Chapter 43
“Hello? You know, your reputation isn’t very good.”
On her first outing in several days, Eliza encountered the uninvited guest once again. Judging by the muffled voice, it was undoubtedly the same man from several days ago.
Eliza glanced at the man’s face. As it turned out, he possessed not only a voice-altering magical device, but also a magical device that blurred one’s perception of him.
His hair appeared to be a dark, blurred brown, and his features looked indistinct, as though they had been smeared together.
All she could surmise was that a man carrying two expensive magical devices was probably quite wealthy; she could not discern his identity in the slightest.
“Get away from Miss Eli right now! You weirdo!”
“No.”
Jenia stepped between the man and Eliza as though protecting her. Thanks to her deliberately raised voice, people nearby glanced in their direction.
“By the way, is Eli what you’re called? I don’t like it.”
“Who do you think you are to tell someone else what to call themselves—”
“That name wasn’t meant for just anyone to call her, was it?”
“Are you saying I’m just anyone? Unbelievable. I’m Miss Eli’s best friend!?”
Jenia tightened her arm around Eliza’s and snorted indignantly.
“Best friend? Who?”
“Hmph, what would you know? The long years Eli and I have shared—”
“How laughable. It’s only been a few years at most.”
“That’s exactly why! You have no right to mock a relationship you barged into out of nowhere!”
Even as Jenia angrily retorted, she was secretly steering her steps toward the Bennett Trading Company building without letting the man notice.
The flag of the Bennett Trading Company was fluttering from the entrance up ahead. Once they reached there, the people of the trading company would certainly protect them.
“Don’t get so worked up, Jenia. He’s hardly worth dealing with……”
“Why not? I came here looking for her.”
The man was rude and shameless. Eliza did not stop walking and merely let out a deep sigh.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly and get lost.”
“I told you already, didn’t I? I came because your handwriting is beautiful.”
“I believe I told you that handwriting wasn’t mine.”
“Oh, did you? Then there’s another reason…… Right. Because your reputation is bad, so you’re annoyed?”
Eliza’s brow furrowed sharply when the man mentioned the trouble that had been bothering her lately.
She could feel the subtle gazes of the people around her looking in her direction. If it weren’t for those rumors, the kind residents might have already driven this man away.
Because of this man, she had been cooped up in her house for several days and had not even been able to find out what the rumors were about. Eliza deepened her frown.
“Showing up uninvited at the home of a woman who lives alone and spouting nonsense can only be interpreted as having bad intentions.”
“My intentions are good. Look, I even brought this because I thought you might be hungry.”
The man waved the paper bag he was carrying, but Eliza did not even glance at it. The man shrugged and took out its contents, holding them out to her.
“Do you like sandwiches?”
“Hmph! You eat as much of that as you like!”
“Should I? Come to think of it, I tried one yesterday, and this really isn’t very good.”
No matter how sharply Jenia snapped at him, the man nonchalantly unwrapped half a sandwich and ate it.
“But did you know? Large birds prefer ham to grains.”
“…….”
“Try feeding it some next time. I heard you’re raising a bird?”
“What?”
The steps of the two women, who had been walking briskly, suddenly came to a halt. Eliza stopped for a moment and lowered her voice.
“How do you know that I’m raising a bird?”
“I told you. Your reputation isn’t very good.”
No matter how kind the people of Ruben village were, they were not so careless that they would divulge every little detail about one of their villagers to an outsider.
And yet, the fact that the man had easily learned about her meant that the rumors were having a greater effect than she had thought.
“Living alone and raising some wild bird. It’s pitiful that you were born a woman and yet don’t know the joy of bearing and raising children.”
Because he spoke while mimicking a shrill voice, his already altered voice became unpleasantly distorted. Eliza ground her teeth.
“That’s what some woman was saying.”
“Who?”
“Who would say such a thing—!”
Jenia shouted furiously and glared fiercely at the people around them who were sneaking glances at Eliza. It was obvious as the guilty-looking people turned their backs.
Eliza took Jenia’s heated hand and shook her head. The man looked at their joined hands and asked,
“Want me to help?”
“The best way you can help is by staying out of my sight.”
“Really? Then do your best.”
Eliza wondered how many more times she would have to tell him to leave, but he suddenly turned around and walked away.
Once the man disappeared, the fatigue she had been feeling eased somewhat. Eliza absentmindedly fiddled with the hand she was still holding, lost in thought.
“Um, Miss Eli?”
“Ah, I’m sorry, Jenia.”
“No, I like holding hands, but should we go somewhere else? People are staring too much. Should I pluck all their eyes out?”
“Pfft, where did you learn to say things like that?”
When Eliza giggled, Jenia felt slightly relieved as well. Jenia smiled brightly and answered,
“From Miss Eli.”
“……From me?”
“You said you often thought that way when you were in the capital.”
“Did I tell you that too? When?”
“When we drank wine together last time. Hehe, that was nice. When shall we drink again?”
Eliza rummaged through her memories. It had been the day she drank more than usual because she was troubled after meeting Leopold and returning.
Remembering how she had allowed herself to become drunk, Eliza squeezed her eyes shut as she vowed never to get drunk again.
****
“Cough, cough…….”
“Oh, dear, my baby. Are you very sick? Open your eyes.”
A young girl lay sick in bed, her face flushed red as she breathed heavily. The girl’s mother sobbed as she repeatedly wiped away her sweat.
Another woman sat beside her and patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
“Stop crying, Jane. Phoebe will be all right.”
“Sniff, thank you, Fabienne.”
The woman wiped the corners of her eyes with the handkerchief Fabienne had given her and felt the wet cloth placed on the child’s forehead.
The wet cloth had already become lukewarm, so she stood up to change the water in the basin. The woman asked Fabienne, who had risen with her,
“Is Joanna all right?”
“She’s too sturdy for her own good.”
Fabienne answered curtly, then added another word, wondering if she had sounded too insincere.
“If you’re really worried, why don’t you go to the temple?”
“I already went, but they said there was no room. We barely managed to lay her down here. This is the only physician’s house in the village……. What should I do?”
As tears welled up in the woman’s eyes again, Fabienne clicked her tongue and looked around. Indeed, several children were already lying down inside the physician’s house, coughing.
“This is all because they let an outsider into the village. You’ve heard the rumor too, haven’t you, Jane?”
“You mean the young lady in the house with the green roof? But she’s already been living here for several years.”
“She’s only showing her true colors now. They say she even defiled a priest, and that she’s a truly wicked woman!”
“What?!”
“What, you haven’t heard that part? She goes to the temple every day pretending to volunteer, only to do filthy things…….”
Fabienne lowered her voice and whispered to Jane. The other women nearby glared at her as though worried the children might hear, but some women nodded in agreement.
The fever had begun spreading among the children of Ruben several weeks ago. Even after receiving prayers and blessings at the temple, their coughing only stopped temporarily, and their fevers did not easily go down.
Perhaps it would have been less unfair if they had at least known the cause. It was only recently that those who had been beating their chests in anguish over a disease with no known cure found someone to blame.
A suspicious woman who was not even a native, kept a wall between herself and the villagers, and lived alone without anyone to back her up was the perfect target.
And so, the arrows of the rumors turned toward Eliza.
What the villagers had yet to realize was that the rumors had created an accusation far more serious than they had expected.
“Priest Dietrich, how could you do such a thing……!”
Surrounded by Holy Knights as though under arrest, Gesle opened his eyes wide in betrayal.
The colleague he had trusted enough to consult looked down at him from atop a staircase covered in red carpet. The priest, Dietrich, spoke solemnly.
“Priest Gesle, I remember clearly. Even though she came into contact with my holy power while you were there, the bleeding from her wound did not stop. If holy power does not affect her, then what else could it prove except that she is an unholy being?”
“An unholy being? How can you casually utter such a dangerous accusation!”
“It is unfortunate that you were deceived by a witch, abandoned your sacred faith, and allowed yourself to be manipulated, Priest Gesle.”
“No, she is—!”
“Enough! The entire village of Ruben is already whispering about her. I hope you will make the right judgment as a priest.”
Dietrich cut off Gesle’s words and solemnly shook his head. Then he clasped his hands and bowed toward the bishop standing beside him.
“Bishop Beatus. It is an honor that you have come all this way.”
“Hmm…….”
The person who had brought the Holy Knights and was looking down at Gesle was the bishop residing in the small city that governed Ruben.
He was from the Central Order, and after receiving Dietrich’s letter, he had come all the way here just in case.
Because the priest of this small village had dared to mention a saint.
