I felt a dull pain crawling out from the core of my head.

　He pressed down hard on his temples with his fingers, but there was no sign of the pain receding. Apparently, if I wanted to get rid of this dull pain, I would have to crack my head directly.

　I was told that Anne and the saint were coming, but I don't think I can get out of bed for a while. I lay on my bed on the second floor of the tavern and wrinkled my brow.

　I drank a little too much last night, even though it was a good ale. He sticks out his tongue, as if seeking pure water. It seems that unadulterated ale is too good for my body. I feel like the drunkenness is running through my body with the blood flowing through it.

　But I didn't get so carried away with the good stuff that it created a dull ache in my head. No, I want to believe that. Because there was something else that came to my mind.

　Finally, I crawled out of bed and reached for my pillow. I put a chewing tobacco in my mouth and half raise my body to let the smell pass through my nose and mouth. You roll the tobacco over your teeth and narrow your eyes. In my mind's eye, I saw an unmistakable image of a person.

　--The blonde hair, reflecting the sunlight, shining lightly. The smile that almost makes your cheeks turn red just by looking at it. What came to mind was none other than Alueno himself.

　How pathetic. How pathetic. The mere thought of him brings a burning sensation to the corners of my eyes.
In my inner pocket is a handkerchief that Alueno gave me. It's the only thing that connects me to her now.

　On the one hand, a great genius who has been consecrated by the cathedral and whose talent will be discovered in the future.

　On the other hand, an ordinary man who has made a name for himself with the heralds.

　Where is the connection between these two men?
　Even if you have made a name for yourself here, it is not a good time to go for Alueno. Rather, our directions are completely different. It's no longer a case of going for him, it's a case of going for the attack.

　This is the result of acting on one's emotions, on one's raging passions.

　I guess I deserved it. But that does not mean that I have no desire to give up on Alueno. I just can't help wrinkling my brow at the difficulty of the path. I wonder what I should do.

　And for what it's worth, I probably don't regret this choice.

　Of course, I wonder what I should do. I think about it. Maybe it's just that the realization of the situation hasn't penetrated my heart yet. Maybe it's just that my small brain doesn't want to understand the situation and is trying to justify itself.

　But still. No matter how much I doubted, there was still no regret in my heart.

　In the past, I used to value reason.

　Living by instinct, by emotion, is a path only the powerful can follow. The weak, the lowly, the common people have no freedom to express their emotions. Therefore, they have been living their lives by stifling and hiding everything.

　And what did they get out of it?

　Nothing, I got nothing. Just a life of letting down everything that was in my hands and everything that was not. Just a life of living.

　Well, I'm afraid to even think about it in my mind. I felt something heavy caressing me around my pigeon tail.

　--So now I'm comfortable. This is the time when I can live with my emotions. Even if I will eventually meet my absolute death at the end of this road.

　To wake up from the hangover and swallow the anguish, I reach for the china on the table. It was filled with water, I believe. Strangely, I was thirsty.

　At that moment, a nagging question momentarily swirled in my head.

　--Cathedral. Alueno. Wait a minute. Come to think of it, that guy. Why is it that on the journey to salvation, .......

　I wonder if drunkenness still has a way of messing with your hands. My hand slipped slightly from the bed, and the cup slid off the table.

　I'm not sure.

　--Clang!

　In the chapel of the cathedral, golden eyes widen. The color of the eyes is unmistakably astonishing. A cup slipped from his hand and made a loud noise, though it did not break.

　Her pale lips quivered slightly, but she bit them with her front teeth.

"Oh, what's the matter? Mr. Alueno.

　The people in the cathedral's ceremonial dress reacted sensitively to the sound and looked at Arueno's face. The eyes were not concerned or curious. They were only curious.

　Alueno's eyes blink.

　The next thing you know, all the color of agitation and astonishment is gone from his eyes, and they are as they should be. The next thing you know, he's got the same expression he's had since he got here.

No, it's nothing, it's nothing. It's just that some people don't know the wrath of God when it comes to things like this.



　He smiled as softly as he could, and his voice was enveloping.

　Then he handed over the article that the cathedral had been circulating. Oh," began the other voices.

　The article was inscribed with a single fact and hundreds of made-up words to describe the villain.

　--The walled city of Galuamaria is in the hands of evildoers. The ringleader is the witch Mattia, and her collaborator, the blameless Lugis.

　Alueno's lips struggled to hold back the words he was about to say. In his brain, the words "why" and "no way" kept coming and going, then disappearing, then coming and going.

　I can't believe that the name on this circular, Lugis, is an acquaintance of mine. Of course not. He's a normal human being. He is not a person who can do such a big thing or reach such an impossible task. He's not the kind of person who would do such a big thing.

　But the detailed record of Lugis's appearance, dress, and height. Most of them matched the Lugis of his own memory. Alueno almost felt dizzy for a moment, but he bit the inside of his mouth and held on.

　You can never show weakness. That was the way of life that Alueno had learned here.

　Those who were admitted to the cathedral as nuns or to receive education in magic were mostly high class girls or children of rich merchant families. They always had a backer. A family name, a fortune, and a wealth of education and learning cultivated from childhood.

　But Alueno, an orphan, had none of that.

　Alueno, who had come here at the behest of the cathedral's upper echelons because of his magical background, must have been very uninteresting to them.

　No family name. No fortune. No education. Just a little girl with nothing, standing shoulder to shoulder with them. On the contrary, her magical background is outstanding.

　It was enough to make her a target of persecution in a closed society.

　The agony that covered my chest made me bite my teeth again and again, and the humiliation that was inflicted on me shook my brain over and over again. Many times, I felt a heaviness in my stomach, as if I should leave this place.

　Whenever that happened, the taste of the food came back to my mouth.

　The taste of the paste that Lugis had given me that day. I must have forced myself to buy not the cheapest one, but the most expensive one. He really is a vain man.

　Whenever the taste of it came back to me, I made up my mind not to break. Never show weakness, be resolute, and never give in to anything. I created that face.

　When Alueno, who had always had a strong background in magic, showed his skills in practice and took a strong stance, everyone began to feel a slight fear in their hearts.

　Don't let anyone see the bottom of you. Don't let anyone see your true face. By doing so, Alueno has won the right to live here, in the cathedral.

　Therefore, even if someone who seems to be an acquaintance is listed in the circulars, he cannot be upset.

　Alueno's face was no longer moving. However, there was one thing that was sticking to his chest.

　--Hey, Lugis. I'm not sure why you are on that side.

　The edges of Alueno's cheeks twisted in an unnoticeable way. A strange, sticky feeling was crawling inside her chest.

　Lugis also knows that he is going to the cathedral. It's not surprising that he understands that he belongs to the High Holy Church by choice. Or at least he should have. Because I told him in person. And he said he'd come for me someday. That's what he said.

　It never occurred to me that the next time I'd see him, he'd be on the front page as a herald.

I've been seeing a lot of horse-drawn carriages lately. I had no idea that this was happening.

　Suddenly, I realized that I had lost my train of thought for a moment, and nodded lightly at the words of the person sitting next to me.

　It is true that lately I have often heard the sound of the cathedral gates opening and the neighing of horses. In the event you're not sure what to do, you may want to take a look at the following tips.

　In the past, religious facilities such as cathedrals have often been used as temporary refuge and sanctuary from the battlefield.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. Especially this time, the damage was done by the heraldists. The cathedral will want to show the heraldists' vileness and their own generosity.

　However, in this situation, the Great Saints will not go easy on them. They will ask all nations to declare the heraldists as enemies and pagans. Alueno blinked his eyes. His golden eyes seemed to sparkle slightly.

　Enemies. Yes, the enemy. I'm on the side of the Great Saints. The herald is the enemy. And Lugis... If the man whose name was on that circular is the Rougis I know...

　Alueno's cheeks twisted again.