The journey with Sofia Sub-priest was inevitable.
However, the meeting with Camilla Priest and Priest Peter was coincidental.
“It’s truly a blessing to meet you like this. How have you been?”
The silence between us, as we looked at each other without a word, was broken by Priest Peter and Camilla Priest, who stepped forward.
“Oh, I’ve been… the same! Hehe… but there were a lot of interesting things that happened!”
“It seems like you have not changed, Sofia Sub-priest.”
“…It’s warm.”
As we continued our conversation, Sofia Sub-priest had comfortably nestled herself into Camilla Priest’s embrace. The height difference made such things possible.
“Head Priest…”
“…I’ve also remained the same. Since then.”
“Ah…”
Priest Peter nodded his head and then looked at me with a significant gaze. His eyes contained a strange sentiment.
‘Have there been no advancements?’
It seemed like Priest Peter was saying such a thing. Even though one cannot fully grasp a person’s heart just from their gaze, I could at least understand the general direction of what he wanted to convey.
If one were to ask what kind of advancement I meant, it would undoubtedly be regarding my health. Priest Peter had been someone who had given me significant advice.
What… should I say?
‘Should I explain that being here at all is, in some way, an advancement?’
Suddenly, I felt embarrassed. I stealthily averted my gaze from Priest Peter. To my side, Camilla Priest, who had Sofia Sub-priest in her arms, was tilting her head in confusion.
“Head Priest, something…”
“…Yes?”
“Somehow, you seem a little different…”
Avoiding the gaze of Camilla Priest, who was touchingly stroking her chin and narrowing her eyes, my gaze began to wander aimlessly again. Whether Sofia Sub-priest cared or not, she was already melting into Camilla Priest’s embrace.
“Have you come on a trip?”
Priest Peter asked while shaking off the snow. As he did, little snowflake debris began to tumble down with a crunch.
“Yes.”
“Did you come just the two of you?”
“No. A few students I teach… and one of my fellow professors is also accompanying me.”
“I see. Where are they now….”
“…They probably went into a nearby souvenir shop.”
“Ah…. I see.”
I didn’t know where Professor Esther and the other students had gone either. I only knew that Sofia Sub-priest had stealthily left them behind.
To be honest, I felt grateful. Right now, I felt like I was wandering aimlessly without a destination, and I was worried that they, who probably came all this way solely for sightseeing, wouldn’t be able to enjoy themselves properly.
“Hmm… Instead of this, it would be right to go somewhere warm indoors and have a cup of tea….”
“I’m fine. If Sofia Sub-priest… if you want to go, please do.”
“I-I’m fine too. Head Priest.”
As both Sofia Sub-priest and I politely declined the suggestion, Priest Peter nodded his head with a look of disappointment.
Then, Camilla Priest, who had been showing a snow mouse to Sofia Sub-priest, pouted her lips and murmured.
“Priest Peter, we should be going soon. We can’t afford to be casually sipping tea… It’s time to distribute supplies at the church.”
“Ah… Is the charity event now?”
“…Am I really getting old, to forget something like this?”
“…….”
Priest Peter’s expression twitched slightly, and I hoped that nothing too bad would happen.
“Anyway, it looks like it’s settled. We should be leaving now.”
“Yes. It was nice to see you after a long time.”
“W-Well… it wasn’t bad for me either. Head Priest.”
Camilla Priest, who seemed to have bitten her tongue, awkwardly spoke and began to turn away with Priest Peter, moving away from us. Seeing Priest Peter jog slightly, it seemed that it really was an urgent matter.
“Head Priest. Now….”
“…….”
“Shall we slowly head back to the lodging?”
I looked at Sofia Sub-priest. She sniffled, seemingly unaware that her nose had turned bright red.
I covered her ear, which had also turned bright red, with my hand and nodded.
“Yes. It would be good to start heading back.”
“…Yes.”
We turned our steps, walking along the path opposite to the direction Priest Peter and Camilla Priest had gone.
Just then, as if to see us off on our way back, tiny, light snowflakes began to fall from the somewhat grim sky.
“It’s snowing.”
“…….”
“It’s going to get a little colder.”
Sofia Sub-priest, I wonder… what she is thinking.
Having returned to the Holy Empire after a long time, is there really nowhere she wants to visit?
There were many things I wanted to know, but for now, it didn’t matter.
– It may not be the right time yet… but we’re staying here for a week, right? There’s plenty of time left.
Just as Cesar said, like the fragments of my unconsciousness whispered to me, there was still plenty of time allocated to me. A week is a long time. Even if we skip a day, it wouldn’t be a significant issue.
“Let’s hurry back.”
“Yes. Head Priest.”
So, today ends here.
*
“I wonder if everything is alright…”
Sofia Sub-priest murmured a worried sigh as she looked at the back of Professor Antorelli, who was walking ahead.
Startled by her own thought, she quickly covered her mouth.
“…….”
Professor Antorelli continued walking without looking back. His gaze was focused on something.
‘From his reaction, it seems he didn’t hear me…’
Sofia Sub-priest felt a sense of relief at the fact that her unintended muttering went unheard, but also a strange emotion washed over her.
‘Today, Head Priest… seemed a bit strange…’
Professor Antorelli’s demeanor seemed increasingly unstable as time passed. On the outside, there didn’t appear to be any problems. Yet, that was the problem.
Sofia Sub-priest knew well the story intertwined between Professor Antorelli and the Holy Empire. After all, he had personally explained it to her.
And because of this, Sofia Sub-priest had been slowly feeling anxious about Professor Antorelli’s arrival in the Holy Empire.
What if he shows abnormal behavior? What if he steps foot in the Holy Empire and collapses from old memories? What should we do if he breaks down?
Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?
‘…Did I come here for no reason?’
At the same time, it transformed into guilt, starting to gnaw at Sofia Sub-priest’s thoughts.
The one who first suggested the trip was, strictly speaking, Professor Antorelli. However, when considering the context, it was almost as if Sofia Sub-priest had urged him to travel.
Was there really a need to insist on going on this journey? Of course, it seemed that Professor Antorelli had been showing signs of being overwhelmed lately, and he looked pained as he struggled with problems regarding the students…
But wasn’t there another way to alleviate that rather than a trip to the Holy Empire?
Sofia Sub-priest felt a bit downcast. After hesitating and looking down at the road, she suddenly came to her senses and lifted her head.
‘Oh no…!’
The stride of Professor Antorelli was considerably different from hers. Even at a glance, he stood a whole palm taller than her, and his leg length was vastly different.
Sofia Sub-priest, lost in her thoughts, felt that she was falling behind and hurriedly looked ahead.
“Ah…”
And then, she saw.
Professor Antorelli, slightly tilting his head, looking at her.
As if asking, ‘Why did you suddenly stop?’ His gaze seemed somewhat dull, a bit blank, and as if he were looking at a distant mountain, yet despite that, he was still matching Sofia Sub-priest’s pace.
“Ugh…!”
To hide her blushing face, Sofia Sub-priest lowered her head. She felt like her scalp was boiling.
From above, the now darkened sky began to sprinkle snowflakes. As the cold snowflakes touched her heated head, she quickly cooled down her flushed face.
“I-I’m sorry, Head Priest. Hehe… I was just thinking for a moment…”
“…….”
“Let’s go quickly! Others must be waiting…!”
Professor Antorelli stared at Sofia Sub-priest for a moment before slowly nodding his head, resuming his walk. Sofia Sub-priest followed behind him slowly.
As Professor Antorelli continued to match her pace, no matter how fast she walked, the distance between them remained constant. At this point, it seemed like an uncanny ability that was difficult to pin down, rather than merely being a courtesy ingrained in him.
‘Speaking of which, Head Priest…’
Sofia Sub-priest grabbed her still heating cheeks with her cold hand and recalled the gaze of Professor Antorelli from moments ago.
‘Why was he looking like that…?’
His gaze seemed, quite frankly, to not be looking at Sofia Sub-priest at all. It held a peculiar detachment, an atmosphere so cold that one would not assume he was looking at her, yet when he noticed Sofia Sub-priest looking up at him, there was a strange discomfort in the way he hurriedly infused life into his gaze.
Was it merely her feelings, or some kind of unsettling premonition?
The surface appearance was fine, but this only heightened the sense of unease in Sofia Sub-priest. Considering what Professor Antorelli had experienced, it wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed immediately upon arriving in the Holy Empire, right?
This was a place where all the things he had protected—the precious lives he had saved, the patriotism with which he had fought to protect his homeland, even the death of the woman he loved—were all denied.
Wasn’t this the very place that had denied all of that?
So then, how could he walk around so normally?
It was confusing. At the same time, doubts arose.
‘What is Head Priest… thinking right now?’
Why did he so readily agree to the trip to the Holy Empire?
Why does he show no signs of trouble even though he is in the Holy Empire?
Even if this was undoubtedly a positive thing, Sofia Sub-priest couldn’t hide her underlying anxiety.
Professor Antorelli, silently doing what he was supposed to do, and walking alongside her, matching her pace…
‘…Is everything really alright?’
It seemed like the calm before a storm.
