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Chapter 31
My hands were shaking.
A holy stone was said to be several times more expensive than an ordinary jewel.
Just how much is the thing sitting on my finger worth?
Then—
I have to survive.
I have to survive and return the ring to His Majesty. I absolutely can’t let Wick have it.
I looked at Wick, who was still relentlessly striking the barrier.
Going that far just to cut down one person—me, of all people. That’s almost impressive.
Either way, there wasn’t much time left.
Crack. Craaack.
For now, it seemed only I could hear it, but fine cracks were slowly spreading across the barrier.
The next one—or the one after that—would probably be the final defense.
“Die!”
Wick raised his sword again and brought it down with all his strength against the barrier.
Craaaack.
As the barrier shattered, his body pitched forward, having lost its balance.
I didn’t miss that moment. I dashed forward and dodged the sword.
Then, as Wick tried to pull the blade out of the ground where it had sunk, I kicked the back of his knee and ran again without thinking.
Ha… life.
Surviving is hard.
I’ve never run this hard just to see His Majesty’s face—!
“Hah… hah…”
Once again, I was blocked by a cliff and couldn’t go any farther.
I hadn’t almost fallen, but unlike before, this cliff was so deep I couldn’t see the bottom.
I could hear the roar of rushing water, as if there were a waterfall below.
In front of me, an endless cliff. Behind me—
“Damn brat.”
Wick stood there, his eyes bloodshot, his hair and clothes soaked through with sweat.
He looked like a madman.
His face twisted with malice, Wick walked toward me.
“I showed you a little mercy because you were pitiful. Just die already.”
Wick’s sword flashed sharply, slicing through the air.
Slash.
The one who was cut wasn’t me.
Behind Wick, who collapsed while vomiting blood, brilliant blond hair rose like the sun.
If someone were to ask me when I witnessed the most beautiful sight of my life,
I think I’d answer: right now.
Standing there, bathed in the morning light, His Majesty looked like a divine god who had just descended into the human world.
Anyone who witnessed this scene would be mesmerized, unable to look away.
After a short, sharp breath, His Majesty’s calm blue eyes swept over Wick and then landed on me.
Eyes that had been emotionless gained feeling upon recognizing someone familiar.
It seemed like he was irritated by this situation—and at the same time, perhaps relieved.
Either way—
“Your Majesty!”
Only when I saw his face did the relief of being alive finally sink in.
Along with the overwhelming joy that I could see him again, the happiness of our reunion, and the pent-up sorrow from being chased…
All those tangled emotions loosened the tension holding me together.
Ah. My nose stings.
Crying would be embarrassing, so let’s hold it in.
“Saintess, are you all right?”
“Thanks to you, Your Majesty, I’m perfectly fine. Ugh. Seeing you again after so long, you’re even more dazzling… Oh, right! Your Majesty, we have to find Heli too. He was dragged somewhere else at dawn—”
“I already found him. He was being held at the house of a man called Kuije. I questioned him and learned about this place.”
“Really? Then Heli is safe?”
“He’s safe.”
“That’s a relief……”
While I was engaged in a chase through the forest, it seemed the situation outside had already been resolved.
I was truly glad Heli was safe.
“Let’s go back.”
From about five steps away, His Majesty reached out his hand toward me.
I reached out toward him as well—but our hands never met.
“…Huh?”
Something invisible grabbed my ankle with tremendous force.
Along with an unpleasant laugh, Wick’s muttering reached my ears.
“You’re not the only one with divine power, brat.”
“Sinari!!”
As I looked at His Majesty’s face twisting in horror, I fell down the cliff below.
The day of the final round of the dessert recipe competition hosted by Antoine Bakery.
Heli Montblanc appeared at the competition venue, staggering.
His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept for several nights, and his face was pale as a sheet.
“That’s Heli Montblanc?”
People who remembered the legendary chef from his glorious prime whispered in shock.
“He looks completely ruined.”
“So the rumor that he’d be kicked out of the imperial kitchen wasn’t groundless after all.”
“In that state, can he even do a proper demonstration today……?”
Aside from a few people who enjoyed gossip, most were worried about Heli’s condition.
But once the competition began, Heli carried out his demonstration with movements so smooth and efficient that all those concerns seemed pointless.
From time to time, he muttered the same words, softly enough that only he could hear.
“Saintess…… the Saintess’s wish……”
Before long, the dessert Heli had made was placed on the judging table.
The moment the judges put the flower-like dessert into their mouths, they gasped.
“It’s wonderful.”
Olivia, a judge and the owner of Antoine Bakery, exclaimed in admiration.
Kuije, who had been a strong contender for first place, was absent—
but perhaps it was better for him not to have shown up.
Because here and now, there was nothing in the world that could defeat this dessert called “popcorn.”
“To produce this kind of flavor without breaking the aesthetics of traditional desserts that highlight the natural taste of the ingredients… It’s crisp yet soft, nutty yet savory. This popcorn coated in melted sugar has a fantastic harmony of sweetness and saltiness……”
As she continued her evaluation, she kept popping popcorn into her mouth.
The other judges were no different.
They grabbed handful after handful, and whenever their hands emptied, they grabbed more.
The popcorn that had once filled the shallow plate was gone in an instant.
“As expected, Heli Montblanc. ‘God’s chef’ isn’t just an empty title.”
There was no disagreement about the result.
By unanimous decision of the judges, the winner was determined.
“And the winner is—! Heli Mon—”
Just as the host was about to announce the winner’s name,
“The winner is Ms. Lili Goodface!”
Heli, who had been standing on the podium like a statue, shouted, cutting the host off.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked up at the sky.
Saintess, are you watching? The Saintess’s dessert has won…….
Delcan sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere of the imperial palace of Zendal.
The palace looked the same as ever, but among the people within it, some were clearly on edge.
For example, Zendal’s chancellor, the captain of the imperial guard, and several knights of that unit.
If something involving the emperor’s close aides had happened, it would surely be a serious matter—but there were no rumors of any specific incident.
Was it a major issue known only to a few, and forbidden to be spoken of outside?
Did something happen to the emperor?
Even so, Delcan had no reason to concern himself with it.
It was an affair of another country, and he hadn’t been ordered to assess Zendal’s current situation.
What truly occupied his mind was that Lili hadn’t been seen for two days.
Moreover, knowing that Lili had recently been troubled over a ring, her absence weighed heavily on him.
“Lili? There’s no one like that in our kitchen.”
The kitchen staff didn’t know of Lili’s existence.
The head chef—who Delcan had heard was her superior—was currently on sick leave.
Then where am I supposed to go to ask about Lili’s whereabouts?
When his thoughts reached that point, Delcan suddenly felt as if he were alone in an unfamiliar place, cut off from everything.
A hollow unease filled his chest.
He didn’t know why he felt this way.
They had only decided to be friends a week ago.
She was just a friend he felt comfortable around—that was all.
So why did it feel like he had lost everything?
Lost in thought, Delcan wandered aimlessly.
“Mondria.”
Someone called out to him in a rigid tone.
It was Gosem, a senior knight and one of Ruid’s closest aides.
“The day after tomorrow, His Highness Ruid will be going out of the palace. You’ve been assigned as part of his escort, so prepare yourself.”
“Yes, sir.”
Delcan nodded with an impassive expression.
Gosem looked at him with clear displeasure.
From the start, Delcan—Charles’s closest aide—was never going to look good in the eyes of Gosem, who was Ruid’s closest aide.
After all, the factions of Prince Ruid, the second prince, and Princess Charles, the first princess, were in opposition over the line of succession.
“You don’t look very pleased. Do you not want to serve as His Highness Ruid’s escort instead of Princess Charles’s?”
Gosem picked a fight for no reason.
“That’s not the case.”
“Why do you think Princess Charles sent only you to Zendal?”
After the head of the delegation changed from Charles to Ruid, the delegation’s personnel were reorganized as well.
Excluding the technicians, most of the escorting knights were from Ruid’s faction.
And among them was Delcan, who had always stayed by Charles’s side.
So rumors began to circulate.
That Princess Charles had abandoned Delcan.
“It seems she finally realized you were a hindrance. I wonder why she kept someone like you—no different from a stain on the royal family—by her side for over ten years.”
“……”
Gosem slapped Delcan on the shoulder as Delcan stared straight at him, then walked away.
“If you’re a mongrel, act like one.”
Tap. Tap.
Delcan stood there blankly until the sound of Gosem’s footsteps faded away.
The wind, which had grown chilly before he noticed, rustled through his hair.
Nearby, two maids stepped outside a building, chatting animatedly.
“Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”
“I’m telling you, it’s true.”
“No way.”
One maid shook her head in disbelief.
“You’re saying that His gentle Majesty the Emperor drew his sword in the middle of a meeting?”
When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
“…And even if I think that to myself, what does it change……!”
What ceiling?
What I was seeing now was a cloudless blue sky.
Honestly, it would’ve been better to lose consciousness and wake up somewhere unfamiliar.
You know—that classic scenario.
Falling off a cliff, barely clinging to life, then being found and saved by a passing villager.
“Aaaah…….”
I covered my face with both hands.
This is miserable.
“To think I’ve become a human pinball.”
