Chapter 77 - The Empire

A week passed without any notable incidents. The only event worth recalling was Aisha, squirming with boredom, sticking her head out the window and nearly falling out. At the end of that uneventful week, the party arrived in the Empire.

“Woooow...!”

As always, Aisha let out an exclamation of wonder. Her heart pounded at the vista unfolding before her.

Tall walls stretched so far that she could not see where they ended. Beyond them rose a vast, majestic palace. And when she tilted her head higher, she could see a tower floating in the sky.

Aisha turned to Bera and asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Bera! That's the Magic Tower, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do mages live there?”

“Who else would live there? Knights?”

“Whoa...”

Ordinarily, Aisha would have bristled at Bera's mockery, but not this time. No, it would be more accurate to say she could not.

Her attention was wholly captured by the grandeur of Oriac, the floating Magic Tower, a landmark of Parvan, the capital of the Frich Empire.

Bera heaved a sigh at Aisha, who was once again leaning her entire body out of the carriage, then addressed Norn on the driver's seat.

“Sir Norn, how long do you think the inspection will take?”

“Hmm, I expect we'll have to wait a while longer. With the founding festival approaching, there are so many people coming and going...”

Norn trailed off, his voice tinged with unease.

Sensing it, Renée smiled and answered in Bera's stead.

“We're perfectly fine, so please don't worry.”

“Ha ha, my apologies.”

“Not at all.”

A festival celebrating the Empire's founding.

“There's still a whole month before the festival begins, but it seems it's already getting crowded.”

“Yes. After all, there's no other time when the market grows quite so large.”

Bera was reasonably familiar with this situation. He had experienced it every year in his previous life.

The Empire's founding festival lasted roughly a month and was so grand that it was called the largest festival on the continent.

Merchants brought goods from all over the continent, followed by shoppers and tourists coming to buy them, and still more merchants arriving to set up stalls catering to those tourists.

With all manner of people flocking to the festival, there were also hordes who arrived early to make preparations.

Watching Renée give a small nod of understanding, Bera continued.

“It seems we've timed our visit well. The festival's night market offers plenty of entertainment, so you should be able to enjoy yourself to the fullest, Saintess.”

“A night market...”

The words “night market” set Renée's heart fluttering.

What could a night market possibly mean? Why, a late-night date with Bera, of course.

Of course, that wasn't why they had come to the Empire! They had come to help Dovan and Aisha! But surely there was no harm in enjoying themselves a little while they were here!

This wasn't just any city—it was the imperial capital. The safest city on the continent, where the worst danger one might encounter was some ruffian picking a fight in the street.

Here, she could set aside all those troublesome concerns and finally make some progress.

As Renée considered the possibilities, enthusiasm began blazing within her.

“I'm looking forward to it.”

“You won't be disappointed. As it happens, I know quite a bit about the festival, so I'll make sure to show you a good time.”

Surely she wasn't imagining things when that sounded like “I'll be your escort.”

Renée wanted to believe she wasn't.

“Yes.”

She nodded contentedly, the corners of her mouth twitching upward despite herself.

The mood could hardly have been better.

Then a certain person flashed through Renée's mind, making her flinch and rein in her feelings.

'... The second prince.'

Someone to watch closely. A man who might be a rival in love.

There was still much she didn't know, but one could never be certain.

After all, there was no room for even a moment's carelessness in love.

Renée hoped she would never have to draw the blade hidden in her cane.

* * *

First Avenue in the Empire.

In the drawing room of a mansion in that district, commonly called the most expensive land on the continent, Renée sat with a tense expression.

“Bera, I think...”

There were things she could tell even without sight.

The atmosphere had changed dramatically the moment they entered First Avenue. Then there were the numerous servants who had greeted them at the entrance to the mansion Mari had told them about, and the way those servants behaved.

As Renée trailed off, Bera nodded and answered.

“Yes, this mansion belongs to a noble family.”

Renée flinched, her shoulders jerking. She could not quite keep the tremor out of her voice.

“... I never imagined Lady Mari was an imperial noble.”

“Yes, I'm somewhat surprised myself.”

“Um... is that all right? In terms of her allegiance and things like that?”

“There is no problem. Lady Mari would have renounced all her privileges as a noble, including her family name.”

That was what entering the service of the Holy Empire meant: erasing all one's former status and standing before the altar of God as a single human being.

“She said her husband works for the Imperial Inspectorate, didn't she? I imagine Lady Mari is staying here as his wife, not as a noble. So long as she doesn't take part in political activities herself, the Holy Empire has no particular reason to stop her.”

“Ah...”

Renée nodded. Bera's explanation had given her a general understanding.

Even so, another thought occurred to her.

“Lady Mari's husband is quite remarkable, isn't he? He waited for her, even though they must have spent so much time apart.”

Her thoughts had turned to Mari's husband.

Renée thought Mari's relationship with her husband was rather romantic. Even as they led different lives, they remained bound together.

'I-I want that too...'

She wanted that kind of relationship with Bera.

While Renée was entertaining that thought, Bera answered.

“... Yes. It's not something an ordinary person could manage.”

As he spoke, he recalled what he knew about the mansion's owner. Having memorized the names and residences of every noble in the Empire, Bera knew exactly who lived here.

'Count Vaishur.'

This was his mansion.

The head of the Imperial Inspectorate. A terminal workaholic who had pursued Bera relentlessly in his previous life. A man who staked his life on his damned integrity.

'To think he was Mari's husband...'

Discomfort stirred within Bera. They had no particular connection in this life, but the memories still brought those feelings back unbidden.

The two contrasting emotions mingled in the room. As the silence lingered, the drawing-room door opened and Mari entered.

Unlike when they had seen her in the Great Forest, she was neatly groomed and dressed.

“Oh dear, sorry I'm late!”

“Ah, Lady Mari.”

“Hmm? Oh my! What have you been eating, Saintess, to grow this pretty in just a few months? Hmm? Come on, share your secret with me. Oh, Bera, you've grown more handsome too! What's that at your waist? You've got a different sword! Oh, where are my manners...”

The chatter poured out the moment she entered.

Renée and Bera began to look distinctly uncomfortable.

* * *

Just as their mental endurance was beginning to run dry, Mari's chatter finally ended.

No, it merely paused.

Alarmed that they might never get to the point at this rate, Renée seized that moment of silence and quickly explained why they had come.

She told Mari everything, from meeting Dovan and Aisha after leaving the Great Forest, to how their troubles had been resolved and why the party had come here.

Determined not to leave Mari any opening to interrupt, Renée poured it all out without taking a single breath. Once she finished, she gasped for air.

She felt as though her brain was running out of oxygen. Speaking so quickly had left her lips parched.

“Saintess, here's some water.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Renée accepted the perfectly timed glass of water, gulped it down, and waited for Mari's answer.

Mari blinked, then nodded brightly.

“Oh my, all that happened? You must have had a hard time. All right, I'll take them with me when I return.”

“Ah, thank you. How long will you be staying in the Empire, then?”

“Hmm? Well, I intend to stay for the founding-day banquet, at least.”

“The banquet?”

“Yes, His Highness the second prince's coming-of-age ceremony is being held at the same time. They've asked me to come and give him a blessing.”

The second prince.

At that mention, Renée's fingertips twitched with tension.

“I-is that so...!”

She was trying hard to act composed.

But to Bera, listening beside her, it looked rather different.

It seemed to him that Renée was conscious of the second prince.

Once again, his expression grew sulky. There was no reason for it. He simply didn't like it.

Mari, who had been watching the pair from her seat across from them, suddenly brightened and continued.

“Oh! That's right. Saintess, would you like to come to the banquet too? Surely a blessing from you would be better than one from me? It would be good for the Empire, and give my husband something to be proud of! Hmm? Couldn't you help me out, just this once?”

“W-what?”

As Renée asked in surprise, Bera jolted behind her. His face began to fill with outright dismay.

Naturally, the words that sprang from his mouth were objections.

“... It is dangerous. Surely we cannot carelessly reveal the Saintess's whereabouts. Furthermore, the emperor may target her. On the day she received her sacred mark, the Empire clearly made moves against her as well. Keeping her concealed is therefore the proper course.”

His arguments had a logic of their own. They were based entirely on facts, free of any emotional reaction, and betrayed not the slightest hint that he simply disliked the idea of Renée meeting the second prince.

Mari's next words immediately demolished them.

“Oh, come now. With this many apostles here, how can you call it dangerous? And His Majesty isn't a fool. Do you think he'd act so openly? If you're that worried, we can ask the Holy Empire for one more. Yes, I heard that rascal Rohan has nothing to do right now. He'd be perfect! He'll come running if there's a festival.”

At her words, Bera glared at Mari with wide eyes.

Mari met his stare with a chuckle, thinking to herself.

'This boy...'

It seemed that a little prodding might produce a delightful scene.

“What do you say, Saintess? Are you interested?”

Mari's question set Renée worrying all over again.

Was going the right choice?

Was letting the two of them meet the right choice?

What if the second prince, with his taste for men, fell for Bera?

... It was an utterly pointless concern. Moreover, if the second prince didn't prefer men—or even if he did, but had no interest in Bera—all those worries belonged in the rubbish bin.

Yet Renée had no room to consider that just now.

To her, Bera was more attractive than anyone else in the world, which meant he was a constant source of worry.

Because she had fallen for him, others would fall for him too: a line of reasoning that bordered on confirmation bias.

On the strength of that reasoning, Renée was about to refuse when—

'... Wait.'

Suddenly recalling what Mari had just said, she pressed her lips together.

No one but a fool would scheme in a crowded place in the heart of the Empire.

Mari had been speaking about the emperor, but wouldn't the same hold true for the second prince? Even if he fell for Bera, surely he couldn't resort to trickery with everyone watching. That meant she could assess him without any risk.

Renée, who invariably turned into a fool whenever Bera was involved, felt her mind racing with rare clarity.

'... I think I'd better check.'

She still didn't know whether he was friend or foe. She could become hostile after she had verified that.

“... I'll do it.”

Renée nodded, her expression resolute.

'If he turns out to be an enemy...'

She was thinking that her cane might truly become a sword then.

“Oh my! You're so much better than Bera, Saintess! That's right, a person ought to know when to step forward bravely!”

At Renée's answer, Mari clapped her hands and nodded, while Bera's face filled with utter desolation.

It was a moment in which only Mari was happy.