Chapter 60: The Saintess Saw

The King of the Kingdom of Swordria, the “Sword King” Toma, was currently recuperating far from the royal capital. During the previous “King’s War” not long ago, he had suffered devastating injuries—including having his side gouged open—leaving his entire body battered beyond recognition. He had been unable to even return to the capital and was instead forced to remain here until he recovered.

That said, the wounds themselves had already healed. Thanks to the devoted treatment of Alicia, the “Saintess,” there was no lasting organ damage, and the blood he had lost had already returned. Toma himself thought it might be about time to head back, but two girls who cared deeply for him stopped him.

Their reasons were not entirely selfish desires to spend peaceful time with Toma… though that certainly was part of it. To put it plainly, Toma worked far too hard.

Believing he couldn’t afford to remain ignorant about politics forever, he spent every spare moment studying whenever he wasn’t buried in paperwork. He never skipped training with the knights, and unless someone physically dragged him away, he never rested or enjoyed himself. A complete workaholic.

Perhaps it stemmed from his naturally serious personality and overwhelming sense of responsibility, but to outside observers, his workload was enough to make anyone worry. Everyone who knew Toma shared the same thought:

Does this man ever truly rest his body, mind, or heart?

And so, the ministers decided to use this opportunity to force him into taking a proper break for once. As expected of the people who had managed to keep the kingdom functioning even during the periods when the “Sword King” was absent—the work continued without issue. After reading their letters reporting that everything was under control, Toma reluctantly agreed to rest.

And as for that Toma now…

"Here. Eat. Say ahhh."

"A-ahhh…"

"...D-Don’t get embarrassed. You’re making me embarrassed too."

"You’re asking the impossible. We’re not kids anymore, you know?"

He was spending his days so peacefully that it genuinely felt like heaven on earth.

Hikari, his childhood friend, no longer dressed in her usual maid uniform, devotedly took care of him to such an extent that he worried he might become useless if this continued. Though both of their faces were bright red, making it look like the whole thing might soon collapse from sheer embarrassment.

Whenever one of them got sick, they had always taken care of each other like this since childhood. But after reaching their current positions, such moments had practically disappeared. Their strict approach to health management being part of their duties had likely contributed to that.

Though Hikari blushed furiously while feeding him with an “ahhh,” she still happily continued bringing slices of apple to Toma’s mouth without complaint. Toma accepted them obediently, but naturally, his reactions were very different from when they were children.

Even if it was the girl he loved—no, precisely because it was the girl he loved—he was still a perfectly normal young man approaching adulthood. Being treated like this was unbearably embarrassing.

Which was exactly why these peaceful moments, just like the old days, were so precious to both of them…

".........That’s not fair. I want to do that too…"

Watching them from the other side of the door, Alicia stared at Hikari with unmistakable envy.

Ever since they first met, Alicia and Hikari had always gotten along well, and now they were close enough to be called best friends. Given Toma’s position and personality, even romance between them felt less like rivalry and more like mutual strategy meetings over what to do about that naturally flirtatious idiot.

Even so, whenever Alicia saw Hikari acting like an ordinary girl, snuggled up close to the person she loved, she couldn’t help wanting the same thing for herself.

"Alright! Then I’ll do something only I can do!!"

Still, unlike before, those feelings no longer twisted into ugliness. Having finally learned to see herself in a more positive light, Alicia clenched her fists in front of her chest and pumped herself up, determined to find a different path from Hikari.

".........But what exactly can I do? Healing isn’t really the answer…"

As the “Saintess,” she had healed countless people, and she had personally spent long hours healing Toma’s wounds as well. That was certainly something only Alicia could do.

But that was Alicia the “Saintess.”

Right now, she wanted to do something as Alicia the individual.

"...What exactly are you doing?"

"Fwah!?"

Hearing a voice from behind while she stood there agonizing in front of the door, Alicia nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning around, she found Julia Deuce standing there—the woman who had recently become the new “Spear King.”

At present, the Kingdom of Yaranri was actively purging those aligned with the former “Spear King” faction—the people who had spent years greedily indulging in corruption and privilege. That faction had committed countless illegal acts even under Yaranri’s currently inadequate laws, so resistance from those being punished was only natural.

Ordinarily, Julia, as the new “Spear King,” should have been standing at the forefront as their leader and symbol.

However, because there was still concern over lingering effects from having her body possessed, she was forced to remain here for observation.

Since Toma had previously asked Alicia to prepare countermeasures “in case Shion were ever possessed,” Alicia had learned how to detect abnormalities within souls themselves. But such a feat was only possible because she was the “Saintess,” someone who had reached the pinnacle of light magic. It wasn’t something ordinary people could replicate.

In other words, if anything abnormal happened to Julia, Alicia was the only one capable of helping her.

That was why she still remained here.

"H-hawawawawa…!!"

"Why are you panicking? Move aside already. I’ve got business inside."

"N-no!! You can’t interrupt them right now!!"

"Interrupt?"

Curious, Julia leaned closer as Alicia beckoned her over and showed her the scene through the slightly opened door.

"...I see," Julia muttered in understanding.

"Yeah, interrupting that would definitely be rude. So anyway, I’m gonna interrupt them."

"Eh!? Why would you come to that conclusion!?"

"Because watching that makes me feel weirdly irritated."

For reasons she herself didn’t understand, seeing Toma and Hikari getting along so affectionately made something churn unpleasantly deep in her chest. Alicia desperately held Julia back before she could storm into the room.

Perhaps because she owed Alicia for treating her, Julia didn’t resist too forcefully. Instead, she let out a long sigh while glancing regretfully at the basket in her hands.

Noticing the basket, Alicia finally realized what it probably contained.

And why Julia had suddenly become irritated.

"Is that... a gift for Toma?"

"I came here to ask another newly crowned ‘King’ for advice. Of course I’d at least make something as thanks. I’d rather avoid a situation where I can’t get proper answers because I came empty-handed."

(Could it be… she still hasn’t realized her own feelings…?)

"What is with that look? Why are you staring at me like you’re watching something adorable? Lately even Layla’s been looking at me like that. Is there something on my face?"

Sensing something, Julia awkwardly turned her face away from Alicia’s warm smile. She still hadn’t managed to sort out the feelings growing inside her.

Through a bizarre twist of fate, she had become the “Spear King.” And every time she looked at Toma, a strange sensation surfaced inside her—uncomfortable, irritating… and yet somehow warm.

Unable to understand those emotions, her frustration naturally spilled into the contents of the basket she carried.

"Why do Layla and Leila both give me weird looks just because I bake sweets as a hobby?"

"You bake sweets!?"

"...What was that for? Could you not suddenly scream directly into my ear?"

Without even noticing Julia holding her ears in pain, Alicia’s thoughts began racing at full speed.

Hikari was terrible at cooking.

Sewing, swordsmanship—she excelled at almost everything effortlessly. But cooking alone was a complete disaster. Perhaps she simply lacked the talent for it.

Her tolerance for food was absurdly broad. As long as it wasn’t poisonous, she’d happily eat almost anything. Maybe because of that—or maybe because she was catastrophically untalented—everything she made ended up unbelievably sloppy.

Her ingredient cuts were rough, cooking times random, seasoning completely inconsistent. The results always swung between painfully bland or overwhelmingly salty.

Fully aware of her own shortcomings, Hikari generally avoided cooking altogether. Even now, while peeling apples for Toma, she kept fumbling and accidentally sliced off large chunks of the fruit itself, leaving the final pieces looking horribly mangled.

Incidentally, Toma himself was incredibly dexterous. If he tried, he could easily carve perfect rabbit-shaped apple slices.

After years of watching his skillful hands at work, Hikari had apparently concluded:

"If Toma can do it, then I don’t need to."

That was probably another reason her cooking never improved.

In any case, what mattered most to Alicia right now was that she had finally discovered something Hikari absolutely could not do.

And once Alicia found an opening, she charged forward without hesitation—that straightforwardness was simply part of who she was.

Alicia, who pursued love with complete sincerity, had no concept of taking the long way around.

Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately decided to seek guidance from the talented person standing before her.

"Julia!! Please teach me how to make sweets!"

"............Why???"

Still voicing her confusion, Julia ultimately lost to Alicia’s persistence and was dragged away toward the kitchen.

As she walked, she glanced down at the contents of the basket in her hands and let out another quiet sigh.

"......What are those two doing?"

"No idea…?"

Unbeknownst to them, the entire exchange had been overheard from beginning to end by the two people inside the room.