Thiendavis – For The Perfect Salvation

Chapter 9. We Have an Appointment

“But no matter how much you dislike me, that doesn’t justify such words.”

Evie’s reproachful eyes left Rio speechless.

Rio Tuha was taken aback by this sudden defiance from a commoner.

It felt unfamiliar, too.

Usually, Evie Ariate was smart to an almost cunning degree.

She was the fox among foxes, always slipping away no matter how much trouble one tried to give her.

But today, something was different.

“Of course you wouldn’t know. You have no idea why I did it, Tuha.”

Evie Ariate, pleading with a face full of stories, seemed precarious and desperate.

Usually, Rio wanted that brazen commoner to know her place.

She even thought it would be nice if the ever-cheerful face became appropriately somber.

Yet seeing her like this brought only confusion instead of satisfaction.

But Rio, unwilling to lose, raised her voice again.

“Sp-speak clearly if you’re going to talk! I can’t understand a word you’re saying!”

“How much clearer can I speak to someone who treats me like a lowly beggar, begging for attention?”

Even her outburst was calmly countered by Evie’s quiet rebuke.

Rio, now blinded by jealousy, was fundamentally a girl who had been raised with all graces.

Thus, she’d never received harsh words from elders, and it was unthinkable to be rebuked by someone like Evie Ariate.

The unimaginable defiance left her head in a whirl.

She wanted to retort, but no words came to mind.

Taking advantage of the pause, Evie got to her point.

“Just because I’m a commoner from Vis doesn’t mean I deserve such words.”

Evie’s severe reproach pierced Rio’s conscience sharply.

With that, Rio’s face turned crimson, and she was left completely speechless.

As Evie watched her fair face, she muttered inwardly.

“Did I do it?”

It seemed so.

She did it.

Rio Tuha was left with a sorrowful face, biting her lips.

Her eyes were filled with betrayal and showed no signs of further confrontation.

Evie sighed internally but discreetly.

“What a humiliation all because of the curse…”

Normally, Evie never responded to Rio’s incessant barking.

She knew that by ignoring Rio, Rio would only become more agitated and fume alone.

By calmly ignoring it, Evie upheld her dignity as a strong candidate for the Saintess.

However, due to the curse, she ended up having to say all kinds of pitiful things.

It was admittedly frustrating for Evie, but there was no time to lament now.

Because there was still one more person left.

“Heh!”

At that moment, a sweet laugh erupted.

The owner of the laughter was Miel Sedro, who had been watching from the side.

“Ah, Miel finds Evie so amusing.”

Miel giggled for quite a while, covering her mouth with her tiny hands, as if finding something hilariously funny.

Then, she brightly said with a smile.

“You’re lucky enough just to be attached to Thiendavis, Evie. How can you expect to be treated as a person? Your manners are far too unruly.”

Miel’s voice sounded childishly cute, making the venom behind her words stand out even more.

“Right, you wouldn’t pass up the chance.”

Evie wasn’t even surprised by the honed verbal abuse.

Among the purifiers, if Rio Tuha was the one who disliked Evie the most, Miel Sedro was the one who tormented Evie the most.

And unlike the easily manageable Rio, Miel was a persistent and ruthless pest.

“If you keep this up, Miel could teach you some manners because it seems Evie’s manners have gone astray.”

Sure enough, Miel approached, looking thrilled.

“When you’ve done wrong, you must kneel. Commoners usually know this well, but perhaps your manners have been inadvertently spoiled.”

“Are you telling me to kneel, Miss Sedro?”

“I’m asking you to show some penitence. Only then will Miel shield Evie.”

As Evie asked for clarification, Miel nodded with an innocent smile.

Confronted with this, Evie briefly entertained the idea of kneeling Miel’s face instead of the floor, but quickly squashed the thought.

‘How am I going to handle her?’

Miel Sedro was not as straightforward as Rio.

Furthermore, Miel’s talk of education was surprisingly legitimate.

As a remarkable purifier, Evie was a valuable asset to Manyanya Tower.

Only the Tower Lord could punish her, but Miel Sedro was an exception.

Because Miel was the cousin of Lohika Sedro, the Tower Lord, and already announced by him as the next Tower Lord.

Thus, Miel had the unofficial authority to reprimand Evie.

Of course, that didn’t mean Evie had any intention of kneeling here.

‘Should I just put them to sleep? Both Miel Sedro and Rio Tuha.’

Evie pondered the rather drastic solution.

Sometimes the simplest way was the best.

Considering the location, she could lightly suffocate these annoying pests…

“Someone’s coming.”

But just then, Miel murmured in a regretful tone.

With those words, Miel stepped back, and Evie, unaware of the situation, belatedly heard the footsteps echoing in the corridor.

Miel was indeed correct; someone was coming their way.

The decisive footsteps rapidly approached, and soon the door of the storage room where they stood opened.

At that moment, Rio stifled a cry with her hands, while Miel beamed and exclaimed.

“Zion!”

The sudden interloper was none other than Count Zion Laurel.

Before Evie had a chance to grasp his unexpected appearance, Miel spoke in an excited tone.

“Aren’t you busy today? If not, perhaps you and me can…”

But as their paths nearly converged, they diverged at the final moment.

Zion bypassed Miel, who had eagerly approached him.

Startled, Miel turned back to face Zion, who had brushed past her.

Zion shortly stopped, right before Evie Ariate.

He glanced down at Evie, who, equally surprised, looked up at him with wide eyes.

Defaulting to his typically dry expression, Zion seemed both bored and detached from everything.

Zion glanced over Evie from head to toe, then took off the coat he wore.

Without giving her a chance to refuse, Zion draped it across Evie’s shoulders.

Dressed lightly, and half-drenched, Evie shivered slightly upon receiving the unfamiliar warmth.

The coat retained Zion’s warmth, and Evie involuntarily drew a breath.

Despite his cool exterior, Zion’s body was warm, and Evie acutely felt his warmth enveloping her.

The sensation of putting on his coat felt more like a feeling of being embraced by Zion Laurel himself.

Evie tries to remove the coat reflexively, but once again, Zion pulled her by the shoulders.

Instead of removing the coat, she inadvertently ended up in Zion’s arms.

Struggling slightly, Evie attempted to pull away, but heard Miel’s suppressed voice from beyond Zion’s shoulder.

“What’s happening now?”

“We have an appointment.”

Zion’s response and demeanor toward Miel Sedro were unyielding.

With definitive words, Zion started walking, Evie caught on his arm.

‘What…?’

Evie, carried along by Zion’s swift pace, passed Miel and Rio in a flash.

Miel shouted in a strained voice.

“Zion!”

However, Zion didn’t respond to the call.

Instead, Evie’s eyes peeked out from the coat turning back.

Rio looked utterly astonished, and Miel stared sharply at Evie.

Thus, Evie chose to yield and trailed after Zion.

—

‘…Is he scheming to get me killed?’

Walking beside Zion, Evie concluded after a lengthy consideration.

Because Zion personally came to take Evie away, Miel Sedro’s eyes glinted with a chilling determination.

It seemed likely to be a continual problem.

Moreover, with mouthy Rio Tuha witnessing it, the incident would inevitably become widespread across Thienda.

A Saintess candidate being subject to such gossip on a regular basis was by no means a pleasant occurrence for Evie at this time.

“But how did he know about the storage room? Could he have come looking for me?”

Evie continued to assess Zion warily.

There were so many things that didn’t make sense.

Evie often used that particular storage room, but the only one aware of this fact was the butler, Diez.

So how had Zion found it and come looking?

Furthermore, Zion hadn’t asked any purifying questions to Evie and the others in the storage room.

Questions like what’s going on, or if everything was okay—he didn’t make even fundamental inquiries to assess the situation.

Simply, with the expression of someone who already knew everything, he came and snatched Evie.

Evie found the entire scenario both curious and suspect, but she couldn’t bring it to Zion for clarification.

Conversing with Zion risked the curse surfacing unpleasantly.

Hence, Evie decided to remain as silent as possible while contemplating how to detach herself from Zion.

After walking for a time, they approached the corridor leading to the tower’s main hall.

But suddenly, Zion changed direction.

Steering back towards a seldom-used isolated corner.

“Excuse me, Count. Where are we heading now…”

As the exit slipped once again farther, Evie broke the silence hesitantly.

Zion opened a door and ushered Evie inside before she could finish speaking.

He led Evie into a chamber containing steep spiral brick stairs.

In essence, it was a room even more secluded than the storage room, causing Evie internal panic.

“A Saintess candidate… a secret meeting…?”

Simply being in such a place off the beaten path was burdensome for Evie.

Evie, intent on leaving immediately, turned to Zion with an urgent smile.

“…Hello, Count Laurel. I didn’t have the chance to greet you in the confusion earlier. May the blessings of a bright morning be with you. Thank you for lending me your coat. I’m fine now, so I’ll return it to you. Well then, Count, I’ll see you later.”

She returned Zion’s coat with a hasty bow and promptly turned toward the door to grasp the handle.

Bang!

As the door opened slightly, a loud noise snapped it shut.

A large hand extended from behind Evie forced the door close once more.

Even without turning around, Evie could imagine the scene and swallowed quietly.

Right behind her, Zion’s calm voice resonated.

“We have an appointment. You shouldn’t just leave.”

Yes, you shouldn’t.

Evie Ariate’s life lately, seemed exceptionally bitter.

—