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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“Saintess! Let’s go over there!”
“O-okay…”
“What’s that?”
Why was she here? What did this girl eat to be so full of energy?
Dragged along by Emily’s small hand, Ophelia muttered in a daze,
“…Why me?”
It had been two hours.
While the Holy City wasn’t particularly large, the densely packed buildings and bustling streets were enough to capture Emily’s attention. The problem was that Emily’s interest was a bit… excessive.
“Saintess! Look! Wow, it’s huge! What’s that building used for?”
“It’s just…”
“Just?”
“It’s just a statue.”
“Just a statue? Amazing!”
Emily was fascinated by even the pebbles on the street. Ophelia felt like her life force was being drained.
She thought her stamina had improved after two weeks of Elliot’s “training,” but she had no resistance to this kind of relentless enthusiasm.
Raised as a Saintess from a young age, surrounded by servants and knights, Ophelia had no experience dealing with energetic young girls like this.
“Saintess, I envy you so much.”
“Envy… me?”
Emily beamed.
“Yes! You live in such a bright and beautiful place! My tower is… gloomy and smells weird.”
“….”
“It’s not a place for people to live, you know? Right?”
“I-I suppose so.”
Emily added a questioning tone to the end of every sentence, forcing Ophelia to nod or agree. Emily, seemingly satisfied with the flow of conversation, smiled brightly.
“Um, Emily?”
“Yes?”
At some point, Emily had started calling Ophelia by her name, even though they hadn’t properly introduced themselves.
Was this what being sociable was like? It was unsettling.
“Doesn’t… Evangeline need you?”
“It’s okay. We’re leaving tomorrow anyway. I can stay out until evening. But thank you for worrying about me! I’m so happy you’re thinking of me!”
“….”
Stay out until evening? They had already circled the Holy City at least three times.
Despite her small stature and hours of walking, Emily showed no signs of fatigue or waning interest.
‘Someone… anyone…’
Ophelia had never prayed for divine intervention so desperately. As she was being dragged along by Emily, she made eye contact with an elderly man watching them from afar.
“Ah.”
Archbishop Belwin. He was watching Ophelia from the second-floor terrace of the cathedral. Ophelia discreetly waved, hoping he would rescue her. However…
“Our Ophelia… finally… finally has a friend. I thought I wouldn’t see the day… How wonderful…”
Belwin, unable to contain his joy, simply waved back at Ophelia.
‘…That damn old geezer.’
Ophelia scowled and clenched her hand into a fist, discreetly raising her middle finger.
Emily simply tugged on her hand, oblivious to Ophelia’s gesture.
—-
“You’re late.”
“….”
Ophelia glared at me with pure hatred the moment she entered the room.
I tilted my head, and she began to tremble, then threw the golden brooch she was holding onto the floor.
“Argh!”
She screamed, then stormed past me and dove onto the bed.
“I want to die.”
“Suicide is bad.”
“You bastard, that’s not what I… never mind.”
Too tired to argue, Ophelia buried her face in the pillow. She was completely exhausted. She hadn’t been this tired even after my training sessions.
Was spending time with Emily that mentally draining? It was probably an ordeal for the socially inept Ophelia.
“What’s this, by the way?”
I picked up the brooch Ophelia had thrown. Contrary to my initial thought, it wasn’t made of pure gold.
“That girl gave it to me.”
“Emily?”
“Yes. A token of friendship, she said. Hmph.”
Ophelia scoffed. I examined the brooch. It was a cheap trinket sold at the stalls in the Holy City’s plaza.
“You should keep it. It’s a gift given with good intentions.”
“Why should I? I have plenty of better accessories than this piece of junk.”
“I’m not talking about its material value.”
I sighed.
A child who couldn’t read the mood and didn’t know how to accept kindness. That was my assessment of Ophelia.
“If I were Emily Vallière…”
“Why are you bringing her up? Your face combined with her personality would be a nightmare.”
“If you keep interrupting, we’ll start night training right now.”
Ophelia immediately shut her mouth. That was effective, as always.
“Anyway, if I were Emily, I would be very happy to see you wearing this brooch the next time we meet.”
“Why should I care if she’s happy?”
“She’ll have a positive impression of you.”
“Why should I care about her impression of me?”
“There’s no reason for her to have a negative impression either.”
I sighed deeply. Ophelia frowned, as if she genuinely didn’t understand.
“It’s your fault in the first place! Making me spend time with that weirdo!”
“Don’t even get me started.”
Well, it was something I could address gradually. Probably.
“So, how was Emily Vallière?”
“How was she?”
“Was there anything… strange about her? Like, was she scheming or hiding something?”
In the original game, Emily Vallière had a terrible personality.
If you put Ophelia and Emily in the same party, their relationship would quickly deteriorate. Was it the same in this world?
“Not really. She’s just… airheaded.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded. It seemed that the game characters in this world had different personalities from their original counterparts. Was it the same for the other characters? I needed to confirm.
“Oh, right.”
Ophelia rolled over and spoke, as if she had just remembered something.
“Was I… raised in a blessed environment?”
“What makes you ask that?”
“That airhead said she envied me.”
“….”
I remained silent, and Ophelia continued,
“I thought about it, and she’s not entirely wrong. She said her home is gloomy and smells bad. Monsters pop up all the time. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
“Hmm.”
I considered my answer for a moment.
“Objectively, yes. You were raised in one of the most privileged environments on the continent.”
“I see.”
“But if you don’t feel that way, then it’s not.”
Ophelia frowned. I shrugged.
“A good environment can still be difficult for the person living in it. You might be struggling. Everyone has their own hardships. You can’t know until you’ve experienced it yourself.”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s because you’re still a child.”
“Bitch, I’m an adult!”
“That’s exactly what a child would say.”
I chuckled. Ophelia yelled at me, but I ignored her. The emissaries would be staying in the Holy City until tomorrow.
Regardless of Emily’s personality, it would be beneficial to have her spend time with Ophelia. What Ophelia needed was a friend her own age.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock. I hadn’t sensed anyone approaching. It wasn’t Belwin or a servant. I tensed reflexively.
“Go check it out.”
Ophelia gestured with her chin, and I opened the door. A man I had never seen before was standing there.
“There you are, Sir Elliot.”
“…Who are you?”
“We don’t have time for introductions.”
I studied the visitor. He looked to be in his late thirties, with a dark beard, short black hair, and a black cloak over gray armor.
“What brings a Holy Knight all the way here?”
A Holy Knight. Unlike ordinary paladins like myself, they were the elite of the elite, belonging to the Papal Office. They were essentially the core of the Holy City’s military force, each one a monster on par with the Empire’s Sword Masters.
In other words, he wasn’t my superior.
So, I asked again.
He frowned, as if annoyed, but didn’t press the matter.
“Sir Elliot, you are summoned by the Papal Office.”
“Summoned?”
“Ugh.”
Ophelia scowled. She hated dealing with the Pope. I thought for a moment.
Being summoned by the Papal Office meant that Evangeline had delivered the Emperor’s letter. They probably wanted to discuss the Demon King. I stepped aside.
“I believe you should address the Saintess directly.”
The Holy Knight bowed slightly to Ophelia, who was sitting on the bed. Then, he looked up and said, looking directly at me,
“There seems to be a misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“The Papal Office has summoned you, Sir Elliot. Not the Saintess.”
I looked at Ophelia, just in case. She gritted her teeth and yelled,
“What’s with that look?! I didn’t tell them to summon you!”
“I haven’t even asked yet.”
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m still new to translating as this is my second novel to pick up, so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
Thanks for the chapter!