The Regressor and the Blind Saintess - Chapter 87

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

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◈ The Regressor and the Blind Saintess ◈

Chapter 87: Investigation - 2

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The next evening, in the mansion's drawing room.

Albrecht had once again arranged a meeting to hear their answer to his proposal.

‘This time, for sure!’

He would not make the same mistake as yesterday!

Albrecht straightened his back and folded his arms. With one hand raised to his face, he stroked his chin.

“So, have you given it some thought?”

As he spoke with a bright smile, Albrecht's gleaming white teeth showed.

Across from him, Rene gave a slight nod before answering.

“Yes, I'll investigate with you.”

“Good choi...”

“But.”

Rene cut him off. Her expression turned firm as she continued.

“I'll be coming too.”

It was permission she had only managed to wring from Vera after stubbornly insisting on it following their conversation the previous night.

He had pleaded with her, nearly begged her, saying it was too dangerous and asking her to reconsider just once. Rene had pushed back every plea until she finally received his permission.

Of course, Rene knew. She might become a burden.

Even so, the thought that she could not let Vera go there alone would not leave her. She could not let him go alone to a place that hurt him. So Rene had no choice but to insist.

Rene's love could not turn away from someone struggling alone.

Troubled expressions came over Albrecht and Count Vaischur.

“Um...”

Albrecht grew flustered again.

He ought to ask whether she would be all right, but even Albrecht, oblivious as he was, knew one thing.

If he said, ‘Don't you think you'll be a burden when you're blind?’ it would create a disastrous rift with the Holy Kingdom. That would be disrespectful to his brother at the imperial palace.

Albrecht's golden eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck. The corners of his bright smile began to twitch, and his face slowly turned foolish.

His thoughts grew more distant by the second.

Then Albrecht squeezed his eyes shut and pulled himself together.

‘No!’

What would the Holy Kingdom think of the imperial family if he showed such a foolish side of himself?

Albrecht opened his eyes wide! and composed his expression again.

“Th-then we should recruit more people...”

“No.”

Rene refuted him at once.

She smiled faintly and added an explanation.

“I know what you're worried about. You think I'll be a burden, don't you?”

“Well...”

Rene could hear the tremor in Albrecht's voice. She understood it too. Her blindness was a flaw that could easily lead people to think that way.

Still, the somewhat unreliable Second Imperial Prince was overlooking one important fact.

“Your Highness.”

“Go on.”

“You haven't forgotten who I am, have you?”

Albrecht tilted his head.

“Aren't you the Saintess?”

“Yes, I am the Saintess. And Saintess is a title given to one granted the Lord's Authority.”

Rene was not someone who selfishly troubled others after being carried away by emotion.

She was certainly vulnerable because she was blind, but Rene also possessed a clear strength that made such a weakness insignificant.

“If I use my Authority, it will be much easier to investigate that mysterious cartel.”

The Fate-Weaving Authority.

A miracle she had exchanged her light for.

It was an ability she truly disliked, yet Rene felt a small measure of gratitude for it at that moment.

Even this useless Authority allowed her to stay by Vera's side, to be of help to him.

A blank look came over Albrecht's face at Rene's words.

“Certainly...”

It would truly be a great help.

It was not that Albrecht had never considered this method.

With the Saintess's Authority, the investigation could become much easier and lead to definite results.

There was only one reason he had not asked Rene for it.

Three years ago, his father, the Emperor, had made a move against the Saintess.

Albrecht might have lacked awareness and knowledge of the world, but even he knew this much.

Asking her to use her Authority could seem like shamelessly pretending that what happened three years ago had never occurred.

At the very least, as a member of the imperial family, he needed to be cautious when mentioning Rene's Authority.

Albrecht asked in a far more careful tone than before.

“...Would that be all right?”

The subject had been omitted, but Rene understood his meaning.

“Yes. Because it is the right thing to do.”

It would be a lie to say she held no personal resentment. Rene knew the Emperor had pursued her. She knew he had intended to use her Authority.

Even so, she gave this answer because she knew it would be against principle to turn away from those presently in danger over such personal feelings.

“Does that answer your question?”

At Rene's words, Albrecht stared at her in silence before lowering his head.

“...Thank you.”

An unexpectedly serious expression of gratitude from Albrecht. Count Vaischur looked deeply moved.

‘His Highness...’

He had grown! He was saying thank you! The shock treatment had worked!

It was not an impression suited to the situation, but having witnessed a sight he had only dreamed of, how could he stop himself?

Count Vaischur gave a small nod, celebrating Albrecht's growth.

His voice, too, was filled with joy.

“Well, it seems things have been settled nicely. Since it is about time, shall we have dinner?”

“Yes? Ah, sure.”

Wondering at Count Vaischur's sudden joy, Rene nodded.

* * *

During the meal that followed, Count Vaischur looked at Rene and Vera and asked,

“So when do you plan to begin the investigation?”

They had come without deciding on a concrete plan, and he wanted to settle every detail while they were gathered here.

This time, Vera answered.

“We will begin in four days.”

“Hmm? That is rather late.”

“Personnel will be arriving from the Holy Kingdom.”

Vera cut his meat with refined movements and continued.

“He is reliable when it comes to finding a path. It will be more certain to bring him along than to simply search everywhere at random. Until then, Count, please put more effort into maintaining security.”

At Vera's words, Count Vaischur let out an “Ah!”

“The one coming is the Apostle of Guidance?”

“That is correct.”

“Ho...”

Count Vaischur nodded.

“It has been a long time since I last greeted him.”

“...It seems you have met before?”

At Vera's question, the Count nodded.

“Yes. About eight years ago, around this time of year, he came to deliver a letter from my wife.”

It was a brief connection from when Mari had still been in the Great Forest.

The Count was about to continue when,

“Goodness, must you talk business even at a gathering like this? Stop that and eat!”

Mari scolded him.

Both the Count and Vera flinched.

Mari narrowed her eyes at them, while an awkward smile appeared on Rene's lips.

“Talk after you've finished eating. You're making the Saintess uncomfortable.”

“I, I'm fine.”

“Goodness, don't be so considerate. Sometimes you have to keep them in line! Oh, Saintess, does tonight's food suit your tastes? I told them to take special care with it.”

The flow of the conversation suddenly changed.

Mari's endless chatter had begun.

Once she started, it showed no sign of stopping. Vera and the Count gradually lowered their heads toward their plates.

* * *

Mari's chatter did not end until after the meal was over and dessert had been served.

Once that time, when only Mari had enjoyed herself, finally ended, Aisha, who had kept her mouth tightly shut until then, took the opportunity to speak.

“Your Highness.”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“Are you a man or a woman?”

“Y-yes...?”

Aisha waited for Albrecht's answer with sparkling eyes.

She had been so curious throughout the meal that she could not bear to hold the question in any longer.

He was too pretty to be a man, but his behavior was too manly for him to be a woman.

“Huh? Which are you, Your Highness?”

Albrecht was briefly flustered by Aisha's question.

Naturally so, since he had never received such a question before.

After his momentary surprise, Albrecht began to interpret her words as praise, as he always did.

‘Ah, I am simply too beautiful!’

He was so beautiful that he did not even look male, confusing that young girl!

...It was the same unchanging self that ruined all the emotion Count Vaischur had felt in the drawing room.

As Albrecht tilted his head, his golden hair swayed. His golden eyes curved into crescents beneath his graceful smile.

With that radiant smile, Albrecht answered Aisha.

“Who knows? I could be a man, or I could be a woman.”

A young girl's innocence ought to be protected. Someone as beautiful as himself should remain a fairy in the girl's heart. With that thought, he gave his mysterious reply.

“Hmm... Then Your Highness is neither.”

Aisha answered as though it were no great matter.

Albrecht froze with his smile still on his face.

“A-Aisha!”

Dovan spoke in alarm. Aisha tilted her head and drove the nail deeper into Albrecht's chest.

“Master said the most useless things in the world are things whose purpose is uncertain. Adding a bunch of unnecessary things just makes something neither this nor that.”

At those words, Albrecht wondered if he was dreaming.

A thing of uncertain use. Someone who was neither this nor that.

Wasn't something wrong here? How could such words be used to describe him?

Albrecht could not accept that those words referred to him.

So he began to conclude that this must all be a dream.

In other words, he chose to flee reality.

The light went out of Albrecht's eyes.

Count Vaischur wore a hollow smile as he watched him.

One remark from Aisha had sunk two people.

...No, two people had sunk, and one more stood at the brink.

Rene felt her fingertips twitch at the conversation she had heard.

‘D-doesn't know?’