Pope Akzel IV kept his promise.
Not only did he place Rubina in the orphanage attached to the central cathedral, but he also designated Ceres as her guardian, even personally writing her name beside it.
A child with guardians like Ceres, the elder of the Church of the Celestial God in Kapatia, and the Pope himself, who could be said to embody the very symbol of the church.
At least within this Church Region, there should be no one who could treat Rubina carelessly.
It showed.
Nice clothes, good food, and heartfelt care.
Rubina was thriving in an environment that was beyond comparison to when she traveled with Yona, or even the village where she lived with her sister before that.
One look at her clear and bright, childlike smile confirmed it.
Yona was walking across the meadow holding Rubina’s hand.
Behind the main cathedral, there was a spacious meadow where a beautifully maintained path ran through tall bushes that reached Rubina’s waist, making it a perfect place for a stroll.
Even when the cold winter breeze blew, it didn’t feel chilly. Rubina’s thick clothing and Yona’s warm shawl, provided by Ceres, kept them from shivering in the wind.
The wind raced through the meadow. Though invisible and formless, it undeniably existed, shaking the grass and leaving its trail with every step taken. The swaying bushes released a fresh scent of grass, and Rubina’s laughter complemented the melody beautifully.
She promised to come back. Although she never expected the promise to be kept, it was all the more joyful that it was.
Yona couldn’t break away from Rubina’s dark eyes glinting with joy. Those eyes, which always looked at Yona, held not resentment but pure joy of reunion. Rubina’s hand, tightly gripping Yona’s, felt like it would crush Yona’s fingers white if Yona dared to leave again.
Yona lifted her head and looked around. Everywhere her eyes fell still bore the vibrant greens of nature, with the meadow filled with flourishing bushes. It was a meadow so beautiful it made winter seem insignificant.
It was a serene landscape Yona had never seen in Evian. Life was pulsating everywhere, and it felt unusually cozy for a winter day.
Even while believing in the Celestial God and taking pride in being a priest, such places had always felt far away to Yona. Though those feelings hadn’t changed, there was an odd uncertainty about why she felt she fit into this place now.
“Shall we sit for a moment?”
Just then, a bench came into view, and Yona and Rubina sat down. Rubina, busy recounting interesting stories from her time at the orphanage—happy moments, sad moments, like the joy of dreaming about Yona hugging her only to wake up and feel sad because it was just a dream—sat snugly next to Yona.
In my dream, Yona came out and hugged me, which made me really happy, but waking up to realize it was just a dream made me sad. Busy spouting off these little details, Rubina had stuck right next to Yona.
Yona chimed in on Rubina’s story while quietly scanning the meadow. It was a beautiful landscape, truly a sight to behold.
Then suddenly, Rubina’s voice started to fade, and her speech became sporadic. When Yona turned to look, she saw Rubina dozing off without a care.
‘She must be tired.’
Rubina hadn’t stopped talking since she entered the Church Region, rambling on and on. It was no wonder she was exhausted.
Using her thigh as a pillow, Yona laid Rubina down and smiled happily as she stroked Rubina’s hair.
As sleep took over, Yona noticed Rubina curling up from the sudden chill, so she pulled down her shawl to cover her. Warmed by Yona’s body heat, Rubina snuggled in and began to breathe steadily.
‘So peaceful.’
It had been a long time since such a tranquil moment had come by. Yona, lost in thought, gazed at the meadow. With each gust of wind, the rustling shrubs danced, each wave uniquely different.
Gently brushing back Rubina’s tousled hair, Yona smiled, relieved that Rubina was doing well.
It was likely because she was a Priest. While she was a Healer, being a Priest gave her that pride to act without embarrassment, allowing her to be here in this moment.
There had certainly been many ups and downs, but at least because of all that, Rubina could enjoy such comfort.
That’s what Yona thought.
*
“So let’s talk. I kinda get why you want to remove the tattoo, but that left arm is just… odd, you know?”
Ceres looked at Yona while washing her face. Not exactly at Yona, but at her left arm, the mark of Vervaria.
Even as she showed her left arm, Yona was feeling a bit embarrassed and could only clear her throat awkwardly.
It was getting late, but Ceres accepted Yona’s visit. And now, having agreed to help remove the tattoo, she was currently looking at Yona’s clothes coming off.
“Why has it spread? And the right side looks worse too?”
At that question from Ceres, this time Yona was the one washing her face.
I washed my face.
Where should I even begin explaining this? If I trace it back, after my last visit to the Church Region and heading towards the Mage Community, that’s when Vervaria took residence in my body—if we’re being honest, that’s the clearest explanation.
This place is the Infura Church Region, the headquarters of the Church of the Celestial God, so saying that out loud isn’t going to go smoothly.
“…You said, you still haven’t found the traces of, um, Vervaria, right?”
“True.”
Yona gulped while looking at Ceres, whose eyes were wide open as if she had just seen a ghost.
Is this something I should even say?
“Well, um, Vervaria… is, like, inside me, you know? Maybe that’s why you haven’t found her…”
“…Huh?”
Ceres’ already wide eyes grew even larger as she stared at Yona.
It was something I could have expected, and something that had to be the case, so Yona sighed again.
“So, here’s how it happened—”
“—And so, yeah… yeah.”
“Oh my god.”
Now it was Ceres’ turn to wash her face. After what felt like an eternity of her washing her face, there was an awkward silence that stretched on, and just as Yona began to feel the weight of Ceres’ gaze, she finally spoke slowly.
“So, um, you mean Alex and Kaiyak know about this too?”
“Uh, right.”
“…What about anyone else?”
Strictly speaking, the Lizardmen from the Lizardden would probably know too. But aside from them, no one else seemed to know.
Yona thought long and hard but concluded that there wasn’t anyone else. She hadn’t told the Alebians about this, but honestly, she felt Ceres was a bit more reliable than them.
“There’s no one else. Aside from those two, this is my first time telling the regent.”
“Ha… What do I even do with this?”
Yona watched as Ceres sighed heavily, trying to gauge her reaction. Should I tell her or not? But to remove the tattoo, she’d need to be informed about it.
“Then what about that tattoo on your right breast? It wasn’t originally that far spread, right?”
“Oh, that’s… from the Lizardden…”
Yona explained everything that had happened at the Lizardden as thoroughly as possible. How she casually entered a barrier that humans couldn’t access, the battle with the mermaid, and then the following day’s ambush by the strengthened mermaid and Vervaria’s meal, and so on.
The more she spoke, the more Ceres’ expression twisted into something grotesque.
“So, you purified that too?”
“Obviously… If I saw it, how could I pretend I didn’t?”
“Is it fine for you to have a painting on your own body?”
“Is it okay to lose?”
“…Well, I’m just trusting the regent…”
“Oh dear, this is something…”
Ceres picked up a cup and gulped down all the water in one go. As she slammed the cup down, Yona, who had been fidgeting, quickly filled it up again.
“I don’t know if it’s being a priest or just being foolish. Is it because you’re a priest? Or what is it really?”
“It’s because I’m a priest. No matter how much I might argue, if it weren’t for the Church of the Celestial God, I wouldn’t have even made it this far… And with what Sister Aege taught me, well, if there was anyone else in the same position, they would’ve done the same as I did.”
“Usually, priests would be martyred there instead of accepting demons…”
Is that so?
Yona fell silent. But she didn’t want to die. Besides, it wasn’t just her death; Kaeyak and Alex were supposed to die too.
“Well, it’s understandable for you, Yona. It’s not just anyone; they’re saying Alex would die. Would that even make sense?”
“Th-that’s not it…”
“What? There’s still no progress? Wow, that’s even weirder. I guess you just can’t get it done?”
“It’s not like that…”
“Ugh… Anyway, I got it. But that, Vervaria. Just the fact that you brought something like that into Church Region is a big deal. How on earth are you suppressing that magic?”
Yona couldn’t answer that question either. Even she couldn’t understand why they hadn’t noticed it. It was known that as soon as demons or monsters invaded, the entire Church Region would be in chaos. The Cathedral Knights were all strong warriors gathered there, and they would immediately rush out to exterminate the monsters.
“Oh dear… This is truly a huge issue. It’s not an ordinary matter. I don’t think we can erase it here. After finishing up in the Church Region, let’s find a place with no people and see if we can get rid of it. We don’t know if it’s possible, but it’s better than not trying.”
“Finishing up?”
For Yona, finishing up meant Ceres, but listening to Ceres, she seemed to have something important to do here as well.
Meeting Yona didn’t seem to be unimportant. According to Alebians, meeting Yona seemed to be the actual goal.
“Oh, I’m waiting for the Hero’s party. They should arrive in a few days.”
“The, the hero?”
Hearing that name after a long time.
She had heard it from Alebians as well, but that was about going to Kapatia Port.
Hearing they were coming this way was something brand new.
“Yes, they’re coming to the Church Region.”
Ceres smiled widely.
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