--It is God's good deeds that help the helpless.

　Whether it was her parents or a heraldic priest who told her this, Mattia could no longer remember. However, she is certain that it was told to her many times when she was a child, as it is still very much in the root of her memory.

　The heraldic religion worships knowledge and wisdom. The truth of the world is in the quest, and the emblem points to it, is the doctrine of heraldry.

　And the more we keep that idea in mind, the more we distance ourselves from good and bad intentions. Let not the good or bad of knowledge be determined by the good or bad of reason. Let all wisdom be in your body.

　However, this does not mean that knowledge should be gathered and accumulated without any purpose. Such a thing would be no different than a wealthy man piling up gold coins without need.

　Mattia's eyes narrowed and ripples appeared on his lips as he thought.

　The accumulation of knowledge, however, is for the good of man. That's what I've been taught.

　Accumulate knowledge for the betterment of man, for the health of man. That is the origin of heraldry.

　Therefore, Mattia, no matter how much he considers calculation to be his companion in life, at the core of his heart, he believes that it is good to help others and take their hands.

　Of course, she understands that there are times when this is not possible. Mattia is not so naive. But that's why it hurts her to see people being taken advantage of so carelessly. There are times when I feel a twinge of pain deep inside.

　She sometimes repented to God that she had taken advantage of people's good intentions, and that she had sometimes trampled on them.

　Mattia believed that such feelings were common to all human beings.

　The poor, the thieves, the heretics, the ruffians. She believes that even those who are corrupted by unavoidable circumstances and are unable to reach out to others have a pure goodness embedded in their hearts.

　That's why Mattia couldn't understand why Lugis said that he could help her whenever he wanted to.

　I know that Lugis is a twisted person with distorted thoughts and ways of being. I know that the words I just said may be his own twisted way of thinking.

　But still, there's something about him that bugs me.

I'm not sure what to say.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. In front of her, she saw a parchment at work. There was a large stain of ink on it. Apparently, he had been unconscious for a while. Now he had to start all over again.

　Unintentionally, Mattia let out a deep breath and said.

"I'm sorry, Anne. I must have drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. Can I have some white water?

　Anne walked through the door of the office with an expression of concern on her face.

　Mattia replied, holding his own eyebrows with his fingers and breathing deeply again.

　The watchtower that exists within the walls of the Great City of Garouamalia. It was the main residence of those who now led the heraldry, including Mattia. It's the easiest way to deal with emergencies and to give orders to your soldiers when the enemy invades. That's why Mattia chose this place.

　But it may have been a mistake, Mattia thought, patting his shoulder with his hand.

　The interior of this wall, which is basically built of stone and can be described as a fortress, is extremely cold. If you're not careful, your fingertips will freeze in no time, and they'll be as cold as iron.

　Especially if you work late into the night, you can freeze just from that.

　But Mattia couldn't rest. After all, the only people who could support the office, or rather the central functions, were herself, Anne, and a few others.

　The city did not yet have the functions to supply supplies, maintain contact with Gazalia, deal with emergencies, deal with the sick, or deal with merchants in an orderly fashion. This is why all matters are ultimately sent to Mattia at the top of the city.

　Her head was burning, and she even felt like saying to herself, "Why can't I understand this?

　It was a testament to Mattia's talent that he was able to handle everything, including the smallest projects. It is also a testament to Mattia's excellence that he is able to handle all of them, including the smaller ones, and that he has not been able to maintain most of them while he was in the land of the elves.

　It would have been better if the whole thing could not be handled by this. If that was the case, she could share the work with those below her, even if they didn't like it. But that is not allowed for a saint. Because she can do everything, she cannot tolerate such negligence and continues to abuse her own body.

　Even now, even a moment of time is too much. I can't tell you how many cases I could have handled in the time I've been idle.

　And yet... Mattia forgets even the heat in his own brain, and gets even hotter than that, burning deep in his chest.

　So why should I be anguishing over that man? There's no way I can afford it, no way I need it. It's ridiculous.

　It's nothing but humiliation for her to even have her emotions shaken like that. But the more she tried to forget everything and keep her emotions in her heart, the more frustrated she became.

　A saint should not be swayed by her emotions. That was the way Mattia believed a saint should be.

　Even if the emotions change their expression in the depths of your heart, wrap it all up in a cloth. And let it all go on in your calculations. Put on the mask of reason and you're good. That's what a saint should do as a leader.

　Yes, there's no difference. Mattia involuntarily bit her lip and gripped her pen tightly. So, am I going down the wrong path as a saint now?

　No, no. It's not my fault. That man, Lugis, is the evil one.

　First of all, what was that attitude of his when he came to check on me as one of his allies while I was swamped by his busy schedule?



　As usual, he is somewhat of a joke, with an aloof and frivolous attitude. Hardly respectable. He's far from a gentleman.

　Oh, yeah. Maybe it's that attitude. It's probably because of his attitude that he couldn't control his emotions, spewing venom down his throat that made his cheeks red. And then, for some reason, I was in a daze and took his words in stride.

　Mattia felt as if there were several emotions clamoring inside her, each with a wide open mouth.

　Even though she was not moving her body, her blood was circulating faster and her heart was palpitating.

　--Besides, I'm too busy to see you. Wouldn't it be nice if you could at least say a few words of sympathy?

　As soon as the thought occurred to her, Mattia's big eyes blinked.

　I don't know what I was thinking right now. Shouldn't anger and disappointment gleam in her heart?

　No, no. That's not possible. I'm just upset that the man didn't say something normal, something he should have. You're no longer just a guest, you're an official ally, and you need to behave properly. Hence the outrage in my heart. That's all.

　Or else. Otherwise, it's as if I was expecting him to do me a favor. It's as if you wanted him to admire you.

　Mattia stroked his cheek, unaware of what was going on. Earlier, her brain had been boiling, but now her cheek was hot. She must not be feeling well after all.

　At that moment, Anne appeared with a cup with a light sound. Mattia coughs and smiles, adjusting his face.

Thank you, Anne. You should go to bed now. I'll be resting in a little while.

　I'll be resting in a little while." Anne's lips twisted in anxiety as she accepted these words.

"...... Very well, my Master. But...

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it. Anne is an intelligent girl. It's not uncommon for her to stumble over her words.

　Anne's gaze wandered for a moment, then she opened her mouth again, slowly.

No, it's nothing. ...... Tomorrow, there will be a meeting with the emissary from Gazalia, so please go to bed early today.

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea. But she seemed to be trying to cover it up.

　Mattia stroked his lips curiously, but still gripped his pen tightly again to finish the work that was due.

　It was hard to tell if the occasional pause in her pen was due to fatigue or a flicker of emotion in her heart.