Part Two, Section One: “Saints And Devils”
Chapter Fifty-one (Mia’s POV)
“Good morning. Master… you’re up earlier than usual today. Yawn.”
I enjoyed some freedom at Philia’s place, but after returning to Girtonia, I had been spending my days under the harsh special training of Aunt Hilda, I mean, Mother Hilda. Thanks to Sister, the saintly work had practically disappeared, and, under Prince Fernando’s guidance, I only helped with reconstruction work. That left me with enough time for training…
“Mia, you have a talent, but you lack mental focus. Without it, you won’t catch up to Philia.”
As I rubbed my sleepy eyes, Mother scolded me. Hilda’s training was really intense. It was no exaggeration. I couldn’t believe Philia endured this with a straight face as a child.
But on the day I became a saint and we worked together for the first time… Philia was way ahead of me, and I considered her a genius.
Back then, I thought there was no way I could compare to her.
Now I knew. That was a misunderstanding… She made extraordinary efforts I didn’t know about.
So I also had to…
“I know, Mother. I intend to train to surpass Sister Philia. Feel free to be even stricter, I’m prepared to push through.”
That was right. It was all about determination. With enough determination, you would be able to overcome anything. This time, I had to work hard so that I could be the one to help Sister.
“Well said. To be honest, there were moments when I held back a bit, taking into account that you’re my adopted daughter.”
“H-Held back?”
“Even though you two have different parents, you’ve grown up watching your sister. Since it encouraged you, let’s abandon any mercy. I’ll start your true special training today.”
Haha, so even Mother Hilda could make jokes sometimes. She was kidding… right? I couldn’t believe that that kind of hell was not true training but a lukewarm one. She was holding back… with that?
I must be dense for not noticing any mercy or leniency… My limbs were starting to tremble just thinking about it.
“Now then, eat your breakfast quickly and get ready.”
“Yes. You’re a good cook, Mother, unlike Sis.”
“Please don’t mention her sole weakness.”
“That reaction… So you’ve eaten it before too, Mother…”
Apparently, Mother had eaten Philia’s pitch-black cooking before.
I was so surprised. When Sister brought a lunch to work… When I suggested exchanging side dishes… she showed an unusually embarrassed expression.
After a decent breakfast, we headed into the mountains for our training. As soon as we reach the mountains, I would stand under the waterfall, run around blindfolded, and, well, do various warm-up exercises before starting the special training. But today, before we began, a soldier approached us.
This person was Kevin, a member of the first prince’s faction… I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I wondered what he wanted.
“Lady Mia… and Lady Hildegarde… It’s urgent. His Highness Julius… His Highness Julius has disappeared from the prison…”
““…?!””
Julius had escaped? Could it be the second prince’s faction…? His execution was a decided matter, but it was supposed to happen after the country’s recovery had settled a bit more.
However, saying he “disappeared” sounded weird. I would understand if he escaped but…
“A-Anyway, His Highness Fernando summons you two. Please come to the palace at once.”
Mother Hilda and I nodded silently and headed to the royal palace.
I have a bad feeling. But, I won’t ask for Sis’s help. I am the saint of Girtonia, after all…
◆ ◆ ◆
“Mia! Miss Hildegarde… Thank you for coming. I apologize for the sudden call.”
Fernando welcomed us with a completely rosy complexion. But he had noticeable dark circles under his eyes… Undoubtedly, he was working tirelessly for the reconstruction. He had had also imprisoned the bureaucrats who were allied with Julius and enjoyed the privileges…
“We were told that Julius has vanished. Is there are any connections to the… rumored mysterious disappearances?”
The mysterious disappearances…? What’s that? I have no idea…
I tilted my head in response to Mother’s straightforward remark.
“As expected of you, Miss Hildegarde. You already had a grasp on that story. My brother vanished without a trace, despite being under strict vigilance in the prison. Like smoke. This is similar to the mysterious disappearances that have been occurring frequently in neighboring countries.”
Prince Fernando also used the term mysterious disappearances. Apparently, recently… young women with magic power had been mysteriously disappearing all over the continent.
Since even Sister could be targeted… her guards were increased just the other day.
“While we won’t follow Parnacota’s example, we’ll increase number of guards of both of you starting today. I’ll assign Pierre and several of his direct subordinates.”
As Prince Fernando proceeded to increase our guards, he continued with the story about Julius.
“However, Julius is neither a young woman nor does he possess magical aptitude. We want to investigate the cause, but the only one I can think of knowledgeable about such phenomena is Philia. So I thought to ask for her wisdom…”
“I cannot allow that, Your Highness. Sister Philia is the saint of Parnacota and a great benefactor of this country. We must not burden her further or do anything to fuel her anxiety. Please remember the mistreatment she endured from Julius.”
Prince Fernando suggested relying on Philia, so I advised against it. Considering the relationship between Sister and Julius, we couldn’t bother her with this. Besides, the issues in Girtonia should be resolved within Girtonia this time.
“You’re right, Mia. As you say, I’ve been somewhat spoiled by her becoming a Great Saint. We’ll form an investigation team to look into Julius’ case along with the mysterious disappearances.”
The prince readily conceded. After all, considering we were protected by the magic circle of a neighboring country’s saint, I didn’t believe I made a wrong judgment.
“Mia, it’s commendable that you’re considering independence from Philia, but she surely wants you to rely on her as a sister.”
“As a sister…?”
That day, Philia prioritized being my sister over being a saint. That made me happy, and above all, proud.
Indeed. Even if I strived to catch up to her, it was different from not treating Philia as a sister.
“Prince Fernando, if, by any chance, the situation with Julius becomes truly impassable, please let me know. And then, I’ll write a letter to Sis. However, let’s do our best to resolve it on our own. Mother and I will cooperate too.”
“Miss Hildegarde, thank you for your consideration… I’m relying on you then, Mia…”
But our conversation turned out to be completely pointless.
Sister reached the truth much sooner than we expected, and she did it unbeknownst to us.
Devils… I had no idea at that time that we would end up fighting such beings.
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