As the sunset painted the sky a crimson hue, the chaos inside the academy had nearly been completely subdued.
Not a single life had been lost. The material damage was minimal. The tainted barrier had been restored to its original state, and the remnants of the evil god’s aura that lingered throughout the academy had also vanished, thanks to Lucy’s magic. There was no longer any room for further chaos to arise, even if someone tried.
“Thank you for your hard work, Saintess.”
After the various procedural matters were completed, the bishop bowed his head, and Feibi slightly curled the corner of her mouth in response.
“The ones who worked hard are the bishop and the other priests, not me. What have I done?”
“Did you not face the evil god of emptiness as the representative of the deity? Despite the exhaustion and fatigue, you kept moving without rest, comforting others, and working alongside the First Queen, handling various aftershocks. How can you say you’ve done nothing?”
The bishop, thinking Feibi was being modest, spoke with a relaxed smile, but Feibi could not bring herself to nod at those words.
She truly believed she had done nothing today.
It was Lucy who had noticed the evil god’s plans. It was Lucy who had prepared for the various contingencies. It was Lucy who had eliminated all the variables in the underground. And it was Lucy who had purified the evil god’s energy.
Feibi herself had only danced on a stage set by the apostle.
She had only moved desperately on the stage, believing the voice of the playwright.
Yet, the person who truly deserved the attention was completely ignored, while Feibi—who had no reason to be recognized—was receiving all the credit. How could Feibi possibly hold her head high?
“That’s right, Saintess. If it weren’t for you, how many victims would have been made?”
“Not just inside the academy, but people outside would have been in danger as well.”
“...Perhaps we too.”
“The sins created by our powerlessness were erased, and our lives were saved by you, Saintess. So please accept our gratitude.”
Seeing Feibi’s complicated expression, the priests praised her virtue and expressed their thanks.
They smiled, hoping the Saintess would understand their feelings. They didn’t even realize that this made Feibi’s heart even more conflicted.
“No, everyone.”
I understand.
I understand that Lady Aln should not be brought into the open.
If the apostle’s identity were to be revealed in the cold church of the deity, a great disturbance would occur.
Lady Aln doesn’t wish for the numerous sacrifices that would arise in the turmoil.
That’s why you are transferring all the credit to me.
I understand it with my mind.
“I...”
But I cannot accept it with my heart.
Hearing gratitude for something I didn’t achieve, hearing praise for someone else’s work.
The person who truly deserves the accolades, not hearing a single thank you, but instead being scrutinized under malicious rumors.
Is this also a trial? Is the deity placing hardships in my heart? If I overcome this, will something change?
“Saintess, the time for closing is here.”
Feibi, who had been hesitating in her thoughts, turned around as Arthur and Freya appeared behind her. The bishop and the priests smiled and bowed their heads upon seeing the two familiar faces.
“I apologize, your friends. We’ve taken so much time due to our incompetence.”
“No, Bishop, Priest. We know that you risked your lives to protect the people on the streets. How could the word ‘incompetence’ fit in that?”
Arthur, who had mentioned that the academy and the kingdom would soon send their gratitude, exchanged a few more words before taking Feibi and leaving the church.
“Prince, where is Lady Aln?”
“She’s sleeping while making a purring sound. She must be exhausted from using so much energy.”
“Is she alright?”
“Many esteemed people have said she is perfectly fine. You don’t need to worry.”
“...I’m so relieved.”
Feibi, who had shifted the blame for her incompetence onto Lucy and stolen the credit for the miracle Lucy had performed, let out a sigh of relief filled with guilt.
Arthur, who had been watching her drooping shoulders, paused for a moment before cautiously speaking.
“Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“I know this may be overstepping, but I think you should at least accept the gratitude.”
Feibi, who had been following Arthur in silence, suddenly stopped and slowly lifted her head.
The shadow of Arthur, standing under the sunset, stretched long behind him, which caught her eye.
“I can roughly guess why you feel uncomfortable with gratitude, but if you carry the burden in your heart, won’t the burdens of others grow heavier as well?”
“I know... But.”
“Do you perhaps wish to see Lucy Aln’s face turn bright red and watch her run away?”
“...What?”
“If that’s the case, I want to see it too. It’s quite amusing to see that guy, who’s immune to compliments, flustered.”
“I want to see it too. Lucy is cute.”
Seeing the two nodding in agreement, Feibi’s cheeks flushed, blending with the sunset’s light.
“W-What is this talk?”
“Do you not like it?”
“No, I...”
“Really?”
“I want to see it... but that’s not what I wanted to say!”
Startled, Feibi raised her voice, and Arthur shrugged.
“Saintess, Lucy Aln knows more than we think. She even remembers the last words of my mother.”
Arthur muttered that Lucy’s wisdom seemed closer to divine than human, causing Feibi to blink and Freya to tilt her head.
Arthur, noticing their confused reactions, chuckled and turned his back.
“But there’s something she doesn’t know. No matter how much the sun tries to hide behind the clouds, eventually the clouds will clear.”
There’s no need for someone to step up and declare how great Lucy is. No matter how hard she tries to hide herself, those who remain on the ground will inevitably face her light.
“Until that day, wouldn’t it be fine to let the shy sun hide its face? When the day comes, she won’t be able to hide even if she wants to.”
Listening to Arthur’s words, Feibi gave a light smile as the shadows of the setting sun blended with the darkness.
“Indeed, I must endure until that day. For her.”
Not long after Feibi spoke, the streetlights illuminated, dispelling the darkness. Arthur’s face, bathed in the bright light, wore a relaxed smile.
“You’ve let go of much, Prince.”
“Because of someone, I remembered precious memories.”
“Is that so? It’s both a blessing and a dilemma.”
“...What?”
“Lady Aln is one, isn’t she?”
Arthur, who had been standing under the streetlamp, opened his mouth, then quickly realized Feibi had made a playful remark and stepped back, trying to hide his flushed face.
Noticing Arthur’s shy reaction, Feibi chuckled and turned her head toward Freya, who was teasing Arthur.
“Kent Lady, do you know what Zoin is doing right now?”
“She’s stuck with the professor. The professor couldn’t see her pupils, so she was scared.”
“Hmmm. In that case, it seems we won’t be able to see her today.”
A warm spring breeze brushed against my skin, carrying someone’s singing voice.
It wasn’t a voice that could be called good, but it was soothing to listen to, and if I focused on it, my heart felt at ease.
It was the kind of song that, if recorded and played before going to bed, might bring pleasant dreams.
As I listened to the song, I suddenly felt a raindrop near my face and opened my eyes.
Facing the ceiling, now turned black, I realized that I had just been asleep.
How strange. What was I doing before I fell asleep? I clearly...
Ah. I remembered. I must have collapsed after performing the purification miracle.
Purifying the evil god’s energy was really exhausting. With the amount of divinity I possess, no one should have been able to outdo me, yet I was so drained that I thought I might die.
Still, I guess the miracle did its job, and everything seems to have been resolved.
I forced myself to sit up, rubbing my face, and noticed tears had gathered at the corners of my eyes.
What is this? Did I have a sad dream? Did I dream of speaking in a perfectly composed tone, only to realize it was impossible and then burst into tears?
<Did you wake up? How is your body?>
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
‘Completely fine.’
<Ha... That’s a relief. You’re such a strong child, yet every time something happens, you collapse, and each time, I feel like my heart is falling too.>
‘You don’t even have a heart to fall.’
<...It’s just a metaphor! A metaphor!>
Ignoring my grandfather’s grumbling, I stretched and looked around in the dark.
Erin, who had been nursing me while I slept, seemed to have fallen asleep, her head resting against the headboard. The fox, snoring by the window. The presence of a sword just outside the door.
The silence of the night, with everyone peacefully sleeping, told me that everything was over.
Phew. It was full of variables, but somehow, we made it through.
I’m relieved, but next time, I’ll take a safer approach instead of trying to do things my way.
It’s too tiring to act on my own whims.
If I had just thrown a tantrum and dragged Benedict along, I wouldn’t have had to suffer this much.
Muttering to myself about making a foolish mistake due to my personal desires, I heard a notification sound in my ear.
I lifted my head and saw a blue window appear before me. It was a quest, the details of which I had missed earlier when I checked my quests.
[How long will the fairies continue to sleep?]
Without a doubt, the text on that blue window was the first quest of its kind I had ever seen.