Like the arm of an old man who could soon lie in a coffin, covered in skin so lax it was hard to find flesh beneath, the tree had shallow roots, barely exposed above the ground.
The roots that emerged, having failed to spread underground, were grotesque and squirming like parasites sucking something from their host.
The fog that seeped out from the holes bored into the tree began to thin, and the dense mist surrounding the area gradually lightened as well.
“I think that is the source of the fog,” Priest Vigrind said, turning her gaze towards the tree at Scarlet’s words, still dazed by the sight of the dead crawling out of the ground.
“The miasma… is too intense,” Vigrind managed to speak, her lips barely willing to part. Being a saint, she was unable to avoid having a heightened sensitivity to the demonic energy, the miasma, opposing the divine presence.
The miasma pouring from the tree like a rising tide, and the dead dragging themselves up from the ground while letting out strange, guttural sounds.
With each movement, thick grayish slime dripped down, blending the unwelcome sound of squelching like muddy sludge with the weird groans they emitted, reminiscent of something echoing from the depths of hell.
“Come here, come closer.”
Vigrind bit down on her trembling lips. Gripping the rosary around her neck, she began to chant her prayers, and a divine light began to glow above her head.
It formed a round ring, expanding downwards until it finally touched the ground, revealing the symbol of the Church of the Celestial God shining brightly above Vigrind’s head.
Proclaiming the Divine Realm of the Celestial God.
The incantation that decrees a realm where the miasma cannot encroach is one of the prayers she can use precisely because she is a saint. It is also a fundamental chant used to secure a safe zone that must always be prioritized even in the midst of danger.
As soon as Vigrind proclaimed her body as the domain of the Celestial God, a dense smoke began to rise within a certain radius around her. Everyone was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the miasma that had seeped into the ground being consumed by the divine light.
“Well then, Sir Scarlet. Let’s go. I think it’s safe to leave the saint to handle the others.”
The hero took a confident step forward, and Scarlet nodded in agreement, eyeing the dead with a determined glare.
“Perhaps the fog is bringing up recollections that one would rather avoid, forcing them to confront their past. Please take care of them, Saint.”
Following behind Scarlet, the cathedral knights and common soldiers ventured into the fog.
They were rolling on the ground in a state that could only be described as pathetic, as if they hadn’t yet awakened from a nightmare. They certainly weren’t in a condition to participate in the fight.
was not in a state.
“Are you and Sir Scarlet alright, Hero?”
“…Well, if we can’t endure something like this, how can we call ourselves heroes?”
“I’m fine too, Saint.”
Ludvik adjusted his grip on the spear.
Scarlet tightened her hold on the morning star.
“Alright, let’s go, Sir Scarlet. Are you ready?”
“All set, Hero.”
Without waiting for anyone, the two of them kicked off the ground simultaneously.
With the sound of thuds as they stomped the ground, they charged at the undead.
*
—I am the reward. I will be with you until the day your goal is achieved.
Yona hesitated for a moment after hearing Kaiyak’s condition.
It wasn’t because she was unhappy with the reward.
No matter what the reward was, since Kaiyak asked for help, she would have agreed even if he said a few fairy coins.
“I can’t sleep, damn it.”
Yona sat up from her spot.
It had been a while since she lay on the floor, which had just a hint of softness, instead of a bed.
It had been such a long time since she lay on the warm ondol, and she thought she would fall asleep right away, but she didn’t.
She had accepted the request, so she decided to go back to the sanctuary in a couple of days, but now something else was troubling Yona.
‘…How can I possibly sleep?’
From the opposite room, a low snoring could be heard.
Yona, familiar with the owner of that snoring, had no intention of saying anything about it, but it was annoying that while she was deep in thought, Alex was sleeping soundly and snoring away.
‘I want to smack him on the forehead.’
She used to smack his bald head freely and joked, “Hey, baldy,” as if they were friends.
Now, she wondered if she could do that.
No, she could do it, but she wasn’t confident in treating him like a friend.
‘Why did you have to confess… you jerk.’
Though she called him a jerk, it wasn’t said with genuine malice.
Yona knew better who the real jerk was.
Carefully, without making a sound, Yona opened the door and stepped outside.
As she opened the heavy door that was wrapped in thick paper resembling a tombstone, the chill of the air welcomed her first.
Since she couldn’t fall asleep, she thought of taking a walk.
The interior of Lizardden was safe anyway, so a little stroll wouldn’t hurt.
However, as soon as she stepped out, the cold made her rethink that idea.
Giving up on the walk, Yona sat down on the wooden platform.
Sitting on the platform that separated her room from Alex’s, she could see the bright full moon very well.
‘Purpose…’
Yona murmured Kaiyak’s words again in her mind.
He said, until you fulfill your purpose, but what exactly that purpose was made her hesitate.
What is the purpose?
If it were just a few days ago, Yona would have answered without any hesitation.
Returning to being a man.
That was the mission, and once achieved, she would look for a way back to her original world, Yona could have answered immediately.
But now, things had changed a bit.
She could provide an answer, but the difference was that it wasn’t coming out as a quick reply.
Alex’s confession was the reason.
In the three years Yona had spent so far, two years and seven months of that time, compared to her entire life, it might not seem long, but when considering the depth of those years, was there anyone she had been closer to than Alex?
Her parents, whom she had never seen since birth, or the daycare teachers who barely paid her any attention.
Thinking of everyone she had ever interacted with, there was no one who had been as intimately close to her as Alex.
That confession from Alex, saying he loved her, made her ponder to this extent.
That phrase “I love you,” something she had only seen in song lyrics, dramas, webtoons, and web novels was now directed at her.
Her world crumbled, and now she had to rebuild it brick by brick starting from the foundation.
Yona was lost in thought.
Why exactly was that confession making her so uneasy?
That confession from Alex, a man, which should feel grotesque, why was it filling her mind and becoming something she couldn’t ignore?
Yona couldn’t understand.
And so, unable to sleep, Yona continued to ponder over and over again.
Her purpose, the singular purpose it should be.
In this reality, where she couldn’t confidently say that the purpose remained unchanged, Yona was tormented and tormented again.
“What’s up, didn’t you sleep?”
Seeing Yona leaning against the pillar of the veranda with her head down, Alex’s eyes widened.
An adventurer’s stamina was impressive, so not sleeping well for a day or two wasn’t a big deal, but Yona looked far from normal—her eyes were just so sunken.
“Uh, uh…”
The person in question, Yona, quickly averted her gaze as soon as she saw Alex, her voice becoming small and wishy-washy.
“Is something wrong?”
“…I don’t know, you bald brat.”
She felt annoyed just looking at Alex.
Here she was, barely getting enough sleep at night, and he, snoozing away with his nose making all sorts of noise, asking if something was wrong—
Yona spoke with an involuntary mix of irritation, stepped down from the veranda, and slipped on the shoes that were resting on a stone step.
She spoke in a voice laced with annoyance as she stepped down from the high wooden porch and put on the shoes resting on the stone step.
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business, you jerk.”
Yona strutted out of the house with her lips curled, her jaw jutting out like four or five inches.
The sun had risen now, casting light that warmed the ground just right—perfect timing for Yona to explore the neighborhood.
The more she looked around, the more familiar this place felt to her.
There were houses made of hay and others built with stacked stones, using a mixture of straw and mud to fill in the gaps—like a rural neighborhood’s episode of architectural improvisation.
Narrow paths wound between those walls, with wildflowers blooming at the edges, reminiscent of strolling through a traditional Korean village.
“Hero Siwoo… Was he Korean or something?”
Even muttering this wouldn’t lead to any conclusions.
There wouldn’t be records of Siwoo’s nationality, and he definitely wasn’t mentioned during cathedral education classes.
It was just vague speculation at that point.
In the village, little Lizardmen were scurrying around.
At first glance, they seemed like shrunken versions of Kaiyak, a bit creepy, but after watching them, they had their own cuteness going on.
With their squat bodies and equally stubby tails, those little Lizardmen dashed around the town on feet no bigger than Yona’s palm.
Thinking about how they would grow up to become like Kaiyak was kind of fascinating.
“I wonder if Rubina is doing alright.”
Rubina, who she had left at the orphanage in the Church Region.
She was probably doing just fine.
Yona had promised to visit, but she hoped Rubina wouldn’t cry about missing her sister.
As Yona wandered around the village, she checked out this and that.
The Lizardmen smiled and greeted her every time, and Yona awkwardly nodded back with a smile.
They said Yona had saved their lives, so she wasn’t just any visitor; she was treated like royalty.
“It’s peaceful, really peaceful.”
Yona chuckled and looked around.
Then suddenly, she felt a deep warmth surging from within her belly.
It was a vague feeling of tingling all over—
This sensation was something she recognized.
The time when Alex had his hands all over her chest.
It was ticklish, a warm bloom of heat making her breath ragged, a wanton moan nearly escaping her lips.
【It feels like kin has arrived.】
As Vervaria’s voice whispered in her ear, a deafening roar echoed, as if the very earth was shaking.
In the distance, she noticed something black stirring in the woods.
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