Chapter 57: Everyone is new to you

He gradually regained consciousness, feeling a soft sensation against the back of his neck.

It was so comfortable he didn’t want to wake up.

‘But why do I feel like this…?’

He remembered defeating the monster in Ha-yeon’s form, then confronting the Saintess… the Saintess…?

The thought jolted him awake.

Without opening his eyes, he sat up abruptly, his head bumping into something soft.

“Oof..!”

A moan echoed at the same time.

Opening his eyes, he saw a divine power reserve right in front of his face.

It was so large it blocked his view of the Saintess.

‘Which means what I bumped into was…’

The Saintess’s divine power reserve.

The moan had been hers, from the impact. His mind raced.

Why was he lying with his head in the Saintess’s lap? Where was he? Wouldn’t her shoulders ache from carrying something so large? What was going on?

Various thoughts flooded his mind, and then he heard the Saintess’s voice.

“You’re awake, Yu-won?”

Since she was speaking formally, it seemed the situation wasn’t too bad.

“What… what’s going on? Where am I?”

“We’re at the inn we stayed at before. You weren’t waking up, so I laid you down and healed you myself. Are you alright?”

Her voice was full of concern. He didn’t feel any pain. Though his body was stiff from lying down for so long.

“I’m fine, but… weren’t you accusing me of being the Demon King’s pawn before I passed out?”

He couldn’t see her expression because of the divine power reserve blocking his view, but he could feel her trembling slightly, as if flustered.

“I’m so sorry, Yu-won.”

The Saintess apologized.

“Seeing the paladins and priests being defeated by that monstrous woman, I was… on edge. Even if that weren’t the case, I shouldn’t have doubted my benefactor. I’m truly sorry.”

Her apology felt sincere.

He honestly thought he would have been suspicious too, seeing someone using dark energy in such a dire situation.

Since she was sincerely apologizing and had even healed him for several days, he didn’t think he needed to remain hostile.

And since he had to live in this world for another 13 years, he shouldn’t maintain a bad relationship with the Church.

If this allowed him to use his power without restraint, it could even be beneficial.

He wasn’t petty enough to hold a grudge against a 15-year-old for a single mistake. He was magnanimous. So he decided to lighten the mood with a joke.

“I’ll forgive you if you let me touch your divine power reserves.”

Both he and she knew she wouldn’t accept such a proposal.

He just wanted some compensation and an official confirmation from the Church that he wasn’t a bad guy.

‘But… her response is slow…?’

Unless she was thinking about something, there was no reason for her to take so long…

“Would that really be enough…?”

‘What..?’

She seemed to have understood his request, about the divine power reserve no less, and she looked like she was seriously considering it.

This was truly, truly, truly unexpected.

She took his hand, pulled it towards her chest, and guided his hand to grasp it. His body was still stiff, so he couldn’t resist.

“Mmm…”

“Saintess…?”

As he kneaded her divine power reserve, which was significantly larger than Ha-yeon’s, he marveled at its softness and simultaneously felt a sense of alarm.

This was dangerous.

“You’re the first person to teach me something personally, to cook for me, to guide me, to save my life, and… to touch my chest…♡”

Knock knock

Just as he thought he might be devoured, there was a knock on the door.

“Saintess, Guild Master Alexander is here to see you.”

‘Whew… good timing, old man!’

He might have been in serious trouble, but the heavens had sent him a savior at the perfect moment.

She reluctantly released his hand, and he, with some effort, managed to sit up in bed.

But her face was still flushed, and his “staff” was still at attention.

“…Cover yourself with this for now.”

Whispering softly so that no one outside could hear, she handed him a blanket. He covered himself, and she spoke.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Alexander entered.

“It’s been a week, Saintess.”

“What brings you here?”

“I heard Yu-won was here, so I came to check on him… I seem to have interrupted something.”

Seeing the Saintess’s flushed face and Yu-won covering his lower body with a blanket, he seemed to have gotten the wrong idea.

“Not at all. Yu-won is your man, so how could your visit be an interruption?”

Her words were the complete opposite of the scary expression he’d glimpsed as she got up.

She was terrifying.

“Thank you for your understanding. I have something urgent to attend to. If Yu-won’s treatment is finished, may I take him with me?”

“Yes. Yu-won’s treatment is complete, so you can take him now.”

While they talked, his “staff” finally calmed down enough for him to conceal it.

“Then I’ll see you later, Saintess.”

He removed the blanket, got out of bed, and said goodbye.

“Yes. See you soon, Yu-won.”

She smiled brightly, but he felt a chill down his spine.

He followed Alexander out of the room.

“Yu-won.”

“What is it, old man?”

“What did you do to make the Saintess’s attitude towards you change so much in just a week?”

“I have no idea.”

‘I really don’t.’

He didn’t understand why she was acting like this.

Saving her life was simply the right thing to do, and everything else was just part of his job, wasn’t it?

“Anyway, what’s this urgent matter you need me for?”

“Swain brought back an Owlbear. I was thinking of having a feast, but you’re the only one who can handle butchering it. That’s why I called you.”

‘He called me just to cook?!’

Still, thanks to that, he’d escaped the Saintess’s clutches(?). That was a relief.

“By the way, I see you have a new bracelet. What is that?”

“Bracelet? Oh, you’re right.”

A luxurious bracelet he’d never seen before was on his wrist.

“You didn’t even know you had it?”

“I was unconscious, how would I know?”

The bracelet seemed to hum in response, as if glad to finally be acknowledged. He used Observe to check its information.

[Gungnir (Mythical): The weapon of Odin, the highest-ranking god, god of madness, war, and many other things.

*Strength +40, Agility +40, Intelligence +40
*True Strike: Never misses its target.
*Return: Returns to its owner at will.
*Unbreakable: Cannot be broken by lesser weapons.
*Self-Repair: Repairs itself when damaged.

Can transform between spear and bracelet form. Command: Transform.

*Owner: Kim Yu-won]

No wonder he’d felt an unusual power emanating from him. He had a crazy weapon.

While equipment stats didn’t affect him as much as pure stats, +40 was a significant boost.

He felt like he could rip apart a steel cable with his bare hands.

While he wasn’t particularly skilled in throwing, the True Strike effect meant he only needed to throw it with all his might. It would definitely be a great help.

‘The Saintess must have known that a divine relic was bound to me. Why didn’t she say anything?’

He wasn’t in a position to discuss such things calmly.

Especially since the sensation of the Saintess’s divine power reserve was still fresh in his mind.

He quickly pushed the thought aside, prepared the Owlbear with the guild members, enjoyed the feast, and went home to sleep. The next day arrived.

“Fancy seeing you here, Yu-won.”

When he arrived at the guild office, the Saintess was waiting for him, wearing her usual smile.

It was precisely because she looked so normal that he felt uneasy.

“Likewise… What brings you here?”

“Well, we failed to retrieve the divine relic, and I need to take care of the compensation for the families of the deceased, so I have to return to the Church. I came to say goodbye.”

That was good news. His lips curled slightly upwards.

“I must be mistaken, but did you just smile when I said I was leaving?”

“Of course.”

He responded shamelessly.

“But after speaking with the Goddess last night, I think I’ll be seeing you again soon, Yu-won.”

That wasn’t good news.

“Why is that…?”

“Hee hee. It wouldn’t be fun if I told you, would it? After that, you’ll be able to use your full power without any restrictions.”

It sounded ominous, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He could run away from this town, but if the Church started pursuing him, it was only a matter of time before they caught him.

The Saintess left, and soon after, news spread that a hero chosen by the Goddess and wielding her holy spear had been born.

The hero’s companions were also announced, and one of the names was “Kim Yu-won.”

‘ so that’s why she said we’d meet again?’

He’d become a member of the hero’s party.