The winter of the Northern Continent was cold, and the nights by Lake Kantasia were even chillier, soaked with moisture.
A campfire provided some warmth, and lying on sleeping bags around it made it somewhat bearable, but that was only just surviving.
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?”
Yona seemed uncomfortable sleeping with her hands together, so she was sprawled out with her arms wide. Because of that, her hands stuck out of the sleeping bag, and Alex carefully tucked them back inside.
But it was only a moment before they popped back out with a bounce, as if rebelling against confinement.
“Ah.”
Well, that made sense.
Alex understood.
Still, with her hands outside the sleeping bag, they would get cold, so he adjusted Yona into a more military position and shoved her hands back in.
For a moment it seemed to work, but soon Yona made a groaning sound, turned sideways, and extended her arms again.
Having a large chest can be a hassle, he thought.
With that in mind, Alex took out a heated stone he’d buried shallowly next to the campfire. The stone, warm as it had absorbed heat from the fire, had some sand and dirt on it, which he blew off before popping it into Yona’s sleeping bag.
Just campfire warmth alone wouldn’t cut it; putting a stone in the sleeping bag and snuggling with it like an egg would keep them warm enough.
Sure enough, shortly after he placed the stone, Yona pulled her hand back into the sleeping bag and curled up.
“That should do it.”
Alex thought as he opened the lid of the mess tin suspended over the fire and stirred the stew inside. He had to keep the leftovers from sticking to the bottom; otherwise, he’d end up struggling with the cleanup in the morning.
Pouring some water into the now-thick stew, he closed the lid again.
Setting the ladle next to the mess tin, he sat back down next to the campfire and scanned the surroundings.
The bushes swayed with the wind, creating waves in the foliage.
The night breeze was sharp with cold, and each time it blew, it seemed to slip between the joints of his armor, stinging like a knife.
Alex tossed more firewood onto the flames.
The fire blazed up brightly, scattering embers that vanished into the darkness.
“Church Region…”
He figured they were bound for the Church Region.
Alex thought about how he really didn’t want to go there.
Even last time he had gone to the Church Region, no one recognized him, but he suspected the Pope wouldn’t be so oblivious.
Nobody recognized him, but the Pope probably would not be among them.
When the golden seal was placed on him, wasn’t that person Pope Akzel IV?
Thanks to that golden seal, all his hair had fallen out, but it was impossible that Pope Akzel IV would not recognize Alex.
“I must lift the seal. I have to do it.”
Alex clenched his jaw tightly.
With a face as hard as his sealed lips, he rummaged through the campfire to rekindle the flames.
His resolve remained as solid as a rock, unchanged in the slightest.
He vowed to eliminate even the thought of returning to being a man, to erase any desire to be a man, regardless of whether Yona was actually a girl or not.
That firm promise Alex made was still intact.
For Yona—
Having already evaded the golden seal to forcibly extract divine power, he feared nothing.
It was for Yona, so it was okay.
In fact, it was because he was weak that he couldn’t push Vervaria away and ultimately failed to prevent her from attaching to Yona, but that only ignited Alex’s desire to lift the seal—the spark of it all.
Alex squeezed the newly crafted gloves he received at the Mage Tower.
Compared to the equipment he got as the youngest cathedral knight, which was famed for its might, this gear was far inferior and shabby, but it was still serviceable.
“I have to get stronger.”
Alex muttered aloud.
No matter what comes, he must stand firm before Yona and protect her, and that was the only way.
As he was known during his cathedral knight days for his impenetrable shield techniques, he’d managed to stick with Yona until now, but from here on, that wouldn’t be enough.
“I have to get stronger.”
He murmured again.
Deep within his lower abdomen, pure divine energy was curled up, but it wasn’t circulating at all.
The golden seal surrounding the area where the divine energy dwelt prevented any circulation.
Even the slightest attempt to move it brought excruciating pain, so he had never dared to try, but now was the time to break that curse.
Alex’s blurry gaze turned toward the dawn breaking in the distance.
He should have been switching watch with Yona, but as he looked down at her sleeping face, he lost track of time.
For hours, he stared at her fair face.
Peering for hours.
Just staring quietly, letting time slip by, and eventually, dawn arrives.
Alex added more firewood to the campfire and opened the lid of the stew pot.
A warm, reddish broth of stew was bubbling up from the pot, releasing steam.
Now it was time to prepare to leave.
Alex looked again at Yona’s sleeping face and caressed her cheek.
After feeling the softness of her skin several times, he finally tapped her cheek gently.
“Yona, wake up. It’s morning.”
“Uh, um… yeah…”
Still looking groggy, Yona seemed to have a hard time waking up.
After responding, it took multiple difficult attempts to lift her eyelids, and eventually, her golden eyes slowly revealed themselves.
Her still sleepy and dazed eyes met Alex’s gaze, and then she smiled.
“Allexxx… did you sleep well…?”
For a moment, Alex lost his words.
It wasn’t just about asking if he slept well; the way she called his name and smiled while still half-asleep shook his heart.
“Get up, you crazy person.”
“What are you talking about… Why are you starting a fight so early in the morning…”
Claiming she used to be a man while doing this kind of thing, who would believe that?
You’re just a confirmed lunatic.
Alex protested in his mind.
It was definitely something he couldn’t say in front of her.
*
“Welcome.”
Finally, rumors spread that the hero and the saint had arrived in Evian, and it became a reality when the carriage showcased its grandeur across Evia’s square just yesterday.
Mary awkwardly smiled as she saw Ludvik open the door to the Adventurer’s Guild.
She felt the same seeing the saint, Priest Vigrind, following closely behind him.
The two, a hero and a saint, were utterly out of place in such a shabby building.
Yet, there must be a good reason they came to such a place.
“It’s been a while, Mary. How have you been?”
Mary silently nodded.
That person had always claimed to be a hero, but now having officially received his title, there was an unexplainable aura around him.
And it wasn’t just that; the saint, Priest Vigrind, standing next to Ludvik also emanated a similar presence.
“Let’s go upstairs. The Guild Leader is waiting for you.”
“Is that so? Then let’s do that.”
The adventurers gathered around were silent.
Though they were adventurers who would never back down from a verbal battle no matter who the opponent was, they knew the value of their own lives.
The adventurer may claim to never back down when it comes to trash-talking, but he knows the value of his own life.
It was already proven that Ludvik didn’t just become a hero out of nowhere, and on top of that, being a gold-tier adventurer means he’s a veteran who’s seen it all.
Every adventurer knew that if they carelessly tossed insults, they’d likely find a spear lodged in that arrogant mouth of theirs, so nobody dared to speak up.
Only after the figures of Ludvik and Priest Vigrind disappeared beyond the stairs to the second floor did the taut tension start to loosen a bit.
“Wow, that hero guy is no joke.”
“I told you he didn’t become a hero just like that.”
“They say he even shoved a spear into that demon’s head, right?”
“He stomped on its arm and then just went to town on it.”
“Emerson this guy talks like he saw it all firsthand. Did you see it? Did you see it, you little punk?”
“I saw it, you punk! I was right there. I saw it with my own two eyes!”
With so many witnesses, they couldn’t just dismiss it as mere rumors.
“…That gentleman is indeed our hero. So don’t go speaking carelessly.”
All the adventurers turned toward the guild entrance in unison.
Leaning against the entrance was a giant clad in silver armor, surveying them with a keen eye.
With his intimidating size and expensive-looking armor, the atmosphere quickly grew tense once again.
“W-who are you? You seem like a knight from the cathedral.”
Finally, the warrior at the central table managed to stammer out a question, and the giant in silver armor—Scarlet—glanced over at him.
“I am called Scarlet. I belong to the 13th Special Unit of the Infura Church Region. Is that enough for you?”
The adventurers had no clue what a special unit was, but Scarlet didn’t mind. Whether they understood or not was irrelevant.
They were the type who respected power, and as far as he was concerned, nobody here could possibly beat him.
“From this moment on, anyone who speaks ill of our hero and saint will not be spared. And if you’re wondering how I’ll make sure of that, let me show you.”
Scarlet brandished the mace at his side.
As soon as it was gripped in his hand, a divine aura resonated, causing sharp spikes to emerge from the head of the mace with a whoosh.
In an instant, the mace transformed into a spiked morning star, plunging the adventurers into an even deeper silence.
That’s the kind of intimidation a morning star brings.
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