Looking back, it was Fabian with his shoulders drooping.
When the confident face that was shown a little while ago disappeared, I was startled by the look of a puppy drenched in the rain.
âAs Ria-nim said, we may not be friends or anythingâŚ.â
No, I will correct it. That was not a puppy, his face was white, just like a ghost.
In the meantime, you were also adding the word ânimâ to my name. He really always kept his professionalism.
âThen Iâm a total stranger to Aina nowâŚ.â
No, why are you so gloomy? What am I supposed to do with this atmosphere?
I patted Fabian on the shoulder at his pessimistic energy that was enough to dye this holy temple in darkness.
âNo way, cut ties? It was just a brief quarrel with Aina, right?â
âIt was the first time I had ever seen Aina so angry.â
âWhy did you fight?â
âI told her that I couldnât send her to a dangerous place alone, how long will I see her as a target for protection.⌠I ask her to quietly remain in the Great Temple and be protected by Aaron-nimâŚ.â
Oh, I see. Aina was tired of Fabianâs overprotection.
In fact, Fabian was overprotective. It wasnât because Aina was a Saintess, it was a habit that had been passed down since childhood.
However, from Ainaâs point of view, she felt incompetent as she only wrapped herself around him every day, so she must have started to distance herself from Fabian at some point.
âAs Ria-nim said, it may end forever.â
âDonât be discouraged by my little joke. After all, Ainaâs first friend is sir Fabian.â
âIs that so?â
I didnât feel any strength in the answer. I took a deep breath and shouted at that self-helpful voice.
âHey, why are you so insecure? A person called the vice-commander of the Holy Knights!â
I slapped Fabian on the waist until it made a loud noise.
âCome on, straighten your back! Spread your shoulders! Eyes straight ahead!â
Fabian, who stretched out his crouching body as I told him, blinked.
I clenched my fist in front of him and shouted.
âLove is about winning. So, go find Aina right now!â
âPardonâŚ?â
âAnd stop being overprotective. Aina is not a baby placed on the water, just give her a compliment that sheâs doing well at that time.â
âAhâŚ.â
âWhat are you looking at? Go quickly. Roger that!â
âRo, roger that!â
Fabian, who greeted Aaron with a bright expression, ran out as if his head had cleared.
I waved a big hand at Fabianâs back who was getting smaller and smaller.
âBy the way, Ria. Does he know where he is going?â
I shrugged at Nathanâs question.
âHe will figure it out, right?â
It is also his responsibility to get his path.
âGod, itâs going to be hard to see Fabianâs face.â
âI guess so?â
Haha, Aaron let out a cool laugh.
âDid you purposely kick out Fabian?â
âAm I? I just opened a new path for the poor sheep.â
It wasnât because I didnât want to see Fabian who argues with me every time I come to the temple.
Absolutely not.
I returned the bibliography to Aaron and ignored it until the end.
***
Returning home, Nathan looked at Ria with her chin on the window sill.
Her face, which was dyed red from the sunset, was full of worry.
âHow long do I have to keep my mouth shut?â
He had already noticed that Ria had found her memory. He also knew that she was confused.
So he waited for Ria to accept it on her own.
Thatâs the fourth day. Riaâs mouth was closed like a clam, and she didnât want to open it.
âI guess itâs not sorted out yet.â
Rather, there was a sense of impatience that he wanted to sort out Riaâs worries.
âRia, when are you going to ask?â
âAsking what?â
Nathan laughed silently. Riaâs face softened at that smile.
â⌠Okay. Not everything, but roughly. So now my head is very complicated.â
Ria clasped her hands and interlaced her fingers.
âI had a dream one day, and it didnât seem like my dream, but it seemed like my dream.â
âWhat kind of dream was it?â
âThe dream of sealing the Darkness and letting the lover leave. And I met God and heard about the test.â
As she recalled that scene, her heart pounded again.
âI am the reincarnation of the first Saintess, right?â
âYeah.â
Ria burst into laughter, saying that she expected it to be the case in response to a quick reply that could not be seen as hesitation.
âNathan, this time youâre bad. Knowing everything and not saying anything. Could you give me a hint?â
Ria grunted as Nathan flew in and slapped her face on the cheek.
âDidnât you say it with your mouth? This is a test, I cannot intervene. The same goes for others.â
âGod is so mean. How can He give me such a difficult test?â
âIt was what you wanted.â
âIt must be me from the past.â
Ria replied sternly.
To be honest, she still couldnât believe it. Even if the first Saintess was her previous life, it felt like a separate existence.
âNathan, did you know that the Darkness is Koma?â
âItâs a name I havenât heard in a long time.â
He thought it was a name he would never hear again, but he is finally hearing it.
âI vaguely expected it to appear, but I didnât know it would be such a name.â
If he hadnât heard from Mikha that the exam had begun, he wouldnât have known about that guy until he came to the capital.
âKoma has been erased from the world. Itâs not the guy you loved.â
Not her, but the first Saintess in her previous life.
There was no such feeling. Because it wasnât her feelings in the first place.
âNathan. The test I have to take is to completely extinguish the Darkness, right?â
âYeah.â
If she killed the Darkness, she could erase the curse from that personâs soul.
So, taking out his soul from hell and making him reborn.
âEverything is for that person.â
That was the reason she was reborn, and it was her mission to keep.
âYou know, you taught me how to use the divine power and how to use the bow, was all that for the test?â
âYeah.â
âWhat if I didnât know until the end?â
If she hadnât remembered her past life, it would have been all in vain, wouldnât he be worried?
âIt canât be.â
âAre you sure?â
âYeah, because everything is going according to the flow.â
Going according to the flow. It is an easy yet difficult word.
âAm I going in the right direction?â
âYeah, youâve been walking straight since the beginning.â
Of course, there were dangers along the way but she managed to avoid it with Dillian.
It wouldnât have happened if it wasnât for Dillian, but at the same time, because of him, she was able to find her place.
âNo worries. Go as you please.â
Wherever you go, there will be a road soon.
âNathan, what was the relationship between you and me?â
âWhat kind of relationship? We were family, just like now. One and only family.â
Ria was his first contractor.
Nathan, for him the first human he loved, and the one who allowed him to settle within the confines of a family beyond a mere contractual relationship.
âAt first I thought it was ridiculous. To be honest, I just wanted to ignore it.â
Ria, who was showing her emotions at the time, as she traced her memory, pulled the corners of her lips.
âBut now, I think Iâm lucky to be reborn again.â
âWhy?â
âIf I hadnât been reborn, you would have been alone forever waiting for me.â
Nathan, who was gently stroking Riaâs hair, stopped. His golden eyes trembled slightly.
âAnd I must have been alone and lonely, right?â
Ria looked at Nathan and smiled broadly.
âThank you for being family with me again.â
â⌠Iâm the one who feels grateful.â
Nathan smiled happily as he looked at Ria, who was smiling broadly.
No matter what form Ria is, no matter how many times she is born, Nathan will stay with her.
Because he will be fascinated over and over again by the flawless clear light, the endless white light.
Chapter 12. Changes Caused By Small Misunderstandings
The capital, which was shaken by the Darkness, has been maintaining peace since its founding.
It seems that the wounds inflicted on him have not yet healed.
âIs my power that strong?â
At my muttering words, Nathan ate strawberries and spoke casually.
âYou underestimate your strength.â
âI canât help it. I thought I was ordinary.â
Now I know that I am the reincarnation of the first Saintess and the child loved by God.
The years of living as an ordinary small citizen were longer than that.
âThen you should know now. You are a great person Ria.â
â⌠I know.â
I know it too well, so thatâs the problem.
Nathan, who swallowed the last strawberry, continued, saying it was a pity.
âIt would be nice to press it for sure at this time when it became weak, but itâs a pity that it disappeared.â
âHe is being chased by the temple, so weâll find it soon.â
Harris and Aina are leading the way, and Fabian, who followed later, will also be joining soon, so donât worry.
âRigh. Leave the search for the Darkness to them, and Ria, you just need to prepare well. Are you training hard?â
âThatâs what I always do.â
Nathan and Aaron joined in to teach me.
âThen letâs go eat.â
âDidnât you just eat the snacks, can you eat rice?â
âRia, you were the one who told me that the belly for snacks and rice are separate. Come on, letâs go!â
It was at that time on the way to the restaurant at Nathanâs torch. I saw Dillian at the end of the hallway.
âSir Dillian, where are you going?â
âMiss Ria, I have work to do now. Letâs have dinner together.â
He seemed to be busy with work, so he went out for lunch.
âYes, go ahead.â
âI will be back.â
A smile appeared on Dillianâs face as if he was in a good mood as I went out through the main hall to see him off to the front door.
Neison, who took a step back and was looking at him, came closer and whispered.
âMadam, can you come out to meet him when he comes back?â
ââŚ? Of course.â
Itâs not that hard. As I nodded, Neison held his hands together and closed his eyes as if praying.
âMadam is clearly an angel.â
âYeesâŚ.â
And Dillian, who reacted promptly to my trembling voice, grabbed Neisonâs neck.
âGet away. Do you want to go around the training ground for 30 laps?â
âYour Grace, you know how low my stamina is. I am a limp jellyfish that just spins around.â
âBragging, huh? Walk on your feet.â
Neison, who was dragged along, gave strength to his waist at Dillianâs cold eyes.
âMiss Ria, I will go.â
I waved my hand at Dillian, who was walking away.
Sera approached me and lowered her voice.
âRia-nim, the jeweler has contacted you.â
âWhat did they say?â
âIt is said that the product arrives at the store in about an hour. If they leave as soon as they receive the goods, they will probably arrive at the duchy around two oâclock.â
âIt took longer than I thought.â
On the day May and Schumann came to see me, the gift was definitely decided.
The problem was that there was no product. The product I picked was a limited edition, so it was really hard to find.
If I give them Sinaizeâs name, I can get it right away, but itâs a surprise gift, so it canât be.
In the end, I had no choice but to wait for it to arrive on time.
âTo this extent, this was also because I borrowed Schumannâs name, otherwise, I would never have been able to find it in time.â
Fyuh, I sighed and turned to the dining room.
âTell them Iâm going to go get it myself.â
Rather than waiting anxiously, I will go to pick it up myself.
Dillian has gone out too. I just need to be back soon, right?