Chapter 35

After Clarence's shocking statement, the room was enveloped in silence.

Everyone had a pensive look on their face, heads bowed.

In a quiet voice, Clarence began to explain the situation.

"Aki obtained permission from the neighboring country's king and used one of their knights as bait. It was a sacrifice, like a lamb to the slaughter, with the premise that they would be devoured by the dragon. Then, Aki intended to defeat the dragon in one fell swoop using the power of the Holy Maiden."

"That's terrible..."

Lane couldn't help but exclaim at the inhumane strategy.

Aki had considered human lives so lightly.

"Alex would never allow such a thing."

"Of course not. That's why Aki asked to prioritize the treatment of the neighboring country's knights, to remove him from the scene and carry out the plan."

The sacrifices were low-ranking knights, who were told they would be protected by the Holy Maiden's power and were sent to charge at the dragon.

That dragon was a man-eater.

None of the knights survived.

It must have been a terrifying scene, a hell on earth.

Imagining the situation on the ground, Lane paled.

"Indeed, the dragon's defeat had been dragging on. Perhaps some sacrifices were inevitable. But the reason it took so long was because the neighboring country's king forced his own knights to participate in the hunt."

"Why would he do such a thing?"

"He probably didn't want the dragon's defeat to be credited to a single hero."

But the cost was high.

The neighboring country lost the Holy Maiden.

"But since Aki immediately tried to kidnap Liane and Lane after her death, the neighboring king must have known about Aki's past deeds."

Aki might have known that the Holy Maiden could lose her power and had been investigating Alex's surroundings beforehand.

"...That man said we were Holy Maiden candidates. What does that mean?"

Liane, who had been looking down, raised her head and asked Clarence.

He remained silent for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts, before explaining everything.

"When a Holy Maiden dies of something other than natural causes, a new Holy Maiden can be born. Especially if she dies in battle against a monster. And the new Holy Maiden will always be a woman related to the hero."

"Huh..."

Liane and Lane looked at each other.

Liane, Alex's sister.

And Lane, who had a close relationship with him.

Clarence was saying that these two had a high chance of becoming the new Holy Maiden in place of Aki.

"Liane is one thing, but me..."

Lane had only met Alex recently.

And they weren't in a deep relationship.

"No, Alex has never been close to any women before. You are definitely the closest to him. Besides, the men who attacked you also identified you two as Holy Maiden candidates."

Clarence looked at Randy for confirmation, and he nodded.

"Yes. They said both of you were valuable Holy Maiden candidates."

"Given this situation, it's more important that you were attacked. Especially since Alex has asked for your protection. I'm sorry, but both of you will have to come under my protection."

"...Understood."

It wasn't clear what the attackers intended to do with the Holy Maiden candidates, but considering they had already been attacked, it was best to be protected by Clarence.

Lane nodded in agreement.

Liane did as well.

"I'll arrange for rooms to be prepared in the castle. It's best not to return to that house until Alex comes back. Sally will bring the necessary items."

"Actually, I received an embroidery job."

Liane said this, looking at Sally.

"Please bring the embroidery tools. It's my first job, and I want to complete it properly."

"...Understood. I'll deliver it when it's finished."

Liane seemed relieved by Sally's response. Lane also asked for her tools to be brought.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"I want to share a room with Lane. I'd be scared alone."

"I also want to be with Liane."

Lane had been planning to ask the same thing, so she immediately agreed. The rooms in the castle were all large, and it would be lonely to be alone.

"Understood. I'll arrange it."

Clarence prepared their rooms in a part of the castle where only specific people could enter.

Only Sally was allowed to bring food and tea.

They were told to stay in their rooms as much as possible, but they had no intention of wandering around the castle.

"It's good that we're sharing a room."

Liane, who had been embroidering diligently since morning, said this as she sat on the luxurious sofa that seemed to swallow her.

"If I were alone, I might have dwelled on things and become depressed."

Lane felt the same way.

Being attacked.

Alex, who was fighting in the neighboring country.

And the Holy Maiden Aki, who met a tragic end.

After that, Clarence didn't speak, but Randy told her about Aider.

Aider, who had been with the Holy Maiden, lost both his hands to the dragon. Though his life was saved, he could no longer wield a sword. He was currently recuperating at the nearest church to the neighboring country, but he was suffering from pain and fever.

He had betrayed Lane.

But it didn't feel like a just punishment.

She prayed for his wounds to heal as soon as possible.

"Hey, Lane."

Hearing her name, Lane snapped back to reality.

"What is it?"

"Do you want to become the Holy Maiden?"

"..."

Lane couldn't answer immediately and fell silent.

The power of the Holy Maiden could be lost if one strayed from the path. If chosen, she might meet the same tragic end as Aki at any time.

Thinking about it, it was indeed scary.

(But...)

The Holy Maiden's power was overwhelmingly strong against monsters.

"If it's a power that can help Alex, I might want it."

Hearing her honest answer, Liane's eyes widened in surprise.

She probably didn't expect Lane to say such a thing after hearing about such a tragedy.

"Will you help my brother?"

"I might not need to help him. But that's how I feel."

Saying this might reveal to Liane that she had feelings for Alex. But her feelings were already overflowing.

If she could heal Alex's wounds.

If she could crush his enemy.

She couldn't help but wish for it.

"...Lane, thank you."

Tears overflowed from Liane's eyes.

She didn't try to wipe away the tears that kept flowing and hugged Lane.

Surprised by her sudden crying, Lane still embraced her.

Liane must have had her own struggles that Lane didn't know about.

"Even if I become the Holy Maiden, my brother will fight alone. I am his sister, and he must protect me."

Lane agreed.

No matter how strong the Holy Maiden became, she couldn't imagine Alex making his sister fight.

"But Lane... After such a terrible experience, you haven't become bitter or resentful. You face life with determination. You might be able to fight alongside my brother. You might be able to bring him peace."

Lane gently stroked Liane's back as she continued to cry.

"I want to be like that too."

It might be strange to talk about such things when it wasn't certain if she could become the Holy Maiden.

But Lane's feelings were genuine and unwavering.

"Alex might reject it, though."

Realizing she was getting carried away without Alex's consent, Lane felt embarrassed.

But Liane shook her head quietly.

"That won't happen. My brother must have special feelings for you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have brought you home or introduced you to me. A lot has happened since we found out he was a hero."

And with that, she began to talk about the past.