“They are very much aware of that, which is why they won’t ignore this affair. Or at least I think so.”
This was a matter of emotion, not reason, and of the church’s pride. If it so happened that I was at another witch trial they were dealing with and they ended up letting the witch run off only for me to kill the witch again, then the whole existence of the Carbuncles would come into question. The easiest and speediest way to solve this was to send the Scarlet Star, who would come without delay. I needed her to.
“Which is why I wanna double-check... You really don’t have a stigma, do you?” I asked.
“Like I told you! I don’t!”
If Leen said so, then I’d believe her. And I could use this in an argument if need be.
“So if someone ends up indicting you, you’ll be okay. That’s a relief!” I said.
“What do you mean?! If someone indicts me, then they’ll end up dead!”
“Guess so.”
“I’m in a delicate position where I need to make sure no one indicts me at all! If I do anything witchlike, then I’ll get suspected, after all. That’s why I always make sure Blue is transformed!”
Leen seemed like she would be moaning for a while, so I turned away and started walking. The next second, I heard a familiar voice.
“Oh! Hey, Hakura! How’s it goin’?”
“Oh, Jiray. It’s you.”
The one standing there was the rookie adventurer to whom I’d given a knife: Jiray.
Jiray was standing underneath the eaves of a nearby building. Although he had a broom in hand, the way he slouched against it indicated that he had zero intention of sweeping the street. The Sphere on the back of his right hand was still pale and almost totally transparent, but I could see a faint blue starting to form. The kid was working hard.
“What do you mean ‘oh’?!” Jiray snapped. “Lucky you, Hakura. While I’m at work, you get to go on a date with a pretty lady...”
I ignored Leen, who snickered gleefully at being called pretty.
“By the way, Jiray. Yesterday, Erifell... Uh, the scary receptionist at the guild was looking for you.”
“Really? Did I do something wrong?”
From what I could see, it didn’t seem like Jiray had any idea what Erifell wanted. With Erifell herself out of action, we would have to wait until all of this was sorted before we got any answers.
“I dunno either, so I thought you might tell me. Anyway, you’re working, you said?”
“Yeah, just helping with the shop. I wanna go and take on a quest, but granny grabbed me and put me on duty.”
Jiray glanced elsewhere. I followed his gaze and saw an old building that didn’t seem like it had been given the TLC it deserved, with an equally shoddy-looking sign. The text was so old and faded that I couldn’t read the name of the store. I assumed it sold miscellaneous goods, but I hadn’t been in it before, that was for sure.
“Ha ha, you’re still not suited to the adventuring life,” I said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re not looking at things logically enough yet.”
The fact that Jiray was choosing to man the store instead of doing a quest which paid more meant that he was still a fledgling in the biz. Adventurers were people who lived and breathed with logic and pragmatism—like me. As I was thinking this, I felt a pair of eyes boring into my back. I turned around to see Leen staring at me with an astounded expression.
“If you got something to say, then spit it out,” I said.
“No, no... Simply reaffirming the fact that I don’t get people at all.”
I wanted to snap back that I didn’t get her at all, but I successfully managed to keep the words to myself.
“Oh yeah! Listen to this, Hakura. I saw something incredible!”
Jiray must have reached a lull in his important work, for he started to make small talk. Personally, I wanted to hit the hay as soon as possible, but I decided to be kind and reply without letting my utter lack of interest show.
“Which was?”
“A reaaally beautiful lady!”
Lo and behold, he started bringing up something I didn’t care about in the slightest. I shouldn’t have asked.
“More beautiful than me?” Leen asked.
Of course she’d jump in and compare herself. Jiray must have sussed out what was on Leen’s mind, for he clenched his fists even more than before and started explaining himself.
“She was really amazing, trust me! Not only did she have this long, red hair, but she also had super shiny armor!”
“Hold on...” I muttered.
“And she had these nuns with her too! I wonder if she was a church knight. Who knows!”
A beautiful woman with red hair, shiny armor, and some nuns in tow... This was bad. I totally knew who Jiray was talking about, but this was too fast! Way too fast! Derg had only gotten in touch yesterday!
“Where’d they go, Jiray?!”
“Oh, over there, I guess...”
It was still early in the morning, so the main street was filled with craftspeople and merchants heading to work. If she had taken this route, then she might have gone to the church or maybe to meet up with Erifell and Derg...
“Are you...searching for someone?”
I heard a voice from behind me. Despite being out in town, I was slightly on guard, yet somehow someone had approached me from behind. Her words trickled into my ear. They were cold—as if someone were pouring icy river water from a winter morning right into my ear—and so clear that she was making no attempt to hide the antagonism in her voice. It was a voice I knew very well. Leen’s and Jiray’s shocked expressions were directed at her behind me.
I fearfully turned around. I knew who it was, but I couldn’t help it. The woman standing behind me was about a head shorter than I was. She had a slender frame, girlish features that hadn’t shed her childishness, splendid silver armor, and a commanding aura that shattered any weakness her appearance might suggest.
“It has been...a while, Hakura Istilla,” she said.
If I could sum her up in a word, it would be: red. She had short scarlet hair that looked like fire spun into thread, so blazing in its appearance that it seared itself into my brain. Then there were her ruby eyes that glittered with a fierce flame as if she were eyeing up her prey. Like Leen, she was a woman you wouldn’t forget, but for completely different reasons.
“H-Hello, Ruvy Miaspica...”
If my memory served, Ruvy was the youngest ever special-class knight, having been appointed when she was only thirteen years old. She had spent the past four years incessantly striking witches through the heart, earning her the reputation of the fastest witch hunter around.