128 – So we’re not at that point. (2)
Adrian felt good. Why he felt good, he didn’t know.
Was it because Prach would be attending the Holy Valencia Celebration?
Certainly, there were various reasons, but the main reason would likely be that.
If he were there, even during that suffocating celebration, he would probably be able to breathe properly. Since witnessing the memory of the saint, Esther, she had become distrustful of her surroundings, feeling suffocated whenever the people of the Holy Empire were nearby.
However, strangely, when Prach was around her, she felt somewhat at ease. Like finding some kind of sanctuary.
Was it because he was someone she could trust? No. Simply looking at it that way, she should feel the same even when with Ruslan.
Both of them were chosen individuals of the candle.
But why. Why did she feel comfortable when Prach was around?
Adrian was puzzled by this. No, it wasn’t just a feeling of comfort. There was something more, an inexplicable thrill.
When did she start feeling that? She could easily answer that.
It was when she saw Prach’s strength during the fight with the saint Esther, his unwavering attitude in the face of the opponent’s strength. And even his devout attitude of soothing the grudge between the fallen saint and Esther.
Watching that, she judged Prach to be someone she could completely trust. And from that moment on, she felt a certain comfort whenever she saw him.
The reason she specifically mentioned hoping he would participate in the Holy Valencia Celebration this time was because Prach, as a presence, could be her only sanctuary in that suffocating space.
Hmm. So is that it? Is there something she’s missing?
Adrian fell into a strange dilemma. Why was she so insistent on keeping Prach Rancel by her side?
But no matter how much she pondered, she couldn’t figure it out.
—
The day of the Holy Valencia Celebration. Countless people gathered.
The event began with prayers honoring the Holy Valencia and ended with a benediction wishing happiness to all the citizens of the Holy Empire.
Naturally, Adrian, dressed in a heavy ceremonial robe, presided over all the events along with the Pope.
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“Haah.”
Feeling an extreme sense of fatigue weighing on her shoulders, Adrian let out a sigh. It was a joyful day, and the gathering of the faithful looking up to her was heartwarming, but that didn’t make the fatigue disappear.
She pressed her eyes tightly. The place she was in now was a reception held after the event.
It wasn’t just a reception for the Holy Valencia Celebration. It was also for the Imperial Envoy who had come all the way to investigate the land of the fallen from the Ghostly Lands.
Perhaps because it had been mentioned beforehand that it was a reception for the Imperial Envoy, all the members of the envoy had made an effort to dress up.
Adrian’s gaze swept over the many people who were dressed up. Among them, naturally, Prach stood out in her eyes.
His golden hair, like the sun, and eyes of the same color were gently glancing at someone beside him. And that someone was someone Adrian knew very well.
Black hair and crimson eyes. Asty, her senior who always slightly covered her eyes with bangs, was there.
Always neatly trimming the bangs that were always down, and tying them up, the familiar figure of a gloomy senior disappeared, and an extraordinary beauty took her place.
The surrounding male students… especially the priests and paladins who couldn’t help but blush, were only able to cough awkwardly at the sight. While marriage itself was not impossible, making a fuss about the appearance of a beauty like her was considered a sin to them.
Anyway, with Prach and Asti standing like that, the surroundings felt brighter. If there were ever a handsome man and a beautiful woman, they would be the most fitting for that description.
For some reason, Adrian couldn’t take his eyes off them.
Why was there a suffocating feeling in his chest?
It was an inexplicable feeling.
Was it noticeable that he was looking at them? Adrian’s eyes met with Prach’s for a moment.
And then, Prach lightly nudged Asti’s arm and whispered something in her ear. Even just seeing that, Adrian felt a painful sensation for some reason, so he deliberately averted his gaze.
But.
Averting his gaze was only temporary. Before he knew it, Prach, who had been looking at her from a distance, was standing in front of her.
“Thank you for your hard work at the event. It must have been tiring, but I’m glad it ended well.”
“Ah, senior. Isn’t it better to keep some distance…?”
“Is there anyone who would attach meaning to a brief greeting? This much should be fine.”
“But still, it would be better to be with acquaintances…”
“If you think about it, the Saintess is also my acquaintance… Why, aren’t you the comrade who fought off the demons that invaded the Empire together with me?”
“Ah, hahahaha. That’s right.”
While talking with Prach, Adrian discovered that his words made his heart flutter. Until relatively recently, he hadn’t experienced anything like this.
What was the distress he felt just now, and what was the tingling sensation he felt now?
“It really was crowded, wasn’t it? I knew the Saintess had a high status in the Holy Kingdom, but I didn’t expect it to be to this extent.”
“I’m grateful for that. It’s probably just because of the name value of being a Saintess…”
“That’s not true. Your good deeds are widely known in the Empire as well. If it’s to the extent that it can be heard in a distant empire, there must be a reason why the people of the Holy Kingdom long for and welcome the Saintess.”
It was a phrase he always heard, but it was excessive praise. She had just done what she had to do. Moreover, even if the land of the spirits had disappeared, it didn’t mean that all the spirits had disappeared, so there were still piles of things she had to do.
Could she receive such praise even though she hadn’t finished that task? Moreover… from the one who saved Saintess Estelle.
While thinking that way, for some reason, she started to feel better. The distress she felt earlier disappeared as if washed away, and the tingling sensation in her chest became even stronger. It felt as if her heart was about to stop.
It wasn’t just that, she also felt as if the excessive fatigue she felt today had disappeared.
“It’s too much praise. And it was possible because of Prach’s help. I’m always grateful.”
“I haven’t done much at all.”
Adrian lowered his head. He didn’t deliberately reveal it, but he was the one who achieved the greatest feat in the land of the spirits. Even so, he didn’t show it and attributed that achievement to others.
Truly an admirable character.
Adrian’s evaluation of him had now reached the sky.
“That’s not true. Most people may not know, but I do. I know how much you have done in this land. I’m grateful to the point where I can’t thank you enough.”
“hahahaha. You’re too kind. Anyway… I think I should go soon. It might cause a headache if too many people’s attention is focused on us, and unnecessary rumors might spread.”
“…Ah.”
Adrian sighed with regret. For a moment, her hand hesitated. Should she hold it or not?
She knew she shouldn’t hold it. It might provide an opportunity for the courtiers to make a fuss. But. But.
She wanted to hold it.
Adrian, who had abstained from worldly desires all his life, harbored one desire in that moment, a desire that was so difficult to resist.
In the end, he reached out his hand, hesitated, and grabbed Prach’s sleeve.
“Ah.”
And as if surprised by his own action, Adrian let go of the hand that had touched the sleeve… but it was already too late.
“Saintess?”
The puzzled gaze of Frah and the surrounding glances were felt.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Do you have something else to say?”
“Well, I want to talk to other seniors as well. Can I also go?”
If he left now, she would feel even more isolated in this suffocating space, so she chose to stay by his side.
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“Yes!”
* * *
Was it all for nothing? Adrian found it difficult to avert his eyes from the piercing gaze.
But he couldn’t just ignore her, so she inadvertently met Asti’s gaze.
‘…Ugh.’
How can that fierceness be described? It felt like an inexplicable and immense pressure was weighing down on her.
Moreover, Asti wasn’t even hiding her eyes, with her cat-like raised eyes clearly revealing a sense of animosity in her gaze, something anyone present could see.
‘Why, why is this?’
Of course, only Adrian knew the reason behind that animosity.
