When I Infiltrated the Enemy Nation as a Slave, the Yandere Beauties There Started a Civil War Over Me - Chapter 30: Reunion

Chapter 30: Reunion

Around noon the next day, I approached Cecifelia to ask for permission to go out, as I had been doing almost every day lately.

“Miss Cecifelia, I’d like to go into the city again today. May I?”

Hoping she wouldn’t refuse, since another day without meeting the Saintess would delay my plan to ask for her cooperation, I waited for her response. Cecifelia smiled and said,

“Luke, you really love going into the city, don’t you? Well, there’s nothing happening today, so go ahead! But tomorrow, I’m off work, so we’re going to spend a lot of time together, okay?”

“…Understood.”

Although it meant I wouldn’t be able to go out tomorrow, at least I got permission for today. So, I quickly boarded the Cecifelia family’s carriage and headed to the city.

Ideally, I would have taken the carriage all the way to the church, but if I did that, Cecifelia might find out I had been there. So, when I arrived in the city, I got off the carriage and ran toward the church.

—A few minutes later.

“This time, I was able to run without holding back, so I reached the church much faster than last time.”

As I murmured to myself, gazing at the peculiar building before me, I moved closer to the arched doorway—when suddenly, a man dressed in noble attire stepped between me and the door, addressing me.

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. What business do you have here?”

Since he was asking, he was probably someone from the church. I quickly responded to avoid raising suspicion.

“I’ve come to speak with the Saintess.”

Obviously, if I said something like, “I’m here to ask for the Saintess’s help in overthrowing the Elenorde Empire,” I’d be turned away immediately. But simply saying I had business with the Saintess shouldn’t cause any problems.

“…Pardon me for asking, but may I inquire about your status?”

“I’m a slave.”

I didn’t want to cause any trouble by lying, especially when dealing with someone from the church, so I answered honestly. At this, the man in front of me practically shouted,

“What!? A filthy slave like you dares approach the sacred church and the Saintess!? Know your place!!”

The moment he realized I was a slave, his attitude changed drastically… Still—

“Filthy, because I’m a slave?”

“Of course, it’s common knowledge that slaves are impure! Don’t question me, you lowly slave!”

The man shouted again, his voice loud and angry.

They conquer lands by force and enslave the people, yet they think those very people are impure… Even if I don’t care about myself, the thought of the people of the Sandrotheim Kingdom being treated this way filled me with anger.

“…If slaves are impure, then you people of the Elenorde Empire—”

I was about to say something out of anger when—

“I heard raised voices. Is something the matter?”

The door behind the nobleman opened, and from it stepped a familiar figure—a woman with long, golden hair and pink eyes. It was the Saintess.

“S-Saintess!”

The man quickly turned toward her, speaking in a flustered tone.

“I deeply apologize for causing a disturbance, but this person, a filthy slave, has had the audacity to claim he wants to speak with you. I couldn’t help but raise my voice in response…”

“A slave wishes to speak with me…?”

“Yes, this man! Please, Saintess, show him the error of his ways and his sins!”

With that, the man stepped aside, leaving me face-to-face with the Saintess.

“…!!!”

The moment the Saintess saw my face, her eyes widened in shock.

Then, tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

“You… you are… Lord Alex, aren’t you?”

“!? H-How do you know my name—?”

“So it really is you! Lord Alex!!”

With those words, she suddenly embraced me.

I was surprised by the sudden hug, but that wasn’t the most important issue right now.

How does the Saintess know my real name…?

Even though I was treated as royalty in the Sandrotheim Kingdom, there’s no way she could recognize me and call my name just by seeing my face unless… unless we’ve met before…?

“…”

Come to think of it… I couldn’t see her well from a distance before, but now that we’re face to face, the Saintess’s features… they feel familiar somehow…?

“Lord Alex, Lord Alex…! I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long…”

The Saintess tightened her embrace as she said that.

No, this isn’t just vague familiarity.

That’s right… The story the Saintess told before wasn’t something I had heard from other nobles or royalty—it was something I had experienced myself.

“I remember now… You’re the one from back then—”

“Saintess!? W-What are you doing!?”

As I opened my mouth to speak, the man raised his voice in anger, moving toward us with his arm outstretched, likely intending to pull us apart, and said:

“No matter how compassionate the Saintess is, she must not touch a filthy slave! Saintess, please, step away from that impure—”

“Silence.”

“Hii…!?”

The Saintess, her eyes cold and her voice heavy, commanded him to stop, and the man froze, his outstretched arm halting in mid-air. Then, the Saintess released her embrace of me and said:

“To call Lord Alex impure… You will atone for that sin with your life.”

“Huh!? B-But I was only trying to serve you, Saintess—”

“I told you to be silent.”

With those words, the Saintess swiftly drew her sword and made a motion as if to sever the man’s head. However, she stopped the blade just short of his neck.

The man collapsed in fear, but the Saintess looked down at him and said,

“If I were to behead you here, your filthy blood might spill onto Lord Alex… I suppose that wouldn’t do. Very well—take him to that room.”

At her command, two men emerged from the church, grabbed the terrified man, and dragged him toward the church doors.

“P-Please, wait! Saintess! Forgive me! I was only—”

As the man’s desperate pleas faded away, the church doors closed behind him, and his voice fell completely silent.

At the same time, the Saintess turned to me with an apologetic expression and said,

“Lord Alex, I deeply apologize for showing you such an unsightly scene and allowing that man to speak such disgraceful words to you.”

“It was all his doing, so there’s no need for you to apologize.”

When I said that, the Saintess clasped her hands together, blushing as she trembled slightly and replied,

“Oh, Lord Alex…! I am so deeply grateful for your merciful heart!”

She stood there in awe for a moment, clearly moved, but soon snapped back to her senses and spoke in a hurried tone.

“Ah! I can’t let you stand here any longer. Please, come inside the church! I will take you to my room!”

“Alright, thank you.”

“Oh, there’s no need for thanks…! Ah, Lord Alex… Every time I witness your kindness, it fills me with such joy!”

With the Saintess leading the way, I entered the church and was taken to her room inside.

From our conversation just now, I realized that the Saintess was the girl I had saved before, and “that person” she kept mentioning was actually me.

Up until now, I had been concerned about how she acted strangely whenever she spoke of “that person,” so I had hoped to avoid having her meet him—me.

And while her behavior was certainly unusual, it seemed like we could at least hold a conversation, which gave me some relief.

—Relief that came without giving much thought to what the Saintess had meant by “dedicating herself” to that person.