Chapter 29

"Hey, you guys were amazing!! Your timing was perfect!"

"It's really good that a large monster was rampaging and there was no damage anywhere!"

Oswald responded coolly to the excited people who had rushed over.

"No, it's only possible because of the brave people who helped each other in such a situation. By the way, the owner of this Fenrir..."

It seems he was about to start questioning the people around him. Charlotte sighed and looked at the sleeping Fenrir.

"Good night, Mr. Fenrir."

After stroking the base of his large ears, Charlotte stepped out from between the icicles to avoid disturbing his sleep any further.

I wonder if Fenrir will be in trouble after causing such a commotion.

While she was worried, Oswald was talking to the person who had been transporting Fenrir in a carriage.

(Hmm... Sir Oswald, looking so serious, is so handsome...)

Looking at his composed profile, she felt that everything would be alright. Charlotte smiled and placed her hand on her left chest.

(Still...)

Her left chest still felt a warm heat. It was probably the aftereffect of the healing magic she had used earlier.

(What is the state of the divine power? If only the minimum necessary for sustaining life remains, it might have been depleted by the healing just now. Yet...)

She felt no discomfort or pain when she touched her heart.

(Maybe...)

A possibility came to mind.

(Could it be that the sealed divine power is recovering?)

At that moment, someone called out to Charlotte.

"Wow, miss! You can use healing magic, can you?"

Charlotte's shoulders jumped at the man's words.

"There's only one woman around here who can use healing magic. She's supposed to have red hair, so you must be from far away, right?"

"Maybe you're someone well-known in other places? If you don't mind, could you tell me your name?"

"A, ah! I, I, um..."

Sensing that the commotion had subsided, the main street quickly filled with people. They were observing the sleeping Fenrir from a distance or going to see Oswald, who was dealing with the aftermath. Their eyes were full of curiosity.

(What should I do?)

Their gazes, of course, started to turn towards Charlotte.

(With so many people here, there's a possibility that someone I know is among them...! If I run into them, my memory loss will be exposed. If everyone finds out that I am 'Saint Charlotte,' it might cause a big commotion!)

In this situation, she wanted to quickly escape the attention.

(I have to hide my face! But I'm not wearing a robe or anything. Covering my face with both hands would be too obvious and unnatural...!!)

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Sir Oswald..."

Oswald looked down at Charlotte and narrowed his eyes.

(I can't think of a way to tell him I want to hide my face...!! I can't get close enough to whisper in his ear...!)

While Charlotte was flustered, Oswald seemed to have sensed something.

"...Ah, I see."

Then, he reached out his hand to Charlotte.

And he hugged her, enveloping her in his arms.

"......!?"

Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise.

She couldn't grasp what was happening. Yet, Oswald continued, gently stroking her head with his large hand.

"---You did well, even though you were scared and the healing magic was unfamiliar."

"Hwaa...!"

His gentle touches were like soothing a small child.

Despite the gentle embrace, she couldn't move at all. Feeling as if she couldn't breathe, Charlotte clutched his coat.

"A, ah, Sir Oswald...!"

"You're trembling. ...Poor thing."

(Ah! Why is he being so gentle...!!)

She wasn't trembling because she was scared of Fenrir.

Even though he should know that, Oswald didn't let her go. The people around them were looking at them and murmuring.

Oswald leaned close to Charlotte's ear and whispered in a slightly hoarse voice.

"...Hey. Stay still."

"Hin! B, but, the thing is, the thing is..."

"I'll create a natural flow to get us away from here. Just go along with it. I'll hide you from the people without arousing suspicion."

(Hiding me like this is too much for my heart...!!)

While she understood that it was to hide her face, did he really need to hug her? Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut and let out a silent scream.

"Regarding Fenrir's treatment, I've talked to the owner. There's nothing more we can do."

"F, f, fai, au..."

Before she could respond, Oswald said:

"Let's go."

His voice had a hint of tenderness.

"Wh, what?"

"～～～～!!"

It was a miracle that she didn't faint after hearing his whisper.