Return (1)

“You didn’t have to hit me for that.”

“Shut up, you baldy. Be grateful I stopped at just that.”

“Grateful, you say…”

Alec was sitting on Yona’s bed, rubbing his head.

It had been a while since he’d felt Yona’s palm.

That palm had left a red handprint on Alec’s smooth scalp.

“So, why did you come?”

Now that she had calmed down and returned to her normal complexion, Yona cleared her throat and asked Alec.

Her heart, which had been racing wildly for a while, finally seemed to be returning to its normal pace.

“Regent Ceres was looking for you. She asked you to come to her room.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know either. She just asked me to pass on the message. She said only you should come.”

Oh no, why again.

With all this summoning of people, maybe this time she’s going to ask for something troublesome.

Yona was seized by such an ominous feeling.

“The hero’s party is said to arrive late this afternoon.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s what they say.”

Yona nodded as she picked up a cookie from the plate Ceres offered and dipped it deeply in honey before eating it.

The sweetness of the cookie blended with the sweetness of the honey, becoming what could only be described as a violent sweetness, and she felt it supplying sugar to her body and mind.

“So there will probably be a banquet tonight.”

“…You didn’t call me to go greet them?”

“What? Greet them?”

Ceres looked at her with an expression that said ‘Why?’

Yona looked back at Ceres with a somewhat indifferent expression.

She had thought that since Ceres called her with such a serious expression, she might be asked to go greet the hero’s party when they arrived, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Never mind then.”

“Why would you go greet them? All the high-ranking people will rush out in a group, and if you were standing there among them, Yona, what if someone says, ‘Oh, I sense demonic energy’— that would really be a big problem.”

“That’s true.”

As she swallowed the cookie, Yona glanced down at her left arm.

In fact, Yona didn’t quite understand it either. Berbaria residing in this arm was literally a demon itself, so why couldn’t anyone detect it when Yona was walking around freely inside the church territory like this?

Perhaps, if she hadn’t directly seen him devouring the mermaid, she might not have believed he was a demon.

In fact, even after seeing that, the fear had suddenly vanished after seeing him imitating Rubina’s way of speaking in a dream just a few days ago.

Anyway, even so, she couldn’t assume that others wouldn’t be able to detect Berbaria’s demonic energy residing in Yona, so Ceres’ words weren’t wrong.

“Instead, please attend the banquet. You, Yona, and Alec, and Kaiyak too. Ah, but not Rubina. She’s already received too much special treatment, so no more. It would be problematic if there’s too much difference from the other children.”

“Okay, I understand. Let’s do that.”

It wasn’t a reason she couldn’t accept.

The adventurer who defeated Berbaria at Kapatia Port, the child Yona brought herself.

And a child for whom the elder Ceres and the Pope themselves have volunteered to be guardians.

Rubina was already receiving excessive protection at the orphanage, and if she attended such a banquet as well, she would stand out too much compared to the other children.

That’s not such a good thing, and it wouldn’t be good for Rubina’s self-formation either.

If she starts to think she’s too special, and grows up believing that—

‘She’ll end up just like Bigri. Ugh.’

She couldn’t bear to see that.

Yona’s wish was for Rubina to grow up to be a child with right and healthy thoughts.

With the news that the hero’s party was arriving, Yona’s heart wasn’t entirely at ease.

Strangely, Yona didn’t quite like the hero.

It didn’t seem like Rudvik was a bad person, and she even knew he was among the good ones.

In the Battle of Semek, Rudvik showed truly heroic activities, and it was because of him that they were able to avoid being wiped out in Semek.

Although the cathedral knight named Scarlet also played a part, it was still true that it was Rudvik who held back the wave of the dead that rushed in before he joined.

But despite that, there was something uncomfortable about the hero.

Even though her relationship with Bigrind wasn’t as twisted as before, from Yona’s standpoint, she wasn’t a completely comfortable companion either.

‘That Scarlet will probably come too…’

Rudvik,

Bigrind,

Scarlet.

These three people were the hero’s party, so if they all came together, it meant three uncomfortable people, not just one, were coming from Yona’s perspective.

“Still, don’t be too harsh. They’re comrades who crossed the line between life and death with you, after all.”

“You’re so easygoing. How can you say to look at them favorably when things almost came to blows?”

Yona glared at Alec with narrowed eyes.

But soon after, she quickly turned her gaze away.

When their eyes met, somehow last night’s incident came to mind, and seeing that grinning face… it felt like her face was heating up.

“Well, that’s something that can happen between men. I won, didn’t I? So it doesn’t matter.”

“Oh my, you won, did you? Didn’t you both exchange a hit?”

“Hey, let’s get the facts straight. I blocked his attack perfectly with my shield, and he took my hammer to his side. I won.”

“Oh my, is that so. Well done, well done.”

Yona pouted her lips, but deep down, she wasn’t in a bad mood.

Honestly, Alec was quite cool at that time.

He stood in front of Yona, blocking her, and boldly showed his temper,

And the way he blocked Scarlet’s attack with his shield while simultaneously striking with his hammer was truly cool.

“So, you see? There’s nothing good about dwelling on past feelings. You know that well.”

“That’s true, but.”

It’s true, but it’s also true that she still couldn’t quite warm up to them.

Still, it might be better to leave it at this.

Alec was the one involved, so if he was okay with it, it should be fine.

It would be strange if I got all worked up about it—

Yona changed her mind, thinking this way.

“So, when are they supposed to arrive?”

“I don’t know either.”

And just as those words ended, from somewhere in the distance, the sound of the choir singing could be heard.

The melody of the choir, grand and weighty.

That sound was clearly welcoming the carriage of the hero’s party entering this church territory.

“Oh my. Talk about preferential treatment.”

“What preferential treatment?”

“Are you really just a nice person, or are you stupid? Or do you have no insight?”

Yona flopped down on Alec’s bed, regardless of what he was saying.

She had been feeling hot again since earlier, and it didn’t feel good at all.

When she gently touched her left arm, she felt heat starting to rise.

Even though she had so thoroughly taken care of it just yesterday, to be like this again, it made her wonder just how much pent-up sexual desire there had been.

“Still, they seem to have arrived earlier than expected?”

“They said they’d arrive late afternoon, but it seems they’ve come early.”

Yona, who was lying on the bed, turned her head to look out the window.

The sun had already passed its zenith and was hanging halfway in the sky.

That ambiguous position was right between noon and afternoon.

The sun was hanging right in the middle, neither here nor there.

As she looked at the sun for a moment, Yona stretched out both her hands.

Right arm and left arm.

The right arm engraved with the seal, and the left arm inhabited by a demon.

Yona, who could freely enter and exit the barrier that humans supposedly couldn’t enter.

She had a lot to think about.

“…What are you looking at so intently?”

When she turned her gaze, Alec hastily averted his eyes.

But Yona didn’t miss that moment when their eyes met,

And she didn’t miss that Alec had been staring at her.

‘Look at this guy?’

Yona, who had been lying on the bed, sat up, smoothing out her nun’s robe skirt.

With a face full of smiles, Yona approached and sat next to Alec, who was busy avoiding eye contact, scratching his reddened face.

“I asked what you were looking at.”

“…I, I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know.”

Seeing Alec’s reddened face, she felt mischievous.

He was always one with great reactions, and he had an innocent side, plus he was skilled.

Yona knew well that she couldn’t find a guy like this just anywhere.

Her left arm, where heat was rising, felt particularly hot.

“No, it’s nothing. Really.”

“Hm, okay. Let’s say it’s nothing. You innocent guy.”

Yona flopped back onto the bed and stretched lazily.

‘Maybe I’ll take a nap.’

They said they’d call when the banquet was ready anyway, so there wasn’t anything else to do.

Waiting was the job, so there wasn’t anything else to do right now.

“Hey, baldy. I’m going to take a nap in my room, so come call me when the banquet is starting.”

“Oh, okay. Sure.”

Leaving Alec with his awkward smile, Yona waved her hand lightly in farewell and left the room.

She’d take a long, lazy nap,

And eat lots of delicious food at the banquet tonight.

Although there were still unresolved worries remaining,

She decided to worry about those when the time came.

Worrying about things that hadn’t even happened yet didn’t suit Yona’s personality.