Ludvik had no idea why he had become a hero.
Born and raised in Marlen, he naturally became an adventurer, this man named Ludvik.
He was in excellent shape and had outstanding stamina.
With exceptional hand-eye coordination and strength, he once encountered goblins near the city gate when he was about ten years old.
At that time, armed with a stick he found lying around, he killed three goblins, which made him choose a spear as his weapon of choice.
In Marlen, the spear was a very popular weapon.
It was the place where the legend of the holy spear Ricardo was passed down, and besides, isn’t there something cool about the spear?
He learned and honed his spear skills and officially registered as an adventurer when he turned thirteen.
And that was ten years ago.
After ten years, Ludvik had become a gold-ranked adventurer.
He wasn’t afraid of any ruins and felt no fear regardless of what appeared.
His spear was faster than a saber-toothed tiger, could attack further than a poison frog, was heavier than a golem, and could confuse enemies more subtly than a ghost.
Then came that fateful day.
A celestial deity descended before Ludvik and proclaimed that an unprecedented disaster was approaching, appointing him as the hero.
As proof, he received the holy weapon, the divine spear.
It was a sacred weapon of the gods that stayed hidden until summoned by him.
And upon the celestial’s command, Ludvik set out on his journey to meet the Saint in Evian without hesitation.
Toward a place called Evian, located far, far away at the ends of the continent.
“However, no matter how I look at it, for a Saint… this is rather…”
Ludvik, staying in the guest room of his self-built mansion, sank into a bathtub, deep in thought.
If there’s a hero, there must be a Saint.
Ludvik thought it was only natural.
A hero’s journey to defeat the Demon King.
In this journey, having party members, including a Saint, was essential. Ludvik believed that a Saint should…
“Of course, be the most beautiful woman in the world.”
In that sense, he thought that the healer named Yona must be the Saint.
He understood the difference between a healer and a priest.
But for an adventurer like Ludvik, whether it was a healer or a priest, it didn’t particularly matter.
As long as no one gets hurt, that’s what counts.
Therefore, what truly mattered was beauty.
Surely, a Saint should be a breathtaking beauty.
When his eyes opened in that forest, Ludvik had to struggle hard to calm his pounding heart.
Mujin had to work hard.
Long hair like pure white milk, and brightly shining golden eyes.
Flushed cheeks that looked healthy with a reddish glow.
And skin as white as snow.
She wore a black nun’s habit draped over that skin, with the Sacred Barrier wrapped around her right arm.
To top it all off, she had a feminine voluptuousness that boldly flaunted her presence over the nun’s outfit.
She was truly the epitome of a Saint.
“But how can such an immature girl be a Saint?”
Was it Vigrind they called her…
That red-haired Saint.
No matter how closely he examined her, she seemed significantly lacking compared to the girl named Yona.
“…Is she impressive when she takes it off?”
Somehow, he didn’t think so.
Anyway, for that reason, the hero decided to include Yona in his party as the leader.
Lord Carteyn, Bishop Poby, and even Saint Vigrind all opposed it, but, oh well, who cares.
If he wants it, it’ll be done.
Moreover, the moment Rude laid eyes on Yona, he felt something.
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but this woman had something.
Whether she insisted she was a man or claimed she came from another world.
Wasn’t there a legend passed down from his hometown, Marlen?
Perhaps there weren’t such legends in Evian, so they were unaware, but in Marlen, someone claiming something similar existed—the descendant of a celestial deity.
“It might be similar. Perhaps it could even be the same person.”
Ludvik stepped out of the bathtub and dried himself with a towel.
As expected from a nobleman’s mansion, the towel absorbed moisture remarkably well.
*
“What do you think?”
Lord Carteyn asked Bishop Poby while flicking the ash off his cigarette into the ashtray.
Bishop Poby briefly sealed his lips in response, also shaking the ash from his cigarette.
“…Indeed, he is quite the frivolous man.”
“I felt the same, but is that truly the hero?”
To Lord Carteyn, Ludvik resembled more of a rogue than a person worthy of the title “hero.”
He had heard of that healer named Yona.
Of course, it was not for her reputation as a healer.
She wasn’t an adventurer; he had no idea how capable Yona was as a healer, but her stunning beauty was such that he had heard her name.
“He is indeed a hero. There are common sightings of him wielding a divine weapon, so that must be true… but even if we say otherwise, the truth or falsehood will be revealed once we go to Infula.”
“Even if you say no, once we go to Infula, the truth or lies will be revealed.”
“Then, can we just leave it as it is?”
Poby stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
Whether it’s a good quality cigarette or not, the thick smoke seemed to scream that this one was cheap.
You’d think a lord would at least care about his cigarettes.
“I have no other choice. Does it matter if we include a woman like Yona? Besides, if that woman is so infatuated that she doesn’t touch the Saint, then that would actually be fortunate.”
“Well, that’s true… Your Excellency.”
“Yes, go ahead, my Lord.”
Having finished his cigarette, Lord Carteyn took out another from the cigarette case.
He lit it with the leaning candle on the table, puffing out a long stream of smoke.
“They say a demon has appeared… Could it really be the Demon King?”
“A demon, you say…”
Poby pondered silently.
If you listen closely to the descriptions of those who returned from the expedition, that demon must not be a true manifestation.
If a demon truly descended in its full form, there’s no way a mere expedition squad could handle it.
Even if there was a hero, capturing a demon with such little damage doesn’t make sense either.
But explaining this to a lord who isn’t a scholar of the divine wouldn’t get anywhere, so Poby slowly nodded instead.
“Well, it’s not impossible. The appearance of a demon is practically a herald for the Demon King. The Demon King will probably descend.”
“Is that so…”
The lord sighed deeply.
The Demon King, the Demon King.
Even saying the word didn’t feel real.
Why would the Demon King, who brought rivers of blood to this continent every time they appeared, choose now to reveal himself?
Especially now that tensions between the Duchy of Kapatia and the Katus Empire are growing thicker.
Of course, if the Demon King appears, Kapatia and Katus alike will be in chaos, and the entire continent would need to unite against him, but life doesn’t work that easily.
To the south is the Katus Empire, to the west the High Priest Alliance of Niaso, to the north the Archpriest Empire of Ezero, and to the east even the realms of Orcs and Dwarves.
The Duchy of Kapatia is surrounded by enemies on all sides, making this situation akin to a house of cards.
“We won’t find an answer by mulling over this ourselves. So for now, let’s leave it as he says, whether he’s a hero or not. The important thing is that Vigrind has become a Saint, and that will play to our advantage with the other priest nations. So let’s just leave it for now.”
“There’s probably no answer to this. So for now, let’s just go along with what he says about being a hero. What matters is that Priest Vigrind became a Saint, and that’ll work in our favor with the other priest nations. So let’s just go with it.”
At Poby’s words, the nobleman let out a long sigh again.
“If our empire completely surrounded by enemies could spread the divine light thanks to Saint Vigrind, that would truly be wonderful. We cannot let the empire built over hundreds of years crumble in our generation…”
“It will work out. Don’t worry too much.”
The nobleman nodded silently.
*
“What the heck is going on?”
Even after Alex left, Yona was in a daze.
Her wrists were perfectly fine.
Why, why did it spread all the way to her hands? She couldn’t understand.
The bigger problem was that she didn’t know when it had spread.
She had been wrapped in the Sacred Barrier, went on an adventure with Carlson’s party, and joined the hunt right after returning.
Since she hadn’t taken off the Sacred Barrier during that time, she had no clue when it happened.
Lifting both arms made the situation even more ridiculous.
Her left arm was very pale while her right arm was covered in black tattoos.
If someone said it was simply black, that wouldn’t be weird, but because it had letters etched into it, it only highlighted that it was a tattoo.
“Ah, I’m seriously losing it. Am I cursed or something?”
Yona looked like she was about to burst into tears.
It wasn’t magic, nor was it infected by demons, and they said it was just letters, but how could letters multiply?
Moreover, if it were something creepy, there was no way she could have even wrapped the Sacred Barrier around herself.
“…This isn’t going to work.”
She couldn’t just sit around waiting.
Yona jumped out of the bed where she had been rolling around and rewrapped the Sacred Barrier around her right arm.
“I’ve got no choice. It’s so uncomfortable, but…”
She decided to pay a visit to the Alebians.
Even Teacher Aege had said she didn’t know anything, so maybe Alebians had found something out in the last few days.
Even if she didn’t come, Yona thought she should directly go and ask.
“I really hope they found something…”
Muttering to herself, Yona opened the door.
“Hello, my love.”
Right in front of the door stood a fairy.
A fairy with a quirky look in her oddly shaped glasses that made it seem like she was in another world entirely.
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