Chapter Four: Stating the Obvious, Because Only Fools Would Be Deceived
“ONLY a fool with no common sense would be sold on those charges. Seriously…” His Majesty sighed. “The Holy Knight Commander, your fiancé of all people, didn’t protect you, and for the life of me I can’t understand why.”
His large wings resembled a golden eagle’s. They flapped once, and a breeze rustled through the small cave. Although the emperor wore a smile, he seemed furious. Am I imagining things?
He continued, “Let’s see… Embezzling funds from the Order and others, illegal dumping of medicine, inflicting bodily harm on people via curses…” He shook his head. “The Wagtail Priestess does not come from a politically powerful background, nor does her fiancé, so there’s no way she could have done all that by herself. And she hardly has a motive either.”
“Your Majesty…” He was only stating the facts, but just hearing someone utter that obvious conclusion lit a gentle warmth in my heart. The emperor’s words slowly albeit steadily alleviated the lingering fatigue and pain from my imprisonment through the past winter.
“First of all, you possess powerful mana, Sai. If you really had been planning something nasty, you would’ve done it better and more boldly.”
“I… I am not worthy of such high acclaim, I…”
“For example…” He paused, thinking. “If they were accusing you of something as audacious as brainwashing all the Holy Knights and declaring war on your neighboring country—my country—I might have been a little convinced.”
That left me reeling. “I-I could never…!”
My heart was racing. As a matter of fact, there was a route in the game where one could brainwash the Holy Knights and conquer the world. Though, well, it was supposed to be an option for the protagonist Saint, not me. But he was right. Armed with the magic of the Wagtail Priestess, it wasn’t something all that impossible.
“That requires a lot of mana; even I would not…”
“You do. You’re just hiding it.”
I didn’t respond to the implied question, and he pierced me with a shrewd stare. I quailed under its weight.
The tension relaxed a little, however, when he said, “But you would never do that, Sai. I mean, look at you. Your fiancé’s family pushed you around, the Order milked you for all your worth, and you were forced to work while being treated like the lowest of maids. Yet you never complained once.”
“That’s…” I hesitated.
His ash-blue eyes appraised me with conviction. “You are a girl who has constantly sacrificed herself to protect the pride of her station as the Wagtail Priestess and the noble blood that runs in her veins. Am I wrong?”
“I…” He knew it all. The false charges against me, my history… And my true strength was likely no secret to him either. Though happiness blossomed in my heart, at the same time, I was a little afraid. “Your Majesty, how much do you know…?”
“How much? Well…” He trailed off. The corners of his lips curled in a bewitching smile. “Everything, Sai. Other than the secrets you keep locked away in your heart, I’ve investigated everything I can. Thoroughly. Because I wanted to save you.”
Thunder roared, and lightning was a white paint that reached even the depths of the cave.
The emperor was still smiling, but his gaze was intense as he looked at me. “Do you think I’m someone you shouldn’t trust?”
“…No.” I shook my head. “You have flown a long way. Even with magic supporting you, it must have been exhausting.”
“I didn’t really want you to find out about my efforts, though. It’s pretty embarrassing,” he said sheepishly.
As he grinned wryly, I noted his sweat-ridden cheeks. I didn’t know where he had flown from, yet obviously he had sped toward my execution grounds until he’d been drenched in desperate sweat. He’d saved me at the risk of being shot by arrows.
“You tried so hard to rescue me, and… There is no world where I would not put my faith in you, Your Majesty.”
His eyes softened as he voiced a slow “Thank you.” There was something melancholic about his expression. “You’ve grown up, Sai.”
“Wha…” What does he mean by that? “Your Majesty, with all due respect… Were we acquainted before?”
“…So, you really don’t remember?”
I frantically rummaged through my recollection. If I remembered correctly, he couldn’t be referring to what I recalled of the game’s plot. Yet no matter how strained my attempts, I could only come up with memories of his sprite or paintings of angels I had admired in art museums. I possessed not a single one of meeting him in person.
“My deepest apologies… I should remember you if I have ever had the honor of being in your presence, but…”
How could I ever forget meeting someone this beautiful? Not to mention how he’s also the winged emperor of a neighboring country… Surely…?
Observing my pale complexion, he shook his head. “Don’t worry about it… You can’t be blamed for this. Because…that’s how the rules work.”
“I am so sorry…”
“Well, let’s just say that the people willing to see you as an individual are doing just that. Those who look at you fairly would know that you diligently fulfilled your duty as the Wagtail Priestess.” The emperor broke off. His long eyelashes cast shadows over his eyes as he studied me intently. “But…because I came late, your manor burned down. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect it.”
“Please don’t say that. I am blessed merely to be alive. As long as I survive, the blood of the Wagtail Priestess also has hope of continuing on.” And I truly was happy from the bottom of my heart. Regardless of how hard I’d tried to change its course, the game plot hadn’t faltered. But somehow, I was still alive even after my house was destroyed. Furthermore, we had diverged from that oppressive fate because the emperor had rescued me. Although I still had some doubts about the reason behind his compassion, make no mistake—he had unshackled me from the destiny of the Evil Priestess.
To express my gratitude, I offered him another deep bow. “I am very sorry for causing you so much trouble. I will never forget my debt to you until the day I die.”
“I’m only doing what I want to do.” He shrugged. “I’ve been saying that the whole time.”
“But…”
“You know what would make me happier instead? A thank-you would be nice.”
“…Thank you very much.”
“Mm-hmm. You’re very welcome.”
We looked at each other and shared a smile. Our conversation lulled, and the sound of the rain pattered more prominently in my ears.
“I hope our escorts come to pick us up soon, I’m famished,” he remarked.
“Ah, even someone of your standing experiences hunger?”
“But of course. After they fetch us, let’s take a warm bath and gorge on lots of hot, steaming food.”
His carefree words brightened my mood—before I suddenly noticed the unsteady sway of his body. Eyes widening, I rushed to his side. His cheeks were flushed, and despite the air’s rainy chill, sweat poured down his forehead. “Your Majesty, are you possibly feeling unw—”
The moment I let him lean on me, all strength seemed to leave his limbs. I panicked; I couldn’t fully support his weight. He fell over, knocking me down in the process, and his body splayed on top of me when we hit the ground. His skin was scalding hot.
I tried to squirm out from underneath him somehow as he pinned me down, but due to the difference in our physique, he wouldn’t budge at all.
“Aah… Ugh…” His breathing was erratic. Whatever ailed him must have been painful, because he couldn’t prevent little moans from escaping his throat.
“Are you all right, Your Majesty?! Can you hear me?!” I bleated as I writhed underneath him.
The emperor’s reply came from right next to my face, and his voice was feeble, broken up by suppressed groans of pain. “Mn… I want to… Aah… Say that I’m…fine, but…”
I finally managed to slip out from under him. Almost instantly, I heard the ripping of silk as his golden eagle wings burst forth and stretched. And stretched. Guttural noises issued from his mouth as, shuddering, he tried to lock his cries behind clenched teeth.
“This is… Your mana pool has dried up! And it’s extremely severe…!” I said.
He tried to laugh, I thought, but his voice was so hoarse that it came out as grunts instead. “Guess I should’ve…expected this backlash…from summoning thunder in another country… Proves that your king’s barrier…is working proper…ly…”
He sucked in a sharp breath, then released a silent, indescribable scream as his body jerked and arched. His wings rioted, flapping around violently, creating winds that nearly blew me away. They had grown to a size many times their original and swelled so terribly that his back couldn’t sustain their weight. They twisted with ferocious might, almost as if the soul of a golden eagle slumbering in his torso was trying to tear its way out of his flesh.
At the sight of the horrifying scene before me, blood drained from my face. “Your Majesty… It’s all my fault…!” I couldn’t imagine how much mana he had used on the journey to such a remote place. Not only that, and in spite of his handicap, he had even summoned a storm to act as a beacon. It was because of me that his mana was going berserk.
Mind made up, I clenched my jaw. “Please forgive my insolence, Your Majesty! I will… I will pour my power, the Wagtail Priestess’s power, into you and replenish you right away!”
Pushing my way through the rampaging wings, I stripped the tattered silk from his back, then placed my hands on his shoulder blades.