The mere sight of it makes me dizzy.
[Oman, the God of Benevolence, is intrigued by what has occurred]
[Hesed, the God of Knowledge, applauds themself on their successful plan to move you]
My head was pounding, but I tried to keep the chat window in front of me as hidden as possible and told Kyle,
"Ha, haha. I was surprised."
It's probably best for him not to know that the god of his birth month is very interested in his waist pants and would blush every time.
"I don't think it's that big of a deal. Let's go back."
I took his hand once more, and he sat me on the horse.
The horse ran straight away.
The distance we ran, we arrived at the starting point of the Hunting Festival by the end of the afternoon.
It was filled with food and alcohol, much like an outdoor royal banquet.
Those who had already hunted animals or monsters were standing in front of the officials and writing down their records.
We went up to the Emperor and Queen. The Queen, however, had a pale complexion.
Kyle told the Emperor,
"I brought the Saintess to purify the stone."
A deep smile slipped on the Emperor's lips when he uttered those words.
He stared proudly at me.
"You did an excellent job, Saintess."
"Not at all, Your Majesty."
I responded humbly.
Of course, inside, I thought I should charge the temple with a larger risk allowance.
But then. Suddenly, the Queen looked at me and asked,
"Was the Crown Prince with the Saintess the entire time?"
'Would you look at this?'
I replied calmly,
"Yes. He was with me the whole trip to the stone."
The Emperor then said, as if pressing the Queen,
"My Queen, are you suspicious of the Crown Prince?"
I listened to their conversation, wondering what that meant.
"...It's not like that, but two of my closest aides died mysteriously during this Hunting Festival; shouldn't we look into everything?"
I couldn't keep myself from being surprised.
If it's the Queen's dead aide then... Alberto?
The Emperor's worried voice followed,
"Both the Queen's cousin, Baron Ludwig, and her second cousin, the consul of the court, studied at a desk*. They were killed in a tragic accident; I know you're feeling empty, but please don't say that."
(T/N: Means like they don't involve themselves with the hunt.)
It seems that neither of the dead was Alberto. However, given the expression of the Queen's disintegration and death, it was most likely a cornerstone of her life.
And, I couldn't believe someone died at the Hunting Festival.
'It was also a dangerous thing.'
It was when I cast a glance at Kyle, thinking about the additional amount I would charge for the risk allowance.
"......"
His red eyes, which shone dangerously dark, revealed a sign of joy.
Ironically, at that time, the mystery of why Kyle didn't participate in this Hunting Festival was solved.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
By the time the Hunting Festival came to an end.
The messed-up Alberto ran screaming and rolling over.
His physical appearance was ludicrous. His entire body was covered in mud as if he had rolled in a muddy puddle, and his hair was standing on its end as if he had been struck by lightning.
I could infer that Hesed, who couldn't find me because I didn't open the oracle, threw lightning all over the place.
The priests rushed to him, and he collapsed heroically. The Queen's expression was utterly distorted.
I was fine when she didn't want me to come back alive, her aides died, and Alberto was at that point, so she'll be furious.
But I maintained a calm demeanor when speaking to the Queen,
"I'm afraid Sir Alberto will be concerned about ruining my clothes."
The Queen's eyes glared at me as if she wanted to kill me for my words.
With a gentle smile, I even said,
"When he wakes up, tell him this. That isn't necessary.*"
(T/N: She meant that he didn't have to try to replace the dress or pay for it.)
The Queen chewed on her quivering lips. Likely right before a curse came out.
But why should I go along with your schemes?
"Your Majesty, I shall return to the temple now. Please send the priests after the Hunting Festival is over."
The Emperor replied to me,
"Return home safely. Though there were numerous casualties today, the Saintess has purified the stone, which means that more than a hundred people who depend on the mountains for their livelihood will be saved."
I bowed and bid the Emperor farewell.
I felt the Queen's scornful gaze, but even that was funny.
Kyle escorted me to the temple carriage. The priests had healed the holy knights, and their conditions had improved.
I handed Kyle his cloak before getting into the carriage and said,
"I'll return your cloak."
His damp shirt was partially dry due to the extremely warm weather.
Suddenly, Kyle put the cloak over his shoulders and grabbed my right hand.
"......!"
I stared at him with a slightly startled expression, and he raised my hand. Then he tilted his head a little and placed his lips on the border between the back of my hand and fingers.
His red pupils were firmly fixed on me and never fell. The contact of his lips gave my skin a subtle sensation.
After some time, he withdrew his lips from my hand and said,
"I'll give it back to you as well."
I slowly lowered my hand when he let go.
Several moments of the day passed by.
Kyle's figure of severing a massive troll into countless chunks in an instant.
The story I shared with him in a rainy cave.
And... his cruel face, which clearly killed three people in some way.
Turning away from my thoughts, I sat down in the carriage.
With the sound of Dwayne closing the carriage door, I felt Kyle's red eyes shooting at me through the window.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"AAAHH! AAARGH!"
Alberto woke up screaming, and the maids hurried into his room.
Alberto's eyes were black and there was a lightning-shaped scar on his chest.
It was a scar from the sudden lightning strike during the Hunting Festival.
"Young Master!"
"Calm down! Young Master!"
"AAH! DAMN WENCH! DAMN YOU!"
The maids held on to him and tried to stop him, but with a strong gesture, he repelled them.
Then he kicked and trampled on one of the maids who came running.
"SHE MUST DIE! THAT TRASH!"
His eyes were engulfed in insanity.
He started throwing away his possessions when the maid who had been beaten passed out. Another maid was hit with a vase on the forehead, causing her to bleed, but he did not stop.
After running around like a maniac for a long time, he ended up stopping when he began to pant.
"GET OUT! YOU ALL SHOULD STAY OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
He yelled at the maids as soon as he barely came to his senses and looked around the disorderly room.
The maids then limped and stepped down.
His eyes were still filled with rage. He had a dream of being on the hunting grounds.
He later ordered his subordinates to collect the lives of the useless assassins, but the trauma of being on the verge of death did not let Alberto go.
He barely escaped, but the burning pain he felt the moment the lightning struck him stayed with him.
And it was all because of that damn saint.
"Whatever it takes..."
His fiery eyes shook with wrath.
"I'll make you regret being born."
He made a strong decision.
Ariel, before becoming a saint, was a 'thousand' by Alberto's standards. A lowly thing half-mixed with a servant's blood, not even as good as a low-ranking noble.
He couldn't bear the fact that such a woman had humiliated and insulted him, the Queen's younger brother.
"I won't leave you alone."
In the depths of his eyes, something dark flowed.