“…――Ah?”

Arnold’s stunned voice could be heard in her ear.

The hall fell silent, and Arnold’s murderous intent wavered.

At the same time, his left hand grabbed her waist, and Rishe pulled her lips away with a “phew”.

After a few moments of separation from each other, blue eyes stared down at Rishe up close.

“What the hell are you doing, you?”

Arnold asked grimly.

He looks even scarier than before, though she thought his killing intent has diminished.

Oliver sounded breathless behind her while the archbishop stared blankly. With Arnold hugging her waist, Rishe blinked.

“What, um…”

She paused for a few seconds and then huffed.

“Did it perhaps hurt?!”

“That’s not what I’m talking about!”

His voice boomed a bit louder than usual, which took her off guard.

Thank goodness, it didn’t hurt.

Rishe breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to touch Arnold’s cheek.

She looked at him sincerely and said, “――I was just being impulsive so you can look at me.”

“!”

He didn’t just turn his gaze to her, as he had done earlier.

She wrapped her hands around his cheeks and bored into his eyes. She slowly spoke, making sure that her reflection was in his blue eyes.

“The Archbishop’s plan has failed.”

“…”

“With you here, he can no longer act out of fear. It is no longer necessary for you to behave recklessly.”

Rishe merely glanced at the Archbishop, but he jolted, and his face turned even more pallid.

He was terribly panic-stricken, but his limbs were so stiff, so he would not be able to stand without some rest. But then, Arnold’s eyes glazed over.

“…There is no justice in the words of this man.”

He uttered roughly.

“I have found out that this man is a distant relative of the Priestess’s bloodline. Killing a direct lineage priestess could work to this his advantage.――Do you really think that a saint who kills a young child for personal gain has any reason to exist?”

Arnold questioned, laying his right hand on Rishe’s hand that was wrapped around his cheek.

“If you ask a Cardinal of the Order about this, they’ll be happy to give you this man. Even if some of the cardinals were involved in the Maiden Priestess’s assassination, they would cut them off with a straight face.”

Arnold loosely intertwined their fingers together.

After that, he let Rishe’s hand drop away from his cheek. But Rishe never took her eyes off Arnold.

“If that’s the case…then all the more so.”

Rishe replied, feeling desolate somewhere.

“I don’t want Your Highness Arnold to be an unwanted murderer.”

“――……”

Arnold’s eyes widened promptly.

“Killing this man is what I want now.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Rishe absolutely denied, causing Arnold to look at her quizzically.

“Your desire to kill is not for yourself…I’m pretty sure it’s for me, for Myria-sama…”

And/or, it was for his mother.

Rishe was well aware of Arnold’s current state, where he was feared as the “ruthless Crown Prince” on the battlefields of the past and as the “tyrant without blood or tears” in the world of the future.

“You said earlier that I was careless about my safety. But it seems to me that it is Your Highness who is indifferent to your own sentiments.”

“What?”

Rishe gently reached out.

“Please…”

This time, she didn’t stroke his cheek.

She turned her head and grabbed Arnold’s sleeve with the sword, squeezing it.

“…I don’t want a kind person like you pretending to be fine with killing people anymore.”

“―――― ……”

She couldn’t see Arnold’s expression because she was looking down too.

However, if she were to raise her head now, she’d probably couldn’t control the trembling in her voice.

Useless…

She couldn’t expose herself as a disgrace here while directing a one-sided wish to Arnold.

Rishe took a brief breath, suppressed the fluctuations in her heart, and looked straight up at Arnold.

Then she said imposingly, “If you kill them, that’s where it all ends. It’s going to be difficult to find out the full extent of their plan and the people involved.”

“…”

“If you’re so inclined to it…isn’t it Your Highness, Arnold Hein, who makes the most of everything available?”

Arnold asked subduedly, looking at Rishe.

“Do you honestly think this man will tell you what he’s up to?”

“Yes. I believe.”

“What is it about this guy that makes him so believable?”

Faced with this question, she audibly answered.

“I believe in Your Highness.”

“…”

Arnold’s brows drew tighter.

Afterward, he let out a sigh, resembling a deep breath. He turned to the Archbishop, switched the sword in his right hand to his left, and swung it down in one motion.

“H-h….!”

Came the cracking sound of marble.

Arnold thrusted his sword right next to the Archbishop. Although she knew he wasn’t going to kill him, Rishe also felt her liver chill for a moment.

Gazing down at the Archbishop, who was too shaken to speak properly, Arnold spoke.

“I will spare your life for the Crown Princess. Don’t ever forget who … saved you.”

“W-Wa, understood.”

“But don’t be foolish enough to think that you’re saved. Any information you have, I will use any means necessary to extract it.”

Arnold then fell to his knees and said to the Archbishop

“――Sooner or later, I’m going to make you wish you’d died here.”

“… !!”

Even Rishe, who was just listening, felt goosebumps rise on her skin.

At this second, a more deadly atmosphere than when he had his sword hand took over the place. Rishe reflexively tensed up.

Arnolt rose, pulled out his sword and sheathed it.

Then, he noticed a dozen or so people approaching the entrance to the hall.

The Order, reinforcements!

As soon as Rishe turned around, the large door was flung open.

Schneider, the bishop who should have collapsed downstairs earlier, 　was standing at the head of the line.

Why is he here?… No, there’s no time to think about it. We have to take care of Myria before she wakes up.

Arnold held out his hand in front of Rishe, who got ready to take a stand.

“Your Highness?”

Arnold calmly said, shaking his head to deter Rishe.

“That man is probably an enemy of the Archbishop. Right from the start.”

“Enemy?…No way.”

In the next moment, Schneider looked around the hall and shouted to the priests behind him.

“Behold! His Highness Arnold, the Crown Prince of our ally kingdom, Garkhain, has saved the Maiden Priestess from the hands of the Archbishop!”

“!!”

Immediately after that, a loud cheer rang out.