Albecco took one step back, shielding Silbel behind her. Dolores immediately stepped forward and spoke. “Albecco, why are you here?”
Hearing this, Silbel looked at the golden-haired girl beside her and thanked her again from the bottom of her heart.
“Albecco, thank you.”
Albecco’s attention was entirely on Grin. She was worried that Grin would act impulsively and do something terrible to Silbel.
Even though Silbel had become a Saint, Grin had just bathed in dragon blood. His strength was still overwhelming compared to Silbel’s.
“Silbel, I finally found you.”
Turning her head, Dolores continued speaking to Silbel. The latter let out a small gasp of surprise, unable to recall ever meeting this person.
Silbel began to doubt her own memory.
In her memories, she had always stayed at the monastery, rarely ever stepping outside. Why was it that in a single day, she had met two lovely girls who both seemed to know her?
Sensing something, Silbel reflexively glanced at Grin.
‘Does he also know me on his own?’
A group consisting of three beautiful girls and one man—no matter how Silbel looked at them, they seemed strange.
This was especially true of Dolores, whose words were even more mysterious than Albecco’s had been when they first met. However, considering Dolores was someone Albecco knew, Silbel decided to play along.
Even though she didn’t understand what was happening, Silbel replied.
“Long time no see.”
Silbel didn’t know Dolores’s name, so she gave a vague response.
Both Albecco and Dolores had green eyes. Were they sisters? Looking at their heights, the shorter Albecco seemed more like the younger sister.
Her cheeks were still a bit damp. Silbel raised her hand to wipe away her tears. “I’m sorry for making a scene.”
She certainly didn’t look her best right now.
Her white nun’s habit was stained with a significant amount of blood and filth.
Nuns at the monastery were not considered official clergy and did not have the authority to perform sacraments, let alone Silbel, who was still just an apprentice nun.
However, she still felt the need to maintain her public image.
It was out of her own volition.
Silbel had originally planned to leave the monastery once she came of age, but her thoughts had changed. She wouldn’t stay at Ulin Monastery.
Instead, she planned to continue her studies and attempt to enter the clerical system. The Holy Church in this world did not restrict women from becoming clergy.
Overall, Dolores had at least obtained the answer she wanted from Silbel. The girl’s hands were adorned with several Golden Patterns; there was no doubt she carried the power of a miracle.
Her identity as a Saint was unquestionable.
Like Albecco, Dolores observed Grin’s reaction. Seeing that he wasn’t showing any signs of extreme behavior, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
As for Grin, although he was surprised by the meeting with Silbel, it would be a lie to say there was no resentment.
However, with Dolores standing right there and the fact that they clearly knew each other, he wasn’t stupid enough to try and cause trouble for her now.
Moreover, she had already become a Saint. Had he encountered her a little earlier, Grin might have actually done something.
Only Silbel felt the atmosphere was inexplicably strange. She wanted to ask for Dolores’s name, but she realized that might seem off.
Albecco was the one who spoke up. “Dolores, and Grin, why did you come here?”
She didn’t intentionally ignore Vesserian’s name; she just usually didn’t mention a servant’s name separately, even though Vesserian was very strong in terms of physical power.
“I wanted to go near Urgrich University. I plan to rest there before returning to the palace. What about you?”
Dolores made up a story on the spot and threw the question back at Albecco.
“I… I also plan to go back to Urgrich University to check on my classmates and teachers. I just happened to run into Miss Silbel on the way.”
“It wasn’t me who made her cry,” Albecco added.
In her memories, Dolores and Silbel weren’t supposed to have any interaction at this point in time, so they shouldn’t know each other.
But with a variable like Grin involved, she couldn’t be sure. If Dolores and Silbel really did know each other, Albecco could feel a bit more at ease regarding Silbel’s safety.
At the very least, with the status of being the Princess’s friend, Albecco wouldn’t have to worry about Silbel until Grin finished his conquest route using his system.
It served as a form of insurance.
Silbel kept feeling that something was wrong. She had an inexplicable sensation that if she asked, “Do you all know me?” everyone present except for the maid would say yes.
‘No, that thought is too absurd.’
‘What am I thinking?’
The name Albecco sounded pleasant, and Grin’s name was unremarkable, but the name Dolores… Why did it sound so familiar?
Wait, isn’t that the name of the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Rand?
Silbel jerked her head up. This time, she looked closely at Dolores’s green eyes, and everything clicked in an instant.
The name Grin also rang a bell. She seemed to remember the sisters at the monastery mentioning a Foreign Warrior who had proposed to the Princess and successfully received the King’s permission.
‘I think… I think his name was Grin?’
‘Then, is Albecco the Princess’s younger sister?’ Both had green eyes, and Albecco was shorter. ‘No, that’s not right. The Rand Royal Family doesn’t have any younger princesses, and a princess wouldn’t attend a university… unless she’s an illegitimate daughter.’
Silbel felt this was as far as her thoughts should go. Thinking any further might be dangerous.
Out of the corner of her eye, Silbel noticed that Grin wasn’t looking at Dolores or Albecco. Instead, he was staring fixedly at her.
Once Grin noticed Silbel’s gaze, he withdrew his eyes and reminded Dolores.
“Since our destination is Urgrich University, let’s go together. It’s only 3 kilometers away.”
Silbel felt they were all very strange.
The book Albecco had given her made the girl a benefactor in a way.
She had never met Princess Dolores before, yet the Princess seemed to want others to believe she knew her?
It made no sense. Dolores was a noble Princess.
If there was anything special about Silbel, perhaps it was only the miracle that had recently descended, granting her the symbol of a Saint.
‘They know, and that is why they came.’
That seemed like the most logical explanation.
As a Saint, she possessed a value they needed.
However, the feeling Grin gave Silbel was even stranger.
Silbel was quite confident in her appearance—the truth was that she was indeed very beautiful—but she didn’t think Grin would focus so intently on her when Dolores and Albecco were right in front of him.
He had looked at her for far too long. His gaze held confusion, memories, and… a sense of disappointed expectation.
Silbel had seen that kind of look from Mary, the Mother Superior of the monastery. Mother Mary was a good person who always held expectations for her.
But Silbel didn’t like most of the Church’s dogmas.
Because of that, Mother Mary would sometimes look at Silbel with that expression of failed expectations.
Silbel felt that the way Grin just looked at her was very similar.
It was as if he held some strange expectation for her, but it had fallen through because she didn’t meet it.
‘But I’ve never met him before. What kind of expectations could he have for me?’
She couldn’t understand it.
She only felt that all three of them were strange. Albecco was slightly less strange; she had helped her, so she was good.
Silbel lowered her head. The Golden Patterns on her hand glowed faintly.
All around them, the White Void Tree swayed gently.