her words.
“It only takes one person.”
Unlike Sael, words that show no shame.
“Then hug more.”
I was finally able to find out what Sael was thinking.