367. Lena Ep – Phonetic Symbols

“Hero, are you awake? Good morning.”

Today, I smile again.

Mimicking the pure smile of the Holy Woman. A sigh escapes me as I think I must continue doing this, but it’s probably due to my lack of self-cultivation. Ms. Lera shook her hair as she approached and said.

“Good morning. But Priest, I forgot to mention yesterday, please drop the title ‘Hero’. It’s a bit unpleasant to hear…”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

Oh, thank you.

I wasn’t doing it out of pleasure, so I quickly accepted without hesitation as soon as the subject of titles came up. In return, the Hero… No, why am I doing this too? Ms. Lera seemed flustered and stuttered while speaking.

“Then, um… cough cough. Please call me Lera. Le-ra.”

“Leera?”

“No. It’s ‘Le-ra’. The ‘e’ sound is long.”

“How do you spell it?”

“It’s R, e, l, a. But the people from the Belita Kingdom I met on the way kept mispronouncing it as Leera.”

“Hm. Based on spelling, Lera is correct, but there are pronunciation differences by region. Ah, now that I think about it, I heard in the north they tend to stretch out monophthongs1). Just like Queen Letty.”

“Why is our Queen Letty being brought up?”

Ms. Lera’s eyes narrowed.

It seems she didn’t like a foreigner mentioning the hero of her kingdom. She roughly pulled her chair closer and sat down.

Of course, I had no intention of belittling her.

“There’s a story regarding the spelling of Queen Letty’s name. Originally, it was supposed to be spelled ‘Leti’ according to the Acaian Empire’s phonetic notation, but Queen Letty herself rejected this, saying she preferred to be called Leti.”

“Oh… and?”

“Thus, there was quite a debate about how it should be spelled. To simply follow the Acaian Empire’s way would be inappropriate since she’s the one who liberated the north from the Empire. However, they couldn’t change the phonetic system because of this, so they compromised by adding a symbol. This is how we denote her.”

/ Reti’ /

Perhaps it was because so much silver was given yesterday, the napkins were spread on the table where we were seated. I thought money really is good as I scribbled on the napkin.

Ms. Lera stared blankly at it.

“What’s this symbol (”)?”

“It’s an ancient phonetic symbol. It was borrowed from the notation system created by Lady Leisia, sister of Lord Leonel, who is said to have founded the Acaian Kingdom. When attached to a vowel, it signifies to stretch the corresponding pronunciation. Naturally, it shouldn’t be attached to a consonant.”

“…”

I was surprised.

I thought Ms. Lera wouldn’t enjoy this scholarly discussion. It seems one shouldn’t judge people solely by appearance.

After staring at the napkin for a while, she tucked it into her clothes. At that moment, Reb and Ray came downstairs, and we greeted them warmly.

I leaned over and whispered.

“What were you two talking about?”

Reb replied in a whisper as well.

“I’ll tell you later. When Lera… isn’t around.”

I wasn’t paying attention to Reb’s words at that point. I found myself envious of Ms. Lera and Ray, who were hugging without worrying about others.

After all, I was a priest now.

I hooked my pinky finger with Reb’s and sat next to him, avoiding the gaze of Priestess Ophelia, who came down a beat later.

We all ate together.

Being a priest doesn’t mean I eat differently.

No specific recommendation for vegetarianism or avoidance of meat, so I snatched a bit of the dish Reb ordered.

After finishing the main course (maybe the innkeeper caught a whiff of money, as a full-course meal was served), while tasting a light beverage, Ms. Lera asked.

“By the way, Priest, about that Evil God you mentioned. You said it’s in the Royal Palace, right? Sounds dangerous?”

Ms. Lera seemed to have a lot of questions. Unlike me, she didn’t know the backstory of the situation.

She doesn’t dream, huh?

In a way, it’s both enviable and not, but at least for now, admitting it was envy-worthy. Because…

‘I don’t know either!’

Thanks to that, I ended up getting the short end of the stick.

I glanced at the smiles on the faces of Reb and Ray and found them disgusting.

“It’s quite formidable.”

It’s probably strong. It’s so strong that Reb and that guy and even the prince have yet to resolve it.

But I added with a smile.

“However, our Hero will easily overcome it. I’ll do my utmost to assist! Oh, by the way, Priestess Ophelia. How did it go visiting the church yesterday?”

Priestess Ophelia pushed aside her empty cup and responded.

“I met with the Cardinal. For now, she said she will contact the Holy Woman.”

Priestess Ophelia had gone to Oberg Church while I was “persuading” Ms. Lera yesterday.

It was to gain support from priests and holy knights, and being a higher-ranking clergy like Priestess Ophelia, meeting a Cardinal shouldn’t have been too difficult.

The Holy Woman would surely ask for support for us, and it seemed Priestess Ophelia’s role was coming to an end.

As a novice priest, I expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you. I was worried about how to approach and speak to the Cardinal, but thanks to you, I feel so relieved. Thank you.”

Priestess Ophelia met my greeting with a gentle smile.

“It’s something I should help with. And even if I weren’t here, you would have done well, Lady Leah. Have confidence.”

“Priestess…!”

She is like a mentor to me. But there were those chiming in from the side.

“Oh~ Lera. Did you finally decide to acknowledge you’re a Hero? Just a moment ago you said it felt like a scammer…”

“Shut up for a minute. I’m serious right now.”

It was Ray and Reb.

Ray seemed eager to tease Ms. Lera, while Reb looked at me with a big smile in his eyes.

I felt my swearing skills improving on their own. I was seriously pondering the origin and necessity of swearing when Ms. Lera posed a rather pointed question.

“But how do we get into the Royal Palace? We’ll need to bring weapons too.”

“Oh, that’s the prince…”

“I’m looking for a method.”

Before I could speak, Reb cut in. Wasn’t the idea to slip into the prince’s entourage when Prince Lean arrives? I closed my mouth while pondering this.

Reb continued.

“For now, we do have a reliable method, but it seems to carry some risk, so I am looking for a different way. I’ll find it soon and let you know.”

“Hm… understood. But you should know that my sword is somewhat uniquely shaped. It might not be easy to bring it in. And honestly, I’m not sure if weapons can even be brought into the Royal Palace regardless of their shapes.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll come up with a way.”

“Oh~ Lera’s quite smart~.”

“Seriously. I’m being serious! You, come with me for a second.”

Ms. Lera grabbed Ray by the collar and took him away somewhere. She went far enough to show off her sword and napkin, yelling something before quickly returning.

This time, she looked much more serious than yesterday.

However, for now, there were no additional topics to discuss. We’d have things to discuss after Reb figured out a method.

When pondering, ‘What should we do today?’ Ray opened his mouth at an opportune moment.

“Lera. Remember I said I could spar with knights when I go to Oberg?”

“Of course. But how? I thought this place wouldn’t have that kind of atmosphere.”

“I found someone. A knight from the Second Knights Order named Katrina, who retired due to childcare issues. After a while, she took various requests for a living, but now she’s escorting someone.”

“Oh! Really? Will she spar with us?”

“Yeah. She’ll do it for the right price.”

“How much?”

“It’s ten silver coins for one sparring match.”

Ms. Lera’s expression soured.

“So expensive!”

“Isn’t that reasonable? If she comes from some minor noble family, then it wouldn’t be something extravagant since she’s from the Second Knights Order.”

“That depends on the knight. Not every knight from the order is strong. And honestly, we can easily defeat most knights. We’re not the kind who just loses to anyone…”

Ms. Lera’s gaze landed on Reb. Victorious. She skillfully changed the subject.

“…but what I mean is, does that knight Katrina have that kind of skill? She’s a woman, right? If she retired after having a child, her skills must have declined a lot. Ten silver coins is excessive.”

“Then just win, right? They wouldn’t demand the sparring fee if we lose. Plus, I have plenty of money.”

Ray patted his pocket.

You could even see the silver coins swaying from outside. I sensed the innkeeper’s eyes sharpen as he glanced over from the kitchen counter. I could sense dessert would be coming soon, and I was correct.

“Here’s a service!”

Though they called it a service, it was a dessert that we would have to pay for if they had any conscience.

The dessert was none other than ‘Shabbat.’

An ice cream. Considering it was winter and finding snow must be relatively easy, it couldn’t be denied that it was a luxurious food.

We mixed the honey drizzled over the white ice and as we did so, Ray said.

“We’ll be off for the sparring session. You should come with us, Reb.”

“Hm. Should we?”

“?”

That look of his seemed a little distant.

I realized that this Katrina person was connected to these guys. I couldn’t help but clap my hands in excitement.

“I want to go too! I want to see the Hero spar! Priestess Ophelia, would you like to join us? You’re free today, right?”

The more distractions, the better! Priestess Ophelia nodded.

Then a little while later, while Priestess Ophelia and Ms. Lera were getting ready to leave, I asked.

Of course, it wasn’t about who Katrina was. I’m not that naive.

“About entering the Royal Palace. Wasn’t the plan to sneak in with Prince Lean’s group when he arrives? Is there no other way?”

“Well. Actually, I just had that conversation with Ray earlier. I, uh… it’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I used to work as a Royal Guard in the palace.”

“You’re speaking from Prince Lean’s experience?”

“Yeah. Anyway, having worked as a guard, I know they are extremely thorough. They compare the list of personnel who cross the border. It’s standard practice to collect weapons when entering the palace. So that way will be difficult.”

“Then what’s the plan?”

“Actually, I know of a secret passage. It’s not the official secret passage of the royal family but a tunnel beneath the Rauno Family mansion… but I feel uneasy about it.”

“Why?”

“It could be a passage known only to Astroth. It might be a tunnel that only Astroth knows about, and we’ve never gone through it, so I’m anxious. If possible, I’d prefer not to use that passage. Since there’s time, I want to look for another way.”

“Hm.”

I feel so naive.

“But is that Katrina person related to Prince Lean? Or to you?”

“She was related to both me and Lean. Reb probably hasn’t even met her.”

Ray responded. I scratched my head awkwardly.

‘So she’s not someone connected to Reb. How foolish of me.’

Maybe it was a mistake to say I’d follow them.

Especially since I dragged Priestess Ophelia along… If I were to watch a sparring match with someone completely new to swordsmanship, it wouldn’t be enjoyable at all. Maybe, seeing through my thoughts, Reb grinned and said.

“Ray. We’re headed to Katrina’s ‘new home’, right? She’s living in a changed place, having broken away from her old life.”

‘New home?’

“Yeah. Next door to Ksenia’s place.”

“Good. Leah, there’s a place called the Arille Theater nearby. We can briefly watch the sparring, and then we can go see a play with Priestess Ophelia. I’ve seen it a few times, and it’s fun.”

“A play? Wow! A play?! I’ve never seen a play! Ahh!! What do I do? A play! A play! I’m so excited!”

This isn’t the time for that.

I ran back to my room.

It feels off to wear priest robes to the theater, so I quickly changed into casual clothes and informed Priestess Ophelia.

She seemed to ponder for a moment and for some reason, decided to change her outfit as well. With a hint of embarrassment, she winked and said.

“I’ve never visited my home kingdom’s capital even before I became a priest. I want to feel the atmosphere at least.”

Oh, but my goodness.

I knew she looked beautiful for her age, but she’s unbelievably pretty!

Even in simple casual wear, Priestess Ophelia looked like a different person.

The sacredness that dripped from her transformed into the elegance of a refined lady, and the faith-filled gaze turned into the decisiveness of a mother, making her look undeniably like someone who’s lived well.

I expressed my thoughts without holding back.

“You’re really beautiful!”

“You’re beautiful too, Lady Leah.”

“I’m serious, you look really good.”

“I’m not just saying it either.”

Ah, my goodness.

Even in her eloquence, she spoke so clearly and genuinely, it felt like the deity she serves would be pleased with her.

Of course, I’m going to marry Reb. Sorry about that.

Buried in such mischievous thoughts, I went downstairs. Reb, Ms. Lera, and Ray were ready to leave, and the innkeeper bowed until we were out of sight.

Reb, Priestess Ophelia, and I had a carriage given by the church, so we rode in it. Ray and Ms. Lera rode their horses to follow us.

Eventually, we arrived at a neatly built mansion with a blue roof.

The identical mansion on the left was where Ksenia, the person Prince Lean likes, resides.

We entered the courtyard of the mansion with the blue roof, and soon we met a woman whose hair blazed red like fire.

Her name was Katrina.

“A lot of spectators. I’ll have to charge more.”

─ She boldly declared, only to disappear as soon as the sound of a baby crying came from her house. She kicked the door open and came back out, holding the child.

I heard Ms. Lera and Ray whispering.

“…Ray. I don’t trust that woman’s skills.”

“We’ve come this far, so let’s at least have a match. You never know.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

I wondered what reason there could be for Ms. Lera to confront that woman.

Regardless of my doubts, we had to wait until she finished cleaning her kid’s mess (!) before we could start the sparring.

– Cling clang!

After a few exchanges, Ms. Lera’s eyes sparkled, but mine were near closing. Just before I fell asleep, I stepped outside with Priestess Ophelia.

“I think I might have made a mistake agreeing to watch this sparring. Should’ve just gone straight to the theater. I ended up bringing the priestess along for no reason.”

“No, it was worthwhile. Thanks to you, I was able to see something rare. I’m excited for the play.”

But just as we found the theater, a sign read that they weren’t putting on a performance for a while.

The instant I began to feel guilty for having brought the Priestess along for no reason, I was relieved to notice something. A sign indicated that there was an exhibition instead of a play.

Thinking that was at least fortunate, we bought tickets for the exhibition (why is it so expensive!!), and entered.

It was an exhibition by a painter named Ellen, and there I realized something. That I had been assigned a guiding role unbeknownst to me.

It was destined that I brought Priestess Ophelia from the monastery to here.

“…Hamlet.”

“Ophelia.”

The middle-aged man who was already at the exhibition hall and Priestess Ophelia faced each other.

Even from a distance, it felt like the air between them had vanished.

Later, I learned he was not only a friend from Priestess Ophelia’s hometown but also her first love.

For him, Priestess Ophelia was the same. They had spent the night together in a warehouse where no one would come, just before she left for the monastery to become a priest.

And even faster than I learned all of this, I discovered that this Hamlet Oldenburg…

Was the Knight Commander of the House of Tatalia.

1) Monophthongs are vowels where the shape of the lips or position of the tongue does not change during the sound.