Hilda turned toward Mathias, at a total loss.
"…Archbishop? W-what should we do?"
"Ho-ho, good question."
At Mathias's carefree response, Ian ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. Standing idly by was not an option.
"For now, Saintess Ariel's safety falls under Priest Gion's responsibility, hoho."
"Priest Gion, please come with me to the grand duke's castle… Huh?"
Ian turned to find Gion at Mathias's words, but the priest who had been standing right beside him just a moment ago had vanished without a trace.
"Priest Gion?"
Just as Ian glanced around the empty prayer room…
Hilda let out a heavy sigh, then abruptly thrust her hand deep under a table draped in a tablecloth.
"Arghhh!! Let go! Let me go! I'm not going! I said I won't go! Let go, let go!!!"
A desperate scream along with the sound of nails scratching against the floor erupted from underneath the table. Dragged out by the scruff of his neck like a scruffy cat in Hilda's grip, Gion desperately clung to every table leg he passed, but he stood no chance against her overwhelming grip strength.
"H-have you forgotten the grand duke's terrifying presence? The second I step into that castle, I'm going to pass out again! Saintess Ariel is strong, so she'll manage to squeeze her way out on her own! Please let me go—urgh!"
Hilda lifted Gion up by the nape of his neck with one hand, letting him dangle, and offered a bright smile.
"We're going together."
She marched forward cheerfully, letting Gion dangle from one hand while Ian trailed behind them.
* * *
The knights gripping Ariel's arms firmly dragged her straight toward the main building of the grand duke's castle. Wedged between the massive northern knights, Ariel looked less like she was walking and more like a ragdoll being dragged through the air.
I'm not even considered short in the central region…
Ariel tried to push off the floor with her toes to match their stride, but her feet repeatedly kicked nothing but empty air.
In the end, she gave up on walking altogether and let her body go limp, surrendering completely to the knights.
Dangling without applying any force was surprisingly comfortable. Once her body felt relaxed, her thoughts started racing again.
Did I get caught sneaking in and out of the castle, even though I thought I was being careful? Or did something in the contract bother him? No wonder he was silent about it.
Did I accidentally cross the line somewhere without realizing it? I need to know why I got dragged here before I can even make up an excuse…
In times like this, prostrating oneself completely was the best move.
"I'm sorry."
"I won't do it again."
"I know nothing."
These were the classic cards she had pulled whenever she was dragged off to the Association in her past life. There was nothing she could do right now anyway. He held all the cards, and her fate rested entirely in his hands.
When they reached the entrance of the main castle building, Bardim took custody of Ariel with a grim, hardened expression.
The knights who had escorted Ariel followed right behind Bardim, surrounding her on both sides.
Only the clatter of the knights' armor echoed loudly through the hallway.
I have to survive this somehow.
As she was dragged along, staring silently at the floor, Ariel's mind began working even faster.
At that moment, while frantically racking her brain for a way out, something suddenly flashed across her mind.
It was the Item Shop Ticket she had obtained by bossing Gion around.
But how do you open the shop? Do I have to shout 'Open Item Shop!' in my head? Open Item Shop!
Nothing happened.
…Or do I swipe in midair?
Even flicking her finger yielded the exact same result.
Only then did it strike her as odd.
The status window in this world was far from normal to begin with.
The status window in her previous life had been straightforward. It appeared on command and closed when no longer needed, following a simple system. It even came with a user manual.
However, the status window in this world provided no manual at all. At first, it only displayed basic information like her name, and even then, the text often glitched or threw unknown error messages.
Yet after the sacred relic incident, unknown features like quests, items, shops, and rewards began unlocking all at once. Still without any user manual, of course.
So how on earth do I open the shop?!
Ariel glared at the status window in frustration.
Walking ahead, Bardim glanced back subtly to check on Ariel's state.
Seeing her stare tearfully into empty space, Bardim secretly smirked. He felt a surge of pride, confident he had given this troublesome saintess a harsh taste of northern severity for upsetting His Grace.
Bardim stood in front of the office door alongside the knights who had escorted the saintess.
"Your Grace, I have brought the saintess."
With his solemn report, the heavy office door swung open.
"Kneel."
Along with the order, Bardim roughly shoved Ariel's shoulders, forcing her knees down onto the cold marble floor.
Seated at his desk looking through documents, Caelus slowly raised his head.
His crimson eyes fell directly upon her.
Yet Ariel, kneeling at the end of his gaze, kept her head bowed, staring fixedly at the floor.
Ah, do I need to tap the air twice with my finger? A double click? Or… voice recognition?
"Status window, inventory."
Ariel whispered under her breath.
Seeing her mumble to herself with her head hanging low, Caelus's crimson eyes paused for a moment. Soon, a deep, intimidating furrow formed between his brows.
At Caelus's chilling expression, Bardim cheered internally.
As expected. His rage toward the saintess is immense.
Bardim believed that as long as they dealt with this saintess, His Grace's peace of mind would be restored.
"Your Grace! We have captured the criminal and brought her before you—"
Crack.
Just as Ariel was running through every method in her mind and trying out random actions, a faint yet sharp snapping sound echoed through the room.
The luxurious quill pen held in Caelus's hand snapped cleanly in half, splattering dark ink across the desk.
When Bardim opened his mouth again in confusion…
"Sir Bardim."
Alfredo quietly shook his head.
The moment Bardim shut his mouth, Alfredo sprang into swift action. He cleared away the broken pen fragments from Caelus's hands, handed him a fresh, clean pen, and swapped out the stained documents for pristine new ones as if nothing had happened.
All of this transpired in a matter of seconds.
"Saintess."
Before she knew it, Alfredo approached Ariel's side and politely extended a hand.
"Please take a seat over here."
"Uh… yes. Thank you."
By the time she snapped back to reality after answering absentmindedly, she was already seated on a plush sofa. She hadn't even realized when she stood up or how she had ended up sitting there.
As Alfredo treated the offender Bardim had worked so hard to force onto her knees with utmost respect, Bardim spoke in a flustered voice.
"A-Alfredo? His Grace clearly ordered us to drag her here! How dare a criminal receive—"
"Step outside, Sir Bardim."
Still maintaining a polite smile, Alfredo grabbed Bardim's shoulders and led him out of the office.
Thud.
The door shut, leaving only Caelus and Ariel inside the office.
A heavy silence fell upon the room for a moment.
Caelus rose from his seat, walked over slowly, and sat down directly across from Ariel.
Ariel sat quietly with her head down, seemingly terrified out of her mind.
Seeing how roughly Bardim had handled her like a common criminal, it was clear how the knights must have treated her on the way over. It made sense that she was scared after being seized by those rough knights.
I clearly told them to simply bring her.
Her meek demeanor, so drastically different from her previous bold attitude, subtly irritated Caelus.
After pausing for a long while, he finally parted his heavy lips.
"Bardim has served by my side for a long time. He is loyal, but lacks flexibility."
"…"
It was his own way of smoothing over his subordinate's rudeness—an unusually defensive excuse coming from the grand duke.
"Ahem, if they treated you roughly on the way…"
Becoming even more uncomfortable when Ariel offered no reply, he cleared his throat and continued speaking.
"Well…"
"Found it!"
Ariel suddenly shouted and jumped straight out of her seat.
"Ahaha! This was it!"
A radiant smile spread across her face, as if she owned the whole world. The moment she snapped her head up, rays from the setting sun caught her golden hair, making it dazzle in the light.
Caelus reflexively narrowed his eyes. The sight was blinding.
"…"
Ariel's hand, flailing in midair, froze.
Her clear golden eyes, overflowing with joy, locked head-on with Caelus's dark crimson gaze.
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