Chapter 6

***

While Johannes was dealing with the aftermath of the corrupt priest's foolish actions, the fifth prince, Wyoneal, was walking towards the slums.

The guards accompanying him persistently urged him to return. Wyoneal, who usually would not go near such places, was today particularly troubled by the recent eyewitness testimony. He couldn’t believe a saint would be in such a place.

（Still, this side is so desolate. I’ve never seen it like this before.）

The eastern side, where the slums were located, was separated by a river. Crossing that river, the scenery changed completely, almost as if it were a different capital.

（So, the slums are in even worse conditions. I wish there was something I could do...）

As the fifth prince, Wyoneal had no political influence. He could only speak up to a certain extent if he were made the crown prince, but there were many who did not want the capable Wyoneal to be the crown prince. With his own future uncertain, he had no room to involve himself in the slums.

（However, it’s hard to imagine a young girl coming to such a place...）

While thinking this, he was walking on the road leading to the slums.

“Ah, so relaxing. Long live being alone~”

There was a desolate, small vacant lot at the edge of the slums, with a bench in the middle.

A girl was lying on the bench, munching on a crispy cracker, and she was indeed wearing the robes of a saint.

“Hey, are you the saint?”

“Huh?”

As Wyoneal was about to step into the vacant lot, his body was repelled as if blocked by an invisible wall.

“This is... a barrier?”

Wyoneal was taken aback. There was nothing visible, but there was definitely a solid wall in front of him. It seemed the vacant lot was covered by a barrier.

“There must be something that needs purification here. But why are there no holy knights guarding her?”

The saint was lying on the bench alone. Perhaps she was too exhausted from maintaining the barrier to stand up.

“It’s the holy knights’ duty to protect the saint. What’s going on here?”

Wyoneal frowned. He would have to confront Johannes when he returned. Why did he send her alone to the slums?

“What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

Alm blinked. She had been relaxing when an unknown young man suddenly bumped into the barrier and was muttering to himself. Clearly dressed in expensive clothes and accompanied by servants, he was undoubtedly a high-ranking noble’s child.

（Oh no. I don’t want to get involved.）

Alm frowned at the noble trying to intrude on her peaceful life.

“Hey, can’t you hear me?”

“I can hear you...”

“What’s your name?”

Asked again, Alm reluctantly answered.

“My name is Alm Danglair.”

“Danglair? The Danglair baron family? You are one of the saints at the Great Temple, aren’t you?”

Wyoneal knew the names of the four saints at the Great Temple.

“Who are you?”

“I am Wyoneal Chastel, the fifth prince of this country.”

As Wyoneal introduced himself, suddenly,

Sssssss!

An unpleasant sound approached, and a huge wall of sand formed in front of Wyoneal.

“What!?”

Wyoneal was startled when the girl’s figure disappeared behind the wall.

“What’s going on!? Did something happen!?”

He pounded on the wall, but there was no response.

“Damn... I can’t do anything. I need to call Johannes...”

Without any magical power, he couldn’t tell what had happened to the saint behind the wall.

“Wait there! I’ll help you soon!”

Wyoneal told the wall and then turned to leave the slums.

***

The residents of the slums were huddled together, worrying.

“Let’s appeal to the palace!”

“It’s useless. They won’t take the slums’ complaints seriously.”

“Going to the common wells in other districts will be the same...”

If they couldn’t use the well, they had no choice but to fetch water from the river, the only option left for the slums’ residents to survive with muddy, turbid water.

“Damn... They only think ‘less trash’ if we die!”

“Should we fight?”

“It’s useless. Either way, the slums will be wiped out.”

Hind and Domy, who were listening to the adults’ conversation, bit their lips tightly.

“Brother...”

“Damn! If only the well hadn’t been filled with sand...”

Hind groaned in frustration.

At that moment,

Whoosh...

The sound of the wind rose. In the next instant, the sand on the ground was swept up by the wind, forming a sand tornado.

“Whoa!?”

The slums’ residents covered their eyes and mouths in surprise.

The wind grew stronger, sweeping up more sand and flowing out of the slums with great force.

“What was that...?”

After the wind subsided, the people cautiously raised their heads.

“What...?”

“Brother, look. The sand is gone!”

They saw that the sand covering the ground had completely disappeared.

“Hey! Look!”

Someone shouted.

“The bottom of the well!”

Rushing to the well, the people heard the sound of water gushing from the bottom, where the sand that had filled it was now gone.

***

“Prince coming all the way here...”

Alm, who had created the sand wall, shivered while sitting on the bench.

He must have come to take her back.

“No way. I’m not going back to the Great Temple...”

With a wave of her arm, the large amount of sand that formed the wall rose into the air.

“Return to the desert!”

As she commanded, the sand returned to the desert outside the capital.

“Phew... Just leave me alone already.”

Alm lay back on the bench and grumbled.