NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48
The heart of one who wishes to serve the goddess who created this world as a member of the Church.
The heart of one who wishes to protect those living in this world as a member of the Hero party.
Also, as one who loves the Hero, the heart that wishes to give everything for him.
Ariya.
She is the Saint.
.
.
.
The morning in the Mine City of Lakr begins at dawn.
But there is one who wakes up and moves even earlier than the city itself—Saint Ariya.
“Oh goddess…”
Her day begins with the daily morning prayer at the same time every day.
Once the prayer is over, she passes through the employees of Marquis Lakr, who have just begun their work, and fetches water.
“Saint! I’ll carry that.”
“No, this is my practice. I appreciate your heart, though.”
“Ah…”
After refreshing herself, she gets dressed and heads towards the city’s church.
“Saint! Saint!”
“Oh my, why are you up so early?”
“I wanted to see you!”
“Ah~. Thank you. But good children should sleep more. It’s still too early.”
“Hahm… I’m not sleepy!”
On her way to the church, she greets everyone, both young and old.
If she encounters someone who has been ill overnight or injured, she includes them in her schedule to provide treatment.
“Priest.”
“Saint! You’ve arrived! Ah, I apologize, I’m behind on my work…!”
“I’ll help. Shall I start with this?”
“No! I’ll do it, so you…”
“Working together is faster. Please let me help.”
As they handle the church’s various duties together, dawn breaks and the sky brightens.
That’s when Ariya’s true work begins.
“Saint! Could you please pray for my child just once?”
“What’s your child’s name?”
“Lastel!”
“Lastel… I pray to the goddess that your path unfolds brilliantly…”
“Ah…”
Those who seek out priests because they are in pain or distress.
Or those who come looking for the Saint to pray for their future and luck.
Whenever the Saint visits a town or village, she welcomes all of them.
Although not everyone treated Ariya with kindness and politeness, she has never been hurt encountering people.
There were more who covered her wounds with greater joy than those who inflicted them, so she never gave up this work.
“Saint! We’ve finished the morning examinations.”
“Then it’s prayer time. Could you prepare a spot in the church’s front yard? More people will hear it there than inside.”
“Understood.”
As the unique clattering sounds of the Mine City play as a backdrop, the priests finish their prayer preparations while lightly handling the rosary.
“Everyone, let us pray.”
Following this, they pray together with hundreds of citizens.
After about four rounds of this, the afternoon duties come to an end.
Before joining the Hero party, she still had evening duties and dawn tasks, but she reduced them as much as possible for the sake of being thorough every day.
Instead, she takes on the role of helping other party members train, managing the Hero party’s plans and supplies.
“Ariya, did you wait long?”
“Oh, no! I just came out too!”
And today, she set out with the Hero Aswel to carry out a request entrusted to the mage, who is also a party member.
*
‘Ugh…’
Thinking about it, it wasn’t often the two of them found themselves alone together.
The first time, when the party set out on their journey, it was only the two of them until Serelin joined.
But at that time, they were receiving a lot of help from the church and adventurer’s guild, so outside of the time spent on requests and going back to the lodgings, they couldn’t stay together.
And now, an opportunity had arisen.
‘How… my heart is racing.’
Of course, it was for work this time as well, but still, Ariya didn’t mind.
Just looking at the Hero made her happy.
However, she couldn’t afford to be lost in thought about him every moment.
While on requests and in battles, she pushed her emotions aside and focused on completing her tasks with diligence.
And after finishing all the requests, when she entered her tent or the room provided by the mage to rest, she would stomp her feet in excitement.
“Shall we start with the southern urban area?”
“S-sure!”
Huff.
Ariya took a small breath, unnoticed by Aswel, and steadied her heart.
No matter how much it was a date, in the end, it was still about saving someone.
So she had to keep her focus…
‘…A date?!’
If it’s a date, then it’s something else!
Wandering around a new city in the company of the man she likes, chatting with people here and there.
What else could that be called but a city date?
‘O-oh no, I hope my outfit isn’t weird…?’
Though all she had was the priest’s garb tailored for her role as a Saint, the designs and forms were all different.
And today, she wore her favorite outfit among several.
“First of all, to accomplish the request that Rui mentioned as quickly as possible, we need a spacious place…”
‘…He doesn’t seem to notice.’
But even that was part of Aswel’s charm, she thought.
“Hero, since I brought it up while praying at the church earlier, let’s focus on the blacksmith and miners who couldn’t join the prayer…”
The two of them mapped their plans together, looking at a map that marked the districts of Lakr.
With the help of the adventurer’s guild and the church, there weren’t many places they themselves needed to check.
So watching how the plans took shape, they felt almost as if they were moving as if they were on a date.
With the feeling of being together with someone she loved and the hope that a patient could recover, a smile graced Ariya’s lips.
“Ariya, speaking of which, have you met Marquis Lakr?”
“Uh? No… I couldn’t meet him today because I came out early.”
“The Marquis said he wanted to express his gratitude to you. So when we go to the mansion today, he will likely call for you.”
“What? But I haven’t done anything.”
That’s right.
Ultimately, the most important role in this plan fell to Ariya, not the white-haired mage companion.
Without her help, it would just have been an empty hope, as Serelin worried.
“I’ve already expressed my thanks to Rui. I can still picture Rui’s face looking surprised when the Marquis bowed down to him before leaving the mansion.”
Aswel’s light chuckle accompanied those words.
Thump.
Seeing that smile, Ariya couldn’t hold back her racing heart.
‘What a wonderful person…’
Even with the immense mission of serving humanity and the world, he remained so upright and just.
Suddenly, Ariya recalled the day she first saw Aswel.
[Hello, Saint.]
[Hello…? But you shouldn’t be here…]
[Ah! I’m sorry! I just finished training and got carried away…]
[Ahaha. It’s common for newcomers to be confused around here.]
[…Umm, I’m not being punished by the goddess or the saint, right? That shouldn’t happen…]
[The goddess doesn’t get angry about things like this. Neither do I.]
[Thank goodness. Ah, I should go now; my mentor is waiting… Saint!]
[Hehe, may I know your name?]
[Aswel!]
It was the next day when she realized that name belonged to the Hero during a meeting with the Pope.
He was already a good-looking man, but the moment she realized he was the Hero, it was as if she had fallen into a swamp.
That is to say, the swamp of love.
*
The two of them wrapped up their tasks as the sun began to set.
“Haah…”
“You’ve worked hard, Hero.”
“You’ve worked harder, Ariya.”
“Then let’s say we both worked hard. But you seem more fatigued than usual today.”
“Is that so…? I just came back from two extermination requests in nearby villages this morning.”
“Umm…? The closest villages are at least an hour away by horse, you know?”
“Haha…”
“I should treat Tempest to some good feed…”
Looking truly tired today, Aswel rubbed his eyes.
Seeing Aswel like that, Ariya sensed that now was the time.
“Hero.”
“Yes…?”
“Shall we take a short break over there?”
Ariya pointed to a small open area on a slight hill.
It looked well-maintained, with a nicely trimmed lawn and a long bench.
It appeared sufficient for one person to lie down.
“I think I can hold out until the mansion.”
“If you collapse, I’ll have to carry you, you know?”
Though it felt a bit forced, Aswel couldn’t think straight under the drowsiness that was overwhelming him.
And so, he was led by Ariya towards the open area, where he lay down, basking in the warm glow of the sunset.
“Just a little bit to…”
In an instant, the Hero fell asleep.
Confirming he was asleep by waving her hand above him, Ariya approached and sat beside him, suppressing her racing heart as best as she could.
Gingerly, like lifting a child, she rested Aswel’s head on her thigh.
Perhaps feeling much more comfortable, Aswel shifted around in search of the optimal position.
“Eek…!”
To stifle the tickling sensation caused by Aswel’s head, Ariya had no choice but to cover her mouth.
After a brief moment of ticklish torture passed, the Hero’s body settled down.
“….”
Ariya lowered her head and gazed quietly at Aswel, sleeping on her lap.
This was the first time she had looked at his face like this for such a prolonged period.
This moment gifted to her by him.
To be honest, a part of her wished it would never end.
But…
‘That can’t happen.’
She was the Saint, and he was the Hero.
Moreover, many others desired him.
Immediately, Serelin and Rapirie were among them, and the freshly joined Niabella also showed interest in him.
Serelin and Rapirie, who received her help, were steadily nurturing their relationships with Aswel, while Niabella, too, was making efforts to get closer to him alone.
Yet there was one person who wouldn’t push it forward on her own.
Moments later, Aswel slowly opened his eyes.
“Ah, sorry. I was too sleepy… huh?”
“You’re awake?”
“Wait… what’s going on here…?”
Had he realized he was using her lap as a pillow? Aswel’s face quickly flushed with embarrassment.
To be honest, Ariya felt like she could die of embarrassment too, but the words of the one who had helped her came to mind.
[You must not panic. You should rather calm the Hero who might be surprised by this unexpected situation.]
“You looked uncomfortable, so I thought… um, did you hate it?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that I hated it… But… sorry.”
Aswel turned his head, apologizing. His face flushed even redder, and as she wondered why, she suddenly realized that only half of his face was visible because of her chest.
“….Ah.”
Just like that, it was because of her chest.
Instantly, embarrassment washed over her, but still, Ariya didn’t back down.
It wasn’t because she was told to hang in there.
Because there was one thing she absolutely had to ask.
“Hero.”
Did he share the same feelings as ‘us’?
This was a thought that had crossed her mind for some time. It dated back to when she first joined the party and saw him riding alongside her.
However, she denied those feelings and faced much during this time.
Seeing her deny it time and again, Ariya now found herself curious about ‘his’ feelings.
So, for her own sake, for him, for herself, and for the party, she took this moment to pose a question to Aswel.
“….Huh?”
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“Could we sit up to talk? This is a bit… awkward.”
“What do you think of Rui?”
A question that could perhaps alter the course of the Hero party’s future.