The next morning. Seria and I were boarding a carriage to return to the Academy.
We could’ve stayed a day or two longer, but we decided to head back early to avoid any interference with handling the broken magic stone situation.
I didn’t know, but everyone in the Royal Palace was disappointed about Seria leaving early. But what could we do? The Empress had ordered us to return, and Seria agreed.
As for me… I had already done everything I needed to do, so it didn’t matter when we left.
There was still one of the Royal Palace’s three secrets left, but we decided to deal with that the next time we came.
‘Honestly, we might not even need to deal with it.’
The dark knowledge accumulated by Rubetia’s ancestors.
Unlike randomly occurring seeds of the Demon Race or apocalyptic events, this was something that only happened through a very specific route.
And since Seria was even involved in that route… I wasn’t worried at all, especially since I was spending the whole day with her.
‘Feels like I set up some kind of flag again… Eh, no way, right?’
Anyway, Seria and I were on our way back to the Academy.
The carriage we boarded this time was a different type, but it had an equally amazing ride, so there was no discomfort.
Of course, the discomfort wasn’t inside the carriage—it was overflowing outside.
“Execution… execution…”
“How are you going to execute that person?”
“Damn… that level of skill at that age… Princess Seria…”
Strangely, unlike the previous carriage, this one had zero soundproofing.
I’d rather have an uncomfortable ride with good soundproofing.
Somehow, the image improved, but the pressure felt even heavier than when we were being targeted.
I ended up covering the window with a curtain out of sheer awkwardness…
“They covered it up.”
“The Empress acknowledged them, so we should too.”
“Yeah… that makes sense…”
It definitely got quieter, but the heavy atmosphere seeped in, making it even more noticeable.
We’re really not doing anything. Don’t get the wrong idea.
It felt like we were just fueling unnecessary imaginations, so I removed the curtain and let the outside show again.
“Is our escort even meaningful?”
“Not really. It seems the Princess has grown stronger now.”
Listening to their conversation, it seemed the news about defeating the Demon Race had spread among the knights.
Thanks to that, Seria’s abilities seemed to have become somewhat known.
“Probably just a formality… even the captain didn’t come today.”
“True.”
“But still, having someone next to the Princess is hard to bear.”
“What are you gonna do if you can’t bear it? Just win.”
“Are you going to bet or not?”
“That’s not it, but…”
“We’re just bystanders. No matter who sits next to the Princess, we don’t have the right to judge.”
“Ugh, Princess… You must be happy.”
This is driving me crazy. My skills are recognized, but since other things aren’t, I’m stuck in this awkward position.
From the start, there was no way these people would recognize me in that way.
Even the Emperor seemed reluctant to accept it. It didn’t feel like he genuinely approved.
If I mess up and give them a reason to nitpick, they’ll keep holding it over me. Just thinking about it is exhausting.
And so, the uncomfortable journey continued until, like before, we stopped the carriage a short distance from the bustling area.
It was to retrieve the clothes I had left behind earlier.
As I got off the carriage and headed toward the bustling streets, this time, no one followed.
“Guess it’s because Seria’s strength is known now.”
If the danger was something even Seria couldn’t handle, they probably realized it didn’t matter whether they were there or not. So, they didn’t bother following to protect her.
Technically, for formality’s sake, they should’ve followed even if they couldn’t help. And honestly, they probably wanted to follow, but…
-“Escort? Not needed. Just let them go. Don’t get in their way.”
Their leader told them to let the two of us go alone, so they had no choice.
Seems like he’s one of the few who actually acknowledges Rudion.
“Damn it. Sneaking after them…”
“Stop. You’d get caught immediately.”
“Why am I so weak?”
“Let’s do some special training when we get back.”
Even though they’re elites… in a world with severe inflation, they’ve been reduced to mere lackeys.
But thanks to that, the two of us could enjoy our date(?) in peace.
“Since we’re here, why not grab lunch before heading back?”
“Sure, why not.”
After making simple plans post-clothes retrieval, we soon arrived at the store.
As Seria and I opened the store door and stepped in, something felt off.
There was clearly a bell on the door, but it didn’t make a sound.
“Huh? Oh, uh, welcome!”
Normally, opening the door would jingle the bell loudly, announcing our arrival.
But this time, no sound.
The bell was definitely swinging and hitting itself, but strangely, no sound came out.
‘Ah, is it because of that?’
Suddenly, I remembered the ‘Snake’s Mark’ engraved on my body.
It’s an ability that silences certain sound effects.
Apparently, the sound of the door opening was included in that.
I wasn’t particularly interested in sound effects, so I never really delved deep into researching them, but it seems the scope is wider than I thought.
“I must have been so out of it that I didn’t hear the door open. I’m sorry.”
Thanks to that, I ended up making things awkward for the staff for no reason.
This ability is a total nuisance. It doesn’t even turn on and off properly. What kind of ability is this?
“What did you do?”
Seria, who had just noticed it too, asked that question.
I wasn’t sure how to explain, so I decided to step outside and talk about it.
As we walked out after retrieving my clothes, I gave her a rough explanation, and Seria made a baffled expression.
“You gained an ability that erases sounds coming from your body?”
“Yeah, like footsteps.”
“Where would you even use that?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Seria knows it too. Beyond a certain level, hearing becomes almost meaningless anyway because of shockwaves or collision sounds.
That’s why skilled people have highly developed abilities to sense their surroundings through intuition or mana.
An ability that erases sounds like this becomes completely useless.
So I just treated it as if I didn’t have it…
“I didn’t know it would erase sounds like this too.”
“Does that mean clapping sounds don’t work either?”
“That one works.”
*Clap!* A crisp sound echoed when I clapped my hands.
Seeing that, Seria chuckled.
“This is such a weird ability. How did you end up learning something like this?”
“I didn’t want to learn this either.”
But gacha doesn’t work the way I want it to.
—
As the conversation wrapped up and we were about to head out for lunch, the surroundings suddenly got unusually noisy.
Wondering what was going on, I looked over, and Seria, who seemed to have noticed something, started giggling.
“Lilith, working hard as usual, huh?”
“Ah, Lilith?”
“Yeah. The mana I sense is definitely Lilith’s.”
Being able to distinguish people by their mana in such a crowded place… That’s Seria for you.
Whatever it is, if Lilith is working, I have to go see her. Seria seemed to want that too.
Pushing through the crowd, we went deeper inside, and there were two people standing on a simple stage-like setup.
One was an elderly man who looked like a clergyman, and the other was Lilith.
Dressed in a nun’s habit, quietly keeping her mouth shut, she looked exactly like the ideal image of a saint.
If she just didn’t open her mouth, she’d totally pass as a real saint.
“…Thus, the Lord always prepares a path to salvation. Never give up. Now, the saintess will bestow her blessing.”
—
Something about life motivation…
The priest, who had been listing things like that for a while, said so and then subtly took a step back.
Then Lilith, who had been standing still, stepped forward and began to gather holy power.
The sacred energy spread widely, brushing past the crowd that filled the surroundings, and then gathered back to Lilith.
It seemed like a very inefficient way of handling things, but it was probably for show.
The gathered holy energy took the form of a sphere and shot up into the sky.
And then it exploded in the sky, fluttering like snowflakes.
“Ah… beautiful…”
“God…”
“It’s amazing every time I see it. To think there could be such sacred power.”
People who were moved by the sight began to exclaim in admiration one by one.
Judging by someone using the word “every time,” it seemed like this wasn’t the first or second time they’d done this.
Looks like they’ve been working hard without us knowing.
Seria, who was watching the scene, also made a comment.
“…It is pretty.”
“Yeah.”
“Rudion, do you like pretty magic like this?”
“Since when does magic have preferences?”
Magic is about efficiency.
Of course, it’s not bad to consider emotions, but that’s only in certain situations.
What use is something pretty when fighting monsters?
When I conveyed that thought, Seria smiled brightly.
“I think so too.”
It seemed like she gave me the answer I wanted.
Still, it was undeniable that the magic before our eyes was beautiful, so we kept watching…
“…Uh.”
“Ah, Lilith saw us.”
“…Huh? Yikes…!”
“She seems embarrassed.”
Seria and Lilith made eye contact.
“The Saintess seems off?”
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Because of that, Lilith’s expression hardened, and the contrast with her previous benevolent Saintess mode was so stark that everyone watching her noticed something was wrong.
“Saintess! Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
“Your face is red! You seem to have a fever… We need to get you to the infirmary…”
“I’m really fine!”
The priest assisting her was also flustered and scrambling… looks like she’s in a tough spot.
Watching this, Seria couldn’t hold back her laughter and asked me with a grin.
“Should we go tease her?”
“You’re really evil.”
“So, you’re not going?”
“Of course, I’m going.”
When a friend gets caught doing something embarrassing, you have to go and tease them.
No question about it.
With evil smiles, Seria and I headed to the backstage where Lilith had retreated.
