Chapter 11

“Could I speak with you two privately?”

“Hmm. If it’s about spiritual power, you can just ask here?”

Irene shrugged as she replied. Those few born with spiritual power and healing abilities often heard certain questions to the point of tedium.

“As you know, we don’t exactly know how we’re able to heal.”

“Is that true?”

Irene answered a question Raziel hadn’t even asked yet, and his eyebrows immediately drooped. Rudy also nodded with a sympathetic expression.

Among priests, some could heal people while others couldn’t. And those who rose to become High Priests were all priests who could heal others.

This was why priests often asked such questions to those who used spiritual power similar to Rudbeckia and Irene.

“I’ve heard some think that healers lie about not knowing the method because they don’t want to teach it.”

“Yes. Many think that way through word of mouth. It’s practically monopolizing the path to success.”

Rudbeckia wanted to help the disappointed Raziel somehow, but even they who could heal people didn’t know the exact principles behind it.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t be of more help. Please let us know if you need anything else.”

“Just hearing your words is enough, Sisters.”

Rudbeckia patted the young priest’s shoulder.

He was still eighteen, wasn’t he? Looking at him now, his face still showed traces of youth.

‘Monopolizing the path to success.’ Indeed, this ability was a good weapon for gaining power.

Is that how I became what I did?

Rudbeckia watched Raziel leave with a bitter expression, then met Irene’s eyes.

“Rudy, do you remember that priest?”

“No.”

“Me neither. I can’t recall anything about the priest who went with us.”

Neither of them had any memory of Raziel. Given that he left no impression in their memories, there could only be one conclusion.

If he wasn’t remembered as a hero, he must have either died or betrayed them.

“Looks like we’re about to depart again.”

While Rudy and Irene were searching their memories, Hugo and Derek brought the horses over.

“Form up!”

Rudbeckia mounted Sharon, the Duke’s fine horse she had brought, and returned to her starting position, glancing at Raziel.

Just then, Aaron quietly asked from behind her.

“How are you feeling?”

“Very well.”

Rudbeckia turned halfway to answer cheerfully but met eyes with Idris who was positioned next to Aaron.

Rudbeckia was very glad to see Idris. However, she clearly remembered why they had grown distant, and seeing that Idris was conscious of the past, she couldn’t approach him naturally from the start.

But now she knew how much regret such behavior would leave in the future.

After hesitating, she smiled first, lifting the corners of her mouth. Idris followed suit with a faint smile of his own.

Though awkwardness lingered, they were managing fine in their own way. Everything was truly fine, except for Irene’s grinning as she watched them.

“There should be a village after a bit more travel, so we plan to stay there tonight. Now, let’s depart!”

Jeremy shouted loudly and immediately galloped ahead. She too urged her horse forward, following the horses in the front line.

The thunderous sound of hoofbeats spread powerfully.

Thanks to the road being wider and straighter than the forest they had just traversed, they could gallop freely. Everyone narrowed their eyes and rode their horses without a word, cutting through the wind.

Afterward, though their speed varied with the road’s condition, fortunately, they reached a village larger than expected before sunset.

As people increased in number, the formation of the dismounted group naturally changed.

“This is Uder Village.”

When Aaron mentioned the village name beside Rudy, her eyes widened.

She had been here before. It was where she had subjugated monsters for the first time.

“It’s so different from back then?”

“This must be how the village originally was.”

Though she remembered the village being large, at the time there had been few people, and those present were all poisoned. Rudbeckia entered the marketplace with a fresh perspective.

Where she and the priests had once purified the center of the marketplace, outdoor taverns now stood in rows.

“Sir Aaron.”

“Yes.”

Aaron moved to Benedict’s side at his call.

Suddenly, Rudbeckia wondered how she should address Benedict.

The knights didn’t hide that they were Imperial Knights but felt no need to flaunt it, so they called Benedict ‘Commander,’ while among themselves they used first names casually.

Following Hugo’s lead, the knights had decided to call them ‘Miss,’ and they agreed to use the knights’ first names without titles.

However, they hadn’t decided on how she and Benedict should address each other. It seemed strange for her to call him Benedict or for him to call her Miss.

“Rudy, what are you doing? You’ll lose them at this rate.”

“Ah, yes.”

Irene took the hand of the distracted Rudbeckia and led her along. Being in the marketplace and having to be careful not to bump into people while leading their horses, they had already fallen quite far behind the front of the group.

When Rudbeckia’s group finally arrived at their evening destination, it was the largest lodging in the village. It was a fine inn equipped with stables, and she had vivid memories of this place. Back then, this inn had served as an infirmary, with patients lying even in the stables.

“So that’s five double rooms?”

“Don’t you have any single rooms?”

“The single rooms are all taken.”

“How can that be?”

Rudbeckia watched Jeremy haggle between Aaron and Hugo.

As if exchanging customary gestures, Jeremy made a circle with his thumb and index finger to indicate money, while the innkeeper, with troubled eyes, subtly asked if one would be enough.

Jeremy looked past Rudbeckia and Irene to the quietly standing Raziel.

“Hmm. Let’s make it two singles and four doubles.”

“Would you like dinner or breakfast?”

“Just breakfast.”

“With stabling for ten horses and their feed, that comes to 930 dongs.”

“Make it 920 dongs. We’re such a large group staying at once.”

“Ah well, let’s do that then.”

“Haha. How generous. We’ll rest well.”

Jeremy, Count Renner’s second son serving as treasurer, finished the calculations and assigned the rooms, then announced tomorrow’s meeting time.

“We depart at 9 AM. Nobody can be late. We’ll leave without you.”

When Jeremy playfully threatened while obviously looking at Rudy and Irene, they subtly avoided his gaze.

He clearly remembered how the two used to sleep all day when the subjugation team had rest days. Though they felt wronged, they didn’t bother arguing.

“Ladies, come out after unpacking.”

Derek and Hugo, who had taken the room next to Rudbeckia and Irene’s, threw their luggage inside without even checking the room condition and immediately went downstairs.

Irene entered the room with Rudbeckia and grinned.

“‘Ladies’ sounds nice.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. Better than ‘Your Highness’ at least.”

Pleased with Derek’s form of address, Irene pulled out a comfortable dress from her lightweight bag with a happy expression.

Neither commented on the room’s condition. They had expected the worn table and dim lighting. The bedding was clean and the floor dustless. With no mold in the shower, it was actually quite good compared to their expectations.

Rudbeckia also changed into a comfortable dress and stood before the mirror to adjust her hood again.

“Rin, we must have had one priest with us back then, right?”

“Our memories might not be exact, but Nicholas would have sent a priest along. Why would he want that kind of criticism?”

“True.”

Either too many things happened at once and minor memories were deleted, or they might have forgotten things they deemed trivial.

“Rudy, don’t worry too much. Maybe we just forgot someone who returned with us.”

“Yes. You’re right.”

“Come here. Your hair is showing.”

Irene tucked her friend’s silver hair that had escaped beneath her forehead behind her ear.

Her hair, as rare as the imperial family’s platinum blonde, had to be covered to avoid revealing her identity. Especially outside the capital where the Diaz family was familiar, the combination of silver hair and red eyes stood out too much.

“Thanks. What do you want to eat?”

“Why? Are you treating?”

“Yes. I’ll buy everything.”

Irene brightly opened the room door with a laugh. Stepping out of the inn as if on a picnic, she declared to Hugo and Derek with mock threat:

“Rudy’s treating today! Let’s eat until we burst!”

“Miss. You know my appetite, right? Will that be okay?”

“It’s fine even if there were a hundred Dereks. Let’s go!”

Rudy also raised her voice as she followed Irene’s lead.

 * * *

 Rudbeckia’s group entered the crowded restaurant. In this village where travelers weren’t uncommon, there were occasional strangers and people with somewhat unusual appearances. The problem was that there was no place for their group of four to sit.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait about 20 minutes.”

“Well then……”

Rudbeckia was about to nod while scanning the hall with the cashier. That’s when Irene, who spotted someone, poked her waist.

“Rudy, look over there.”

“Oh no, ladies.”

Derek instinctively objected to Irene’s decision. Though he didn’t say anything, Hugo felt similarly.

“But I already made eye contact. What should I do?”

Irene passed the choice to Rudy after making eye contact with Benedict’s group sitting at the largest table in the innermost part.

But before Rudy could say anything, the employee quickly interjected.

“Oh, do you know them? That’s our biggest table, but there are only three people so there’s space left. If you join them, I can bring more chairs.”

Rudbeckia couldn’t even shake her head. The situation was already decided.

Not only Benedict but his companions had all witnessed this situation, so leaving now would look very strange.

“I feel like I’m going to get indigestion if we eat there.”