Chapter 78 - The Empire - 2

That evening, after Renée’s attendance at the banquet had been decided, Bera finished dinner and returned to his room. He let out a deep sigh, composing himself.

'... Yes, this was always going to happen.'

There was something he had forgotten in his bewilderment earlier. In his previous life, Renée had attended the Empire’s founding-day banquet in an official capacity. It had been this very year’s banquet. Hadn’t rumors of the Saintess making a public appearance drawn unprecedented crowds to the founding festival? He, too, had taken advantage of the occasion to turn a tidy profit.

He thoroughly disliked the idea, but when he considered the future, this was indeed the better course. After all, she would be getting acquainted with someone who would fight alongside her in the war against the Demon King.

“Tsk.”

Bera accepted it with resignation. The decision had already been made; surely the proper response was to plan accordingly. He was not a man who wasted time on unproductive worries.

'If it cannot be avoided...'

Then he ought to prepare for any mishaps the changed circumstances might bring. Rising from his chair, Bera headed for Renée’s room to discuss what lay ahead.

* * *

“Come in.”

The voice came from within when he knocked. Bera slowly turned the handle and entered.

The first thing he saw was Renée sitting on the sofa, with Aisha purring in her lap. For an instant, Aisha’s eyes met his. During that brief exchange, she gave him a crooked smile. It was unmistakably mocking.

For some reason, the sight made his temper flare. He bowed his head.

“... Have you had a good rest?”

“Oh, yes. The servants have been very helpful. What about you, Bera?”

“Quite well. They have been a great help to me, too.”

After those routine pleasantries, he moved straight to the matter at hand. Sitting opposite Renée, Bera spoke again.

“I have requested that the Holy Empire send Rohan. There is no particular reason to refuse, so the answer should be favorable. Your attendance at the banquet will likely be announced publicly around the time he sets out from the Holy Empire.”

“Publicly?”

“Yes. It would be best for word to spread that the Saintess is departing from the Holy Empire.”

“Oh...”

Renée understood at once. If people learned that she was on an incognito journey, even more would target her than before. Traveling while sowing this sort of confusion would be safer.

“I feel bad. It seems Rohan is the one getting stuck with all the trouble.”

“... He can stand to suffer a little, so please do not concern yourself. Besides, he is an apostle as well. Ordinary threats will not faze him. You may wait with an easy mind.”

An awkward smile appeared on Renée’s face at his offhand reply.

“Um, all right. Then what will we do until he arrives?”

“Nothing has been planned yet. Is there anything you would like to do?”

“Hmm...”

Something she wanted to do. Renée pondered the question, gently stroking Aisha’s head. If she were choosing as Renée, rather than as the Saintess...

'... A date.'

Of course she wanted to spend time with Bera, but another thought came to mind: the resolve she had made while speaking with him alone before leaving the mountains. She remembered her wish to become someone wonderful, someone worthy of him. Naturally, her answer followed that line of thought.

“... How about volunteer work? I think running a free clinic for a short while would be nice.”

“An excellent idea. I will arrange an identity for you as a priest dispatched from the Holy Empire.”

“Oh, yes.”

Their discussion continued for some time. As it was drawing to a close, Renée belatedly asked another question.

“Oh, is there anything you want to do in the Empire, Bera? You are back in your hometown, after all.”

She asked because she wondered whether she had been too inconsiderate of him. She did not ask about his family. The atmosphere alone told her that he either had none, or that he would have been better off without them.

Bera considered her question for a moment, then nodded.

“I would like to visit the library. But I can go on my own after Rohan arrives, so please do not worry. Thank you for your consideration.”

The library. Surprise crossed Renée’s face at his rather unexpected choice of destination.

“Do you like books?”

“It is less that I like them than that there is something I wish to look into.”

“Oh...”

So he was going there for work.

Having understood, Renée was about to nod when a sudden thought brought her movements to a halt. Aisha looked up when the stroking stopped, though naturally Renée could not see her.

'Wait, isn’t this...'

Wasn’t this a chance for a date? A library date! They could spend time reading in a quiet place! Then she could drift off to sleep and rest her head on his shoulder! Her imagination began spinning wildly, and once again her face began to redden.

Renée did not hesitate.

“Th-then shall we go together tomorrow!”

She was no fool who would miss an opportunity handed to her on a platter.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes! We have time right now, so surely we can spare a day...!”

Her answer was bright and eager. Bera’s expression, however, turned hesitant.

“Well...”

He could not bring himself to finish. Even someone as insensitive as Bera knew it would be rude to ask, 'But you cannot read books, can you, Your Holiness?'

The conversation abruptly stalled. Only then did Renée realize that she was hardly someone suited to a library.

'Oops!'

She had been rash.

Cold sweat began to bead on her forehead. Still unwilling to let the chance slip away, she blurted out,

“Y-you can read to me, Bera!”

“... It will not be particularly interesting.”

“That’s all right! What matters is that you read it to me!”

What exactly mattered about that? Bera wanted to ask, but did not bother.

“... Very well.”

He merely concluded that Renée was curious about libraries.

Renée’s face brightened at his answer. Aisha, who had been listening to their exchange, tilted her head.

“You’re going to the library?”

“Hm? Oh.”

Only now realizing that Aisha had been listening, Renée let out a sound.

'Should we take her along?'

A little disappointment rose within her at the thought.

“Have fun.”

That was Aisha’s answer.

“H-huh? Aren’t you coming, Aisha?”

“I can’t read.”

“Oh.”

Whether for better or worse, Aisha declined with those words. Renée stroked her head again.

“Then would you like to go sightseeing around the capital with Sir Norn tomorrow?”

“Yeah!”

Aisha’s face lit up as she answered. With that, they had a plan that satisfied everyone.

Just as the conversation was winding down, Aisha turned toward Bera and spoke.

“But, hey.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you going home? You said this was your hometown.”

... She had brought up a forbidden topic. Renée gave a sudden jolt.

'Aisha! You can’t ask that!'

Even as she screamed inwardly, Bera answered.

“I am an orphan.”

“Oh...”

'What do you mean, “oh”?!'

Renée grew even more flustered.

“So you don’t have parents either?”

Aisha said it as her own way of expressing kinship. Renée’s face turned white as a sheet, while Bera’s expression twisted oddly.

Bera wondered whether she might be picking a fight...

* * *

In the end, their meeting concluded on an awkward note. Aisha never realized she had said anything wrong, and Renée became so flustered that Bera could not find anything to say either.

After leaving Renée’s room, Bera was making his way back to his own when he stopped in the corridor at the sight of two figures approaching from afar. Naturally, his eyes narrowed.

'Count Vaishur.'

Mari and Count Vaishur were approaching arm in arm. The count was a sturdily built man with a haggard face and short black hair neatly combed back. As head of the Inspectorate, he was famous throughout the Empire for being a hopeless workaholic.

Realizing that he had instinctively tried to flee the moment he spotted him, Bera clenched his teeth and bowed his head.

“... A pleasure to meet you.”

He was no longer Bera of the underworld. He was Bera, an apostle of the Holy Empire. There was no reason for him to avoid Count Vaishur.

It was Mari who answered his bowed greeting.

“Oh my! Where have you been at this late hour?”

“I was visiting the Saintess. We needed to discuss our plans.”

“Ah! That’s right. Darling, this is Bera, the one I told you about. Bera, say hello to my husband.”

At Mari’s introduction, Bera finally raised his head to find Count Vaishur watching him with curious eyes.

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Vaishur, of the Imperial Inspectorate.”

“I am Bera.”

“Indeed...”

Vaishur nodded. Bera tilted his head, wondering what that “indeed” meant. It was the reaction of someone who had already heard a fair amount about him. In that case, the obvious source was Mari.

Bera looked toward her, and Mari met his gaze with a chuckle. Meanwhile, Count Vaishur spoke again.

“Work has kept me busy, so I have only now been able to greet you. Please make yourself comfortable during your stay.”

“... Thank you.”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Sleep well, Bera! Be sure to eat breakfast before you go out tomorrow!”

With only those words, Mari and Count Vaishur walked past him. Bera turned to look back at the departing count, feeling both awkward and puzzled. The count’s friendly attitude made him uncomfortable, while the way he seemed to regard Bera as a curiosity left him confused.

Unease began creeping over him. What had that chatterbox Mari told him? This was her husband, not just anyone; she would surely have shared all sorts of personal details...

'... No.'

Bera dismissed his mounting worries. Even if Mari had spoken ill of him, there was no reason it would work against him. Besides, planning for tomorrow was more pressing than dwelling on such concerns.

Tomorrow, he would visit the capital’s national library. Bera went over the things he needed to find there, one by one.

'... Orgus.'

Information about that ancient species. He needed to learn about the enigmatic being that had shown him Aisha from another time while he was in the mountains.

[“Sa.”]

He had been too preoccupied to think deeply about it until now, but Orgus had clearly shown him that vision with a purpose. Why, and for what reason, had the ancient species shown him another time?

'I must find out.'

The creature might even have been deeply involved in his Regression. Surely the Empire’s national library would have information about Orgus. Bera set off down the corridor once more, carefully organizing his thoughts as he walked.