episode_0009

“First of all… I will deliver the message to Saint-nim from the day you first came to the village.”

Even though they had decided not to receive any reward, the voices of the residents explaining about the Saint were overwhelmingly passionate.

If someone who didn’t know the situation heard it, they might have suspected them to be fanatics, but fortunately, since many people in this village had received grace from the Saint, no one found it strange.

“When the Saint arrived in the village, he first visited the Mercenary Guild and registered as a mercenary. He completed difficult and challenging requests that no one else would take on, used that money to help the sick and needy people in the village.”

‘As expected of Allen.’

As Irene listened to the words of the residents, a smile never left her lips.

It was because her heart was filled with satisfaction as if she was listening to her own achievements.

“You single-handedly subjugated powerful monsters around the village, shared food with the villagers using the money earned, helped the sick receive treatment, and even didn’t overlook the needs of the disabled who couldn’t even move properly. How could we not call you a Saint?”

“…Impressive.”

Rebecca nodded approvingly.

Indeed, Allen’s achievements here were more than enough to be called a Saint.

However, at the same time, she felt uncomfortable.

How much guilt must he be burdened with to go this far?

‘Maybe the situation is more serious than I thought…’

“What I don’t quite understand is… even when we praise your achievements, you denied being a Saint. Your expression looked pained.”

“…”

Irene’s smiling expression stiffened.

She understood how tormented his heart must be, knowing that Allen’s acts of kindness stemmed from his own guilt.

“…After resolving all the village’s troubles, the Saint who went to perform good deeds elsewhere. We pleaded for the Saint to stay longer, but realized that it was too selfish of us and instead blessed his future path.”

“Just a moment.”

Jenny, who had been silently listening to the residents, suddenly spoke up with a thought that flashed through her mind.

“If Allen was active as a mercenary, wouldn’t we find some information by going to the Mercenary Guild?”

!”

Rebecca was astonished.

Jenny, who usually belittled herself as foolish, had come up with a method she hadn’t even considered.

But the shock was brief, and Rebecca quickly remembered her mission to find Allen, so she hastily got up from her seat.

“Let’s go right now!”

***

“I cannot disclose that information.”

“What? Why not?”

The party hurried to the Mercenary Guild building to find information about Allen, but the response they received was a refusal.

“He asked us not to reveal his information.”

“…We are Allen’s comrades.”

“I’m sorry.”

Irene stared at the receptionist with cold eyes.

They had thought they could find clues about Allen, but they were blocked by a mere guild receptionist.

“Do you not know who I am?”

“Even if you are a noble, there are rules that cannot be broken.”

Irene twisted her lips coldly.

Then she drew the Holy Sword from her embrace.

The brilliant sword shone for all to see, and only then did the receptionist realize the status of the person before them.

There were many titles by which she was called, but most people referred to her like this.

‘The hero who defeated the Demon King’

“Alan was a comrade who set out on an adventure with us to subdue the demon king. Is the hero trying to… hinder the search for his comrade?”

“I… I’m sorry. I’ll get the information right away!”

The receptionist, whose face had lost its color, hurriedly moved to retrieve Alan’s information.

“…”

“…”

Jenny and Rebecca looked a little puzzled as they stared at Irene, who still had a cold expression while holding the Holy Sword.

They knew Irene wasn’t someone who flaunted her status like this.

‘It’s starting to get scary.’

‘Me too.’

But they kept their mouths shut.

And thought.

If Irene finds Alan, he really needs to be prepared.

“H-Here it is.”

The receptionist, who had returned unnoticed, handed over a document containing the mercenary’s information with trembling hands.

“Thank you.”

Irene immediately accepted the document.

The first thing to check was under what name the mercenary had registered.

The answer came quickly.

‘Airen.’ This was Alan’s alias and operational name.

“… Airen.”

“…”

“…”

Irene’s lips curled up slightly.

Jenny and Rebecca exchanged glances.

‘Severe.’

‘Indeed.’

“So… what’s the next destination?”

“Pardon?”

The receptionist, who was trembling at the reception desk, hoping Irene would leave quickly, was taken aback by Irene’s question.

“W-We… we don’t know that either.”

“Really?”

Irene’s cold gaze pierced the receptionist.

The receptionist felt unjustly accused.

Because they really didn’t know.

“We wagered on the guild, we truly don’t know…”

“…Understood.”

Without saying a word as if she had finished her business, Irene left the building.

Jenny and Rebecca quietly followed her, starting to watch her every move little by little.

As Irene seemed to be getting increasingly strange no matter how much they thought about it.

“…Still, finding out under what name the mercenary operates is a significant gain. Right, Jenny?”

“Huh? Oh… of course. It’s better than knowing nothing!”

Despite trying to uplift Irene’s mood with hopeful words, Irene’s expression remained unchanged.

“…Let’s find him quickly. Listen to rumors as well.”

“Yes… that’s the way.”

Jenny and Rebecca were starting to fear Irene.

Much more than when she wielded the Holy Sword to slay monsters.

***

“Thank you again today!”

“Not at all.”

Although Alan had arrived in a new town, his actions remained the same.

Solving requests that others did not seek, using the money to help those in need, just like in the previous town.

Before he knew it, a week had passed since he stayed in the town.

People looked at Alan with eyes full of kindness.

‘Is that child not coming…’

However, what concerned Alan the most was the half-demon girl he saw on the first day.

Knowing that she led a difficult life no matter how good she looked, he couldn’t help but worry.

‘I thought she had settled down…’

It seemed that she had shown quite a bit of courage to come that day.

“Thank you!”

As the last person left after receiving relief supplies, Alan stood up from his seat.

He then loaded the remaining food and medical supplies on his back and walked down the street.

“May I ask you something?”

“Oh, feel free to ask anything.”

“Have you happened to see a little girl with red hair?”

“…Why are you asking about that lad?”

The resident’s attitude was still friendly, but they couldn’t hide their uneasiness.

“I’m just asking.”

“Well… He’s a very elusive guy…”

“Is that so.”

Allen noticed that the other person was lying, but he didn’t blame him.

It was natural for ordinary villagers to avoid those of demon blood.

“Thank you for your answer.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

After questioning several more residents and receiving no proper answers, Allen decided to search for the girl himself.

“May you watch over her.”

He was worried about the girl.

Quite a lot.

So Allen continued to search for the girl.

After thoroughly searching every corner of the village, Allen finally found the girl.

“Heh… Hehe!”

“…”

A very dilapidated house that seemed completely uninhabitable.

If the girl hadn’t come out of that house, one might have thought it was an abandoned haunted place.

“I… I’m sorry. I ate everything you brought last time. Please have mercy…”

“Calm down.”

Seeing the girl apologize earnestly and attempt to kneel, Allen hurriedly stopped her.

If one were to witness a child kneeling down, it would truly be a heartbreaking sight.

In the end, all of this was for his own sake.

“Do you live here?”

“Yes.”

The girl nodded quietly.

At her response, Allen raised his head again and looked back at the house.

There was no sign of any presence inside the house.

In other words, the girl was living alone.

No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a house fit for a young girl to live alone in, so Allen sighed.

“…”

The girl looking at him without saying a word.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Allen spoke up.

“While I stay in this village, can I stay at your place? I’ll compensate you adequately.”