I had only ever heard about festivals in reports. A place where streets stayed lit late into the night, and drinking and music never ceased.
“Of course. I don’t like fighting.”
Laughter continued as well, but incidents enough to frown at were never in short supply.
“I wish people wouldn’t fight.”
“That’s a very Saint-like thing to say.”
At that, I smiled faintly. I really didn’t want to see fighting.
If someone got hurt, I had the power to heal them. And with that power came the obligation to do so.
But I didn’t want to carry that obligation.
“What color did you change my hair to?”
I was curious about the hair color hidden under my robe. When I asked about the hair Alois had changed with magic, he pulled his robe slightly back.
A beautiful face emerged, and brown hair shimmered under the moonlight.
“The same color as mine.”
“…”
“I thought you might like it.”
For some reason, I felt speechless and simply stared at his face. With his pale skin, the light brown hair that sometimes looked almost blonde suited Alois.
His brown hair almost looked translucent, and the strands of his hair were thin and fine like thread. I didn’t think it would suit me.
“Not to brag, but I really like my own hair color. It’s unique.”
“Isn’t it a pretty common color?”
Brown, after all, was supposed to be the most common. Though I did think Alois’s hair looked special.
“My grandfather passed it down to me.”
“Your grandfather?”
“You might have thought it looked like my father’s, but it actually comes from my grandfather.”
He pulled his hood back over his face and his features disappeared beneath the fabric.
“Do you want to take your hood off?”
Alois looked interested.
Wasn’t he the one always going on about how I should cover up if I want to hide my noble status? Well, since it couldn’t be helped, I reached for the hood of my robe.
The scratchy texture was exactly what it felt like.
Hair the same color as Alois’s…even our red eyes were similar. If our hair matched too…
“Won’t people think we’re family?”
His eyes widened in surprise. Something about what I said felt off after it left my lips, so I laughed awkwardly and corrected myself.
“Like siblings, I mean.”
“Ah, I suppose it could seem that way…”
When I pulled down the hood, a familiar-looking brown shade fell down my back. I hadn’t noticed when it was on Alois, but now that it was on my head, it felt strange.
“Maybe I should’ve picked a different color for you.”
He lifted a strand of my brown hair and kissed it lightly.
“A sibling-like relationship is definitely not what I need.”
It wasn’t the first time he said something like this, so I just ignored it. With delicate fingers, he stroked my hair as he spoke with a tone that sounded sincerely regretful.
“Don’t worry. As long as you keep your robe on, no one’s going to pay us any attention.”
He was right. Even if I looked plain, Alois certainly didn’t.
Just earlier, when he briefly exposed his face, more than a few people had clearly been taken in.
I sighed and pushed his hand away.
He let go without any resistance, although he looked a bit reluctant. While we were having this whole conversation, the mercenaries were still fighting.
Big and rugged, they were covered in small wounds. Since I rarely had single scratch on my body, I couldn’t help but frown at the sight.
“Haah.”
When I sighed and shook my head, Alois glanced between me and them.
“So, how do you plan to stop them?”
“Hmm.”
“Mercenaries are on the rough end. They won’t stop just because someone tells them to. They’re more likely to cut first and ask later.”
“They definitely look it. Swinging around a huge axe like that in a place this crowded.”
“You know we’re supposed to go play around after this, right?”
As I stepped forward with a sigh, he called out with a somewhat faint voice.
I turned my head, but I couldn’t quite see his face anymore.
Still, as if a little disappointed, he said again toward me,
“You wouldn’t just leave me behind, would you? After coming all this way?”
I knew he was acting, but hearing him say that made it harder to keep walking.
“Everyone else is just watching. I simply don’t want you to get hurt.”
The crowd had gotten excited watching the mercenaries.
They didn’t seem to realize someone could actually get hurt.
I brushed my hair behind my ear as I walked through the crowd.
A cool breeze wrapped around my hair.
Just a change in color made the brown hair feel so much lighter.
“Excuse me.”
I pushed through the people, getting shoved around till I looked a mess. I got pushed forward as if spat out by the crowd and suddenly, I was an unwelcome intruder.
The mercenaries, who had been about to tear each other apart, turned sharp eyes on me.
Even with all those looks, I wasn’t afraid.
One of the mercenaries, the one holding the axe, stomped toward me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he already wasn’t interested in listening.
Seemingly annoyed by me interrupting his fight, his eyes flared and he raised his axe high.
The blade looked dangerously sharp.
But in the man’s eyes, there was no killing intent.
People around screamed and raised their voices at the commotion, yet I stood there without flinched.
He swung his axe, the wind whirred alongside his movements.
But just as I expected, the dangerous weapon never touched me.
The cloth near the ankle got a bit torn, and the ground beside me was gouged from the strike but I was completely unharmed.
“As I was saying, can I have a second?”
The gust from his swing had blown my hair all over.
Realizing mercenary work wasn’t for just anyone, I untangled my hair with my fingers.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
I lifted my head and locked eyes with the man who was shouting.
The moment our eyes met, his body flinched, and I raised a brow.
The large mercenary took a few steps back and scanned me up and down.
“You a noble?”
“Unfortunately, I’m not.”
I wasn’t a noble. That wasn’t a lie.
“You’re both mercenaries, right?”
Trying to sound as bright and friendly as possible, I spoke while looking at the two men, who were warily eyeing me.
“That was a great show of skill. My merchant group, Saetri, would like to hire you, what do you think?”
Saetri Merchant Group was one of the trade groups that Alois owned.
“Saetri Group?”
The two stopped dead in their tracks.
Recently, the temple in the Kingdom of Eseah announced that they would be supporting the war effort.
Since you never know, I mentioned adding a mercenary group to follow Reneben.
I felt like these two would be perfect to send that way.
I said a few more words, and the two exchanged uncertain glances.
Then, I removed an earring from my ear.
“Think of that as a down payment.”
The jewel sparkled expensively, and they both swallowed hard.
Finally convinced, they walked away quietly, and I placed my hands on my hips, satisfied—
Until someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“You don’t even know their real abilities. What are you thinking, hiring people like that?”
“Don’t worry. I saw the brooches on their chests. They’re part of a well-known mercenary group. Even if they try to run off with my earring, I can always have them brought back…”
Of course I wouldn’t act if I didn’t know anything.
Alois furrowed his brow and gripped my wrist.
* * *
He pulled me to a place where no one else was around.
Even now, Alois wasn’t facing me.
All I could see was the back of his head.
That alone annoyed me a little.
So I let myself be dragged along, halfway giving in.
He came to a stop.
As he spun around, my body staggered.
Alois caught me as I stumbled.
I just stood there, blinking in that position, unable to even thank him until our eyes met.
“I’m back safely.”
I said brightly to Alois, who was looking down at me with a face frozen so stiff it was almost scary.
He clenched his teeth and sharply turned his head.
“Alois.”
“Saintess.”
Even though we were alone, he called me ‘Saintess’ not ‘Lady Emilone’. So I’m pretty sure he was upset.
“I didn’t get hurt.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. You’re upset because I was almost in danger, right?”
“If you already know…!”
He raised his voice and turned his head toward me.
His expression made it clear he was angry, and for some reason, it made me want to laugh.
If I had a camera right now, I would have pressed the shutter, 100%.
He kept trying to speak, but couldn’t calm down so he covered his face with one hand and heaved heavily.
“Alois, are you mad?”
“I am not.”
“…You’re lying, though?”
I tapped his cheek with my index finger.
My hand brushed against his pale skin, then pulled away—.
And he quickly snatched my hand just as I was in the middle of teasing him.
He wasn’t smiling.
Even with that distorted expression, his beautiful face remained mesmerizing.
“Lady Emilone. At first, I thought you couldn’t just walk past a situation like that because you’re a ‘Saintess.’“
He spoke slowly.
He was right.
As long as people revered me as the ‘Saintess’. I couldn’t ignore a situation like that.
“But you’re the kind of person who doesn’t let that kind of label bind you.”
Well, that was true too.
If I were doing this out of some noble sense of duty, I could have proudly answered that.
“So why did you try to help?”
“I told you. I just don’t like seeing people fight.”
“Lady Emilone.”
“Alois, you’re the one who told me to stop the mercenaries without revealing that I’m the Saintess, and yet you’re the one so shaken now.”
I thought he’d act indifferent no matter what happened.
I pulled my wrist from his grip.
Alois quietly released it without resistance.
“Because I was hoping you wouldn’t interfere.”
“Really?”
“Mercenaries won’t listen even if you try. That was a minor scuffle, anyway.”
“Still, I just felt like everyone should enjoy the festival together.”
Maybe that was a selfish thought.
There were surely plenty who couldn’t enjoy it.
I remembered how Alois once proudly said there were no slums in Eseah.
It meant there were more people who could enjoy days like this.
And fewer struggling people meant less burden on the temple.
“Fighting doesn’t help anyone.”
He looked down at the torn hem of my robe.
His crimson eyes moved slowly, scanning me with delicate attention.
“I hate seeing anyone get hurt. Aren’t you the same?”
After confirming that I wasn’t hurt anywhere, he finally responded.
“I just think it’s a natural right for those who have more.”
For some reason, that line broke my composure, and I burst into laughter.
This was why I cared for Alois so much.
I respected him.
“I think so too. So instead of getting mad, could you just say, ‘Good work’?”
He clenched his empty fist.
Then, with an unreadable expression, he finally said,
“Good work.”
“Mhm, thank you.”
Ending this trivial conversation was that easy.
The tips of Alois’s ears turned red.
“Oh? Are you embarrassed?”
“That’s not it—”
“Even you must know, right? It wasn’t that big of a deal to get emotional and yell at me over.”
I heard him say ‘Lady Emilone’, but I ignored him and hummed as I continued to recount his behavior.
“I wasn’t even hurt. Just a little tear in my clothes, and you came running like that. I see you in a new light.”
“…”
“And you even shouted at me, didn’t you?”
“I apologize.”
He said it in a small voice.
I didn’t feel much sincerity behind it, but I didn’t bother pointing that out.
“Are you laughing?”
Well, I wasn’t being sincere either.
His question only made me laugh harder.
In the end, I couldn’t even answer why. I just kept laughing for a while.
Advanced chapters available on Patreon.
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 109 - June 10, 2025
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 108 - June 5, 2025
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 107 - May 31, 2025