Andrew swallowed hard.
'I am betraying Ronheim.'
He became newly aware of his own actions.
Andrew thought of Hillen. And of Chloe, who was getting better.
"If Hillen had been on the altar that day instead of the Princess, it would have been Hillen, not the Princess, who would have recovered. The health the Princess has regained could have been Hillen's!"
If only Callius had not turned his back on him and Hillen, and had held a sacrifice for the people long ago.
'You said you didn't have the powers of a Saint. That was all a lie.'
They say that they were able to successfully cure Chloe because an auspicious sheep suddenly appeared, but what do you know?
Andrew decided to think only about what he wanted to believe, hear, and see.
'I will sacrifice Ronheim to save Hillen. This is my sacrifice.'
He opened his mouth, his resolve firm.
"Only the Saints truly know about the Holy Grail. Because they knew how to handle it from the beginning, even without being taught. Since no one ever taught them or shared them, there's no oral tradition."
Sernia glared at Andrew with a disappointed expression.
“Is that all?”
"No. Keep listening. Do you know how the Saint appears in Ronheim? You people seem to believe that the Saint is connected to you through blood, but that's all nonsense. The Saint just appears."
“What is that...”
"She literally appeared in Ronheim one day, as if descended from the heavens. She appeared out of nowhere, drawn by the Holy Grail. When the previous Saint died, a new one appeared just like that."
Andrew chuckled at Sernia, who was looking at him with a suspicious look as if she couldn't believe it.
"Yes, you may find it hard to believe. That's why it's often mistakenly believed that the Saints are connected by blood. But this unbelievable story is true."
“So now that the previous Saint is dead, where is the new Saint?”
Andrew shrugged.
"That's everyone's question. For a long time, no new Saint appeared. So we assumed the new Saint was Callius."
"Yes...?"
"There's no historical record of a Saint forming a family and having children. A Saint's child. Callius is the first. This is also the first time a Saint has died without a new one appearing. Doesn't that seem like a coincidence?"
Andrew lowered his voice.
"You know what? The Princess recently fell ill, so Callius offered a sacrifice. And, voila, she got better. What does that mean?"
“...!”
“Callius is the key to the Holy Grail.”
That moment.
I was writing a letter to Montril.
[ I'm glad you were able to safely take over the top of Terramo. ]
What should I do now?
I tried to recall what Andrea and Viscount Pelsus had been drinking with in their past lives.
Of course, I didn't go to their drinking party, so I don't know the details.
However, I only knew that if, after Andrea came and went, Viscount Pelsus came to me and vented his frustrations, things were not going well, and if he didn't come and the mansion was filled with laughter, things were going well.
'Oh, of course, even when things were going well, Andrea would come to me and vent his anger if he made some ridiculous excuse or caused Viscount Pelsus some trouble.'
The memories imprinted with pain were quite sharply etched in my mind, so I remembered most of the things Viscount Pelsus said when he hit me.
Who would have thought that those painful memories would be so helpful?
'Should I like it or not?'
I continued the letter.
[ I'm looking into whether anyone is currently seeking investors for a lodging business targeting the aristocracy in the North Port area. We need to reach out first, before we recruit other investors. ]
In a past life, Andrea and Viscount Pelsus profited from it.
'This time, I'm going to block Andrea from investing even if he wants to.'
I couldn't help but hum as I imagined Andrea's future barn being emptied.
It was when I was so absorbed in it that I was playing with my pen.
Suddenly, I felt a tickling sensation in the middle of my chest, so I lifted my hand holding the pen and placed it against my chest.
'What?'
After the ritual, I would feel this way at least once or twice a day.
At first, I thought the power of the suppressed curse was growing again.
But it was too warm and pleasant a feeling to be a life-sucking curse.
I was absentmindedly focusing on that sensation, and as if possessed by something, I got up from the chair and headed to the dressing room.
'I feel like I'm forgetting something...'
I don't know why it suddenly happened.
I just felt like I was forgetting something important, and I had to figure it out.
I glanced around my modest dressing room.
Inside the dressing room, which was filled with more junk than clothes, were boxes containing minerals mined from the Rosendal territory, small gifts received from the people of Ronheim, and cushions and teddy bears brought from the palace.
The footsteps stopped in front of the teddy bear.
I had taken out a little, no, a lot of cotton and hidden the Kavala jewels inside, but I ended up taking out all the jewels and selling them, so the teddy bear was very thin.
The emaciated teddy bear, as if it had been starving for months, sat with its back against the wall, struggling.
The reason the teddy bear was able to sit up without falling over was that there was still something left in its stomach that was supporting it.
I smoothed down the thread sticking out from where the doll's torso and head were connected.
A large hole was made in the bear's neck from removing the jewels inside. I'd thought about stitching it back up, but then forgot.
'I'm glad that the only thing I learned in the palace was embroidery.'
It wasn't like anyone was teaching me this carefully, but it was just something the maids threw at me to pass the time, telling me to stay in my room and play quietly with this instead of running around.
But thanks to that, we were able to do some amazing things using dolls.
I put my hand into the hole in the teddy bear's neck and stirred inside.
There wasn't much to grab.
Her mother's ring and an unidentified goblet, likely used for religious ceremonies.
I couldn't bring myself to sell one of them, so I kept it, and I didn't think the other one would be worth much if I tried to sell it, so I just left it for now.
'I was thinking of leaving it behind, but strangely enough, I just wanted to bring it.'
I was about to take it out without thinking.
“Madam? Where are you?”
Leviche's voice was heard.
I didn't do anything wrong, but I was startled for no reason, put down the teddy bear, and left the dressing room.
Before I knew it, the tickling sensation in my chest had completely disappeared.
“Leviche.”
Leviche was holding a tray.
“Oh, you were in the dressing room. The chef will bring you a snack.”
It was a beautifully decorated cookie and a tea that smelled good.
Montril had sent me a lot of expensive foreign tea as a gift, and it seemed I had brought it out.
“There are a lot of sheep today, too.”
I burst out laughing when I saw the bowl full of cookies.
With no more shortage of wheat, nuts, and sugar, the chef became excited and kept making cookies.
I sat down with Leviche and suggested that we eat together.
And then I said it as if I was doing a favor because I wanted to ask about Hillen.
“Save a few and pack them well, then give them to Hillen when you get off work.”
"Oh, she'd love that! But what can I do? It's my little brother's birthday today, and I promised to make him something delicious, so I can't go to Hillen's. Oh, what a shame, I just met Andrew."
The hand holding the teacup stopped.
“Has Sir Andrew come to the castle?”
"Yes. It seemed like he was grabbing a few things, perhaps because he needed them. He passed by with a serious expression on his face, and even if I called him, I wouldn't know what he was thinking..."
Leviche grumbled that Andrew was acting strangely these days.
I asked Leviche as if I suddenly remembered something important.
“By the way, I have a favor to ask of Sir Alex. Could you go and get him for me?”
"Yes!"
Leviche quickly brought Alex.
“Did you call, Marchioness?”
"Sir Alex, would you please find out if anyone entered the dungeon where Sernia is today? Guards or not, I don't care. Everyone."
I wanted to know if Andrew had been in contact with Sernia.
Alex soon brought me a list, and as expected, Andrew's name was on it.
“Sir Andrew is probably on vacation?”
"Well, it seems Sir Andrew had briefly entered the castle to fetch some things. Sir Rudney, who was supposed to be guarding the prisoners at the time, suddenly felt sick, so he temporarily left Sir Andrew, who happened to be nearby, to take his place."
Alex blinked and looked at me as if to ask what was wrong.
“No, that’s not....”
I felt like a lot of words were going to come out of my mouth, but I didn't want to say anything to Alex, who had done nothing wrong, so I just omitted everything and spoke briefly.
“Tell Callius to come to my office immediately, right now.”
'I am betraying Ronheim.'
He became newly aware of his own actions.
Andrew thought of Hillen. And of Chloe, who was getting better.
"If Hillen had been on the altar that day instead of the Princess, it would have been Hillen, not the Princess, who would have recovered. The health the Princess has regained could have been Hillen's!"
If only Callius had not turned his back on him and Hillen, and had held a sacrifice for the people long ago.
'You said you didn't have the powers of a Saint. That was all a lie.'
They say that they were able to successfully cure Chloe because an auspicious sheep suddenly appeared, but what do you know?
Andrew decided to think only about what he wanted to believe, hear, and see.
'I will sacrifice Ronheim to save Hillen. This is my sacrifice.'
He opened his mouth, his resolve firm.
"Only the Saints truly know about the Holy Grail. Because they knew how to handle it from the beginning, even without being taught. Since no one ever taught them or shared them, there's no oral tradition."
Sernia glared at Andrew with a disappointed expression.
“Is that all?”
"No. Keep listening. Do you know how the Saint appears in Ronheim? You people seem to believe that the Saint is connected to you through blood, but that's all nonsense. The Saint just appears."
“What is that...”
"She literally appeared in Ronheim one day, as if descended from the heavens. She appeared out of nowhere, drawn by the Holy Grail. When the previous Saint died, a new one appeared just like that."
Andrew chuckled at Sernia, who was looking at him with a suspicious look as if she couldn't believe it.
"Yes, you may find it hard to believe. That's why it's often mistakenly believed that the Saints are connected by blood. But this unbelievable story is true."
“So now that the previous Saint is dead, where is the new Saint?”
Andrew shrugged.
"That's everyone's question. For a long time, no new Saint appeared. So we assumed the new Saint was Callius."
"Yes...?"
"There's no historical record of a Saint forming a family and having children. A Saint's child. Callius is the first. This is also the first time a Saint has died without a new one appearing. Doesn't that seem like a coincidence?"
Andrew lowered his voice.
"You know what? The Princess recently fell ill, so Callius offered a sacrifice. And, voila, she got better. What does that mean?"
“...!”
“Callius is the key to the Holy Grail.”
***
That moment.
I was writing a letter to Montril.
[ I'm glad you were able to safely take over the top of Terramo. ]
What should I do now?
I tried to recall what Andrea and Viscount Pelsus had been drinking with in their past lives.
Of course, I didn't go to their drinking party, so I don't know the details.
However, I only knew that if, after Andrea came and went, Viscount Pelsus came to me and vented his frustrations, things were not going well, and if he didn't come and the mansion was filled with laughter, things were going well.
'Oh, of course, even when things were going well, Andrea would come to me and vent his anger if he made some ridiculous excuse or caused Viscount Pelsus some trouble.'
The memories imprinted with pain were quite sharply etched in my mind, so I remembered most of the things Viscount Pelsus said when he hit me.
Who would have thought that those painful memories would be so helpful?
'Should I like it or not?'
I continued the letter.
[ I'm looking into whether anyone is currently seeking investors for a lodging business targeting the aristocracy in the North Port area. We need to reach out first, before we recruit other investors. ]
In a past life, Andrea and Viscount Pelsus profited from it.
'This time, I'm going to block Andrea from investing even if he wants to.'
I couldn't help but hum as I imagined Andrea's future barn being emptied.
It was when I was so absorbed in it that I was playing with my pen.
Suddenly, I felt a tickling sensation in the middle of my chest, so I lifted my hand holding the pen and placed it against my chest.
'What?'
After the ritual, I would feel this way at least once or twice a day.
At first, I thought the power of the suppressed curse was growing again.
But it was too warm and pleasant a feeling to be a life-sucking curse.
I was absentmindedly focusing on that sensation, and as if possessed by something, I got up from the chair and headed to the dressing room.
'I feel like I'm forgetting something...'
I don't know why it suddenly happened.
I just felt like I was forgetting something important, and I had to figure it out.
I glanced around my modest dressing room.
Inside the dressing room, which was filled with more junk than clothes, were boxes containing minerals mined from the Rosendal territory, small gifts received from the people of Ronheim, and cushions and teddy bears brought from the palace.
The footsteps stopped in front of the teddy bear.
I had taken out a little, no, a lot of cotton and hidden the Kavala jewels inside, but I ended up taking out all the jewels and selling them, so the teddy bear was very thin.
The emaciated teddy bear, as if it had been starving for months, sat with its back against the wall, struggling.
The reason the teddy bear was able to sit up without falling over was that there was still something left in its stomach that was supporting it.
I smoothed down the thread sticking out from where the doll's torso and head were connected.
A large hole was made in the bear's neck from removing the jewels inside. I'd thought about stitching it back up, but then forgot.
'I'm glad that the only thing I learned in the palace was embroidery.'
It wasn't like anyone was teaching me this carefully, but it was just something the maids threw at me to pass the time, telling me to stay in my room and play quietly with this instead of running around.
But thanks to that, we were able to do some amazing things using dolls.
I put my hand into the hole in the teddy bear's neck and stirred inside.
There wasn't much to grab.
Her mother's ring and an unidentified goblet, likely used for religious ceremonies.
I couldn't bring myself to sell one of them, so I kept it, and I didn't think the other one would be worth much if I tried to sell it, so I just left it for now.
'I was thinking of leaving it behind, but strangely enough, I just wanted to bring it.'
I was about to take it out without thinking.
“Madam? Where are you?”
Leviche's voice was heard.
I didn't do anything wrong, but I was startled for no reason, put down the teddy bear, and left the dressing room.
Before I knew it, the tickling sensation in my chest had completely disappeared.
“Leviche.”
Leviche was holding a tray.
“Oh, you were in the dressing room. The chef will bring you a snack.”
It was a beautifully decorated cookie and a tea that smelled good.
Montril had sent me a lot of expensive foreign tea as a gift, and it seemed I had brought it out.
“There are a lot of sheep today, too.”
I burst out laughing when I saw the bowl full of cookies.
With no more shortage of wheat, nuts, and sugar, the chef became excited and kept making cookies.
I sat down with Leviche and suggested that we eat together.
And then I said it as if I was doing a favor because I wanted to ask about Hillen.
“Save a few and pack them well, then give them to Hillen when you get off work.”
"Oh, she'd love that! But what can I do? It's my little brother's birthday today, and I promised to make him something delicious, so I can't go to Hillen's. Oh, what a shame, I just met Andrew."
The hand holding the teacup stopped.
“Has Sir Andrew come to the castle?”
"Yes. It seemed like he was grabbing a few things, perhaps because he needed them. He passed by with a serious expression on his face, and even if I called him, I wouldn't know what he was thinking..."
Leviche grumbled that Andrew was acting strangely these days.
I asked Leviche as if I suddenly remembered something important.
“By the way, I have a favor to ask of Sir Alex. Could you go and get him for me?”
"Yes!"
Leviche quickly brought Alex.
“Did you call, Marchioness?”
"Sir Alex, would you please find out if anyone entered the dungeon where Sernia is today? Guards or not, I don't care. Everyone."
I wanted to know if Andrew had been in contact with Sernia.
Alex soon brought me a list, and as expected, Andrew's name was on it.
“Sir Andrew is probably on vacation?”
"Well, it seems Sir Andrew had briefly entered the castle to fetch some things. Sir Rudney, who was supposed to be guarding the prisoners at the time, suddenly felt sick, so he temporarily left Sir Andrew, who happened to be nearby, to take his place."
Alex blinked and looked at me as if to ask what was wrong.
“No, that’s not....”
I felt like a lot of words were going to come out of my mouth, but I didn't want to say anything to Alex, who had done nothing wrong, so I just omitted everything and spoke briefly.
“Tell Callius to come to my office immediately, right now.”
Comments
Post a Comment