NOVEL NEXT You should always carry your adventurer’s badge with you.
Yona returned the exclusive badge for Evian and received the guild’s universal badge.
Yona’s, Alex’s, Kaiyak’s.
Alex took Yona’s badge and handed it back to her.
“Is it really okay if the three of us go?”
At Mary’s worried question, Alex looked back at her as he watched Yona put the badge around her neck.
Kaiyak, with his unusually thick neck, wrapped the badge around his wrist haphazardly and turned to look at Mary as well.
“Are you joking right now?”
His big mouth distorted oddly.
That mouth made Kaiyak, who was nearly two meters tall, look even more intimidating, but Mary quickly recognized that this was actually a smile.
“With me as the Warrior, Kaiyak over there, Alex as the Guardian, and Yona as the Healer—you’re not seriously asking if this trio is dangerous, right?”
Kaiyak said this while chuckling with a weird, grating laugh.
Yona frowned at the laughter and gave Kaiyak a forceful kick on the rear.
“What’s with that weird laugh, you lizard? Don’t you like it when Mary worries for us?”
“That’s not it, but it’s funny, isn’t it? What danger could this party possibly face?”
“Come on, Kaiyak, don’t be like that. Yona’s asking if it’s dangerous. Right, Mary?”
Ah, ah-ha, ha ha.
Mary smiled awkwardly.
And honestly, Alex’s words were spot on.
No matter how you slice it, Yona is a girl.
Moreover, apart from her rough mouth, she’s stunningly beautiful—one has to wonder why she’s stuck in a backwater like Evian. Plus, she’s a talented healer.
And being a healer is the real problem.
With the Sacred Barrier around her hand, she can’t wield a weapon, and it’s a bit unfortunate that it’s her right hand. Since most healers are right-handed, they tend to stick a shield on the left hand for a slightly better survival rate rather than awkwardly swinging a weapon with their left.
Yona was no different.
Yona carried a small round shield on her left arm as a healer.
And she was quite the beauty.
Beside her were Alex and Kaiyak.
Both of them were guys, right?
“I told you not to see me as just a woman, Mary.”
Yona scrunched her face.
Normally, when she growled like this, Mary would giggle and say, “I got it, sis,” but this time Mary kept her serious expression.
“Don’t take this lightly, sis. I know Alex and Kaiyak are good people. But we never know what could happen.”
“Mary, don’t worry. Alex is way shyer than he looks.”
Yona waved her hands and laughed as if it was nothing.
“You’re being too naive, sis.”
“Uh, can’t you trust me to finish my sentence? You don’t know how clumsy he is.”
“Are you a mana dimwit?”
Yona reached out and gently patted Alex’s smooth head.
Oh, so soft!
“If I tell you to knead my tit, you won’t even do that. Your brains must have fallen out with your hair, you know?”
“N-No way!”
Alex shouted, his face turning beet red, while Mary looked on, puzzled.
“Come on, let’s go! What are we waiting for!”
Kaiyak finally shouted, and only then could they set off.
*
“Alright, this is expensive.”
As they walked toward Henson’s General Store near the western exit of Evian, Kaiyak pulled out a roll of parchment.
It was clearly well-tanned leather, and it looked pretty pricey just by looking at it. He carefully unrolled it, revealing a map.
“See? This is Evian.”
“With this tiny thing, what can you even see?”
– Whack!
Yona wobbled.
Kaiyak frowned, pointing at the map with his outstretched hand.
“Oh, that strong lizard really…”
Yona rubbed the back of her head, where it hurt, and looked at the tiny village shape with even tinier ‘Evian’ written above it.
“If you go a bit further up, that’s the Mareya Republic. It’s still under the Duchy of Kapatia, but there’s a border, so it’s better to avoid trouble and go around.”
The initial destination was, of course, the Mage Community.
To get there, they had to cross the edge of the Lukasia Mountain Range and go through the Insturia Mountain Range.
Sounds simple, right? But the Insturia Mountain Range is also known as the spine of the continent.
It’s long, massive, and treacherous.
The fact that there isn’t even a complete map of the Insturia Mountain Range shows just how dangerous it is.
“Anyway, it’s certain we can’t go straight through. I can’t tell if you two are foolish or brave for wanting to take that path.”
Kaiyak clicked his tongue and glanced back and forth between Alex and Yona.
Yona had said she had only been in this world for three years, which might not have been a lie considering how often she showed a complete lack of common sense.
And then there’s Alex, who was obviously crazy about Yona and agreed to go along without thinking it through.
“Oh, you idiot fools.”
Kaiyak randomly smacked Alex’s head.
With a loud thwack, Alex let out a yelp, and Kaiyak clicked his tongue before pushing through the door of Henson’s General Store.
With a smacking of his tongue, he pushed the door of Henson’s General Store open.
“Whoa, going far away, huh?”
When Kaiyak’s massive frame entered, it filled the not-so-large store to the brim.
He bought three new sleeping bags stuffed with not-yet-breathable cotton and picked up a couple of flint sets, just in case they needed to start a campfire.
The food was packed with easily consumable rations, and Kaiyak made sure to grab a few extra chunks of rock salt, the most crucial item.
“What’s that stone?”
Yona piped up, but Kaiyak merely glanced her way and shook his head as if it were nothing.
Thank goodness for that.
It was a stroke of luck that the two thunderous creatures decided to leave just as Kaiyak showed up.
Otherwise, they would have stumbled off alone, and before long, Evian would have welcomed two corpses.
“Nothing. Let’s go. It’s better to carry as light as possible.”
“Right, finally setting off!”
Yona stretched as she exited Henson’s General Store.
The jiggly feeling transferred directly to Kaiyak, but he didn’t mind too much.
Three years, three long years.
Out of those three, six months were wasted dully in a church, and after leaving that, he had been living the adventurer’s life.
He had heard that there was a Mage Community, where all the mages from around the world gathered, thinking there might be a way to return home—or at the very least, a way to turn back into a guy.
So, he had aimed to save money to go there.
And now, at long last, that goal was coming to fruition.
Yona felt great.
“Are we really off now?”
“Yep, we’re off.”
Yona was happily putting Kaiyak in a headlock as Alex looked utterly flustered, feeling the sensation of Yona’s bosom pressed right against his head.
Watching the two, Kaiyak couldn’t help but feel a little better.
That was Yona for you.
Full of energy, vivacious, and lively.
Even as a healer constantly on the brink of death, she somehow managed to keep going.
It seemed that even without realizing it, Kaiyak had been heavily influenced by Yona’s enthusiasm.
He thought back to how he wouldn’t have cared a wit about the two of them traveling together, but here he was, making up imaginary conversations and deciding to tag along.
*
“I’ll pass.”
“Huh.”
Rude frowned, looking confused.
It was rather surprising for him to hear a second refusal to an invitation to join the Hero party.
The first, of course, had been Yona, and the second was this eccentric mage, Alebians.
Everyone in Evian knew Alebians was a famed mage, but her notoriously quirky personality was just as well-known.
So, I came to recruit a hero party, but as soon as I opened my mouth, I got flat-out rejected.
“Can I ask why?”
“I have someone I need to watch over.”
Alebians left only words that made no sense, stroking the crystal ball.
From the swarm within the crystal ball, Rude couldn’t see who was there, so he had no idea who it was.
“Well, this is unexpected. Even the healer and the mage have turned down my offer.”
Honestly, it didn’t matter.
I don’t know how amazing of a mage Alebians is, but where else would you find a mage of her caliber?
If they went to the Infura Church Region and the Mage Community, there would be plenty of mages wanting to join a hero party.
But since I thought it would be nice to recruit a fairy mage, I didn’t expect such a cold rejection.
“Seems like Yona turned you down, huh?”
“You know right away.”
“When it comes to healers, it’s Yona. There’s no healer more famous than her in this Evian. If I had to point one out, maybe Sister Aege.”
“Indeed, everyone’s eye for talent is similar. That lady Yona certainly seems to be a capable healer.”
“Yeah, she must be. Exceptionally capable, really. A remarkable young lady in many ways.”
“And she’s quite a beauty, too.”
Alebians adjusted her glasses that had slid down her nose and stared blankly at Rude.
With his neatly tied dark brown hair, he didn’t quite fit the image of a life-and-death adventurer.
He had this lingering shadow that seemed to keep him from fully embodying a hero.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Rude flashed his usual bright smile.
“I welcome the gaze of a beauty, but it’s a bit embarrassing when you just stare without saying anything.”
Hah-hah, Rude chuckled.
Seeing Rude like that, Alebians cracked a slight smile.
“Just go to Infura. It’d be best for you to get recognized as a hero there. You know sitting around here trying to form a party is not favorable, right?”
“I’m planning to leave tomorrow or so. The cathedral carriage isn’t ready yet.”
“Right, right…”
“Plus, the current Saint, Priest Vigrind, will need to prepare if she’s going to travel a long distance too.”
Alebians stole a glance into the crystal ball.
Yona’s steps, leaving the city’s western gate and heading somewhere, looked bright and lively.
“…Take care of Vigrind. She’s a good kid. I hope you’ll watch her closely.”
“Well, I should. That’s the hero’s responsibility, isn’t it?”
Alebians silently observed the hero Rude.
There was a lingering doubt in her gaze.