NOVEL NEXT The man who identified himself as Ludvik, or simply Lud, said he was on his way to Evian.
On his way to Evian, Yona looked at Lud, who claimed to have been lost in the woods and collapsed, with a suspicious gaze.
No matter what, he looked too healthy for someone who claimed to have passed out in the forest.
He said he had been starving for a few days, but he didn’t seem gaunt or weak.
He wasn’t injured either, so Yona decided to let it go.
“Do you know a place called Marlen?”
“Marlen?”
Everyone shook their heads, including Carlson, Misquot, Irene, and Viola, but Yona nodded, saying, “Ah.”
“That place where the Celestial Being descended, right?”
“You’re well-informed. I hail from Marlen.”
Marlen.
Yona thought back to her training as a nun.
The city famous for its miraculous wonders, Marlen.
The reason it was in the past tense was that it was now famous for another reason.
A long time ago, it was where a Celestial Being descended.
A place where the descendants of the Celestial Being made their home.
A place where the Celestial Being expelled the false gods and preached the true faith.
She never expected to hear Marlen’s name here for such a reason.
“I was an adventurer in Marlen. Well, I managed to reach the Gold rank.”
Gold rank? He should have some decent skills then.
At least there weren’t any Gold-rank adventurers in Evian.
“But you said you were a hero.”
“Indeed. I am a hero chosen by the Celestial Being. Soon, the Demon Lord will awaken, and that Demon Lord will use the scattered demons as a stepping stone to resurrect.”
Well, if that were the case, the Celestial Being wouldn’t select a hero but rather descend to the Cathedral and give a prophecy.
He definitely seemed a bit off his rocker.
“Well, whether you believe in heroes or not is up to you.”
Lud grinned.
His hair, surprisingly neat for someone who claimed to have wandered for days, swayed lightly as he smiled.
“Here, this is my adventurer’s badge. Look, it says I’m a Gold rank.”
As Lud presented his adventurer’s badge, Yona’s party crowded around to take a look.
Sure enough, his name, Ludvik, was engraved alongside the Gold rank.
“Do you believe me now? That I’m a Gold-rank adventurer?”
“…What’s there to disbelieve? You have the badge after all.”
Carlson wore a look of admiration.
Playing the warrior part, he seemed to be in awe of strong fighters—Yona scoffed inwardly.
“So, what brings the illustrious hero and Gold-rank adventurer all the way to this distant Evian?”
“Why did you come all the way to Evian?”
Yona was feeling a bit off.
The word ‘Hero’ sounded like a pipe dream, and the spear-wielding adventurer behind her was just rubbing her the wrong way.
Maybe that was because her wrist, still throbbing with a slight pain, was telling her something.
At that, Rude burst into laughter again.
He smiled so broadly it could freshen the air around him.
“I’ve come to take you with me.”
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.
As the party members halted their steps while trodding through the underbrush, everything became quiet in an instant.
“…You came to take me?”
In disbelief, Yona pointed to her own nose, and Rude nodded enthusiastically.
As if there was no need for further explanation, he said,
“The goddess has decreed that the Saint will appear here in Evian. So I came to fetch you. The goddess is definitely not mistaken; we’ve met already.”
Yona was flabbergasted.
“…Why am I the Saint?”
“I knew the moment I infused you with divine power. Ah, such a warm and gentle feeling.”
Well, that was just healing, so it was understandable.
“I’m not a Saint or a Priest; I’m just a Healer, a Healer.”
“No, you are undoubtedly the Saint. I assure you.”
Rude’s smile never wavered.
At this point, it was Yona who was getting flustered.
What the heck was making him so sure that she was a Saint?
“Hey, you guys, say something! He keeps calling me the Saint!”
“Uh, um… keep going, keep going.”
“What do you mean keep going, you jerk! …And Rude, on what basis do you say that?”
“Well, it’s obvious. The way you wield divine power, not to mention this goddess-like beauty. What else could you be?”
Yona’s face began to twist in irritation.
And Misquot, witnessing this, was gleefully anticipating more teasing opportunities.
“I was a guy—! Don’t treat me like a girl!”
Yona’s shout startled a nearby bird, which flew off in a flurry.
*
Yona, Rude, and the rest of the party returned to Evian just past noon.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?”
The Adventurer’s Guild was packed to the brim.
There was a gathering of adventurers, and Mary had climbed up to the podium, loudly proclaiming something.
“What the heck is going on?”
As they got closer, Mary’s voice became clearer.
“Right now, if you join, Lord Carteyn will double your rewards—double!”
Yet, the adventurers hesitated, each showing signs of reluctance.
Among them, Yona approached a particularly shiny figure and whacked his gleaming head with a resounding smack.
“Ow!”
“It’s shock therapy. Wake up your roots.”
“This crazy girl… Hey, how can you just leave without a word?”
Alex gave Yona a once-over after seeing her for the first time in ages.
She didn’t seem hurt at all.
“It’s my choice. If you’d come earlier, it wouldn’t have happened. But what’s this about?”
“They said they’re forming a new hunting party.”
“A hunting party? For that Catacomb thing?”
“Yeah.”
Thankfully, Lord Carteyn’s knights were unharmed.
So, they could quickly form the hunting party again, but adventurers were nowhere to be found to sign up.
Even if one says losing their head is part of the adventurer job, life is still pretty precious.
With rumors spreading that many adventurers from the last hunting party died or got hurt, it would be hard to recruit even with decent rewards.
“Alright, then it’s double and a half! This is the best I can do!”
But as Mary’s voice resonated, the area fell silent.
It was so quiet that one might hear someone swallowing hard, and then Yona turned around when someone tapped her shoulder.
“Oh, Teacher!”
Aege was smiling brightly.
Dressed in her full priest robes, she effortlessly wove through the sweat and grime-covered adventurers to greet her student.
“Yona, did you finish your quest well?”
“Ah, yes, yes. I just got back. But why are you here, Teacher…?”
Aege reached out and ruffled Yona’s hair.
Her touch was infinitely gentle and caring, until gradually, her grip tightened, causing Yona to let out a squeak.
“T-Teacher! It hurts!”
“Good, that’s the point. What happened to your veil?”
“…Ah.”
I totally forgot to buy a new veil.
Having gotten the Sacred Barrier and returned all happy and carefree, I completely forgot to buy a new veil.
“I… lost it… Aiyaya!”
“A sister lost her veil—did I teach you to be like this!?”
“I-I messed up! Aiyah, Aiyah! Aiyaya!”
Aege, who had grabbed Yona’s head as if she were about to pop it, finally loosened her grip and let go.
Only then did Yona start whining and rubbing her head, “Uaaah!”
“The purification of the Catacomb is set to happen with Priest Vigrind and me. So that’s why we’re here.”
“Th-that redheaded… no, Priest Vigrind, right?”
“Yep. Over there.”
At the tip of Aege’s finger was that obnoxious priest with the fiery red head.
It was clear she was clueless about why she had to be here, showing off in front of these dirty, sweaty, ragtag humans with those stuck-up eyes.
“…Why is the teacher here? There are so many little ones down there… Aiyaya!”
“Watch your language!”
“Ah! Aiyah! I- I mean, down there… Aiyaya!”
“Language, please!”
“There are plenty of junior priests, you know!”
Alex, stepping back with eyes wide in fear, watched Aege clap her hands as if nothing had happened.
That’s the person grabbing the imperious Yona like a mouse.
Scary.
“It seems important, so are you going too?”
With that smooth voice, Yona pouted her lips.
This was pretty much no choice at all.
“Of course… Hey, Alex. You’re going too, right?”
“If you’re going, then I have to go too.”
The participant list for the hunt had a fair number of names listed.
Adventure is all about risking your life anyway, and if they pay enough, it’s worth a shot.
“Who cares, if I don’t die, then it’s fine.”
“Exactly.”
And on that list, the names of Alex and Yona were also written.
“Next, please?”
Mary sat at the reception desk, summoning the next person.
Instead of an answer, a long shadow loomed over her head.
“…Who are you?”
When she looked up, the brown-haired man was a face she had never seen before in the Evian Adventurer’s Guild.
“Ludvik. Level 3 Spearman.”
With his usual refreshing smile, Rude tossed his adventurer’s badge in front of Mary, where it flopped around.