“That… when you’re doing it, you mean? Did she find it very painful?”

Kabillon asked with concern as he sat down beside Seiden, whose brow furrowed again at the memory of Bellota in pain.

“The f*replay was sufficient.”

Seiden revisited his intimate moments with Bellota. He tried to ease her into it first but it wasn’t enough because Bellota rushed him…. Damn it, as blood continued to rush downwards, Seiden’s face turned grim.

Interpreting this as rudeness toward his question, Kabillon quickly moved away and changed the subject.

“The thing is, for men born with an enormous size like you, Commander, f*replay might not be enough.”

Kabillon joined in Seiden’s concern while observing his serious expression.

“But don’t worry, Commander. There are products on the market designed for such men, aren’t there?”

At that, Seiden glanced at Kabillon again. His words had clearly piqued his interest. The blond knight winked slyly and whispered secretly.

“Why, there are. Oils infused with a bit of magic power, for instance. The mages of Hellers are particularly good at making such things.”

The mages of Hellers were non-mainstream mages who refused to belong to the Mage Tower and were known as shady mages in the back alleys for practicing what was taboo in the Mage Tower. So it wasn’t strange for them to create such profane things.

Seiden stared into space thoughtfully for a moment before turning back to Kabillon and asking,

“Do the mages of Hellers know much about curses too?”

Again, since his question didn’t match any of Kabillon’s expectations, he looked genuinely puzzled. Regardless, Seiden just stared intently at Kabillon, waiting only for an answer.

* * *

When the miraculous power of the saintess combined with the formidable force of the Order of the Holy Knights, the subjugation of reknils was completed at an astonishingly fast pace. After receiving the priest’s message, the Holy Knights immediately set out to the forests in the eastern region and found reknil hiding, annihilating them completely. The entire operation took less than ten days.

Reknil was a monster unfamiliar to those who did not deeply understand such creatures, but its hard and thick shell and the poison hidden beneath its claws held immense value. Despite the subjugation of reknil being entirely thanks to the cathedral, hundreds of reknils were delivered to the imperial palace without exception.

The imperial palace, thrilled to obtain the reknil’s impenetrable shell and rare poison, threw a lavish banquet in response to the hard work of the Holy Knights, and the saintess, who made the greatest contribution to this subjugation, was also invited.

Since it was impossible to refuse the emperor’s invitation, Bellota had to attend the banquet. The problem was that Seiden would certainly also be invited. It would be their first encounter since that incident.

I did not have the freedom or the courage to refuse the emperor’s invitation, so I hoped a man with more courage than I could afford would refuse this invitation.

However, sadly, as soon as Bellota entered the banquet hall, she encountered Seiden standing near the entrance, holding a glass full of wine.

“…….”

“…….”

As always, when the saintess entered, all eyes immediately turned to her, including Seiden’s.

Unable to find a moment to avoid Seiden’s gaze, Bellota briefly met his red eyes before quickly turning her head away. It was already too late, but she couldn’t keep meeting his eyes.

“Saintess!”

Fortunately, a crowd quickly surrounded her, allowing Bellota to escape the awkward situation.

“Blessings upon you, Saintess. You are beautiful today as well.”

Someone who didn’t want to miss the chance to greet the saintess quickly stepped forward. The man with delicate platinum blonde hair fluttering and a radiant smile was Duke Geril Lylester, the emperor’s nephew and the organizer of this lavish banquet.

Duke Lylester had also shown great interest in Bellota for the past one or two years. Truly, among everything in this banquet hall, Bellota, the one who shines the brightest, responded to Geril.

“Hello, Duke Lylester.”

“Oh my, you haven’t forgotten my name?”

Geril exaggeratedly voiced his surprise with a grin.

“I was worried my existence might be too insignificant to remember among all the people you know.”

Knowing full well she couldn’t forget his presence, Bellota offered a polite but faint smile at Geril’s unnecessary flattery. Geril raised his voice happily, even with that small smile.

“Did everyone hear? The saintess recognized the existence of reknil at a glance. She knew what monster caused the wounds just by looking at them.”

Geril proudly looked around as if he himself had discovered the reknil’s existence, lifting Bellota up.

“You are truly amazing, Saintess.”

“The saintess is a blessing to our empire.”

As praises poured from around her, Bellota showed a somewhat embarrassed smile.

It wasn’t her intention to heal those wounds in Eviden village for praise, but attending such events and enhancing the temple’s reputation was also part of a saintess’s duties.

“His Majesty will grant you a great reward for finding reknil’s shell and poison.”

Even so, she felt uncomfortable receiving such exaggerated praise.

“Thank you for your kind words, but I am not the one who subdued reknil.”

At Bellota’s gentle words, Geril’s pleased smile momentarily stiffened. His golden eyes hardened as his displeased gaze shifted to the quietly speaking saintess. Unable to hate her for her beautiful face, Geril soon burst into a pleasant laugh and nodded.

“Indeed, our saintess is humble. Of course, it’s true. The Holy Knights of Kanbremes did work hard.”

Bellota involuntarily thought of Seiden. Although it was true she recognized the existence of reknil, without Seiden, a successful subjugation wouldn’t have been possible.

“But above all, it is a fact that the saintess’s merit shines the brightest. While knights are many within the imperial family, there is only one of you.”

Bellota slowly lifted her head to look at Geril. He was showing a friendly smile. But even a child could understand the implications of his words. The imperial family was not pleased that the subjugation of reknil was resolved under the control of the temple. Bellota forgot she had been trying not to meet Seiden’s eyes and inadvertently glanced in his direction.

Through the crowd, she saw Seiden still standing there. The taciturn holy knight seemed uninterested in their conversation, slowly sipping his wine without looking their way.

“When it comes time for my next service, may I dare wait for the saintess’s message? If granted the honor to dedicate myself to God and serve the empire’s citizens as part of the imperial family, I would be overjoyed.”

Geril openly flattered, his intentions clear as day. Bellota’s gaze lingered on Seiden for a moment before returning to him. Geril smiled, as though the temple had not been begging the imperial family for support these past few months, receiving only minimal funding in return.

Geril, or rather, the imperial family, seemed eager to get involved now that monster subjugation appeared profitable. As if the well-being of the empire’s citizens mattered little…

After quietly taking a breath for a moment, Bellota then smiled more brightly than ever and responded.

“Of course. I will definitely contact you.”

Pleased with her kind response and having secured Bellota’s promise in front of many people, Geril smiled satisfactorily. He had managed to paint a picture of himself generously supporting the empire’s citizens at his own expense.

Geril raised his glass high for a toast.

“Come on, everyone. Let’s toast for our saintess. To Bellota, the light and hope of our empire.”

Then everyone in the banquet hall raised their glasses and chorused.

“To glory!”

Bellota watched with a still-cheerful smile as dozens of glasses were raised.

“…….”

Seiden, who hadn’t raised his glass among them, leaned against a wall not far from her. He gazed intently at Bellota with her dazzling smile.

* * *

Two hours later, Bellota was finally freed from the endless conversations with those who flocked to her. Having greeted about half of the people in the banquet hall, Bellota, taking advantage of a momentary lull as everyone became merrily intoxicated, quietly escaped outside. It was only when she reached a secluded garden untouched by the footsteps of others that Bellota let out a long-held sigh.

“Sigh…….”

For Bellota, who couldn’t drink alcohol, occasions like this were always difficult for her. The beautiful dresses and jewellery sent from the imperial family for the splendid banquets at the palace, and the noble aristocrats’ friendliness, whom she would have never encountered if not for her status as a saintess, were not at all what Bellota desired.

But the position of a saintess often came with unwanted responsibilities. Enduring such occasions allowed for significant gains like today. Bellota was well aware of Duke Geril and the imperial family’s intention to highlight their own authority. Nonetheless, this did not change the fact that it would result in better support for the needs of the imperial citizens.

Geril was a member of the imperial family but also a prominent businessman, known throughout the empire. Such a person would likely donate a large sum of money, mindful of public perception, which would enable support to reach even those in remote areas that had been previously overlooked. So a brief period of hardship was entirely bearable. But it was unavoidable for her to desperately need time to catch her breath.

Bellota sat on a neat rock in the corner of the garden, took off her shoes, and massaged her legs that had become numb from standing for so long. After rubbing her sore legs for a while, she put her shoes back on and was about to return to the banquet hall when she stopped breathing upon noticing a figure standing silently before her.

“May I have a word with you?”

Standing there with a calm face as if nothing had happened between them was Seiden. Bellota froze, surprised by their unexpected encounter, unable to respond easily, prompting him to mutter sardonically.

“It looked as if you’ve seen a reknil.”

“…….”

“There’s no need to be so surprised.”