Praise Makes Yona Dance (2)

“How reckless of you to charge in like that. Your body still moves before your head, I see.”

“…Ugh.”

Yona pouted but remained still. She was thankful that thanks to the outer garment Alec had covered her with, her tattoos weren’t visible even without the holy cloth.

“Please heal the others directly for now.”

“Okay.”

Yona hesitated for a moment, looking at Bigrin.

Should she say thank you or not?

After a brief deliberation, Yona just turned away abruptly.

‘She probably knows without me saying it.’

Alec, Kairoc, James, and Ludvik were busy recovering the bodies.

The surviving guards, along with additional guard reinforcements that had arrived late and the church knights, were busy arresting the dazed cult members while also collecting bodies and cleaning up the scene.

“So why exactly was the support so late?”

The church knights in their gleaming silver armor were quite impressive just to look at.

Perhaps if they had joined quickly and fought together, the tide would have turned.

Ludvik couldn’t shake off that regret.

“We came as quickly as we could. A demon’s descent isn’t something we prepare for on a regular basis.”

“What does the Church Knight Order prepare for if not a demon’s descent?”

The Church Knight Commander frowned at Ludvik’s direct words but couldn’t answer.

“…There are various procedures. We’re not in a position to deploy immediately, I hope you understand.”

“I’m not trying to blame anyone. It’s just regrettable, isn’t it?”

Still, the regret lingers.

The Demon of Humiliation, Verbaria.

Even as it disappeared, it said it was just an avatar, but even if it was an avatar, if they had defeated it, it would have been some achievement. Not being able to do so was truly regrettable.

“Come now, there’s no need to argue like this.”

It was Ceres.

In the sky after Verbaria’s retreat, the full moon was about to set, and thanks to its light, her silver hair was shimmering even more.

“Thanks to the hero’s presence, we were able to successfully repel Verbaria’s avatar. Although it’s unfortunate for the guards who lost their lives, their families will receive sufficient compensation. Moreover, capturing these damned rat-like Dark Organization members is an achievement in itself.”

“…If you put it that way.”

Ludvik stopped there.

Thinking that speaking further would only hurt feelings unnecessarily.

“More importantly, you said your name was Yona, right?”

“Ah, y-yes.”

Yona, who was hugging Rubina tightly and carefully examining her for any injuries again, was startled by Ceres’s sudden voice and answered.

As Alec’s outer garment covering her right arm slipped down, Rubina quickly grabbed it.

“I heard you did an amazing job.”

“A-amazing job? What do you mean?”

Yona’s face flushed involuntarily, and she scratched her cheek.

Seeing this, Ceres smiled brightly and grabbed Yona’s hand.

“Uh, um…?”

“More importantly, let’s leave the cleanup here to the Church Knights and guards, and you all come to my mansion. The banquet we couldn’t finish earlier is still waiting for you. How about it?”

Saying this, Ceres turned to the Church Knight Commander and gave a wink, and the Commander reluctantly nodded.

They arrived late, so they had no choice.

Even though it wasn’t their intention.

“Wow.”

Rubina, unskilled at hiding her emotions, let out a small exclamation.

Although she only made a sound, Yona felt the same way. She had never seen such a luxurious dining room, not only in this world but also in her previous one.

“W-woooow…”

Alec was looking around with his mouth open, constantly expressing admiration. Yona, who found his behavior quite unsightly, poked Alec’s side.

“Ugh, why? Why are you doing that?”

“Stop acting like a country bumpkin. It’s embarrassing.”

“E-embarrassing? What’s embarrassing?”

“Anyway, it’s embarrassing, so stop showing it, baldy.”

Alec was fortunate not to know that Yona was no better herself.

“Now, please sit comfortably.”

Ceres stood in front of the group, lightly spreading her arms in welcome.

From the moment they entered this mansion, except for Ludvik and Bigrin, the four adults and one child had been overwhelmed, but now it was getting even worse.

“Sister. Is it really okay for us to come into a place like this?”

“O-of course! We deserve it!”

“But our clothes… are dirty.”

When Ceres had asked if they wanted to wash up before eating or eat before washing, the group had unanimously said they would eat first.

They were very hungry, and they hadn’t expected to be eating in a place like this.

If they had known, they would have definitely said they’d wash up before eating, but it was too late now.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Yona held Rubina’s hand in one hand and grabbed Alec’s wrist with the other, pulling them along.

They had come this far anyway.

Now that they’re here, they should at least eat their fill of delicious food to make it worthwhile.

“Have these people been waiting all this time since then?”

Ludvik approached Ceres and asked.

The chefs who had been standing in front of each table long ago, before they rushed out due to the Dark Organization commotion, were still standing in the same places.

Although they looked a bit tired, the chefs were still standing guard at their positions without any particular expression.

“That’s right. I didn’t tell them to leave.”

“…Is that so?”

Ludvik was at a loss for words.

At the obvious statement that they were waiting because they weren’t told to leave, Ludvik couldn’t say anything more.

“So, what are your plans from now on?”

As the meal was nearing its end, Yona was feeding Rubina the last spoonful of soup and wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Then, at the sudden voice, she looked up towards the head of the table where Ceres was, and their eyes met directly.

“W-what do you mean?”

“I mean about your future journey. The hero Ludvik and Saint Bigrin here will soon be heading to the Inpula Church Territory, and I plan to accompany them. Verbaria’s descent, even as an avatar, is a very significant event.”

Saying this, Ceres raised her wine glass.

The previously empty wine glass was now half-filled with wine served by the butler standing beside Ceres.

After moistening her lips with the wine, Ceres put down the glass and rested her chin on her hand.

“I’ve already sent messengers, but for such a major event, it’s better to report in person. Since Bishop Fileo is elderly and may have difficulty moving, it’s not strange for me, the chief elder, to go.”

‘…Doesn’t the bishop usually go and the elder handle the aftermath?’

Yona felt a strange sense of discomfort at this point.

She hadn’t received education about such matters in the Celestial Church. At least, there was nothing like this in the educational content up until the day she left the cathedral after being identified as a healer.

“So, I’d like to make a proposal to all of you.”

At those words, not only Yona but also Alec, Kairoc, and James turned their attention to her.

“My, suddenly having everyone look at me is quite pressuring. I’m actually more timid than I appear.”

Ceres waved her hand lightly, beaming.

“Anyway, the proposal is, well… excuse me, but who is the current representative of your party? Is it the guard with the splendid head over there?”

Ceres looked at Alec with her eyes half-closed.

Yona quickly intervened, blocking Ceres’s gaze and tapping her own chest.

“It’s me, me. I am. Please speak to me.”

“A party with a healer as the leader, that’s quite rare.”

“…Would you mind getting to the point?”

Despite Yona’s prickly words, Ceres didn’t remove the smile from her face.

Rather, with an even deeper smile, she faced Yona and said,

“So, the hero, Saint Bigrin, and I need to go to the Inpula Church Territory. I’m asking if you all would like to accompany us on that journey. As escorts. Of course, since you’re adventurers, the compensation won’t disappoint.”

Ceres leaned back in her chair.

Behind her, like decorations, several tables with cooking stations on top and chefs lined up could be seen.

“I am very wealthy. No matter how much you imagine, I have more than that. So I can offer conditions that might tempt you. The costs involved in traveling, that is, meal expenses, lodging expenses. Plus daily wages. I promise top-tier treatment for everything.”

Yona’s pupils were shaking tremendously.

Even so, she didn’t really want to be in the same party as that Ludvik.

She had money.

A few gold coins, but at least enough to get treatment at the community.

So it wasn’t about the money, rather – at least for now, she was reluctant to be in the same party not only with that Ludvik but also with Bigrin.

“Money, it’s not about the money-“

“Of course!”

Yona’s words were cut off by Ceres.

“I’m not saying I’ll move an excellent healer like Yona with just money. Someone of Yona’s caliber is truly outstanding. Not just a healer who heals from behind the guard, but a so-called battlefield coordinator who commands the battlefield! Healers who can face monsters, respond appropriately to those monsters, and manage the party with such a broad perspective are extremely rare. Isn’t that right?”

Yona’s lips curled up in a grin-

“How reliable must Yona be for even a Lizardman warrior and an Orc archer to be in her party? The abilities of those individuals have been sufficiently proven in this battle with Verbaria, so it would be quite rude to try to hire such people merely with money.”

“W-well, that’s true…”

Hey, get a grip.

Yona was about to nod when Alec sharply poked her side, causing her to make a strange “Urk-” sound and close her mouth.

“Even giving you more than that wouldn’t be enough. Unfortunately, all I can promise you right now is money. One gold coin per person per day. Would that be sufficient?”

One.

But somehow, it felt a bit undignified to immediately say “Yes!”

Honestly, it was greedy.

Still, when it’s time to push, there’s a need to push.

After hesitation, Yona carefully tried to negotiate.

“…T-two…”

“Two, alright. Let’s make it two gold coins per day as wages, excluding all pure expenses. Then, discuss this condition with your party members. It seems like you can let me know by tomorrow.”

Ceres smiled with satisfaction.

In contrast, Yona felt somewhat unsatisfied.

Maybe she should have asked for three.