episode_0022

After the chaotic reunion with the Holy Sword, Lian slowly reflected on the situation.

First of all, he was no longer a target to be tracked and condemned in the Holy Kingdom.

All of Lian’s sins were pardoned, and he was even recognized as a true hero of the Holy Kingdom.

The reason for this was Alaina, the Holy Sword, who became able to communicate once she transformed into a human.

“I never expected such a turn of events in the Holy Kingdom… Alaina made a difference by being able to communicate.”

However, above all else, there was one thing that Lian couldn’t understand.

“Is she really the Alaina I knew?”

Lian remembered his relationship with Alaina not being particularly good.

“Do not turn a blind eye to those suffering. Overthrow the source of all evil, the Demon King, and perform good deeds.”

Alaina always presented moral standards annoyingly, and Lian only half-listened.

The more she insisted, the more Lian’s stubbornness kicked in, and he refused to listen.

The extermination of demons and good deeds were carried out based on Lian’s judgment, and every time, Alaina would get angry.

“We used to fight over trivial matters…”

“No, what’s awkward is… Oh! I guess my current appearance might be quite unfamiliar to you.”

Alaina’s friendly way of speaking rather than her appearance was unfamiliar to Lian.

He even pinched his cheek, thinking it might be a dream.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a dream.

“Lian, how do you feel about me becoming a human like you?”

“Just wait a minute!”

Lian gently pushed Alaina, who was trying to get closer.

He kept the hand that pushed her away without retracting it, creating a wall between them.

“Let’s clarify one thing. You know as well as I do that we were never that close, right? Not to mention, our parting was in the worst possible way, with me betraying you. So if you show this kind of reaction to me, I can’t help but suspect there’s a dirty motive behind it.”

“…You’re right. I was so happy to see you that I forgot to deliver the most important message.”

Blushing, Alaina took a short deep breath.

Her expression changed, exuding her usual dignified aura.

Her sharp eyes became intimidating, and her face turned as cold as ice.

Alaina was closer to an Ice Queen of the North than a Holy Sword in Lian’s eyes.

Only then did Lian feel relieved that she was the Alaina he knew.

But that feeling was short-lived.

Unexpectedly, Alaina bowed 90 degrees in front of Lian.

“Lian, I want to apologize for all the insults and humiliations I have inflicted on you. I regret my immaturity and arrogance, forcing you to become a hero and eliminate the Demon King, and all the other things that made you uncomfortable.”

“Are you apologizing to me now?”

Lian was taken aback by Alaina’s formal apology.

Even in situations where his judgment was wrong, she never apologized.

She always confronted him and fought back, even if she pointed out his mistakes.

Alaina, who was so proud, first bowed her head and reflected on her mistakes.

This fact was so surprising to Lian that he couldn’t believe it.

“As expected, sincerity cannot be conveyed through words, right? In that case…!”

Alaina knelt down.

She put her hands on the ground, bringing her upper body close to the floor.

She then pushed her face towards Lian’s feet, even sticking out her tongue as if to lick his shoes.

“What, what are you doing?!”

“Ah!”

Watching her, Lian was startled and quickly stepped back.

However, perhaps due to his overly strong reaction, he accidentally kicked Alaina’s chin.

Alaina had tried to show her sincerity by licking his shoes to ask for forgiveness.

But when Lian kicked her, she interpreted it as him not being able to forgive her.

Feeling a sharp pain in her heart worse than a sore jaw, Alaina clenched her chest.

Tears started to well up in her reddened eyes, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she burst into tears right then and there.

“I was nothing more than a worthless sword that was not worthy of forgiveness from Lian. I appeared in front of him without any sense of propriety, begging for forgiveness. I had no shame. And I thought I would be accepted. Until the end, I was just a trash sword that only knew myself. How could I be so arrogant? I think the title of Holy Sword is too much for me. I think I should be thrown into a volcano to melt and disappear…”

“Relax, I never said I wouldn’t forgive you. I kicked your chin because you suddenly tried to lick my shoes, it was just a small accident.”

“An accident…?”

“Yeah, and stop licking the shoes. Apologizing in that way will only scare me.”

“Then how should I apologize to Lian?”

“That’s something you should think about yourself.”

Seeing Alaina’s broken state, it seemed impossible for her to come up with a solution right away.

Helplessly, Lian pretended to think with Alaina.

[Me! Me! A good idea just came to me! Truly genius!]

“What is it?”

[Spread your legs.]

Thud!

Upon hearing the sword’s suggestion, Lian slapped his forehead with his palm.

Where did such an idea come from?

He tried to recall who the owner of the sword was, but it was meaningless.

Assassins often covered their faces, and Lian had killed indiscriminately, so he had no idea.

[Is my opinion not good?]

“Oh, no. It could be considered a clear way to apologize…”

“Should I spread them?”

“Don’t spread them!”

Without considering his own thoughts, Alaina suddenly tried to spread her legs.

When her white underwear was about to be revealed from under her skirt, Lian stopped her.

Both the Holy Sword and the Iron Sword were confusing Lian’s mind.

“What’s going on? Why so noisy?”

“Hey, are you Alaina by any chance?”

“The man next to you also looks familiar, but…”

“Ugh!”

Due to Alaina and Lian’s awkward movements, people around them started to stare.

Desperately hiding their faces with masks only made people more curious.

Thinking that he might be crowned a hero by the crowd, Lian decided to climb up the wall with Alaina’s waist in his arms.

He then ran through the gaps between buildings towards a place without a crowd.

It was a confusing moment of reunion in many ways.

***

The orphanage of the Kinel Kingdom, which welcomes children who have lost their parents and wander the streets.

The once peaceful surroundings of the orphanage were disrupted by the commotion caused by Lian.

The nun who noticed the disturbance peeked outside, but the cause of the commotion had already left.

“Oh, what is going on here…?”

“It’s festival day, but it seems unusually noisy around the orphanage.”

“Oh, Mother Superior.”

“Good morning, Sister. What happened outside?”

“I’m not sure either. People say a famous figure passed by this area.”

“If only they had come to support our orphanage, that would have been nice.”

“It seems like they were just passing through, judging by how quickly they disappeared.”

“That’s a shame.”

Under the sacred stained glass, the nun and priest laughed and chatted warmly.

They were clergy members entrusted with guiding wandering children from the upper echelons of the Holy Empire onto the right path.

With the support of the Holy Empire, they established and operated the orphanage, wholeheartedly raising parentless children.

The children, under the care of the orphanage director and nun, continued to live happily without losing their smiles.

It seemed there was nothing for Lian to worry about, but that wasn’t entirely true.

“By the way, the time for the ritual is approaching. Is the offering ready?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. We selected a child with exceptional qualities.”

“Very well.”

At that moment, the sunlight strongly illuminated the red part of the stained glass, creating an optical illusion of the priest and nun stained with blood.

No one saw this illusion, but even if they did, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

They believed that as followers of the Goddess of Light, Prana, they wouldn’t engage in deceitful acts.

However, until the truth surfaced, no one would know the real intentions behind their actions.