Part Two, Prologue Section
Chapter Forty-seven
“Lady Philia, what are you doing? Ah, what a lovely necklace. Where did you buy it?”
When Lina saw me touching a necklace, she spoke to me.
I didn’t buy this…
“Since I have time, I tried making it. I also have bracelets and rings.”
Lately, I had been passing the time by making accessories. I bought a book… and while reading it, I used magic to process metals and magic stones to create various accessories.
“You have finally awakened to fashion, Lady Philia! Sniff…”
“Ms. Lina, I don’t see anything in the current conversation that would make you cry…”
“But you see, Lady Philia… You had absolutely no interest in clothes, jewelry, or even makeup!”
Lina talked tearfully about how I used to be indifferent to fashion. As she said, I didn’t particularly fuss over what I wore. A few work robes, and comfortable nightwear for ease of movement… as long as these were in place, I never really thought about buying anything else.
So, the other day… when Mia and Grace came to me, they somewhat forcefully took me shopping at the clothing store in the capital and then made me buy cosmetics… Anyway, I did many things I was not used to.
Mia explained to me meticulously about the colors that were in trend this year, and how dressing in a certain way was considered fashionable. However, I was surprised at how little I could grasp. It was far more challenging than ancient spells…
Lina was reacting this way because she knew me well. But I still didn’t understand why she was crying…
“This necklace here is one that I am proud of. Ms. Lina, would you accept it?”
I handed Lina a necklace with a shining purple magic stone. She stared at it dumbfounded.
“Eh? Eh? Is it r-really okay for me to have such a lovely necklace!?”
“Yes. I made this necklace thinking it would be suitable for you, Ms. Lina.”
“Lady Philiaaa!”
When I mentioned that I made the necklace specially for her, she hugged me tightly.
I felt bad to receive such delight, but…
Lina happily put on the necklace and kept smiling at herself in the mirror.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hey! Miss Philia! These are vegetables harvested from my field. Pass them on to Leonardo!”
In the evening of the day I gave Lina the necklace, Prince Oswald brought plenty of vegetables.
It seemed that on that day—when Prince Oswald forcibly took me to Girtonia—he incurred the wrath of Prince Reinhardt and King Eigelstein and was subsequently prohibited from making political or military statements for a while. However, it appeared to be unrelated to the decision that Philip and his men started to guard me.
When I apologized to him, he merely replied, “I thought I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I made you cry. So I have no regrets,” and didn’t say anything more.
He dedicated himself to his hobby of agriculture, and I frequently assisted him.
“Are you getting along with Philip and the guys? They’re a bit crude, just like me. I’m worried they might be causing trouble for you, Miss Philia.”
“Haha, Mr. Philip and all other knights are gentlemen. The other day, they conducted a rescue operation for a kitten that got stuck up a tall tree.”
“What? They will be in trouble if they don’t take their guard duty seriously.”
“No, everyone from the mansion came out to the garden… It was safe. Safer than anywhere else in the country.”
“I see. That’s good, then.”
Every time the prince came to deliver vegetables, we would chat. I came to enjoy the conversations with him that lasted for tens of minutes. Despite receiving treatment close to suspension, Prince Oswald was enjoying the situation… and looking ahead. I also want to cherish such a spirit.
“Oh right. Miss Philia… Did you hear from my brother that an exorcist is coming here from the Kingdom of Dalbhat?”
“From His Highness Reinhardt…? No, I haven’t heard anything. But an exorcist… There are still people of that occupation in Dalbhat?”
Exorcists… I had heard that they were professionals specialized in expelling evil spirits, but I had never met one. In fact, the very existence of evil spirits was considered dubious. I, too, was skeptical about it.
However, the fact that they would come to me at this moment…
“Could it be that the mysterious disappearance incidents are the work of evil spirits…?”
While it was not unnatural to attribute unexplainable phenomena to evil spirits, it lacked some credibility. However, I couldn’t think of any other reason for an exorcist to come.
“You’re half right. The exorcist coming here seems to be one of those belonging to some secret organization within the headquarters of the Clamu Church. Their specialty isn’t evil spirits but exorcising devils. Devils are supposedly residents of the Demon Realm. The Pope himself ordered the exorcist to protect the Great Saint, apparently.”
Devils…? Certainly, there were many descriptions of devils in ancient texts, but I never thought such beings could exist above ground.
Yet, if the Pope specially issued the order, it must be true…
Meeting with the exorcist. The clue as to what was going on across the continent was getting closer. The influence of the approach of the Demon Realm was not limited to the multiplication of demons alone.
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