58 – Incident

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“Actually I have a favor to ask of you… Could you listen to it?”

One day, Calcedonia was summoned by Elysia Coulotte, the former Duchess of Coulotte, without warning.

Well, even if she was sick or not, Calcedonia would rush to her side since it was the former Duchess.

Although she was relieved that the Duchess wasn’t sick, Calcedonia was somewhat wary of the ‘favor’ that resulted in her being called here today.

Until now, whenever the madam called her here for a “favor,” it ended badly for Calcedonia.

Introduced to her male relative.

Encouraged to keep up with her aristocrat acquaintance.

Elysia was the one who randomly made a marriage proposal.

Even though they were all worried about Calcedonia, who was in late marriageable age, it was still annoying for her.

However, after Elysia acknowledged Tatsumi, nobody talked about it.

Since it was like that, it wouldn’t be another marriage proposal.

While tilting her head inside her mind, Calcedonia waited for Elysia to continue.

“Actually, a daughter of someone I know was supposed to appear at a certain evening party… and my physical condition deteriorated before the size adjustment.”

With her hands on her cheeks, Elysia breathlessly trembling.

“For now, she’ll recover in time for the evening party, but not in time for the fitting for the clothing. So─”

Elysia glared at Calcedonia meaningfully.

“Understood. I’ll heal her illness.”

“No, it’s not that. I need you to do the clothes fitting in her place.”

“Huh? You want the clothes to be of my size…?”

She blinked her eyes in confusion.

“Yes. Because my daughter and you have similar heights, I want you to wear it during the fitting instead.”

“T-That’s fine, but…wouldn’t healing her be better?”

“T-That’s true, but I’ve already called for the seamstresses. They’ve made time out of their busy lives to come here, so why don’t you just let them do the job?”

While she didn’t really understand what it was about, it was still a request from Elysia. In the end, Calcedonia could only nod while showing a pained expression.

“Then, shall we start now?”

“N-Now!!?”

In front of the surprised Calcedonia, Elysia clapped her hand twice.

In response, the door was knocked on, and with Elysia’s permission several women came into the room with sewing tools, like cloth and needles.

The maids’ hands began removing Calcedonia’s clothes with familiarity.

They then pressed various cloths of various textures and colors to the girl, clad only in her underwear, and consulted with Elysia.

“With Lady Calcedonia’s hair color, wouldn’t this color be more vibrant?”

“True, but don’t you think that this shade suits her better?”

“Um, excuse me… Isn’t it useless if we match it with my hair…?”

“Oh, yes, that’s fine. Since my daughter has a hair color similar to yours.”

“I-I see…?”

She didn’t really understand, but she let them do what they were doing.

After, the seamstresses continued to steadily work.

Deciding on the color of the fabric, choosing accessories, and deciding on the finer details.

They were taking measurements so precisely that she almost thought they were making clothing for her.

“Calcedonia’s skin is, like, so smooth. I wish I had skin as smooth as hers.”

“I know, right? It’s so white too…huh?”

That seamstress saw, on a part of her well-edowned breasts, bruise-like marks on her snow-white skin.

And then, she realized what it was and her face turned bright red.

“S-Sorry…!!!”

With her face bright red, she kept working while trying not to see the bruises. However, she kept staring at the bruises from time to time.

Calcedonia’s face was blushing hard enough that it wouldn’t lose to the seamstress’s, and her eyes were swimming in embarrassment.

“Oh my, it seems like you are getting along well with Tatsumi, aren’t you.”

Elysia looked at the overwhelmed Calcedonia with a radiant smile.

Teased by Elysia, Calcedonia’s blush only grew more prominent.

But everybody in the room, starting with Elysia, noticed her happy smile.

 

 

When Calcedonia was flushed with happiness and bashfulness, the room’s door was suddenly knocked upon.

“Excuse me. Senior Priest Yamagata has just arrived.”

“Oh, Tatsumi? I wonder what happened?”

“Yes, apparently it is an urgent request. He would like to meet Priestess Chrysoprase immediately,” the servant on the other side of the door answered.

“I see. How’s Calsey?”

“Yes. I am done with my work.”

The seamstress who was asked lowered her head and answered respectfully to Elysia.

Behind her, Calcedonia, who had started to look worn-out since a while ago, was hurriedly putting on her priestess robe.

Completely different from before, Calcedonia had a completely obvious joyful expression. Elysia told the servants to let Tatsumi into the room while feeling amazed that Calcedonia was this happy when being with him even though they live together.

After a short while, Tatsumi entered the room in his priest robe.

At the moment she saw Tatsumi, Calcedonia’s beautiful appearance started to glow with the beauty of blooming flowers. But, she saw Tatsumi’s serious expression, and her expression tightened.

“Excuse me, Madame Elysia.”

“Welcome, Tatsumi. It’s been a while, has it not?”

“Yes, I am sorry for the inconvenience. There is something urgent…”

Tatsumi greeted Elysia briefly and looked back at Calcedonia with a serious expression.

“Calsey, it seems that something happened at the royal palace. We were ordered by Giuseppe to head to the royal palace to check for injured people as soon as possible.”

After hearing that something of the scale to wound a large number of people happened in the palace, Calcedonia gasped in surprise. But, she replied to Tatsumi in assent.

“Duchess, I must apologize…”

“Well, I heard everything. Something big happened, didn’t it.”

In the royal palace, knights and soldiers often get injured during training.

For that reason, doctors are always stationed in the royal palace, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can use healing magic.

Therefore, a church dispatches priests who can use healing magic there everyday. Today it isn’t the Savaiv Church’s turn, but there should be a healing magic user at the royal palace.

Even so, other people who can use healing magic will be called upon when it’s something as big as this.

“I’ll arrange for a carriage. Just wait for a bit.”

“No, it will be faster if I teleport there with Calsey.”

Tatsumi bowed to Elysia and held onto Calcedonia nearby.

And then, their figures disappeared from sight.

Seeing Instant Transition for the first time, Elysia and the maids were stunned.

“… So that’s Tatsumi’s Instant Transition…”

As Elysia looked outside her window, she saw two people floating in the air.

The figures embraced each other before disappearing again in the moment when Elysia blinked.

“…It’s certainly quicker than a carriage. Now then, let’s confirm what happened in the royal palace.”

Elysia ordered the household to examine the details of the incident in the royal palace.

After that, she smiled again at the maids that were waiting in the corner of the room.

“Now, won’t you all do your best for me? Anyhow, the New Year’s festival is very soon.”

 

Wind rushed through their ears.

Once Tatsumi and Calcedonia teleported into the sky overlooking the entire royal palace, they watched the situation while falling into the royal palace.

To stop the wind from stealing his voice, Tatsumi put his mouth to Calcedonia’s ear.

“This is my first time going into the palace. Have you been there before?”

“Yes. I have been to the royal palace plenty of times as a healer. Of course, I have never been to the more secretive rooms.”

The priest acting as the healer always waits in the waiting room if they have no work. Therefore, Calcedonia’s knowledge about the royal palace was very limited.

“Where did the incident happen?”

“Giuseppe said that it was at the venue for the horse-riding competition…”

While falling from the sky to the royal palace grounds, Tatsumi scanned the various parts of the royal palace.

However, as Tatsumi had no knowledge about the royal palace, he didn’t know where the venue was. Still, he found a place where many people were gathering, so he asked Calcedonia while looking at that area.

“People are gathering right there. Is it it?”

“Yes, that’s the area where military drills take place. Every year, the horse-racing competition would be done at that field, so there is no doubt it’s there.”

Falling extremely quickly, both of them nodded at each other.

And then, Tatsumi embraced Calcedonia into his arms, and a golden radiance shined.

 

 

As expected, it happened in the drill area.

The upcoming New Year’s festival. As the event held annually, is the horse-racing competition.

The performers were limited to royalty, nobles, and knights, but the spectacular competition is also popular with the commoners.

Every year, not only the aristocrats, but even the common people would flock to the venue.

The nobles have their own venue seats, but commoners don’t have such a luxury.

The common people usually stand, and at most they would watch the competition on a makeshift seats, which sounds fancy but would just be several logs put together.

The incident seemed to happen while making the makeshift seats.

Logs that were being put together collapsed, and low-ranked soldiers and people who were working on or near the logs were involved.

Even if “log” is just a single syllable, each one was considerably long and heavy.

Since the logs were being put together to make with several stages of seats, the logs had a height. And when it fell to the ground, the people under it got seriously injured.

Some people were crushed under the falling logs, and yet others were hit by the materials used to hold the logs together.

The knights and soldiers, even the priests who were stationed at the royal palace were doing rescue activities respectively, but because the activities were moving slowly, the situation became confusing.

It was at that time Tatsumi and Calcedonia arrived at the scene.

Moving rapidly across the ground, Tatsumi, despite being engulfed by the tense atmosphere from the fluttering voices, grabbed Calcedonia’s hand and stepped into the scene.

“We are from the Savaiv Church! We are here to cooperate with the rescue operation!”

“I am Calcedonia Chrysoprase from the Savaiv Church! I will take care of any injuries immediately!”

The Holy Maiden’s name was also famous among the knights and soldiers of the royal palace.

There is even a theory that when Calcedonia is on treatment duty, somehow the number of people injured while training would increase.

Knowing that the Holy Maiden came to help, a relieved feeling spread among the injured soldiers.

And, of course, a lot of injured people moved towards her.

 

“I am Calcedonia Chrysoprase from the Savaiv Church! I will take care of any injuries immediately!”

When Calcedonia, beside Tatsumi, said that, he glanced back at her.

When they heard the renowned Holy Maiden came to heal, all the injured would ask for healing. Tatsumi understood that.

But, her mana isn’t infinite.

And then, there are the ones whose lives are slipping away at the moment.

So, she should focus on such people.

“W-Wait a minute, Calsey! Stop─”

However, Tatsumi’s warning came too late. The injured people, noticing Calcedonia’s existence, steadily tried to shove Tatsumi away.

Tatsumi hurriedly stood between the people who were trying to get to Calcedonia.

“Please wait!!! Her healing magic should be prioritized towards those who are severely injured!!!”

The injured people who were moving towards Calcedonia stopped. And they gazed at the unfamiliar black-haired and black-eyed young man who was standing in front of the Holy Maiden with discontent.

“Huh, who are you? You’re a priest of Savaiv… just a senior priest from the looks of it… Who are you to stop the esteemed Holy Maiden from healing us?”

While looking at the priest’s clothes and holy seal for his status, a knight-like man advanced towards Tatsumi.

Apparently he was injured on his arm, and blood was dripping from his fingertips.

“I will accept your instructions. Now then, Holy Maiden. Please heal me with your magic.”

Trying to push Tatsumi away, the knight stood before Calcedonia.

But, Calcedonia only repeatedly looked between Tatsumi and the knight, clearly troubled and making no signs of using her magic.

She couldn’t go against Tatsumi’s order to heal, so she was at a loss.

When the knight slowly recognized that Calcedonia did not use healing magic, Tatsumi again intervened between Calcedonia and the knight.

“Please wait! Calsey… no, Priestess Chrysoprase’s magic is limited. You must give priority to those who are severely injured!”

“So, I’m telling you I’m accepting your order! If she can heal, she should do it to those who are nearby!”

The knight tried to push Tatsumi away with his non-injured arm.

But his arm passed through nothing, and the knight lost his balance and stumbled. Tatsumi swayed his body and easily avoided the knight’s arm.

“Wha!? You…!!”

Did he not like Tatsumi’s attitude? Or did he not like how Tatsumi avoided him? Who knows, but the knight was clearly showing his anger.

“Are you insulting me!!?”

The knight put his hand on his sword at his waist, showing signs of drawing it.

And the knight was not the only person who was hostile at Tatsumi.

Everyone who was looking for Calcedonia to heal them saw Tatsumi interfering with the healing, and was more or less displeased.

“I have no intention of insulting you! However, like I said earlier, her mana is not infinite. That’s why…”

“Enough!!! I get it already!!?”

A light metallic sound. Finally the knight pulled out his sword.

No, he tried pulling it out.

“What are you guys doing here in this emergency?”

Just before the knight pulled out his sword, a calm and dreadful male voice reverberated.