Chapter 15 – Why Is the Saintess Here?

Ŕ&e;​&a;d​ ​o‌ｎ​ K̃ａｔȒҽaⅾ&i;ngC‌&a;fｅ

“It seems like we’re almost reaching Radellia.” Claire said, checking the map. “I heard this area was supposed to be cleared of monsters, but something feels off.”

“What do you mean, off?” Sion asked, stopping in his tracks.

Claire looked around, scanning the surroundings. “It’s too quiet. This is supposed to be a monster-infested area, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” I agreed, feeling the unease in the air. “At this point, we should at least hear some wildlife, but it’s way too silent.”

Ruan, holding the spirit in his arms, spoke quietly. “I’ve been feeling it for a while now… like something’s watching us.”

“Again?” Sion said, turning his head. “Ruan, your senses are amazing, but you’re scaring me with this kind of talk.”

“But Ruan might be right,” I said quietly. “We can’t let our guard down, especially now.”

Linda was walking quietly beside Sion. She had an uneasy expression as she stared into the shadows of the forest.

“Linda, are you okay?” I asked cautiously.

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine.” Linda forced a smile and nodded. But her hands were still trembling. “It’s just… Ignia’s whispering something. It says something interesting is about to happen.”

“Something interesting?” Sion asked, puzzled. “What does that mean?”

“Don’t trust that thing.” Linda sighed softly. “It always sees everything as a joke. But… it does feel a little strange.”

At that moment, the sound of branches breaking echoed from a distance. We all froze, and some of the caravan members turned around in surprise.

“What’s that?” Claire asked in a low voice.

I raised my hand to signal everyone to stop. “Stay quiet. I’ll check it out.”

I moved Ruan to the back and stepped forward with Claire, Sion, and Linda. The forest was still dark, and the sound was getting closer. We moved quietly, trying to locate the source of the noise.

Suddenly, a massive monster leaped out from behind a tree. Its teeth were sharp, and its eyes glowed red. The monster let out a piercing howl as it charged toward us.

“Eli!” Sion shouted, raising his shield to block the monster’s charge.

“Lumino Aegis!” I quickly activated a holy spell to create a barrier.

Claire drew her sword and tried to attack the monster’s flank, but the monster was faster, swinging its tail at her. Claire barely dodged, but her face showed frustration.

“Damn, this thing’s fast!” Claire shouted.

Linda, preparing her magic from behind, yelled, “Everyone, move! Ignia, lend me some power!”

Red flames erupted from her hands, transforming into a massive pillar of fire. “Flame Strike!”

The pillar of fire shot toward the monster, hitting it directly. But the monster didn’t fall. Instead, it roared even louder and tried to charge at Linda.

“Linda, watch out!” Sion stepped in front of her, blocking the monster with his shield.

I ran to Linda and pulled her back, asking, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… but that thing’s really strong.” Linda said, catching her breath.

“It might be stronger than we thought.” I said, looking back at the monster. “Stay focused. This isn’t going to be an easy fight.”

.

.

.

We resumed our positions and continued fighting the monster. Claire used her agility to target its weak points, while Sion blocked its attacks with his shield, protecting everyone. Linda provided continuous support with her fire magic, and I used holy spells to weaken the monster while supporting the team.

Finally, Linda’s last fire attack and Claire’s decisive strike ended the monster’s life. Its massive body collapsed to the ground, motionless.

We took a moment to catch our breath and looked at each other.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked.

“That was exhausting.” Claire said, sheathing her sword. “But why was a monster like that here?”

Sion nodded in agreement. “A monster this strong shouldn’t be in this area. Something’s wrong.”

Linda quietly stared at the monster’s corpse and muttered, “Could this be the ‘interesting thing’ Ignia was talking about?”

I looked at her and asked, “What do you mean?”

Linda hesitated, then shook her head. “It’s just… a strange feeling. Like someone’s testing us.”

Her words left us in silence, exchanging uneasy glances. It felt like a greater crisis was waiting for us.

“We might find some answers in Radellia.” I said with determination. “Let’s head to Radellia first.”

.

.

.

After leaving the forest, we finally saw the walls of Radellia in the distance. The tall walls shimmered under the sunlight, and the lively sounds of the city helped ease some of our tension.

“Wow, Radellia…” Claire said in awe, looking up at the walls. “It’s so much bigger than I saw in the game. It’s really impressive.”

“It’s one of the largest cities on the continent.” Sion said, nodding. “The church here is also the largest. With the rumors of the Saintess’s disappearance, security might be tight.”

“Let’s all be careful.” I said, glancing at the spirit Ruan was holding. “Our goal is to heal Ruan and the spirit. Let’s move as discreetly as possible.”

“And don’t take off your hood.” Claire teased. “What if you get confessed to again?”

I glared at her and sighed. “Let’s not talk about that. I’m already tired enough.”

Linda was walking quietly beside Sion, still overwhelmed by the size of Radellia. “This place… is really amazing. What’s that tower over there?”

“That’s the central cathedral of the church.” Sion replied. “That’s where we’re headed.”

.

.

.

I kept my head down, hiding my face under the hood as I scanned our surroundings.

“The path to the church is over there.” Sion said, leading the way.

We soon arrived in front of Radellia’s central cathedral. The massive doors were adorned with intricate carvings, and armored guards stood at the entrance. When Sion stepped forward to speak, one of the guards recognized him and bowed, opening the door.

“Priest Sion, welcome. We’ll escort you to the cathedral immediately.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen them treat us like this.” Claire whispered.

“It’s probably because Sion is part of the hero’s party.” I replied quietly, keeping an eye on Ruan. “We should be able to get in without any issues.”

Sion spoke to the guard. “This child is my companion. We need the cathedral’s help, so we’ll be entering together.”

The guard scrutinized us for a moment before nodding and stepping aside. “Please, come in.”

.

.

.

As soon as we stepped inside the cathedral, the solemn atmosphere made me shrink back for a moment. Light streaming down from the high ceilings illuminated the space with a sacred glow, and the sound of prayers echoed throughout.

We were soon guided to the cathedral’s healing chamber. There, a woman in white robes greeted us. She had neatly combed blonde hair and sharp features that looked oddly familiar.

“That’s Lilia.” Sion said in a low voice. “She was one of the top candidates for the Saintess position. Now she serves as a high priestess here in Radellia.”

Lilia looked at us and immediately bowed to Sion. “Priest Sion and companions, welcome. Thank you for visiting the Radellia Cathedral.”

“It’s been a while, Lilia.” Sion nodded in greeting. “We’re here today because we need your help. We’d like you to heal this child and the spirit.”

Lilia looked at Ruan and the spirit, her brow furrowing slightly. “This… is a state where mana and holy energy are intertwined. It’ll be difficult to resolve with ordinary healing methods.”

“So there’s no way to fix it?” Claire asked urgently.

“No, there is a way. But it’ll take some time.” Lilia said quietly as she examined Ruan. “Please leave this child and the spirit with me for a while. I’ll do my best to heal them.”

I nodded and carefully handed Ruan over to Lilia. She held the spirit in her hands and examined it carefully. “This spirit… is a very rare being. I’ll need to look into its connection with this child a bit more.”

As Lilia began the healing process, we decided to wait for a while. She skillfully manipulated holy energy, starting to stabilize Ruan and the spirit.

“Wow….” I couldn’t help but let out a word of admiration at her holy energy.

But then, suddenly, her hands stopped. She stared at the spirit with a puzzled expression before raising her head and looking straight at me.

“Uh…? Saintess?”

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
I have many things to say, but I don’t have anything to say!

I am not a thinker, therefore I don’t talk. Probably, I think that’s how it works…

Wait, I don’t think…

Placeholders