The campfire felt a bit too nostalgic after experiencing reality’s bitter taste too much.
—At least, that’s what I thought.
But Yona now found the campfire oddly charming and atmospheric right in front of her.
As if it were just like those days when nothing had happened, when they would simply roam and take on quests, camping out like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The past and the present.
The campfire was the same, but the only thing that had changed was them.
It was deep into the night.
They had decided it was too risky to enter Kapatia Port, so they opted to camp outside for the night.
Ceres had gone alone into Kapatia Port to gather some funds for Yona’s group while also wrapping up this business trip.
They were staying in a clearing on the hills a few hours from Kapatia Port, surrounded by woods, and shielded by a large rock—this was quite the decent camping spot.
In truth, they had gotten to a point where they didn’t really have to worry much about monster attacks.
But still, old habits die hard.
Through the flickering light of the campfire, Kaiyak gazed at Yona.
Her nun outfit could be described as shabby at best and ragged at worst.
Ceres had mended it at a village on their way, but all she did was patch it with similar colored scraps and wash it. Not to mention, her sewing skills were pretty mediocre, so even before long it didn’t look too good.
Yona, however, seemed completely unfazed.
She gently tucked Rubina, who was resting her head on Yona’s thigh, into her sleeping bag, covering it tightly to block the wind.
Her touch was surprisingly meticulous.
“Yona, you seem like you’d make a great mom.”
“…You’ve said that before.”
“Now you don’t even get defensive about it.”
Yona shot Kaiyak a glare but didn’t reply.
“Don’t you have something like a saint’s robe?”
“…Even if I had one, I wouldn’t wear it.”
The saint’s robe—she didn’t not have one.
After all, being a saint now officially meant she had received offers from Vervaria to dress up like one.
But she just didn’t feel like wearing it.
First reason being that she had been wearing a nun outfit all this time.
Second reason being that she was just used to it.
The third reason? She really didn’t want to wear a saint’s robe.
“I don’t want to wear women’s clothing, and that’s the third reason.”
“It seems you don’t like the look of it.”
“…Not exactly, ugh, why are you even asking that?”
“Well, I could ask. But let me say this.”
“Huh?”
Kaiyak suddenly paused and let a dramatic silence hang in the air as Yona looked up at him.
He was staring at Yona intently, having stopped mid-sentence.
“Are you okay?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’m asking if you regret it.”
“Regret… I don’t even know what that means. By the time you regret it, it’s already too late. If that’s the case, you might as well not regret it!”
“I won’t have any regrets.”
“At least, I won’t regret it.”
Even if she could go back to that time, Yona would undoubtedly make the same choice.
There was no other way to save Alex, and the option of giving up on him never existed in the first place.
“Is that so? If you’re okay, then that’s what matters.”
“Yeah, that’s right. By the way, that guy is really sleeping well.”
Yona’s gaze shifted toward the corner where Alex was squeezed into his sleeping bag.
Having finished dinner, Alex had crawled into the sleeping bag first and had been out like a light ever since.
“…Are you really going to do it, just like that woman’s plan?”
“….”
At that question, Yona fell silent.
Ceres’ plan — the very plan Yona had agreed to.
The resurrection of the Celestial God —
“I know you’re angry with the Church of the Celestial God, Yona. But that plan is too reckless. I’m even worried if you can truly handle it.”
If Kaiyak, with his cautious and serious personality, thought it was that crazy of a plan, Yona surely understood its recklessness.
Going around the continent to absorb demons.
Of course, those demons wouldn’t go down easy, which meant she’d have to fight a lot.
And even if she did absorb them, the tattoos on Yona’s body would only continue to grow, just like now.
The more tattoos she had, the more powerful she would become — that’s what Ceres had explained.
When Yona had asked how Ceres knew about it, she had answered that she had studied meticulously to bring down the Church of the Celestial God.
Ceres answered Yona’s question, saying she had meticulously studied to bring down the Church of the Celestial God, but somehow, there were still some unclear points.
“I don’t see why we should follow that woman’s whims, Yona. Wouldn’t it be better to run away with Alex across the Great Desert to the southern continent, have some babies, and live happily?”
At Kaiyak’s words, Yona kept her mouth shut.
That kind of life wouldn’t be too bad.
Far, far away, if there was even a tiny island, she could flee there and live with Alex. Just thinking about it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.
But she couldn’t do that.
Things had already escalated this way, and somehow, she needed to see it through to the end.
It was just Yona’s nature — if trouble found her first, she had to see it through.
Moreover, after taking such a big hit, not being able to fight back was even more unpleasant.
And she couldn’t think that the Church of the Celestial God wouldn’t find her if she lived like that.
“Thanks for worrying about me, Kaiyak. And I’m even more grateful for being with me.”
A subtle refusal hidden in her words.
Understanding that, Kaiyak grinned and stirred the campfire with a piece of kindling.
Sparks flew and popped, rising into the sky.
Aimlessly fluttering about, the sparks soon faded away.
“… If it’s your decision, I’ll silently follow. There’s no need for thanks. Get some sleep, Yona. It’s getting late.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Yona yawned widely, gently opened her sleeping bag, and crawled inside.
When she pulled Rubina, who was sleeping soundly, closer, she could feel the unique warmth of a child.
She closed her eyes.
Yona thought it would be nice to have a good dream tonight.
*
It wasn’t until around noon the next day that Ceres showed up.
She hadn’t brought the carriage with her and appeared riding a brown horse, first handing a thick sling bag and a large backpack to Kaiyak.
“The sling bag has gold, silver, and copper coins mixed in well. This should be more than enough wherever you go. Unless you’re planning on gambling or something.”
“I don’t do that.”
“Well, being a Saint, you wouldn’t, right? You’ll be heading straight to Evian, right?”
Kapatia Port was just ahead.
“Hey, if we take a boat from there, we can easily get to Evian, but right now, Yona’s group absolutely cannot afford to catch anyone’s eye.”
“Right. We’re going to Evian.”
“Then I will also take a boat to Evian. I need to hide my identity there as well… Well, I can handle that myself. See you in Evian.”
“Got it.”
After nodding her head to Yona, Ceres turned the reins and headed back to Kapatia Port.
As she watched Ceres’ figure getting further away, Yona turned around and flashed a smile at Alex, Kaiyak, and Rubina.
“Alright, let’s go. It’s been a while since it’s just us, so let’s have some fun.”
“Didn’t you tell Ceres to pick up a nun outfit on the way back?”
Ah. I totally forgot that.
Since they couldn’t stop in the village on the way, they had to keep going along the mountain paths.
Yona strapped the sling bag with money around her waist, while Kaiyak carried the backpack filled with various essentials.
“Speaking of which, how about we stop by James’ village on the way?”
“What are you talking about?”
Alex looked at Kaiyak with a bewildered expression.
Even so, how could he suggest stopping by James’ village when every Cathedral in the empire was probably under a bounty by now? It was utterly surprising.
“James’ village doesn’t have a Cathedral, and I don’t think news would have reached that mountain village yet. Since we’ll be passing through the area, I thought it might be nice to stop by for a bit.”
That wasn’t exactly unreasonable.
There was indeed no Cathedral in James’ village, and even the nearest Cathedral would be quite far away.
Plus, honestly, it had been a while since Yona wanted to see James.
“…Do you think it’s okay?”
Is it okay? Still, I want to see him.
What if I meet James and inadvertently bring trouble to him? — that kind of fear.
Nevertheless, Yona couldn’t suppress her desire to see James again.
As long as we don’t enter the village, it should be fine.
If I just call James out for a discreet meeting outside the village, it should be safe.
Her contemplation didn’t last long, and in that instant, their next destination was decided.
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