“Don’t say such a ridiculous stuff.”
Riley waved his palm around and refused, and Priesia looked disappointed.
“Young Master really is something.”
“You know he is stubborn.”
“Hm. With a beautiful woman like the Priestess, Isen would have begged and asked her to follow him.”
“Rorona?”
“It’s not exactly a lie, isn’t it? You were staring at the Priestess’s face like a fool earlier. I saw it all. You think I wouldn’t notice?”
“Hey! D… Do you have proof? I asked, you got proof!”
“Could you two stop doing embarrassing sheet? Priestess is watching.”
When the mercenary group’s Isen and Rorona bickered with each aother, Priesia was watching them and breaking cold sweat. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and sighed.
“Ugh. It’s all my fault. If I was just a little more alert, this would not have happened.”
“That’s right. You still didn’t quite grow up yet.”
“… Ugh.”
“You grew up in the Holy Temple while being pampered by a bunch of yes-men. You probably thought I’ll listen no matter what just because you asked. You need to fix that attitude.”
“… Uuu.”
“Y… Young Master… Please be gentle with your words.”
“Why? It is not like I said anything wrong…”
Riley was excited and belittling Priesia to his heart’s content. Nainiae pulled his sleeve from the side, so he turned his head and flinched his shoulders.
“Hup… Huuu…”
Priesia was biting hard on to her lower lips and shedding tears as she glared at Riley. This was why.
‘W… What is this? Why is she crying?’
Riley panicked and checked other people’s faces. It seemed like everyone was not thinking too kindly of what Riley had done.
“I am so sorry. Because I was just a brat, the Holy Temple collapsed, and I didn’t even get to protect the people of the temple.”
Priesia was wearing a rag on her head. She tightly held the rag and spoke. Meanwhile, Riley floated a question mark, wondering why she was crying, and looked at Priesia.
“If you helped me just a little as the divine message foretold, I would not have… I would not have been cornered like this…”
“…”
“I really agonized over things a lot! Every night, I couldn’t even sleep. All alone, I tried to do something! Huk… Huhup!”
“Ah… Hey…”
Riley put his hand out and had a dumbfounded look on the face. Nainiae checked Riley and then went next to Priesia to console her.
“It’s all right. Please don’t cry. Young Master didn’t mean anything ill by what he said. You know that, right?”
“…”
“…”
It seemed everyone’s heart was shaken up from seeing a gorgeous woman’s tears. The three mercenaries including Nara and even Ian narrowed their eyes and glared at Riley.
“Ugh. Young Master, you have gone a little too far just now.”
“Young Master, I know well that you are not interested in religion. However… Priestess is a dignitary of high status. She is treated like the monarchs of the Solia Castle. To the people of the Holy Temple, she is even more important than the monarchs. How you spoke to her just now was not becoming of a gentleman.”
“The thing is…”
Having heard Ian’s advice, Riley crumpled his face. He looked at Priesia who was crying in Nainiae’s chest.
Riley knew very well that this Priestess, a young and na?ve girl named Priesia, was a different person. She was not the scheming, sly Priestess that he faced in his past life.
“Ugh. Enough.”
As if he was sick of watching her, Riley quickly turned his body around. He got on the carriage that was getting ready to go. He was trying to hide away. Ian was about to reach for Riley’s back with his hand, but he withdrew his arm.
‘Young Master…’
Riley wondered if something happened to Ian after they went their separate ways at the Right Solia. Lately, Riley felt that Ian was occasionally showing vacant looks or suddenly bust into anger. It made Riley concerned.
“… Ian.”
“Ah, yes?”
Wheeec.
Along with Riley’s voice, something hard was tossed at Ian. Ian tumbled and raised his hand to the front to catch the object that Riley threw.
It was a mask.
“What is this for?”
“If you are going to bring her with us, have her wear that.”
With those as his last words, Riley went into the carriage. Ian thought Riley just cannot help himself after all. Ian tilted up the tip of his mouth.