Ariel opened her eyes wide and glared at Gion.
"Look right here! Do you see this knothole in the middle of the handle?"
She pointed to the middle of the mop handle and passionately declared:
"And look at this worn angle! This is proof that I held it every single day, scrubbing until it perfectly molded to my hands! No two mops in the world are the same. This is mine, soaked in my sweat and tears!"
A strange silence fell over the hallway as she poured out her detailed rant.
The eyes of both Ian and Hilda locked onto Gion at the exact same time.
"…"
"…"
Gion's face turned bright red.
"T-that's… I just didn't know where the cleaning supplies were!"
Gion stammered out an excuse, sounding on the verge of tears.
"I-I only remembered Saintess Ariel taking a mop back to her room."
Ariel snorted, completely uninterested in Gion's excuse. She cradled her precious mop in her arms and huffed off down the hallway.
Ian rushed after her.
Left standing all alone, Gion grumbled indignantly.
"I really just didn't know where the supply closet was… And seriously, why make such a huge fuss over a single mop? It's not like it's made of gold."
As he pouted, Hilda—standing beside him—crossed her arms and looked down at him with a terrifying expression.
"When you make a mistake, you apologize properly!"
Startled by Hilda's thunderous reprimand, Gion flinched and bowed his head.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to the saintess!"
As Gion smacked his lips bitterly and reluctantly prepared to move, Hilda grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Huh? To apologize…"
Hilda offered a bright smile. Then, while holding Gion's shoulder, she pushed open the heavy temple doors wide open with one hand.
A bone-chilling blizzard rushed inside, ruthlessly striking Gion across the face.
"An apology is fine, but you should finish the snow shoveling you were planning to do before you leave. Quite a lot of snow has piled up."
"Wait, no, I need to apologize…"
"The cleaning supply closet is straight ahead."
"Aaargh!"
Without mercy, Hilda shoved Gion out into the fierce blizzard and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
* * *
Urgent footsteps echoed behind Ariel as she walked briskly back to her room.
"Saintess, please wait!"
Ariel stopped at Ian's call and whipped around. Having just finished a heated argument with Gion, her breathing was still short and rough.
"Please calm down, saintess."
Ian soothed her in a gentle voice. However, having just reclaimed her beloved item that had been unfairly stolen, she could not easily quell her excitement. Ariel took a deep breath as Hilda had taught her and slowly exhaled.
"Whew. What is it?"
Ian's gaze naturally drifted toward the old mop held tightly in her arms.
"…Is that a precious object to you?"
"Of course. It's my companion mop."
Ariel spoke while pulling the mop even closer to her chest, as if terrified someone might snatch it away.
"…I see."
"So why did you call for me?"
Ariel asked back, looking genuinely confused. Ian parted his lips, seemingly struggling to find the right words.
"Well…"
"…"
Frustrated by his hesitation, Ariel let out a faint sigh. She was already exhausted, having drained all her energy during the brawl over the mop with Gion.
"If you don't have anything to say, I'm going to leave."
"Saintess."
Ian hastily called out to her.
"You do not need to comply with all of the Magic Tower's demands. In the first place, this was not something you had to step forward for."
Sincerity dripped from his voice.
Ariel carefully observed Ian's face.
With a furrowed brow and a rigid expression, he seemed displeased that she had accepted the Magic Tower's offer.
…What should I do?
Even though Ian harbored resentment toward the Magic Tower, he hadn't argued with them on the spot, choosing instead to seek her out privately. That thoughtfulness weighed slightly on Ariel's conscience.
I appreciate the thought, but…
Still, she couldn't pass up an incredible offer like one gold coin per hour.
Ariel tucked a stray lock of luscious golden hair behind her ear and looked up at Ian. Bathed in the morning sunlight streaming through the gap in the window, she looked like the very picture of a noble saintess.
"Oh, come on, it's really not that difficult."
Her mind worked at lightning speed.
To smoothly travel back and forth from her new honeypot… no, the Magic Tower, she absolutely needed favorable standing with Mathias and Ian, the key figures of the northern temple.
If she failed to smooth things over now, she might get held back every single day when heading to the Magic Tower.
She could do this.
A noble cause and sincerity.
All she had to do was blend those two together nicely.
After all, she hadn't survived the cutthroat real world as a freelance guide for nothing.
"For the people of the North, and by extension, the citizens of the empire, I am more than willing to bear a sacrifice like this."
"…"
"In fact, I am happy to be of help in such a worthy cause."
Ariel offered a radiant smile to seal the deal. However, Ian pressed his lips tightly together, merely staring down at her with a complex gaze.
Did that not work?
As the silence stretched on, she grew slightly anxious.
Was that too weak?
Clinging tightly to her mop, Ariel looked up at Ian with watery eyes and frantically squeezed out a few solemn words.
"I am deeply grateful for your concern, Commander Ian. However, God's grace flows toward the lowest places. Turning away from those who suffer is not God's will. If I can save even one more life, I will gladly endure a little hardship."
"…Haaa."
After a moment of silence, Ian let out a deep sigh and bowed his head low toward her.
"I… failed to comprehend your noble intentions, saintess."
Nailed it!
Ariel barely held back a cheer, suppressing her excitement as she assumed a faux benevolent smile.
Strictly speaking, nothing I said was wrong.
What could be better than a win-win situation where helping others benefited herself? Of course, to Ariel, "benefiting herself" meant gold coins stacking up neatly in her storehouse.
Ian quietly straightened his posture. Flawless and composed, his brown eyes met Ariel's directly.
"Tomorrow, I will go with you to the Magic Tower."
Ariel's eyes rounded in surprise.
"Pardon? You, commander? Why? You don't like going to the Magic Tower either."
Although he hadn't frothed at the mouth and thrown a fit like Gion in the reception room earlier, Ian had also radiated a deadly, displeased vibe toward Alvin, looking ready to draw his sword at any moment.
At Ariel's point-blank counterquestion, Ian's eyes drifted away.
"No. I do not… dislike it."
Ian pulled his chin back slightly and looked away. Ariel clicked her tongue, her expression clearly saying, I knew it.
"You're a terrible liar."
At her words, Ian let out a faint sigh and confessed.
"…You are right. I dislike it."
After a moment of silence, he continued in a subdued voice.
"I understand your intentions, saintess… but I still do not quite understand why it must be the Magic Tower of all places. However…"
Before she knew it, Ian was looking straight at Ariel with unwavering eyes.
"The reason my sword exists is to protect your safety. Now that you have become a member of the northern temple, it is only right that I, as the holy knight commander, become your shadow."
Ariel quietly gazed at him.
A worn but immaculately spotless knight's uniform. Neat, perfectly squared shoulders, tightly closed lips, and a flawless, upright posture that permitted not a single speck of disorder.
No matter who looked at him, he was the very definition of an upright knight.
…Well, having an S-rank ability user as an escort works out great for me.
Since he was speaking with such a serious face, Ariel couldn't find a reason to refuse him.
"Alright, then."
A refreshing smile spread across her lips.
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