Chapter 4

The room was eerily silent, as if it were impossible to believe that this was the place where the couple, without any prior discussion, had suddenly brought up their separation.

In silence, Flora signed the divorce papers.

Eliot also took them in silence, without a word, and left the room.

Even the knights who accompanied them were perplexed, but they exited the room as if fleeing from the awkward silence that dominated the air.

-- Hey, not even a final word to someone you were married to... Are you in your right mind?

Kevin, overwhelmed with shock and anger, opened his mouth but was silenced by the heavy atmosphere, unable to speak.

If there was any silver lining, it was that thanks to this, Emily didn't say anything unnecessary and left with them.

Kevin, who had been waiting in the corridor, had been peering through the door, trying to gauge what was happening inside. As everyone left in a daze, the simple door of the cottage slowly closed.

Kevin was the only one among those present, besides Eliot, who knew Flora, but even he, uneducated as he was, couldn't find the right words to say in such a moment.

Immobile, the only thing that burned into his mind was the glimpse of Flora's expression, one of utter resignation, through the closing door.

-- The two I remember weren't like this cold relationship...

He turned his gaze back to the closed door, thinking of Flora and the Eliot of the past.

Then, he turned on his heel, shoulders slumped in dejection, and followed the group.

If Kevin, still a low-ranking knight, were to protest or even attack Eliot in his anger, he would end up being dismissed from the knight's order. It would be of no help, and he might even drag his precious things into the mess.

Kevin sighed heavily, feeling helpless.

---

For moving through the city, riding horses would be too conspicuous, so they were using carriages. Led by Eliot, the knights were divided into several carriages, heading to the knights' quarters in the castle.

Kevin, sulking, was lying down in the last carriage when he suddenly sat up due to the jolt of an abrupt stop.

"What's going on?"

Through the small window of the carriage, he saw a crowd gathered at the end of the alley, and thick black smoke billowing from a building in the back.

"It seems there's a fire. To prevent the commotion from getting too large, the deputy leaders have gone ahead, but a few of us will go to help."

A fellow knight who had gone ahead to check the situation had just returned.

Together with a few other knights who remained, they headed to the scene, where the fire had already been extinguished, and the injured were being carried out.

When the gathered crowd noticed them, a cheer went up.

"The Holy Maiden! The Holy Maiden has come!"

Even Kevin and the others were surprised and turned around to see Holy Maiden Emily walking towards them with light steps.

The plan to keep the commotion down by leaving only unknown knights had been ruined. Kevin frowned.

Many of the clergy and priests, blessed by the goddess, can use purification, healing, and recovery magic.

It was entirely appropriate for Holy Maiden Emily to rush to treat the injured, even if her fame caused an unnecessary commotion. After all, human lives were the priority.

However...

"I-I'm sorry, I'm not very good at recovery magic..."

While placing her hands on the injured, Emily had been repeating this excuse-like statement multiple times.

No one was there to criticize the Holy Maiden who had rushed to the scene. Everyone knew that Emily had become the Holy Maiden due to her high purification powers. Even if she was somewhat unskilled in healing and recovery, there was no reason to blame her.

Still, the fact that she couldn't stop making excuses for the slow recovery magic might be because she was genuinely concerned for the injured, everyone might think.

-- Ah, I knew it, it's not just my imagination. It's weakening again... Shouldn't you hide it, Holy Maiden?

Devotion was indeed one of Emily's virtues, and Kevin had no intention of denying it. However, he was skeptical about her being called the Holy Maiden.

-- After all, that fame is exaggerated, isn't it?