Chapter 128: Consultation (7)

 

“...Saintess?”

 

Arwin gazed at the saintess.

 

She wondered if she had intruded on her private time... but Arwin knew.

 

That shedding tears alone was a signal that help was needed.

 

She didn’t want to leave her alone, a colleague from Sylphrien.

 

Startled by Arwin’s arrival, the saintess stumbled backward.

 

Swallowing her breath and looking up at Arwin with round eyes was an added reaction.

 

She blinked at the sight of Arwin.

 

As if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing right then.

 

Arwin, pondering how to start the conversation, finally asked,

 

“...Why... are you crying...?”

 

“.........”

 

But the saintess, without answering, just quietly looked at her.

 

Her eyes scanned Arwin’s hair, eyes, lips, and ears.

 

Eventually, even the ring on her hand.

 

For some reason, her gaze, fixated on the ring, wouldn’t leave it, prompting Arwin to reflexively hide her hand behind her back.

 

Only then did the saintess seem to come back to her senses, steadying her breath before speaking.

 

“Ah... No, it’s nothing.”

 

A person who appeared pure beyond imagination.

 

Arwin quickly realized why she was known as the saintess.

 

The more pitiful she looked, the more she wanted to comfort her.

 

She might not have been like this in the past, but even this change was wrought by Berg.

 

Knowing how much a reaching hand can be a support during tough times.

 

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

 

Arwin asked cautiously.

 

“There’s no...”

 

The saintess, wiping her tears, froze mid-answer.

 

“...”

 

After a moment of silence, she asked,

 

“...Will you help me...?”

 

Her voice trembled.

 

Arwin nodded at her tearful request.

 

“Yes, I’ll help you.”

 

She was ready to fulfill any request she had, if possible.

 

The saintess’ eyes sought Arwin.

 

After hesitating for a while, she finally made a proposal.

 

“...Then... could we talk a bit...?”

 

****

 

Arwin sat beside the saintess for a long time.

 

She waited while Saintess struggled to calm her tears.

 

Unsure of what she would bring up, Arwin was committed to helping.

 

Thinking about it, one of the heroes leading the war against the demon king had asked for help.

 

Maybe this opportunity was a blessing in itself.

 

It seemed like a good idea for her to establish some sort of rapport.

 

It was none other than the saintess herself.

 

Perhaps in the future, she might be able to ask for help if any problem arose with Berg.

 

“Have you calmed down?”

 

As the saintess’ tears subsided, Arwin asked cautiously.

 

The saintess nodded.

 

At the same time, she turned her head to face Arwin.

 

After observing her for a while, the saintess whispered,

 

“...What did you say your name was?”

 

“I am Arwin Celebrien.”

 

Introducing herself, Arwin felt the need to mention Berg as well.

 

While other nobles get married and change their surnames, to some extent, this alone serves as an introduction.

 

However, Berg, not a noble and thus without a changed surname, was different.

 

So she added,

 

“...I am also the wife of Berg, the vice-captain of the Red Flames group. I came here following him.”

 

“................”

 

The saintess remained silent for a long time after Arwin’s words.

 

“...You are beautiful.”

 

Arwin shook her head at her comment.

 

“...No, it’s not me. The saintess herself...”

 

“...”

 

Arwin, seeing the seemingly lonely figure of the saintess, finally asked,

 

“So?”

 

“...”

 

“Why were you crying?”

 

At that question, the saintess buried her face in her garment.

 

It seemed like she couldn’t bear to show her expression.

 

Her behavior, reminiscent of a small animal, continually stirred sympathy in Arwin.

 

A willingness to wait emerged within her.

 

“...I have something I regret.”

 

The saintess spoke.

 

She let out a hollow laugh.

 

“...Something I thought was mine... I might have lost it forever... That’s why...”

 

Arwin tried to offer some comfort.

 

“...Material things always come back. I don’t know what you’ve lost but-”

 

“-I lost someone. Someone I loved.”

 

But the saintess interrupted her.

 

At her response, Arwin’s mouth tightened.

 

Hearing about losing a loved one made her heart ache inexplicably.

 

Perhaps it was because she imagined herself in her place, losing Berg.

 

What would she do if she lost Berg?

 

Would she be like the saintess before her, crying for a long time?

 

“...It was my fault. From the beginning, everything was wrong. It shouldn’t have been like this...”

 

“...”

 

“The thought that those happy moments might never return is so painful... it hurts so much...”

 

Arwin recalled a story she had heard from Sylphrien and asked,

 

“...The one you love... Is it a man?”

 

“...”

 

The saintess weakly nodded at her question.

 

Arwin swallowed, acknowledging her admission.

 

This was the first time she had seen someone heartbroken in person.

 

The fact that her numbness could transmit such pain was astounding.

 

Perhaps it was a story she could empathize with, even just a bit in her imagination.

 

Arwin spoke.

 

It was her effort to draw out the story.

 

She knew that sometimes just talking could ease a person’s mind.

 

“...He must have been a good person.”

 

The saintess nodded.

 

“We’ve been together since we were children.”

 

“A childhood friend?”

 

“...Yes. I’ve known him since I was 9. He never left me, even when I became an orphan. He always fought for me, and always tried to make me smile. But... maybe...”

 

“...”

 

Tears flowed again from the saintess’ eyes.

 

With a voice filled with regret, she said,

 

“...He’s the one I left behind to go to war... sob... I pushed him away too harshly. It was such a foolish choice. I don’t even know why I did it...”

 

“...Has he passed away?”

 

The saintess started to shake her head and then spoke.

 

A faint chill settled in her voice.

 

“...I received news that he has gotten married.”

 

“...Ah.”

 

Arwin swallowed.

 

She now understood the saintess’ pain.

 

She had thrown herself into the battlefield, sacrificing herself, only to hear that the person she loved had found someone else.

 

For Arwin, it was an unimaginable kind of pain.

 

She took the side of the saintess in her response.

 

“...That man was not good to you.”

 

“....”

 

The saintess didn’t respond.

 

She just buried her head in her knees again and remained still.

 

After a while, the saintess asked,

 

“...Arwin, are you and your husband on good terms?”

 

“What?”

 

“...Any discomfort? I heard it was a marriage of convenience.”

 

The saintess left out many words, but her question was loaded with them.

 

There was an underlying question about whether it was okay to be sold to a commoner human mercenary.

 

“...”

 

Arwin, seeing the saintess suffering from a broken heart, didn’t want to rub salt into her wound by talking about the joys of marriage.

 

Just as the saintess had shared her pain, Arwin wanted to share her concerns.

 

It would only be polite in a conversation.

 

Arwin brought up a topic she had discussed with Sylphrien.

 

“To be honest... I’ve been feeling quite confused lately.”

 

“.......What?”

 

“It’s not like my husband and I were connected by love. As you said, it was a strategic marriage.”

 

The saintess blinked and then, struggling, whispered with unexpected difficulty.

 

“...You must be good to your husband...”

 

As if warning her not to repeat her own mistake.

 

Arwin replied,

 

“I want to, but... the issue of lifespan keeps bothering me.”

 

“......”

 

“We can only be together for, at most, 60 years. After that, we’ll be separated by death... I wonder if it’s right to share love... or if it’s better to part ways before enduring prolonged pain...”

 

Even as she spoke, sadness found its way to Arwin.

 

Trying to lighten the mood, she said to the saintess,

 

“Sylphrien Unnie also says that short-lived species should stick with their own kind.”

 

“...”

 

“That’s why I’m even more troubled.”

 

The saintess asked,

 

“...Aren’t you in love yet?”

 

“..........”

 

Arwin found herself unable to answer that simple question.

 

No, perhaps Arwin knew the answer but just couldn’t say it.

 

She shrugged her shoulders and moved past the question.

 

Then she asked,

 

“...What do you think I should do?”

 

Maybe she expected a good story from such a pure-hearted saintess.

 

It seemed like with just a little more push from someone, she could come to a conclusion about her feelings.

 

And stop wasting time, preparing for the future instead.

 

But at her question, the saintess began to laugh weakly.

 

“...?”

 

Arwin was puzzled.

 

Yet with a pure smile, the saintess continued to laugh for a long time.

 

It was a laugh that seemed infectious, yet somehow also unsettling.

 

Finally calming her laughter, the saintess asked,

 

“......What about just getting a divorce...?”

 

It seemed like a question with no malice intended.

 

“...What?”

 

Stunned by the suggestion from the saintess, chosen by the Goddess of Purity, Hea, Arwin froze for a moment.

 

The saintess looked up at Arwin.

 

Again, she smiled.

 

“Wouldn’t that make you happier?”

 

“...”

 

“It seems like neither your words nor Sylphrien’s are wrong...”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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