Hagena was a small village on the north coast of the northern half of the land of Chersea. It consisted of several worn-out wooden cottages, though one could tell that it had been a bigger place in the older times. To its west—when facing the sea—lies a majestic chalk cliff, reminiscent of 'Dover cliffs' of England, while the eastern and southern sceneries were those of a lush temperate forest, where the villagers often get their sustenance once the fishing season was off.
"..."
Now that Lily had settled down for a bit, it was the first time she noticed a thin veil of fog covering the place. According to Grandma Margie, the light fog was surrounding the land and had been a permanent feature of the region. And dominating the village skyline was an imposing castle constructed at the top of the cliff to the west, quite far from the edge, and yet still had a commanding view of the entire village.
"Ah, our lord lives there." Grandma Margie explained when she noticed their guest was looking in the castle's direction. The breakfast that they had—the usual bacon, eggs, and bread fare, paired with a piping hot kettle of brewed coffee—was held outside, giving Lily a good eyeful of Hagena.
"What a beautiful place..." Lily couldn't help but admire what she saw. At the Holy Palatial Gardens, which were built in a wide valley surrounded by rolling hills and towering mountains, the nearest forest in their area would be the ones to the north, on the way to Nerfes. There were trees inside its walls, but those were intentionally planted there and were arranged neatly—giving an air of magnificent artificiality.
However, here at Hagena was of a different matter. It's like Lily returned to raw nature and she felt relaxed more than ever...
"It's true, eh?" it was Mariya; her eyes sparkled with delight as she proudly showed everything as if she owned it, "Even though I and Anton grew up here, we still find this place lovely from time to time. And, if I may add, you can't find any kinder local folk than our neighbors. Right, Anton?"
Anton was the big guy, eating silently with them at the table. He just nodded in agreement with Mariya's statement and went back to what he was doing. Well, the fellow was Mariya's little brother, and yet, every time Lily looked at him...
"..."
...she couldn't help but wonder if Mariya said it the wrong way. The 'little brother' was anything but little; if she could say it, Anton looked like a man with almost the same number of seasons behind him as her dead brother...
But well, Lily knew that she's just a stranger in this place, so she preferred to keep her mouth shut.
"Why...hello, Anton..." Lily awkwardly greeted the big fellow.
Anton gave her a shy, yet gentle, smile.
"Oh! I think Anton likes you!" Mariya laughed, "He rarely does that to strangers...well, not that we don't get a lot of guests, anyway. But yes, I think he likes you, right, Anton?"
"..." the big 'little brother' fiercely shook his head while he began blushing terribly.
"Ah!" there was a meaning to Mariya's smirk when she saw her brother act that way; however, she just kept it to herself. She'd like to observe for a little while longer.
Lily laughed silently.
"Hagena's pretty big and bustling in the old times." Grandma reminisced, "The previous king of Calabria permitted us to settle here, after running away from Nerfes. Most of my acquaintances eventually raised families here and then moved to other places when their finances allowed it."
"Oh...but isn't Her Holiness fought and destroyed that witch? What happened after that?"
"Well, once the news that the Bloody Witch's reign of terror was over, some of us found the courage to return to their lands. Most vowed never to return; some decided to move away forever from their painful memories. And there were a few like us, who fell in love with the place they settled in for long and adopted it as their home as well."
"I see..." Lily felt a surge of sadness overwhelm her heart, but she tried her best not to show it. Looked like Her Holiness' efforts to defeat the Bloody Witch went in vain...
"Ah, don't take it to heart, Miss Knight!" it was Mariya, as positive as ever, "We're thankful for what Her Holiness did!"
"Yes." Grandma Margie backed her up, "You see Her Holiness avenged the families and loved ones we lost to that mad she-devil. So, deep in our hearts, we are grateful to the Saint."
Lily had doubts whether if those words that they were saying were indeed true, or just lip-service to keep her spirits up. Whatever it was, she took a deep bow and said, "As the representative of Her Holiness, I'd like to offer my sincere apologies for what happened to you and to those other people that were victims of the Bloody Witch."
"I told you it's fine, m-milady!" Grandma Margie was panicking, "Please raise your head, or at least, do it in a private place. What would the others say if they saw you bowing your head to an insignificant old woman like me?"
Not wishing to cause any further inconvenience to them, Lily did what Grandma Margie wished—though she thought these folks deserved more than just an apology...
"Ah, you are something!" the old lady laughed nervously, "Anyway, don't worry too much about what has been done already in the past, milady. We common folk can understand that our beloved Saint has her limitations, thus she can't always be coming to rescue us."
Lily was left unable to say anything. For such a tragedy, these people with her gave a lot of leeway to Maddie...
"We are strong and resilient enough to make do until help—if any, comes. That's why, we're more than thankful to Her Holiness that she had done what she did, even though we lost our loved ones."
"Yes!" Mariya seconded, "If you ever come back to Her Holiness, please tell her, thanks a lot! Anton, Grandma, and I are still alive because of her! Right, Anton?"
The big fellow smiled and nodded in agreement.
A gentle, warm feeling slowly welled up within Lily's chest as she watched this family of three talked and laughed together. Even though Maddie could've saved more people—and possibly their loved ones as well, had she hastened her arrival, they never blamed her.
"..."
And yet, if it came to herself, who was supposed to be Maddie's greatest support and friend...
"..."
Come to think of it, when was the last time she told Maddie that she did an outstanding job in dealing with those pesky human kings? Those royal brats were a pain to deal with, and Maddie did her best to keep up with the pressure, but...
Didn't she just force her friend to do her duty, even though it's clear that Maddie's already tired and suffering?
Isn't it she only pushed her friend to the limit because she is afraid of what others might say to them?
Lily felt much even worse when she realized those things.
"Err...Miss Knight?"
"!!!"
Mariya's voice brought Lily back to her senses.
"Are you alright?" it was Grandma Margie, "You're getting pale once again! Here, drink this water if you don't feel good."
"Ah, thank you, Grandma."
"Whatever bothers your heart and mind, don't think of it too much milady." The old lady suggested, "Those won't easily go away, but you're already here, so try to forget those for a while."
Lily sheepishly nodded as she sipped on the water Grandma gave her. Deep inside, however, she was regretting the words she said to her friend when they fought. Maddie has had her share of difficulties, and in fact, they both caused trouble to each other, so she had no right to demand anything from her friend.
After all, the Human Saint sacrificed a lot of things humanly possible to improve the lives of the people she is entrusted with. And her job as her maid is to support Her Holiness, not to argue and then abandon her.
"What have I done?" Lily carelessly muttered.
"Hm? What is it you've done, Miss Knight?" Mariya curiously asked.
"Oh, it's nothing!" Lily answered her, but with a resolute heart and mind, she decided. She knew she couldn't turn back the words she had already uttered, but at least, she could opt to do right this time, "Okay, Grandma, I've decided. Aside from fishing and wood trade, what else is available as work in this place?"
"Oh? Don't tell me..."
"Yep!" Lily's face was suddenly full of energy, "I'll be settling here for now. So please, make use of me as you see fit!"