Ch.5353. The Protagonist and the Saint (3)

A week had passed since the residents returned to Evernode. During that time, I had been resting as comfortably as possible. Duke Quenore decided to resume the summer festival that had been interrupted, and our party purely enjoyed the festivities for three days without the pressure of war. And the event for the last day of the festival was practically predetermined.

Need I say more? It was a knights’ drinking party.

BANG-!

An absurdly large mug was placed on the long wooden table. Ale trickled down the rim of the mug. Whose mug was it? No need to ask—it was George’s. This guy seemed to be in high spirits as if he was already drunk before the proper drinking session had even begun. Though he hadn’t even taken a drink yet, it felt like the smell of alcohol was emanating from his entire body.

“Haha-! Today is seal release day-!!”

Shouting at the top of his lungs about alcohol liberation day, George raised his mug for all to see. The knight commander leading the atmosphere with a mug that seemed like it should be measured in liters. How should I put it? It was incredibly romantic, but honestly, sitting next to him was quite intimidating.

“What’s this, Commander George? Are you going to show us something today?”

“Come on, everyone! Why aren’t you filling your cups? Stop drinking alone and pass the barrel around!”

“One shot! One shot!”

And then there were the madmen chanting “one shot.” George kept shrugging his shoulders and building excitement until everyone at the table was focused on him, urging him to down it in one go.

“Alright, since everyone seems to want me to empty this cup, I’ll demonstrate first. Everyone, raise your cups with me!! When I empty mine, you drink too!!”

“Woooooah!!”

Wow. He really knows how to enjoy his drink. I watched George’s expression as he enjoyed the knights’ enthusiasm with a mix of admiration and disgust. Well, well, his eyebrows were practically dancing. George looked around at all the knights, then started pouring the ale straight into his mouth. No, it would be more accurate to say he opened his throat and poured it directly into his stomach.

“George! George!”

“Drink! Drink!”

After just a few seconds, George showed his empty mug and spun around in place, and the knights, seemingly inspired by that crazy drinker’s suction power, cheered and raised their own cups to drink in the same manner. Looking at the half-chaotic drinking party, I let out a small laugh.

“This rowdiness isn’t so bad.”

Daphne was also holding her cup with both hands and grinning broadly. It wasn’t so much a smile from being drunk as it was a natural smile from simply feeling good.

“It’s much better noise than the sounds of the battlefield.”

“That’s true. Though it’s a bit disappointing to discover that those seemingly dignified northern knights are actually such drunkards.”

I looked down at my cup. I couldn’t tell what color the drink in the wooden cup was. My face appeared on the surface of the cup, then disappeared as it rippled.

“Shall we toast too?”

Daphne extended her cup toward me. I chuckled and raised my cup to meet hers.

“But shouldn’t Ilroy still avoid drinking alcohol?”

“Just a little.”

Daphne frowned as she looked at the bandages I was still wrapped in. I shook my head and took small sips of the drink. Refreshing. A sticky sweetness with a bitter aftertaste. Nothing special about the taste, but it was good. Perhaps because it was a familiar taste.

Marianne doesn’t drink alcohol, but somehow she had come out to join us. The wooden cup in her hand probably contained water. She was always herself, maintaining her own pace even in this noisy atmosphere, closing her eyes and sipping water as if it were alcohol.

“Well, well. I see you’re already drinking heavily.”

And then, Duke Quenore and Luke, who had just opened the door to the banquet hall, let out a laugh as they looked at this scene. The knights welcomed the duke and Luke even more boisterously. Despite not looking the type at all, Duke Quenore enjoyed the knights’ welcome with a grin.

“Alright, let me make a toast. Has everyone filled their cups?”

Duke Quenore naturally picked up a cup. The knights, without exception, started passing around the barrel again. Empty cups were refilled with alcohol, and the atmosphere heated up even more.

“What kind of toast will you make?!”

“I’ll do an acrostic poem with ‘Hero’. Someone give me a rhythm.”

As he said this, Duke Quenore looked at me. Ugh. I grimaced and twisted my mouth corners strangely. Please, don’t do that. Of course, seeing my horrified expression, the duke raised his cup even higher. Ah, I should have just kept a straight face.

“”HE!!””

“Hero!”

Please.

“”RO!!””

“Love you!!”

“”We love you!!””

Fuck.

I couldn’t raise my head from embarrassment. How could they make me feel so embarrassed in such a simple way? I buried my head on the table, and those malicious bastards were thoroughly enjoying my reaction, laughing heartily. Is making others uncomfortable a characteristic of the people here? I was worried about Karin a few years from now.

I raised my head with a bright red face and drank. Marianne still had her eyes closed, and George was busy laughing and chatting with the knights. I smiled faintly as I watched the scene. Knights who offered toasts to me, excitedly downing their drinks when I clinked cups with them. Knights calculating who had taken down more monsters while recounting their heroic tales.

And then.

“Hehehe. Ilroyyy.”

Daphne, who had somehow gotten drunk, had a red face and was smiling like a fool. She moved completely close to me and leaned her face against my arm. Some knights noticed the scene and, while drinking, slightly turned their heads in my direction.

“Drink water. You’re drunk.”

“I know. Hehe.”

Then she placed her chin on my arm, looked me in the eyes, and raised the corners of her mouth.

“I love you too.”

Daphne’s purple eyes were sparkling in the banquet hall’s light. It suddenly struck me what a beautiful person she was. I responded with “yeah, yeah” and brought her a cup of water, but Daphne ignored it and took another drink after removing her face from my arm.

“Tsk, tsk.”

“How boring.”

Looks of reproach directed at me. And whispering voices. When I sharpened my gaze and looked back at the knights, they turned their eyes away as if nothing had happened and searched for their cups. I looked back and forth between Daphne and the knights with an incredulous expression, then laughed helplessly and refilled my cup.

Alcohol and stories circulated. I watched the knights getting drunk and got drunk along with them. The Duke, Luke, Ris, Hemil, Serin, Hans, Adrian…. I closed my eyes, capturing each knight’s smiling face.

.

.

“I must thank you again, Ilroy. No matter how many times I say it, it won’t be enough.”

The Duke said, firmly grasping my hand. In mid-August, we decided to return to the royal capital. The northern wind was beginning to cool, and the nights were gradually getting longer. We had stayed longer than planned, unable to resist the request to stay just one more day.

“You became family to Evernode from the day you defeated the giant—no, from the day you went on patrol with our knights. And you will remain so forever.”

Holding me like that, Duke Quenore, with a regretful expression, patted my shoulder. Behind the duke, Evernode’s senior officials had gathered in large numbers to see us off. Others who didn’t need to come were watching our party from the top of the castle walls.

“Remember that from now on, Evernode will always be behind you.”

I looked beyond the duke’s shoulder. The atmosphere was completely different from when we first entered this castle.

“Just as Evernode will remember me, I will always remember Evernode.”

“Come visit anytime. We’ll always keep places for you, George, Daphne, and Marianne.”

I nodded. As I was about to turn around, Karin walked up to me hesitantly. When I tilted my head slightly wondering what was going on, Karin raised her head and met my eyes.

“Will I be able to meet you again, Hero?”

I smiled and nodded. This definitely won’t be the last time with Evernode. There will be many opportunities to meet again in the future.

“…Can you promise me again this time?”

Karin cautiously extended her hand, and I gladly reached out and linked my pinky with hers. And Karin gave me the brightest smile.

“Let’s depart!!”

I mounted my horse and looked ahead. The wind was blowing along the road to the royal capital.

==

The Hero had defeated the fourth calamity.

The news spread rapidly across the entire continent as if it had wings. The whole continent was filled with joy at the good news that came just a few months after the third calamity had been defeated. The surprise was doubled because the Hero’s party had been somewhat controversial after the Saint’s expulsion. Especially Evernode and other northern cities, which had been anxiously waiting for the war to end, turned into a complete festival atmosphere upon hearing the news of victory.

And before long, the news flew to Barktins, which was quite far from Evernode.

“Thanks to the Saint, many critical patients have improved greatly. I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

The local official of Barktins expressed his thanks as if he didn’t know what to do with himself. He had just sent out a patient whose fractured leg had been completely healed. The words “improved greatly” were no comfort to the Saint. Isis nodded heavily, as if her head had an extra weight attached.

“No, please call me if there are more people who need treatment. I can stay longer, no matter how much time it takes.”

The more patients she cared for, the more Isis’s healing magic grew, and her mana increased. On the first day, she could only treat five people, but after a few weeks, she could easily heal fifteen. But Isis could never be happy about that growth. The growth of her healing magic meant that there were that many injured people.

“About that, Saint.”

The local official hesitantly began to speak. It wasn’t hesitation from worry about inconveniencing Isis, but from being overwhelmed with distress.

“There is nothing more you can do here now.”

Isis’s face hardened.

“The residents of Barktins will now be scattered to other cities. We cannot leave so many people living in this temporary settlement forever. The condition of patients who can be treated will worsen, and those who can work will be wasting their labor.”

The local official let out a very long sigh.

“We will develop a new city over the ruins, but as you can see, it’s not currently at a level that can be used as an administrative district. When the city’s reconstruction has progressed to some extent, we will call people back again.”

The official’s words stabbed heavily into Isis’s heart.

“Then… I…”

Isis stammered with a blank expression, like someone who had lost her way. Behind her, a priest approached and spoke.

“As it happens, word has come that you should leave Barktins now.”

Isis looked at the priest with a distorted expression.

“So, we must return to the Holy Country without seeing any harvest or progress in reconstruction…?”

The priest shook his head. His eyes looked at Isis with pity.

“No. We recently received new news.”

“New news?”

The priest slightly narrowed his brow, then carefully began to speak.

“The news is that the Hero’s party has successfully defeated the fourth calamity.”

Isis’s pupils dilated and trembled. Defeated, they said. The fourth calamity. Without her and the mercenary? When she first heard that the attack on the fourth calamity had begun, she thought it was just reckless and expected them to be defeated. How on earth? By what means…?

“The fourth calamity… was really defeated? By the Hero?”

Isis wore an expression of confusion and bewilderment. The priest quietly nodded.

“Yes. Along with the message that there is nothing more we can do here, we are to pack our belongings and depart for Evernode.”

Isis unconsciously shook her head. There were still many people who needed treatment. Many people who needed a helping hand. They couldn’t leave like this…

“Isis, the patients here can now survive and receive treatment without your help. We’ve already treated all the critical patients.”

The mercenary, Aryen, who had been watching the scene from behind, spoke in a low voice. Then, looking at the priest with his own confusion, he asked.

“Really, the fourth calamity has been defeated?”

“Yes. The news that the Hero has defeated the fourth calamity is now spreading throughout the continent.”

Aryen frowned and closed his mouth. The priest looked at Isis, who was still sitting in a daze, and let out a small sigh.

“Let’s depart, Saint. There will be people in Evernode who desperately need your help as well.”

Isis bit her lip and nodded.

The words that Ilroy had left behind were coming back to her mind one by one.