Chapter 93

A voice called out to me without hesitation, "Charlotte."

Ah, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. I pretended not to hear and continued walking. If I could blend into the crowd, he would surely lose sight of me.

...Alright, let's do it!

So, I decided to walk quickly without turning around. With the "Body Enhancement" spell, I moved at a speed that would make a race walker blush. I might even be able to set a new world record★

But this time, instead of my name, he called out, "Xeno!" The gray-haired man in front of me raised his hand slightly.

—Oh no!

"Xeno, that woman is Charlotte! Stop her!!"

"Eh!? O-Okay!!"

The man—Xeno—reacted immediately to the command and came towards me, spreading his arms wide. He seemed to be a knight, and it looked like I wouldn't be able to escape without causing a commotion.

...Why does this always happen when I don't want to stand out?

I had no choice but to stop and turn around.

"I'm not running or hiding. ...Do you have something to say to me, Prince Ignatius?"

The wind blew, and my white-blonde hair fluttered. Ah, I really didn't want to see him again.

My ex-fiancé.

Prince Ignatius seemed surprised by my response. His eyes widened, and he was at a loss for words, perhaps remembering the obedient Charlotte from the past.

But, too bad.

I am Charlotte, who has regained her memories from her previous life. I don't intend to let Prince Ignatius do as he pleases so easily.

Despite his surprise, Prince Ignatius walked over to me. Xeno remained behind, ready to stop me if I tried to run.

Prince Ignatius glared at me and raised his voice irritably.

"Where did you take Emilia! I was going to forgive you if you begged and cried, but how much more do you have to hurt Emilia to feel satisfied! Is Emilia, who took me from you, that hateful to you!?"

"Eh...?"

Prince Ignatius's words, spoken in one breath, were incomprehensible.

In summary, he seemed to have decided that I was the cause or the culprit of Emilia's disappearance.

...By the way, Emilia is missing?

It was completely unexpected, and I was being falsely accused. I made a clearly displeased expression and simply said, "I don't know."

"What! Are you going to play dumb again!?"

"No, I really don't know..."

I sighed as Prince Ignatius pressed me. I had managed to avoid him until now, but the timing was bad.

"Besides, I don't have the time to deal with you, Prince Ignatius."

I had to go to the cathedral and check it out—saying that, I glanced in that direction, which was a mistake. Xeno guessed, "The cathedral, right?"

"The cathedral? So you did something to Emilia after all."

"...?"

He was implying that the cathedral was involved in Emilia's disappearance. I remembered that Emilia's profession was a "Healer," so it wasn't strange for her to be in and out of the cathedral.

"Are you still going to play dumb? Just tell me where Emilia is! And beg me. If you apologize, I'll take you back to Fabrum!"

"—No thanks!"

Prince Ignatius seemed to be unable to reason with me. Deciding that staying here was a waste of time, I turned and started walking.

...I thought it would be troublesome if there was a commotion, but Prince Ignatius didn't want to stand out either.

If that's the case, I'll take my freedom. What does he want me to do with this man who broke our engagement and even ordered my exile?

But as I started walking, Prince Ignatius followed, looking anxious. And because he had raised his voice earlier, he was now calling me in a relatively low voice, "Hey!"

Ignoring Prince Ignatius, I arrived at the "Cathedral of Florencia." There were still people coming and going, but the number seemed to have decreased compared to before.

"Hey, Charlotte! Are you really going in there? We are from—"

"Will you shut up already?"

I turned around and pointed at Prince Ignatius's mouth with my index finger. This is a country that is at odds with Fabrum, and mentioning its name would only cause confusion. For a prince, he doesn't seem to understand such things.

Prince Ignatius seemed to understand my intention and hurriedly covered his mouth.

"Still, what do you need at the cathedral? Charlotte is a 'Dark Mage,' so you shouldn't have any business here, right? Or are you praying for world peace? Ah, you should practice your smile too."

"Shut up and be quiet."

"—!?"

I accidentally spoke my thoughts out loud. No, no, that's not good.

Inside the cathedral, priests and priestesses were moving about. There were a few "Cathedral Knights," but not many.

...They must be focusing on protecting Rodney. Yes, that's convenient.

I chuckled and went to the room where the statue of Florencia is. I thought it might be open—no, that's impossible. Yes, I knew that.

Seeing the closed door, I sighed, and Prince Ignatius looked curious, "You had business here?"

"This is the room where the statue of Florencia is, for prayer. I wanted to go inside, but it's closed, which is disappointing."

I explained, hoping he would learn something, and Prince Ignatius's eyes widened slightly.

"So, Emilia was praying here...? Maybe we can find a clue if we go inside."

"Huh!? What are you doing!!"

Prince Ignatius's face lit up, and he started to open the door. If he did that in the cathedral, the knights would come running.

"But...!"

"But nothing! You can do as you please, but don't involve me!!"

"—!"

I don't want to be involved with Prince Ignatius anymore. When I clearly rejected him, Prince Ignatius visibly flustered.

"B-But, aren't you worried about Emilia!?"

"Not at all?"

I couldn't understand why he thought I should be worried.

"Damn, why—"

Just as Prince Ignatius let out a frustrated sigh, there was a crack. Looking at the source of the sound, I saw the door was slightly open.

...Did Prince Ignatius break it with his strength?

I sighed, not believing it.

Come to think of it, Prince Ignatius was trained by his father. His father is the head of the knights, so he is very strong. Breaking a lock isn't... strange. Probably.

"Since it opened conveniently, let's check inside."

"..."

A royal family member boldly breaking in is questionable.

I sighed inwardly but followed, grateful that we could go inside. If anything happened, I could say I tried my best to stop him as a worshipper.

Inside, it was eerily quiet, just as it was when I last came. However, it seemed a bit dusty, as if it hadn't been cleaned in a while.

...Is no one allowed to enter on Rodney's orders?

It would be convenient if I could sneak in, but I'm worried about the cathedral. I need to reclaim it and have Titia become the "Pope."

While Prince Ignatius and Xeno checked the room, I examined the lock. It was broken, but it looked like it was just slightly damaged. No one seemed to have entered, so I decided to leave it as it was and plan to break in boldly at night.

Praying that I would never have to see him again—I quietly left the cathedral without being noticed by Prince Ignatius and the others.