Chapter 62: The Saint Who Hates God (1)
As time passed, we arrived at the village.
Some villagers who saw us coming greeted us.
The remaining members of the Red Flames who had stayed in the village also rushed toward us.
Captain! Casualties?
They, too, immediately asked about the losses from this expedition.
The ones who had been left behind must have been anxious.
Unable to know which comrades had left our side.
...Lets talk at the square.
Adam Hyung answered with a bitter expression.
The faces of the members who had been waiting for hardened.
What they wanted to hear was that everyone is fine.
However, that hope was shattered by Hyungs words.
.
.
.
Having wrapped up the general briefing, I headed home.
My mood had significantly dropped amidst the sea of tears that broke out with the announcement of the casualties.
The moment we successfully completed the mission was also a moment of sorrow and parting.
Knowing this, we planned to wash away at least some of those tears with a feast tonight.
Ner and Arwin followed behind me.
Ner followed with the medicinal herbs she had gathered and some other small belongings, while I carried the load that Arwin couldnt carry.
- Squeak...
I opened the door to my house.
As sunlight poured into the house, the settled dust stirred into the air.
...A lot of dust has accumulated.
Ner said, covering her nose.
I nodded.
Its like this every time.
I looked around the house before speaking.
Shall we pick a room each while we unload our stuff?
Huh? Already?
Theres no point in delaying.
It was better to finish this quickly and relax.
I gave Ner the first choice.
Ner. Choose a room.
Ner paused for a moment, rolling her eyes at my suggestion.
There were three rooms on the first floor, and three on the second.
Among them, one room on the first floor was the master bedroom.
After some thought, Ner pointed.
...Ill take that room.
It was the room next to the master bedroom.
I nodded.
Arwin, you?
Are there any rooms available on the second floor?
Arwin looked towards the stairs as she asked.
There are three rooms. Go on up and see.
At my words, Arwin nodded and headed upstairs.
I waited briefly on the first floor for Arwin to make her choice.
During that time, Ner looked at me and spoke softly.
...Is your wound okay?
Thanks to you. It seems to be healing well.
...I see.
She averted her eyes and lowered her head.
Just when I wondered why she was avoiding eye contact, she asked,
Ah, but Berg. So today I will sleep with you
Ill take this room.
Arwins voice echoed from upstairs.
Ner closed her mouth as if she had said nothing.
Ill go up with your luggage!
I shouted back to Arwin and turned to look at Ner.
Then I provided the answer to the question I had already heard.
Lets go with that. I slept with Arwin not too long ago.
Her tail began to wag at my words.
I chuckled and asked,
...Were you looking forward to sleeping together?
Ner looked at me and then at her own tail.
And with a small shrug, she said,
...My tail doesnt wag only when Im happy.
Is that so?
I-it wags when Im nervous, too.
Are you still nervous?
...
Wondering what it was, I took the luggage and went upstairs.
The room Arwin had chosen was right above the master bedroom.
As I put down the luggage in the room, I asked,
Is this room okay?
Arwin nodded.
Yes, its fine. Ah, Berg?
Yeah?
...Im just curious, but who are you sharing a bed with tonight? If were alternating every other day, then today would be my turn again. If not, it should be Ners turn...
Arwin asked a similar question.
Indeed, it would be a crucial issue for them.
I decided to sleep with Ner first.
Arwin let out a shallow breath.
I see.
Yeah. And it seems like well all have to rest on temporary beds until we set up the real ones. Is that okay?
Arwin looked at me and gave a slight nod.
...Yes.
I was already aware of how much they had to give up to be with me.
There were no servants, nor were there any opulent teacups or teapots.
Even the bed situation was less than ideal.
If they wanted something done, they had to do it themself. Even with empty words, I couldnt convey the words that they wouldnt get their hands wet.
This made me feel like I needed to try even harder.
Bridging our differences would require enormous effort.
It wasnt just a matter of social status; our races were different too.
Thank you.
I first expressed my gratitude to Arwin for tolerating this situation without complaint.
Arwin nodded and whispered,
...Im thankful too.
For what?
Her eyes scanned over my wounds and the scars on my cheek.
I havent been able to say thanks before.
...Ah.
I chuckled.
It was something I shouldve done naturally as her husband, but her expression of gratitude didnt make me feel bad at all.
I changed the subject, a little embarrassed.
...Anyway, lets take a little break until the feast tonight.
A feast?
Curiosity shone in Arwins eyes. Knowing her situation, seeing her like this felt bittersweet in some way.
Yes, a feast. Our work is done, after all. We should eat and enjoy ourselves.
Her long ears wiggled up and down.
Slowly, a very small smile crept onto the corners of Arwins lips.
She whispered,
...Im looking forward to it.
****
- Thud!
Ah...!
A woman tripped over a rotten tree root protruding from the barren ground.
She tried to get up, but her knees, drained of energy, couldnt maintain her balance, and she fell down again.
- Smack.
Her beautiful face plunged back into the mud.
Even after falling, the woman couldnt get up for quite some time.
Stop!
A dragonian man commanded his party.
People from various races stopped at his words.
Saintess-nim, are you all right?
An elven woman approached and asked her a question.
...
Yet no one was able to lend her a helping hand.
Except for special circumstances, she was so pure that one must not even touch her.
Still, the irony of her wallowing in the mud was not lost on anyone.
...Im... Im fine.
The Saintess gathered strength in her trembling arms and propped herself up on the dirty ground.
It was hard to have any strength left after a grueling battle.
She sat, wiping the mud off her face with her hand.
That being said, she still felt no energy returning to her body.
Felix, the hero, from the dragon race, chosen by the God of Courage, Mand, spoke.
Lets take a rest. It looks like the Saintess-nim is exhausted.
But the Saintess shook her head.
...Delaying wont change anything.
It would have been better to return quickly and rest.
After all, the mission for today had been completed. She didnt want her comrades to suffer because of her.
...Ill get up. Im sorry.
Acran, the centaur chosen by the God of War, Dian, also shook his head.
No, Saintess-nim. Lets take a rest.
But the Saintess declined his offer as well.
She felt that if she rested now, she wouldnt be able to get up for a long time.
Its fine, Acran. Its okay.
Felix, Acran, and Sylphrien, the elf chosen by the God of Harmony, Nikal, were all silent.
Guilt settled on their faces, as none of them were able to offer even a helping hand.
The elf, Sylphriens hand hovered in mid-air.
But even this had become familiar to the Saintess.
In the past seven years, she hadnt made contact with anyone even once.
It was the duty given to her, a burden she alone had to bear.
With great effort, she rose from her position and moved forward.
The rest of the heroes followed her.
.
.
.
Thank you, Saintess-nim!
Again today, she accepted that familiar expression of gratitude.
It was a mysterious power, incomprehensible even to her.
Just by putting her hand on the wound and praying, the wounds heal on their own.
There was no need to question why or how they healed.
Medical knowledge was irrelevant.
Because her power alone sutured the wounds and generated new flesh.
The Saintess nodded.
She prepared to receive the next injured person in the ongoing procession.
A man with a deeply torn arm was next.
As he unraveled his bandages, he pleaded.
Ugh... Saintess-nim, just make the pain stop, please...
The human Saintess grimaced in empathy with his pain.
At the same time, a putrid smell of rotting flesh wafted through the air.
The Saintess extended her hand, channeling an inexplicable power she herself did not understand.
From the back of her hand, marked with particularly dark scars, the symbol of Hea glowed.
...Ah...ahh...
The deep scar on the mans arm began to gradually heal.
The bleeding stopped, and the decaying flesh fell away. The faintly visible bone concealed itself, and in its place, ligaments, nerves, and muscles took form.
It was an extraordinary power, wondrous to witness at any time.
The man who had received healing seemed incredulous at his vanishing pain.
Ah... Ah...
Then he mumbled,
...Thank you Hea-nim...
The saintess chosen by Hea furrowed her brow at his words.
Her hand flinched as well. But as always, she suppressed her emotions.
Soon enough, all the mans wounds were healed.
Overcome by the miraculous turn of events, the man could not hold back his emotions.
Thank you... Truly, thank you...
As he reached out his hand,
The saintess instinctively pulled back, and a sword blade appeared between them in an instant.
-Shing!
Didnt I tell you not to raise your hand to the saintess?
The centaur Acran warned, brandishing the sharp blade.
It was then that the man seemed to remember, retracting his hand.
Ah...! I-I apologize...! That was not my intention...!
Its fine. Step back. That will suffice.
The man quickly pulled away.
Then, taking cues, he deeply bowed several times towards the saintess.
Thank you...! Thank you...! I will never forget this kindness...! I will serve Hea-nim all my life...!
The saintess whispered to herself, almost involuntarily,
...Is that necessary?
The man inquired,
...Pardon?
The saintess shook her head.
No, its nothing. Next.
The man left with a puzzled look on his face.
The centaur Acran whispered from the side,
...Saintess-nim, please hold on a bit longer.
...Yes, thank you, Acran.
However, the saintess eyes were fixed on the emblem drawn on the back of her hand.
Focused on that loathsome symbol of Hea.
The End of The Chapter
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