âIâd expect us to attract a bit of attention, though . You donât need to be so alert . â\nâI guess itâs just the force of habit . â
Then, they continued to walk under the blizzard, perhaps heading for their tent . Indeed, as Linfelt herself said, she did attract quite the attention from the surrounding guards on duty .
âOoh, that handsome Sebastian fellow is quite sharp, isnât he?â
He didnât seem to be just a regular personal guard for Berguntâs elegant daughter . More than a simple guard, he looked more like some kind of âguard butlerâ .
The young guard butler didnât look like a bad match for the lovely countâs daughter, with his fair blond hair and bright blue eyes . However, Ai wasnât too interested in him . Even less since he was a man .
Before long, they had reached their tent .
It seemed a bit too tiny for the countâs daughter to use . But perhaps thatâs what one could expect to be their tent out in the battlefield in a faraway strange land .
However, it looked a bit out of place that there didnât seem to be a single guard around it . \nThinking it was rather weird that both Linfield and Sebastian had entered the tent alone, Ai slowly approached it in order to explore its interior, and thenâŠ
âHuh!? Whatâs thisâŠ? An invisible wall? Some kind of barrier?â
She repeatedly blinked her blue eyes in surprise before the transparent wall that had suddenly appeared in front of Ai . Or perhaps it had been there all along?
More transparent than glass, the barrier felt very rigid when touched with oneâs fingertips, and didnât seem to be either hot or cold to the touch . \nAi quickly guessed that the invisible wall covered a perimeter of 10 âno, 30, square meters around Linfeltâs tent . The raging blizzard should not be able to get inside that perimeter, it seemed to be warm inside without the need of a lit fireplace, and it would appear to block off sound from going in or out .
âAh, I see, this is a âSanctuaryâ⊠Right, so she can use World Dimension Magic⊠So she might be on par with an Apostleâs power . Look at that old man, bringing someone like this all the way here . â
Ai gently brushed the invisible wallâs surface, seemingly impressed .
âWell, she would still be no match for a true Apostle, huh!â
At that moment, while Ai was still touching it with her fingertips, a portion of the transparent barrier disappeared without making a single sound . It was a hole big enough for Ai to cross over .
âHehe, with a barrier like this, youâd need virtually no defense at all . But perhaps youâre being too alert, princess . â
With a bold smile on her face, Ai rapidly got closer to the tent . There were only two people in the back . There she inquisitively got her ears ready, eager to hear some juicy story, some scandal regarding this young lady, this so-called âHelvetia saintessâ .
âAh, this is the worst⊠Hey, Sebas, do I really have to fight?â
âCome on, Lin, youâve already been bickering about it ever since we left the mansion . Donât give me that again . â
âShut up, youâre always complaining! Ah, this is pointless, totally pointless!â
âWhat an unsightly rattle, and this late at night! Youâre worse than thieves and monsters, and yet you can use something like âSanctuaryâ!â\nâBut thatâs an act of God! Iâm being dragged into this fight! Who even likes to be in a war? And being involved with those super dangerous Alsacian demons!? Shit, that damned geezer thinks he can do whatever he likes! Iâm going to die, Iâm really going to die this time, I tell you!â
The voice she heard from inside the tent was definitely not lovely at all . It was an unbearable outcry of complaints and negative emotions .
âWow⊠to think she was this kind of girlâŠâ
Even though she couldnât see her, Ai could almost picture the black-haired girl rolling on the floor and holding her head, throwing a tantrum . Or perhaps she was actually doing that, because she could hear her hitting the floor .
âWeâve already come all the way here, so give it up already!â
âNo wayyyy, letâs go back, letâs goooo-â
âWe canât just go back to the mansion, can we?â
âI donât care about that place⊠Even returning to that orphanage in the slums would be good enough for me now . â
âNow thatâs nonsense . Thereâs nothing there for you to go back to anymore . â
âSebas⊠Oh, forget it . Give me my cigarettes . â
âWait a minute, you slum-raised woman! ⊠You can have no more than three for now . It takes time to get rid of the smell, you know?â
It was good that there was no one else around . There was nothing delicate or gracious about this shameless saintess . To Ai, she seemed more like a spoiled child than a priestess .
âSebas, bring me something to drink! Not wine, I want a beer!â
âOnly one glass!â
âEhh!? You cheapskate!â
âShut up! Do you want me to take care of you when youâre so drunk youâre no longer able to stand still as well?â\nâBut I want to drink until I drop dead! I just have to!â
Then, after hearing the priestess gulp down a jug of beer, Ai quietly left that place .
âAnd there are many people in this world who live happily without knowing about stuff like this, Tsumiki . â\n