Attack (1)

Like the arm of an old person about to lie in a coffin, like blood vessels covered in skin so devoid of elasticity that it’s hard to find any flesh.

The tree had shallow roots half-exposed above ground like that.

Those roots, not fully extended underground and exposed, were hideous, and were busy sucking something in, pulsating like parasites on a host.

The fog that had been seeping out like breath from holes perforating the tree trunk began to subside,

and correspondingly, the fog thickly covering the surroundings was also gradually thinning.

“It seems that was the source of the fog.”

Bigrind, who had been blankly watching the dead crawl up while digging through the ground, turned her gaze to the tree at Scarlet’s words.

“The demonic energy… it’s too intense.”

Bigrind barely opened her mouth with lips that wouldn’t part.

As a saint, she was bound to sense the demonic energy – the opposite force to that of the Cheonsin – more keenly than others.

The demonic energy rushing like a tide from that tree, and the dead who were crawling up from the ground, staggering with steps while emitting unidentified, horrible groans of “grooooah—”.

With each step, a thick grayish slime dripped down.

The unpleasant sound like squelching mud, mixed with their strange groans, was like something heard from the deepest pit of hell.

“Over here, come closer.”

Bigrind clenched her trembling lips.

She grasped the rosary hanging around her neck, and with each prayer chant, holiness began to shine above her head.

It formed like a round ring, gradually expanding its size as it descended, and finally as it touched the ground, the symbol of the Cheonsin Church flashed above Bigrind’s head, revealing its form.

Declaration of the Cheonsin’s Domain.

This mantra, declaring a domain of the Cheonsin that demonic energy cannot approach, is one of the mantras she can use because she is a saint.

It’s also a basic mantra used to secure a safe zone, which should be prioritized even in places full of all kinds of dangers.

As soon as Bigrind declared her body as the Cheonsin’s domain, thick smoke rose within a certain radius centered on her.

Everyone was momentarily stunned at the sight of the demonic energy that had seeped into the ground burning away by the holy power.

“Well then, Sir Scarlet. Let’s go. It seems we can leave the other personnel to the Saint.”

The hero took a big step forward.

Seeing this, Scarlet also nodded and glared at the dead.

“It seems that fog dredges up memories one would rather avoid and makes one face them. Saint, please take care of them.”

The church knights and regular knights who had followed Scarlet into the fog.

They were still rolling on the ground in a state that could be called disgraceful, as if not yet awoken from a nightmare.

At least, they were not in a state to participate in battle.

“Are, are the Hero and Sir Scarlet alright?”

“…Well, how could I be called a hero if I couldn’t overcome that much?”

“I’m fine too, Saint.”

Rudvik held his spear at an angle.

Scarlet also readjusted his grip on the morning star.

“Well then, let’s go. Sir Scarlet. Are you ready?”

“No problem, Hero.”

Without anyone going first, the two of them kicked off the ground simultaneously.

With the sound of thump-thump-thump, the two rushed towards the dead.

*

— I am the reward. I will stay with you until the day your goal is achieved.

Yona hesitated for a moment upon hearing Kaiyak’s condition.

It wasn’t because she didn’t like the reward.

She was planning to help if Kaiyak asked, regardless of the reward, so even if he had said just a few copper coins, she would have gladly agreed.

“Can’t sleep, damn it.”

Yona sat up from where she had been lying down.

For the first time in a long while, a floor with a slightly soft mat instead of a bed.

She thought she would fall asleep as soon as she lay down on the ondol floor, evenly transmitting warm heat, which she hadn’t experienced in so long, but that wasn’t the case.

She had accepted the request, and so they were set to go back to the sacred place the day after tomorrow, but now something else was troubling Yona.

‘…How could I sleep?’

From across the room came the sound of soft snoring.

Yona knew well whose snoring it was, and she had no intention of saying anything about the snoring, but the fact that Alec was sleeping and snoring while she was so troubled like this made her feel somewhat resentful.

‘I want to hit him on the forehead.’

She used to slap the back of his head without hesitation, and caress that smooth bald head saying, “Hey, baldy—” as if treating a friend.

But now, she’s not sure if she can do that anymore.

No, she probably could do it, but she’s not confident about treating him like a friend.

‘Why did he have to confess… that jerk.’

She calls him a jerk, but it’s not heartfelt.

Yona knows better who the real jerk is.

Quietly, careful not to make a sound, Yona opened the door and went outside.

Opening the door, which should be called a sliding door, made of thick paper wrapped around a lattice, the first thing that greeted her was the chilly air.

Since it was a night when sleep wouldn’t come at all, she was thinking of taking a walk.

The inside of Lizard Den is safe anyway, so there shouldn’t be any problem with walking a little.

But once she actually came out, the cold made her hesitant to even attempt a walk.

Yona gave up on the walk and sat down on the wooden porch.

Sitting on that porch between the rooms, between Yona’s room and Alec’s room, she could see the brightly shining moon very well.

‘Goal…’

Yona mumbled Kaiyak’s words again.

Kaiyak had said until your goal is achieved, but Yona hesitated at the point of what exactly that goal was.

What is the goal?

To this question, Yona could have answered without a moment’s hesitation just a few days ago.

To return to being a man.

She could have immediately answered that this was the ultimate task, and after achieving that, she would look for a way to return to her original world.

But now things have changed a bit.

She could still give an answer.

Although it might not seem different in terms of being able to give an answer, what’s different is that it’s difficult for that answer to come out immediately.

Alec’s confession was the reason.

In the 3 years Yona has spent here so far, 2 years and 7 months of that.

Compared to her entire life, it might not be a very long time, but looking at the density of that time rather than its length, is there anyone she’s been closer to in her life than Alec?

Her parents whom she never even saw the faces of, or the orphanage teachers who didn’t pay much attention to her.

Even thinking of all the people she had relationships with, there’s no one she was more closely associated with than Alec.

That confession from such an Alec, saying he loves her, has made her agonize like this.

That word “love”, which she had only seen in song lyrics, dramas, webtoons, and web novels, the moment it was directed at her.

Her world collapsed, and now she has to rebuild it from the foundation, one by one.

Yona was troubled.

Why does that confession make her so disturbed?

That confession received from Alec, a man, a confession that should only feel disgusting, why does it fill her head and refuse to be ignored no matter what?

Yona couldn’t understand.

And so, unable to sleep, Yona is repeatedly agonizing like this.

Her goal, the one and only goal she should have.

Yona agonized over and over about the reality that she can’t confidently say that goal is still the same now.

“What, didn’t you sleep?”

Alec’s eyes widened when he saw Yona sitting with her head leaning against a pillar of the wooden porch.

Although adventurers’ stamina is extraordinary and not sleeping properly for a day or two doesn’t cause problems, in Yona’s case, she looked so haggard that it didn’t seem normal at all.

“Oh, yeah…”

Yona, the person in question, immediately averted her gaze upon seeing Alec and gave a vague answer, her voice strangely becoming small.

“Did something happen?”

“…I don’t know, you bald bastard.”

She suddenly felt angry just looking at Alec.

She hadn’t been able to sleep properly all night, but he slept so well even snoring loudly, and now he’s asking if something happened—

Yona spoke in a voice mixed with irritation without realizing it, and came down from the wooden porch to put on the shoes placed on the stone step.

“Where are you going?”

“None of your business, baldy.”

Yona left the house with her lips pursed, her mouth protruding three or four fingers’ width.

Now the sun had risen, and it was a time when the sunlight had fallen and the ground should have warmed up adequately.

Now Yona was thinking of looking around this neighborhood.

The more she looked, the more familiar it felt to Yona.

There were houses with walls made of woven straw, and stone walls built by piling stones and filling the gaps with mud mixed with straw.

The paths between these walls had weeds growing on both edges, giving a feeling like walking on a path in a hanok village.

‘Hero Siwoo… Siwoo. Was he Korean?’

Even muttering like that, there’s no way to know.

There wouldn’t be any records of what country Siwoo was from, and such things as what country Siwoo was from didn’t come up during church education either.

She can only vaguely guess.

Little Lizardmen were running around the neighborhood.

At first sight, they looked like miniature versions of Kaiyak, which was a bit creepy, but as she kept looking, she found they had their own cute aspects.

Short stature, with tails to match that stature.

Little Lizardmen running around the whole neighborhood with feet as small as Yona’s palm.

It was somewhat amazing to think that these little ones would grow up to be like Kaiyak.

‘I wonder how Rubina is doing.’

Rubina, whom she left at the orphanage in the Church Territory.

She’s probably doing well.

She had promised to visit her, but she wondered if Rubina was crying, saying she missed her sister.

Yona looked around here and there while walking around the village.

Whenever the Lizardmen saw Yona, they smiled and greeted her, and Yona also nodded back with an awkward smile.

They said Yona had saved their lives, and it wasn’t just empty words; the hospitality was extremely gracious.

‘It’s peaceful, so peaceful.’

Yona looked around, chuckling.

And then, suddenly, she felt a heat rising from deep in her stomach.

A feeling like her whole body was becoming itchy—

This feeling is familiar to her too.

That time when her chest was fondled by Alec.

This feeling of itchiness, heat blooming, breath becoming rough, and lewd moans trying to escape involuntarily.

【It seems one of our kind has arrived.】

Just as Berbaria’s voice whispered, a thunderous sound that seemed to shake the earth reverberated.

In the distant forest, something black was stirring.