Only the Party Members Returned, Not the Hero

17. The Unforgiving Saint (1)

17.

After a long night, EL and I prepared to leave for the lake of Erantera to get the permit.

Unlike the Hemp Tower, outsiders were not allowed to enter Lake Erantera, so Tania and Elish could go together, but since Elish was so exhausted that she couldn’t wake up properly, she decided to leave alone with EL.

Elish and I will need time to sort out our feelings, so it turned out rather well.

It was also a short one-night schedule anyway.

Even if you see the Pope, you won’t have to listen to half-sons like Nia Rishkarte.

Dol-dol-dol.

I hear the familiar sound of wagon wheels.

It was the same carriage as when we went to the hemp tower. The only thing that has changed is that ELISH is sitting in front of me, not ELISH.

Elle looked out of her window with a languid expression, and she smiled every time she met her eyes.

“Why are you laughing?”

Even if I fight like that sometimes.

“Because it is beautiful.”

, EL only replied calmly.

“What is beautiful?”

“You.”

“How much?”

“So much that I want to hug you?”

“… ….”

“Can I hug you?”

“If the Pope sees it, he will play the sutra.”

Such useless conversation continued.

After mentioning the Pope, EL looked around her for a moment, then she moved closer to my side, moving her hips little by little.

The wind blows in through the window of the wagon, ruffling her golden hair.

EL, who was so close to me that her arms could touch, leaned her body forward and she stared at my side face, then she came close enough to her breath to touch her face.

“Here, the Pope is not here.”

A voice that whispers excessively even though no one is listening anyway.

That’s why it sticks in my ears even more.

El’s blue eyes sparkled as if he really didn’t know anything, so I started getting headaches again.

“Get away from me. You promised not to be overly nice.”

“Is this excessive? Are you just sitting next to me?”

“That is too much.”

“No, but I usually pray for believers this close.”

“Then do that to the believers.”

Silence for a moment.

Aren’t you a believer, too? I would have wanted to say

I was the only person on this continent who couldn’t define whether I was a believer or not.

Since my father was an apostate, I was naturally excommunicated as well, but he was also chosen by the goddess and became a warrior.

Wouldn’t it be difficult for the Pope to readily define whether or not I am a believer?

Thinking that EL had finally shut her mouth, I rested my chin on her while looking at the window on the other side of EL.

But after a brief silence, he felt a heavy sensation in the hand that wasn’t resting on his chin.

Looking back, I saw EL holding my big hand in her small one, her head down and her eyes closed.

“… What are you doing?”

“I pray.”

“You told me to do it to believers?”

“Isn’t there a doctrine that says prayers should only be offered to believers?”

“I don’t like to pray.”

“That’s why I do it. I can’t concentrate, so don’t make noise and look out the window.”

“… ….”

I looked down at her with her disgusted look on her face, but without saying anything further, EL held her hand and started muttering her prayers.

The name of Erantera did not come out of her mouth.

Instead, he remembered EL.

The appearance of Ellen before the return.

***

Pray.

Follower’s wind dedicated to the goddess.

El Porzesca never missed a single day of prayer to the goddess Erantera.

She was born as a saint through the grace of the Goddess, and she grew up to be a noble being.

Everyone was kind to her, she was difficult with her, and her intentions were prioritized.

However, EL was the symbol of absolute religious power.

She did not know to what extent the human heart could become evil.

Because she never taught anyone.

Dozens of swords and spears stained with golden divine power surrounded her neck.

Standing in front of EL with both hands tied behind his back, a tall man wearing silver armor symbolizing the Knights of Erantel was holding the pope’s gray hair in one hand and shaking it back and forth.

“Pevro, Febro…. This man you’re really good too I dedicated my whole life to the Goddess like that, but to think that it was me who was chosen now.”

“… Raihandro.”

“Yeah, do you have something to say? It’s good to say something before you die. You can curse the goddess as much as you like. You look like you deserve it.”

“Free the saintess. You know best that that child is innocent.”

“Saint? There are no saints here anymore? Could it be that girl?”

Pheuk, a man called Raihandro, punches Pope Febro in the pit of the stomach, and the poor old man collapses.

“f*ck the kid, really. bastard…. She’s no longer a saint. Excommunication with you, excommunication.”

Raihandro took out a rolled piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.

“I will read it to you again. Alas, the Church of Erantera, in the name of the goddess, excommunicates Pope Febro Leto and Saint Eli Forzesca forever, branding them as apostates and banishing them. And….”

Rayhandro’s mouth shuts while reading the letters written on the paper with excitement.

It was because of Febro’s old grip that caught his own ankle.

“Is that, is that really the will of the Goddess….”

The pope’s voice, as if phlegm was boiling, was heard shabby.

Raihandro twisted his expression, pulled out his paw, and trampled the pope several times.

Kkkak, kkak, kwajik.

Screams of pain echo across the floor of the Errantera Temple.

“Whoa.”

Raihandro exhaled a refreshing breath and turned his head to look at EL.

Flinching, EL, whose mouth was gagged, shook his shoulders for a moment, but soon exchanged glances with him with resolute eyes.

“Ah, I really don’t like that look. I’m not looking down on people….”

As Raihandro walks towards the encirclement net surrounding EL, the road opens up a little.

Raihandro, squatting down in front of EL, holding her cheek with one hand, swiped her head left and right as if looking at her.

“How do you brand yourself an apostate?”

“… ….”

“You know because you’ve filmed it too. Take the f*cking gag off the kid, listen to what they say.”

The rough hand movements of the Knights take off EL’s gag.

Haa, haap, she let out a few breaths and lowered her head with her mouth closed.

Rayhandro looked back at the obvious sign of refusal to talk.

“Pevro, Febro. Hey. Pope. Are you already dead? No, then who are you going to ask?”

“Since there is no method, wouldn’t it be okay to just roughly match the assortment? If there was a way you wanted, I think you would have told me separately.”

“Oh, you are rather smart. That’s right. We didn’t write down the method, so we can’t do it our way.”

“Thank you.”

Rayhandro, who had a few words with his subordinate, grabbed EL’s hair and forced her to look at him.

“Then, uh….”

Rayhandro slowly admires EL’s face.

Originally, he stared at the face of the great saintess, who could be guilty of disloyalty just by staring at him, then let go of his hair and stood up.

“Let’s start by killing his eyes. I’ll prepare it, so you guys can take it off yourself.”

“Is that okay?”

“What can’t you do? I am no longer a saint or anything. It’s like we’re going to brand ourselves as apostates. f*ck it.”

Raihandro turned his back to the saintess and walked in front of her and began to take off her shoulder armor one by one.

Percussion, took.

The white plate armor engraved with the Errantera pattern falls behind the corpse of the pope.

The sound of tearing fabric and EL’s scream can be heard from behind.

“Couldn’t it be that I’m not the first? Then you die twice, Pevro.”

With one foot on the pope’s head, he unlaces his boots.

Well, when he took off one of his boots.

Ellen, no.

A name that should not be heard flows out of EL’s mouth, and Raihandro stops his hand from taking off his boots.

“… Ellen?”

Just as Raihandro tried to turn his head away with a questionable voice, the head of his subordinate, who had been talking to him until just now, rolls around and stops at his feet.

With his eyes wide open, red blood was still leaking from his throat.

“… ….”

When Raihandro raised his head, he could see all the knights of Erantel who had been covering EL all over the ground in a mess with their heads spread.

With Ellen’s face wrapping her coat around EL’s shoulder.

“… Hi-Hi.”

Rayhandro’s goofy laugh.

“Hello, Ellen.”

He hurriedly raised his sword and rose from his seat, but his half-naked silver armor was unbalanced and his posture was awkward.

“… Hello Raihandro.”

“It’s been a while. Did you receive the gift I gave you? You are no longer an apostate, and you have been officially reinstated…. Ah, you are a noble.”

“Really?”

“My, I wrote an explanation and sent it, but I was busy and didn’t see it? Are you okay. Let me explain again.”

“No?”

“Ugh, huh?”

“No? f*ck you?”

Ellen, covered in blood, strides up to Raihandro and kicks her in the stomach with her foot.

Rayhandro, who was pushed backwards without losing his sword, gets caught on the Pope’s corpse with his hind legs and falls into an unsightly state.

Raihandro, who was croaking with his body bent like a shrimp, started screaming like a madman.

“Ah! You f*cking bastard! What a dog! Why are you only f*cking with me? I gave you everything, I gave you everything you want, but why do you keep f*cking up!!”

Ellen didn’t answer and she started walking towards him, holding her sword forward.

“Ellen, no!”

Ellen’s urgent voice stops her steps.

“… Raihandro was chosen by the Goddess. Now, kill him and he will be cursed.”

Raihandro, who had been breathing while collapsing, looked at Ellen and EL in turn, then started giggling again.

“Right, I didn’t say that. I was chosen too. To the goddess Now the f*ck you and me are the same If you kill me, you will become an apostate again. Like your dad You didn’t like that, so you didn’t play the role of a hero until now?”

Ellen ignored Raihandro’s words and called EL’s name.

“El Porzesca.”

“… Yes.”

“I killed two hundred knights of Erantel on my way here.”

“… ….”

“What? f*ck, don’t lie….”

EL shut his mouth, and Raihandro denied his words.

Slaying 200 knights of Errantel alone meant that Raihandro would not be able to defeat Ellen even after waking up from death.

“I am already cursed. I was cursed even before I met you. So I guess I lived that way.”

Ellen ripped off the sleeve of her right arm, holding her sword with her left hand.

With the sound of the fabric tearing, EL opened his eyes wide.

Because his entire right arm was stained black.

“Ellen, why….”

“Even if I kill one more person here, it won’t show. So, please let it go.”

“… ….”

“Don’t let go. Hey. Don’t let go.”

The sound of EL’s sobbing and Raihandro’s frightened voice intersect.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Ellen….”

Ellen lets go of his collar, and Ellen advances in front of her.

The curse on his right shoulder goes over his shoulder and runs down his neck.

“This, b*tch! Ellen, Ellen…. Why are you doing this? Why are you giving up everything just to protect that nasty little girl? If it’s now, I can do something that I didn’t have. Erantel Knights? You can make it again.”

“Rayhandro.”

“I’ll give it all, no, I’ll take the f*cking responsibility and make you a pope.”

Ellen’s bloody sword touches Raihandro’s chest.

“It’s Raihandro.”

The blade of the sword shines blue in the ceiling lamp of the Errantera Temple.

“I’ve been thinking about it.”

“… ….”

“It was my pleasure to use that nasty girl.”

Heart stabbed by a blue sword.

The inserted sword twisted at a right angle with the sound of flesh being ripped off.

Rayhandro’s scream didn’t last long.

***

EL opens her eyes.

Dol-dol-dol.

The wagon was still on its way to Errantera’s lake.

Memories from before the return are hidden like waves on the shore of a lake.

She looked at Ellen’s face, the owner of her rough hand that she was clutching.

Because his face was close to him as he leaned against the carriage and slept with his eyes closed.

Without much thought, she kissed his cheek lightly.