The leader of the Holy Knights, Eleion Bolton, left the stadium with his followers.
"So, they said they could make her use her divine power, but that's all they had in mind?"
"… I think they expected Olivia not to forfeit."
A Holy Knight in training said briefly.
Lydia Schmitt.
Although she was not quite at Olivia's level, she was a highly anticipated and powerful aspiring Holy Knight. She was more than ready for real combat.
Eleion didn't really believe her words.
He was just curious about what she had said, that there was a way for Olivia to regain her faith.
All he saw was Olivia's determination to either witness her friend die in front of her or to forfeit instead of using her divine power.
Why did she think that method would work?
No, rather than thinking that method would work, it seemed she had no choice but to try it.
In any case, Lydia Schmitt turned out to be more extreme than Eleion Bolton had thought.
Regardless of her disposition, Eleion knew that extremists were dangerous.
In Lydia Schmitt's eyes, he saw a mad obsession with Olivia.
"Lydia Schmitt doesn't seem like she'll give up easily…"
"…I think so too."
Since Lydia Schmitt's plan didn't work out, it was clear that she would cause more trouble. A follower whispered cautiously into the Holy Knight leader's ear.
"What do you think of the possibility that Lydia Schmitt is related to the Nameless Monastic Order?"
"Extremists make easy prey, but I doubt they would want someone that extreme…"
The two exchanged an unknown conversation as they moved away from the stadium.
If Olivia had used her divine power, as the Holy Knight leader, Eleion would have had his duties. However, that didn't happen.
Thus, the Holy Knights had no more business at the temple.
——
"…I know it's not okay, but how are you feeling?"
"…No, thank you."
She wanted to find a quiet place, but given the situation, there were none. So, they ended up in a café with relatively few people, and I sat across from Olivia.
Her mental state seemed severely shaken.
Charlotte and Saviolin Turner knew that I was going to check on Olivia, so they asked me to talk to her.
If she had waited just a little longer, Charlotte would have stopped the fight, and she would only have had to endure for a little while.
But Olivia couldn't have known that. If she continued fighting, the exhausted Lydia Schmitt would have died, and using divine power would have led to a religious trial.
So, Olivia had no choice but to forfeit.
Lydia Schmitt's expression was also quite a sight.
She seemed to have never imagined that Olivia would forfeit, and her face was drained of color.
She must have believed that Olivia would use her divine power and subdue her.
In the end, the prize went to Lydia Schmitt. It seemed that she didn't value the victory at all, though.
Olivia sat with a gloomy expression, not even touching the tea in front of her, head hung low.
"Does this happen often?"
"…Yeah."
"Not just with that person… but others too?"
"It varies, but…"
It seemed sad to Olivia that I had learned about the numerous problems she faced since leaving her faith.
The always cheerful Olivia, who would bicker with me or Ellen, seemed a bit crazy but always appeared lively.
Olivia didn't get along well with her friends.
The constant visits and annoying intrusions weren't just because she wanted to see me.
She was running away from people like them.
While others subtly persisted in encouraging her to regain her faith, Lydia Schmitt's case seemed particularly severe.
It bordered on madness.
Olivia must have never imagined that she would experience something like this, hence the shock.
What should I say to comfort her?
What would be helpful for Olivia right now?
I've never had faith, nor have I experienced the problems that arise from abandoning it, so I couldn't understand how Olivia must have felt.
She was someone who had the expectations of the whole world.
Yet she abandoned it by choice, and people believed it was a mistake.
Could it be a situation where she doesn't think she's living a wrong life, but everyone around her says she is?
It felt like I was seeing the true face of Olivia, who always smiled brightly and kindly.
Her head was bowed, so I couldn't see her expression.
However, she had been tormented by those around her. Just because Olivia could get angry and argue with Ellen didn't mean she could do the same with others. Some words and actions might be possible for one person but impossible for another.
So, Olivia awkwardly and painfully smiled as she fended off and rejected the persuasions of those around her, slowly wearing her down.
"I don't know…"
"…"
"Why do they do this to me? I really don't understand."
She had lived with too many expectations and had escaped from her godfather, who held the greatest of those expectations, but the pressure still came from those around her.
"I don't think I'm such an extraordinary person…"
She seemed unable to accept why people were so fixated on her.
Thinking about it rationally, there had to be a reason for the fixation, even if it wasn't as extreme as Lydia Schmitt.
Considering everything, including what was hidden, Olivia was also the owner of Tiamata, even if it was a joint property.
If that became known, her life would become even more difficult, not easier.
In the end, Olivia entered the tournament for the prize money, but she couldn't win because of Lydia Schmitt.
"In fact, I wonder if anything was different back then."
With her head bowed, Olivia laughed weakly.
There was an image of me that people wanted. Nobody… not a single one of them cared to know who I truly was or what I thought. If I didn't meet their expectations or desires, they would be disappointed in me. "Is that really how the daughter of the Captain of the Holy Knights should act? Shouldn't you be doing this instead?" I was just a doll, existing solely to fulfill the expectations of others.
Such was the life of Olivia.
A life where there were too many demands, prohibitions, and expectations.
Even if she tried to act freely for just a moment, it would be considered indulgence and a descent into corruption.
"Now, I want to understand what my life really is. What it means to live, what I truly desire. To have a life where I can be curious about these things and want them. But people still want something from me. They think I've fallen into corruption and need to be led back onto the right path. They believe that since I've been helping others up until now, it's time for me to receive help when I'm going down the wrong path. I don't think that way, though. I don't believe I'm in the wrong. People try to give me help I don't want, and they don't even realize that it's not help at all."
For those who believe living in the embrace of the divine is the absolute good, their worldview is inherently different. That's why some conversations with them just don't connect.
"This is definitely right. So, this will ultimately be good for you. That's why everything I say must fundamentally be good."
How can a conversation work with someone who starts it by asserting their absolute correctness and your errors like that? The only ones who can communicate with them are those who share the same worldview.
Olivia managed to break free from that, but people still try to force her back, believing that she'll be happy once she returns.
Lydia Schmitt is an extreme example of this.
It's not that Olivia is simply upset about missing out on the championship prize, or that today's events were so shocking that she's in this state.
She's struggling so much because she knows this isn't the end.
She's even more distressed because she doesn't know what will happen in the future.
I want to do something to help.
But I can't just expel all of Olivia's classmates, nor can I threaten each one of them by saying I'll bash their heads in if they continue to bother her.
"Reinhardt."
"Yes."
I was usually a bit grouchy, but I softened my attitude this time.
I thought being stiff now would only hurt her more.
Olivia looked at me with difficulty, her head raised.
Her eyes were red and swollen.
It seemed like she would burst into tears at any moment.
"I know it's wrong to ask this at a time like this, but…"
"What is it? Just say it."
"Can I have a hug?"
"…"
Her expression was on the verge of breaking into tears.
The expression on her face was that of someone who believed they had no one on their side, hoping for even just one person to be there for them.
It wasn't due to any other emotion.
It seemed she purely wanted to be comforted.
"No, it's nothing. I'm sorry. Really. I'm terrible…"
As I hesitated, Olivia tried to force a smile with trembling lips.
"It's okay."
In the end, I moved to sit beside Olivia and cautiously embraced her shoulder.
Olivia buried her face in my shoulder.
Her shoulder quivered. Little by little, slowly, as if taking her first breath since birth.
Olivia cried, very softly.
"Thank you… Reinhardt."
I felt foolish for wondering what words to use to comfort her.
I realized anew that comfort isn't something that can only be given through words.
——
After crying for a while, Olivia fled the café as if running away.
"…I'm so embarrassed."
She seemed embarrassed for having sobbed so much in front of everyone.
"I think you should be embarrassed enough with your eyes all swollen like that."
"R-really?!"
Olivia's face turned pale at my words, and she frantically touched her face. Not that it would make much of a difference without a mirror.
"What should I do?! I have to go to the Miss Temple contest today, and what if my eyes are swollen?!"
"It's not that bad. It's hardly noticeable, so don't worry."
"But even the slightest difference can change the outcome! I failed to win the tournament, so I really have to win Miss Temple! What should I do, Reinhardt?! If I can't win, then really…"
Olivia's face threatened to crumble into tears again, but she seemed to hold back, worried that crying more would make her eyes swell further.
She seemed to be feeling a bit better. It felt like she was returning to her usual self.
In the end, what's past is past.
The tournament was over, and Olivia had no choice but to aim for Miss Temple.
Now, it was impossible to know who should wish for Olivia to become Miss Temple. She seemed so anxious about her swollen eyes, touching her face and murmuring in a despairing voice.
"Sigh… I don't even have a dress, let alone going out like this…"
"Why don't you have a dress? You have that one from the last fundraising event."
At my words, Olivia smiled awkwardly.
"Well… I actually sold that one…"
I didn't need to ask why she had sold it. Olivia seemed to think I'd be upset, and she broke into a cold sweat.
She'd been selling off her own assets to help others. It was difficult to know what to say to that.
"Can't… you just borrow one?"
"…Borrowing one still costs quite a bit."
It seemed she would have to go in her school uniform. Perhaps she would look unprepared, relying only on her looks, which would make her seem unlucky.
I imagined Olivia standing alone among the lavishly dressed people, wearing her school uniform without even proper makeup.
I couldn't be sure what the picture actually looked like, but somehow, it seemed quite miserable.
Even if she had won the Unrestricted tournament, she had forfeited in the finals.
A dress.
A dress?
"…"
"…Are you mad?"
"…No, it's not that."
A dress.
No, that can't be.
But our body shapes seem similar. I'm taller, but the size had been reduced at the time.
I didn't want to waste it, so I gave it to Elleris to sell….
It probably hasn't been sold yet….
But still, there might be someone who clearly remembers it.
Wouldn't there be a similar design anyway?
This is really dangerous….
Isn't it better to just give her money to buy a new dress?
But honestly, it's not just a small sum, and there isn't much time left. Instead of going to a boutique and looking for a suitable size and design, isn't it better to just wear that?
I know there's no need to go this far.
Olivia looked so helpless now.
I felt so sorry for her that I wanted to do something.
"…Go to the dormitory and wait a bit."
"Huh?"
"Just go and wait if I tell you to."
"Ah, okay…"
If she asks where I got the dress, I have no answer.
Well, what if it gets exposed!
I'll just lose a bit of face!
I owe her a lot this time, honestly!
What can she do if she knows? Will she kill me?
Without knowing anything, I left the temple, leaving Olivia, who was confused by my words.
——
"That person dropped out of the tournament finals."
"…Dropped out?"
"Yeah, I don't know why, but she forfeited?"
As Ellen was preparing for the Miss Temple contest, she cocked her head at what Liana said.
Ellen had thought that Olivia would somehow win, but she was taken aback by the unexpected news.
Although the details were not known, the audience seemed quite angry that the tournament finals ended in an unacceptable way.
Forfeiting.
Someone who seemed certain to win forfeited.
Although she could guess that there must be a reason for it, Ellen was curious about what that reason might be.
Reinhardt might have gone to watch the finals, would he know the reason?
"Ah, there she is. That person."
Liana pointed out the window, and Ellen could see Olivia outside on the first floor.
Olivia was alone.
Somehow, Ellen discovered herself feeling relieved at that fact.
At first glance, Olivia's expression didn't look good. Although she couldn't tell why Olivia had forfeited, her eyes were red and swollen.
'Is it bad luck…?'
She had cried.
And then, she returned alone.
Ellen had thought that Reinhardt might be with her, but that wasn't the case.
"Look straight here."
"Ah… Alright."
Liana turned Ellen's head and began to touch various things.
Although she couldn't know what had happened in the tournament, that person would soon be participating in the Miss Temple contest.
She wasn't aiming for the Miss Temple title either.
Ellen made up her mind firmly.
She intended to show her best side today. She had practiced smiling in front of the mirror quite a bit. It didn't go well, but she was persistently trying.
She planned to stand before Reinhardt with a different appearance than before.
When the contest was over, regardless of the outcome, they would spend some time together, even if only for a little while. They had been too busy during the festival to spend time together. Reinhardt would make time for her today.
Ellen couldn't know what expression Reinhardt would have, nor what expression she should make herself.
For today, Ellen decided to forget about everything else and think only about her own feelings.
Harriet, Olivia, and anyone else.
For today, she decided not to think of anyone other than Reinhardt.