Chapter 10 – Let’s Go to Radellia!! (1)

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We arrived at a small village. The peacefulness we felt after leaving the forest calmed our bodies and minds, even if just a little. 

We entered a restaurant located in the center of the village, secured a table, and laid Ruan down to rest. The small spirit was also by Ruan’s side, glowing faintly.

“Let’s rest a bit until Ruan wakes up.” I said, and Claire leaned back in her chair with a tired expression.

“Seriously, this time was way too intense. I don’t want to face a monster like that again.” Claire grumbled.

“Yeah, it must’ve been tough for you too. As a sword mage.” Sion teased.

Claire shot him a glare. “Are you still not over that? I said I’m a Magic Swordsman!”

“Got it, got it. Magic Swordsman~” Sion said, raising his hands and laughing.

I sighed as I listened to their banter. Just then, Ruan let out a faint groan and stirred. I quickly moved to his side.

“Ruan? Are you okay?” I asked carefully.

Ruan slowly opened his eyes and looked around. His gaze landed on me, and he spoke in a small voice. “Brother… I’m okay.”

“I’m glad you’re awake.” I said, sighing in relief and stroking his forehead. “How’s your body? Does anything hurt?”

Ruan shook his head. “I’m fine… but what about this little one?” He pointed to the small spirit beside him.

The spirit was still glowing faintly, staying close to Ruan. Claire pointed at the spirit with her finger and said, “That spirit… you saved it. But we’re not exactly sure what happened.”

Ruan looked at the spirit and said quietly, “This one… helped me. When I was in danger, it came to me… and said it would stay with me.”

“Did the spirit form a contract with you or something?” Sion asked with interest.

“No, it’s not like that… but it just came into my heart. And I feel like I need to help it until it gets better.”

I nodded at Ruan’s words. “It seems the spirit has chosen you. We’ll need to take proper care of this spirit now. And your abilities might also be related to it.”

Ruan hugged the small spirit tightly and nodded. “I’ll protect it.”

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After finishing our meal, I started to feel a bit lighter. I stepped outside to take off my stuffy hood. 

The sunlight was harsh, but it actually felt refreshing. As I adjusted my hair after removing the hood, someone suddenly approached me.

“Excuse me.” a stranger’s voice called out.

I turned to look at him. He was a young, boyish-looking adventurer. He wore leather armor on his shoulders and held a weapon in his hand. His face was flushed, and he looked nervous about something.

“Yes? Can I help you?” I asked cautiously.

He fidgeted with his hands, took a deep breath as if making a decision, and then shouted.

“I… I think I’ve fallen in love at first sight!”

I was momentarily stunned. I couldn’t quite process what he was saying.

“…What?” I asked, baffled, but he continued.

“The moment I saw you, my heart started racing, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe! I’ve never felt this way before!”

“Uh, so…” I stared at him blankly, then gave an awkward smile. “I think there’s been some misunderstanding. I’m…”

He cut me off, waving his hands. “No! I’m serious! Just being able to meet someone like you is a huge stroke of luck for me. Please… accept my feelings!”

“…” I sighed, placing a hand on my forehead. Behind me, I could see Claire and Sion coming out.

“Eli, what’s going on?” Claire asked, approaching, but then she burst out laughing when she saw the situation. “Hey, what’s this? Are you getting confessed to?”

“Shut up.” I replied firmly.

Sion also chuckled beside her. “Wow~~ Eli, you’re so popular, huh?”

“That’s not it!” I shot back, glaring at them. “This person is just…”

“No!” the man shouted again. “I’m serious! I’ve fallen for your beauty and aura!”

“Damn it…” I muttered, lowering my head. “What even is this situation…”

Claire couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. “Hey~ Eli, isn’t it nice to get confessed to by a guy for the first time?”

“It’s not nice!” I snapped through gritted teeth.

“Oh, but Claire, this isn’t the first time Eli’s been confessed to. Lol, I’ve seen it like hundreds of times already…” Sion said, crossing his arms and watching the scene. “So, Eli, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna accept?”

I glared at them and said one thing. “Both of you, shut up.”

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Sion crossed his arms and smirked mischievously. “Look at this, it’s time for that rejection script again.”

I glared at Sion and sighed. “Don’t.”

But Sion didn’t stop. “The rejection script I’ve seen from Eli is always the same. Here we go. ‘Um… actually, I’m a guy.’”

Just as I was about to speak, Sion mimicked my voice and shouted at the same time. “Um… actually, I’m a guy.”

I sighed, placing a hand on my forehead. Beside me, Claire was clutching her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. “Hey, it’s even funnier because it’s the same every time. Eli, how do you manage to use the same script every time you get confessed to?”

“Shut up.” I snapped through gritted teeth.

But the problem was, the rookie adventurer who confessed had a completely unexpected reaction. He stood there dazed for a moment, then tilted his head and asked.

“Um… so what does that matter?”

“What?” I was stunned and looked at him.

“Whether you’re a guy or a girl, does it really matter?” he said with a serious expression. “I didn’t fall for your looks or aura, but for something deeper. So… something like that… it’s not a problem at all.”

Claire laughed even harder, almost falling over. “Hey… wow… damn…”

Sion, unable to hold back his laughter, said, “Eli, how are you gonna handle this?”

I was at a loss for words. “Huh? I… uh…”

The rookie adventurer looked straight into my eyes and said, “So, my feelings haven’t changed. Can you please consider them seriously?”

Claire clapped from behind and said, “Hey, crazy!! Crazy!! Eli, what are you gonna do this time!? LOLOLOL”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “Forget it, I’m out of here!” I quickly left the scene and went back into the restaurant.

Behind me, Claire and Sion’s laughter continued to echo.

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I walked into the restaurant and sat down at the table, letting out a sigh. Claire and Sion followed me in and took their seats.

“Our lovely lady~, you’re so popular~~” Claire said, trying to hold back her laughter.

“Shut up.” I replied curtly and took a sip of water.

Sion sighed and said, “But seriously, it’s kind of creepy… Was the game always this PC¹?…”

Claire added, “Right. It’s a little scary because of all these little changes…”

I looked at the two of them and said, “I’m the one who’s most affected here…”

“Ugh…” Sion waved his hand and laughed. “But at least it proves you’re a peerless beauty, right??”

I sighed again. “Peerless beauty, my a**…”

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After the commotion at the restaurant died down, we quietly began discussing our next steps. The air around the table was a mix of tension and anticipation as we sat together. Ruan was still holding the spirit in his arms, quietly watching us.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Claire asked. Her voice still carried a hint of exhaustion.

“First, stabilizing Ruan’s condition is our top priority.” I said, looking at Ruan. “The spirit hasn’t fully recovered yet, and this village has its limits. We need to move to a bigger city.”

“If it’s a big city… the closest one from here would be Radellia.” Sion said, unfolding a map. “But that’s the main area of activity for the hero party I belong to. Your identity as the Saintess might get exposed.”

I thought for a moment, then nodded. “Still, we have to go to Radellia. We need better resources than what’s available here to heal the spirit and Ruan. Even if it’s risky, we’ll have to take the chance…”

“Alright.” Claire said, crossing her arms. “Then we’ll need to find a safe way to get to Radellia.”

“Before that.” Sion added with a serious expression, “it might be dangerous to go just by ourselves. If there’s a merchant caravan heading to Radellia, it’d be better to travel with them. They often have strong escorts.”

“Then let’s head to the village guild first and gather information.” I said, standing up. “We’ll also stock up on supplies.”

Claire and Sion agreed and stood up as well. Ruan followed slowly, still holding the spirit in his arms.

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The village guild was bustling. Adventurers and merchants were chatting with each other, filling the place with energy. We approached the guild desk right away.

“Is there a merchant caravan heading to Radellia?” Sion asked.

The guild employee at the desk nodded and said, “Yes, there’s one departing at dawn tomorrow. I heard they are in need of more escorts due to the recent increase in monster activity. Are you interested in joining?”

“Of course.” I replied firmly. “What do we need to do to join?”

“Just fill out this form.” the employee said, handing over some paperwork. “The escort mission is simply ensuring the safety of the caravan. Payment will be provided upon arrival in Radellia.”

We filled out the forms while quietly sharing information.

“Dawn tomorrow? That’s a bit tight on time.” Claire said. “We’ll need to prepare thoroughly tonight.”

“Right.” I replied, finishing the paperwork. “We also need to figure out how to protect Ruan and the spirit.”

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That night, we stayed at a small inn and finished our preparations. Ruan had fallen asleep with the spirit, and I sat by the window, gazing outside. Claire and Sion were checking their weapons in the corner of the room.

“Eli.” Claire suddenly called out. “Are you really okay? Lately, it feels like you’re carrying more and more on your shoulders.”

I looked at her and gave a bitter smile. “I’m fine…”

“That attitude of yours is the problem.” Sion chimed in. “You can trust us more, you know. If you try to solve everything on your own, it just tires us out too.”

“I get it.” I said, nodding. “But my instinct is to protect these kids no matter what… even if it costs me my life…”

“Of course.” Claire replied confidently. “What’s there to worry about when we’re here?”

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At dawn the next day, we joined the merchant caravan. They welcomed us and briefly explained the escort mission. The road ahead might be rough, but they seemed reassured by our presence.

“Let’s go, to Radellia.”

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading!!!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
I don’t know if it’s just me, but this chapter somehow makes it feel like we are 40-50 chaps into the story doesn’t it?

Not complaining of course, though it probably has to do with the fact that the first story arc is quite a massive one~