NOVEL NEXT The original destination was the underground 3rd floor.
But Kaiyak, considering both himself and the current situation, simply couldn’t agree to go any deeper.
The knight commander, who also served as the expedition leader, seemed somewhat displeased with Kaiyak’s stance.
But what could he do?
Out of the forty adventurers, more than ten had died, and most of the rest were injured.
Taking those who could barely move down to the 3rd floor was absurd and downright ridiculous.
Furthermore, the supposedly talented healer that the Guild Leader had touted, Yona, looked pretty banged up herself with her right arm wrapped in cloth.
The Sacred Barrier was nowhere to be seen, probably lost during the fight.
“…Tsk.”
The knight commander had no choice but to turn away.
It wouldn’t be impossible to enter with a twenty-man expedition, but it certainly wasn’t a good idea either.
They had initially brought the adventurers to act as meat shields, and seeing that most of them were now in this state, it just wouldn’t work for only the expedition team to go in.
Not to mention the priests on their side.
If they charged in and something happened to the priests, it would be a huge issue.
“Understood. Good job, everyone.”
At least they brought back a monster’s head from the 2nd floor, so it was better than returning empty-handed.
Reluctantly, the knight commander ordered a retreat.
*
“Wow, sis, are you hurt too?”
“Nope, Yona’s fine.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Alex.”
Mary’s sulky expression was a bit heart-wrenching.
However, Alex wasn’t backing down and stood defiantly in front of Yona.
Looking at the clothing wrapped around Yona’s arm, Mary had to be a bit suspicious too.
They had left the drained Sacred Barrier behind, but now it looked like there was an issue with Yona’s right arm, so Alex took off his upper garment to wrap around her arm.
Fortunately, Kaiyak wasn’t the type to go around gossipping recklessly, especially since if it hadn’t been for Yona, they would all be dead, so he’d definitely keep it a secret.
Others hadn’t seen the scene clearly, so they could only speculate why Yona had Alex’s clothing wrapped around her arm, and that alone seemed suspicious to them.
“Hey, is this the first adventure couple born?”
“What the hell, shut your mouth!”
Yona, still in high spirits, kicked Misquot in the backside, who was snickering away.
But the situation was truly ironic; no matter how much she denied it, with Alex’s clothes wrapped around her arm, it lacked persuasive power.
“Wow, Alex chased Yona’s tail the whole time and finally got there, huh? What a human victory for that bald guy.”
“Look at that bald bastard over there.”
“Emerson, you son of a b!”
Alex was actually quiet, while Yona was throwing a tantrum.
“Hey, do you really hate it that much?”
“Hate what?”
“That, you know, what we talked about earlier.”
It was already morning.
The sun was starting to rise, signaling the start of a new day.
The shops lined up on the way from the guild office to the Moonlight Inn were busy preparing to greet the fresh morning after a comfortable night.
And amidst all that, Alex and Yona were walking to wrap up their day.
“…If you’re talking about earlier…”
That was the conversation about them being an adventurer couple.
“Ugh, I absolutely hate it! I told you, I’m a man! How can I date a guy when that memory is still fresh? No way. Absolutely not.”
Alex lightly pursed his lips a few times.
He wanted to say something, but when faced with such fierce rejection, even that courage slipped away.
He quietly stole a glance at her profile.
In the morning light, her unusually pale face seemed to sparkle delicately.
Thanks to the quick wash at the guild office, her skin appeared to be moist, and he couldn’t help but wonder if pressing it would make water ooze out.
Her shining golden eyes were also noteworthy. In this world, golden eyes were quite rare.
No matter how much he tried to curl them, her long, milky-white hair had no shine whatsoever.
“…What happened to your veil?”
“Oh, speaking of which…”
Yona fumbled around her head.
But of course, a veil that isn’t there wouldn’t just pop up, so she frowned.
“Damn it, I lost it again. I need to buy a new one…”
“Can’t you just not wear it?”
“Of course I can’t. I already get criticism for not looking like a nun every time I go to the Cathedral. What would they say if I walked around without it?”
“As long as I’m not the one getting scolded, I don’t care.”
“You little brat?”
Alex couldn’t help but chuckle.
Well, it wouldn’t matter.
With rumors flying around about this strange girl who insisted she was a man, there wouldn’t be any guys approaching her anyway.
But Alex knew well.
She was kind and capable of caring for others.
It wasn’t because she was mentally unwell; he understood she was just making a noise to reject anyone trying to get close.
For now, he decided he was fine with their current relationship.
The Vanguard she trusted the most was him, and whenever they set out on an adventure, she relied on him the most as well.
At least, things couldn’t get any worse from where they stood now.
There shouldn’t be any trouble.
“Um, thanks for bringing me here. Thanks for the clothes.”
“No problem. When are you going to buy the Sacred Barrier?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
Once Yona entered the room she was staying in at the Moonlight Inn, she untangled the clothes from her arms and handed them to Alex.
I really should go get the Sacred Barrier.
Money should be fine since I’ll get some decent rewards from the demon-hunting quest.
“Maybe I’ll go the day after tomorrow.”
Not tomorrow, though. Tomorrow I plan to visit the tower in Evian.
It’s not just about getting the Sacred Barrier; I need to figure out what these tattoo-like things all over my arm are.
It’d be even better if I could get them removed.
Only after removing those can I deal with the Sacred Barrier.
“Okay, then I’ll come pick you up the day after tomorrow.”
“Why do you have to pick me up? We can just meet at the Guild.”
“Sure, do whatever you want.”
Yona waved her hand at Alex, who seemed to hesitate, and slammed the door shut.
She was exhausted.
So tired that she could fall asleep the moment she laid down.
‘Ah, I should wash up…’
After rolling around in that dusty pit and even sticking her right arm inside that monster’s body, the feeling was just unbearable.
How nice it would be to soak in a bathtub full of warm water.
But that was just a thought that stayed in her head.
Once the bed caught her eye and she became aware of the fatigue she had been blocking out, there was no choice but to lie down in bed.
‘If I give them 10 copper coins… they’ll swap the mattress…’
Yona scrambled onto the mattress.
It was stuffed with straw, causing it to sag and poke her all over, but still, it was better than nothing.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, Yona was pulled into the depths of sleep.
*
“Ugh, mmm…”
Yona was dreaming.
A dream where she was being chased by something madly.
But she had no idea what that something was, only knowing she had to run with all her might, breathing heavily as she sprinted.
Not knowing how far she needed to run, or if she’d ever escape that something, she just kept running until she finally stopped in front of an endless cliff.
Something was slowly approaching.
No matter how hard she stared, she couldn’t figure out what it was.
As it got closer, Yona was pushed back.
A sheer cliff.
Yona finally wobbled and lost her balance, falling off the edge.
“Gah!”
At the same time, Yona opened her eyes.
She was drenched in sweat.
Breathing heavily as if she had actually been running, she checked her body.
Fortunately, she was unhurt, and that tattoo-like mark on her right arm was still there.
“…Is it because of this?”
Three years ago, when she suddenly fell into this bizarre world.
Back then, she had nightmares a few times.
But ever since awakening her divine powers and becoming certified as a healer, she hadn’t had any nightmares.
Yet now, she was having nightmares again.
And of all times, something strange was happening to her body while she was dreaming.
“…I had nightmares when I became a woman, and now that my arm is like this, I have nightmares again…”
It seemed that whenever her body underwent changes, she seemed to have nightmares.
“Damn it…”
Cursing out of habit, she sat up and closed her eyes.
She felt a warm energy gathering in her lower abdomen.
It spiraled around her body with her breathing, then flowed into her right arm, gently wrapping around it.
Luckily, there was no problem with using her divine powers.
“…Guess I won’t have to worry about starving.”
Without this divine power, how would she eat and live?
As a healer, she had made a name for herself and was recognized for her decent skills, so she wouldn’t have trouble making a living, but if she couldn’t heal with her arm like this, that would be a disaster.
Fortunately, that hadn’t happened yet.
She looked out the window, which was carelessly left ajar without curtains.
It was dark, and she couldn’t tell whether it was evening or the middle of the night.
Looking around, the shops were all closed, and there were no people on the streets, so it must be deep in the night.
Having come back in the morning and immediately fallen asleep, she had slept through until this time and was quite hungry.
“…Maybe I should eat something.”
The Moonlight Inn offers 24-hour service, after all.
She could probably get food if she went down now.
Yona stood up and put on an extra nun’s robe.
Then she pulled out the priesthood hooded cardigan that she had bought but hardly ever worn, and put that on too.
It was annoying, but she had no choice but to cover her right arm.