Saint's Prison - Chapter 86

Whispers That Shouldn’t Be Heard

“This is your room, Kuro-dono”

Johanna-san said so and opened the door. I peek through the door past Johanna-san.

“Johanna-san, may I come in?”

“…Please, make yourself at home.”

With her permission, I enter the room.

The interior is modest. There’s a desk, a wardrobe, and a bed. Despite the lack of flair, I feel a certain peace within.

The room seems to be about four and a half tatami mats in size. It’s not very spacious, but it’s just right for one person to live in.

Is it really okay for me to borrow such a private room? I’d feel bad if I’m causing any inconvenience.

“Is it really okay for me to live here?”

“Yes… Is there something unsatisfactory?”

Johanna-san tilts her head, looking puzzled.

“No, on the contrary, I like the simplicity.”

I answer with a smile.

Too extravagant decor would make me feel unsettled. As a Japanese, this simplicity is enough for me.

Johanna-san stared at my face for a while and then nodded quietly.

She narrows her eyes slightly, as if to make sure, and nods again softly.

“…Please feel free to use anything in this room. Also, your clothes stand out a little too much. Please wear the clothes stored in the wardrobe.”

“Understood. That’s a great help.”

“Fine.”

Her reply was short. She must prefer succinctness; a cool personality, I guess. Being in the presence of such a beauty, whom one doesn’t come across often, makes me a bit nervous.

“You have a proper place to sleep now, so please rest well. Ah, the tree trunk must have been hard, wasn’t it?”

She raised the corners of her mouth just a little… really just a bit. Is she teasing me? I didn’t feel any bad emotions, but I didn’t know how to respond, so I placed my hand on my nape and lowered my eyebrows in embarrassment. She might have a bit of an S-side to her.

“Um, well… Yes. Thank you for your concern?”

My words unintentionally turned into a question, to which Johanna-san lowered her eyes and returned the courtesy. Then, as if she remembered something, she stared at my face.

“…Well, then, I shall leave you. I will come to call you when it’s time for a meal.”

Her tone was indifferent. Her expression didn’t change. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Like Amal and Priest Benedict, many here at Stonehearst Monastery seem to have little emotional fluctuation.

…Well, either way, that’s a trivial matter. After all, they have accepted such a suspicious man of unknown origin.

That’s why I―――

“…Thank you, Johanna-san.”

―――can’t help but feel grateful to them.

I, Ando Ryu, am a foreigner of unknown identity who appeared suddenly at Stonehearst. Fortunately… or unfortunately, I can speak their language. But that’s it.

Accepting an alien presence is a difficult thing for people who belong to an independent community. Because an alien presence can be both a cure and a poison. And, annoyingly, you won’t know which it is until you open the lid.

Who would willingly take on the risk of entrusting the fate of their community to a choice between medicine or poison?

Then, the answer is predetermined. Simply do not open the lid in the first place.

But Priest Benedict did not do so. I don’t know what lies at the foundation of that decision—whether it’s compassion, a sense of duty as a clergyman, or something else. Whatever the intention, I was certainly saved. That’s all that matters.

“Ah… You…”

Johanna-san stopped speaking mid-sentence.

“Johanna-san?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

She shook her head and took a shallow breath. A gesture to calm her flustered heart. She presses her right chest as if scooping up feelings that are about to be swallowed. Without explaining the reason for her actions, I watched as Johanna-san turned her back to me.

She placed her hand on the old wooden handle and pressed her forehead against the door. It was only a matter of seconds, but that time felt strangely long to me. I couldn’t call out to her. Her back seemed to reject everything, adamantly.

Johanna-san gently opened the door. Then, without looking back, she left the room.

After a while, I heard a whisper from beyond the door. A whisper that, by all means, should not be heard through the door, yet my ears somehow picked up that faint murmur.

“――If you were truly a villain, how fortunate that would have been.”

I could not understand the meaning of those words until the end.

I apologize for keeping you waiting. For now, this concludes Johanna’s chapter.

Johanna is a pure-hearted person, which is why she’s in a difficult position. Yet, she doesn’t run away because she doesn’t allow herself to.