He quickly regained his composure after a moment of confusion and unable to continue his words. Then he asked seriously.
"Then are you certain you have no lingering attachment to him?"
"Who? Maxel? Of course."
"Since we're not on familiar terms, there's no need to force yourself to use his name."
"I dislike showing him respect even more."
If I don't use his name, I'd have to call him 'Crown Prince.' I disliked that. It felt unpleasant, as if I had become one of the countless nobles serving him.
"By the way, do you have some grudge against the Imperial family?"
Even if Maxel wasn't present, referring to the Crown Prince of a nation simply as 'him' was a bit... Of course, I had no intention of stopping him.
"I don't. However, I was taught that in noble society, using someone's name carries special meaning. My question is reasonable."
"It's not like I'm part of noble society, so why suddenly attach special meaning to a name?"
"Then a mage using your name so freely was also nothing significant?"
At that moment, I recalled what Xenon had said with great seriousness.
That Samuel's obsession was dangerous.
I never expected to hear something like this about names again after Heinrich. Did I really end up with some kind of spell called 'Aneli' without knowing it?
"Sir Samuel. I really don't want to say this with my own mouth."
"Please speak."
"Sir, do you perhaps have personal feelings for me?"
"I told you I do."
Ah, right. He did say that.
I looked at Samuel nodding so indifferently with disbelief, then cleared my throat.
I needed to ask more clearly, but even with my thick skin, this kind of question was awkward.
I cleared my throat unnecessarily and straightened up before facing Samuel seriously again.
"No, I mean. Your personal feelings—not because I'm a Resurrected and you need to protect me, or to earn my trust to bring me to the Temple—those kinds of reasonable reasons...."
"As I mentioned, it's personal desire. I admit it's an irrational reason."
He admitted his personal motives too easily.
...Actually, it's nothing much. Am I misunderstanding for no reason? I'm feeling awkward for nothing.
Right, maybe I'm interpreting a clergyman's personal feelings through too secular a perspective.
Suddenly hearing nonsense about people liking me from all directions, I guess I've developed some kind of delusion. I pressed my forehead and nodded absently.
"Right, clergy members have strong compassion."
"It's not compassion."
"Hm?"
"I said it's not compassion. One doesn't desperately chase after someone they pity. There are separate priests in charge of social service."
He added in a puzzled voice.
"Do you need compassion?"
"That can't be true."
"Yes. From what I've seen, you don't seem to like such feelings much either."
The longer the conversation went on, the more we seemed to be talking past each other. Or is it just my imagination?
It seemed difficult to understand each other by continuing the conversation. I decided to just not try to understand.
Why waste mental energy? The Dullahan situation alone was enough to give me a headache. No need to add more trouble unnecessarily.
"Anyway, thanks for the information."
As I tried to wrap up the conversation appropriately, Samuel opened his lips as if to say something.
But he couldn't continue as he wanted. A pitch-black sparrow tapped the window with its beak.
When I opened the window, Zigor flew inside with a flutter.
[Boss, Boss! I found it! I figured it out!]
Zigor with his excited voice flew around me shouting.
[It's definitely nearby!]
"Really?"
[Yes! A remote fishing village near this city!]
Zigor said in an excited voice.
[That must be the guardian deity!]
...What deity?
* * *
Leaving Samuel in the room, I came outside and met the Dullahans at a quiet pier within the city.
A black mage and a knight in full plate armor, a black sparrow, a black wasp, and me. As long as one didn't listen to the conversation, it wouldn't look particularly strange.
Probably.
[Isn't it possible you just picked up random words in your excitement?]
[No, Tristan!]
[So according to your words, one of the knights became a village guardian deity.]
[That's right, Nadav!]
"Zigor, you do know we're Dullahans when you say this, right?"
[Even Pallides! Why doesn't anyone believe me!]
That's because it's strange. A village that worships a Dullahan as a guardian deity—does that make sense?
[He could have transformed into something plausible and become a guardian deity!]
Zigor, convinced that this mysterious guardian deity was the Dullahan we were looking for, raised his voice alone in defiance.
However, the other Dullahans were skeptical. The general opinion was that 'having fully recovered, he's making unreasonable claims to quickly show results.'
[I faintly sensed our energy from the human who spoke of the guardian deity!]
[That human might have just told a wild story, and you might have mistaken the energy you sensed.]
[It's real! He said that in the fishing village where he lives, when sea monsters or scary monsters appear, this guardian deity defeats them!]
At Zigor's words, Tristan shuddered.
[Don't tell me the defeated monsters are....]
Tristan, you're thinking the same thing I am....
[We're the Knights of the Round Table! Of course we won!]
The sparrow, who had been under a hawk's protection with injured wings when we first met, spoke proudly. He must have forgotten his past the moment his wings healed.
"But they're still monsters. Like me, he could have gone berserk and been defeated by someone."
[If a Dullahan had gone berserk, people would have talked about it. But we didn't hear that.]
At Tristan's words, Nadav buzzed.
[If Ganic is here, he wouldn't have easily gone berserk. That guy had stronger mental fortitude than anyone.]
"Ah, right. I recalled sparring with Ganic yesterday!"
[I remember too. You always lost, Pallides.]
"What is this blockhead saying in front of the boss! I'm stronger!"
[You didn't always lose, but the ranking changed every day.]
"This promiscuous wasp!"
The conversation was going increasingly off track. At this point, their chaos seemed less due to lacking brains and more due to their personalities. Gather them together and they can't have a proper conversation.
Eventually I decided to intervene.
"So we all agree that this knight named Ganic might be in this area?"
Pallides answered readily.
"If there's a Knight of the Round Table here, it would be Ganic."
[Boss, let me go to that village! He said it's nearby, so it'll be quick!]
[Boss, I'll go with Zigor and confirm this so-called guardian deity.]
I crossed my arms and fell into thought. Sending them wasn't a problem, but I hadn't yet decided whether to keep taking in Dullahans.
After all, I'd just heard about the Twelve Sinners from Samuel.
"For now...."
[Don't worry, Boss! We'll return quickly!]
[I'll keep watch to prevent any accidents, and if something happens, I'll stab him with my stinger!]
Zigor, snorting loudly at Tristan, landed on Nadav's head and looked up at me with black, round eyes. My face was reflected perfectly in those deep black eyes.
...It was too cute.
[Boss... Do you not trust me?]
My words were blocked by the cuteness of the sparrow after so long.
No, Dullahan or sinner aside, he's just too cute. Even having seen Zigor's true form, the cuteness of his sparrow form hadn't diminished at all.
If anything, the sparrow form created the illusion that even his true form was cute.
"...Go ahead."
Unable to bear seeing the sparrow disappointed, I finally nodded. Zigor fluttered his wings excitedly.
[Understood, Boss! I won't let you down!]
[Boss, I'll move immediately.]
Suddenly I felt worried. From a wasp and sparrow's perspective, this might become quite a journey... But they're not children, they'll be fine, right?
"If something happens, run away unconditionally. Don't try to fight."
I added out of unnecessary worry, and Zigor answered confidently.
"Don't transform into monsters in front of people."
I was going to tell them not to undo their transformation unconditionally, but I changed my mind.
"...If it's truly dangerous, you can return to your true form for self-protection."
[I won't cause trouble, Boss!]
Zigor, whom I expected to say he'd win, gave an unexpected answer. Tristan also agreed with Zigor's words.
[I'll be careful not to cause you any trouble.]
The two Dullahans who made such promises to me flew away energetically. Nadav and Pallides shouted after them to not cause trouble and return safely.
...Did I treat them too much like troublemakers?
A corner of my heart felt uneasy at the Dullahans' overly cautious behavior, but Zigor and Tristan had already left. Eventually I returned to the lodging with an unsettled feeling.
Whether interpreting my attitude somehow, Nadav and Pallides comforted me saying they definitely wouldn't cause trouble. They didn't seem to realize their attitude was making me more uncomfortable.
Their sincere efforts to not be abandoned by me were conveyed so clearly that I decided to send Nadav and Pallides into subspace.
"It'll be fine."
I needed time to calm this complicated state of mind.
Resting alone in the lodging until Zigor and Tristan returned would help.
* * *
"Two companions whose identities haven't been revealed?"
"Yes."
Frijian looked down absently at the report handed over by his aide. They had been running around looking for Samuel who had hidden his tracks without reporting to the Temple for a while, and unexpectedly found records of Samuel.
Samuel's identification had been used in the process of utilizing the warp gate. The intelligence agents of Roam who had been collecting gate usage records immediately reported to Frijian.
Samuel wasn't alone.
"Companions...."
According to the intelligence agents planted in the Temple, the news that Samuel was searching for Aneli hadn't been reported. If so, these companions could be subordinates under Samuel's command.
Frijian narrowed his eyes.