Extra S*ave Saves the Crown Prince Chapter 51

“That’s possible.“

 

Shihien was saying he could understand me avoiding him. Even though I hadn’t read all the settings in the original “Blood-Soaked Moon,” I had read everything about Shihien thoroughly.

 

Because I knew what kind of life he had lived since he was young. I could guess why he thought that way.

 

“No, that’s not it.“

 

But that wasn’t why I avoided him. The reason I tried to distance myself from him, even for a moment, was because of ‘me.’ He seemed to be misunderstanding something greatly. In my urgency, I took a step forward.

 

“Your Highness. It’s Oment the priest.“

 

But someone called out to Shihien first. It was Oment the priest, who had taken the man away with Epilo. I was so focused on Shihien that I hadn’t even noticed him approaching from behind.

 

“Even if it’s not me, never go in alone from now on.“

 

“Uh, Shi—no, Your Highness.“

 

I almost called him Shihien without thinking. That’s how urgent I felt. Shihien, mentioning once more that Enapok was dangerous, turned his body toward the group of priests.

 

Behind Oment stood Baslo and Lekes. They greeted me with their eyes.

 

Do you want to avoid me.

 

That phrase clung to me, sticky and unshakable. I wanted to tear it off right away and say it wasn’t true, but the atmosphere wasn’t one where I could explain in detail.

 

I bit my lip. My chest felt so heavy it might burst. As Shihien headed toward the tent, one of his arms looked unnatural. He was acting as if nothing was wrong, just like someone who wasn’t hurt.

 

It was like saying “That’s possible” as if it were nothing. When in fact, he had wounds, he wasn’t healed, he was in pain.

 

If only he had gotten angry and asked why I was avoiding him, maybe my heart would have felt lighter.

 

Watching Shihien’s back grow more distant, I grabbed the collar of my shirt with one hand.

 

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

 

“I have nothing to say. I failed to fulfill my duty.“

 

The air inside the tent was heavy. It would take quite some time to reach the Grand Temple in the capital and return. Yet Oment the priest had returned much sooner than anyone expected.

 

“I’m sorry.“

 

When Shihien said nothing, Oment bowed his head deeply again. Priests could only kneel before ‘God.’ If he hadn’t been a priest, he looked so ashamed he might have already knelt.

 

“Recovered enough to run away, is he.“

 

At the word ‘run away,’ everyone’s expressions darkened. As always, Shihien’s face showed no emotion, so it was hard to tell if he was angry or fine.

 

“In truth, it seems the woman didn’t stab him deeply. Whether it was intentional or she lacked strength, I can’t say for sure.“

 

“Was the surveillance lax.“

 

“Your Highness. It’s my fault. I should have assigned someone with a better head on their shoulders.“

 

Baslo also bowed his head in the middle. It wasn’t only the priest’s fault that they hadn’t properly watched Epilo. The knights who were supposed to guard her also bore responsibility.

 

“No, I shouldn’t have left my post. It’s not the knight’s fault. It’s mine.“

 

“The reason you left your post.“

 

“Yes. There was a temple on the way, so I tried to send a letter to the Grand Temple in advance. I could have explained to His Holiness after arriving, but I was impatient.“

 

Oment explained the situation with a troubled face. While he had briefly left to stop by the temple, Epilo had disappeared.

 

“She disappeared, you said?“

 

This time, Captain Lekes asked the knights under his command.

 

“Yes. The two of us were definitely standing guard, but we didn’t sense any movement at all.“

 

“What about the pursuit afterward?“

 

“…All we could confirm was that she’s definitely of the Epilo tribe.“

 

A brief silence fell. The Epilo tribe was known to have the power to summon monsters, but little else was known about their abilities.

 

Some said they could open rifts between dimensions, others that they could fly. Because so few had seen an Epilo in person, rumors abounded.

 

“The Grand Temple must be searching as well.“

 

“Yes. They told us to leave the rest to the temple.“

 

As soon as they received the letter, the Grand Temple started moving. They must still be tracking her, searching for traces of Epilo.

 

“Did you speak with him?“

 

Shihien asked in a low voice.

 

“No, he was unconscious the whole time, so I couldn’t really talk to him.“

 

“So he was pretending to be unconscious. Tch.“

 

Baslo crossed his arms and muttered to himself. And no one present could deny his words.

 

How could someone who was unconscious from a stab wound disappear as if he had run away?

 

“If the Grand Temple is searching, we’ll hear news eventually. Go and rest for now.“

 

“Your Highness. I’m sorry, when you trusted me with this.“

 

Shihien rose to adjourn the meeting. Even after he left the tent, Oment kept his head bowed for a long time.

 

No one blamed the priest, but Epilo’s escape was not good news, so everyone sat in silence for a while.

 

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

 

“Wait, did that Epilo really escape?“

 

“I heard he was unconscious—how did he get away?“

 

“They say he suddenly vanished from the carriage.“

 

“How does that make sense? Did someone help him?“

 

“What, was the stabbing all a lie, then?“

 

“No way, I saw it myself.“

 

“Then where did we start getting fooled?“

 

I couldn’t concentrate on my work at all because of the knights crowding in front of the little herb room.

 

They said they’d come to hear the story from Oment the priest, but no one came in directly. They just stayed outside, making all sorts of wild speculations and keeping up the commotion.

 

“Sez. You must have had a hard time while I was gone.“

 

“No, it was just my usual work.“

 

“I actually had a bit of a hard time, to be honest.“

 

Oment spoke calmly, inhaling the scent of dried herbs. Come to think of it, his face did look a little worn.

 

There was no way I couldn’t know why he had returned sooner than expected, since the people outside were talking about it.

 

“Did he really… escape?“

 

“Yes. Pathetic, isn’t it.“

 

“What? No!“

 

Honestly, I also felt a bit relieved. He probably teleported from inside the carriage. He must have gone somewhere only he knew.

 

Even if Oment the priest had stayed at his post, that man would have disappeared. I didn’t know what method they were using to track him, but I doubted it would be easy to find him.

 

“Sez. Do you remember you said you’d invite me over sometime?“

 

“Sorry?“

 

“To your new place. For some reason, I’m really desperate for an invitation right now.“

 

Oment gestured toward the outside with his eyes. He seemed to be uncomfortable with the knights outside, who were practically holding a debate among themselves.

 

The face that always shone with positivity now wore a wry smile.

 

“Wow, this is really something.“

 

From the moment he entered the tent, Oment couldn’t keep his mouth closed. Even to me, it was too much for a slave to be given such a place. I felt embarrassed and my face grew hot for no reason.

 

“What is this? It’s Noveni, right? Where did you get it so fresh? It looks like it was just picked!“

 

I’d gotten into the habit of taking off my cloth pouch whenever I came to the tent. As I sat at the table, Oment spotted the Noveni inside.

 

“Ah, that…“

 

“Did you manage to secretly make your own field?“

 

Noveni grew well in the wild, but for some reason, it never looked good when cultivated in a field.

 

“No, actually, I brought it from Enapok.“

 

Oment, who’d been joking, suddenly froze. I had no choice but to be honest, even if I got scolded again. He shared knowledge of where the local herbs grew, anyway.

 

“I already got scolded for it. I went alone without permission.“

 

“…You went to Enapok alone?“

 

“Yes. I’d seen Noveni there before.“

 

Oment rested his chin on his hand as he looked at me hesitantly. But that gesture seemed to want to look natural, which made it feel even more awkward.

 

“Weren’t you scared…?“

 

“I thought it would be okay since there aren’t any monsters there now.“

 

“Usually, people are scared of that place even if there aren’t monsters.“

 

Oment looked at me with an unreadable expression. Baslo had gotten angry, and Shihien had told me to take him next time.

 

It seemed everyone was reluctant to go to Enapok alone. I must have looked quite odd for going there as if it were nothing.

 

“Um, I don’t know if you’ll like it.“

 

Oment’s silence made me move around awkwardly. There was no tea or dessert, of course, so I put out two wooden cups.

 

I took out a container I’d prepared earlier and poured a light brown liquid. I was embarrassed, worried he’d think it was too plain.

 

“What’s this?“

 

“It’s called Millia. You drink it instead of water. I’m sorry, it’s all I have to offer.“

 

Millia is a kind of root vegetable. If you dry the rhizome and steep it in water, it has a savory taste. It’s good boiled hot, but I preferred the taste when it was steeped in standing water.

 

But since the flavor is milder than tea, I’d never seen anyone else drink it.

 

Oment took a sip and slowly set the cup down again. It must not suit his taste at all. Even a polite priest couldn’t manage to pretend to enjoy it, judging by his expression.

 

“Where did you learn about this…?“

 

“Oh, I’ve been drinking it since I was little. I guess it doesn’t suit your taste?“

 

“…Since you were little?“

 

“Yes.“

 

Was it really that bad? I took another sip. The savory aroma made it tastier than plain water, at least to me.

 

“When you were little, when?“

 

“Probably since I was born.“

 

Of course, I have no memory of being born, but on Salt Island, drinking Millia was natural. Aunt Noah and I always steeped Millia root when we drank water.

 

『Your mother used to drink it.』 Aunt Noah had said that in passing, I think. If the mother of this slave body drank it, then I must have been drinking it since I was born. Probably.

 

“…Where were you born?“

 

“On Salt Island.“

 

I don’t think I’d ever seen Oment the priest look so dark before.

 

He’d looked urgent when monsters appeared, but now the atmosphere felt different.

 

“On Salt Island, does everyone drink it?“

 

“No. I learned about it because my mother drank it.“

 

The word “mother” felt so unfamiliar. But I couldn’t explain her as the woman who gave birth to this body.

 

“Mother…?“

 

Apparently, it didn’t sound natural to Oment either. He inhaled as if he’d heard a very strange word. His face went pale, and the hand holding the wooden cup trembled.

 

“Priest, are you all right?“

 

Maybe he was still in shock from letting Epilo get away. Maybe he was feeling more guilty than I’d thought. All sorts of guesses flashed through my mind in that short moment.

 

“Um, your mother’s name…?“

 

But the question that came from Oment was completely unexpected.