AOSBM 18

Gondor scratched his head, then hardened his expression again.

He bowed his head politely and spoke.

“In any case, I’ve said what I needed to say. I refuse. If you still choose me, there’s nothing I can do about it—but I’m telling you in advance.”

With that, he left without even listening to Litia’s reply. He was polite, but it was almost threatening. They said he hated nobles so much he didn’t even watch his tone—and his personality fit that description perfectly.

“……”

Watching Gondor’s figure stride away, Litia briefly puffed out her lips. As expected, he wasn’t easy.

Still, Litia had no intention of giving up on him. At least it was fortunate she had found him so quickly.

She had hoped to ask him to cooperate properly, but it seemed he truly disliked the idea.

“One more person… and who should I choose for the last one?”

She would need three in total to rotate shifts.

As she was thinking and about to head back to the priest, the priest was already walking toward her. Gondor must have just left, and it looked like he had hurried over in a panic.

“Lady Mont! You were here.”

“Yes, Priest. I was just about to come find you.”

“I was worried Sir Gondor might have been rude.”

“No, not at all. He was very polite.”

Priest Refe’s expression immediately turned strange, as if that couldn’t possibly be true.

From his face alone, Litia could roughly guess the situation.

“It’s really true, Priest.”

“Yes, my lady. Please feel free to tell me anything.”

“I’d like to ask for Sir Gondor to be my Temes. Could you persuade him for me?”

The priest’s face quickly filled with confusion.

“Did Sir Gondor cause trouble again…?”

“No! It’s not that. I’ve already spoken to him, but I want to be sure. Could you tell him that the Mont family is willing to provide whatever support he wants?”

“I will do so. You still need to choose more Temes, correct?”

“Ah, yes. I should hurry to keep up with the others.”

Only then did the priest smile gently.

“You’ll do well. I believe Lady Litia will bring honor to the Mont family once again.”

Despite the priest’s encouragement, choosing Temes took more time than expected.

Even after checking all the knights she had greeted earlier, Litia couldn’t find the person she was looking for.

Since some knights were said to be away on duty, Litia eventually gave the priest only the name Peluga and selected him as a Temes.

As for the last one, she couldn’t decide and asked the priest for a recommendation.

“What are you doing?”

A gentle voice sounded behind her, making Litia flinch in surprise.

After returning from the temple, Litia had been searching for all the information she could find about Orbs.

She was looking through the shelves to see if there was anything more she needed beyond what Emilia had already found for her when Ellar appeared.

“Huh? Oh, I was just thinking it might help me recover my memories.”

“Then why these?”

Most of the books Litia had gathered were about history, the temple, and Orbs.

Ellar asked while looking at the book placed on top.

“Ah… you never know. It’s related to history too. I’m looking at everything.”

Feeling oddly uneasy, Litia rambled out a longer excuse than necessary.

Ellar stared at her for a moment, then smiled lightly as if nothing was wrong and turned his gaze to the books.

“So? Do you think it’s helping?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure yet.”

Litia picked up another book and headed to the sofa in the study.

The last book she chose had nothing to do with Orbs at all—she had grabbed it randomly in case Ellar became suspicious.

Ellar carried the remaining books Litia had chosen and sat beside her.

“Litia.”

“Hm?”

“You don’t need to feel so pressured. Father is always like that.”

Ellar gently reassured her, saying she didn’t need to burden herself and could stay as she was for a bit longer.

“But the day of the pilgrimage isn’t far away.”

At those words, Ellar made an awkward expression. No matter how much he cherished his sister, he couldn’t oppose their father’s will and block the path of Tenia.

More importantly—

‘There’s nothing here.’

Though the books claimed to be about them, they contained little more than vague rumors and no clear information.

She had barely managed to find two books, yet aside from the original story knowledge she already had, there was even less useful content.

At this rate, she couldn’t confirm whether that man was an Orb, nor could she address the mark on his shoulder, his ability to suppress power, or even his pain.

‘This is a problem.’

But a Tenia candidate couldn’t just go around asking people about such things. In the end, did she have no choice but to ask him directly? Even then, he might tease her again by setting strange conditions.

It was clear he felt some goodwill toward her, but…

Would he really come just because she wanted him to? Or what if—

Litia’s delicate brows furrowed. Then she quietly asked Ellar, who was curiously flipping through a book.

“Brother.”

“Hm?”

“Have you ever seen them? Either up close, or even from afar?”

“Hm…”

Ellar pondered as if searching his memory. After a long while, he shook his head.

“I don’t think so. You probably haven’t either.”

“Yeah… that makes sense, right?”

“When would we ever see them? They don’t cross over unless it’s necessary. And the same goes for us.”

Even though the empire was vast, they existed on the same land, under the same empire—yet it was strange how they never crossed paths, as if separated.

“You’re really curious, aren’t you?”

This time, Ellar asked as Litia turned her gaze back to the book.

“Huh? Oh—well, not exactly curious. I just want to know everything. I told you, it’s purely to recover my memories. I—I’ve read everything.”

Perhaps because Ellar stayed beside her, watching, she felt unusually conscious of his presence.

In the end, Litia left the study without finishing the books.

Ellar’s gaze followed her the entire time.

Two days passed.

“Please step down carefully.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The moment the carriage door opened, an unpleasant stench close to a foul odor stabbed at her nose.

Early in the morning, Litia arrived at the slums on the western outskirts of the capital and stepped down.

“……”

But the moment she lifted her head and looked around, she was left speechless.

She had heard it was a slum, but seeing it with her own eyes for the first time was shocking.

The temple she had visited even yesterday had stone floors so neatly laid that no dirt clung to her shoes, and it smelled faintly of flowers.

Its white walls were meticulously maintained, dazzling to the eyes.

Here, it was hard to find proper houses. Trash littered the ground, and the roads were dirt. Though it hadn’t rained for days, the ground was muddy, and puddles formed in the shaded areas.

How could it be so different when it wasn’t even far from the temple?

Contrary to Litia’s worries, the children of the slums were noisily running around and playing.

Though most wore filthy clothes, they looked surprisingly healthy.

Seeing their bright smiles was, at least, a small relief.

“Is it difficult? If you endure about five minutes, it should be fine.”

“Five minutes? Endure what?”

She had come to volunteer—what did five minutes mean?

She had deliberately worn clothes suitable for work, warmed up her body, and prepared herself.

Having always lived confined to a sickbed, she was happier doing physical work—even if exhausting—than attending banquets.

It was something she had always wanted to do. Something she had always dreamed of.

Would anyone even believe that her wish was simply to wash dishes with her own hands?

She had come prepared to devote her whole body today—and now she was being told five minutes?

“I meant that staying here for about five minutes should be safe. Showing the use of your holy power would be best… If you’re uncomfortable, should we bring the cleanest child over?”

The more Seri spoke, the harder it became for Litia to keep her expression in check.

She couldn’t understand what Seri was saying at all. Then why had they come all this way?

After making so many resolutions since morning, Seri’s words drained her energy.

“Bringing a child—no. Don’t do that.”

Litia hurriedly waved her hands, worried Seri might actually grab one of the nearby children.

“I understand. Then you can stay just a little longer before leaving.”

Seri even pulled out a pocket watch, as if intending to time her stay precisely.

“I came to volunteer. What are you talking about? Forget that—first, I want to find whoever manages this place. I need to know what I can help with. Where should I go?”

At that, Seri’s expression turned strangely uneasy.

“You mean… you want to do the volunteering yourself?”

“Of course.”

“Just having a Tenia candidate present here is already a blessing. If you truly feel uncomfortable, shall we arrange a separate donation?”

She added that so far, no one had ever actually volunteered by working themselves.

Most stayed about five minutes, donated a few gold coins to the slums, and left.

Even Roa, who was said to be the most active among the candidates and came almost daily, did exactly what Seri described.

Perhaps because Litia had no memories, Seri seemed to be explaining—but the more she did, the worse Litia’s expression became.

‘Didn’t they say the god was watching?’

She had thought everyone worked hard for that reason—but could this truly earn divine blessings?

Roa had mocked her, asking if she could even make it on time and telling her to try her best, yet she had been so proud over merely staying here for five minutes at a time.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Litia could have done the same. Everyone else did—why couldn’t she?

But stubbornness rose within her. She hated the idea of doing the same things as Roa, who had driven this body to death.

“That’s not necessary. Call the manager. I really intend to do the work.”