The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind

gnize Elaina as her true enemy.
She didn’t know exactly what Elaina thought, but they couldn’t destroy each other while they shared a name.

“Then I’ll be out a bit this afternoon.”
“Ok.
Goodbye, master! Maybe we can also sell our jewelry to the Holy Kingdom!”

Citrina smiled weakly at Lita’s cheerful voice.
Since Elaina was an envoy as a paladin this time, it somehow felt like she would be a bit more visible.

“I hope so.”
“It will be!”
“…maybe they’ll become our competitor.
We have to be determined.”

Citrina knew best why the Holy Kingdom was so wealthy.
They sold holy objects.
And holy objects could not damage Citrina’s atelier.
Elaina must have known about Citrina’s dream to have an atelier shortly before they parted.
The heroine of was like that- she knew the cards dealt to her and how to use them to her advantage.

‘I suppose I should respond in kind.’

Taking another sip of her coffee, Citrina vowed to do a better job collecting information.

***

That afternoon, Citrina and Gemma headed to Venitri Square and were overwhelmed by the crowd gathered there.
To put it mildly, there were more people than clouds in the sky.
Citrina found a spot by the square’s central fountain and grabbed an ice cream, a specialty found in the square.
The path from Venitri Square to the emperor’s castle was densely packed with people.

‘I didn’t come here to see the paladin delegation’s ceremony anyway.’

She looked around.
Everyone seemed to be excited.
Apparently, the Holy Kingdom, Caisairan, was popular in the empire.

-Gemma, is this crowd gathered for the ceremony?
-Yeah, I think so! What do we do? I’m excited!

The pendant containing Gemma flinched uncontrollably.
Citrina clutched the pendant, listening to the conversation of the people on duty.

“They can’t be serious about handing out relics containing god’s prophecies, can they?”
“It’s the first visit of a delegation in ten years, so I’m sure they’re serious.”

‘A divine…prophecy?’

The delegation of paladins was a tool to revive the reputation of Caisairan.
Caisairan was a divine nation that appeared inside the original work, .
It was a small country blessed by god, and it produced paladins every year who traveled around the continent spreading god’s prophecies.
The Pope, the leader of the Holy Kingdom and devout believer in god, was Elaina’s supporter in .
It seemed like the same was true here.

“More than a prophecy, I wish I could get some holy water.”
“I want a paladin’s blessing!”
These were strange and familiar conversations, with talk about paladin’s blessings and holy water.

-That’s weird.
-Yeah? Why?
-They’re selling things that contain prophecies from god.
Does god still care about this world?

With that, Gemma tilted her head.

-Why, what’s so strange?
-How can god’s prophecy be embedded in an object?

As a reincarnator who was aware of her past, Citrina had a certain amount of faith in the divine realm.
Her awareness of her past life was also a strange divine blessing that couldn’t be explained rationally.

“Did you hear that? It seems the high priest is going to offer the holy object to the emperor.”
“You said the deputy head of the mission is originally from the empire.
Was it a baron or something?”
“A noble then.”
“A noble, yes.
But it seems like they’ve long since fallen.”

Among the chatter of the passer-byes, Elaina’s story broke through.
The reason Citrina had come the Venitri Square was the hear what the world was saying about Elaina Foluin.

“The envoy is coming!”
“It’s the Holy Knights! Can you see the white uniform?”
“I’m not a falcon, so how could I see over there?”

Light grumbling followed.
At the sound of the envoy’s arrival, Citrina cleared her mind.
Gemma flew up in the sky, taking in the hubbub.
Among the festive atmosphere, Citrina was the only one organizing her thoughts.
If Citrina’s memories from her past life were correct, the paladins would be lined up on the boulevard in white robes.
At the front of the second row, the leader would raise his sword.
It would sparkle and shine.

‘Elaina will be attached to the emissary, unlike the original.’

She was a younger sibling who knew her heart too well, sisters who understood each other too well.
They were sisters who shared the same ambition to succeed, so much so that they couldn’t help but hurt each other.

“I can’t see the ceremony from here, but it must be amazing, right?”
“Look at all of the people cheering.”

Citrina took one look at the crowd gathered around Venitri Square and stood up.
The people in the square were cheering.
The paladin memorial service seemed to be coming to an end.
Gemma spread her wings and descended from the sky.

-It’s your sibling, that’s amazing.
-That’s right.
It’s amazing.
-But I like you better.
-I know that.

At Citrina’s simple reply, Gemma slipped silently into the pendant.
Citrina hailed a carriage outside the square.
The carriage drove through Venitri Square and onto the opposite side of the road from the delegation and the crowds that filled the boulevard leading to the imperial palace.
Elaina, you walked towards the imperial palace.
I run outside of it.
They were sisters yet they followed opposite paths.
Citrina headed back to the atelier.
She needed to get to work on the bracelets for Desian’s knights.
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
That was her top priority right now, rather than the worry or resentment that she might feel for her family.