episode_0046

As I was starting to lose my mind from the endless barrage of compliments from Elia,

Anonymous, who had been quietly watching our conversation until now, took a step forward and nodded.

At the unknown actions that somehow made it seem like something was going to happen, his already flushed face began to turn red as if it would burst if he was even poked.

… Anonymous, please.

“As expected, she is a saint.”

“… Yes?”

Could it be because Anonymous suddenly interrupted while he was talking?

Elia blinked repeatedly and looked at Moo-myeong, but Moo-myeong started to open his mouth, not paying attention to Elia’s blank stare.

“Our teacher is truly beautiful, just as the saint said.”

“Yes… right?”

“If I may add a little bit of additional explanation to the saint’s words -”

The anonymous person continued to say ‘a little’.

Hair as soft as the night sky, softer than luxurious silk, thick double eyelids and eight-character eyebrows that look as if a famous artist stayed up all night to carefully draw them, long eyelashes like the curtains opening at a magnificent ball, black eyes like black pearls whose depth cannot be known, thick cheekbones that look as if a famous craftsman put his heart and soul into embracing those black pearl-like eyes, and as if that weren’t enough, tear stains under the eyes that look like the final touches of a famous painting, a sharp nose that looks as if it was personally created by a dwarf craftsman, lips that are faintly pink like the cheeks of a girl in her first love, soft cheeks… etc.

Anonymous tried to open his mouth further, as if he hadn’t finished speaking… .

I couldn’t bear to hear any more of it, so I sat down on the floor and raised my arms to cover my reddened face.

“Gyaaak… Anonymous, please stop… .”

My fingers curled up like squid lying on a grill.

The anonymous person tilted his head, wondering if he really didn’t realize what he had done wrong.

“Yes? Master, what do you mean? I haven’t even finished half of it yet.”

“… What the hell are you talking about?”

“… Half?”

I can’t even make it to the peninsula, my head is spinning.

Elia also had a puzzled look on her face as if she had never known that Mumyeong was this kind of person, and she was constantly sweating, but Mumyeong nodded his head with a bewildered expression.

“Yes, not even half of it.”

The nameless man looked back and forth between me and Elia, then cleared his throat.

-hmm!

“Then I will continue.”

As I watched him speak with a big smile, I felt the heat rising to his face.

Is he doing this to tease me?

If that is really the purpose of opening your mouth, I would like to applaud the disciple who is successfully accomplishing his goal.

…of course.

I knew that Anumyeong had no intention of teasing me and that his words were coming from the heart, but that made me even more angry.

But even so, isn’t that too much? It’s important to do things in moderation, but seeing what Moo-myeong is doing now, I don’t know what the limit is.

Does that guy have no shame at all?

Glanced at the man named Lucius and Elia, he was looking at the nameless man with an expression on his face as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

I think I’m going crazy… .

The man kept opening his mouth until just before the carriage started, and only closed it after the coachman cut him off with an awkward expression.

Elia and I had to listen to the anonymous words for three hours with dumbfounded expressions.

Oh, I shouldn’t have come down from the cabin.

This is a moment when I truly regret my past choices.

…

After what seemed like an eternity of suffering, I jumped up and down toward the carriage.

“Finally… .”

You don’t have to listen to anonymous stories.

She smiled brightly, not hiding the joy that was showing on her face, and laid down, using the nameless lap as a pillow.

―――――――――――――――――――――

Before the saints’ party met them.

―――――――――――――――――――――

-Lucius

I frowned at the incomprehensible scenery.

“Why are you like that?”

“… There’s no way the slums can be this quiet.”

The place where he and the saint were located was a slum, and if it had been originally a slum, a large fire should have broken out and many people should have died.

A reasonable question occurred to me: ‘Could it be that I had the timing wrong?’, but I quickly shook my head.

That’s not it.

It was also a time when he had belatedly embarked on the path of asceticism under the pretext of training when he was weak, and it was a large fire that broke out as if it had been waiting for the first day he had embarked on the path of asceticism with the saint.

Moreover, since this incident was the trigger for a rapid increase in the number of Demon King worshippers, it was impossible for him to have gotten the date wrong.

I looked back at the slums with my eyes narrowed.

Of course, it’s a good thing that such a fire didn’t occur.

He himself had come to prevent that in advance.

But leaving that aside.

It’s not very pleasant to realize that the future you knew is slowly becoming distorted.

The thought keeps coming to mind that perhaps he has not returned to the past, but has come to a similar but different world.

Whenever I think about that, I feel like I’m going to vomit.

If you think about it a little more positively, you could see it as the butterfly effect of someone who started on a difficult path early on… .

Could there really be a connection between his journey of asceticism and the fact that a fire did not break out in the slums far from the village?

My head feels like it’s throbbing.

As I placed my hand on my forehead and bit my lip to keep myself from feeling nauseous at the thoughts that were rushing in, Elia came up to me with a serious expression on her face.

“Lucius, there is a trace of magic erased here.”

Traces of magic being erased…?

“Is that true?!”

“Eh- ugh… yes… .”

I unconsciously let go of Elia’s hand, quickly turned my head, and looked at the place Elia had pointed to.

If what Elia said is true.

This provides some explanation as to why the fire did not start.

Mana covered the retina.

Then, the place I was looking at, the world began to turn blue.

And on the floor that the saintess pointed to, a disgusting red color resembling blood was discovered, that is, a trace of magic having been used.

It seems like it was used by a fairly high-level demon, and it would be difficult for me to track him down, but it’s important that it’s been discovered.

“Sigh… .”

Despite the dire situation of Magi being discovered, a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

Elia tilted her head, wondering why I was like that, but now she wanted to give herself over to the feeling of relief that was rushing in.

… This would also explain why there was no fire.

‘A high-ranking demon who was trying to set fire to the slums in order to increase the number of demon lord worshippers noticed the presence of me and the saintess nearby and fled.’

Of course, even for these reasons, there were still some parts that I didn’t understand… .

The doubts were quickly put to rest.

First of all, it is important to find out where the escaped demons are headed.

My current level of tracking is limited, so I’m ashamed to say that I have no choice but to seek the saint’s help.

“Saint.”

“Yes.”

Elia nodded immediately, as if she had sensed what he was asking just by calling her.

Soon, the saint, seemingly oblivious to the dirty dirt floor, knelt down without hesitation and held the rosary hanging around her neck.

In the sky, which was covered with dark clouds and unable to see the sunlight, a ray of light descended and illuminated the saintess.

A splendid divinity rose from the saint’s body.

This is a scene I’ve seen many times, both recently and in the past, but it brings new emotions every time I see it.

…

After less than a minute had passed.

The light directed towards the saint began to fade, and dark clouds began to cover the sky once again.

“… ?”

Hearing the word of God is not something that should end this quickly… .

What went wrong?

As I approached Elia with a somewhat worried expression, she slowly opened her eyes, saying a word she had been holding in her mouth.

“… North.”

Within moments, the saint’s eyes opened fully and she turned her head to look at me.

“I think I need to visit Northern Ellen again… .”

“…Ellen, are you talking?”

If it’s Ellen of the North, it’s the territory of the Northern Duke located near the ‘end of the world’.

… and that place had already been visited by Elia and purified.

In addition, Ellen is going one step further, and there is an archduke called Ironblood guarding that place… .

No matter how much you think about it, if suicide isn’t the goal, there’s no reason for the demons to go there.

“… You didn’t tell me why?”

“Yes… I think you’re reluctant to be here.”

He held his throbbing forehead and helped the saint up.

“I think it would be a good idea to let the church know about this first.”

“Yes… .”

I walked to the church.

In the past, the residents of the slums who had run to seek salvation upon seeing the brilliant light felt a little uncomfortable that not a single person approached them this time… .

I quickly brushed it off as nothing serious.