Riley wondered if it was such a difficult question to answer. It wasn’t just Nara who hesitated to respond. Even Rorona, who had a relatively straight-shooter kind of personality, blurred the end of her sentence. She carefully said,
“She can’t have a conversation right now.”
“She can’t?”
Riley furrowed his eyebrows. As if he was trying to say that they should explain in detail, Riley looked inside the pub.
“She is not in here?”
Riley looked for the presence of Holy Power, the kind that people of holy temple possessed which was different from mana. Riley confirmed that the power could not be felt from the pub.
“… She is not here.”
Riley muttered. Rorona nodded and glanced at others passing by as she said,
“It’s a little uncomfortable to talk about it here, so why don’t we go to a different place?”
Rorona said she didn’t think she could talk about Priesia out in the open because Priesia had a reward on her discovery. Rorona quickly turned to look at the pub that had its door destroyed. She smiled awkwardly.
“It hadn’t been long since we arrived at this oasis. So, we don’t know the way around very well yet. I have something I need to go ask Mr. Reitri real quick, so can you please wait here?”
Riley stopped her and ask her a favor.
“Wait. Do not tell Reitri that I’m here.”
“Pardon? Why?”
“It’s not that I’m trying to hide something. It’s just that explaining things multiple times would be such a bother. Just think of it that way.”
Rorona tilted her head to the side, wondering what this was about. She nodded as if she understood.
“Okay. I understand.”
* * *
Along with Nara in the front, Rorona led the way to where Priesia was.
“Why is she so far away from everyone? It would be dangerous for her to be by herself. There’s still a reward on her discovery.”
Riley was following Nara and Rorona to where Priesia was when he asked. Nara said,
“That is… Ms. Priesia said she will be all right by herself. We did place guards around, but there probably isn’t anyone right near where she is.”
Riley and Nainiae thought a more detailed explanation was necessary. They tilted their heads to the side.
“You know where she is?”
“Yes.”
Nara nodded and also added the supplementary explanation that he didn’t get to give earlier.
“Since the epidemic drenched the Karuta desert, nobody had been setting foot in this place, but… There happens to be an abandoned holy temple nearby.”
“A holy temple?”
“Yes. Ms. Priesia is currently praying there.”
Nainiae had seen a friend sending up prayers at a holy temple a few times during last year spring. So, Nainiae mumbled as if she understood.
“She had said a few times before that she want to be alone. I wondered if there was something difficult going on with her, but… She said it was not like that. She said it because there was a divine message.”
“When you say a divine message, you mean that?”
“Yes, the one she receives from the Goddess.”
Riley remembered that even the priestess from his past life received divine messages sometimes. So, Riley’s face had become complicated.
“You already knew?”
Having heard what Nainiae said, Nara relaxed his face because he realized there was no need for further explanation. He explained one more time briefly about Priesia’s current situation.
“As I explained earlier, I think Ms. Priesia is praying because of a divine message, although we don’t know what the message is about.”
Nara also said he didn’t know how long the prayer would take. He pointed at a ruined building to the front.
“That’s the place.”
The building was made of marble stones, so it appeared to have been a holy temple in the past. Riley nodded as if it was making sense. He walked toward the place.
“Y… Young Master! Wait!”
“I told you. Ms. Priesia is in middle of a prayer?”
Nara and Rorona both extended their hands toward Riley and told him to wait. Riley furrowed his brows lightly and turned to look at the two.
“Come on. It’s not like I said I’m going to go bother her?”
Riley said he will just watch her praying. Nara and Rorona glanced at each other. They looked like they were thinking this could not be helped. They followed Riley.
“Nainiae, go bring Sera. I think she would come find us easily using her sense of smell, but it would be a bother if she ran into Reitri and end up having a long conversation.”
Riley was walking into the ruined building, but he ordered Nainiae who was waiting behind him.
“Yes, I understand.”
Nainiae lowered her head after hearing Riley’s order. She used the teleport to disappear from the spot, and Riley started to move his eyes around as he quietly entered the building.
‘Is it because the building is rundown? Inside is relatively smaller than what I thought from how the building looked from the outside, yet… She is…’