“What do you think will happen if you recklessly charge in like that? It seems like your body still runs before your brain.”
“…Ugh.”
Yona pouted, her lips sticking out, but remained quiet.
Thanks to the oversized hoodie Alex had draped over her, her tattoos were thankfully hidden even without the Sacred Barrier.
“Let the others handle the healing directly. For now, at least.”
“Got it.”
Yona hesitated for a moment, glancing at Priest Vigrind.
Should I say thank you or not?
After a brief contemplation, Yona simply spun around.
‘He must understand without me saying anything.’
Alex, Kaiyak, James, and Ludvik were busy collecting the bodies.
The remaining guards, alongside the additional reinforcements that had joined late and the Holy Knight Brigade, were busy arresting the dazed Followers while managing the bodies and cleaning up the scene.
“So why exactly was the support delayed?”
The members of the Holy Knight Brigade, shining in their silver armor, exuded an impressive presence just by being there.
If only they had joined the fight sooner, perhaps the outcome could have been different.
Ludvik couldn’t shake that disappointment.
“We came as quickly as we could. The summoning of a Demon—who prepares for that on a regular basis?”
“What is the Holy Knight Brigade preparing for if not for the Demon Summoning?”
Ludvik’s straightforward remark caused the commander of the Holy Knight Brigade to frown, but they couldn’t respond immediately.
“…There are several procedures. We can’t just deploy at a moment’s notice, so I hope you can understand.”
“I’m not trying to blame anyone. It’s just disappointing, isn’t it?”
Still, the lingering sadness remained.
The Demon of Insult, Vervaria.
Even as she faded, claiming to be just a fragment, if they had managed to defeat that fragment, it would have at least been some consolation. The fact that they couldn’t do that was truly frustrating.
“Alright, no need to squabble like this.”
It was Ceres.
The full moon was just beginning to set in the sky after Vervaria’s retreat, and the moonlight made her silver hair shine even brighter.
“Thanks to the Hero being here, we could repel Vervaria’s fragment safely. Although it’s unfortunate about the guards who lost their lives, their families will receive adequate compensation. Plus, catching those filthy scumbag rodents from the Dark Association is still an achievement, isn’t it?”
“…If you put it that way.”
Ludvik chose to stop there. Continuing would only escalate emotions, and he saw no need for that.
“More importantly, was it Yona you said?”
“Uh, yes, yes.”
Yona, who was closely inspecting Rubina for any injuries while tightly hugging her, jumped in surprise at Ceres’s sudden voice.
In the process, Alex’s hoodie that was covering her right arm slipped down, and Rubina quickly grabbed it.
As Alex’s jacket slipped off, Rubina quickly grabbed it.
“I heard you played a huge role.”
“Role? What role?”
Yona’s face flushed, and she scratched her cheek.
Seeing this, Ceres beamed and grabbed Yona’s hand with enthusiasm.
“Uh, um…?”
“More importantly, let’s leave the cleanup of this place to the Holy Knight Brigade and the guards. You all should come to my mansion. The banquet we didn’t finish earlier is still waiting for you. What do you say?”
As she said that, Ceres winked at the commander of the Holy Knight Brigade, who nodded reluctantly.
Since they arrived late, it couldn’t be helped, even if it wasn’t what he intended.
*
“Wow.”
Rubina, who wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, gasped softly.
Yona felt the same way, even if she didn’t make a sound. It was the first time for both worlds to see such a luxurious restaurant.
“W-whoa…”
Alex gaped and looked around in awe. Yona, not pleased with his ridiculous demeanor, poked him in the side.
“Ugh, why? What’s with you?”
“Quit showing off your country bumpkin vibes. It’s embarrassing.”
“What’s embarrassing about it?”
“Anyway, it’s embarrassing, so stop being obvious, you dork.”
Good thing Alex didn’t realize how not-so-great Yona was either.
“Alright, please take a seat.”
Ceres stood in front of the group, arms spread wide to welcome them.
Since entering this mansion, except for Ludvik and Priest Vigrind, the four adults and one child had been overwhelmed, and that feeling was only intensifying.
“Sis, can we really be here?”
“Of course! We totally belong here!”
“But our clothes… are dirty.”
When Ceres asked if they wanted to wash up or eat first, they all immediately replied that they wanted to eat first.
They were starving, and they never expected to eat in such a place.
If they had known, they would’ve insisted on eating after cleaning up, but what’s done is done.
“Hey, let’s go.”
Yona grabbed Rubina’s hand with one hand and pulled Alex’s wrist with the other.
They had come this far, after all.
Might as well enjoy a meal, a really delicious one, to avoid any losses.
“Have those people been waiting since then?”
Ludvik approached Ceres and asked.
For a long time, even before the Dark Association incident kicked off, the chefs standing in front of the tables were still there, holding their posts.
They looked a bit tired, but still maintained their serious expressions without moving from their spots.
The chefs, standing guard with dignity.
“Right. I didn’t say to step back, did I?”
“…Is that so?”
Ludvik was at a loss for words.
Since it was only natural to say they would wait since he hadn’t told them to step back, Ludvik could say nothing more.
*
“So, what are your plans from now on?”
As the meal was winding down, Yona was feeding the last spoonful of soup to Rubina and wiping her mouth with a napkin. Suddenly startled by a voice, she looked up to see Ceres at the head table, and their eyes met directly.
“…What do you mean?”
“I mean about the journey ahead. Our brave warrior, Ludvik, and Saint Vigrind here will soon head to the Infura Church Region, and I plan to accompany you as well. It’s a big deal that Vervaria has descended, even if just as a spirit.”
With that, Ceres held up her wine glass. The glass, which had been empty before, was now half-filled with wine served by the butler standing beside her.
After wetting her lips with the wine, Ceres put the glass down and propped her chin on her hand.
“I’ve already sent a messenger, but it’s better to report something this significant in person. It wouldn’t be strange for me, the senior elder, to go since Bishop Pileo is elderly and may have trouble moving.”
‘…Isn’t it usually the bishop who goes while the elder handles the aftermath?’
Yona felt a strange unease at that part.
She hadn’t received education about such matters at the Church of the Celestial God. At least, there was nothing like that in her training content until she stepped out of the cathedral after being certified as a healer.
“So, I’d like to make a proposal to you all.”
At that statement, not just Yona but Alex, Kaiyak, and James turned their attention to her.
“Oh my, I feel pressured suddenly with everyone looking at me. I’m actually quite timid, you know.”
Ceres beamed brightly and waved her hands lightly.
“Anyway, the proposal is, um, excuse me, but who is the representative of your party? That dashing guard over there?”
Ceres looked at Alex with wide eyes.
Yona quickly jumped in to block Ceres’s gaze, patting her chest with confidence.
“It’s me, it’s me! Talk to me!”
“A healer as the party leader? That’s a rare party indeed.”
“…Could you get to the point?”
Despite Yona’s prickly words, Ceres didn’t lose her smile.
In fact, she smiled even wider as she looked at Yona.
“So, I’m saying that I’ll be going with the warrior and Saint Vigrind to the Infura Church Region. I was wondering if you’d like to accompany us as well, for protection, of course. And since you’re adventurers, I assure you, the reward will be quite generous.”
Ceres leaned back in her chair.
Behind her, several tables and a cooking station, along with a lineup of chefs, looked almost decorative.
“I have a tremendous amount of money. It’s more than you can even imagine. So, I can propose terms that might tempt you. The transportation costs, meal expenses, accommodation, and daily wages. I promise you the best treatment in all aspects.”
Yona’s eyes were shaking with excitement.
But honestly, she didn’t really want to be in the same party as that Ludvik guy.
Sure, she had money.
A handful of gold coins, enough at least to get treatment in the community.
So it wasn’t about the money, but—yeah, at least for now, the thought of being in the same party as not just Ludvik but also Vigrind gave her the creeps.
“Money, it’s not about the money—”
“Of course!”
Yona’s sentence was cut off sharply by Ceres.
“I’m not suggesting that a healer as skilled as Yona would be swayed by mere money. With someone of your caliber, you truly are an outstanding talent. You’re not just a healer healing from behind the guard; you’re a battlefield orchestrator! A healer with a broad perspective who can manage a party while countering monsters appropriately is extremely rare. Isn’t that right?”
The corners of Yona’s mouth crept up towards the sky—
“Just look at how reliable someone like you is, to have that Lizardman warrior and the orc archer in the party! Their skills have been more than proven in the battle of Vervaria, so to suggest hiring such talent with money would be quite rude.”
“W-well, that’s true…”
“Hey, snap out of it.”
Yona was about to nod but let out a strange sound when Alex jabbed her in the side.
“It’s a shame that even if I offered more, all I can promise right now is money. One gold coin per person per day. How does that sound?”
One.
But somehow, saying yes right away felt a bit embarrassing.
Honestly, it was a bit greedy.
Still, there’s no harm in trying to push for more.
After hesitating, Yona cautiously tried to negotiate.
“…two, two…”
“Two coins, great. Let’s set the daily wage to two gold coins, excluding all pure basic expenses. Then, discuss this with your party members. Just let me know by tomorrow.”
Ceres smiled with satisfaction.
In contrast, Yona felt somewhat disappointed.
Maybe she should have asked for three.
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