“Still, I guess they’ll be disappointed that only Rubina is coming along, the Saint and the Hero must be feeling quite sad.”
At James’s words, Yona shook her head in silence.
Before their departure today, Yona had visited the orphanage and met Rubina.
Rubina, dressed in clothes much cleaner and neater than what Yona had put on her, was holding a white teddy bear made of cloth in her arms.
Yona silently gazed at Rubina, then knelt down and embraced her tightly.
The warmth that enveloped her heart was now drifting away from her arms.
Though her heart was filled with regret and sorrow, Yona knew.
Rubina was better off staying here.
And that this place could give Rubina so much more than Yona ever could.
Did Rubina understand this sentiment as well? She too remained silent.
She simply hugged Yona tightly.
The shoulder of Yona’s nun outfit began to dampen with tears.
“I’m leaving now, Rubina. Be sure to listen well to the teachers and friends.”
Rubina nodded but didn’t follow Yona out.
Her dark eyes were filled with tears as she waved goodbye to Yona.
With every step Yona took, Rubina lingered in her mind.
She glanced back with each step, finding Rubina still there.
With another step, there was Rubina again.
“Should we just take her with us?”
For a moment, Yona almost nodded at Alex’s words.
But that would not do, so she bit her lip and shook her head.
Yona knew how much impact a better environment, better teachers, better friends, better meals, better clothes, and better sleeping arrangements could have on a child.
At least Yona knew, even if people from this era didn’t.
So she recognized that taking Rubina with them was out of the question.
“…Let’s go.”
Yona muttered a push in the direction of no one in particular and started walking.
With every step, she could still see Rubina.
Rubina watching quietly from behind.
Suppressing the urge to turn around and scoop her up, Yona hurried her steps.
She would return.
Even as a brother, she would come back.
So this wasn’t a farewell.
Just a temporary separation.
That was all it was.
As the four adventurers crossed the bustling association building where various demi-humans and humans were busy coming and going, no one paid them any mind.
They moved toward the outer gate, far removed from the main entrance, seemingly receiving little attention.
There were no guards at the outer gate, and it opened softly with a turn of the handle, just wide enough for two people to pass.
Alex stepped out first, followed closely by Kaiyak.
Next was Yona, with James bringing up the rear.
However, James paused midway and turned back to the others.
“Well, this is where we part ways. Yona, do stop by on your way back to Evian; I shall treat you splendidly.”
James flashed a bright smile, his prominent canine teeth showing.
“Why don’t you ask me to stop by?”
“You would come even without me asking.”
Watching this scene, Yona felt a pang of regret.
Yona, who was gazing at the scene, felt a hint of disappointment.
Goodbyes were always a part of life, but this time it felt different—like a farewell where no one was dying, just headed in different directions.
Maybe that’s why the moment of parting was filled with nothing but regret.
There were plenty of fellow adventurers who had died or never returned, so they would never meet again.
It was common for someone you drank with yesterday to be missing at tonight’s gathering, but this kind of goodbye was surprisingly unfamiliar.
The day Yona, Alex, and Kaiyak were heading to the Mage Community.
However, James was planning to return to his village on the way to Evian after stopping at Kapatia Port, and he intended to stay at the guild until Ceres finished her business.
“Yona.”
Yona, who had her head raised while looking up at the guild building, suddenly turned to see James calling her.
Faintly, far away, the sound of a choir could be heard, and after a brief hesitation, James asked Yona.
“…Well, it’s not like we need to worry about those things. If adventurers like us sit in those kinds of places, we’ll just be an awkward presence. They’ll handle their stuff just fine, so why should we bother attending a ceremony? We’ve got our paths to walk, and they have theirs.”
Yona scratched her head.
Still, still, being a comrade, she wanted to go.
But she was worried that it might tarnish Vigrind’s reputation.
It was a place where priests’ every word was laced with disdain for healers.
If Yona, as a healer and adventurer, attended the ceremony where Vigrind would become a saint, what would the people around her whisper?
She didn’t want to leave even the slightest blemish on a place that should be glorious.
That was Yona’s true feeling.
“Anyway, so in conclusion—”
*
‘She didn’t come…’
He thought she would show up.
Vigrind sat on the awaiting seat, intently scanning the opposite audience.
Few stood out among the dark-haired individuals.
And with plenty of ordinary folks seated around, there was no sign of Yona.
He didn’t expect her to come, but he had secretly hoped a little.
Though the path changed after escaping the orphanage and going through the day of judgment, Yona still lingered in Vigrind’s mind with a peculiar sentiment.
The girl who had cried alone in the village that had been slaughtered had been fearful of mingling with others even after being taken to the orphanage.
He found it hard to get close to anyone for fear that getting close would eventually lead to losing them again.
In contrast, Yona, who had just joined and was the same age, quickly became friends with just about anyone.
As if she wasn’t afraid of losing, she laughed and bonded with anyone she met and even got so close to the orphanage teachers they would share their hearts.
Claiming it was a secret, she would talk about how she was originally a boy or how she would definitely return because she was from another world, but instead of seeing Yona as a strange girl, people treated her as just a unique kid, a quirky child, or an amusing one.
Vigrind couldn’t help but envy Yona’s ability to connect with others and would never forget the day of judgment.
I couldn’t do it.
– Well, a healer is still a priest, right? It’s good for me. I can’t stand being cooped up in the cathedral all the time. I’ll earn some money as an adventurer and turn back into a man quickly. And while wandering as an adventurer, I’ll find a way to become a man again.
Vigrind couldn’t forget Yona laughing like a goblin, “Ehehehe!”
Maybe that was the beginning.
In the end, even after the gap of healer and priest, Vigrind couldn’t erase the jealousy she felt for Yona.
It was likely to stay that way.
However, that feeling has calmed down a lot now, at this moment where Vigrind is about to become a saint.
At the very least, she thought maybe Yona would come.
If she came.
If Yona really came.
If she would just say one word of congratulations.
Vigrind wanted to hug her with all her heart.
Due to the height difference, and really just a tiny bit, a minuscule difference in breast size would make it seem that Yona would really fit snugly into her embrace, but still, Vigrind intended to pull Yona in tightly.
“I don’t hate you; it’s just that I was jealous because of my own shortcomings,” she’d try to say that.
‘…It would have been nice if you came.’
However, she didn’t come.
Even though she didn’t really expect her to come, it wouldn’t be entirely true to say she didn’t secretly hope for it.
Vigrind wished for Yona to definitely come.
That was her true feelings.
“—And so, at this moment, I officially declare Ludvik, a top-grade adventurer born of Marlen, as the Hero, and Vigrind, the priest of the Evian Diocese, as the Saint, by the divine punishment agent of the God of Heaven.”
The grand voice of Pope Akzel IV echoed through the auditorium.
His voice, full of the sacredness, was clearly heard by everyone without needing to speak louder.
– Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap…!
Instead of the splendid orchestra, the ethereal choir’s hymns rang out, and instead of a boisterous cheer, soft applause filled the hall.
*
“Congratulations! Hero and Saint!”
After the ordination ceremony, as Ludvik and Vigrind entered the Pope’s office, the first to greet them was Ceres.
The Pope sat on the couch with his ever-kind smile, and Ceres stood up abruptly as she approached Ludvik and Vigrind with open arms.
“Now I can call you Hero and Saint at will, right?”
The Pope nodded with a smile, and Ceres beamed brightly.
“You both did a great job at the ordination, Hero and Saint.”
Ceres lightly embraced Ludvik and Vigrind in turn.
Then she guided them to the couch and prepared tea as soon as they sat down.
As she set down the teacups, Ceres looked at Ludvik and Vigrind back and forth with a smile before turning her gaze back to the Pope.
“It’s now time for preparation for the Hero’s journey, isn’t it?”
The Hero’s journey.
The quest of the hero to travel the world, repel the traces of demons, and prepare for the unprecedented disaster warned by the Divine that had descended directly to give warning.
“I truly feel embarrassed to urge you so soon after the ordination, Hero.”
“I’m truly sorry to be rushing you already, Hero.”
“Feel free to speak, Holy Pope.”
“I can do that. I am a man who vowed to serve the Divine for a lifetime. I’ve kept that vow so far, so I wouldn’t dare treat you, the Divine’s representative, any less.”
“Is that so?”
What could one say to that?
Ludvik held his silence and shut his mouth.
“Holy Pope, it’s time for you to speak.”
“…I suppose so.”
Pope Akzel IV let out a long sigh.
Then, without a word, he clapped his hands twice, and the priests who had been standing by bowed their heads in respect and slowly exited the office.
Once everyone was gone, only the four of them remained in the office.
Within that setting, Pope Akzel IV opened his mouth.
“The Divine does not respond to any prayers. Perhaps the last time He descended… was when He appeared before Saint Vigrind.”
After coming out of the Catacomb, He had named Vigrind a saint.
Since then, there has been no response from the Divine.
“So, for our first hero business…”
Vigrind immediately thought of a place.
Evian.
The Catacomb in Evian.
A more detailed investigation into the demons that had appeared there, twice, and the traces of the Divine who was said to have last descended there.
These must be prioritized.
“I think I have an idea of what the Saint is thinking. That place is probably it.”
At Ludvik’s confident voice, Vigrind snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him.
His gaze met hers, and he flashed that usual cheerful smile.
Then he turned his eyes back to the Pope.
“It’s Evian, right?”
“Indeed. With both the Hero and the Saint being so perceptive, the Divine’s insight surely cannot be wrong.”
The Pope also smiled with satisfaction.
However, in contrast, Ludvik had one more thing to confirm.
“What about tracking down Vervaria’s doppelganger and investigating the tragedy in Semek? Shouldn’t we address those too?”
“That’s right. The Holy Knight Brigade is already on the trail of Vervaria’s doppelganger. As for Semek, I’ve already sent word to the cathedrals in various regions. If anything happens, the nearby cathedral will start the pursuit immediately.”
“Is that so?”
“While dealing with demons is crucial, confirming the Divine is also necessary. However, this is merely our request; we cannot give orders to you, the Divine’s representative. If you have doubts about the path you are to take, feel free to make your own judgments and act accordingly.”
Pope Akzel IV fell silent and faced Ludvik.
His face was lined with wrinkles from age, yet it bore an unwavering faith.
Ludvik met that steadfast gaze without flinching.
“You shall go where you wish. No matter what lies at the end of that path, it is surely the Divine’s arrangement.”
What a heavy burden that Pope was placing upon them!
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