There was a unique charm in taking a bath in the early dawn just before sunrise.
The mansion of the noble who introduced herself as Ceres was indeed as large as its name suggested, having enough rooms to give each member of Yona’s group their own.
Moreover, each room was equipped with a bathing area, complete with a hot water tub and a transparent screen that allowed a clear view of the sky above.
‘Could it be glass?’
Since arriving in this era, I hadn’t seen glass except in the Cathedral.
I thought for a moment it might actually be glass, but soon enough, that curiosity faded away.
Rubina, blinking as if she was sleepy, clung to Yona like a shadow, not wanting to leave her side even for a second.
Even now, as she submerged in the tub, she was still snuggled up close, suggesting the shock was quite significant.
“Hey, Sis, what’s up with this arm…?”
Rubina’s hand brushed against Yona’s right arm.
For a brief moment, I wondered if the sensation would transfer to Rubina, but if it were going to happen, it would’ve happened ages ago.
“…I just had a bit of a rough time, that’s all.”
Yona mumbled that nonchalantly.
“I see….”
Whether she accepted it or not, Rubina stopped probing further.
“Rubina, aren’t you sleepy?”
“A little.”
But that didn’t seem quite right.
With sleepiness clearly hanging around her eyes, Rubina didn’t look like she was just a little tired.
Today had been incredibly long, and the horrifying events that had befallen Rubina would’ve been hard for even an adult to handle, yet she remained stoic.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Yona figured it was probably not a good sign.
After drying off the sleeping Rubina, marveling at the towel’s fluffy texture, Yona laid her on the bed and returned to the tub.
She wanted to soak in the tub a bit longer, after all.
Then suddenly, a memory popped into her mind.
– How dare you put your hands where they don’t belong…!
Alex, raising a dagger, was rushing at a noble, ready to smack him.
As she rubbed her abdomen, still feeling a twinge of pain, the memory came flooding back.
Lying down, she felt a chilling fear approach her despite not being able to show it.
An unyielding violence.
She was powerless against that kind of brutality, unable to respond.
Yet, Alex charged in, unhesitatingly crushing that man with even more violence.
How dare anyone lay a finger on her, he bellowed, mercilessly giving back much worse than what was inflicted on Yona.
Had Yona not intervened…
Had the sound of Vervaria’s resurrection not echoed in that moment…
Alex surely would have killed that man.
– You bastard—!
Kya—!
With a roar, Alex picked up the man and tossed him onto the altar like a crumpled piece of paper.
It’s been nearly three years since I started hanging out with Alex.
I knew his strength was extraordinary, but I never expected he could just pick someone up and throw them like that.
‘…Did Alex do that to protect me?’
Well, of course. We’re partners.
Still, it was kinda cool. I have to admit that.
So maybe I should tone down the teasing about him being strict a bit—Yona thought.
*
“Looks like Yona is taking a shower?”
“I guess so. It’s definitely taking a while. Plus, there’s Rubina here. Or maybe she’s just sleeping.”
“Then should we discuss things amongst ourselves for now?”
“Sounds good. We can just relay our opinions to Yona later.”
Alex, Kaiyak, and James were sitting together in a circle.
They had checked Yona’s room, but no response to their knock meant she was either still washing up or sleeping.
“First off, we need to decide on two things.”
“One being what that noblewoman Ceres mentioned earlier, and the other being Rubina. Is that right?”
James confirmed, and Kaiyak nodded.
While munching on a painfully late dinner, Ceres’s words didn’t seem problematic from an adventurer’s perspective.
There was the Infura Church Region on the way to the Mage Community in the Duchy of Kapatia.
It was a route they had to take anyway, and the compensation was massive.
The rewards given to adventurers included the preparation costs.
Food, lodging, and all costs incurred during the journey were included in that reward, so they had to cut down on those expenses to come out ahead in the end.
Given those circumstances, Ceres’s proposal was shockingly generous.
But there was no room for doubt; the achievements of Yona and her party in defeating that great demon were truly remarkable. Had they stalled any longer, an unimaginable disaster could have unfolded.
They had managed to hold on long enough to save a building from destruction and the lives of several guards, making it a low-cost endeavor.
So, they thought it was only natural for them to make such a proposal after showing off their capabilities.
“I see no room for discussion here. We have to accept this. Plus, isn’t the hero and saint accompanying us? That makes it a no-brainer. And with a daily wage of two gold coins, it’s at least two weeks to Infura. That’s twenty-eight gold coins.”
Unusually, Kaiyak was quite excited.
In fact, Alex and James seemed calmer by comparison.
“True enough. When I go back home, I want to return with my hands full. I can’t face anyone if I come back empty-handed.”
James chuckled amiably.
Alex had no objections either.
Turning down such an offer would be foolish.
“Then I’ll talk to Yona about this. I’m worried that Yona seems to dislike the hero and the saint a bit, but if it’s thirty gold coins…”
“That’s twenty-eight, isn’t it?”
“If not, I’ll just take two coins off my share.”
“Well, Alex, whether it’s your money or Yona’s, we’re all using it together anyway.”
“Not yet, anyway.”
Thus, without any objections, the first agenda item was agreed upon, leaving only Yona’s consent.
“Now, about Rubina…”
As soon as James opened his mouth, silence fell over them.
They all knew what to say, but no one wanted to bring it up.
“…I think it might be better to take her at least to Infura.”
“Unexpected, Kaiyak. I thought you’d be the first to suggest leaving her behind.”
At Alex’s words, Kaiyak scratched his nose.
He seemed a bit embarrassed—Alex couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at that.
“Word travels fast, you know. There are rumors that Rubina was sacrificed, and such talk spreads quickly even in a big city.”
“True. News spreads like wildfire among kids, and since this place is essentially an orphanage with no guardians, it’s even more so.”
James was also against leaving Rubina behind.
How many days would it take for the rumor that Rubina had been offered as a sacrificial item for summoning demons and had barely been saved to circulate around Kapatia Port?
I’d bet three days would be enough. After those three days, when the rumors spread, how would Rubina handle the malicious intents aimed at her with no guardian at all?
“What would change if we took her to Infura?”
Alex slightly opposed the idea.
“Since a noble called Ceres is here, can’t we ask her to act as a guardian for Rubina?”
“No, that’s not a good idea. Even if a noble becomes a guardian, they wouldn’t really care anyway. Furthermore…”
He thought to himself that he didn’t need to say the woman seemed strange.
It was just a feeling after all, and without any evidence, it was better not to say unnecessary things, Kaiyak decided.
“If we take her to Infura and say she’s a potential sacrifice for demon resurrection, they’ll protect her with all they have. It’s practically a certification that she’s a descendant of divine beings. Maybe it’s not true here, but Infura would definitely be much safer than this place that’s already been breached by cultists.”
“That’s quite persuasive.”
“That makes sense.”
“I thought you were just a lizard, turns out you’re a knowledgeable one…”
“I’d say my intelligence is probably higher than your survival skills.”
Damn.
Alex wanted to smack the grinning Kaiyak.
Of course, if he did, he’d probably end up with his head slammed against the floor, so he had to hold back.
“Anyway, so we’ve decided to take her to Infura, right?”
“Looks like that’s the case.”
“Then I’ll let Yona know like that.”
Alex stood up, organizing everything he had heard in his head.
He was starting to feel a bit drowsy and thought of stopping by Yona one more time before catching some shut-eye.
“By the way, when are you going to confess to Yona?”
“Confess? What are you talking about? We’re not that kind of relationship. If Yona hears this, she’ll go ballistic.”
“Ugh. If you keep waiting like that, she’ll be snatched away. Just have a duel for the chance to marry her or something. Or are you afraid you’ll lose to her?”
“Of course not!”
Alex snapped back angrily.
“Everyone around you already knows, so what’s with the drawn-out drama? Must be because you’re human, huh?”
“…Ugh, whatever. Let’s just drop it. Everyone go back to your rooms. I’m heading to Yona’s for one last visit before I sleep.”
“Got it. Well, good luck then.”
Leaving Alex behind, Kaiyak and James chuckled as they returned to their room. Alone in the room, Alex scratched his head.
“…What am I even afraid of? Tch.”
*
Yona stepped out of the bath, roughly dried off, and returned to her room with a towel on her head.
She must have been really tired; Rubina was dozing lightly, even lightly snoring, and Yona paused to look at her friend’s face before sitting down on a chair in front of the vanity.
The mirror was big enough to reflect her entire upper body.
Her hair was long and a pain to dry every time she washed it, and her dull golden eyes were far from sparkling.
‘I’m pretty, I guess.’
Every time she caught a glimpse of the beauty in the mirror, she felt a bit surprised.
Honestly, everyone who saw her praised her as a beauty, and it wasn’t hard to see why.
Moreover, her bust was so generous that in Evian, she had been asked to wear looser clothing because her nun outfit was considered too revealing. Of course, she refused.
“…Tch.”
Anyway, this body would be gone soon enough.
She was still aware that she was a man inside; what good was having a female body?
Clicking her tongue, Yona stood up from the chair and started rummaging through her backpack for some underwear.
– Knock knock.
“Who’s there?”
– It’s me, Alex.
“Are you not sleeping?”
– I have something to discuss, can I come in?
“Something to talk about at this hour…? Fine, come in.”
As the door opened, Alex stepped inside.
Alex seemed to have washed up too since his shiny head stood out today. And then as their eyes met, Alex’s pupils enlarged dramatically—
At that moment, Yona realized she was completely naked.
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