Chapter 2: The morning of parting

　While I was spending my days praying to the Goddess in a corner of the royal capital, I occasionally received news about the war situation, these news were one of the few clues to Elliott’s safety, who was far away  on the battlefield

　Paper was still expensive, and sending letters were beyond the means of a commoner. The occasional public notices posted at the gates of the royal castle gave only brief updates on the state of the war, and there was little choice but to rely on the little information we could get through rumors.

　Even so, the fact that Elliot had acquired the holy sword and became a holy knight, as well as his valor in exterminating the Undead beasts at breakneck speed, quickly spread throughout the royal capital.

　The rumors of the saintly woman who accompanied him and played an active role together with him also spread.

　As the name suggests, the undead cannot be defeated by simply slashing at them.

　It is said that they can be finally returned to the earth by pouring holy water on your sword and cutting off their heads with it. Furthermore, the sword must be cleansed with holy water after each slaughter.

　Due to the time-consuming nature of the extermination, the group made repeated advances and retreats, but after Elliot got his hands on the holy sword, he was now able to defeat the undead without the time-consuming task of purifying them with holy water.

　And one more thing. When a flesh-and-blood person is wounded by an undead attack, the smallest wound will cause decay to spread from there. The pain is so intense and the horrifying situation of rotting alive causes many to go insane even with only minor injuries.

　The only people who can purify such wounds inflicted by the undead are the priests and monks who have received blessings from serving the church.

　In the battle against the undead, the exploits of Lady Emily, who possessed extremely high purifying powers and eventually came to be known as the Saint, were much talked about, along with the bravery of Elliot, who became a Holy Knight.

　Both of them had the honor of being blessed by the Great Goddess, and with their exploits and the hope of defeating the fearsome demonic beasts, it was perhaps only natural that everyone in the country paid attention to them.

　The bright stories that lit up the kingdom must have helped to diminish the fears of the undead, the dreaded immortal magical beasts that would eventually come to haunt the kingdom.

　The gossip that circulated around the kingdom increasingly became about the relationships that were fostered between the men and women who fought alongside each other.

　At first, the stories may have been told with envy and expectation, as they were both beautiful people with good looks.

　But there was no mention of me, Elliott’s wife.

　Rumors are just that, rumors, and as they are passed on from person to person, they can become distorted by the desires of third parties. That’s what I thought, so I tried not to think about it as much as possible.

”A wife who lives comfortably in the safety of the royal capital and does nothing but pray is not worthy of Sir Elliot.”

　That was the first thing I heard from someone who found out that Elliott and I  were married.

“I heard that Sir Elliott, the holy knight, has a wife waiting for him in the royal Capital.”

“Oh, is that it?　The self-proclaimed wife who comes forward as soon as a man gains fame.”

“That’s right, if you searched the entire royal capital for self-proclaimed lovers and wives, you wouldn’t have enough fingers on both hands to count them all.”

　Of the various rumors being exchanged around town, most deny his wife’s existence.

　In fact, there were times when a woman whom he had no recollection was seen claiming to be his girlfriend, so perhaps it was understandable that the people of the city were doubtful.

　I couldn’t even  imagine that Elliot had been secretly having relationships with many women before he went to war, or before he married me.

　At least in the past, he used to train from early in the morning until dusk, always covered in sweat and dust, and he was a quiet person who wasn’t very good at socializing.

　At that time, I was proud of the fact that I loved and supported him.

　That’s why I didn’t believe the rumors about the Saint.

　It was probably when people who actually belonged to the Order of Knights and their relatives began to talk about the same thing that the wind changed.

　The messengers who report the status of the war to the country regularly return to the Royal Capital. Apart from reporting on their missions, they would have casual conversations with their families in here.

　Everyone paid attention to the content of the conversations that leaked out from these talks.

　They said that the relationship between the holy knight and the saint was rapidly deepening, as they were able to overcome many difficulties by staying close to each other even in the harshest of circumstances.

　I heard this from the wives of knights who were also awaiting the return of their husbands who had gone to battle.

　At first, some of them were angry at him for being unfaithful and were concerned about me. But, perhaps it was because it was expected and that they were the object of hope for many people, the harsh war situation, the holy knight who would break through it, and the saintly women supporting him at his side.

　Gradually, they too changed their attitude.

“…I do sympathize with you. But, you should be more considerate…”

“Yes, because we are not like the Saint, It’s not like we could have done anything.”

“You should make the right decision.”

　With such words, I was being implicitly advised to step aside.

　As more and more people became aware of my position, the more and more criticisms came my way.

“Flora, I’m sorry, but I want you to take some time off from work. It’s not your fault. It’s just that our customers are …….”

　I was no longer able to work as a seamstress, and my favorite store indirectly asked me to refrain from coming to their store.

　All I could do was avert public eye and go to a deserted church on the outskirts of town and pray.

　Perhaps I was just being stubborn until I heard it directly from the man himself.

“Flora.”

　I looked up when Elliot called my name.

“Flora, I’m sorry ……. Emily supported me all through the war. I ended up falling in love with her…”

• That, I didn’t want to hear that from you. ……

　It’s ridiculous. Now that I think about it.*

　Anger, sorrow, disappointment, they are all in my heart, but I can’t express any of them, because I gave up somewhere along the lines before I even knew it.

“…I understand, my husband.”

　I have called Elliot “my husband” more times than I can count.

　

　And I am sure this will be the last time.

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