When exactly things began leading me to that event, I cannot tell for sure, but if I were to name a date, it would be a couple of months after the calamities.

Having been among those who stood against the colossal serpent-like dragon, I and Ramia had made names for ourselves, allowing us to build the foundation of our own faction in response to the calamity, backed by a number of powerful entities, among whom were the Empress, Archdukes, and a few princes and princesses from several duchies, all of whom received primarily because of Ramia's standing and lineage, which I lacked.

Even now I am not even sure, what clearly happened that day, but if I were to name the luckiest day of my life, it would be that one, for when the serpent calamity swept by, I, clueless as I was, just happened to have been at the right place at the right moment, with in my hand the perfect tool that made me hailed by many as a hero.

Although spared, the city had been plunged into chaos, so for the following day, like many of my fellow nobles, I spent the following days, and then weeks, providing my medical and magical help across the city, healing whomever I could, granting me a surge of popularity among the commonfolk. I believe it was then that I first drew the attention of the Rose Blanche and the Matronne, who had just broken off their arrangements with Archbishop Whiteley.

I was approached and offered a proposition by the Matronne, one that granted me and the faction I was part of the backing of one of the fourteen, her son, the Holy Paladin Gunther Freshet, who would be Arte's master, but at the time he was just my uncle's master.

I'm not sure what other factors were considered when they chose me other than the fact that I was well-known and had a close relationship with the one who had been for dozens of years, the Holy Paladin's second. However, I was offered a position that I, driven by my desire to contribute to the cause Ramia and I supported, found hard to refuse, even though I held little respect for the Rose Blanche as an organization.

I accepted and received, for the Ascending Nobility, the backing of Holy Paladin in exchange for my assumption of the role in the Rose Blanche that formerly belonged to Archbishop Whiteley.

It didn't take long for me to realize the hidden truth—the reason Rose Blanche rejected the Archbishop in favor of me, who in comparison was a mere nobody who met with his brief flash of flame.

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Arisa.

I knew what I was supposed to do as the Matronne and Holy Paladin the moment I met her: protect her. That is something I, her brother, and these seven men barely agreed on.

***

"That’s what I was expected to do, so that's what I did. For two years, I took over the role of her protector, protecting her from the lusting eyes of the Archbishop. You know exactly why she had to be protected at any cost, don’t you? You, having parents like mine who have spent years of their lives researching the truth behind the existence of the child of light, must have understood why better than anyone when your eyes stumbled upon that girl.

"She's a... child of light."

"Not just a child of light. The youngest one of her kind, thus the very last one."

"She was never truly sick. She is merely a noble, unable to be born one. A human of different sorts. But in the end, she remains what she is, an imperfect yet very last child of light. Whatever knowledge our parents had been seeking in their years of research, it was certainly contained within that girl, and the Archbishop, who had dedicated years of his life to that very field of research, certainly wouldn’t be deterred by any moral restraint from extracting from Arisa the truth."

"The Archbishop has demanded that the girl be handed over, which, together with his second demand, following the calamities of having handed over every pregnant flower to him, has prompted the Rose Blanche to sever ties with the Archbishop only to replace him for I."

"I had heard from the Matronne that you were against me, even joining the Paladin Order; was it for that?"

"It was. To be honest, the news of your plans to join the Paladin came as a complete surprise to me, and the deed was already done before I could complain. But yes, I was against it, for I had the feeling that you, through the Holy Paladin, would get involved in the Rose Blanche’s business like Uncle Damian and I were. That night, when I saw you at that doorstep, I understood that, as much as it was just a hunch, I was right."

"That night, you mean…"

"I’m sure you and Miss Ana are hoping to hear from me to say that I was innocent of what I was deemed guilty of, but the truth is that I rightly deserved that punishment, if not more. What you saw that night, Arte, was right. With my own two hands, I killed these men. I will not apologize, nor will I try to justify with some sort of excuse what I did, but just like how that night you were at that place because of a duty, I and these men were there for a duty we each believed to be ours.

Approaching Arte and fist-bumping Arte’s chest, Mael pursued, "Today, what I believe is our duty is to see Uta, Ina, Edya, and Miss Ana sound and safe back home. Now then, let’s get moving. The earlier we get to that place and act, the greater our chance to get them home thoroughly unscathed," before leading the way, followed by Arte.