Chapter 07
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“A, a monster!”
“Kyaaak!”
The people who had been standing around blankly began to scream in terror as the wyvern approached close enough to be seen with the naked eye. Confusion spread among the believers standing near the stage, waiting for the upcoming sermon.
People in a state of panic screamed and scrambled to flee, regardless of who was around them. However, the crowd was so massive that there was no order whatsoever.
“Kyaah!”
“Uwaaah!”
The pilgrims standing near me were the same. Before Samuel could grab me, someone ran between us, and taking advantage of that gap, I also ducked down as if startled.
Some had their hoods pulled off, others still wore theirs, but we all wore similar pilgrim attire, so it would be fine to just blend into the commotion.
Ah, now.
The moment I let go of the hand holding the necklace, the unnatural energy that had been covering my face dissipated. The squirrel quickly grabbed the fallen necklace in its mouth and darted to the pocket of the person beside me.
Fortunately, he had nearly collapsed in fright at the wyvern. The person who had fallen was crawling away, trying to escape. The necklace successfully landed in his pocket.
“Get out of the way!”
“Aack! Someone help!”
As the people standing nearby shoved each other, the wyvern came close enough that its scales were visible. Unable to land, the wyvern traced a glide path across the plaza sky.
Even that movement alone sent a gale-force wind howling through. Between flapping cloaks, everyone squinted, unable to keep their eyes open.
The wyvern didn’t move far into the sky but circled widely over the plaza, letting out a long cry. With each sharp screech, the people’s screams and confusion grew louder.
Of course, that was only the people—I wasn’t confused at all. My ears were just ringing, that’s all.
[Ah~ yes~ El~i~, who~ is~ this~?]
I need to let them know I’m here.
Quickly scanning my surroundings, I spotted a familiar eagle perched on the podium that had originally been set up for the sermon. I started running wildly, screaming just like everyone else.
“Kyaaaaah! A monster appeared!”
To be honest, transformation magic didn’t work on animals. Animals always saw my true form.
So, if I pretended to be swept away by the crowd leaving the plaza and then revealed myself once I was alone…!
“Saint!”
Startled by the strong grip on my arm, I turned around to see Samuel with a serious expression.
Samuel’s face, full of confidence, wavered slightly the moment he confirmed my face. Not missing that instant, I screamed like a frightened believer.
“Help me! Oh God!”
Perhaps because my appearance had changed in an instant, Samuel couldn’t forcefully grab me. I broke free from his hesitant arm and quickly turned to run away.
Pushing roughly through the people bumping into my shoulders and body, I tried my best to get as far away from Samuel as possible. Fortunately, Samuel couldn’t recklessly push the believers aside, whereas I could shove people away and run.
But I had thrown away the necklace—how did that man catch me? I was certain he would have gone after someone else, so I felt a surge of bewilderment.
What was certain was that if I missed this opportunity amid the chaos, that man would surely catch me with full confidence this time.
Moreover, the paladins would soon come running to deal with the wyvern. There were still too many people in the plaza for them to launch a proper attack, but some priests and guards had already come to their senses and were quickly guiding believers out of the plaza.
I changed course, heading outward. At the same time, another gust of wind blew from above. My tightly wrapped hood couldn’t withstand the wind and was blown back.
My silver hair, which I had been hiding with the magical tool all along, fluttered defenselessly. Damn it, all or nothing!
The sermon stage in the center of the plaza had emptied out more than before, making it easier to approach. The eagle spotted my conspicuous silver hair and flapped its wings.
[Here, here! Bro!]
[Whe~re~ are~ you~?]
The wyvern, which had been circling widely in the air, gradually descended closer to the ground. The people who hadn’t managed to escape trembled, lying flat on the ground and screaming.
Leaping over their bodies, frozen in fear, I quickly climbed onto the sermon stage. From the elevated view, I could see the plaza’s situation at a glance.
It was also easy to spot Samuel, who stood a head taller than everyone else. He was coming this way.
“Here!”
I took off the cloak I was wearing and waved it wildly with both hands, jumping onto the highest point of the podium. In the distance, I could see armed paladins and soldiers arriving at the edge of the plaza.
“I’m here!”
Having confirmed its target, the wyvern’s talons spread wide open.
“Saint!”
[Anelli, brace yourself!]
The moment Samuel climbed onto the stage, a large, black shadow quickly swept over him. I squeezed my hand gripping the cloak with all my might and squeezed my eyes shut.
As something hard snatched me up, I felt an impact as if I’d been punched in the chest. My breath caught, and my body felt like it was floating.
[Got it!]
[Are you sure it’s the right one, little brother?]
[Yes, Bro!]
Between the sound of wind rushing past my ears, I could hear the conversation between the eagle and the wyvern. Opening my eyes, I saw the central plaza rapidly growing distant. Archers were aiming in our direction, but they didn’t fire.
With a few flaps of its wings, the wyvern closed the distance in an instant. From below, it sounded like they were shouting something, but they were too far away to hear.
It was much more spectacular than I had imagined, but it was satisfying enough. Even though I was exhausted, I held onto the cloak desperately and let out a long breath.
Then, without hesitation, I let go of the pilgrim’s cloak. Watching it flutter and fall below, a silly laugh escaped me.
…Finally, I was free.
—
* * *
—
“At this distance, we can hit it!”
“No, a person has been kidnapped!”
“If we let it get away, there could be even greater casualties! Give the order!”
The arrows aimed at the wyvern were poised to be fired at any moment.
If they were ordinary arrows, they would have fallen helplessly in an arc, but those holding the bows now were skilled archers who could handle divine power. At this range, they could tear the wyvern’s wings and bring it down.
A monster suddenly appearing in the holy city. To prevent the endless spread of anxiety and absurd rumors among the citizens, it had to be dealt with now.
Despite that judgment, the captain of the city guard couldn’t order the attack on the wyvern. It was because of the fierce opposition from a stern-faced paladin.
“You can’t!”
He couldn’t ignore that opinion. It was Samuel, a paladin of unparalleled skill favored by the High Priest.
“She must not be harmed!”
“But…!”
“She is the Saint!”
“The Saint?”
“The one sent by God?”
The guard captain and the paladins around him looked at the retreating wyvern with confused eyes. Samuel also gritted his teeth and glared at the disappearing wyvern.
“Something is falling!”
Something black fell from the wyvern, now completely out of arrow range. The black cloth fluttering and falling from the sky looked like the cloak the Saint had been wearing.
Samuel’s face turned pale. His heart dropped for a moment, thinking the wyvern might have dropped her. But fortunately, only the cloak was falling.
“Sir Samuel, is it really true that person is the Saint?”
Someone grabbed Samuel’s arm and urgently asked. Samuel silently nodded, his gaze fixed on the wyvern until it became a tiny dot.
“Good heavens, the Saint has sacrificed herself for us.”
“She threw herself to the monster to protect the people!”
“Ah, God has truly sent a Saint to destroy evil!”
The murmuring crowd gradually cried out in lament. Someone knelt and prayed to God, while others raised their voices, insisting they must hurry and rescue the Saint.
The guard captain quickly sent a messenger to the Temple to spread the news of the Saint’s abduction.
The wyvern was no longer visible. Samuel, who had been standing still with a stiff face, tightly pressed his lips together and turned around.
The flowing silver hair, the mysterious purple eyes. That must have been the Saint’s true appearance, which she had been changing with the God’s treasure all along.
Standing on the podium, gazing at the sky unwaveringly even in the strong wind, a clear scar was visible on her nape.
That was proof that she had once been the Empire’s decapitated villainess.
“Anelli Roam.”
A name he had never uttered slipped from his tongue. It felt incredibly unfamiliar and awkward compared to the title ‘Saint’ he had been using all along.
But once he spoke it, it seemed more fitting than anything else.
「You must not have heard the rumors about me. I was famous for being wicked.」
Her indifferent voice came back to him. Back then, he had let her words go in one ear and out the other.
It was obvious she had no intention of staying at the Temple, and her spiteful words were clearly born from that feeling.
Now, whatever he said wouldn’t eliminate her hostility, so he planned to just let it slide and focus on escorting her.
「My name isn’t Saint, Sir Samuel.」
He knew her name from the beginning. He just hadn’t thought it important.
The fact that she had been called a villainess in the past didn’t matter to Samuel. Because she was the Saint sent by God.
It wasn’t his place to judge who God chose, or His intent.
Perhaps he should have approached things differently from the start. Because it had been so easy to find Anelli, he hadn’t imagined he would lose her right before his eyes.
「Why, afraid I’ll run? With your skills, you could easily catch me in this crowd.」
He admitted it. He had been overconfident in his abilities. It had always been that way when chasing anyone, so he had believed his cold rationality would quickly assess the situation this time as well.
