If there’s someone who’s been chattering away non-stop for days and suddenly goes mute, it’s bound to feel strange.
That’s exactly what was happening with Priest Vigrind right now.
The hero, Ludvik, who was walking next to her, was that kind of person.
You’d think he might just float to the surface like a bobbing head in water.
He was so talkative and seemed so lighthearted, always babbling away, that even on the boat to the Duchy of Kapatia, Vigrind almost lost her mind.
Yet, there were moments when he could be serious, and when needed, he could be quite bold, which made him not entirely strange.
To Vigrind, Ludvik was that kind of person.
“Hero.”
“Yes, Saint.”
Even out here searching for Cemetery Village Semek together, Ludvik was oddly quiet.
And so, Vigrind fell silent too.
With her nearly nonexistent experience in romantic matters, having spent so much time alone with Ludvik made it all the more awkward for her.
“Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? There’s nothing wrong.”
Ludvik flashed his usual smile at Vigrind.
But that smile didn’t seem quite right.
Ludvik was usually the type to bring a refreshing sense of joy to anyone who saw that wide grin of his, but this time, his smile felt overshadowed.
So when he said nothing was wrong, it was hard for her to believe.
The night was bathed in a bright moonlight.
Even though the village looked eerie and lifeless, just standing there under the moonlight gave off a certain charm.
Especially with a man and woman walking side by side, it added to the ambiance.
Once Vigrind fell silent, the only sound was the soft crunching of their steps.
As they strolled along a path that was more like a well-trodden trail than a proper road, the two of them exchanged no words.
“Hero, you mentioned something before.”
It was Vigrind who could no longer bear the silence.
Without even realizing what she was saying, she decided to break the ice.
“Yes?”
Ludvik adjusted his grip on the spear he was carrying instead of a lamp and replied.
His voice seemed a bit… off, lacking energy.
“You and I, that is to say—Saints and heroes should be the closest of companions.”
“The Saint is the one you should be closest to,”
“Yes, that was true.”
With a ‘sabak’ sound, Priest Vigrind came to a halt.
As a result, Ludvik also stopped.
“Then, please tell me. What is the Hero pondering so deeply? I should know as well, shouldn’t I?”
Ludvik silently gazed at Vigrind.
Vigrind stood still, facing Ludvik.
A chilly wind blew in, ruffling Vigrind’s veil as it passed.
“…Your veil is disheveled.”
Ludvik stepped closer and fixed Vigrind’s veil.
The veil, which had been tilted awkwardly, was adjusted by Ludvik’s hands, and in the clear view that emerged, Ludvik quietly looked down at her.
“Saint.”
“Yes, Hero.”
“To be honest, I’m a coward.”
“…Pardon?”
Vigrind’s eyes widened as Ludvik straightened up.
Until now, he had always thrown himself into battle, disregarding his own safety against demons from Kapatia—and even before that, when he faced demons in Evian.
Hearing him call himself a coward was something Vigrind could hardly comprehend.
“Simply put, I’m really fearful. But just because I’m fearful doesn’t mean my strength is weak.”
Ludvik grinned at the wide-eyed Vigrind, who looked as surprised as a startled rabbit.
Although saying you’re scared yet strong sounds contradictory, it’s not entirely nonsensical.
“I hate getting hurt because I’m scared, and I absolutely despise dying. So, I hide my fear behind light words and frivolous actions. If I give off the impression of being a lecher who likes women, then adding a weakness like being a coward doesn’t really matter. After all, I’m already seen as a lighthearted, flippant guy—so being a coward isn’t surprising at all. Acting like that was actually more comfortable for me.”
“I-I see.”
“But even a coward like me could soar with the strong support of the Saint behind me. That’s why I could suppress my fear and leap into action. And now that the Saint is with me, there’s really no need for such theatrics anymore. However, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still me. I’m Ludvik the Hero receiving help from the Saint, but human Ludvik remains unchanged.”
“That’s not true. I’m the hero Ludvik, who receives the help of the Saint; after all, human Ludvik doesn’t change.”
Ludvik’s face was dark as he said this.
He had claimed that nothing was wrong, but once he started talking, a flood of pent-up feelings burst out.
However—
To Priest Vigrind, it didn’t quite resonate.
She was keenly aware of her own shortcomings and had felt an endless sense of self-loathing while courageously facing the dead.
What could she possibly say to Ludvik, who spoke as if confessing his faith, attributing everything to her?
“Shall we keep walking? I worry that my words might cause the Saint to lose the trail.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t miss the presence of demons.”
As the one tasked with the heavy responsibility of being a Saint, she would never miss a demon’s trace.
Even if she fell into a deep sleep, she would undoubtedly awaken if demons were nearby.
“Is that so? Well, anyway, that’s how it is. But recently, while facing the wave of the dead… I came to realize something further.”
“What do you mean?”
“Human Ludvik is just an insignificant being. It’s only when I become Hero Ludvik that I’m somewhat useful, yet I’m still far from that.”
Spinning his spear around, Ludvik glanced around.
Every time the spear twirled, a holy light flickered around.
The trees and bushes merely cast long shadows in that light, showing no signs of movement.
“What do you mean you’re still far from being a hero? Isn’t it rather I who is lacking?”
“What kind of joke is that?”
Ludvik chuckled softly.
“You, Saint, are truly remarkable. You’ve supported me flawlessly and have shown the true might of your title.”
The smile slowly faded from Ludvik’s face.
In its place was an incomprehensible darkness.
“I have only rampaged with the power of the Saint. I am still far from enough; I need to take down all the demons. Without you, I’m just a clueless, rank-holding adventurer. I haven’t escaped that yet. A rank-holding adventurer, and only when I carry the title of hero am I deemed useful.”
“It’s just that. I still haven’t escaped from that place. I have to carry the title of a Gold-level adventurer and a hero to be considered useful.”
Priest Vigrind fidgeted with her lips several times but ultimately couldn’t find the words.
As someone who wasn’t a warrior and had so little experience standing on the life-and-death battlefield, she didn’t know what to say.
She wasn’t even sure if this was a situation where she should offer comfort, but she also didn’t know if it was right to remain silent.
Meanwhile, Ludvik continued speaking.
“A Gold-level adventurer, and on top of that, the essence of a coward. I haven’t been able to break free from these two things. Even when I thought, ‘Hey, I’ve gotten stronger,’ it was actually because the Saint was there, not because I became strong on my own. Realizing that makes me feel like I’m still so far behind. Yes, that has been my dilemma.”
Ah, that feels refreshing—Ludvik said, while Priest Vigrind pondered over what to say.
She knew that becoming a Gold-level adventurer wasn’t something easily achieved.
Yona struggled for so long and only managed to reach the Copper rank. Considering they weren’t that far apart in age, there was no way Gold and Copper could be on the same level.
Seeing such a high-ranking man express that he still felt far from that level left Vigrind in deep thought about what she should say.
After much contemplation, she arrived at one possibility.
What would Yona have said?
The girl who could gather people wherever she went, what would Yona have said?
Perhaps she would have said something like this.
Priest Vigrind took a small breath.
“Let’s… be together.”
“Eh?”
Ludvik, who was looking around, turned back to her.
He waited silently as she flickered her lips, seemingly wanting to say something.
“Together, let’s get stronger. I’ll ask the goddess if there’s a chant that fixes cowards…”
“A chant that fixes cowards?”
Ludvik looked like he was about to burst out laughing but didn’t.
Priest Vigrind’s face turned bright red, and it was clear that her words were a brave squeeze of courage.
“I really hope there is such a thing.”
The way her ears turned red was pretty adorable.
Ludvik smiled wide enough to feel refreshing.
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