Chapter 23 - The Chase

At the village entrance, Norn stood waiting for Bera and Renée with the horses’ reins in hand. His face brightened as he saw figures approaching in the distance.

“There you are.”

“Yes. I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

“Not at all. Ah, so this is...”

Only then, as they spoke, did Norn notice Renée, who had been hidden behind Bera. An exclamation of admiration slipped naturally from his lips.

‘I see. No wonder Bera looked so dazed.’

Seen up close, Renée was indeed more beautiful than anyone Norn had ever encountered. Her beauty was unmistakable even though she was still a girl who had yet to fully grow.

He wondered whether, in a few years, her name would be spoken of as that of the most beautiful person on the continent. Then he composed himself and greeted her with a smile.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Saintess. I am Norn, Bera’s adjutant.”

“Ah, yes... I look forward to traveling with you.”

As Renée dipped her head toward the voice, something in his greeting made her realize a new fact.

Bera’s adjutant.

She knew little about such things, but she did know that a knight who had an adjutant held a higher position than an ordinary knight.

‘Sir Knight is more important than I thought...’

It did not feel real. The Bera she knew was rigid and steadfast, like a knight from a story. She had never thought of him as someone in command of others.

For a moment, that realization made her feel awkward about holding Bera’s hand. Then Bera, who had remained silent until now, spoke to her.

“Sir Norn and I will escort you to the Holy Empire. Our pursuers are beginning to close in, so I ask your understanding that we cannot travel at a leisurely pace.”

“Yes.”

“We will travel on horseback. You will ride with me, Saintess.”

Renée gave a little start at his words.

“Um... I’ve never ridden a horse before. Will that be all right?”

“Yes. I will handle the horse. You need only lean against me.”

“All right...”

“This way, then.”

With Bera’s guidance, Renée mounted the horse and felt her entire body stiffen. It was her first time on horseback.

Her body bobbed with the horse’s movements, and her muscles tensed with nothing secure to brace against. All of it combined to leave her rigid.

“I-I won’t fall off, will I?”

“There is no need to worry. Even if the horse becomes unruly and you fall, I need only catch you.”

Having answered her question, Bera mounted behind her, adjusted his seat, and drew her toward his chest.

“Would you hold on tightly? We must move quickly.”

“Ah, yes.”

Renée reached around Bera’s waist and rested her head against his chest.

Then she heard it.

THUMP. THUMP.

A heartbeat reached Renée’s ears. She felt the heat of a body growing warm.

She could not quite tell whose warmth and heartbeat they were.

* * *

Three days. That was how long Bera had been traveling with Renée.

Normally, it would have been more than enough time to reach the Holy Empire, but Renée’s stamina and the pursuers following them had delayed their journey. They had only just reached the vicinity of the border.

While giving the horses a rest after their exhausting run, Bera looked up at the sky to gauge the time.

‘... Evening.’

The setting sun was leaving the sky a deep indigo.

‘Half a day and we’ll be there.’

They did not even need to reach the Holy Empire itself. Once they crossed the border, their pursuers could follow no farther.

He wanted to set off again as soon as the horses had rested, but...

‘... The Saintess would not have the strength to endure that.’

Bera turned his gaze toward Renée. She sat with her back against a tree, her face drawn with exhaustion.

Even if she had been leaning against him, riding a horse was itself immensely draining. These three days of relentless travel must have been quite a strain on her.

Having reached a decision, Bera approached her and spoke.

“I believe we should rest here tonight.”

“Ah, should we?”

“Yes. If we leave early tomorrow morning, we should arrive by the afternoon.”

Renée nodded at his words, then offered an apology with an embarrassed expression.

“I’m sorry. It’s because of me, isn’t it?”

“You have nothing to apologize for. We are here to escort you, Saintess. It is only natural that we should travel at your pace.”

At his words, Renée once again felt the strange fluttering that had been coming over her at all hours for the past three days.

It would strike while she was riding in Bera’s arms, while they spoke like this after dismounting, and even just before she went to sleep.

Feeling her face flush faintly at that inexplicable sensation, she lowered her head and gave a thoroughly awkward reply.

“Um... Yes! I’ll be counting on you for the rest of the journey, too!”

Her words were full of nervousness. A low voice answered close to her ear a moment later.

“Of course. We are about to eat. Is there anything you would like?”

“Nope!”

Her voice squeaked, pitching upward at the end. Renée felt her face grow blazing hot, then clenched her fists and continued.

“A-anything is fine.”

“Very well. One moment, then.”

Bera’s rustling footsteps receded. Unable to understand why she had been acting like such a fool ever since leaving the village, Renée let out a deep sigh and considered it.

‘Am I nervous...?’

Was she nervous about leaving the place where she had lived her whole life and going somewhere unfamiliar?

It seemed a perfectly plausible explanation.

As for blaming Bera... hadn’t she been able to speak to him quite normally back in the village? Nor had his manner changed since they left. If there was a problem, it had to lie with her.

Still unable to settle her feelings after three whole days, Renée arrived at that explanation while tapping her legs. Then a sensation suddenly returned to her, making her blush again.

It returned to her mind. No—to her body.

The warmth and scent she had felt while holding Bera tightly as they rode together. The heartbeat that had reached her ears.

Warm, solid sensations that could best be described as a sense of security.

As that fluttering began inside her once more, Renée told herself:

‘A-adults really are different!’

She said it inwardly.

‘Yes! I’m relying on him because I’m nervous!’

She did not know his exact age, but judging by his voice and the size of the body she had touched, he was surely much older than she was.

Unfamiliar surroundings. An unfamiliar situation.

The anxiety they stirred must be making her lean on Bera without realizing it. That had to be why she felt so strange whenever he came close.

... Or so Renée thought.

As she continued this train of thought, which was little more than self-justification, a rustling sound reached her ears.

It drew steadily closer. Probably someone’s footsteps.

Wondering whether Bera had returned, Renée tensed.

“Saintess, are you feeling all right?”

The deep, resonant voice told her it was Norn, and she relaxed.

“Ah, yes. Thanks to your consideration.”

“Good. We will enter the city tomorrow, so please bear with it a little longer.”

“Yes. Thank you for looking after me.”

Silence followed their brief exchange. Then a thought suddenly crossed Renée’s mind, and her lips parted.

“Um, Sir Norn?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Does Bera hold a high position? Um... since he has you as his adjutant...”

For some reason, her words came out in a muddle.

Norn chuckled before answering.

“Indeed he does. As an apostle bestowed with the sacred mark of oaths, he holds a very high position even within the Holy Empire. Ah, but he is still below you, Saintess. You are accorded the same rank as His Holiness.”

“A-an apostle?”

“Hm? Yes, he is an apostle.”

Surprise filled Renée at his reply.

‘... I had no idea.’

In a way, that was only natural. Bera had never once told her about it, so she had no way of knowing.

‘Well, I suppose...’

It would have been rather odd for the person sent to fetch the Saintess, the person risking such danger, to hold a low rank.

In the end, this misunderstanding had only arisen because she still did not truly think of herself as the Saintess.

Belatedly realizing that, Renée gave a small nod of understanding. Then Norn continued.

His next words made her go rigid.

“He is an impressive young man. Still so young, yet never shying away from hardship.”

Still so young.

For some reason, those words seized her attention.

“Um, when you say he’s young...”

“Ah, did he not tell you? Bera is eighteen this year.”

Eighteen. Four years older.

At those words, Renée’s thoughts stopped. Her body stilled, too.

Those words were churning through her head.

Even Renée herself did not know why she was reacting this way. All she could do was feel bewildered by her body’s strange response.

“Bera came to the Holy Empire to become an apostle four years ago... so he was exactly your age now, Saintess. I still remember him as he was then. Young though he was, his swordsmanship was superb.”

Norn continued at length, but Renée could not focus on what he was saying.

Young. Eighteen. Four years older.

Those three phrases were all that registered in her mind.

“H-how impressive...”

Nothing but such stock replies came from her mouth.

THUMP. THUMP.

Renée felt her heart suddenly begin to pound.

It was a strange response she could not understand, one she had never experienced in her life. It left her feeling oddly restless, making her fidget with her fingertips for no reason. Unable to grasp its cause at all, she could only feel flustered.

As her expression grew stranger by the moment—

“Saintess, everything is ready.”

Bera’s voice rang out.

RUSTLE.

Bera’s footsteps drew closer.

THUMP. THUMP.

As the approaching footsteps grew louder, Renée felt her heartbeat grow stronger as well.

She still did not know why.

* * *

Deep into the night, Bera watched the sleeping Renée, then turned his gaze to the campfire and continued thinking.

‘... She is very nervous.’

The signs had grown steadily stronger since they left the village. By now, they were so obvious that even a passing glance revealed them.

Bera’s hand clenched tightly into a fist.

He believed his own shortcomings were the reason for Renée’s nervousness.

‘I should have been more attentive to her...’

He had let himself grow impatient.

There was a reason for it: their pursuers were drawing closer.

Was it because of the delays? The pursuers who had been gradually closing the distance were now right on their heels.

Fortunately, they had yet to encounter any of them, but for safety’s sake, it seemed best to leave early at dawn.

While Bera was still absorbed in these thoughts—

“Bera.”

Norn approached from beyond the undergrowth.

Bera glanced at him and asked, “What did you find?”

“There were no traces of Draconians. However...”

“The followers of the night. Am I right?”

“... Yes.”

Bera furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue at the answer.

“We must leave immediately.”

The followers of the night were a problem.

Not because of their strength, but because it was night.

At that thought, Bera rose and addressed Norn.

“I will wake the Saintess. Prepare to leave.”

“Yes.”

Bera watched Norn depart after his reply, then scattered earth over the campfire to extinguish it and steadied his breathing.

‘... And here I thought we might get through this easily.’

Something troublesome had caught up with them right at the end.