NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: Time To Go To The Holy Kingdom (1)
After providing Iriel with some leaves that could somewhat disguise her as a human and sketching a rough map of the stream’s course, Ray returned to the village.
Naturally, the duration for which she could survive with those leaves was debatable, but having made her wait for an entire day, Ray felt quite pleased with himself for informing her about the edible leaves and hardy grass as a small gesture of kindness.
What a thoughtful heart he possessed.
He contemplated her potential death from starvation and informed her about things she could consume. In reality, he told her because it would be inconvenient for him if she died.
Ray rubbed his eyes with his hands.
“I’m so exhausted…”
When was the last time he had stayed awake all night? Even though it was once a daily routine, his body hadn’t adjusted after more than a decade.
He felt incredibly fatigued just from staying awake for one day.
Soon, a massive tree appeared before his eyes. It was so enormous that the term ‘massive’ seemed insufficient.
His body felt as if it was turning yellow at the thought of climbing up to Aira’s house.
He made a promise to himself that he must learn from his father how to activate mana in his body, then he clung to the tree.
He sighed deeply.
“Ha…”
He already felt depleted.
Even though he contemplated climbing, his body continually hesitated.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t climb, but he felt so irritated that he questioned whether he really needed to climb.
Eventually, he fell from the tree he had grasped and walked towards Pia’s house.
Soon he would need to visit Pia to check her wound, and since she would be lying in bed, it wouldn’t disturb her if he slept on the floor.
Once he made up his mind, his actions naturally quickened.
He adeptly rolled up some leaves to create a basket.
Since the leaves hadn’t rolled on the muddy ground, he thought washing them once would suffice.
He washed his hands in the stream flowing through the center of the village and then cleaned the basket.
Ray sat down to wet his throat, then filled the basket with water before heading to Pia’s house.
Pia’s house was not far from the village center, so he reached there quickly.
Creak-
The soft sound of the wooden door opening echoed, and inside, he saw her lying on the bed.
Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes were closed. Her appearance undeniably reminded him that she was from a beautiful race.
However, having already been captivated by Aira’s appearance, it was hard for her to make an impression on him.
Her beauty had raised his standards, even though she was slightly shorter than Pia.
Noticing an object of the right size next to him, Ray said,
“Yeah, just about this size… Huh?”
Sensing that something was amiss, he stared at the object.
There it was, the object of the perfect size.
The object turned out to be Aira.
She hadn’t made any sound, so he didn’t know how long she had been there.
She stood there with her arms crossed and a slightly sulky expression on her face.
“It’s been a day. But… why didn’t you come to see me first?”
She seemed to be referring to the time when he had turned back from climbing the tree beneath Aira’s house.
Was she implying that she had sensed him with her extraordinary perception? It was indeed an incredible perception.
As Ray was about to tend to Pia’s wounds, he naturally addressed her.
“Your house is too high. And I also need to check on Pia’s condition.”
As he spoke, Ray assessed Pia’s condition.
Her wounds had healed significantly.
There were many superficial wounds, but most of them were minor, so they wouldn’t take long to heal.
If there was a slightly larger wound, was it a sword wound on her side?
At the entrance of the village, he picked a purple-flushed flower and dissolved it well in the water he had fetched.
Aira brought a chair and sat next to him.
She grumbled.
“The house is too high… What kind of reason is that?”
“…….”
Did that not make sense?
Ray was shocked for the first time.
The immense height, easily over ten meters, seemed insignificant to the elves.
He felt like he needed to learn more magic, understand how to activate mana, or spitefully construct stairs in the elf village.
As Ray observed Pia, Iriel was returning from bathing in the stream.
The two elves tsked as they watched her retreat to her tent and start praying again.
“She’s at it again.”
“Isn’t that position uncomfortable?”
Those not on night watch had little to occupy them.
The most they could do was observe the human before them, so naturally, their attention was drawn to her.
The human woman spent all day on her knees, praying.
The elves grew tired of her.
They simply left her alone, assuming she would eventually stop.
But they were wrong.
Her prayers persisted into the second day.
Ray had items to retrieve from home and stories to share, so he bypassed the village and saw Iriel in the tent, praying just as she had the previous day.
What did God mean to her? Well, she was a saint, so perhaps this was normal.
He had never considered her a saint, and each time he saw her like this, he struggled to adjust.
All he had seen was her face and armor smeared with blood, driven mad by faith.
Ray shook his head and headed home.
Upon arriving home, he immediately sought out Eil and Saein.
They appeared to be having a meal, as a delicious aroma filled the air.
He was delighted to see his parents’ faces after such a long time and was about to rush over to them, but he instantly regretted it.
As soon as they spotted Ray, they quickly disengaged from their affectionate interaction at the dining table.
Saein waved her hand in embarrassment.
“Oh, Ray, are you hungry? Would you like to eat? Hohoho……”
“Cough… This kid, no tact. It would have been fine if he had arrived a bit later.”
He could infer the atmosphere that had been present.
He grinned and spoke.
“Just continue what you were doing.”
Then, he shut the door and walked to his room.
Ah. Would he have a younger sibling by this time next year? But he likely wouldn’t be able to see it.
He emptied his bag entirely and stood before the bookshelf, readying himself to depart for the Holy Kingdom.
It wasn’t that he had forgiven Iriel or developed a fondness for the Holy Kingdom. It was due to something he had experienced while caring for Pia the previous night and what Aira had conveyed to him.
‘Ray, I want you to go to the Holy Kingdom.’
Ray expressed surprise at Aira’s words.
‘Huh? Why are you saying this all of a sudden?’
Aira regarded him with a grave expression.
‘I know you have some reason to go to the Holy Kingdom. I appreciate that you’re thinking of us, but it’s also crucial not to miss the chance when it presents itself.’
In essence, she was telling him to consider his own needs.
He couldn’t muster a response.
Her point was indeed valid.
He felt the same way.
‘I’ve been too complacent until now.’
Hadn’t he merely viewed the Holy Kingdom as a chance to enhance his medical skills?
It was ironic that he, who had resolved to apologize, was now willingly heading to the Holy Kingdom, but it seemed better than letting the opportunity slip away.
Having made his decision, he couldn’t afford to waste time here. He had pledged to cure any disease here as well.
If he became complacent here again, his determination might falter.
Ray firmly closed his mouth and picked up a few books he needed to take with him, stuffing them into his bag.
He spent the day at home.
Since he might not be able to come home for a while, he thought he should make the most of what could be his last day at home.
Moreover, he had to inform his parents about the Holy Kingdom.
He couldn’t delay it any longer.
After a simple breakfast, Ray, who had practiced sparring with Eil as usual, felt it was time to discuss the Holy Kingdom.
Eventually, Ray confessed to Saein and Eil while they were having lunch.
Eil dropped the fork he was holding as he spoke.
“What, what did you say?”
Saein had a similar reaction.
“What are you talking about?”
From their perspective, it was a bolt out of the blue.
Sending their only son to the Holy Kingdom, that was.
Eil’s lips quivered.
“Ray, you… a saint… to the Holy Kingdom, what is…”
It could have been dismissed as a child’s joke.
But Eil and Saein knew.
They knew that Ray had never spoken nonsense to them until then.
He nodded his head.
It was hard for him to believe, but it was true. There had even been a troop from the Holy Kingdom looking for him, along with the saintess.
Saein covered her mouth with both hands.
“Oh my goodness…”
Normally, they would have been peacefully sitting down and having lunch. But that was not possible then.
One of the family members had to leave, so lunch was the least of their worries.
The ensuing silence made it impossible for anyone to eat properly.
The first to break the silence was Eil.
“When are you leaving? Does that mean… you can’t come home anymore?”
The usually energetic father’s voice was filled with sorrow, which felt strange.
He had braced himself, but then he felt a sudden urge to cry.
But it wasn’t like he couldn’t return home forever.
Ray shook his head in response to Eil’s words.
“I’ll probably leave straight away today. I can come home. It’s just that I definitely won’t be able to for a few years…”
Then Saein spoke.
“Being taken to the Holy Kingdom, how can you come back?”
Saints and saintesses spend their entire lives in the Holy Kingdom.
They provide everything for them in the Holy Kingdom, but returning home like then was out of the question.
Even so, Ray shook his head.
“I can come back, I definitely will.”
Although it sounded like baseless nonsense, there was a conviction in Ray’s words.
Saein’s tears, which she had been suppressing by covering her mouth with both hands, finally broke free.
“Sob… How could this happen… Suddenly a saint…”
“Why are you crying and upsetting the child when he’s the one departing?”
Eil spoke and draped an arm around Sain’s shoulder.
Then, with his other hand, he firmly grasped Ray’s shoulder.
“Until you return, Mom will be well cared for by Dad. So, don’t worry about anything and just go.”
Wouldn’t a father be sad? But a father’s heart prioritizes his child’s worries over his own.
The father’s love, which was directly felt by the child, also made Ray’s nose tingle.
Then Eil chuckled and spoke.
“Boys shouldn’t cry. When you were little, you didn’t cry much, but now that you’ve grown up…”
“I haven’t started crying yet.”
“Not crying? Your face is all wet with tears.”
“…”
He wiped away his tears.
He didn’t know what the future held. He was simply heading to the Holy Kingdom to achieve his goals.
But the fact that there were people who cared about him provided him with immense strength. At that moment, he wasn’t worried at all about the journey to the Holy Kingdom that he would undertake alone.