The room was enveloped in an eerie silence, so profound that it felt almost surreal for a place where a couple was discussing their separation without any prior conversation.
In that heavy stillness, Flora signed the Divorce Papers.
Elliott accepted them wordlessly, turning on his heel and exiting the room without uttering a single word. Even the knights accompanying them were taken aback by this abruptness, but they quickly fled the awkward atmosphere dominated by silence.
—Hey, not even a final word to someone you married? Are you out of your mind?
Kevin’s shock and anger bubbled to the surface, and he instinctively opened his mouth to speak, but the oppressive air stifled his words. The only silver lining was that Emily had been unable to say anything unnecessary and had left with the others.
Positioned at the back of the group, Kevin had been waiting in the corridor, peering through the door to catch a glimpse of the scene inside. As he stood there, dumbfounded, everyone exited, and the simple door of the modest dwelling slowly creaked shut.
Kevin was the only one present who had any acquaintance with Flora aside from Elliott, yet he found himself at a loss for words in such a moment. Rooted to the spot, the image of Flora’s expression—one that seemed to have surrendered everything—was seared into his memory.
—The two I remember weren’t in such a cold relationship…
He shifted his gaze back to the now-closed door, lost in thoughts of Flora and the Elliott of the past.
With a heavy heart, he turned away, shoulders slumped in defeat, and began to follow the group. Even if he, a low-ranking knight, were to confront Elliott in his fury, it would only result in his own dismissal from the knight order. He would achieve nothing, and worse, he might end up jeopardizing something precious to him.
With a sense of helplessness, Kevin let out a deep sigh.
To avoid drawing attention while moving through the city, they traveled by carriage. Led by Elliott, the knights split into several carriages as they made their way to the Royal Castle’s knight barracks.
Kevin, sulking in the last carriage, was dozing off when the sudden jolt of a stop jolted him awake.
“What’s going on?”
Peering through the small window of the carriage, he spotted a crowd gathering down the alley. Thick black smoke billowed from a building in the distance.
“It seems there’s a fire. To prevent the situation from escalating, the vice-captains have gone ahead, but a few of us will head over to help.”
One of the knights who had gone ahead returned to report on the situation.
As they approached the scene with the remaining knights, they found that the fire had already been extinguished, and injured individuals were being carried out.
When the gathered townsfolk noticed their presence, a cheer erupted.
“It’s the Holy Maiden! The Holy Maiden has come to help!”
Even Kevin, who was there, turned in surprise, for the Holy Maiden Emily was approaching them with light, graceful steps. Despite the intention to keep the presence of unknown knights to avoid causing a commotion, the situation was now ruined. Kevin frowned.
Clergy and priests, blessed by the goddess, were capable of using not only purification but also healing and Recovery Magic.
It was entirely reasonable for the Holy Maiden Emily to rush to treat the injured, and even if her fame caused unnecessary fuss, the preservation of life took precedence.
However…
“I-I’m so sorry! I’m not very good at Recovery Magic…”
As she held her hands over the injured, Emily had repeated such apologetic phrases multiple times.
No one present would dare criticize the Holy Maiden who had come all this way. After all, everyone knew that Emily had become a Holy Maiden due to her exceptional purification abilities. There was no reason to blame her for being somewhat inept at healing and recovery.
Yet, the fact that she felt compelled to excuse the slow effects of her Recovery Magic stemmed from her compassionate nature, and it was something everyone could understand.
—Ah, it’s not just my imagination, is it? It’s weakening again, isn’t it…? You don’t have to hide it, Holy Maiden.
While it was true that Emily’s selflessness was a virtue, Kevin found himself skeptical about her being called a Holy Maiden.
—After all, isn’t that fame just an exaggeration?