“I-I look forward to your business.” After all I’d said, I didn’t think the shopkeeper would try anything.
I continued walking with Edel until we could no longer see the shop. “U-Um, Sir Albert.”
“Just Al is fine, my sweet Edel.”
“Enough joking...” Her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, she pulled my arm off of her. I’d be just like the old man if I tried to stop her, so I gracefully withdrew.
“Sorry, Edel. I couldn’t help myself.”
“No, I appreciate your help. And thank you for trying to make sure it didn’t cost me my job.”
“Think nothing of it. That was quite the irritating old man. Surely he knows about Cuphea and Linum?” Helping a woman in need was an admirable thing to do, but you couldn’t call yourself a man if you started threatening her the moment she rejected your advances.
“He knows, but, well...” Edel seemed to be having a hard time getting the words out.
“I get it. He was just assuming you wouldn’t tell Cuphea if it actually got to that point.” That, or he was betting no one would believe orphans even if they tried to reveal the truth. Either way, he was a scumbag.
“Most likely...” I wanted to reassure her that she didn’t have to work with that guy again, but if an alternative had been available, she likely would have already taken it. Seeing me go silent, Edel giggled.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s just that you’re as kind as the children say.” She must have been referring to how I wasn’t prying any further.
“But of course. I’m an ally of women everywhere.”
“So it seems. My mother, Cuphea and Linum, and even Linaria. Everyone is grateful to you. The boys are too, of course.” Some way or another, I’d ended up getting close with everyone at the orphanage.
“I’d like to get closer to you as well, Edel.”
“Please, don’t tease a woman past her prime.”
“All I see is a wonderful woman. That said, being too persistent would make me the same as that other guy.”
“That’s not true.”
“Is it not?”
“Even if I turned you down, I’m sure you would still treat me and my family with kindness.”
“You don’t know that. I might demand you let me feel up your boobs in exchange for buying the kids sweets.”
Edel giggled. “That would certainly be a problem. The kids have started really looking forward to your sweets. If it came down to it, I suppose I would have no choice but to offer you my chest, past its prime though it may be.” Edel flirtatiously played along with my joke, and we both laughed.
“I do find you attractive, but rest assured, I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to.”
“The children trust you, so I do too.”
We continued rambling until Edel asked me a question. “U-Um, Sir Albert.”
“What is it?”
“Are those girls... Are Cuphea and Linum okay?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I heard that many people lost their lives during your training.” She viewed all the orphans as her own children, so it was no wonder she was worried about them. As a former holy woman herself, she had experienced the horrors of the Forbidden Cities firsthand.
“Those two are skilled. Even in an emergency, they can hold their own.”
“I-Is that right...? It’s just, I heard some of them lost their partners as well.”
“There were a few cases, yes.”
“When I think about those girls going through that, I...” Edel had a pained expression on her face.
“I understand how you feel.” I didn’t want to think about losing Cuphea or Linum either, but that was what happened on the battlefield. Those who fought could only put forth their best effort, and those who awaited their return could only pray.
“Sir Albert?”
“Yes?”
“I apologize if I’m mistaken, but have you lost someone precious to you?” If she was going out of her way to broach that question, there was probably a reason for it.
“Yes. My father was a holy knight.” I didn’t mention that he’d become a curion and I’d had to kill him myself.
“My condolences...”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past now.” Just a short three hundred years ago.
“The loss of a loved one isn’t something healed by the passage of time.”
“Indeed.” She was exactly right. The human heart wasn’t so convenient as to heal the damage dealt by the loss of your wife bit by bit every year. The heart was a much more complex and troublesome thing. Some people could get right back on their feet, while others were unable to ever look forward.
“Would you like to hear my story? Though I’m afraid it isn’t a very pleasant one.”
“By all means.”
Edel’s story wasn’t complicated. She had been fairly skilled during her time as a holy woman, but eventually she’d gotten into a difficult situation in a Forbidden City. Her holy knight had given their life to act as a decoy and let their partner escape. Edel had returned alive, but the shock of losing her partner had left her unable to use magic. There was no use for a holy woman who couldn’t use magic, so she’d been forced to retire.
After that, she had started helping out at the orphanage her mother ran. Because she couldn’t use magic, she couldn’t use her powers as a holy woman to earn money. All she could do was fill manastones.
“Pathetic, isn’t it? I lost my partner and my magic both.”
“You’re not pathetic.”
“If I could at least use the goddess’s magic, I’d be able to give the children slightly better lives.”
“No, no, having a roof over their heads and an adult taking care of them is already more than enough.” That alone counted for a lot.
“Thank you. That store was one of the few places willing to hire a former holy woman who couldn’t use magic. They usually suspect I lost my faith in the goddess.” Edel had a difficult time finding the words. There probably were holy women who couldn’t use magic because they’d lost their faith, and being lumped in with them wasn’t good. People wouldn’t want a manastone filled by someone with no faith. Even if that wasn’t the case for Edel, she had no way of proving it. It was natural for employers to be concerned.