“…..”
I wasn’t even surprised by this point.
Everyone just loved to come and go in my room without even asking for my permission. At this point, what was even the point of keeping the door closed?
‘Might as well just keep the door open to let everyone in.’
Not like it would make much of a difference.
“You don’t look very pleased by my appearance. Is it because I came in without you knowing?”
“So you do know.”
At the very least, she seemed self-aware.
“….Is that so? I apologize for the inconvenience.”
Though she said that, she still moved towards the nearby chair and sat down. I could only stare at her with a baffled look.
She winked at me.
“Charmed by me? Seeing the way you’re looking at me, I don’t think I’m too far off, right?”
“Ha?”
I felt my head throb. The more I interacted with this Saintess, the more I felt like throwing up. She was beyond shameless.
“Yes, a lot.”
I dismissively waved my hand, making sure my sarcasm was clear.
‘If anything, I feel repulsed.’
She was like a fox. An annoying fox with no sense of shame.
“Oh my~ How sweet of you.”
The more she talked, the more repulsed I became. Her personality seemed carefree, but at the same time, recalling the prior events, I knew that this was merely a front on her end.
And the fact that she showed up at my room meant that she wanted something from me.
“What is it that you want? Considering that you’re here, I take it that you’re curious about something.”
“Jumping straight to the point, aren’t we? In that case, I’ll also get straight to the point.”
The smile on the Saitness’s face grew a little more serious as her demenour shifted. It was so sudden and unexpected that I was almost thrown off.
With a wave of her hand, a sound barrier manifested around us.
“How did you manage to figure out that the reporter was going to act first?”
So it’s that again…
I was just about to open my mouth and reply when she cut me off.
“Don’t give me any nonsense about your little friend’s instincts.”
The Saitness’s eyes squinted, her body leaning closer to me and staring me straight in the eyes.
“If I had to make a guess, I’d say it’s because you saw something, right?”
“…”
As if the air had been sucked out of my lungs, I could only stare at the Saintess with an incredulous look. What sort of…?
“Hah.”
She smiled, staring at me with an impressed look.
“Your face hasn’t changed much. I’ve met quite a lot of people, but you’re one of the few whose poker face I find hard to read.”
“….I’ve had my fair share of practice.”
“Hahaha.”
Her crisp laugh quietly echoed across the surroundings.
“I can see. I can see.”
She seemed rather amused. Or at least, for the next several seconds before her entire demenour shifted again.
“You’re somehow related to Oracleus, correct?”
“…..”
Yet again, I found myself unable to breathe.
“You know, I’m not the Saintess of the Round Table for nothing. I’m rather sensitive to matters related to the seven churches, and considering the interest those of the Church of Oracleus have shown to you, I’m inclined to believe that you and they are related.”
She pinched her chin and leaned even closer. Her face was now just a few inches away from mine.
“Given how the two of you reacted almost as though you had foreseen everything in advance, I’m very inclined to believe that this is the case.”
The Saintess smiled, finally pulling her head back.
“And that brings us to why I think you saw something in advance. You…”
Her eyes squinted.
“…You can see the future, can’t you?”
I pursed my lips then, unable to find any words to reply to her. She just sat there, staring at me with a thin smile on her lips.
In that moment, it felt as though she could see through everything.
I knew that anything that I said would quickly be dissected by her, and that lying would only be detrimental to me.
‘Since she’s closely related to the seven churches, does that mean that she’s going to forcefully take the blood away from me?’
I grew tense at the thought.
If that were really to be the case, then there was no way for me to defend myself. She was stronger than me by quite a margin.
My heart pounded inside my chest as I forced myself to remain collected.
‘The fact that she has yet to make a move means either one of two things. She isn’t confident about her guess and is trying to gauge a reaction from me, or…’
“Let’s say that you’re right, and that I can see the future. What would you do with that information?”
“Trying to switch up the tone of the conversation by asking a question?”
The Saintess smiled before shrugging.
“Well, nothing in particular. The Round Table may be closely tied with the seven churches, but we’re also not the same. Unless someone threatens to destroy them, we’re rather indifferent. In your case, I’m only here to ask based on the investigation that we’re conducting. You don’t need to worry about any information leaking out.”
“Oh, I see.”
As if I’d believe her.
“I’m sad you still seem distrustful of me, but I really am not lying.”
“Okay.”
“…..”
Her smile faltered, but just momentarily, as she eventually sighed.
“Alright, fine. Believe whatever you want.”
She then shook her head while mumbling, ‘Kids these days, always suspicious of pretty-looking older sisters with kind intentions.’
“…..”
Lunatic.
She was a lunatic.
“Keum… Back to the focal point of the conversation.”
Coughing, she collected herself and continued, “I’m only here to investigate the situation based on what happened a few days prior. We’re almost done, and based on what we’ve found, it’s safe to assume that those from the Church of Oracleus will be released soon. There’s enough evidence to prove their innocence.”
“Oh.”
It’d be a lie if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but it wasn’t like I didn’t expect it.
I had been thinking of several ways to keep them in their cells for longer, but the influence of the churches was rather massive.
Even Atlas was helpless in the situation.
That was, of course, unless he wanted to wage an all-out war against the churches.
But I didn’t think he was keen on doing so.
“Based on what I’ve managed to observe, you and those from the Church of Oracleus are somehow tied together. How, and why, I do not know, which was why I came here to talk to you. However, seeing how quiet you’re being, I’ll just stick to my own guesses.”
She shrugged.
“In the end, I cannot compel you to speak. Doing so would be unbecoming of my title as Saintess.”
Brushing her soft, golden hair, she gradually stood up and eyed me directly.
“If you do have something to say, you can say it to me. I won’t interfere in your matters. You can think of me as an unbiased judge.”
“….I’m good.”
I answered after a little bit of thought.
Her words were tempting, carrying a certain charm that almost made me want to confess everything, but I held my tongue back. She may have put on an air of ‘trust’, but I didn’t trust her at all.
Who was to say she wouldn’t help those from the Church of Oracleus if she came to learn of the truth?
In fact…
“Seeing as how you’ve come to me for an answer, I presume that those from the Church of Oracleus have also kept their mouth shut on the situation, right?”
“…..”
It was her turn to stay silent.
I smiled then.
“You aren’t being honest, are you?”
I could more or less tell why she was curious. Just from the small interaction I had with her, I could tell one thing about her.
She liked to be in control. While she did speak about the Round Table being independent of the seven churches, it almost felt like she deemed the seven churches to be under her.
‘She doesn’t like the fact that one of her subordinates is acting without her knowing anything. That’s why she came to me, hoping to find some answers.’
This…
My mind churned.
If this were really the case, then perhaps I could use the situation to my advantage.
Of course, I didn’t immediately jump to this thought and calmed myself down. At the end of the day, I had only known her for a little less than a day. I still wasn’t sure if she could be trusted or not.
“A pity.”
The Saintess stood up from her seat and waved her hand, cancelling the sound barrier.
Suddenly, she lifted her brow as if sensing something and leaned her head closer to mine, her soft breath pressing onto my face.
“Say… about what I said earlier, what do you think about marrying me?”
“What?”
Seeing her demenour shift again, I looked at her strangely. Then, just as I was about to speak, she pressed her finger against my lips.
“Wh—”
“Thinking about it. If you end up marrying me, nobody in the world will ever cause you trouble. I know you’re really talented, so if you had someone protecting you at all times, you’d be able to grow without a problem.”
She spoke each word in a whisper, her voice extremely seductive.
But I wasn’t moved. I could tell with just a glance that she wasn’t being serious with her offer.
Not that I would take it.
In fact, I would rather die single than be with her.
Then again, it wasn’t like her offer wasn’t tempting. As she said, it would indeed make those from the Church of Oracleus back away. The same could be said for the Inverted Sky.
However…
‘Yeah, I’m good like this.’
“I can’t say your offer isn’t tempting, bu—”
“Hoho, so you’re tempted.”
Cutting me off, she laughed, seemingly pleased and unable to notice my clear attempt at refusing her offer. No, perhaps she knew and just cut me off before I could do so.
Did she not want to get rejected so badly?
“I guess my charm never fails~”
Winking at me, she moved even closer, whispering next to my ear as I frowned. Just as I was about to push her away, she moved back, hands in the air.
“Well, it was a nice conversation. Can’t say I’m not flattered about you wanting to accept the offer, so when the time comes, we can arrange a wedding between the two of us.”
She then blew a kiss my way.
“I’ll be off then.”
Her figure faded shortly after that.
In just the span of several minutes, she came, brewed up a storm, and left.
Recalling everything that had happened, I felt completely drained.
‘How exhausting. I hope I never get to meet her again.’
“Haa.”
I sighed while mumbling, “She was kind of beautiful thou—”
I stopped then, noticing a figure standing in the corner of the room. Her obsidian black eyes were locked on me, her face expressionless.
“Ho, it’s you.”
I covered my heart when I realized who it was.
Seriously, why does no one just come to my room the regular way?
I bitterly laughed.
“You saw that? I’m getting married, apparently.”
I shook my head. How ridiculous.
Reaching out for my pocket to take a chocolate bar I had saved up for when she would inevitably come, I was about to casually mention what had happened to Delilah when her soft voice whispered in the air.
“Why?
For some reason, her voice sounded a little different than usual.
“Hm, what?”
“….Why?”
I raised my head to look at her.
“Wha…”
It was also then that I stopped mid-motion.
I stood frozen, my entire body locked in place as the scene before me burned itself into my memory. Her expression. That lost and lifeless expression that seemed similar to the one I had seen in her past….
It was present as she looked at me.
“Why?”
She asked, as her eyes turned even more hollow.
And then I saw it. That minuscule, crystal tear that streaked down her cheek.
“Why…?”
She asked again, and as I opened my mouth to respond, I found the words stolen from my lips.
I couldn’t speak.
Seeing her like this, I felt the very air get squeezed out of my lungs as I reached out to her.
But by the time I did…
“Why?”
It was too late.
Her figure faded.
