Translator Note

Hi hi!! Your translator LegoMyEggo here, just an fyi, Ian’s pronouns are as usual going to be subject to POV, in this case however it will be a bit more fluid than usual. Essentially if Leon is specifically noticing things than it will be he/him, otherwise it will be she/her.

Chapter 118: Lake – Baptism

R̃ｅad oո K̃аｔ​R̈ead̀​iｎ&g;Cаｆẽ

Under the rising morning sun, they ran and ran.

In the distance, the lake began to come into view.

“As far as I know, Sugar’s headband is a magical tool with a tracking spell cast by Riley. He must’ve followed it in this direction.”

“I understand that, but what on earth is happening at the lake…”

Ian and Leon caught their breath as they entered the forest path leading to the lake.

And, of course, there were those who blocked their way.

“We are His messengers. Step back.”

A suspicious group clad in black robes appeared.

From their titles, their identity was immediately clear.

Heretics, without a doubt.

Ian and Leon drew their staffs.

“We cannot let you pass.”

“If you turn back now, we won’t harm you.”

“What happened to the blond man who went ahead?”

Leon asked with a frown.

“He is not one we can stop.”

“But you can stop the two of us?”

“We have no desire to engage in lengthy conversation with the messengers of demons. Step back. That is all we can say.”

It didn’t seem like they would let us pass easily.

Leon exhaled and stepped in front of Ian. Why were these heretics lurking around here? He didn’t know what connection they had with Sugar and Riley. But since they were blocking the path, there was no other choice.

Somehow, the events from his dreams flashed through his mind.

Confrontations with the heretics known as the Shadow Cult. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Along with his staff, he had a premonition.

He didn’t want to get involved in such things. He wanted to live quietly, researching and making medicine.

But he couldn’t just ignore it. That’s just how it was. Sugar, who kept poking at him, Riley, who seemed troubled, and Ian, who always tried to embrace him.

His heart kept asking. Can you really stay still? Can you really turn a blind eye to everything in the world?

‘I don’t know.’

The Saint’s staff and the world’s crises all felt like distant dreams.

But if it’s something within my grasp.

At least in this reality, for those close enough to call my name.

‘…It wouldn’t be so bad to help a little.’

Leon gripped the staff he had used since his teenage years.

In his heart was an immature resolve, and in his eyes, a clear determination.

He was about to chant a spell.

“Step aside at once, you vile creatures. How dare you block our path?”

…Huh?

“Ian…?”

“It’s deplorable that the forces of evil can roam the world so brazenly…”

Her voice was lower and more powerful than usual. It was the authoritative tone of someone who belonged in a chapel.

Ian stood straight, staring at the cultists. Her noble purple eyes looked down upon the corrupted.

“In the name of the Saint, I command you.”

Her face was infinitely dignified, infinitely solemn—

“Spit out your breath and repent.”

And infinitely beautiful.

The divine power activated.

For a moment, Leon felt as if he were standing under a starry sky.

Under the dimly lit sky at dawn, the land enveloped by the Milky Way. If this wasn’t the heavens, then what was?

The cold starlight emanating from Ian’s body engulfed the forest.

Divine Protection, the power left behind by the Saint.

The mist, like the stars above, began to wrap around and bind the hostile beings.

“…This is not a matter for you to interfere with.”

In response, the cultists quietly melted into the shadows. Without a trace, they disappeared, leaving only the shadows to move.

“Using such bizarre tricks…”

Ian clicked her tongue and waved her hand. She called the mist back to herself and dove into the midst of the shadows.

Her movements were like a dance. Coordinating with the mist, her actions were as natural as her limbs.

She fluidly deflected the shadows’ attacks and countered. Twisting her slender waist to dodge, she delivered a sharp kick. Immediately, she chanted an incantation and shot light at the shadow’s face.

Leon, who had been watching the elegant sequence in a daze, finally snapped out of it.

It was the first time he had seen Ian so stern. The sight of him fighting while enveloped in starlight was mesmerizing—no, it was simply beautiful in a pure sense.

Leon joined the fray. He created a large fireball and launched it into the air.

The light from the burning fire weakened the shadows, but they didn’t stop moving.

‘This won’t work.’

He had hoped to eliminate them with light. It seemed direct attacks were necessary.

Leon glanced at Ian.

His elemental affinity was fire. Its destructive power was strong, and if not controlled properly, it could harm even allies. Especially dangerous in a narrow forest like this.

“Ian, go ahead.”

He spoke, thinking he would handle this alone after sending Ian ahead. This was a matter involving heretics. Something serious was happening inside.

We can’t be late. We can’t let the rescue be delayed.

What happened to my mother when rescue was late?

Leon, blocking Ian’s path, chanted a spell. Flames spread widely in front of him. The heat burned the forest and engulfed the shadows.

“…If I go, what about you?”

“I’ll be fine. What’s inside is more important.”

“You’re going to handle all these enemies alone?”

“What else can I do? I have to. I’m the only one here.”

“…”

Ian looked at Leon once, then at the magic he had used. The fire burning the forest.

Ian chanted a water spell to extinguish the flames.

“Ah! What are you…”

“Magic. Use it freely. My affinity is water. I can handle it.”

She smiled softly.

It was the usual Ian.

“You’re my friend too. How could I leave you behind’? Let’s finish this quickly and go together.”

Ian spoke playfully, wrapping herself in cold starlight.

Leon, for some reason, found it hard to breathe and quickly turned away.

Was it the steam? He forced himself to focus on chanting spells, shaking off his thoughts.

Five shadows ahead. He created three fireballs and shot them at one spot. The chain reaction of flames created a blaze, and soon the shadows scattered.

Wiping sweat from the heat, he immediately prepared the next spell. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his body. Ian had lent him part of her mist.

When he inhaled, a serene fragrance mixed with a faint floral scent—

‘Damn it. Why am I so conscious of this?’

He kept finding it hard to breathe, panting heavily, making him more sensitive to the scent.

Why? Why is it so hard to breathe?

Leon clutched his chest and glanced at Ian. He was sweeping through the battlefield, his tied-up hair flowing.

Watching him, he felt his lungs tightening—no, wait.

‘This. I really can’t breathe.’

“Huff… Huff… Ugh… Huh…”

He coughed and collapsed to the ground. Unable to breathe, no sound came out.

Ian, sensing something was wrong when the heat from one side disappeared, rushed over.

“Leon! What’s wrong?”

“I… can’t… breathe…”

“Breathe? You can’t breathe?”

Leon nodded weakly.

Ian looked around, panicked by the sudden symptom. The shadows around them only made physical attacks, nothing more.

Then what’s the cause?

‘Did they use some trick without us noticing…’

Ian frowned, then let out an “Ah.” The mist enveloping her and Leon.

“Leon, by any chance… have you not been baptized?”

“I have…”

“Not the infant baptism, the one you receive as an adult.”

“That… I haven’t…”

“You haven’t!?”

In the Saint’s Church, there are two baptisms.

The baptism received at birth, and the one received as an adult. The latter, performed after understanding the faith, is far more important, and only after receiving it is one considered a true follower of the Saint.

Understanding the faith isn’t something to be taken too seriously. Given the Saint’s Church’s position on the continent, it’s something everyone goes through. It’s a rite of passage for those raised in a normal environment.

The problem was that Leon wasn’t raised in a normal environment. After his mother’s death, he closed off his heart and deliberately avoided baptism even as an adult.

But the mist affects those who are not ‘of the Saint.’ The fine particles had likely already accumulated within him.

“Oh no…”

Ian was deeply flustered. She never thought she’d see someone who hadn’t been baptized.

‘Even Sugar received it!’

Those who live in or visit the Holy City are no exception, and even those outside it receive the ritual unless they’re heretics.

‘This isn’t the time to think about that… The baptism. We need to do it now.’

She had the authority to perform the baptism, she too was considered a Saintess.

But there was no holy water. The ritual required clean water blessed by a specific ritual to wash the forehead, and there was no such water here.

“Cough… Ugh…”

‘Ancestors!’

Your chosen apostle is dying!

It’s absurd for someone chosen by the Saint to die because they weren’t baptized.

In this desperate situation, Ian came up with an idea.

‘Holy water… sacred water… wait…’

She was of the Saint’s bloodline. Though she couldn’t compare to his greatness, she lived with pride.

Ian licked her lips. Her pink lips moistened.

Please forgive me for this, Ancestors—she prayed in her heart as she pulled Leon’s upper body close.

“Leon. I’m sorry for forcing this on you.”

“…?”

Leon, his consciousness hazy from suffocation, looked up at Ian blankly.

His face drew closer. It felt like he was being pulled into his eyes.

His face, which had been approaching, shifted slightly upward, and then—

—Peck.

Something moist touched his forehead.

The moment he realized what it was, Leon’s brain stopped functioning.

Regardless, Ian, having pulled her lips away, recited the baptismal verse.

“You have received blessings at this moment. In the name of the Saint, spread the gospel.”

“…”

As soon as the words ended, his breathing recovered. Huff… Huff… His lungs were functioning properly.

Leon lay on Ian’s lap, dazedly inhaling and exhaling.

“How are you, Leon? Feeling better?”

“…Yes.”

“Thank goodness… I’m glad this worked…”

Ian sighed in relief and smiled brightly. Her moist lips curved into an arc.

“Do you want to rest a bit? The shadows have stopped moving since we stopped. They seem to react to our actions.”

“…No.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. You’re amazing.”

Ian patted Leon’s shoulder, and he staggered to his feet. His eyes looked dazed, but he managed to hold his staff, so he seemed capable of moving.

In his mind, only one word repeated.

‘Pure… Pure… Pure…’

He’s truly amazing. Someone who would do anything for his friends, someone full of love. He endlessly repeated this, recalling the dampness left on his forehead.

Soon, the surroundings were cleared.

Whether it was because Leon had cleared his mind or because Ian had used the starlight freely, it ended quite quickly. Whether they had no intention of blocking further or not, the heretics were nowhere to be seen.

Catching their breath, they looked ahead. Though obscured by trees and grass, the lake was faintly visible.

The two hurried toward their destination.

***************

Rewinding time a bit.

“Ahhhhh!!”

Our white-haired mage was screaming her heart out.

“Could you not expose my ears to continuous noise?”

“My mouth exposed to continuous danger can’t help it!”

Inside the lakeside cave, Sugar and Trace, chased by numerous baby Land Fish, soon reached the entrance.

Sugar chanted a spell to create an air barrier around her face and immediately hugged the wolf-like monster. It had been waiting obediently at the entrance.

Then, without looking back, she plunged into the water. It seemed the fear of water was overcome by a greater fear.

They emerged outside the cave. In the dim light of dawn, the lake’s surroundings were visible. The baby Land Fish were breaking through the cave.

But perhaps because of the water, they couldn’t jump out properly. Despite their fish-like appearance, they were land creatures and couldn’t move well in water. Ha! Serves them right. Sugar, smiling, poked her head out of the lake.

And then, she made eye contact with the Land Fish waiting on the shore.

Even the gentle Sugar couldn’t help but curse.