The Evil Noble Desires A Beautiful Demise - Could It Be That You're Stuck In A Loop? - Episode 33

A few days since Salifa disappeared.

I was hurrying towards the holy land.

“We’ve arrived, Lady Tiarola. Let’s get off here.”

I get called by Kaafa.

The town we arrived at prohibits the entry of carriages. Therefore, we have no choice but to walk to the cathedral located in the center of the town.

Holy Land Shaira.

A town with all white buildings on a small hill. Only those who believe in the Shailonyu Holy Church live here. And believers from all over the continent visit this place daily.

I entered the academy right away, so I’ve only lived in this town for about two years. Because of that, I don’t have much attachment to it, and I can say I’ve spent much more meaningful time at the academy. Besides, this town…

“Saintes! The Saintes has arrived!!”

“To think I can see the Saintes with my own eyes…!!”

“Thank you… thank you…”

This town venerates the saintes, and when I walk outside, I am revered. Another saintes said I would get used to it soon, but I still felt quite uncomfortable. The townspeople have no ill intentions whatsoever, so I make an effort to interact with them with a smile.

As I made my way down the main street, being revered and offered prayers, I stepped into La Chayla Cathedral, the headquarters of the Shailon Faith. It is clear that this place, always imbued with a serene and mysterious atmosphere, is special. However, this time, there is no time to linger.

“Kaafa, please urgently search for a holy knight named Firai. If found, could you bring him to my room?”

“Yes, understood.”

“Mewri, thank you for everything so far. I’m cheering for you to become a holy knight.”

“Yes, please do your best too, Tiarola-sama!”

I said goodbye to Kaafa and Mewri, who had protected me up to this point, and entered the room assigned to me. It had been a while since I last entered here, but it was neatly organized.

“Lady Tiarola, we have brought the holy knight Firai.”

“Thank you. Please come in.”

Waiting in the private room for a while.

It seems that the Firai I was looking for has been found. I was worried about what I would do if it had gone somewhere, but I’m really glad it’s here.

The person who came in was a well-built man with brown hair. This is Firai, the one who taught Salifa swordsmanship.

Thank Kaafa and have them leave.

And then, I faced Firai.

“Lady Tiarola, it is an honor to meet you. I am Sir Firai, the Holy Knight. I have heard from Lady Salifa that she has facilitated my becoming a Holy Knight. I truly thank you for that.”

Firai is bowing deeply.

“Please lift your head. I only made it possible for you to take the exam, so becoming a holy knight is due to your own abilities. There’s no need to be so formal.”

If the person who taught Salifa swordsmanship is of sufficient skill, then I thought I was just doing my part. I haven’t done anything significant.

“No, what matters is that you gave me the opportunity. I will never forget this kindness. …Ah, I’m sorry for talking so much about myself. I heard you had an urgent matter, is there something you need from me?”

“I’m sorry for calling you on short notice. I have something I want to ask you, so I asked you to come.”

“I see… Are you asking me about Lady Salifa?”

It’s helpful that the conversation is quick.

Let’s get right to the main topic.

“Yes, that’s right. Actually…”

I summarized and explained the events up to this point.

When I mentioned that Salifa had disappeared, Firai was visibly shaken.

“So, I thought I would talk to someone who knows Salifa’s past well. Do you have any idea?”

“I see… I understand the situation. However, what I can talk about is…”

It seems like Firai is hesitating.

Is there something difficult to talk about?

“Please. I want to help Salifa.”

I implore you.

Anything is fine, I just want a clue.

“……Understood. I feel the same way. However, this matter might be something Lady Salifa does not wish to be known, so could you please keep it to yourself, Lady Tiarola?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t know the details either, but…”

With that preface, Firai began to speak.

That story was shocking for Tiarola.

Since childhood, they were separated from their family, kept in confinement in a mansion, and on top of that, they were subjected to some kind of human experimentation.

“I didn’t hear directly from Lady Salifa about the human experiments. However, there was a suspicious magician who came and went regularly, and… well, the growth was obviously much faster than that of ordinary children…”

“Such a thing…”

What on earth.

I really didn’t know anything.

“I’m curious about that magician… Do you know anything about him?”

“No, I don’t know the details either… I think his name was Zebras, but I don’t know anything beyond that… Ah, I believe that man was the one who taught Lady Salifa magic.”

Zebras, zebras, huh?

I’ve never heard of it, of course. However, this might be a clue in the search for Salifa.

“Thank you for speaking with me. It was valuable information.”

“No, I’m glad if I could be of help…”

Firai is feeling embarrassed, but it’s significant that we’ve come this far from having nothing to being able to establish future policies. First, we should go to that mansion where we were confined.

At that moment, a question suddenly arises.

“I heard that Salifa was under house arrest, but has she never been outside?”

That caught my attention.

When Salifa came to help me, I should have been outside. Did I manage to escape?

“Come to think of it, there was that one time you said there was a place you absolutely had to go, and you asked me to let you off the hook. That was the only time, wasn’t it? Has something happened?”

“…No, I was just a bit curious.”

Somehow, I respond like that.

However, inside my heart, joy welled up to the point where I felt like tears might overflow. I don’t know how she knew I was in need of help. I don’t know, but Salifa knew and acted solely to save me, even while placing herself in a difficult situation. That makes me incredibly happy.

Calm my mind and turn to Firai.

The feeling of absolutely wanting to help has grown stronger.

“Firai, you’ve been a great help. I think I’ll head to the mansion where Salifa used to live right away.”

There might be a low chance that any clues remain, but let’s start there. And let’s also investigate the man named Zebras.

“…Lady Tiarola, I have a request. Could you please take me with you?”

Firai looked at us and said that.

“I owe a great debt to Lady Salifa. Moreover, hearing that my student is in crisis, I can’t just sit idly by.”

“That’s something I could only dream of!”

I can feel the desire to save Salifa. For me, they will become a strong ally.

“Together, let’s rescue Salifa!”