“Let’s get going.”
At the words of Guardian Logan, the giant hawk-like spirit that carried me and my companions flapped its wings.
In an instant, it shot up into the sky.
Truly, it was a speed that perfectly matched the expression “in the blink of an eye.” It was movement only possible for a supreme wind spirit.
“Everyone, stay still. Unless you want to fall!”
With that declaration, the signature high-speed flight of the wind spirit began.
Whoosh!
The sound of the gusty winds was deafening for a moment, but soon enough, it faded away.
Still, the speed did not lessen at all; in fact, it even increased slightly.
Logan was performing this stunt by sharing senses with his spirit.
“Rest easy, you all.”
Sitting near the spirit’s head, Logan casually considered our comfort.
However, my comrades and I didn’t express our gratitude and simply remained silent. Logan believed that it was only natural for him, as a noble, to take the lead in caring for his companions.
During moments like this, it’s best to just enjoy the silence. It was an unspoken agreement.
“Logan.”
Then, out of nowhere, Liam spoke up. Unlike his usual rude and delinquent self, he had a serene expression on his face.
“Thanks a lot. Thanks to you, it’s always comfortable traveling.”
“……”
Those words not only struck Logan but also stirred a mix of emotions within all of us.
‘…Is this a dream?’
That notorious troublemaker Liam, expressing gratitude for someone else’s kindness?
I never thought I’d see the day. It was a phenomenon I hadn’t even encountered in my dreams.
To be honest, it was astonishing.
Erin, who was lying with her head resting on my lap, seemed to share my sentiments, her eyes wide open.
“Who would have thought I’d hear such words from you? Life truly is full of surprises.”
Logan chuckled before patting the spot next to him.
“If you’re grateful, come over here. I want to talk about the things we haven’t shared due to your eccentricities.”
“I’m fine with that.”
Willingly accepting, Liam really did move next to Logan and began to exchange various words.
There was no hint of awkwardness, and laughter even occasionally bloomed.
Was he always this sociable?
I had only ever seen him hurling insults and accusations at others, so it was hard to adjust.
‘Haebaji was right.’
Haebaji had said something like this before.
“If you can’t win over the hero’s heart, the Saint and your comrades will inevitably perish.”
The chilling advice that if Liam and I didn’t become a couple, we’d end up getting annihilated by the Demon King.
To be honest, until now, I thought it was a slight exaggeration.
Could that troublemaker hero really be turned around through love?
It was hard to take that story at face value. It sounded like something out of a fairytale.
But now, my thoughts had changed. The troublemaker hero was already starting to change bit by bit.
I glimpsed hope in the altered version of Liam.
We could defeat the Demon King.
Liam could truly evolve into a hero who would save the world.
“Saint, you know.”
While I was blankly watching Liam, Erin whispered in my ear.
“Do you think he will continue to stay like this?”
“Well, I hope so.”
If his affection for me diminishes, the chances of him returning to his delinquent days were high.
If that happened, we would face a devastating defeat at the hands of the Demon King. Once lost, love rarely returns.
“I’m already looking forward to it.”
“What are you looking forward to?”
“The hero is strong even while doing nothing, right? But if he trains hard too… he could truly become incredible!”
Liam was already more talented in combat than anyone else.
But what if he also made the effort?
He might become a splendid hero glowing with divine power.
If so, defeating the Demon King wouldn’t be just a foolish dream.
“Indeed, he would definitely become amazing.”
“Right?”
Suddenly, with a smile, Erin hugged my back and whispered softly.
“So please love him passionately in the future.”
“……”
So that’s what she was aiming for by bringing up Liam’s story. Truly the scheming of a sage.
“Why is there no response?”
“…I just don’t want to get too heated yet.”
“That’s a lie.”
Erin wrapped her arms around my neck and pointed to my left hand.
Specifically, the silver ring on my ring finger.
“I saw the expression you made when the hero put that on you earlier. You secretly liked it a lot!”
“Erin, why are you in such a good mood?”
When I lightly pinched her soft cheek, Erin giggled and gently patted my shoulder.
“Of course I’m excited. One person is on fire, and the other is all shy.”
“…Who’s being shy?”
“The Saint. You look like a bashful woman infatuated with her first love.”
“……”
Why is she acting so knowledgeable? Wasn’t she raised on romantic novels?
After giving Erin’s forehead a light tap, I quietly fiddled with the ring on my left hand.
Strangely enough, doing this made a warm, unfamiliar feeling bloom in my chest.
‘What is this feeling…?’
Caught in the tide of incomprehensible emotions, I absentmindedly kept fiddling with the ring.
Doing this made me feel calm and cozy. Even though I was about to jump into the battlefield soon.
It was a clear case of mental anomaly.
*
Once we returned to the battlefield, our hero party quickly took on the responsibility of facing off against the Demon King’s army executives.
When we first arrived, an imperial officer was whining about how hard it was to hold them off, and I wondered why, but indeed, there were many threatening enemies.
The corpse giant that kept growing bigger by pulling in the bodies of fallen soldiers.
The three-legged monstrosity that had more than fifty heads.
The giant centipede crawling with wriggling bugs.
Just plain old strong demons.
Each and every one was an adversary with power just beneath the Four Heavenly Kings.
Taking on those guys was the primary mission of our hero party.
Of course, even for us, facing off against executive-level monsters and demons was no easy task.
They were formidable foes, needing us to squeeze out every ounce of strength to barely win.
This time too, we prepared to fight, ready to fall in defeat.
But for some reason, things felt different this time.
Unlike usual, we were able to push back the enemies with surprising ease.
It was probably because of Liam’s change.
‘He should have worked hard earlier…’
Ever since I accepted him, Liam had shed his previously uncooperative attitude.
Instead, he took the lead among the comrades, even rushing to save soldiers in peril.
For the first time, he showed active engagement as a hero.
Thanks to that, on the second week since our hero party had joined the battle, the imperial forces achieved a complete victory over the Demon King’s army today.
“The Demon King’s army is fleeing!”
“We won!!”
“Glory to His Majesty the Emperor!”
Cheers erupted all over the battlefield.
The imperial army was in a festive mood, as was our hero party.
However, I couldn’t let out my joy just yet since I had to heal those who were dying as the Saint.
“You’ll be alright now.”
“Thank you so much!”
An imperial soldier I treated bowed deeply in gratitude.
I offered them the “Saintly smile” I had learned through practice and asked the medical officer.
“Who is next in urgent need?”
“I’ll guide you.”
The middle-aged medical officer walked with me to the next patient.
Though he looked worn out from the tough schedule, he treated me with utmost respect when I volunteered to help with the healing instead.
It was a kind of treatment I never could have imagined before.
‘Oh Sun, I have finally become a true saint…’
I was no longer the despised ‘weakest saint.’
With the ability to properly execute sacred spells now, I could heal the injured as much as I wanted.
It was an accomplishment achieved after more than a year of consistent training since becoming a saint.
Though it was my first time treating severely injured people, I didn’t find it particularly difficult, thanks to my thorough understanding of the theory and extensive practice.
“You’ll be alright now.”
“Thank you, Saint. I thought there was no hope left…”
A tearful soldier, whose stab wound near the heart had healed thanks to the sacred spell, was not the only one.
All the soldiers I treated were genuinely moved, as if they had received a great favor from God.
The difference in atmosphere from when they had previously looked down on me was incredibly refreshing.
I, too, shed a few tears, just like the soldier who had just healed.
I simply couldn’t hold back.
“I’m sorry for showing such an embarrassing sight.”
With everyone’s eyes focused on me, I quickly wiped my tears with my sleeve and spoke.
“Please take me to the next patient.”
“Yes, I’ll lead you there….”
As I followed the medical officer again, I heard voices of soldiers speaking here and there.
“Oh man, if it weren’t for the Saint, we would’ve all been dead.”
“Right?”
“But wasn’t she unable to properly wield sacred power before?”
“She must have worked hard. It’s about time to see results.”
The soldiers recovering from their wounds had begun to chat among themselves.
Most of the conversation was about me, mostly praising my rapid growth in ability.
‘…This isn’t so bad.’
Pride welled up in me as my mouth curled upward.
To receive this kind of praise not for my looks but for my healing ability was something special.
I was so happy I couldn’t manage my expression.
I had to finish up quickly and then brag to my comrades.
Chasing that happy thought, I realized I could now treat the last patient as well.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes, please call me again next time….”
My eyes fluttered with exhaustion as my voice trembled.
After healing so many injuries until my sacred power nearly ran out, I had finally reached my limit.
Time for a break now.
Hiding my weariness one last time, I stepped out of the medical tent, all but ready to collapse.
“Good job.”
As soon as I emerged, Liam came up right away to support me. His bright and shining smile greeted me.
Was it just my imagination, or did he look especially handsome today?
I even felt like his smiling face sparkled in silver light.
Was I really seeing things because I was so exhausted?
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
I leaned against Liam and moved slowly.
After entering our hero party’s tent, slightly away from the imperial camp, the tension that had been suffocating me began to release.
“Ha… I’m dead.”
“I’ll lay you down in your room.”
Our tent was borrowed from Erin’s sister, the Master of the Purple Mage Tower, and the interior space was distorted, so it had five bedrooms.
A rest area furnished with beds and all kinds of furniture.
I walked straight down the long corridor and opened the last door. This was my room.
“Now rest.”
Liam laid me down on the bed and covered me with the blanket before turning to leave.
Was he really going to walk out so fast?
I felt a bit sad and grabbed his wrist.
“Why?”
“…I just want you to talk to me a bit. It’s lonely resting alone.”
The excuse had been hastily thought up, but Liam willingly pulled a chair over to sit beside the bed.
Then he started staring at me intently, his lips pressed shut.
Why was he acting like this?
It was too much pressure to maintain eye contact, so I slightly turned my body to the side.
That’s when Liam leaned over the bed, placed his hands on it, and whispered.
“Don’t hide. Show me your pretty face.”
“……”
I couldn’t help but shiver at that line.
“If you don’t show it, I’ll praise you for being such a kind, beautiful, and diligent Saint?”
“Please don’t.”
It was a threat I couldn’t back down from, so I turned back to lie straight down.
Even so, I faced the ceiling resolutely, avoiding his gaze.
“What are you looking at? You asked me to talk to you.”
“…There’s a stain on the ceiling. It’s bothering me, making me keep looking at it.”
“If you keep this up, I’m leaving?”
It seemed he was determined to prove that he wouldn’t say that lightly as he suddenly shot up from his seat.
When he really started to approach the door, I hastily spoke up.
“Alright, come here!”
The troublesome hero returned to his seat with a grin, eyeing me.
I carefully scrutinized Liam’s face.
No matter how often I look at him, his features are still striking—even now after battle, his appearance was still radiant.
How is he so handsome?
A face like that must be preserved like a relic, being such a rare beauty.
It was evident that this was a fact I already knew.
So why did it feel like I was just now realizing it?
As I stared at him in a daze, lost in thought, I suddenly squeaked in surprise.
“Eek!?”
I hadn’t noticed that Liam had unexpectedly grabbed my hands.
“Hey, hey… what are you doing?!”
“The ring. It suits you well.”
As he fiddled with the silver ring on my ring finger that he’d gifted me, Liam leaned closer to my face.
He gently brushed my bangs aside with his other hand, smiling lightly.
“Now you think it’s okay to say you like me, right?”
“……”
I couldn’t respond readily.
I couldn’t deny it bluntly, nor could I nod in affirmation.
‘…I don’t know.’
I still had no clue about what my heart truly desired.
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