Chapter 46: The Exiled Marquise and the Bishop 2
Poor Shara headed back, cautiously checking every corner she came across.
She can use Physical Enhancement well enough to keep up with us, so it’s unlikely she’d be caught off guard by bandits.
Well, I guess we were the ones who forced such a large sum of money on her when she clearly didn’t want it.
Watching her nervously walk away, I couldn’t help but sigh.
I really don’t want to suspect her, though.
“Erica, what do you think?”
“About what? Or rather, about whom?”
Erica asked back, also watching Shara’s retreating figure.
Her eyes were narrowed gently.
That alone told me what she was thinking. When Erica makes that face, it means she’s taken a liking to Shara.
So, I hesitated to say what I wanted to say next.
I felt guilty about potentially upsetting Erica.
“I heard something Shara let slip, seemingly unintentionally. Did you hear it, Erica?”
Erica nodded with a smile in response to my question.
It happened while we were in the middle of the Forest Dragon Subjugation.
It was right when Erica and I cut off the Forest Dragon’s leg.
Shara, having finished chanting her Syllable Magic, muttered as if by accident, “I never expected them to be this skilled… I must report this to the Bishop-sama.”
I don’t know if she let her guard down because we were in the middle of a fight, or if it was a genuine slip-up, but I definitely picked up what Shara said with my enhanced hearing.
It must have been the same for Erica, whose hearing was also enhanced by Physical Enhancement.
It’s hard to imagine I heard it and Erica missed it.
Thinking back, it was strange from the beginning.
Even if we were Rank 1, the Church dispatching a Sister for a pair of adventurers who had only defeated three Golden Ogres?
In the Faltar Kingdom, adventurers who warrant having a Sister dispatched are usually master-class, and furthermore, the dispatched Sister herself would possess comparable skill.
Not only our own abilities, but Shara’s own skill level seems insufficient for a dispatched Sister.
Both we, the recipients, and she, the dispatched Sister, lack the expected level of skill for such an arrangement.
If that’s the case, there’s only one possibility.
Shara is a Spy from the Church assigned to Erika.
If so, the meaning behind the words Shara let slip becomes clear.
It means Shara was monitoring Erika under orders from the Bishop.
Someone of the Bishop’s rank would likely know, due to their position, that Erika is Erika Solntsalri.
And also why Erika, a noble from another country, is in Hecate.
Come to think of it, when Shara mentioned telling the Bishop-sama about the donation and whatnot, she was probably following the basic principle of mixing truth with lies to make the lie believable.
My impression was that Shara didn’t seem capable of such scheming, but somehow, she completely fooled me.
If she hadn’t accidentally let those words slip, I might still be unaware.
After thinking so much about needing to be careful around Church officials, this happens. Sighing at my own incompetence, I said to Erica.
“If you heard that mutter, then this is simple. I believe Shara is likely monitoring you under the Bishop’s orders.”
“Yes, I suppose so. Isn’t that a reasonable decision for the Church? Perhaps I should just be grateful they aren’t trying to kill me, declaring me an enemy of God to be destroyed.”
Erica’s face, as she made that sarcastic assessment, didn’t look particularly worried.
Nor did she seem disappointed.
Having seen how cheerfully Erica and Shara were talking, I thought Erica might be hurt to find out Shara was a Spy from the Church.
It seems her heart is much stronger than I imagined.
“Frankly, I don’t mind merely being monitored. Besides, Shara is an amusing person.”
From the way she said it, I understood that regardless of the monitoring issue, Erica genuinely liked Shara as a person.
To be honest, I don’t dislike Shara personally either; in fact, I find her rather likable.
Her spirit, willing to risk her own life just to buy time to save the Villagers even while mortally wounded, is respectable.
She’s a bit noisy, but since that noisiness makes Erica smile, it’s within acceptable limits.
But—
“What if the Church is among those aiming to assassinate you?”
I said, aware that my own expression had darkened.