Late at night, at an hour when even the drunks had somehow disappeared from the main street.
I rode in a carriage driven by Freed, heading for the grand cathedral where the auction would be held.
「Fuhn fun fufuun」
「Renge, you are on guard duty」
「But Aina’s clinging to master’s arm too, isn’t she?」
「…This is only so that I can protect my liege in case of a sudden attack」
Inside the carriage, I was seated in the middle with Aina and Renge on either side, each holding on to my arm and leaning their heads against me.
If someone asked whether this counted as guarding me… well, maybe not. But then again, it wasn’t really a guard mission tonight anyway.
They were just attendants.
「Let’s leave it at that thenssu. But still, we really lucked out this time! Aina, your luck with lots is just too strong. Last time too, you ended up in the same room as masterssu」
「There are times when I simply follow a hunch. That’s all that happened this time as well」
「And to win just like that… it’s unfair, really! We’ll have to come up with a fairer method next timessu…」
Was there really a method fairer and simpler than drawing lots?
Even though it had been a fair result, Shiro looked pretty dissatisfied.
As for Sorte… she had stared hard at her drawn lot and then let out a deep sigh.
「Fwaah… I’m feeling a bit sleepy thoughssu…」
「It’s late. Do you want some refreshing tea?」
「Ah, I’m not really fond of that one… But I’ll take it anywayssu」
The tea was minty, clearing the head and chasing away drowsiness, but slightly bitter, so few people actually liked it.
I only drank it when focusing on alchemy. Still, it was perfect for waking up and refreshing the mind.
「We’ll be arriving shortly. It seems we are a bit early」
At Freed’s words, I glanced outside. There were only a few carriages.
Perhaps it was still early for the event to begin. In that case… maybe I’d be able to exchange a few words with Teresa.
「Pardon me… We are letting guests in one by one. Please wait a moment」
A man in a black robe stopped us and guided the carriage.
「It’s stricter than last time」
「Yes. This occasion is special, after all…」
「Special, you say…」
So there was some circumstance involved. Judging by the air, it was best not to pry too deeply.
「Well then, let’s wait calmly」
「Until then, it’s lovey-dovey timessu, right?」
「Even with Freed here?」
「I don’t mind」
「Then let’s do itssu!」
Oh, so she ‘is’ doing it.
Maybe because of the incident earlier in the day, Renge was pressing her chest against me even harder than usual… and Aina too…
「Haa… Keep it in moderation」
「Okayssu」
「…So moderation is acceptable then…」
Of course that was fine.
It wasn’t as if “lovey-dovey time” meant we were about to start anything indecent. It was just playful fooling around.
Since we were waiting anyway, we might as well enjoy ourselves.
「It is most pleasing to see such harmony between you. …And, was that satisfactory for you?」
「You mean about the money? This is a thank-you. If I were to take payment from Freed, it wouldn’t be much of a gift, would it?」
「However…」
「Besides, like I told you before, if she ever acts against us, I won’t hesitate to send her away. If there were money involved, it might make me hesitate at the crucial moment」
Of course, if things went smoothly and there was no trouble, I wanted them to keep working at my home.
I’d been bothered that every time I went out, no one was left behind at the house.
And since most of the housework already fell to Wendy, having someone to help her would be a great relief.
Well… if it worked out as neatly as that, anyway.
「I understand. …Thank you very much」
「No, thank you」
「Pardon me… Everything is ready now. Please follow me」
A man in a black robe called from outside. We stepped out of the carriage, and I turned back to Freed.
「We’ll be going, then. I’ll be counting on you for the return trip as well」
「We’ll be off」
「We’ll be back soonssu」
「Understood. I’ll be waiting」
-0-
Leaving the carriage, we followed the robed man.
When the great doors of the cathedral opened, the interior was divided with curtains.
Clearly, special measures had been taken.
But my purpose tonight was to purchase that half-elf.
As long as I kept to “don’t touch, don’t approach, don’t get involved,” there shouldn’t be a problem.
「Well now, quite the unusual guest we’ve got」
Further ahead, at what seemed to be the reception area, Teresa was waiting together with several sisters.
「The bards in the capital are still singing, you know. Is the other half of that forbidden love not with you tonight?」
「She’s staying home today」
At that, the sisters let out disappointed voices, their expressions clouded.
Come to think of it, Shiro had been spoiled by them before, fed treats and doted on.
「I’m afraid it’s too late to add anything to the auction tonight」
「That’s fine. I came to buy. There’s something in particular I’m after」
「Heh… We still have a bit of time before the start. How about we talk in the back for a while?」
「Sure. There’s something I wanted to ask you too」
Something about magic, specifically.
-0-
Following Teresa, I was led to the same room where she and her group had made such a commotion the last time.
Tea and sweets were brought out, and Teresa set down the massive cross-shaped weapon she had been carrying before sitting on it as if it were a chair. Looking at her now, no one would ever mistake her for a saint. With a cigar made from the leftover scraps of Yggdrasil in her mouth, she lit it by sparking a small flame from her fingertip. That was definitely not a sight she could ever show the common folk.
「So, what is it you wanted to ask?」
「Ah… do you remember when you talked to me about my divinity?」
「Divinity? Oh, I see. You want to know if you’d be able to learn holy magic after receiving baptism?」
「Yeah. The thing is, I had affinity for five elements other than Light, but apparently I don’t have aptitude for any kind of magic… So I was wondering if, even without Light affinity, I could still learn magic」
「You really go for the extremes, don’t you… But yes, you can learn it」
The outrageous answer made my eyes widen in surprise.
Seeing my reaction, Teresa chuckled, exhaled a plume of smoke upward, tapped the ash into the tray, then turned her gaze back to me.
「For starters, Light and Holy are completely different things. Holy magic comes from the blessing of the Goddess」
「T-then that means there’s a chance I can learn it too?」
「That’s right. Holy magic depends on the Goddess and on your divinity. As long as you haven’t done anything wicked, I’d say there’s a chance you could learn it」
Ohhh… then that meant I didn’t need to give up hope just yet.
「So what’s the actual difference between Light and Holy?」
「Light magic has many offensive spells effective against demons. Holy magic, on the other hand, is mostly healing. It also has purification spells that work well on the dead」
「The dead… you mean like zombies or skeletons?」
「Exactly」
Oh… better to have it than not, but honestly, I’d rather never have to use it.
And anyway, for healing we had potions, and even abnormal statuses could be treated with potions.
「That said, with your current divinity, it would be difficult」
「And how exactly do I raise my divinity?」
Donations, maybe?
Back then she had mentioned something about paying a hundred million Noll.
If I pushed myself, I could probably pay that much now… but was it really worth forcing myself just to learn it?
「Well… I’d say prayer to the Goddess is the surest way. Otherwise, hunting the undead would also do it」
「Undead hunting’s out of the question… If I really want to learn it, I guess I’ll just have to settle for prayer…」
Unfortunately, while not as bad as bugs, I still wasn’t good with zombies and skeletons. The fact that they were humanoid made them all the more terrifying. Zombie dogs were scary too, with the image of them being fast on their feet… but humanoids were on a whole different level.
「Now then, my turn for a question. What exactly did you come here for today?」
「Ah. I came to buy the half-elf」
Teresa was just about to light a second cigar, but the moment she heard my words she almost dropped it, fumbling to catch it in midair.
「The half-elf… you say? And why is that…」
「Someone asked me for a favor… That aside, Teresa, do you also believe half-elves are inferior beings?」
「Are you seriously asking me that? The Church exists to save those like them」
Her sharp tone made it clear she felt anger at my words, even though I hadn’t meant it that way.
But soon after, Teresa shrugged her shoulders.
「…But in reality, the Church isn’t doing anything to solve this issue」
「Why not?」
「Because the higher-ups are trying to avoid unnecessary conflict with the Royalist faction」
「Claiming rights for half-bloods would cause unnecessary conflict?」
「The Royalists advocate for discrimination against them. The nobles especially are terrible. Most likely, they want to keep them as convenient pawns they can use freely… utterly rotten, the lot of them」
「So the Royalists on one side… and you’re with the Church faction, Teresa?」
「That’s right. And by the way, Iris-sama, who you’re close with, is also with the Church faction. In fact, she was praying fervently earlier today」
That eased my mind a little.
Still, I wondered, was it really acceptable for a member of the royal family not to be aligned with the Royalists?
I was lost in thought when the door suddenly flew open.
「Captain! A secret meeting!? A Sister told me you brought a man in here! Ha! Perfect timing, I’ll just sneak a peek… wha…」
The one who burst in was the vice-captain.
When she noticed me, her voice trailed off and her expression shifted into one of pure shock.
「W-wait. Why is master-san here? Don’t tell me you’re on a date with the Captain!?」
「…Even if it were a date, that doesn’t give you the right to peek, does it?」
「P-please, don’t get angry! I’ve got work as the host soon! Not the face, anything but the face!」
The usual antics between the two of them made me chuckle.
And so, while they chased each other around until it was time, I sipped the tea that had been served, enjoyed a long-overdue chat with the vice-captain, and finally made my way toward the auction hall.
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