Special Side Story 9

In an inn in the Eastern Kingdom’s capital.

Helios’s angry voice resounded in the largest room of the inn.

[How dare that impertinent fellow treat you like that!]

More precisely, it came from within the mirror that Alice was holding in her room.

A mirror made with holy water that allowed communication with Helios.

Alice had been using this mirror every day.

From the first day of their journey.

At first, it was to boast to Helios about the special trip Kylus had prepared, then the next day, they discussed the dark mana spreading in the Eastern Kingdom, and so on.

Eventually, calling Helios through the mirror every evening to tell him about her day became a natural part of her routine.

To the extent that Kylus would briefly leave to give her time with Helios when night came.

Anyway, today as usual, Alice spoke about what had happened.

From Kylus’s elegant appearance in the Eastern robe to the rude Donghwa County magistrate’s guards who appeared in Ilgwang Village.

Helios’s previously calm demeanor changed dramatically after hearing about the Donghwa County guards.

Thump—

Helios struck the golden armrest of what appeared to be no ordinary chair and expressed great anger.

He hadn’t shown this level of anger even when confronting the dark specters.

Alice’s eyes widened at Helios’s unprecedented rage, but his anger didn’t easily subside.

“Even I don’t treat you carelessly, yet some insignificant human dares! To demand holy power from you!”

Had that man been before Helios’s eyes, he would have punished him with lightning immediately.

Alice was like a daughter to Helios.

She was someone special, incomparable to ordinary clerics or people.

It would be infuriating even if a deity from another dimension spoke ill of Alice, yet some nameless human in his world dared to bother her.

How dare he.

Of course, the guard had made a foolish mistake, not knowing that Alice was a special being or that a deity stood behind her.

But that didn’t evoke any mercy.

If he had lived righteously in the first place, he wouldn’t have made such a mistake.

Donghwa County, was it?

Helios thought he should summon the spirit residing in Donghwa County.

It’s the way of the world that those who arbitrarily touch someone else’s child will weep tears of blood.

In this world, only I have the right to scold Alice.

At that moment, Alice blinked slowly in bewilderment.

Is this really something to get so angry about…?

Though I’m pleased that he’s angry on my behalf…

Having a strong guardian who gets angry on my behalf does make my heart flutter…

But at this rate, Donghwa County might disappear from the Eastern Kingdom’s map by tomorrow morning?

Isn’t that too severe a punishment for the crime of upsetting her?

Alice waved her hands and hastily said:

“No… it wasn’t quite coercion; we just scared them off properly. Other than having to leave Ilgwang Village quickly, we didn’t suffer any particular harm… so please calm down. I’m really fine.”

Alice quickly changed the subject.

Not knowing that Helios had already sent for the Donghwa County spirit through his divine messenger.

“More importantly, seeing that the Donghwa County magistrate is also infected with dark mana, it seems there’s still a lot of unpurified dark mana in the Eastern Kingdom. I should inform Pope Prion of this fact so the purification efforts can proceed more quickly.”

Purification work was something that required clerics to step in directly, not just dark mana neutralizing herbs.

Though clerics had been urgently dispatched from the Pentaum Empire’s Great Temple to the Eastern Kingdom after she mentioned the Eastern Kingdom’s dark mana, judging from the current situation, it seemed their numbers should be increased.

Helios, pretending he hadn’t called his divine messenger, calmly picked up the conversation.

[Hmm, that would be good. But since Prion is temporarily away… I should issue an oracle after a long time.]

“The Pope is not there? Where did he go?”

[To the Eastern Kingdom.]

“Here?!”

Alice’s eyes widened.

Prion is here?

Did he come directly because of the purification work?

Surely we won’t run into each other?

She had only told Helios about her secret trip with Kylus, not anyone else.

Even the Eastern Kingdom’s dark mana problem had been conveyed to the Emperor and the Pope by Helios on her behalf.

Ungh.

As Alice let out a groan, Helios clicked his tongue.

[You should have just revealed your identity and traveled comfortably. Why hide it?]

Helios looked displeased with her anxiety, but soon added as if to tell her not to worry:

[How large is the Eastern Kingdom’s territory? What are the chances of Prion meeting you? Besides, Prion will mainly be traveling around purification areas, while you’re in the capital and will be leaving soon. Your secret trip won’t be exposed, so don’t worry.]

“Ah… I suppose that’s true.”

Alice chuckled with relief.

Her silly grin seemed directed at Kylus, making Helios want to give her head a light knock, but unfortunately, he couldn’t reach through the mirror.

[Laughing because you’re pleased. Anyway, since you left Ilgwang Village like that, I suppose you’re done treating people with holy power.]

“Yes, I suppose so…”

[Is it alright to end it so inconclusively? Don’t you want to do more?]

“Pardon?”

When Alice asked back, not immediately understanding, Helios answered seriously:

[You may not have realized it, but you were quite happy treating people in Ilgwang Village. You were always smiling. You were genuinely delighted when people were fully healed. It wasn’t just out of a small sense of responsibility that you cared for the people of Ilgwang Village.]

“…”

[Child, you felt great satisfaction and happiness in treating people. Incomparably more than your life as a duchess. Isn’t that right?]

Alice was at a loss for words.

It would be a lie to say it wasn’t to that extent… because she had enjoyed her time in Ilgwang Village so much.

While healing people.

It was the first time she had used her holy power so extensively and officially, the first time she had treated so many people.

Yet it wasn’t difficult or bothersome at all.

Rather, when people were fully healed, she felt a surge of energy.

As Helios said, she also felt a sense of fulfillment that filled her heart.

It was a new emotion she hadn’t experienced while living in the duchy as a duchess.

Although her life as a duchess was sufficiently happy…

These past few days felt more like me.

“…You’re right, Lord Helios. I was happy healing people.”

Alice nodded slowly, then shrugged as if there was nothing to be done.

“But what can I do? I’m not really Lien the mercenary, and I have to return to being a duchess, so this is where it ends.”

[If you wish, you could continue treating people even as a duchess.]

“But the holy power officially known to be possessed by the Duchess is very weak.”

Her true holy power was a secret.

There was no shortage of temples and clerics in the Pentaum Empire, so there was no need for a duchess with weak holy power to step forward.

Even if she did, people would go to the temples rather than to the Duchess.

But then Helios said:

[Why not officially reveal it? That you are a saint chosen by me. That your holy power is very powerful and sacred.]

Helios remained calm, but Alice’s eyes widened.

“What? Is that allowed? If my holy power is revealed, various problems…”

If her holy power were revealed, the world’s attention would focus on her, creating many things to worry about, which was why they had decided to keep it hidden.

Helios briefly looked at the surface of the divine realm, the surface where his world was spread out, then answered:

[The world will be noisy for a while, but… can’t you handle it sufficiently now? The Pentaum Empire has a new Emperor, and the temples have become solid with Prion at the center. And that Kylus fellow would protect you with his life.]

“…”

[Alice, if you wish, you can live as both a saint and a duchess.]

And if that happens, incidents like today, where someone dares to disrespect Alice, would never occur again.

That’s right.

As the world became more stable, Helios grew slightly more ambitious.

The ambition to make Alice known to the world and do more for her.

She was not only the daughter he cherished, but this world had been saved by Alice.

The people of this world had an obligation to be grateful to her.

But except for a few, no one knew of Alice’s contribution.

That occasionally bothered him.

And now that Alice seemed happy using her holy power, he thought perhaps this was an opportunity to declare to the world that she was his daughter.

But ultimately, it was Alice’s decision to make.

Helios looked kindly at Alice, who still appeared somewhat dazed.

[Think about it slowly. There’s plenty of time, after all.]

“…Yes. I will.”

Helios glanced toward the doorway and said:

[Kylus has arrived.]

Helios always ended the communication when Kylus returned.

“See you tomorrow.”

In response to Alice’s farewell, Helios nodded slightly with a faint smile before disappearing from the mirror.

Simultaneously, the room door opened.