As Elia’s relentless praise began to cloud my mind,
the Nameless, who had silently observed our conversation, stepped forward with a nod.
His impending actions, which I could somewhat predict, made my already flushed face feel like it was about to burst from sheer embarrassment.
…Please, Nameless.
“Indeed, you truly are the Saint.”
“…What?”
Was it because he suddenly interjected while I was still talking?
Elia blinked in surprise at the Nameless, yet he began to speak without a care for her gaze.
“Our Master is indeed as beautiful as the words of the Saint.”
“Yes… that’s right?”
“If I may add a ‘little’ something to the Saint’s words—”
The Nameless said ‘little’ but went on to describe:
Hair softer than luxurious silk, shimmering like a starry night sky, deep double eyelids and arched eyebrows like a famous painting meticulously crafted day and night, long eyelashes resembling the curtains opening at a grand ball, black irises as deep as black pearls, plump cheeks crafted by a skilled jeweler, and as if to add a final touch to a masterpiece, a teardrop mark under the eyes, a sharp nose reminiscent of a dwarf’s craftsmanship, lips tinted with a delicate pink like a girl in love, soft cheeks… and the list went on.
The Nameless seemed about to say more, but…
I couldn’t bear to listen any longer and sank to the ground, covering my flushed face with my arms.
“Gyaaak… please stop it, Nameless…”
My fingers curled up like a squid laid out on a grill.
The Nameless, either oblivious to his mistake or genuinely perplexed, tilted his head in confusion.
“Huh? Master, what do you mean? I haven’t finished even half.”
“…What on earth are you talking about?”
“…Half?”
The thought of not even being halfway through made my head throb.
Elia too was sweating profusely, seemingly shocked to discover the Nameless was like this, but he merely grinned with astonishment.
“Yes, I haven’t even done half yet.”
The Nameless looked between Elia and me before clearing his throat.
Ahem!
“Then I shall continue.”
Seeing him smirk made me feel the heat rise in my face.
Was he trying to tease me?
If that was his goal, he was successfully achieving his aim, and I wanted to give him applause for it.
…Of course.
I knew the Nameless didn’t intend to mock me and that his words came from genuine admiration, but that only made my face heat up even more.
Still, wasn’t this a bit much? Moderation is key in everything, yet the Nameless seemed to have no concept of it.
Does he really have no sense of shame…?
Glancing over at Lucius and Elia, I saw them staring at the Nameless, looking like they couldn’t believe their ears.
I’m losing my mind here…
The Nameless rambled on until the carriage was about to depart, and he only stopped when the mage interrupted him.
Elia and I had to endure three long hours of the Nameless’s monologue.
Ah, I shouldn’t have come down from the hut.
That was a moment I truly regretted now.
…
After what felt like an eternity of suffering, I finally leapt onto the carriage.
“Finally….”
I didn’t have to hear more from the Nameless.
I couldn’t hide my delighted smile and rested my head on the Nameless’s knee, using it as a pillow.
―――――――――――――――――――――
Before the Saint’s group had met them.
―――――――――――――――――――――
—Lucius
I frowned at the scenery that made no sense.
“Why do you look so puzzled?”
“…A slum can’t be this quiet.”
The place I was with the Saint was a slum, and naturally, there should have been a massive fire by now that would have claimed many lives in that slum.
‘Could it be that I miscalculated the timing?’ was a rational question that crossed my mind, but I soon shook my head.
No, that can’t be right.
It was back during my weak days when I used self-training as an excuse to embark on a hardship journey, and the massive fire had occurred right on the first day I set out with the Saint.
Afterward, the followers of the Demon King rapidly increased due to that event, so there was no way I could have mixed up the dates.
I squinted and looked around the slum.
Of course, it was a good thing no fire had occurred.
I had come here, after all, to prevent it.
However, aside from that, realizing that the future as I knew it was gradually twisting wasn’t a pleasant affair.
Perhaps I had not returned to the past but had instead come to a similar yet different world.
Such thoughts made me feel nauseous.
Thinking positively, one could see it as a butterfly effect from starting my hardship journey earlier, but…
Could there really be a connection between my hardship journey and the lack of a fire in this isolated slum?
My head throbbed with pain.
As I pressed my hand to my forehead, biting my lip to suppress the rising nausea, Elia approached, her expression serious.
“Lucius, there are traces of magic erased here.”
Traces of erased magic…?
“Is that true?!”
“Um—yes…”
I unconsciously released her hand, quickly turning my head to where Elia pointed.
If what she said was true…
It would somewhat explain why no fire had occurred.
I enveloped my retina with mana.
As I did, everything I looked at began to glow a brilliant blue.
And from the ground where the Saint pointed, I found a disturbing red color, like blood, which revealed traces of magic had been used.
It seemed perhaps a high-level demon had used magic, and tracking them now felt impossible at my current level, but still, finding it was important.
“Haah…”
Despite the serious situation of discovering magic, a sigh of relief escaped my lips.
Elia looked at me strangely, tilting her head, but for now, I wanted to momentarily surrender to this feeling of relief.
…If that’s the case, it also explains why no fire occurred.
‘The high-ranking demon intending to start a fire in the slum to increase the number of followers of the Demon King must have noticed the presence of the Saint and me nearby and fled.’
Of course, there were still parts I didn’t understand, but…
I brushed the questions aside.
For now, it was important to find out where the fleeing demon had gone.
Since I couldn’t track them at my current level, it seemed I’d have to rely on the Saint’s help, much to my dismay.
“Saint.”
“Yes.”
Realizing just by me calling her that I needed her assistance, Elia nodded without hesitation.
Then, without hesitation, the Saint knelt on the filthy ground and grasped the rosary hanging around her neck.
A ray of light broke through the dark, cloudy sky that had been hiding the sun, illuminating the Saint.
A brilliant divinity began to radiate from her.
I had seen this scene many times in the past, and yet it never failed to fill me with emotion.
…
After less than a minute had passed,
the light surrounding the Saint began to fade, and dark clouds started to obscure the sky once more.
“…?”
Listening to the divine words was not supposed to end this quickly…
Was there a problem?
Worried, I approached Elia, who was slowly opening her eyes while uttering a single word.
“…North.”
The Saint fully opened her eyes, turned to me, and said,
“It seems we need to visit northern Ellen again…”
“…Ellen, you say.”
Northern Ellen refers to the domain of the Grand Duke in the far north, situated near the ‘Edge of the World.’
…And it was a place that Elia and I had already cleansed.
Moreover, the Grand Duke known as Iron Blood would likely be stationed there…
If it wasn’t a suicide mission, I couldn’t fathom WHY a demon would head there.
“…Did she not tell you the reason?”
“No… she seemed reluctant to be here for some reason.”
Grasping my throbbing forehead, I helped the Saint back to her feet.
“For now, we should inform the church of this.”
“Yes…”
We made our way toward the church.
In the past, the residents of the slum used to rush toward the brilliant light in search of salvation, yet this time, not a single soul approached, creating an odd sense of unease in me,
but I soon brushed it off.
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