Splash!

“Pffft!”

The High Cardinal startled awake as water splashed on his face.

“L-Lady Offensa?”

“You’re awake.”

“Why are you…”

The High Cardinal tried to move instinctively but realized his hands were tied behind him.

Now that he looked around, this place was very unfamiliar and gloomy. He had definitely been kidnapped.

The High Cardinal was instantly terrified.

“A-aren’t you afraid of the Light God’s wrath? How dare you even splash water on the High Cardinal!”

“Grandfather!”

“Mihail?!”

The High Cardinal’s beloved grandson frantically wiped his face.

“I’m sorry. I was trying to bring you water and spilled it.”

“Were you captured too?”

“Ah, well, f-for now…”

Unaware of Mihail’s hesitation, the High Cardinal cried out in anguish.

“I won’t stand for any harm coming to my grandson! Mihail, run away from here right now!”

But Mihail remained quiet.

Instead, with an apologetic expression, he quietly stepped back and stood beside Calliphe.

“Mi-Mihail?”

Why are you standing there? It makes you look like you’re on their side!

“Please calm down, High Cardinal. We won’t harm you in any way.”

Only then did the High Cardinal notice the handsome man standing like Lady Offensa’s guard.

“Could you be… Duke Ortega?”

“You remember me from my brief service at the temple.”

“Well, you’re quite sculpture-like… No, more importantly, why are you with this wicked woman? Could you be under her threats too?”

“How amusing.”

Calliphe leaned close to the High Cardinal’s face with a sneer.

“The pot calling the kettle black.”

“What…!?”

Just as the High Cardinal was about to burst with anger, Lynen hurriedly intervened.

“W-we understand that the High Cardinal is being unfairly threatened by Young Marquis Caiman, so we’d like to talk.”

The High Cardinal stared at him in bewilderment at the sudden interpretation.

The interpretation continued.

“If I didn’t need your cooperation, I would have plucked all your hair out by now, consider yourself lucky.”

“You are our important ally. We don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Enough talk, if you want that little friend of yours to be safe, come along quietly. We need to hand you over to someone.”

“There’s someone the High Cardinal must meet. Meanwhile, we’ll keep Mihail safe.”

“…”

As the High Cardinal looked on in disbelief, Lynen quietly added.

“Despite appearances, she doesn’t hit people recklessly. Recently, that is.”

“…”

No. What I find unbelievable isn’t the lady, but you, Duke.

Swallowing his words, the High Cardinal asked.

“Who is this person I must meet?”

“The Saint.”

“…!”

“I know you’re looking for the Saint. We’ll take you to them.”

The condition was to follow their plan instead of Young Marquis Caiman’s.

“How did you even… More importantly, how can I trust you? You, a black magic user and kidnapper?”

“I’m busy trying to clear those false charges, do you think I have time to waste deceiving you?”

Then Mihail also supported Calliphe.

“Grandfather. Actually, I was the one who almost got attacked by the monster. Thanks to them, everyone’s safe and they even drove the monster away.”

“Is, is that true?”

“Yes. I swear by the Light God.”

“…”

The bewildered High Cardinal noticed cookie crumbs around Mihail’s mouth.

At least they didn’t starve him. Hmm… his belly’s even full. You ate well while your grandfather was unconscious.

‘The bindings are soft silk, not rope… And there’s even a cushion on the chair.’

The High Cardinal began to reflect on whether he had been too narrow-minded.

“Ahem! Hmph… If Lady truly knows where the Saint is, I have no reason not to follow.”

“So you’ll come with us?”

After careful consideration, the High Cardinal shook his head.

“I wish I could. I want to stop the holy power from diminishing as soon as possible.”

It was a fact the Grand Temple was keeping strictly secret. But there was no need to hide it from someone who already knew about the Saint’s absence.

“I know. The reason the Grand Temple can exert holy power for all sorts of dangerous situations is because of the Saint. Just having the Saint present makes the holy power purer and amplified.”

“…That’s right.”

In short, a living white spirit stone.

Moreover, the more powerful the Saint’s abilities, the greater the effect.

That’s why when the Saint disappeared, the temple priests were hit hard. And it didn’t stop there – their connection to the Saint kept growing fainter.

Evidence that the Saint’s holy power was weakening.

This wasn’t something that usually happened.

The High Cardinal needed to find the Saint quickly and assess the situation.

So he had set out on his own, but this time it was difficult.

“If a monster appeared in the middle of the district, all eyes will be on the temple for a while. If I leave my post at such a time, the young Marquis will find it suspicious.”

“Oh, dear.”

Calliphe slightly furrowed her brows.

‘We need to bring the High Cardinal for the Saint to end their seclusion…’

The reason for the Saint’s seclusion was to avenge their sister.

To kill the monster called ‘White Ears’ that had devoured their sister with their own hands.

The rarely seen White Ears, perhaps drawn to the High Cardinal’s holy power, was caught targeting him. That’s how the Saint was finally able to exact revenge.

‘If it was strong enough to target the High Cardinal, it must have been quite a powerful monster.’

Lynen’s holy power wasn’t high enough to use as bait.

‘Should we risk taking him anyway?’

Sensing danger from Calliphe’s gleaming eyes through instinct, the High Cardinal hurriedly offered an alternative.

“Th-this might help.”

“What’s this bracelet?”

It was a crude bracelet that showed its age.

“It’s a relic from my ancestor who was active during the time of the black mage Lumen. The holy power of that person still remains in this bracelet made of white spirit stone.”

Lynen examined the bracelet.

“It’s certainly extraordinary.”

“Show this and the Saint will recognize you as someone I sent and welcome you.”

As if. They’ll probably hide thinking you’ve sent someone to catch them.

Calliphe could understand why the High Cardinal hadn’t been able to find the Saint until now.

‘Still, it could work as bait.’

“Thank you.”

“Don’t forget. I still suspect you of being a black magic user.”

“…”

“So if you fail to bring back the Saint, I’ll have no choice but to do what I must. Don’t hold it against me.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Ding!

[Quest Generated!]

[Help the Saint complete their revenge.]

[Failure: Gain the High Cardinal’s distrust and black magic user charges, lose ‘Saint’ as a candidate for Noah’s guardian]

“Because I have no intention of failing.”

* * *

There was a week left until the oath ceremony.

Due to the time constraint, Calliphe decided to depart as soon as preparations were complete. Officially, it was under the pretext of “a foolish engaged couple’s picnic.”

While Noah was packing his belongings, Mihail came to see him and fidgeted.

“Are you okay where you got hurt? You were lying down the whole time.”

“Yeah.”

Noah touched his stomach.

Where the monster had bitten him was completely healed. Thanks to the high-grade healing potion.

Still, Noah had insisted on coming along despite Calliphe telling him to stay and rest.

“That’s good.”

Mihail carefully touched Noah’s stomach over his clothes and finally looked relieved.

An awkward silence fell for a moment.

But since only Mihail felt awkward, Noah spoke to him calmly.

“I need to pack. I’m busy.”

“S-sorry for disturbing you when you’re busy…”

A blushing Mihail tried to get up.

That’s when Noah called out to him.

“Brother.”

“Huh? Are you calling me?”

“Let’s have another sword match later.”

Hearing these unexpected words, Mihail was momentarily confused before speaking in a lecturing tone.

“This is why kids… You shouldn’t do that. Forgiving everything and being kind are different things. You should be angry at me at times like this?”

“I’m not forgiving you.”

“…!”

When Noah said that, Mihail was actually hurt.

But Noah wasn’t finished.

“Because you did nothing wrong.”

“What? But.”

“Lady Calliphe already scolded you for cutting in line.”

Mihail flinched.

Though he hadn’t said anything then, seeing the knight completely helpless had made Calliphe very scary.

“And I didn’t dislike playing with swords together.”

“We were playing…?”

“Yeah.”

Noah blinked his green eyes slowly.

“It was fair and square. There was no cheating.”

“…”

“You’re good at swordsmanship, so I want to match with you again.”

At those pure words, Mihail’s face burned red as he remembered throwing the wooden sword to get revenge.

Actually, both the cookies and sword practice were for his grandfather, whom he rarely got to see these days.

He wanted praise from his only family.

Everything had fallen through and he had been holding back his disappointment. But when that unexpected praise opened the lid on his feelings, tears welled up.

“Y-you were good too. Honestly, I was in danger.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’ll acknowledge you as my rival.”

“But rivalry is bad.”

“…Really?”

Noah said it so matter-of-factly that even Mihail became confused.

“Okay. Then instead of rivals, want to be fr-friends?”

“…!”

Noah’s eyes grew wide.

To think I’d get a friend too!

Noah nodded so vigorously it surprised Mihail.

This gave Mihail his confidence back.

“We’re friends starting today?”

Nod nod!

“Then I can call you by name. Call me Mihail.”

Nod nod nod!

Noah quickly held out his pinky finger.

“Promise.”

“Yeah. No betrayal.”

“If you betray… death penalty.”

“You’re quite brutal.”

The two children solemnly swore their friendship.

It was the moment they each got their first friend.

—

T/N: So adorable!