Cleaning Up (2)

The atmosphere inside the carriage froze in an instant.

As Scarlet, large enough for Yona to have to look up at him, stepped closer to her, holy power flowed from his visor like misty breath.

“Um, well, that…”

Yona trailed off as she took a step back. Even so, her gaze was drawn to the morning star on Scarlet’s back.

Though the spikes were currently retracted, making it look like an ordinary mace, there was no doubt that once Scarlet drew it, the spikes would spring out.

“Speak, Miss Yona. How do you know that the characteristic of a lich is the existence of a life vessel? And what is that tattoo on your arm? Just looking at those letters gives me a very ominous feeling.”

Scarlet slowly bent down to look at Yona’s face.

His eyes, gleaming behind the visor, were staring intently at Yona’s face, which was now dripping with cold sweat.

“What are you doing, Sir Holy Knight?”

And with that, Alec stepped forward, pulling Yona behind him and hiding her.

Alec’s face was far from pleasant.

Alec felt his blood boil at Scarlet’s apparent intent to pressure Yona.

No matter how tough Yona’s personality might be, she’s still a girl.

Only Alec knows her true self.

Moreover, it doesn’t look good for someone they just met today, a holy knight from the same cathedral no less, to be pressuring his comrade.

“Step aside, adventurer. Information about high-ranking demons is known only to those inside the cathedral. I need to know how Miss Yona knows this, as a member of the Crusader Special Operations Unit.”

“You’re the one who should step aside, holy knight.”

Alec growled as he drew his hammer.

An adventurer mustn’t lose face anywhere.

Isn’t it a profession that lives on pride alone?

Adventurers are a profession where showing weakness immediately leads to being looked down upon.

Moreover, Yona’s hand, clutching Alec’s clothes, was trembling.

To say, “Ah, I see—” and send her out like that, it’s nonsense.

Kairoc came to stand behind Alec.

Although his axe was twisted and chipped in various places, supporting Alec’s pride was more important.

And protecting Yona was far more important.

Kairoc bared his teeth and growled, spitting out his words:

“Yona is also from a clergy background, Sir Holy Knight. She’s the one who rescued Rubina and brought her here, doing the job your cathedral should have done.”

James also quietly stepped forward, further shielding Yona.

“Well, it seems the holy knight can’t tell front from back. I don’t understand what you’re trying to do if Miss Yona heard it at the cathedral.”

James showed his molars in a wry smile.

His eyes weren’t smiling at all, maintaining the fierce gaze characteristic of orcs.

“Big sis, big sis…”

Rubina, who had been sitting next to Bigrin eating cookies, came running over and grabbed Yona’s clothes.

Yona, whose face had turned pale and was dripping with cold sweat, looked down at Rubina and forced a smile.

“Alright, let’s stop there, Sir Scarlet.”

Ludvik, unable to stand by any longer, stood up and spoke.

Scarlet glanced at Ludvik but that was all.

His gaze was still fixed on Alec, or more precisely, on Yona hiding behind him.

“That’s enough, Sir Scarlet. Although Miss Yona is a healer, she grew up in the cathedral. Moreover, I was the one who told Miss Yona about the possibility of it being a lich.”

With that, the atmosphere suddenly became strange.

Ceres had never actually told Yona such a thing, but there was no need to point out that she hadn’t.

“…You should have said so earlier, Elder. I will inquire about the leak of that information later. Then, about the tattoo on her arm.”

“That’s just a tattoo. Something like an old victory spell passed down among adventurers.”

“How do you know that, Elder?”

“Because I’m the one who gave her that tattoo.”

Ceres was lying smoothly without even batting an eye.

But Yona couldn’t blurt out “That’s not true” in this situation, so she kept her mouth shut.

“…Is that so?”

With that, Scarlet turned around.

Or rather, he was about to turn around.

And at that moment, Alec grabbed Scarlet’s shoulder.

“Asking questions is one thing, but that’s something you can discuss with Elder Ceres here. Shouldn’t you apologize to Yona first?”

Alec’s face was filled with anger.

With his face red from rising anger, Alec was holding onto Scarlet’s shoulder.

“If you’re from the Cathedral Knight Order, you should act like a proper knight. Just because you’re wearing that tin can, does that mean you can’t see anything? Don’t you think you should apologize to Yona first? If you can’t tell front from back, I could personally remove that tin can for you.”

“…How impudent. If something breaks, you might not even be able to speak properly.”

“I think I can dent your tin can before anything breaks.”

“You can’t tell heaven from earth.”

“I think I’m doing better at that than you. At least I know that if I’ve done something wrong, I should apologize first and say I’m sorry. How come a lofty cathedral knight doesn’t know what even a lowly adventurer knows? Or is it that.”

Alec curled up the corners of his mouth in a smile.

“They don’t teach you that in your cathedral?”

“You bastard—!”

Clang!

Clang!

It happened in an instant.

Before Yona could stop Alec, before Yona, whose face had now turned pale blue, could intervene, Scarlet swung his mace towards Alec.

However, Alec had somehow drawn his shield and was covering his head, so the mace was blocked as it struck the shield.

Moreover, the hammer Alec had been holding was somehow striking Scarlet’s side.

The two metallic sounds occurred like that, and the atmosphere inside the carriage was heading towards the worst.

“Oh my, I guess you’re only mighty against slow creatures like the dead. It seems my shield technique is superior after all?”

Alec grinned and provoked again.

Without any blessings or anything, and when not facing the dead, the strength of a holy knight does seem to lose some of its luster, but even so, Alec moved surprisingly quickly.

And only Kairoc and James noticed this.

“You…!”

Just as Scarlet was about to raise his mace again.

“Stop, stop it.”

An ice-cold voice separated the two.

Ceres’s voice, filled with magic power, carried a compulsive force, and thanks to that, the two who had been heated up with the excitement of combat were able to calm down somewhat.

“What do you think you’re doing in someone else’s carriage? Sir Scarlet, I told you I informed Miss Yona, so what are you doing? Although she’s an adventurer and a healer, Miss Yona is still someone who received education in the cathedral. If you continue to harass her excessively, I won’t stand by quietly either.”

Ceres’s voice was cold as frost.

In her eyes glaring at Scarlet, anger was burning brightly.

It’s clear that the current situation was caused by Scarlet’s oversensitive reaction, so the responsibility is also clear.

“Apologize to Miss Yona. If not, I will send a formal letter of protest to the Pope. Not as the Chief Elder of the Capatia branch, but as the Regent of Capatia Port. I will inform him in detail about what rudeness Sir Scarlet committed against Miss Yona, the savior of Capatia Port.”

Scarlet let out a low groan and withdrew his mace.

Alec shrugged and put his hammer back on his waist, also stowing away his shield.

Then he turned around and bent down to meet Yona’s eye level.

“Yona. It’s okay.”

“Uh, um… yeah, yeah…”

Tears were welling up in Yona’s eyes, which had been trembling.

Alec gently wiped away those tears that were about to fall with his finger and smiled.

“You’re such a scaredy-cat, what kind of man are you? Don’t cry, Yona. I told you I’d protect you, didn’t I?”

*

Scarlet apologized to Yona in a reluctant voice, and Yona also accepted the apology grudgingly.

They considered ending the escort here and heading straight to the community, but they were concerned about Rubina, so the carriage was inevitably heading towards Semec.

The priority was to investigate everything about what happened in Semec, what occurred, how, and by whose plot.

Moreover, it was awkward to refuse as Ceres had secretly brought the adventurers including Yona and conveyed a deep apology, requesting their help again.

Thanks to this, the carriage was heading to Semec.

It was already dark, and after finishing dinner, it was time for everyone to go to bed.

Yona and Alec were sitting on top of the carriage roof.

“…Why did you do that?”

Although she had calmed down and returned to her usual voice, her intonation was not the same.

Alec, who had been looking up at the stars in the sky, turned to look at Yona, whose voice seemed to have sunk.

“What?”

“You’re weak, aren’t you?”

“What, are you picking a fight out of nowhere?”

“Ah, no. I don’t mean to fight.”

“I know, I know.”

She probably meant to ask why he had provoked Scarlet like that.

Alec’s nose twitched.

He wondered for a moment if she was really asking because she didn’t know, but if it’s Yona, she probably really doesn’t know.

She’s not the kind of woman who would try to figure out people’s intentions or do cunning things to gain personal benefit, like those quick-witted people.

“…Just. I wanted to do it, that’s all.”

“What do you mean you wanted to do it?”

“Hey, if I don’t protect my comrade, who will? Isn’t that obvious?”

Yona didn’t answer to that.

She just silently looked up at the night sky, not saying anything.

Alec, who had been waiting thinking she might say something, also just looked up at the stars in the night sky when Yona didn’t speak even after waiting for a long time.

“…Thanks.”

“Hm?”

Alec was just starting to feel sleepy.

At Yona’s voice that came around that time, Alec rubbed his eyes and turned to look at Yona again, and Yona was looking at Alec with a grin.

“I said thank you.”

“For what now?”

“Thank you for protecting me.”

“Yeah, you should be grateful.”

“Next time, I’ll definitely protect you.”

Yona showed her teeth and smiled like a mischievous child.

Alec, not to be outdone, also showed his teeth and smiled brightly.

Although he was smiling brightly, it was an incredibly awkward smile.

“You’ve always been protecting me. To me, you’re a much better comrade than the Saint or the priests.”

“Is that so? You’re saying nice things, our baldy.”

Yona suddenly stood up and came to sit next to Alec.

As she sat cross-legged, her bare legs were clearly visible through the side slit of her nun’s habit, so Alec once again pulled down her skirt to cover her legs.

“How do you always say such pretty things? You bald rascal.”

Yona’s hand stroked Alec’s head.

The sensation was still smooth and incredibly soft.

‘What do you mean prickly, you amateur hero.’

This sensation felt really good.

Yona finally felt at ease.