Chapter 08
The image of Anelli standing tall flashed vividly through Samuel’s mind. Frowning, Samuel took a purposeful step forward. The strength in his tightly clenched fist would not dissipate.
He could still vividly recall the look in her eyes the last time their gazes had met.
Those indifferent, cold eyes.
This wasn’t a kidnapping. She hadn’t been surprised by the wyvern’s appearance, hadn’t tried to run away—rather, she had climbed to a conspicuous spot to draw attention.
At that moment, she didn’t have the face of a saint facing sacrifice. It was closer to that of a villainess who caused chaos among the people without a care. Samuel was certain.
From the very beginning, she had summoned that wyvern.
To escape using the wyvern.
—
* * *
—
“Have you heard the news?”
A sharp voice echoed through the office.
“Sit down, Frizian.”
“We have to find her first.”
“Sit.”
“Father!”
Despite his daughter’s impatient appearance, Duke Roam kept his mouth shut with a stern expression. Frizian, who had been biting her lip, reluctantly took her seat. The Duchess of Roam, who had arrived earlier, pressed her forehead with a weary face.
“What on earth is this commotion?”
“Those foolish Temple bastards—if they couldn’t even protect her properly, they should have handed her over to us from the start.”
Frizian spat out an irritated mutter between her teeth and leaned back against her chair in anger. Duke Roam stood with his hands clasped behind his back, lost in thought.
Because of the events of the past few days, he hadn’t been able to get a proper night’s sleep.
It was unbelievable enough that the daughter they had cast out had been resurrected as God’s chosen one. And now, before they could even meet her, they had received word that she had gone missing again.
“Have you seen the recording orb?”
“Yes.”
Someone had captured Anelli on a recording orb just before she was kidnapped by the monster, and it had even made its way into his hands. Though the distance was far, the flowing silver hair was unmistakably Anelli’s.
Until that moment, the Roam family members, who had harbored lingering doubts, could no longer deny it. Anelli Roam had truly become God’s Saint. The child they had abandoned and ultimately sent to the executioner’s block.
Duke Roam glanced briefly at Frizian.
“The family register?”
“I’ve restored it. There was some noise, but the opinion that we cannot keep God’s Saint outside the family was overwhelming.”
After convening all the vassals for an emergency meeting, Anelli Roam’s name had been reinstated on the family register.
Those who had once unanimously insisted that the shameful villainess’s name should be erased immediately were now speaking with one voice again, saying they must not let the Saint be taken by others.
Frizian’s opinion was the same as theirs.
Her younger sister had been a child who carried the Roam name better than anyone, and even after being abandoned by the Crown Prince, she had managed to find a new path.
Since it was Roam that had raised her that way, she rightfully should return to Roam.
“I’ll organize a search party with the family knights.”
At Frizian’s words, Duke Roam swallowed a groan. Then he asked slowly.
“What does Lilia say?”
“…She says she can’t see.”
Duke Roam frowned. Their decision to abandon Anelli and choose Lilia wasn’t simply because Anelli was terminally ill.
Lilia possessed the ability of foresight. That was an incomparably greater value compared to the utility of a daughter who was both terminally ill and could no longer become the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
Yet, when they needed it most, she couldn’t display that ability.
“What about the Imperial family?”
“The Empress still calls for Lilia. But His Majesty…”
The Duchess shook her head with a pained expression. It was obvious what the Emperor was thinking.
He would be trying to seize the Saint, who had slipped from Roam’s grasp, first.
That was why they had restored Anelli Roam’s surname, but if the Imperial family secured Anelli’s custody first, they would absolutely not hand her over.
“Do you think she knew God’s will before she died?”
The Duchess murmured as if to herself. She had actually fainted when she heard the news that Anelli had been resurrected.
It wasn’t quite the emotional and tearful story that was known to the public, but it seemed she also felt some joy that the child she had given birth to had come back to life.
However, as time passed and she regained her composure and thought about it, she began to feel somewhat resentful of her daughter.
Had she really not known that she would be resurrected?
“Of course there wouldn’t have been any signs. If it were Anelli, she might have deliberately kept her mouth shut.”
Frizian harbored the same suspicion. The Duke, who had been silently listening to the Duchess and Frizian’s conversation, let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“What use is there in dwelling on the past? First, we must form a search party.”
Duke Roam, who had wiped his tired face with his hand, muttered in a cold voice.
“As always, what belongs to Roam must remain with Roam.”
—
* * *
—
“This is our chance!”
The Emperor struck the armrest of his chair and exclaimed in admiration. Maxel, who had calmly read through the Temple’s official document, nodded placidly.
“I will send a reply stating our active participation in the search.”
“When the corpse was taken, I was truly worried. God has not abandoned the Imperial family.”
Maxel watched the Emperor smiling contentedly and confirmed the document once more.
It contained a brief account of how the Saint had been kidnapped by a wyvern, and below, a request for cooperation, stating that all former Imperial citizens must search for God’s Saint.
Throughout the document, the subject was consistently referred to as ‘the Saint.’ It was likely a deliberate choice.
To emphasize that the resurrected woman was no longer an Imperial citizen, but merely an existence meant to carry out God’s will.
“Anelli.”
The name he hadn’t spoken in a long time rolled off his tongue roughly, as if covered in thorns.
「I will strive to serve Your Highness without lack from now on.」
His former fiancée, who had always been upright.
「As one who will become a ruler in the future, you must maintain a clear attitude in dealing with those beneath you.」
Also, a woman who remained unemotional and judged coolly in any situation.
「She is a lady from a fallen house. Do you wish to take her as a mistress?」
Even after being diagnosed with a terminal illness and having a weakening body, she had been so ruthless.
「…Maxel. Although our relationship didn’t begin with love, I believed we could cultivate enough affection.」
Around the time she revealed such inner feelings, Lilia was already by Maxel’s side. So her cold love wasn’t missed, nor did it seem remarkable.
“She was quite fond of you, wasn’t she? If you go to rescue her, she will surely be delighted.”
The Emperor smiled and encouraged Maxel. After a moment of silence, Maxel put down the document and lowered his gaze.
“I have a new fiancée.”
“Ah, Lilia Roam, you mean.”
The Emperor muttered in a displeased tone and clicked his tongue.
“Haven’t I always said she seemed too frail? Though she bears the Roam name, her lineage is different.”
The Emperor had once welcomed Lilia’s gentle smiles and friendly demeanor. He often made time for tea with Lilia.
“Anelli is a woman resurrected by God’s blessing. If we bring into the Imperial family the one sent by God, the Empire will grow even stronger. Even if it’s not as the Crown Princess, there will be ways to entice her, so make an effort.”
If necessary, they could even adopt her as an Imperial daughter. Maxel could easily grasp the implication. He silently bowed his head to his father.
“Yes.”
—
* * *
—
A while after my successful escape, I heard an absurd piece of news. A rumor was spreading that the Saint had volunteered as bait in front of the wyvern to save the people and had been kidnapped.
I’d been thinking this ever since I was resurrected, but this world was truly going mad.
Moreover, because recording orbs with my image had spread everywhere, from now on, my silver hair would have to be concealed wherever I went.
Since I had also thrown away the Temple’s treasure, I tried my best to hide my hair color with a clumsy dye job for the time being.
Having never done this before, my technique was poor, and my hair, which I’d hoped would turn brown, ended up oddly mottled. Still, it was better than silver hair.
“I don’t know who recorded it, but if I catch them, I won’t let it slide.”
I heard that search parties were being formed everywhere based on the recording orb.
People were constantly admiring the Saint who had boldly confronted the monster, and they prayed for her safe return.
Everyone was growing more and more insane. This must be exactly what they meant by the proliferation of evil.
[Anelli, Bro said to tell you thank you!]
“It’s nothing. He became a kidnapper because of me, so this is the least I could do.”
I could no longer stay with the wyvern, which was far too conspicuous. Instead, I gave the wyvern information about a small monster habitat as recompense.
It was a habitat for monsters that looked similar to rats. Since wyverns were carnivorous monsters that ate smaller monsters, I thought it was a fair price to offer.
And from what the eagle was saying now, the wyvern seemed quite satisfied. Good—it’s better for him to feast in a habitat than to eat someone like me.
With the wyvern’s help, I had come to a rural area relatively far from the city where the Temple was located.
It had been difficult finding a place where a large wyvern could land and that was also sparsely populated, but I managed.
Honestly, I’d have liked to have been dropped off farther away, but holding on for that long had been too exhausting for me.
Still, thanks to landing in the countryside, no one recognized my face. Though I’d mottled my hair with dye, it was far from a proper disguise.
Given that Samuel had recognized me at a glance even when I was wearing my hood, there must be something distinctly detectable about me.
The search parties would soon track the wyvern’s flight path and mobilize, and compared to them, I was far too slow.
At this rate, I’d end up just taking a walk before getting caught. Was there no way around it?
“Eagle, do you know any other monsters?”
[Yeah, no!]
