Chapter 69: Doubt (1)

- “I’m coming in.”

At Elza’s voice, both of them jump in surprise. They scramble to their feet in a panic.

“Wait a moment!”

Rose shouts.

Starchis uncrosses his legs and quickly moves the wine glass out of sight.

“W-What do we do?”

“Rose, do you have anything to cover up with?”

“No... nothing...!”

Rose, in her distress, finally realizes there’s no other option.

She whispers to Starchis.

“I-I’ll handle the talking...!”

Even though their little role-play had ended, Rose still used formal language with him.

Starchis didn’t mind, as he had started speaking informally before the role-play began. But it felt strange when she, who had once dropped the formalities, reverted to using them again. It was like the feeling of fastening a button wrong.

“C-Come in!”

As soon as she gives permission, the door opens. Stion enters with a smile, accompanied by Elza.

“What were you doing that you couldn’t even let us in? ...Hm?”

His eyes fall on Rose’s wine-soaked clothes. Rose sits down quickly, trying to hide herself in the chair.

“E-Elza, could you help me? I spilled some wine.”

Elza hurries over to Rose and takes off her maid’s apron, wrapping it around her.

Stion’s gaze shifts to Starchis, who pretends not to notice his brother’s stare.

“Miss, come this way.”

Elza takes Rose by the shoulders and helps her stand up.

“How could you be so clumsy and spill it like this...!”

She whispers softly to Rose, but Stion and Starchis can still hear her.

“I-It was a mistake... I think... I might be drunk...”

Then Rose turns to the two brothers and says,

“Please wait just a moment...! I’ll be right back.”

“Alright...”

Stion responds, but his eyes remain fixed on Starchis. The awkwardness between them is apparent.

-Thunk

As the door closes, Stion glides over to Starchis.

“What’s going on?”

“Huh?”

“Something happened, tell me.”

Starchis’ mind flashes back to the scene just moments ago. It was his first time trying something like that, and he got a bit carried away. This was something he could never, ever admit.

“W-What do you mean? Nothing happened... Rose just spilled some wine, that’s all.”

“Rose?”

“I-I mean, Miss Rose.”

“....”

Stion quickly realizes that Starchis is hiding something. It’s impossible not to notice. He’s never been good at lying.

But then he wonders why someone who never lies would need to lie now.

It must be something he really wanted to keep hidden.

Regardless, nothing bad had really happened, and if you looked at it from a different angle, it was more of a good thing than anything else. So, Stion easily backed off.

He then gave his younger brother a light pat on the back.

“You’ve grown up.”

Starchis, fearing he might stutter, chose not to respond.

And just like that, the drinking session came to an end. When Rose returned and exchanged pleasantries, both men, eager to wrap things up, quickly brought the evening to a close.

All the way back, Stion hummed a tune, teasing his brother, while Starchis maintained his façade of ignorance.

****

Vienna rubbed her eyes as she woke up. It was still the dark of dawn outside.

Not even the birds had begun to chirp yet.

Reflexively, the first thought that came to her mind was Starchis.

-‘Vienna!’

His smiling face calling her name surfaced in her mind. A pang shot through her chest.

It was a familiar pain, but one she could never get used to. It was always a sharp, aching feeling.

Even though that negative emotion wrapped around her, Vienna got out of bed.

Careful not to wake the other nuns around her, she quietly left the room.

She washed up, dressed in thick clothing, and packed her bag. These actions had become a deeply ingrained habit by now.

Few would believe that the usually brusque Vienna had taken to gathering herbs in the mountains for a man, but it was true.

She moved solely for Starchis’ sake.

“Yawn...”

She let out a small yawn when no one was watching and rubbed her eyes again.

Her body craved more sleep. The lack of rest wasn’t just due to this morning’s activities; she’d also stayed up the previous night, lost in thoughts about the Nisti family.

But that didn’t stop her.

The medicine she was gathering for Starchis’ arm required more ingredients than she had anticipated. If she didn’t continue collecting them consistently, she might lose the chance to help him—or the excuse to see him.

Just as she was about to leave the church, someone called her name.

“Vienna.”

It was a soft and calm voice.

Vienna turned around. The person had hair as gray as hers. However, while Vienna’s gray hair was natural, the other person’s gray was from age, the color faded over time.

It was Sister Helen.

“…Sister Helen.”

She was one of the few people Vienna truly respected. To Vienna, she was like a mother. Since Vienna was a child, Sister Helen had scolded her when she strayed off the path, fed her delicious meals, and embraced her with love.

When she was younger, she had called her “Mom” a few times, but now, she felt too embarrassed to do so.

“Where are you going, Vienna?”

“...To gather herbs.”

Unlike with Casey, she didn’t reply curtly or pretend she didn’t know. She didn’t want to, either.

“For that boy from before?”

Vienna nodded.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“...I see.”

Sister Helen nodded, then gestured for Vienna to come closer.

“Come here, Vienna. There’s something I want to check.”

Vienna approached Sister Helen as she asked. Despite the added wrinkles on her face, Sister Helen’s warm and comforting presence hadn’t changed.

Vienna felt the heavy, unpleasant weight on her chest lift a little.

Such was the calming effect of Sister Helen’s presence.

“First, give me your hand.”

As Vienna extended her hand, Sister Helen took it in her own wrinkled one. She closed her eyes and channeled divine power into Vienna.

“…Sister Helen?”

Soon, Sister Helen’s divine power subsided, and she spoke.

“As I thought.”

“…What is it?”

“Vienna, have you been praying a lot lately?”

Vienna thought about her daily routine. Lately, she had indeed been praying more frequently.

She prayed with gratitude that Starchis had survived, with desperation for his hand to heal,

… and with the hope that he would part ways with her, and a jealous desire that he wouldn’t find happiness where she wasn’t present.

Sometimes her prayers were filled with good intentions, and other times, with personal desires.

“…Yes.”

Vienna replied.

“Your divine power has grown significantly.”

Sister Helen gently patted Vienna’s head.

“Keep it up, and good things will happen.”

“Good things?”

At Vienna’s question, Sister Helen slowly nodded. Vienna wanted to ask what exactly she meant, but her curiosity quickly faded.

After all, it wouldn’t change what she needed to do. Right now, she wanted to go gather herbs for Starchis. The sooner she collected them, the sooner she could make the medicine, and the sooner she’d have a reason to see him.

Not wanting the conversation to get more complicated, Vienna nodded and brought it to a close.

“…May I go?”

“Yes. Be careful.”

With that brief exchange, Vienna set off toward the mountains.

Left alone, Sister Helen thought to herself. Perhaps, a new official saintess might be born.

****

Starchis sat up in bed, clutching his head. He felt dizzy. The hangover he thought would pass by morning had hit him harder than expected.

His throat was parched and scratchy, and a bitter taste lingered in his mouth.

He got out of bed and walked to the kitchen to get some water.

“Pah…”

After gulping down the cold water, he reflected on the events of the previous day. He couldn’t quite put a name to the emotions swirling inside him. He could describe each feeling individually if he had to.

There was the guilt for not fully keeping his promise to Hian, the embarrassment of feeling like his brother had caught on to something, and... the excitement over what he had done with Rose.

All of these emotions mixed together into something he couldn’t easily explain.

To clear his mind, he dragged his hungover body to the bathroom.

As he washed his face, he planned how he would shake off the hangover. Today was a free day. No rehab, no obligations.

A day he could spend entirely on himself.

He considered spending time with his brother, but Stion wasn’t always as free as he was.

Besides, they had spent yesterday together, so he decided to let him be for a while.

“...Maybe I’ll go fishing.”

He wondered if fishing with one hand would be manageable, but even just watching the scenery pass by sounded like fun.

He wanted to spend time.

Quiet.

Peaceful.

Tranquil time.

After making his plans, he headed out the door.

****

Lily was writing a letter this morning, as she often did.

She didn’t write every day, but it had become a fairly regular habit.

The letter, as always, was addressed to her mentor.

In it, she shared the wonderful news that Starchis had finally sensed mana, and she expressed her gratitude while asking what the next steps should be.

The next step was for him to move the mana on his own. Lily wasn’t sure how to teach him that feeling.

While she relished the close bond they had formed through this rehabilitation, she had no intention of dragging things out.

…Or rather, she had considered it, but only when she listened to the voice of her own desires.

That’s how much she liked him.

That’s how much she wanted him.

But she was setting aside those base desires and was genuinely trying to help him heal with all her heart.

To be honest, writing to her mentor like this wasn’t something she particularly enjoyed.

It would take time, but given Starchis’ talent, he would likely figure out how to move the mana on his own.

She didn’t really need to seek her mentor’s advice.

The problem was, she didn’t know how long it would take.

Lily wrote the letter to her mentor to minimize that time as much as possible.

-Knock, knock, knock

Lily was startled by the sound of someone tapping on the window.

Outside the window, a raven was perched, carrying a small box. It was Erol, her mentor’s bird.

Lily pondered why there would be a letter for her since she hadn’t yet sent news about Starchis sensing mana.

She couldn’t think of any specific reason.

Feeling a bit confused, she opened the window. Erol lifted its head proudly, making it easier for her to take the box.

“Thank you, Erol.”

“Caw!”

The moment Lily removed the box from the raven’s neck, Erol took off into the sky again.

She easily opened the box and retrieved the letter inside.

---

To Lily,

I wonder if the treatment is progressing well. The thought that you might be struggling has made me increasingly uneasy.

This feeling has grown to the point where it is now interfering with my research.

I’ll be coming soon to visit you and that boy.

Be prepared.

From your mentor.

---

It was an announcement of a visit.

Lily was startled by the sudden news.

“What...?”

It was not just a visit; it was also a notice of an impending meeting.

Her mentor was coming to see Starchis.

While her mentor was a warm-hearted person, that sentiment was mostly reserved for Lily herself.

Her mentor was a true wizard among wizards, with all the eccentricities that came with it.

Instead of feeling excited about the prospect of seeing her mentor, Lily began to feel a growing sense of worry.

Especially since her mentor was so unpredictable.

Author’s Note: This is a build-up chapter… Let’s go!

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