Kidnapped the Saintess of the Hero Party

4 – The Way to Abandon (1)

I did not want to make them camp in an almost homeless form.

Bugs were swarming into the tent, which was spread out endlessly.

What can I do?

Camping is a necessary element.

“How about you? Do you think you can do it?”

“Uh…I think it’s alright?”

Let’s not bother asking why this is a question.

It didn’t seem as difficult as it might have appeared.

If you saw her poking the fire and smiling, it almost seemed as if she was enjoying this time.

I understand why she likes the fire. I quite like it too.

But now, after seeing it so much, it no longer sparked any excitement.

Still, when the cool breeze of a fall night whistles in my nose, it is only natural to think of barbeque at the campsite, including the fire.

Though the problem might be the occasional moth that gets stuck.

The Celtis tree used as firewood had the effect of driving off the bugs when burned.

Thankfully, we had no bugs sticking around.

Crackle.

Crackle.

Seeing Shia spending peaceful time put me in a good mood.

The pain of my past life dimmed in my memory, as if it was just a long-ago dream.

However, it never completely disappears.

Because I am faced with the memory of failing to protect Shia whenever I dream.

I remind myself each time.

‘I must definitely… in this life.’

I am determined to protect her.

But for now… it seems too peaceful. It is naturally necessary to occasionally break the tension.

Simply because it was fun to tease Shia, I disrupted the silence.

“Shia! Look at that frog!”

“Huh? Ahhh!”

“Of course not.”

After lingering for a while, Lucia stuck out her lips in a pout upon seeing my playful face.

“Miss, I was enjoying a good daydream!”

“You’re going to get sucked into the fire.”

Silence returns.

“I’m going to bed first.”

Sia didn’t reply.

She seemed to be straining to concentrate on the fire.

Soon, she’s engrossed in it, her mind absorbed.

‘It’s good to delve deep in thought.’

I’m satisfied watching her seem to enjoy her own unique time.

I wanted to disturb the flow once more, eager to see Sia’s reaction.

Somehow sensing this, Sia preemptively rebuked me.

“Hey, you said you were going to bed.”

Sia knew the exact timing when I enjoyed teasing her.

“Ah…”

‘Did I torment her too much?’

A forest where the stream bubbly babbles and insects wail.

Watching Sia’s divinity grow stronger, I drifted off to sleep with a content and serene feeling.

#

Clues to incidents often come unexpectedly.

The reason why people periodically rest.

Perhaps because rest is also an extension of work.

I had forgotten that obvious fact.

‘I’ve been running too hard.’

Perhaps it’s because of the memory of losing Sia.

I couldn’t quite afford to give myself a rest.

In my previous life, I had even managed hurried tasks that I rarely handled before. My holy power grew both in quality and quantity. I honed my magic, and trained hard to have a stronger body. Although it took quite some time, it was absolutely necessary to defeat the Demon King. Even in moments when it seemed I was resting to others, I meditated and persevered with breathing techniques and physical training during travel. In retrospect, it was the right path.

“I must have forgotten something crucial.”

Important information that was kept in my subconscious.

It came to me in the form of a dream.

#

– Lucion Belvet, I am truly fortunate to have a friend like you.

It was a dream, a dream that was vividly engraved in my memory.

Even though two years have passed since I was graced with a new life, the recollection of it remains strong. It feels like yesterday due to the intensity of the memory.

The most terrifying nightmare.

The sharp-faced Hergatan compliments me.

The bastard.

– Thanks to you, I can sleep soundly. How do you… demonstrate such impressive skills? Teach me.

In my previous life, I swept away the monsters that tried to cross the border while standing alone on the battlefield countless times.

So much so that Duke Hergatan himself came to the border, going around hailing me and the soldiers assisting me. Even before he left, he showered us with all sorts of rewards.

– How about taking a break? Your men are worried that you’re overworking yourself.

I had no plans to leave the border.

The only pleasure in my life was hearing news about Shia.

– I’m fine. I enjoy being here.

Herget expressed regret at delivering the message. On one hand, he was restless, wanting to compensate her somehow. He had been deeply moved at the time.

– I heard you’re short on manpower. Isn’t it tough? Since you’ve come all this way to me, I’ll aid in the border’s maintenance work and patrol duties using my subordinates.

– I’m… thankful.

Manpower was always in shortage. Apparently aware that I cherished my soldiers, Herget managed to gain permission by exploiting my weakness. I entrusted Herget with some of the patrol and fortification maintenance tasks at the border.

Back then, I was quite grateful. However, about a year later, a myriad of incidents occurred continuously at the border.

Because it’s an area where people seldom wander, I had no choice but to suspect Herget. The border had been problem-free all this while.

‘Still, Herget couldn’t possibly.’

A noble with a good reputation.

I rather felt the issue was with me having suspicions about him.

That’s how it was.

‘On second thought, that wasn’t everything. There were too many suspicious behaviors.’

When had the noble taken the throne?

When I try to recall, it was almost concurrent with the appearance of the Demon King news.

Moreover, the noble also had a hand in the selection of the Hero party.

He insisted that this and that person are better in certain aspects.

Thanks to the rumor of his wisdom, his opinions were actively reflected.

That’s the issue.

‘There’s a bad smell. Too much, indeed. ……Now I understand.’

He was a servant of the Demon King.

In the Kingdom, the divine power couldn’t fully exert its strength. There couldn’t be any other explanation, except the noble had tampered with it.

The noble who rapidly advanced magic and even interpreted many untranslated ancient documents, thus was called a genius of the era.

He greatly expanded foreign trade, leading us to a golden age.

A shining hero.

Herget.

The one who ultimately decided to execute Shia.

He pretended to be a comrade, but he was not. A man of dark intentions. I need to unveil his true identity. “Just catch him red-handed.” This time, I have decided to execute him.

#

I opened my eyes to the sound of birds chirping. Turning my head, I saw Shia, still asleep next to me. Her low, even breathing was irritatingly peaceful. We didn’t even enter the tent we’d pitched. As a long-time survivor of battlefields, I vaguely recognized that Shia hadn’t entered the tent while I was asleep, but I let it be. Even sleeping outside, it seemed Shia was having a good dream. My sleep was restless, but Shia’s… ‘Her mouth is stretched in a smile right up to her ears.’ I felt a bit hard done by. A pointless irritation, so I woke Shia up. It was time to get up anyway. “Shia, wake up.”

Shia scrunched her face once before opening her eyes. Her sky-blue eyes, now looking back at me, were still drowsy. “Uuuhh.” The cute sound coming from Lucia. She’s always been weak in the morning. But by now, she gets up quite well. In the past, she was so deeply asleep in the morning that even if I drummed her ears she wouldn’t wake up, so training her to wake up in the morning was a bit of a hassle. But thanks to waking her up continuously for 2 years, she can now seize the most important time for a priest, the dawn. The time when divine power is most efficiently absorbed by the body. With a satisfied smile, I gazed tenderly at Shia.

Whenever Shia saw my smile, she would make a sickened expression. However, today – she showed a slightly different expression.

‘Must have had a really pleasant dream.’

It was troubling.

Her smile would soon fade from her face.

Because today’s training would be as harsh as the reality we would have to live from now on.

In the orphanage, the children usually become servants for the nobility or laborers in the big city. Most choose the former for a comfortable life. This is partly because it’s hard to take responsibility for their own lives and partly because the tasks assigned to servants of each family are quite important tasks that can be performed with pride.

Moreover, in these households, they get to marry, get clothes, and live in good places like mansions. From the perspective of the orphan, there’s no reason to refuse becoming a servant.

Rumors occasionally circulate, but these are truly exceptional cases. Usually, life serving the master is prosperous. Hence, other children in the orphanage could not understand when they said they were heading to the big city.

Shion didn’t care about the opinions of these people, since they had nothing to do with his life. It’s just that the path of living one’s own life is difficult.

Shia and Shion chose freedom over becoming servants, and had to take responsibility for their lives from now on. Mostly, it was a matter of livelihood.

‘In fact, at that time, I thought if I became a clergyman, I would live a comfortable and rewarding life.’

That was the perception until the demon king appeared.

As long as the demon king exists, it transforms into a grueling profession where you must risk your life.

“The Devil King is the first job to kill. Of course, if the Devil King had no intention of attacking humans, Zion would not have even considered subduing the Devil King. Why risk your life to fight for nothing? However, it couldn’t be helped. Shia will again be selected as the saint. Now that their lives are on the line, they had no choice but to fight. Thus, Lucion prioritized defeating the Devil King above all else. It had to be killed, no matter when. They had to act quickly if they wanted freedom sooner. ‘The problem is not the Devil King right now.’ The present was a time when they had to worry more about being caught by people than being captured by the Devil King. This was also the reason for deciding to camp. Freedom of action. There are many restrictions if you go to the city. You will definitely stand out. It didn’t matter for Zion because he’s a man, but Shia was noticeably beautiful. Moreover, she possessed a lot of holy power. If rich aristocrats, powerholders, and high priests notice her, she can never live an ordinary life. Zion could deal with Shia daily like a friend, but to achieve all their goals, they must not only conquer the Devil King but avoid attracting the attention of those in power to Shia. Still, they had to visit the village. They needed to buy equipment and needed support. The hero’s party is not a small party of four. The number of support parties was in the tens. Even though the two of them might be able to fight, going to a place that takes six months to walk to would be suicidal. Moreover, from halfway there, it is completely unexplored territory. When going to conquer the Devil King, a party of at least twenty people must be organized. ‘In conclusion, they have to stay in the village while hiding their identity.’ Even then, they have to gather comrades. The skills they learn from now will be the most important preparation for confronting the Devil King. A method to hide their skills.”

The method of increasing comrades.

And…

‘Even the method of letting go appropriately.’