FTA Ch 33
by winter<episode 33>
“……”
Gloria was momentarily speechless.
She was grateful for the words, as she had never heard anything like them from anyone before.
However, despite the gratitude, there was something she needed to make clear.
Loreline was definitely under some misunderstanding about her.
With a blank expression, Gloria spoke bluntly.
“I’m saving money for my golden future, you know.”
“……Pardon?”
Loreline’s eyes widened in surprise.
Gloria spoke again, this time with firm determination.
“I’m not doing this for Sir Gidinium or the princess. It’s for myself.”
At that moment, Loreline’s dignified, knightly expression shattered.
Gloria quietly watched as Loreline seemed stunned, then stood up without hesitation from her seat.
“I’ll probably be back before nightfall. If the princess wakes up, please ask the steward to prepare her meal.”
Loreline didn’t have a chance to respond.
By the time she had gathered herself, Gloria had already walked briskly away.
* * *
Gloria hadn’t decided on a specific destination.
However, her steps as she crossed the village showed no hesitation or uncertainty.
It didn’t take long for her to reach the edge of the village.
She paused for a moment, looking around.
Should she start searching in this village, or would it be better to check another one?
Her decision didn’t take long.
There was no way a decent guild would exist in such a small village.
Even if one did, it would undoubtedly be a small-scale one with questionable funding.
After reaching that conclusion, Gloria was about to leave the village when—
“……You little bastard!”
Suddenly, a rough voice shouted in her ear.
The voice was filled with malice, out of place in the small, quiet village.
Gloria’s attention involuntarily turned toward the source of the voice.
A large man was forcefully gripping a small boy’s wrist.
That alone was enough for Gloria to understand the situation.
The boy was struggling, trying to escape the man’s grasp, kicking and wriggling.
At the boy’s feet, a piece of bread, unappetizing in appearance, lay on the ground.
“…”
Although the monster crisis had mostly subsided and the situation of the Empire’s people had improved drastically,
the root of poverty had not yet completely vanished.
The temple had set up a charity to care for the street children, but there were clear limitations to the effort.
Children without guardians were always wandering the streets.
However, the number of children the temple’s charity could take in was limited.
The temple selected children for the shelter according to certain standards.
Gloria didn’t know exactly what those standards were, but she knew for sure that there were criteria in place.
“Let go! You crazy fat bastard!”
“What’s wrong with this brat?”
“Let me go!”
“Ah, you little…!”
Watching the scuffle between the man and the boy…
Suddenly, a memory, faded and long forgotten, surfaced in Gloria’s mind.
“Why did you steal the bread? It’s so big, you’ll get caught easily.”
“There are so many easier things to steal than bread. Oh, I shouldn’t just talk about it. Come with me. I’ll teach you something.”
The face of the child had long since faded from her memory, but she could still clearly recall how bold and daring that child had been.
Without realizing it, Gloria smiled faintly.
The days spent begging on the streets, barely scraping by—they were some of the few happy memories she had.
As Gloria lost herself in that old memory, the situation between the man and the boy became even more intense.
“I’m going to show you a lesson today!”
“Ah! Let go! Let me go!”
“Where are the guards? What are they doing?”
The man, with a harsh expression, looked around, seemingly desperate.
Seeing this, Gloria hesitated for a moment but then walked confidently toward the man, who was calling for the guards, as people began to gather around them.
* * *
Brandon, who had steadfastly managed his bakery for generations.
He was a man who carried the pride of being the owner of a historic bakery passed down through the family line.
At this very moment, however he was questioning his own eyes, as if witnessing a miracle before him.
His small eyes, buried in his cheeks, had widened so much they could not widen further.
“Is the shop not open?”
“…S-Saint?”
He could immediately recognize her, the saint, standing right in front of him.
She was the one who would restore glory to the Empire.
He recalled the portraits he’d seen almost daily in the temple.
But now, he wished he could have the artist who painted those portraits executed, for the artist failed to capture even a fraction of the radiant glory exuding from her in front of him.
Her silvery hair that shone as brightly as the moon in a dark sky, and her piercing blue eyes that almost seemed to gleam with silver.
She was colors so vivid that he couldn’t believe he was seeing them with his own eyes.
Without realizing it, he sighed, slowly loosening his grip on the boy’s wrist as he was in such a daze from the sight.
The boy was having waited for his chance.
He immediately took off, running in haste.
But Brandon didn’t have the strength to care about it.
He was too captivated by the glorious moment before him.
He didn’t want to miss a single second of it.
He stood there, frozen, staring at her as though his soul had left him.
“I asked if the shop is not open.”
“…Yes, yes?”
Incredibly, the radiant glory spoke.
But being just an ordinary man, he could only reply, not understanding properly what the glory had said.
“It seems not.”
And just like that, the glory turned her back on him and, without a moment to grasp, disappeared far away.
As the glory faded, his body lost all its strength, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud.
* * *
Gloria walked along the path with a lighter heart.
Though the road was more of a difficult forest path than a true road
She had been crossing it without any sign of weariness.
It was already well past noon, but Gloria remained unaffected by her surroundings.
She couldn’t stop thinking about the unit still at the castle.
‘Leonard can take care of himself, but the princess can’t.’
Perhaps because of that.
Her pace quickened even further, bordering on a run.
But even after some distance, she couldn’t spot any settlements.
‘There should have been a fairly large village around here…’
It was strange. Gloria tilted her head, confused, but continued walking forward.
She walked for some time until a sudden gust of wind blocked her path.
Pausing, Gloria instinctively squinted her eyes against the strong sandstorm heading her way.
“Gloria.”
At that moment, she heard a familiar voice.
The sudden wind in this calm season had puzzled her.
Gloria scowled and slowly lifted her eyelids, seeing first a head of intense red hair.
The man was walking toward her confidently, smoothing down his curly hair, his usual mischievous smile on his face, taking his time without any rush.
Gloria couldn’t help but think that his leisurely pace perfectly mirrored his personality.
She had never expected to meet this man again.
In a world full of people who showered her with attention, he was the one person who showed the least interest in her.
“Your gaze is a bit too hot.”
The master of the Magic Tower, Kais.
He was flashed an even brighter smile as he addressed Gloria.
“Gloria, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”