Chapter 92
“The current situation is as follows.”
Dale continued speaking.
“Four monsters have awakened, with one awakening first. While exploring the snowy plains, three more awakened simultaneously, and two were handled by us, while the last one was dealt with by the saintess.”
“I merely did what was necessary.”
Nadia stood up, slightly lifted her veil, and smiled as she looked around.
“Indeed, you are the saintess!”
However, only Johannes responded.
“…To continue, we now have two tasks to focus on.”
Dale glanced at Nadia but didn’t pay her any more mind.
Since no one was paying attention to her, Nadia thought it was still early and that everyone was just waking up, so she sat back down.
“First is security. The monster we couldn’t deal with will arrive at the castle in a few days. The monster has poor eyesight but heightened hearing and smell. We need to strengthen security since it could use these senses to find its way to the castle.”
Next was exploration.
“We need to investigate why and how the monsters are awakening.”
The latter was the most crucial point.
If they understood why the monsters awakened, they could also find a way to prevent it.
“However, I have a question for the saintess.”
Kaien turned to Nadia.
“Is it possible to subdue the monsters?”
All eyes turned to Nadia.
As Dale’s explanation dragged on, Nadia, who had been zoning out, suddenly snapped back to attention and looked around in surprise.
“Excuse me?”
As Kaien frowned, Winston, standing behind Nadia like a guard, hurriedly leaned down and whispered to her.
“He’s curious if the saintess can subdue the monsters.”
“Oh, that? Um… Is it really necessary to subdue them? As the saintess, I can defeat the monsters with my divine power, right?”
“You’re absolutely right, saintess. Your divine power is far greater than that of the second saintess from 200 years ago. So, you can certainly kill the monsters! Everyone saw that yesterday, right?”
No one responded to Johannes’s words. Nadia shyly smiled.
“Well, I can show you again. Yesterday, I acted without realizing it because I thought I needed to save people.”
Kaien grimaced as he watched Johannes and Nadia laughing and exchanging banter.
Since the moment he entered the meeting room, his furrowed brow showed no signs of relaxing.
As Kaien gestured, Dale interrupted their conversation.
“Additionally, what I want to convey to the temple side is that the saintess should join the exploration rather than focus on security.”
“Wait, exploration?”
Winston stepped forward.
“This matter relates to the safety of the saintess, so I must speak up. The saintess’s power has only recently manifested and is still unstable. She should remain within the castle.”
“Unstable? I clearly saw her with enough divine power to kill a monster yesterday!”
Kaien tilted his head slightly.
It was unclear why Winston had come all the way to the North to provide direct protection, but his attitude was bordering on overprotective.
No, it felt more like he was trying to hide something rather than protect Nadia.
“Duke Wintbell is right. If she’s going to stay within the castle, then why did you come to the North for support?”
Theodore joined in with the questioning.
“Is that…?”
“Didn’t you know it would be this dangerous?”
Winston was at a loss for words as he met Theodore’s gaze.
Until ten years ago, Theodore had looked at him with warm eyes. But that gaze had vanished without a trace.
Winston bit his lip and avoided his gaze.
“That’s not it. It’s just that we should avoid danger as much as possible…”
“Ah-ha.”
Kaien interrupted Winston’s words.
“So what you’re saying, Sir Winston, is that the saintess should not be put in danger and should stay safely within the castle?”
As Winston couldn’t say anything, Kaien let out a hollow laugh.
“How shameless of you to be speechless. If that’s the case, it’s better for you to just return to the temple.”
Then his gaze turned to Nadia.
Nadia, who had been staring blankly at Kaien, flinched at his cold gaze.
“Why did the saintess come to the North?”
“Oh, I came to eliminate the monsters and save the North.”
“But are you just going to sit there without saying anything? Will you remain silent even after seeing the situation unfold?”
“W-well, I was just too flustered. What’s so difficult about going to the snowy plains? Of course, I can go!”
“Saintess!”
Winston called out to Nadia urgently, but her words were already complete. Kaien smiled faintly and then quickly composed his expression.
“The saintess says so, doesn’t she, Sir Winston?”
Winston’s lips moved, but he soon shut his eyes tightly.
“…I will follow the saintess’s opinion.”
“Good. Then we’ll head to the snowy plains today. Father, is the exploration preparation complete?”
“We just need to depart.”
“Understood. Then everyone, get ready. We’ll leave in an hour.”
With Kaien’s words, the meeting came to an end.
Nadia turned her head to follow Kaien, completely indifferent to Winston’s piercing gaze.
Kaien’s sharp remarks during the meeting were incredibly attractive.
‘It seems I made the right decision to keep him around.’
Although it was disappointing that Philome wasn’t at today’s meeting, Nadia found Kaien’s expression so satisfying that she didn’t even think about it.
‘Besides, if Philome had attended the meeting, I would have felt even worse.’
Philome didn’t hold a high position like the others, nor did she possess exceptional abilities like Nadia.
If she had attended the meeting, it would have been quite unpleasant.
Nadia truly felt the reality of being a saintess. In the past, she wouldn’t have even been allowed in a place like this due to her lack of qualifications.
“Saintess, may I have a word with you for a moment?”
Nadia turned her head slightly to glance at Winston.
‘No matter how I look at it, Kaien is much more handsome. He must be my destiny.’
Strangely, every time she saw Winston, he appeared less attractive, so Nadia quickly turned her head back to face forward and spoke nonchalantly.
“I’ll talk to you later. You heard the Duke say to prepare, right?”
Winston was aware that he was no longer the Third Prince. However, he felt displeased when Nadia referred to him as ‘Sir’ in front of others.
But the title wasn’t what mattered right now. The real issue was that Nadia was going to the snowy plains without any prior planning.
Just as he was trying to suppress his anger and speak again, he heard a voice.
“Philome?”
Nadia and Winston’s gazes immediately turned toward the direction of the sound.
Philome was standing just beyond the open door of the meeting room, wrapped in a thick shawl over her light clothing.
Her naturally disheveled hair and slightly flushed cheeks created a soft and fresh atmosphere.
It was a completely contrasting sight to Nadia, who had gotten up at dawn and meticulously prepared herself from head to toe without missing a single detail.
“Why are you out here? You said you wouldn’t attend the meeting.”
“If I attend the meeting when I can’t be of much help, it would be a nuisance. Anyway, I received a letter from Sebastian.”
“Why are you going out of your way to do this?”
“It’s an important letter. Who else would do this if not me?”
Kaien casually stuffed the letter into his pocket and took Philome’s hand. With his other hand, he gently brushed Philome’s cheek.
“Your face is red. Did you catch a cold? Why didn’t you wear your cloak?”
“I just went to the greenhouse for a moment.”
“Why did you have to do that?”
“Natasha is probably busy with the meeting, so I did it since I have some spare time.”
The looks and tones they exchanged were soft. A fluffy atmosphere surrounded them, as if it would crumble with the slightest touch.
“Next time, even if you go out for a moment, make sure to wear your cloak. No, I should just tell Jake to do it.”
“Don’t do that. Sir Jake is a guard, not a maid.”
Philome shook her head.
Then she locked eyes with Nadia, who was watching them over Kaien’s shoulder. Nadia, who had been staring at the two, realized it a beat too late.
She needed to smile like yesterday.
She should boast about being a saintess and look down on Philome.
But Nadia’s stiff lips refused to move easily.
‘I need to smile…’
Just then, Philome smiled. Her full lips curved into a soft line, and her playful eyes crinkled gently.
Nadia, who had been trying to force a smile, froze upon seeing that expression. It was completely different from the shock she had felt when looking at her just yesterday.
‘Why are you smiling?’
You don’t have the right to smile. You aren’t qualified.
Aren’t you supposed to be angry and upset, just like I was?
‘Why… can you still smile?’
