Yona realized that this was a dream.
In fact, she thought it should be a dream.
Wasn’t the scenery too unrealistic to not be a dream?
“Yes, this is indeed a dream. I need to have a good chat with you, so I brought you into this dream. Your body is still sleeping, so there’s no need to worry.”
Vervaria whispered softly and explained.
As if she noticed Yona’s anxiety, Vervaria climbed onto a chair taller than herself and swung her legs while beaming.
And that overly bright smile just annoyed Yona even more.
“…What’s the reason you brought me here? And shouldn’t you at least have told me beforehand?”
It was a dream, after all.
At least she wouldn’t die, right?
Thinking that gave her a bit of courage.
“If I told you that I would bring you here, you would have followed me willingly, wouldn’t you? Do you really think that?”
“…Well, not really.”
She couldn’t imagine Vervaria saying, “Just sleep a bit and I’ll bring you somewhere to chat.”
And even if she did, there’s no way Yona would agree to it.
“Anyway, why did you bring me to a place like this?”
“What was the place you were in just now like?”
Vervaria didn’t answer Yona’s question.
Not only did she not answer, but Vervaria also went off on her own tangent, leaving Yona to take a deep breath and suppress the rising frustration.
This little brat is a demon. That’s probably why she’s acting like this, Yona thought.
“…What’s there to know? It was a ruin, a ruin.”
“Yes, it was a ruin.”
Vervaria nodded and smiled faintly.
She looked as if she was satisfied just to have heard the answer she wanted, leaving Yona even more baffled by Vervaria.
“That place is the Demon Realm. It’s where I come from and a place ruled by the seven great lords. I also came from there, a place of eternal struggle and unending flames.”
The Demon Realm.
It was different from the image she had thought of.
The Demon Realm she learned about in the Cathedral was nothing short of a living hell, a place filled with darkness, fear, blood, and all kinds of negative emotions piled together.
At least it was the opposite of the ruin Yona had just seen, a dark and slimy place.
“It was a place.
‘Humans call us demons. But are the roots of demons and humans really different? I want to ask you that.’
Vervaria stared intently at Yona.
What was he talking about—
Were the roots truly different?
Yona let out a hollow laugh.
He couldn’t help it; what he was saying made no sense.
‘The history of humanity is a history of struggle. From ancient times, humans have killed each other, even though they are the same species. Everyone has walked the path of conflict against one another. The demon realm is no different. Demons are no different. Creatures born in the demon realm, flowing into the human realm, are the same. They kill to survive and kill to feast. Are humans different?’
Vervaria’s voice was surprisingly serious.
There was no trace of playfulness in his gaze directed at Yona.
‘…You can’t compare humans to demons. Humans were evolving.’
‘Evolution, evolution, huh? Do you really think so? A few hundred years ago, the era you humans refer to as the echo-less age and now. There’s nothing noticeably different. I can’t see what you’ve actually evolved into.’
Yona was at a loss for words.
She wasn’t originally from this world, and her knowledge of history was terribly limited.
It was hard to keep up with Vervaria’s sudden philosophical rant, and she wasn’t particularly interested in his words.
‘So what do you want to tell me?’
Yona let out a small sigh. After all, it wouldn’t be easy to understand if he spoke at length, but since Vervaria had gone through the trouble of bringing her here, he must have something to say, so she intended to listen to that.
‘Yona.’
‘What?’
Right now, the idea of a demon from Vervaria didn’t feel real.
The horrific demon who had devoured mermaidens, Vervaria.
But now, just because he looked like Rubina, her fear had significantly diminished, which was almost magical.
‘I know your pride. You take your role as a priest seriously.’
Yona fell silent.
Vervaria wasn’t wrong.
Yona was oddly obsessed with the title of priest and had been trying her best to act according to that name.
‘So, while you’ve endured so many trials, what has the deity you serve been doing?’”
“What is the divine being you serve doing while you endure such trials?”
“What is the divine being that you and all the other priests cry out for, looking for?”
“What reward have you received for your relentless efforts to save humanity?”
Vervaria got off the chair and began to circle around Yona.
As Rubina’s clear voice resonated, Yona remained silent, her face slowly hardening.
“You laid down even your pride as a priest to save the Lizardmen.”
“You borrowed my power to save them, yet you feel a sense of shame in a priest seeking the demon’s power.”
“But what did you receive in return?”
“…I didn’t do it for a reward.”
That was the best defense she could come up with.
Because it was true.
She hadn’t asked for any reward.
It was simply to avoid death.
She didn’t want to die,
She couldn’t let Alex die,
And she couldn’t let Kaiyak die.
“Your goodness cannot be doubted.”
“Yet, despite that, you purified the darkness of the sanctum.”
“Even after doing so much, you ultimately received nothing in return.”
“Nothing in return.”
“Not even a simple thanks, or being called a benefactor, nothing.”
“Is it because you are a priest that it’s expected?”
“Then you are truly a priest.”
“Then you are truly faithful.”
“Then you are—”
Vervaria stopped speaking and stood before Yona.
With her sparkling black eyes, Vervaria quietly stared at Yona.
Yona couldn’t bear to meet that gaze.
After a brief pause, her lips began to move again.
“You truly are, a saint.”
“…why don’t you just say what you want to say?”
Those who talk too much are con men.
Yona thought this way.
Having retained a modern mindset, she was cautious of anyone who talked too much.
“Yona.”
Vervaria silently looked at Yona.
This time, Yona faced Vervaria without dodging her gaze.
“Become a saint. Become the saint of our demon realm and spread the righteousness of our struggle.”
“I refuse.”
Yona flatly rejected the proposal and stood up.
She still held onto her heart as a priest.
Even with the hideous tattoos all over her body, Yona still considered herself a priestess.
Yona still thought of herself as a priest, even if she wasn’t entirely sure about it anymore.
Her goal of one day returning to her original world as a man—although now that goal was pretty blurry—hadn’t changed.
But before that, she still had her pride as a priest, a nun in the Church of the Celestial God—and as a healer.
So being told to become the Saint of the Demon Realm was completely ridiculous to her.
“Is that so?”
Vervaria laughed.
She twisted her lips into a strangely serious grin that felt off.
“Don’t smile like that with Rubina’s face. It’s unsettling.”
Despite Yona’s irritated comment, Vervaria just kept smiling.
Yet, with eyes devoid of laughter, Vervaria watched Yona.
“I’ll make sure to see if your heart will indeed be rewarded.”
“Suit yourself.”
*
After who knows how long, Yona found herself back in reality.
It was probably dawn.
She blinked, waiting for the faint light of dawn to tumble over the outside of her sleeping bag.
The air inside the sleeping bag was quite warm.
As she fidgeted, she felt the stones scattered throughout her sleeping bag.
Those stones definitely weren’t there when she fell asleep.
Yona moved her feet to touch the stones.
They still had a bit of warmth left, their surfaces feeling quite rough.
As she felt around with her toes and moved her arms, she discovered another stone resting near her shoulder.
This one was still warm too.
That nice, toasty warmth.
Yona wiggled to pick up the stone.
Every time she moved the sleeping bag, cold air seeped in, so she tried to be cautious and slow.
As she held the stone and rubbed it, the warmth felt incredibly comforting.
Someone must’ve heated the stones by the campfire all night, carefully transferring them into her sleeping bag one by one, making sure it didn’t get too hot—
And when they reached the perfect temperature, that gentle touch had brought the stones to Yona’s sleeping bag.
As Yona fiddled with the stone inside her sleeping bag, she couldn’t help but smile.
The warmth spread through her chest, making her grin spontaneously.
It had truly been a long time since she smiled happily, and Yona felt blissful.
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