“Let’s head straight to Infula tomorrow morning. Even if we try to track them down like this, I don’t think we stand a chance against any lich or vampire with just our strength.”
Not long after Alex and Yona returned, Ludvik and Priest Vigrind came back as well.
While everyone had been waiting, Ceres firmly concluded her statement to those gathered around.
“I understand what Sir Scarlet might be thinking, but I don’t want to die a pointless death here. If you wish to pursue, do it alone with Sir Scarlet and the Holy Knight Brigade. We will depart for Infula at dawn tomorrow.”
Ceres shut her mouth tightly, signaling that she wouldn’t entertain any further disagreements.
Meanwhile, Scarlet, who had been sitting quietly, nodded after a long silence.
“Let’s return to the Church Region together. That seems best.”
It wasn’t that Scarlet had no regrets.
But this whole undead situation had started five days ago.
If the culprit was still around, they would have shown themselves to oppose them by now, and a battle should have already taken place.
However, Cemetery Village Semek had no signs of life left, turning into a desolate and empty place.
The Holy Knight Brigade patrolled and checked the state of the cemetery.
Not a single corpse was left, nor was there any trace of magic.
Looking at it this way, it wasn’t likely the work of a lich.
It would inevitably be the deed of a vampire, but vampires were notoriously difficult to track.
Even if they began to pursue right now, it wouldn’t seem meaningful.
“Heading to Infula and sending messengers to each cathedral would be wise. If that bloodthirsty lunatic is still around, he will surely cause trouble.”
That was the outcome of Scarlet’s calculations.
He wasn’t foolish enough to make unreasonable assumptions at this point.
Additionally, there was someone who wanted to investigate further.
“There’s definitely something here.”
Scarlet’s gaze, hidden beneath his helmet, turned towards Yona.
The adventurers were chattering away at the backseat, acting like it had nothing to do with them.
And among them, a particularly noticeable woman with murky white hair, Yona.
Scarlet had clearly seen it.
On the day they faced the undead, when he unleashed the Sacred Barrier to heal a comrade, he had noticed the tattoo that covered her right arm.
Although the color was faint, he could tell it was definitely letters.
But I couldn’t see it clearly, yet it was definitely letters.
Who could possibly believe that it was an artificial tattoo, densely covered with letters from shoulder to fingertips?
Scarlet was attentively observing Yona, thinking there must be some kind of relationship, although she wasn’t sure what it had to do with the cult, but surely there was a connection.
Perhaps it might even be related to the dark cult that was rampaging across various places, so Scarlet’s suspicions about Yona grew deeper.
*
“Anyway, Rubina, Infura Church Region is an amazing place. If you settle in well there, I’ll visit often and play with you,” Yona said.
Rubina was staring up at Yona with her big black eyes, though sleepiness clung to her like a cloak, she rubbed her eyes to shake off sleep and listened attentively to everything Yona said.
“Isn’t anything scary happening there?”
When she mentioned something scary, she was obviously referring to the incident that happened at Kapatia Port.
Yona smiled and nodded vigorously.
“Of course, nothing scary happens. The people there absolutely, I mean absolutely… uh, well, they really like helping those who are troubled and in pain.”
After much consideration on how to explain it to Rubina, Yona finally found the answer.
“But sister, I’m not troubled or in pain anymore…?”
However, that answer was effectively shot down by a single statement from Rubina, who with her innocent face, dropped that bombshell.
That said, Yona couldn’t dare take Rubina back to the Mage Community, because she’ll end up going through magical procedures and return as a guy.
Can you imagine the shock Rubina would experience if the sister she just called “sister” suddenly became a “brother”?
“But since you say to do so, I’ll do it. If I behave well and stay nice, you’ll come to pick me up, right?”
“Yeah, exactly. If you’re nice, really nice, listen well, and don’t fight with your friends, then yes.”
“Got it! I’ll do just that!”
Rubina smiled widely, but as Yona watched her, a little twinge of guilt poked at her conscience.
“So Mr. James, you’ll go back to town once you arrive at Infura?”
“Hmm, that seems likely. I’m starting to miss the kids,” James replied.
“You don’t mention missing your wife, though?”
“…Of course, I miss her. W-well, of course I do.”
For some reason, James averted his gaze slightly, trying to dodge Yona’s stare, and she turned her attention back to Kaiyak.
Yona stared back at Kaiyak, trying to salvage the situation.
Kaiyak was just heading to the north Kantasia River, which happened to be close enough to their destination.
“Hey, what about you, lizard?”
“As I said, I’m going to the north Kantasia River. We can go together to the community first.”
After all, it was all about getting to the north Kantasia River beyond the community, so Kaiyak seemed intent on sticking around, which made Yona let out a sigh of relief.
“By the way, Alex, are you coming with us to the community?”
“Of course.”
Kaiyak’s gaze switched back to Yona.
“I asked Alex, though.”
Only then did Yona realize her slip-up, letting out an embarrassed “Ah” as she waved her hands in front of her face.
Alex, on the other hand, was just staring blankly at Yona, taken aback.
“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant.”
“…What do you mean then?”
“I-I mean, I’m going, so how could that jerk not come along… I mean that kind of meaning. Nothing else.”
“I don’t understand what ‘nothing else’ means. Honestly, I can’t comprehend what human females are thinking.”
“No, that’s not it!”
The more she talked, the deeper the misunderstanding got, and Yona felt her face heating up.
She knew in her head she was simply asking Alex, but she couldn’t grasp why that answer had slipped out of her mouth.
Trying to clarify seemed more like sinking into a pit.
“U-um, it’s because I promised him a reward!”
That made Kaiyak turn his attention to Alex again.
But Alex had no clue what Yona was talking about either.
A reward? He definitely hadn’t agreed to anything like that.
He had simply joined out of goodwill, or maybe a bit of personal motivation, but still.
Whatever this reward Yona mentioned was, Alex had no clue about it.
“…What reward? I don’t feel like I agreed to any of that.”
Yona scrambled to think.
She hadn’t promised any reward.
But if she said she was just tagging along with Alex… Well, didn’t Kaiyak already know?
No, that wasn’t it.
Kaiyak had joined from the Adventurer’s Guild so he wouldn’t know the conversations exchanged before that.
If that was the case, then maybe she just had to come up with a reward that would allure Alex…
Ah.
“My, uh, breast rubbing voucher!”
Instantly, silence pervaded the carriage.
The impact of Yona’s words was staggering.
Ceres wore a look of complete bewilderment, wondering what kind of lunacy that was, and Vigrind openly expressed disdain.
The expression on her face was clearly one of contempt.
Ludvik was wide-eyed in admiration.
And Scarlet showed no expression at all.
“That…”
After a long silence, Alex finally managed to speak up.
“…Haven’t you already used it?”
At those words, everyone’s expressions deepened further.
Ceres looked completely baffled,
while Vigrind glared at Yona with a look as if he’d seen something utterly disgusting,
and Ludvik was staring at Alex with an expression of deep curiosity, like he really wanted to know.
“Re, refill… No, it’s not that. It’s just, um, it’s truly… um? Uncontrollably… Ah, anyway, it came back! It came back! Got it?!”
Yona was yelling with a bright red face, trying to create a reason for it all.
From Alex’s perspective, instead of calming down, the unnecessary misunderstandings kept amplifying, but one thing was clear.
From Alex’s standpoint, there was no reason to refuse.
“Okay, so it would be like a community, right?”
“Y, yeah! That’s it! Exactly!”
“I get it, so stop yelling. Everyone’s staring.”
Only then did Yona seem to snap back to reality and look around.
And she realized the distinctly abnormal gazes of the people watching her.
Breast-milking voucher.
The claim that it had already been used.
And the assertion that it would be given again.
Yona was more acutely aware than anyone of how those three statements affected the people around them.
“…No, it’s not really supposed to mean that…”
Even saying it would be pointless; it wouldn’t make any difference at this point.
Yona knew that too.
“Um, so, Yona?”
Ceres coughed lightly a few times before cautiously calling out to Yona.
“First of all… even though you’re a Priest, there aren’t any celibacy regulations, you know? And besides, Yona is a Healer, so there definitely aren’t any such regulations. Understand?”
At Ceres’ words, Yona hung her head low.
She had no idea how to clear up this misunderstanding.
Would it even be cleared up?
Maybe it would be better to just let them think whatever they want.
But that thought didn’t last long.
“So, Yona? Um, shouldn’t we think twice about that, like… having children right away?”
“That’s not what it is!”
She absolutely had to clear this up.
Yona thought that she couldn’t let it go on like this.
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