Chapter 488: The Second Woman, Ad Bahns 1

The Second Woman, Ad Bahns 1

* * *

“Haaa…”

Kalamaruyu, sighing again—his breath reeking of alcohol—walked unsteadily down the short hallway towards the reception room.

He can’t walk straight because of the alcohol.

Normally, he’d never let a guest see him like this.

Or rather, a complete stranger, who suddenly shows up at night without an appointment, is nothing but a suspicious person, and for his own safety, he’d probably avoid meeting such a person in the first place.

But Kalamaruyu is at his wit’s end, and feeling hopeless.

He doesn’t care how people see him.

He doesn’t even care if a suspicious person suddenly goes berserk and stabbed him in the chest with a knife and killed him.

That’s how he felt.

“Haaa… Tch…”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kalamaruyu, reaching the door of the reception room, sighed, and then clicked his tongue.

And then, grabbing the doorknob, he flung open the door—violently enough for the sound to echo throughout the mansion—and shouted, driven by his irritation!

“Hey, who are you!? This suspicious person calling herself a saint!”

And Kalamaruyu glared into the reception room.

And then, the woman sitting in the reception chair gracefully stood up, silently, in response to Kalamaruyu’s arrival.

She’s a slender, young woman, wearing a white robe, that you can tell is of high quality at a glance, although it’s stained with dirt.

She has very well-defined features.

An intelligent light dwells in her spirited blue eyes, and her light blonde hair, reaching just above her knees, shines as brightly as if it were daytime, even though it’s night.

Or rather, this woman herself is shining.

Kalamaruyu knew that she’s using light magic.

That’s how ‘they’, the saints, create an air of mystique, to promote themselves.

He knew that very, very well.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Viscount First. Thank you for so graciously accepting my sudden visit at such a late hour.”

The woman, holding the hem of her robe, curtsied.

Despite her crude attire, her movements are quite refined.

Just from that movement, Kalamaruyu could tell that she’s someone who has ties to the upper class, or used to.

But Kalamaruyu, immersed in his hopelessness, didn’t even think the slightest about treating her politely.

“Haa! Be grateful for my generosity!”

So he said that, ignoring the woman who bowed her head, and sat down in the reception chair first.

But the woman didn’t seem to mind his rudeness.

“I am Ad Bahns, a first-class, first-rank saint certified by the Holy Maiden Consortium.

She continued her self-introduction, smiling.

It was truly a beautiful smile.

“…I see. I’m Kalamaruyu Yaki First. Anyway… sit down.”

Kalamaruyu, slightly taken aback, sullenly introduced himself and gestured for the saint to sit down.

“Then, excuse me.”

The saint, still smiling, didn’t seem to mind his rudeness, and sat down.

* * *

“Now then, Saint Ad, or whatever. I don’t know why you wanted to meet with me, but let me tell you something first.”

The meeting began, with both of them seated.

Kalamaruyu, leaning back in his chair, his arms and legs crossed, spoke first, curtly.

“I used to be a researcher at the Somatoko Academy.”

“Yes.”

“I deeply respect the Great Mage, the Headmaster.”

“Yes.”

“Therefore, saints are my sworn enemies. I hate the Holy Maiden Consortium.”

“…………”

And the first thing he said were words of rejection towards saints.

Hearing those words, Saint Ad, who had been smiling and agreeing with him, no matter how rudely he treated her, finally froze.

“‘Great Mage’ Majurog, the Headmaster, is a wonderful person. As one of the special-rank adventurers, he not only traveled the world, saving countless people who were suffering from monster attacks, regardless of their social status, but he also established private schools in various places, teaching the people the art of magic, how to fight.”

Kalamaruyu, not caring about Saint Ad’s reaction, his face red from alcohol, started talking about the Great Mage.

His words gradually became more passionate.

“And as the Headmaster of the Somatoko Academy, he supports young people who aspire to study, developed countless magic tools, and enriched the world. He’s a great man among great men! You, the Holy Maiden Consortium—”

He said all that in a rush, looking at something in the distance, and then took a deep breath, glared at Saint Ad again, and said—

“—Killed him.”

“That’s not true.”

Saint Ad quickly retorted to that dangerous statement.

“Regarding Majurog’s murder, it has already been reported that the woman who was in his room was arrested as the culprit. And that she has nothing to do with the Holy Maiden Consortium. To begin with, we, the Holy Maiden Consortium, also acknowledge Majurog’s achievements. We’d never commit such a foolish act as harming such a person.”

She denied the accusation, calmly…

But powerfully…

With a smile.

“Haa! We’ll see about that.”

Kalamaruyu snorted.

“I was involved in the development of Barrier Stones. So I know. What you, the Holy Maiden Consortium, did to try to hinder the spread of those wonderful magic tools… Well, from your point of view, Barrier Stones are nothing but a nuisance that’s taking away your jobs, right? With just one stone, anyone can create a barrier that protects them from monsters. No need for saints! Haha!”

“…Viscount First.”

Saint Ad interrupted here.

And with a troubled, wry smile, she said—

“This is going nowhere… Could we talk about something a little more constructive?”

She tried to change the subject.

“Hmm? Constructive? Sure, go ahead. If you can! Fortunately, my First Viscounty, although it’s located within the Fantasy Continent, which is called a ‘Land of Monsters’… the monsters around here are weak! They’re so weak that we don’t even need you saints to create barriers to protect us! Because there’s mostly just rabbits here! So, hmm? What is it? This ‘constructive’ talk of yours?”

Kalamaruyu immediately retorted, trying to provoke Saint Ad.

The purpose of a saint visiting a lord—

It’s usually to sell barriers.

They come to make a deal, something like ‘We’ll create a barrier to protect your town for this much money per year’.

But the monsters around First Town are weak.

They don’t need a barrier.

“…………”

Saint Ad, bombarded with his high-handed, somewhat venting-like words, finally froze, her smile remaining.

(Wait, is she going to cry?)

Seeing that, Kalamaruyu calmed down a little, and panicked, feeling a pang of conscience.

It’s just excessive stress, drinking, and his dislike of saints that made him act that way, he doesn’t enjoy bullying people.

“Haaa……”

And then, hearing Saint Ad’s deep sigh, Kalamaruyu panicked even more.

He’s a man who has dedicated his life to research, and he has never had a girlfriend!

What should he do when he’s about to make a woman cry!?

Kalamaruyu… Kalamaruyu had never researched that!

But the next moment!

What Saint Ad uttered wasn’t a sob!

“Geez… You’re a pain in the ass… Maaaan.”

It was a—such a… a rather husky, incredibly vulgar voice—with no hint of her previous elegance!

“Eh, eh, eh?”

As Kalamaruyu froze, unable to keep up with her sudden change, Saint Ad stretched her arms towards the ceiling, and then leaned back in the reception chair.

And then, she casually took out a cigarette from her pocket, and started smoking!