The ritual of the festival was solemn and grand.

Schneider played the role of the Archbishop while the dressed Myria stood in front of the altar. She offered her sacred bow and arrow to the Goddess and sang a beautiful tune.

Myria appeared lovely and at the same time very regal.

Rishe applauded her heartily for behaving even better than she had in rehearsal. Arnold watched her next to her without uttering a word, but at the same time, he didn’t dismiss it as nonsense.

Rishe also paid attention to Arnold’s reaction with a smile.

After the festival was over, it was time to break the engagement ceremony that had been suspended.

It took a long time, from before noon to about two o’clock in the afternoon, before Rishe’s engagement with Dietrich was finally annulled. Rishe took a snack, hurriedly finished preparing to leave, and headed for the carriage where Arnold was waiting.

“Thank you for your patience, Your Highness!”

“I don’t mind. You don’t have to be in such a rush.”

Arnold said so, standing beside the carriage, but the town where the inn was located was about two hours away. If they weren’t to leave posthaste, the sun would set in the forest.

All the knight guards, who had been waiting in a nearby village for the past four days because they were not allowed to enter the Grand Shrine, were able to join them. As Rishe greeted them, she spotted a brown-headed child.

“Leo.”

“Geez.”

“What’s going on? Are you also coming to Garkhain?”

Rishe asked knowingly, and Leo frowned in annoyance.

“No, I’m not. I just thought I’d learn how Garkhain fights till the last minute.”

Apparently, Leo had been going around taking advice from Arnold’s knight guards.

There was a piece of bandage attached to his cheek.“How’s your training with His Highness?”

“It’s awesome.”

While Rishe was performing the engagement annulment ritual, Arnold summoned Leo and gave him the sword practice he had promised.

Arnold must have been busy, but he still paid attention to this matter. It seemed that he taught Leo well. His face showed no sign of weakness, and he looked rather spirited.

“I’m going to absorb everything they teach me. When you leave, Schneider will give me my first training in a long time.”

“Hahaha, it’s nice to see you so motivated.”

The danger to Leo had vanished from Rishe’s mind.

Thanks in part to Leo’s desire to be strong, she now knew that it was not to kill someone, but to protect. Rishe knew it was unwarranted of her as an elder to worry, but it still made her relieved.

“Take care of yourself, Leo.”

Rishe bent and looked at Leo eye to eye to wish him well.

“Don’t get hurt. Study a lot, meet a lot of people, and expand your options.”

In the back of her mind, she envisioned the Leo she had met in her knight life.

Leo escaped from Schneider and survived, yet he chose to live in that country and was always angry at himself.

In that way, he looked at Rishe and the others who were training as knights, as if they were distant longings that he could no longer reach. Rishe remembered this and told Leo.

“I hope you’re still smiling when you grow up.”

“…?”

Of course, Leo looked skeptical.

“I don’t really get what you’re saying.”

After saying that, Leo looked down.“I had a great time practicing with Arnold-sama earlier…And also when I walked through the woods with you.”

“Leo…”

“I’ve only been to the forest a few times.”

Rishe laughed when he averted his gaze.

At the very least, Leo’s days of trying to become stronger as a bodyguard for an important person would not be so torturous.

“I’d better get going…If you want to be a knight, you’d better ask His Highness Arnold.”

“I don’t want to. I’d rather be carefree than a knight.”

“Carefree?”

Was it, in other words, a positional thing? Certainly, it might be easier to move around as a shadow guard or something than as a knight.

While Rishe was lost in thought, Leo said in a somewhat frustrated voice.

“…I can roam the forest freely with ropes, use projectiles such as daggers or a bow and arrow; that’s the kind of fighting style I’m aiming for!”

“!”

Leo’s face turned red, and he stuck out his tongue at Rishe. Then, just as Rishe thought he was going to turn away, he bowed to Arnold and sprinted off.

He’s gone…

“Rishe.”

“!Yeah.”

She straightened up at Arnold’s call and headed towards the carriage where he was waiting.

Arnold offered his hand for her to board first then got in on Rishe’s front. Soon, the carriage began to move slowly.

“Did the engagement annulment ceremony go off without a hitch?”

“Yes. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, but everything was fine.”

“It’s no problem.”