POV: Sera
There are unfamiliar men at the place where my uncle invited me--ah, even though I’ve been warned about this. An I stupid for believing my relative?
I was kidnapped and made to swallow an egg-like object. I blocked my throat and tried to vomit it out many times, but they forced me to swallow some kind of medicine, and I lost consciousness then.
The next time I open my eyes, a familiar ceiling, and the face of the Head Priestess comes into my view. I’m also right for thinking this place is familiar, since it’s the Sanctuary of Tenion Temple.
I tried asking the details of the incident, but since the Head Priestess told me, “Everything is already over--there is already no one that will harm you.”, I fell asleep as if I was leaving my body to Head Priestess that day--It’s like I’m a child, it’s a bit embarrassing.
***
I had a dream that night.
A dream about me talking about something with a man wearing a silver mask--the one who’s talking with the tone of voice I’ve never heard before, is certainly me.
But, why am I naked.
Ahh, if you swing your arms that much. If this wasn’t a dream, I would have jumped off the top of a tower.
Ahh, I’m even sitting with one knee up, while being naked--
I’m so embarrassed that it physically hurt me, inside my dream.
***
There has never been a day like this, where I cannot wake myself up.
It’s too much even for a dream--it can’t be helped if I get depressed. Let’s renew my mood, and work hard.
First, it’s the morning duty!
“Ah, Sera. You’ve been instructed by the Head Priestess to not use Magic for 4 - 5 days, please help with the food distribution for a while.”
“Yes, Chief Priestess.”
She takes all of the wind out of my sails, all of a sudden--it’s really regrettable.
***
Jeez! It’s a terrible today.
There are always people coming and causing trouble during the food distribution, but just how many times are they going to disturb us until they’re satisfied. It seems that they usually act like that during the tournament, but this year, due to the Demon Lord season coupled with the strange group called the Wings of Liberty spreading preposterous rumour--they’re venting their excessive anxiety with violence.
The woman who was helping with the distribution got hurt when she was washing her face--I can heal her bodily injuries, but I cannot do that for a wounded hear--I can only calm her down at most.
If a Lizardkin woman called Liza, and an Ominous One called Arisa, didn’t help to subdue the quarrel, the food distribution might have been canceled today--since there are a lot of children who depend on this food distribution for their life, I didn’t want to cancel it.
“Thank you, we’re saved.” I say to them.
“It’s nothing, even Master would surely tell us to help people in trouble.”
Master?
I asked that girl called Lulu out of curiousity, and it turned out that the girls are the slaves of an Honourary Noble.
Don’t they look too neat to be slaves?
I wasn’t only surprised by their neat appearances, but also their apparent lack of the degraded impression that slaves usually give off. I can’t believe that these girls who look so cheerful and free from worry--are slaves.
As I was distributing the food, I heard stories about their Master from the girl called Lulu. It’s as if he’s her lover--a pure kind of love.
For someone who cannot fall in love, like me, I feel slightly, yes, only very slightly envious.
I wonder why.
When I met their Master--Chevalier Felspar, it didn’t feel like it was the first time I have met him.
“Umm, have we met somewhere before?” I involuntarily said such a thing, I quickly said more, to distract from it.
“No, this is the first time we’ve met, Sera.
“Is it, I wonder--”
But, it feels strange when it’s denied.
Are we really not acquainted?
I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere--I can’t remember.
He suddenly warned me that I had stopped moving.
Err, did I perhaps keep staring at the Chevalier’s face?
It’s embarrassing. If the Head Priestess finds out about me staring at a man in public, she’ll scold me. No, that person will surely happily tease me.
It seems that the Chevalier is the Master of Lulu and the others, he’s helping with women, who are commoners, without putting on airs.
“--I’ll let my daughter become your bride.”
I only heard the last part of the sentence, but I reflexively blurted out, “N-No, you can’t.”--even I was surprised by this. When my eyes meet with Lulu, who said the same things, I start laughing.
I mean, for some reason, laughter filled my heart--this is the first time that my heart has felt excitement like this.
Even though he helped with the clean-up, since I was surprised with the sudden arrival of my sister, I wasn’t able to thank him--I wonder if he thought of me as a rude girl?
***
The second time we met, was when I went to the ball in the castle to congratulate my brother’s wedding.
However, I wonder what this strange feeling is--I wonder why my heart feels itchy, and strangely empty, when I see the Chevalier getting surrounded younger girls.
“It’s been a while, Tek.”
I, myself, don’t know why I am calling the Chevalier by his first name--I feel the gazes of the girls around the Chevalier gather on me--is this person perhaps popular?
That can’t be it, right?
I unintentionally thought something rude, but I can understand the reason after I ate the snacks that his slave, Lulu, who I met earlier, made.
Every bite makes me feel happy.
When I see the Chevalier dancing with the girls, the strange feeling from earlier, gets stronger--maybe I should invite him to dance?
“You’re quite popular, aren’t you, Tek?”
Ah, even though I didn’t intend to, I accidentally had a slightly sarcastic tone.
Yet, he replies with a misdirected criticism of himself. That was funny, and made me involuntarily laugh. It looks like strangely, he has a low assessment of himself.
He’s very skillful at dancing--I feel very safe with him. He feels so incredibly warm and safe…like he would save my life.
***
“Did something good happen, Tek?”
“Yes, some difficult work has been going quite well,”
Tek keeps the promise he made during the ball, and he’s been helping with the food distribution several times--and at last, I feel comfortable calling him ‘Tek, and he calls me ‘Sera’.
I feel a strange warm tingling go through me whenever he says my name--I don’t understand, it’s probably related to him being the first person to call me by name, without referring to me by ‘Priestess’; I’ve always wanted someone who would do that, be my friend, and not be influenced by my title.
***
That’s right, Tek resembles my brother.
The way he never forgets to smile, the affection and care he shows for his slaves--or the way that he looks troubled, yet never raises his hands, when I’m mad at him.
I wonder if I’ve been lonely since I seldom met brother since I became a Priestess--it’s like I’m a child.
I received two tickets for the Diva performance from brother, so I gathered my courage and invited Tek, but he cheerfully accepted it. He said, ‘I’ve been wanting to see it’ at face value, but I’m frustrated--why didn’t he look a little more embarrassed.
The Diva’s song seemed to be wonderful.
I’m sorry, even the wonderful song only enters one ear and out the other.
Because!
The seats that brother has given for this performance seem to be for lovers, there’s practically no gap between us! It’s the first time I’ve ever been this close to a male beside brother, my heart is thumping so hard that it feels like it it’ll burst out of my chest.
Tek is the same as usual, he only smiles back when our eyes meet, and doesn’t look at all nervous. I think that it can’t be helped that it makes me want to pinch his unruffled cheeks--of course, I only think that inside my mind, I can’t possibly actually do it.
As we’re sitting this close, I feel like something deep inside my body is being pulled to Tek. It’s as if cogs have been put together, something in my heart tells me that this is my place, yes, it’s as if my soul is attracted--it’s that kind of mysterious feeling.
I wonder if this what my colleagues at the temple call ‘love’.
But, I think it feels a bit different.
Even though my own feelings are clear, I might be a coward.
***
I wonder why he has slaves.
At first, I thought that he was someone who couldn’t believe other people, but he doesn’t look like that at all. When I see Pochi and the others, the look like they’re really cherished, and I don’t think he can’t afford to employ servants.
“Ah, it was because I protected these girls that had lost their Master in the labyrinth, and took them along with me, back to the surface.” Tek looks at me, smiling like usual, as he answers my question.
“F-From the labyrinth?”
“Yes, if Master wasn’t there, we, who didn’t know how to fight, would only have become prey to the Monsters in the labyrinth.”
“Peerless and wonderful?”
“Master is the strongest!”
It’s because of that, everyone trusts Tek so much, don’t they?
“I was going to free them after we left the labyrinth, but they didn’t like it--”
“I will serve Master until I can repay the favour.”
“Serve Master forever?”
“Serve forever!”
“As for us, we’ve been bound by ‘Geass’ by an evil Mage. Even if we’re going to be released, it’ll only get canceled.”
‘Geass’ she said?
There’s no on who can use it, even in the Duchy Capital--it might be released with Prayer Magic toward god, but since the compensation is too but, the Head Priestess will probably refuse, even if I ask.
“Sera, will you let me know if you know of any way to release Geass?”
“There’s this Holy Magic called Wish--which might be able to release it, but the compensation is too big.”
“The compensation is?”
“T-That is--” I reflexively fumbled my words.
The degree of compensation for Wish can change, since it sometimes shrinks your lifespan by 10 years, no matter how much you level up--it’s also possible it can use up all your lifeforce.
Maybe Tek had realized it after seeing my hesitation, he didn’t ask more after that.
***
“There is, you know?”
“Eeh?”
The Head Priestess easily replied in affirmation when I asked her about it.
“Zazaris, the pope of Parion Temple should be able to release Geass. I can also do it, but it’s impossible for two people--my life would have run out after I released one of them.”
However, I couldn’t tell Tek about this. I mean, if pope Zazaris, the one they call Avarice knows of a great person like Tek, he will surely not over look him.
I’m sorry for Arisa and Lulu, but please wait until the time I can use Prayer Magic.
They won’t have to wait long.
In 10 years--no, within 5 years--I will reach the top, without fail.
