Chapter 6 - II -
“Who’s leaving?”
We both froze when we heard the Saint’s voice echoed inside the separate room (it’s where the envoys would take a rest) where we’re talking. Turning around, Maddie was standing behind us, complete with the maids who were assisting her.
“N-Nothing!”
“You suck at lying, Kuro!” I heard Her Fluffy Holiness whispered.
“Ah don’t worry, I already know what you had in mind, Kuro.” Maddie gave a long sigh, “It’s alright, you’re also worried about Lily as well.”
“Maddie…”
“But well…” Her Holiness flashed a bittersweet smile, and she bowed before me, all to our utter surprise, “I’m sorry for making you feel that way, Kuro. All because of my selfish whims. All because I can’t even stand by what I believe in.”
“Err…Your Holiness, can you please raise your head?”
“Come on, Maddie, it’s not your fault.”
But the human Saint never looked unto us. She continued to humble herself.
“Madelaine…” I gently pat her shoulders, at which she slowly regained her dignity, “It’s okay. What happened between me, you, and Lily isn’t anyone’s fault. Plus, no matter how you—or even others—look at yourself, you’re still someone young. You should even do more things that a common young lady does, like fall in love, flirt in love, and enjoy being in love!”
“That’s right, girl!” Her Fluffy Holiness quickly backed me up, “Look at me, I just go around and do things just as I please. But it doesn’t mean that I neglect to do my duty. Point is, we’re all mortals—even if we have the power of the gods, and mortals need a break the more duties they have.”
Maddie was silent all the time we’re talking. However, she didn’t let go of my hand; I could feel that she didn’t want to let me go the more we spoke to her.
“So okay, if you understand, don’t wallow in self-pity.” I told her, “Instead, like I always tell my students, take heart and change the things that need to be changed.”
Maddie nodded, and smiled weakly, “I’m sorry…”
“I’m telling you, stop apologizing!” I laughed softly.
“Sorry—oh…” With the mood significantly improving, the Saint must’ve felt relieved, and she chuckled as well, “Just as you say, Kuro! However, if possible, I’d like to see you again, even after Lily comes back.”
I couldn’t say anything back to her. Maddie knew what I had in mind, and yet she’s giving me her support.
“…”
Man, it sure feels bad that I thought of leaving her, even when she’s depending on me.
“…”
“Uh, is there something else you need, Maddie?” I asked Her Holiness, who was squirming uncomfortably as if she wanted to tell me something.
“K-Kuro?”
“Hm?”
Maddie was stammering; she was also clumsily flailing her arms around, as if to dispel her nervousness, “W-Well, i-if it’s alright…c-can you…uh…”
“What?”
“…s…”
“S…?”
“…sleep with m-m-m-m-me?” her face was red as she whispered that.
“Ha?” My heart almost jumped out of my chest the moment I heard that. Or is it playing games in my head? Ruro was swooning and smiling her heart out while watching us get embarrassed and awkward.
“N-N-N-N-No!” Maddie was panicking; I could see steam come out of her head, “I m-mean, c-can you c-come inside my r-room, and uh, well, watch me fall asleep?” She added, “Well! Y-you’regoingawayt-tofindLilyandIwon’tbeseeingyousoon…D-Don’t worry; Ruro’s c-coming with us!”
“…” I’m left speechless. Not only that Her Holiness had a great potential to be a rapper; she was also capable of such bold requests.
Good lord, my heart…
“How leeeeeeewwwwwwwwwd!” Her Fluffy Holiness teased us mercilessly.
“Sorry!” The Saint quickly turned around and ran towards her room.
Ruro laughed and kept on slapping and pushing my back as if egging me to go after her. Seriously though, I didn’t know what I should do. Well, it’s a fairly innocent request, but who knew what might happen if we’re both at the ‘heat of the moment’.
I’m a healthy 25-year-old guy!
“Don’t worry Master, you’ll just watch over Maddie until she sleeps!” Her Fluffy Holiness winked, “I’ll be there to stop you if something weird happens!”
***Meanwhile, somewhere in the borders of the Holy Palatial Gardens to the east…***
It’s been several ‘sleeps’ since Lily left the palace and her work as a maid behind, after that ugly episode with her friend.
“…”
And her journey had brought her to the eastern borders. Lily had thought of this while she was packing her clothes and equipment; this place was where she was least known, so she decided to take this route. However, the eastern border was the farthest point from the walled enclave and was the most difficult to traverse, so it was no surprise that she was utterly tired when she reached it by walking.
“…”
Make no mistake though; Lily never intended to go far from Her Holiness, whom she still considered as her friend. But the current situation back at the Holy Palatial Gardens had made her unable to continue her work and devotion to Maddie.
“…”
The eastern pass to the border of the neighboring kingdom of Colveente had a river wide enough to serve as a buffer for the armies of the Confederacy of the East in the past. Bridges were built here in the last war, but Lily had to avoid the major roads because the Paladin Corps were patrolling there. She knew the Saint had organized a search for her.
And for now, to be honest, she wished not to see her friend for a while.
“Haa…”
Lily took a long sigh and put down her bag and other equipment she brought with her. As she expected to ford the river as soon as the opportunity came, she had to take a rest. After all, crossing that body of water in her heavy armor and complimentary equipment would surely take a great toll on her energy and could make a supposedly simple task even more dangerous.
As she sat by a nearby tree in a relatively hidden part of the border forest, Lily couldn’t help but think back on her life at the Holy Palatial Gardens…
…of how, despite the shame and stigma brought about by her exile, she was invited and gladly accepted by her friend Maddie, who was already the Saint by then…
…of how the maids and the soldiers working for Maddie quickly gave their trust to her, after she showed she was capable of a lot of things, brought about by her life of constantly in danger…
…of how she could find her happiness, that was, to know her purpose—serving her friend, the Great Saint of Chersea…
Lily could only smile in a bittersweet way as she reminisced about those old times. She forgot her past life in Nerfes, and yes, those seasons back at the Holy Palatial Gardens were her best.
Even when that man, Kuro, came.
Lily could only shake her head in dismay. Not to Maddie, and not because of Kuro; she was annoyed at herself. She was supposed to be her friend’s support and the first one that should be happy when she got engaged to a reliable man like Kuro…
But…
“…”
There was a faint, yet deep, pain in her chest. Lily’s feelings had been heavy ever since she left the Rubinforth estate, and even more when she ran away from the Holy Palatial Gardens.
Isn’t it that Kuro only wished to be of help to us? He has been kind to Maddie and me, even though we did something bad to him, taking him away from his home and bringing him here. Why did I even get jealous of him?
“…”
And Maddie, for all her sacrifices for us, deserved the love of such a man. Why did I even get jealous? I mean, I also like him. But Maddie is the person who loved him more than I do…I should be happy, right?
“!!!”
Lily was surprised to feel something drop from her face. It was then that she realized tears were falling from her eyes. The heavy feeling intensified further, even as she tried her best to shake off her dark thoughts.
“…”
Lily wiped her eyes. However, a flurry of memories came rushing back at her like a tidal wave seeking to overwhelm her mind…
…those angry, desperate yells of those soldiers whom she was about to kill in the wars she was involved with…
…those fearful faces of the people whom she was supposed to protect as a princess, but failed to…
…and those cold, merciless eyes of her father looking down on her as if she’s a plague that had to be avoided…
Lily wanted to shout, or at least do something extreme to make those thoughts disappear. But the more she struggled, the more those dark memories inched their way into her mind and heart. It didn’t take long for her to stop fighting and just let the depression and sadness consume her spirit.
No one would help her, anyway. So, let it come…
This will be an appropriate punishment for me. I’m not even worthy of an honorable death.
“…”
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let my feelings get the better of me…I should’ve acted like a proper friend and supported Maddie. And now, because of this, I’m back to being alone.
**Kuro**
Upon making sure that Her Holiness was already asleep, Ruro and I tucked her in her bed and excused ourselves from Maddie’s room. And when we’re all alone ourselves, Her Fluffy Holiness then told me…
“I know you won’t stay put much longer.” she said as if she already knew what I had in mind, “We all know that Maddie’s just putting up a brave front, but she’s going to be worried once you go as well.”
“Well, of course, I knew that,” I replied.
“Then don’t go.” Her Fluffy Holiness curtly countered.
“You know I can’t,” I answered. “Lily knows Maddie more than I; they’ve been together for years—I mean, seasons. They even treat each other like sisters, so if anyone needs to leave, I think it should’ve been me, and not her.”
“…”
Her Fluffy Holiness remained unconvinced, but at least she was quiet this time.
“I can’t bear to watch my fiancée and my best friend suffer. You see, you can always find another man to love you, but you won’t be able to replace a good friend who stays by your side.”
Ruro of the Wolf had a weird expression on her face, which says that she’s still uncooperative, “You say words like that, Master, but where would you go once you set on your search? This land is as vast as the sky, and yet, unlike up there, down here there were a lot of hiding places.”
“Well, Your Fluffy Holiness?”
“Yes?”
“East or west?”
“Ha?” Ruro could only stare at me, dumbfounded.
“I’m asking, if you’re Lily, where do you think is the best place to go? East or west?”
“Wait, why in those directions? Are you sure she went either way?”
“Well, you see, now that I think about it, she can’t go north, where the kingdom of Nerfes lies. She was forbidden to come there, and even though the limit is only at the lands of her family, Lily would never risk returning to a land where she doesn’t feel welcomed.”
“Hmm…you have a point, but are you sure she won’t go south?”
“Never. Isn’t it the Empire’s territory? The last time that I knew, she dared to stand up against the emperor and his son back when they were insulting Maddie. I’m sure they would seek revenge for such humiliation, and Lily knows it would be suicide to go in there alone.”
Her Fluffy Holiness pondered about my explanations, and nodded understandingly, “Well, if you put it that way, that would certainly leave the Nerfes princess the directions east and west.”
“So, what do you think?”
“I’m not the Nerfes princess, Master.” Ruro countered, “However, if you ask me about her past, I’d say that in the west, she had slain countless Amaranthene soldiers and knights in the past. So probably, the safest place for her is to be in the east, where the Confederation of the East lies.”
“Alright, I’m heading east then.”
“But!”
“What?”
“Are you sure about that?” Her Fluffy Holiness asked, “Going east is the most dangerous route to take. I mean, you’re not trained to be a warrior, right?”
“Well, do I have any other choice?”
“Why don’t you ask Maddie for an armed escort? Or at least, wait until a group of paladins would be available to accompany you?”
“Not possible!”
“Why?”
“One, I hate to impose on her, now that I caused this problem. Two, all the paladins were busy searching as well. And likewise, we can’t wait any further; an additional hand is better in these situations. And third, didn’t Lily purposefully run away? Do you think she would show herself once she sees our group coming from afar?”
Ruro fell silent once again. However, after a few moments, she took out something long from her chest (how’d she do that?) and gave it to me.
“What—”
“You forgot that ever since you got killed in the tourney.” she said, half-laughing, “So, I took the liberty of safekeeping it, just in case the need for it arises.”
I removed the cloth that was wrapped on the item, and the matchlock gun I used in the tourney came into my full view. Well, don’t ask how Her Fluffy Holiness could fit that on her chest…I’m as speechless as you.
“You remember how to use it, right?” she asked.
“Of course. A weapon like this also exists in my world.”
“Your world is scary. I bet there are a lot of demons there as well…”
“Haha…it sure is.” I could only laugh.
I could only agree with her words. Not necessarily real demons, but on Earth, we got humans who acted so villainous they could qualify as demon lords themselves.
“Well then.” Ruro then turned her back on me, “I saw nothing. Whatever you intend to do, go. I cast an invisible spell on you so that you can pass the guards without them noticing you. Don’t worry about your fiancée; she’s good with me.”
“Thanks, Your Fluffy Holiness!” I quickly prepared myself. I hadn’t got that many things to bring with me, saved only for some clothes, and a pouch of gunpowder and few musket balls, which I still had with me. My ammunition got exhausted, I’ll just have to rely on my gun’s bayonet.
“…”
But yeah, I hope it didn’t come to that. After all, I’m an educator. I’m supposed to murder ‘ignorance’ and kill ‘stupidity’; I had no training or experience in fighting and killing people.
Well, that tourney is another thing, of course.
Anyway, for food and some ‘emergencies’, I thought my pocket money would suffice for that as I passed some towns and cities along the way.
I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder, as well as heard Ruro’s voice, “Hey!”
“!!!”
“Master, I know that you’re in a hurry, but if you need help with anything, you could ask it from me right now.” Her Fluffy Holiness offered.
“Hmm…I guess I’m all set, Your Fluffy Holiness. Thanks for the offer though.”
“Okay…Return safely! Do you hear?”
I only gave Her Fluffy Holiness a smile and a wave from my hand. Even I am not sure of the dangers I would face, so I couldn’t give her assurances. But, even if she didn’t wish for it, I would try to come back in one piece.
Besides, I’ll only be searching for a friend. I’m not going to war, or anything similar; what would be the harm in that?
And so, my very own—Kuro’s—adventure began! However, on my first step towards my journey…
“Wait…”
“Something you forgot already, Master?”
“No, but well, …I think I need a little help about something…”
