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Chapter 21
After the decision regarding the Temes was finalized, Litia found herself living an incredibly busy life.
Almost every day, she went out to do volunteer work, even if only briefly, prayed at the temple, and put in great effort to grow closer to the knights.
Today as well, after finishing part of her duties as a Temes candidate, she was resting before heading back when Marmati spoke up.
“Lady.”
“Yes?”
“Now that I’ve gone out with you a few times, I think it’s nice that you’re not just all talk—ack! Why…?!”
Marmati said something that sounded half like a compliment and half like talking to himself, when thwack!—Feluga smacked the back of Marmati’s head from the side.
The sound was loud enough that Litia worried something might actually be wrong with his head, and she stared at them in surprise.
“I apologize, Lady,” Feluga said quickly, like a guardian stepping in to defend. “Could you pretend you didn’t hear that? This one hasn’t been fully socialized yet and doesn’t know how to distinguish what he should and shouldn’t say. I should’ve warned you earlier, but I’m sorry I’m only mentioning it now that you’ve been chosen as Temes.”
Litia couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
“He’s honest. I like that.”
“She says it’s fine.”
“…Hah. You really think she meant that literally?”
“As long as you don’t swear, it’s fine.”
Litia had heard that Marmati had been recommended by Feluga. Since the three of them were close and worked well together, the priest had hinted that it would be better to send them as a group.
That seemed to be true—their teamwork was solid—but Feluga still looked thoroughly exasperated by Marmati at times.
“Sir Gondor’s younger sister is Ena, right?”
Duke Mont had not been pleased that Litia chose ordinary holy knights instead of Temes candidates.
He also disliked the fact that she personally went into the slums to volunteer.
However, thanks to Litia’s proactive attitude and visible efforts, he had temporarily set aside his displeasure.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ena told me this. That people like me only tell lies. She was starving, but refused to eat bread—so I wanted to show her that not everyone is like that.”
“Really… that’s fascinating.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Thanks to that, you knights are quite busy too.”
“We’re better off handling things physically anyway.”
“That’s good to hear. Then shall we go? Starting tomorrow, we’ll need to prepare for the banquet and the pilgrimage. There’s really not much time left.”
At those words, all three stood up at once and stepped toward Litia.
“With the divine power you possess, Lady, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
At that, Litia’s expression stiffened slightly.
She wasn’t even sure she could use her divine power properly right now, yet everyone else seemed to trust her ability completely.
Well… she had been said to possess unprecedented divine power, even if it had only appeared briefly at the beginning.
“Then I suppose I need to believe in myself too. Let’s really go.”
“Yes, as you command, Lady.”
Marmati winked playfully at Litia, clearly in high spirits.
At the exact same time, Feluga’s fist once again flew toward the back of Marmati’s head.
* * *
That night.
Litia couldn’t fall asleep until late.
Tomorrow was the celebration banquet before the pilgrimage, and in just three days, the most important mission would begin. The fact that she’d boldly declared earlier that she needed to trust her own power kept gnawing at her.
As that thought resurfaced, irritation surged, and Litia turned onto her side.
“Seriously… you said that if I accepted myself, you’d let me use it…”
And even after that incident, he hadn’t shown his face once.
There hadn’t been a formal contract, but failing to keep a promise was no different from breaking one.
To make matters worse, when she rode in the carriage earlier, the pain in her shoulder had returned, scaring her badly.
Thankfully, she’d always worn dresses and clothes that covered her shoulders since that day. Otherwise, someone might have grown suspicious!
‘No, no. I can’t rely on anyone else. I need to resolve this on my own.’
Otherwise, things would just go in the direction he wanted.
Regardless of his intentions, it was clear he meant to manipulate her however he pleased.
After tossing and turning for two hours without sleep, Litia finally threw on a robe and stepped outside through the temporary glass door.
“…!”
The moment she entered the garden, someone grabbed her arm, spinning her halfway around.
She was so shocked she couldn’t even scream—she swallowed her breath, eyes wide, and found herself face-to-face with Kalif.
How could eyes so black stand out so clearly in the darkness of the night?
Every time she faced him, Litia felt as though she’d been dropped into a completely different world.
“W-what are you—”
A strangled sound escaped her throat, her voice breaking off mid-sentence.
“Hi.”
He greeted her with the same calm, casual expression as always, and Litia’s face instantly crumpled in frustration.
She immediately checked the door she’d just come through.
There was no one in the room, but you never knew.
Litia quickly grabbed Kalif’s hand and pulled him away from the window and glass door, pressing him against the wall.
Kalif moved along obediently.
Soon, the two of them were swallowed by the darkness.
“What do you think you’re doing? How did you even get in here?”
“Weren’t you looking for me?”
Litia stared at him in disbelief.
This was right in front of Duke Mont’s residence—inside the estate grounds.
And the garden outside her room was further shielded by trees like a natural fence, making it difficult to see from the outside.
“You’re saying you came looking for me?”
She couldn’t hide her astonishment.
If Emilia had seen Kalif right now, she wouldn’t have called Sir Gondor rude—she would’ve called this man rude.
“Yeah. That’s why I came. I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
At his look—you called me here, so I came—Litia bit her lip.
“Happy? Then you must know why I was looking for you.”
“Because you missed me?”
“…Absolutely not.”
“That answer was awfully fast.”
Litia shot him a sulky sideways glance.
“Of course. Kalif, you lied.”
“What lie?”
“You said if I accepted you, you’d let me use my divine power. I almost got into real trouble.”
The memory of how desperately she’d prayed that day surged back, and her emotions threatened to spill over—
Then Kalif’s hand touched the corner of her eye.
He gently rubbed it, as if soothing her.
“I kept my promise.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why can’t I use my power properly?”
Kalif tilted his head slightly, slowly, as if pondering her words.
He remained silent for a moment, turning them over in his mind.
“Are you sure I’m the reason?”
“You’re the only possible reason.”
“I get why you’re upset now, but I really did keep my promise. Were you completely unable to use it?”
“…Not completely.”
So it wasn’t him blocking it?
Did that mean there was another reason her divine power wasn’t responding?
That only made things more confusing. There wasn’t much time left—and if he wasn’t the cause, then…
Honestly, it would be easier if he were. At least then there’d be a clear solution.
“Don’t rush yourself.”
“…I can’t help it. The day after tomorrow is already—ha…”
Overwhelmed, Litia ran a hand through her hair.
If it wasn’t him, then she had no one to be angry at.
She looked up at his face as he watched her with a smile.
“I’m sorry if I misunderstood. I assumed you were just messing with me.”
“It’s fine. Feeling a little better now?”
“…You really did grant my request, right?”
“I really did.”
Then what on earth was the reason…?
Could it be that when her soul changed, even her power malfunctioned?
But it had worked fine at first…
“Want help?”
“…What?”
“Want help?”
“With what? Using my divine power?”
“With anything. There are plenty of ways.”
His calm, unflappable demeanor—like nothing in the world could faze him—left Litia momentarily speechless.
Just what kind of man was he?
His sudden appearance had startled her, and she’d been angry because of her misunderstanding—but since he was here, she decided to ask.
About his identity.
Something no book had ever explained.
Whether he truly was the kind of being she suspected.
“Kalif.”
“Yeah?”
“…You know.”
Kalif gently brushed her cheek, as if encouraging her to speak.
But when the question was right on her lips, Litia hesitated.
If he truly was an Obra, then what would happen to her?
There was no guarantee he’d tell the truth—and if she revealed that she knew what he was, she feared how he might react.
Truthfully, she still couldn’t tell whether his relaxed attitude meant he was toying with her, or if he genuinely liked her and wanted to stay by her side.
How could she ask in a way that minimized the risk?
How could she get the answer she wanted?
“Want me to guess?”
“…?”
Kalif spoke to Litia, who had called him only to fall silent, her eyes darting as she thought.
“What you’re curious about.”
“…?”
After a long pause, Litia finally made up her mind.
“Yes. Go ahead. Guess what I’m curious about.”
Kalif let out a small laugh.
“I thought you’d be scared.”
“You might not guess right.”
“And if I do, you won’t run away?”
“There’s nowhere to run anyway. So—what do you think I’m curious about?”
She lifted her head and met his gaze.
Waiting to hear what he’d say, she watched him closely—
And then Kalif let out a quiet huff of laughter.
“When you look at me like that, it makes me not want to tell you.”
“…Are you kidding me?”
Just then—
Creeeak.
The sound of a door opening echoed through the night.
“Miss, are you outside?”
It was Emilia’s voice
Startled, Litia shoved Kalif further against the wall and hid herself against his chest.
