Evan felt like his brain momentarily froze.
While he was glad to see the Saintess, his prior thought was about why she was reading such a book.
Back when they were embarking on their journey, he thought that Sharon wouldn’t be interested in obscene stories since she always tried to leave the room or sleep when such topics came up…
So why was she reading an erotic novel, especially one where she was the main character?
With rising questions, Evan attempted to call out to the Saintess.
“Saint—”
“E-Evan! Wait a minute, this is, um…!”
The flustered Saintess interrupted him, her face flushed as she hurriedly began to explain.
“Sharon, she recommended it! She said I was in this novel, and I was curious about what it was about!”
She was darting her blue eyes around while speaking.
Evan, who had spent ten years with her, recognized that this reaction meant she was lying.
She had never been able to hide such habits, whether in the past or present.
It was likely that she had sought out the book herself.
“…I see.”
However, Evan decided to pretend he didn’t know about this incident.
Of course, it was surprising that the Saintess had been reading such a book…
But he thought that since she was now an adult, it was natural for her to have such interests.
Seeing an adult reading such a book wasn’t illegal, and he wasn’t the type to tease others about their embarrassing moments.
“Sharon still seems the same as ever. Just look at how she recommends weird novels to both me and the Saintess.”
“Yeah, it’s really weird…”
Whether it was still due to embarrassment or the shame of being caught reading such a book, the Saintess kept her head down, unable to meet his gaze.
“Why do you keep bowing your head as if you’ve done something wrong? You’re a perfectly respectable adult, Saintess.”
Evan said, handing the book back to her.
“I won’t tease or judge you for reading such a book.”
“…Isn’t it strange for a Saintess to read such a book?”
“It’s not strange. Before being a Saintess, you are a person. I think it’s perfectly natural to have human desires.”
“That… makes sense…”
“Yes. Who in the world doesn’t have desires?”
At his words, the Saintess, whose fingers were fidgeting, finally lifted her head.
Her face was still red.
“There’s no need to be so embarrassed. It’s not a wrongdoing.”
“…Really?”
“Why would I lie to the Saintess about something like that?”
“That’s true…”
After asking a few more times, the Saintess finally gained some assurance and raised her head just enough to meet Evan’s gaze.
Then, she gently touched his cheek with her small hand and said.
“…By the way, it really is you, Evan.”
“What do you mean?”
“You suddenly disappeared after returning from the Holy Kingdom. The Pope didn’t tell me where you went either…”
As she continued to speak, moisture gathered in her eyes.
“I wanted to see you, but I couldn’t… I kept dreaming about it…”
“Saintess…”
“We agreed to have a celebration party together. We said we’d enjoy ourselves since we had gone through so much…”
He remembered the promise made with his companions long ago.
If they returned, they would have fun together, more than anyone else.
But it was a promise that could never be fulfilled.
More than half of the companions who had made that promise were no longer in this world.
“…I’m sorry.”
Evan could have explained the reason he broke the promise, but instead, he just apologized to her.
He didn’t want to bring up painful memories, and it was a fact that he had disappeared without saying a word to her.
“I didn’t say that to hear those words.”
“Then…?”
“Was it that I didn’t want to see you?”
Evan shook his head.
“That’s impossible. You show up in my dreams every day, along with other companions, including the Saintess.”
“Then why did you disappear without a word?”
“…Guilt. That’s what held me back.”
“Why would you feel guilty about anything?”
“The day I fought the Demon King still haunts me.”
At the mention of the Demon King, the Saintess’s body trembled slightly.
She was one of the survivors from that day, so her reaction was understandable.
“If I had been stronger, or if I had awakened the power to subdue the Demon King sooner… my companions might still have been by my side. That’s why I felt such guilt.”
“I see… I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”
“It’s alright. It’s not something you need to apologize for, and disappearing without telling anyone was indeed my fault.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
After a brief exchange, an awkward silence hung between the two.
During that silence, the first to speak up was the Saintess, who had been nervously lip-biting.
“…So, why did you come to the Holy Kingdom? You don’t seem to be trying to return to being an Apostle…”
“I came to see if there’s any information I can find. The information I’m looking for is gathered in this library…”
“Shall I help you look?”
Her eyes sparkled with eagerness.
She looked ready to find anything if given the chance, but…
“I’ll accept your kind gesture but take it only as goodwill. The information I’m looking for is quite personal, so I need to keep it as confidential as possible.”
Evan politely declined her offer.
Under normal circumstances, he would have asked for help, but since the information he sought was related to Lucia, he had to act as discreetly as possible.
“I understand…”
At his words, the Saintess’s shoulders slumped, and she spoke in a weary voice.
She looked almost like a puppy that had been let down because its owner wouldn’t play with it.
Evan chuckled for a moment before speaking up.
“Instead, once I finish all my tasks, I promise to throw a party then.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I have some money given by the Pope, so I should be able to throw the biggest party in the Empire.”
Upon hearing this, the Saintess’s eyes sparkled again.
“Is it true?”
“Yes.”
“And you won’t just disappear again?”
“I’ll be the host, so that kind of thing won’t happen.”
“…Okay!”
The Saintess grinned widely.
Seeing her made Evan think that she was someone whose feelings always showed plainly on her face, just like before.
“So, when can we have this party?”
“I think the current tasks may take a while… but I promise to throw it once it’s finished.”
“It’s okay if it takes a long time.”
The Saintess moved a little closer and continued.
“I just… want to be with you, Evan.”
“…I will definitely keep that promise. You’ll be the first to be invited.”
“Alright. That’s a promise, okay?”
“Yes. I’ll keep it no matter what.”
Evan linked his pinky with hers to seal the promise and turned towards the bookshelf where the book he was looking for was.
“Then I’ll take my leave now. Time is tight.”
“Understood. See you later, Evan.”
“Yes. See you later.”
As he gradually walked away, the Saintess stared at the direction he disappeared, clasping her hands together and murmured softly.
“May Amor’s blessing be upon you.”
*
As Evan finally found the book he wanted, he was reading alongside Lucia when…
“Evan.”
Lucia called him.
“What’s up?”
“Are you really not in a relationship with that girl? Not even in the past?”
Evan’s hand froze over the pages as he heard her question.
Did she see him with the Saintess earlier?
“…You mean the Saintess?”
“I think that’s what you call her.”
“It’s not like that at all. The Saintess and I are not in a relationship, nor have we ever been in the past.”
“For not being that, both of you sure seem quite… reactive.”
“I said it’s not like that, Lucia. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
With a firm tone, he resumed turning the pages.
Seeing his determination not to discuss it further, Lucia decided to drop the topic of the Saintess.
And so, both of them returned to their focus on the book, falling into silence again.
After a long while in this silence, Evan finished reading and fell deep in thought.
‘…Nothing.’
It was just like when he read the history of Silvestra.
There were no records about the Apostle of Fiction.
Even after coming to the Holy Kingdom, where all the continent’s history was documented…
He couldn’t find any information.
‘Then where should I look to find it…?’
With no clear idea, Evan let out a deep sigh, and then a single thought crossed his mind.
‘What about the Forbidden Library?’
The library in Helia contained all the books of the continent.
Which meant that among those books, there could be unaltered histories in unpublished works.
This meant a chance to gain the information he desired as well.
As that thought crossed his mind, he made a swift decision.
“Lucia, I’m heading that way.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to the Forbidden Library. There might be something related to our search among the unpublished books.”
Lucia nodded as if she understood.
“I see. It’s certainly better to look into unpublished information than the published stuff in this case.”
“Exactly.”
Evan started moving.
“We’re off to the Forbidden Library.”
