Chapter 40
After a brief period of confusion,
people gradually began cleaning up.
The residents of the shopping district tended to their shops.
-Clear away the fallen stones over here!
-Got it.
-Is this blood human?
-No, it’s a monster’s. Looks like someone completely blew it apart here with a large-scale spell.
Visitors from other countries found places to stay and sent letters. Summarizing the shocking events at the academy as briefly as possible was a task in itself.
-So much really happened.
-It’s a headache trying to summarize it all for the count….
-The Hero, the Saintess, demons… Where do I even start?
-What on earth is going to happen now…?
Thus, the day of madness passed,
and a somber sunset shone over the plaza.
At last, people gradually returned to their usual places.
It was too cruel to be called ordinary,
yet too peaceful to be called violence.
“….”
“….”
In the midst of it all.
Arti and Aria sat dazed. It had taken hours just to soothe the people of the Theocracy who came up to thank them one by one.
-I feel better now, thanks to you two…!
-Thank you, Hero! Saintess…!
-Saintess…! What are we supposed to do now?!
-Hero! Please pray for us!
They’d never realized that simply talking could be so exhausting. It only ended when the Prayer Priest declared, ‘Return to your daily lives; that is the Sun’s will.’
The two of them were utterly worn out.
“….”
“….”
Arti spoke up suddenly.
“Dinner.”
“Pardon?”
“What should we have for dinner?”
“….”
Aria chuckled.
“Really, Hero…. After everything that’s happened, that’s the first thing you think of?”
“I can’t help being hungry.”
“…That’s true.”
“What would you like to eat, Saintess?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. I’d just like to boil some turnips and greens into a light soup, have a cup of hot water, and sleep soundly.”
“Right?”
“That’s what we eat when we’re making do in the countryside of the Theocracy.”
“In southern Gallia, we add a little oats. If you stir it for a long time and let it simmer, it’s hearty and delicious.”
“Oats? Aren’t they precious?”
Aria’s eyes widened. Oats were scarce in the comparatively barren north of the Theocracy. Only cardinals and priests could eat them.
Arti spoke calmly.
“The south has all sorts of things growing. In summer, the distant horizon ripples with golden wheat. People praise that golden color as a blessing from the Sun God. Then they hold a summer festival, eating and drinking all night.”
“Hee… What do you do at the summer festival?”
“They light a huge bonfire in the middle of the village, and we sneak a taste of the fruit wine the older boys brewed in secret.”
“Fruit wine?”
“Yes. It’s sweet and gets you pleasantly tipsy. Though if the adults catch you, they’ll give you an earful.”
“That’s fascinating. In the north of the Theocracy, we drink harsh, cloudy liquor. When I was little… I mean, when I was living with the priestesses, I snuck a drink once and threw it all up. After that, I swore I’d never drink again.”
“Maybe it was bad liquor, or just the dregs.”
“Really?”
“Homemade liquor can go bad sometimes.”
“Hee….”
“….”
They understood each other.
No….
Their souls understood each other.
He and she could truly share their lives.
“….”
He was so happy that
Arti fell silent. Then he quietly took Aria’s hand. She gave him a gentle smile and didn’t pull away.
The hands that had held the Sacred Sword,
prayed,
and fought demon worshippers….
Their hands were warm and soft.
The scents of northern and southern soil mingled,
and seemed to carry a peaceful, comforting warmth.
“….”
“….”
Footsteps approached them.
It was Prayer Priest Adrian.
“So the two of you are here.”
“!”
“!”
Arti and Aria started to get up.
But Adrian waved them down and approached quietly. The sunset glimmered on his gray robes, turning them the color of the night sky.
“Rest. There’s no need to strain yourselves to show me respect.”
“But….”
“You seemed to be having an interesting conversation.”
“Ah.”
Aria awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“We were just talking about things that happened in the countryside.”
“Oh?”
“The Hero and I are both from the countryside, so we had some interesting stories to share.”
“I see.”
“….”
Arti dipped his head slightly toward Adrian.
“…I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“At a time this serious and difficult… I couldn’t come up with anything worthy of a Hero.”
“Anything worthy of a Hero….”
Adrian raised his head and looked at the sunset.
The red sun was sinking into the darkness.
The setting sun
was not an ominous omen, but a sign of peaceful rest. To the Prayer Priest, even that sight felt like a revelation from the Sun God.
That was why he said,
“…What could be more worthy than this?”
“Pardon?”
“Eating, drinking, making mistakes… and living. Daily life deserves to be protected for its own sake. It’s the most precious thing of all.”
“….”
“Isn’t our faith meant to uphold all these things? So keep talking. Give thanks for today, and reflect….”
“…Yes.”
Adrian turned again, preparing to leave.
Aria stopped him.
Aria said,
“…Prayer Priest.”
“Why do you call me?”
“Can we do it?”
“Do what?”
“Can we, who were nothing but lowly country children… stand and fight against the darkness?”
“….”
At that question,
Arti stood up, too.
It was a question he’d been wondering about himself.
“….”
“….”
The Prayer Priest didn’t answer at once. He was recalling countless scriptures and prayers.
“….”
After a long silence,
when the shadows had stretched far into the distance,
Adrian finally spoke, his voice heavy.
“A farmer.”
“Yes?”
“A farmer is the Sun’s most faithful believer.”
“What…?”
“They rise at dawn to see the Sun at its purest beginning, then spend all day working beneath its rays, their whole bodies exposed to the sunlight. At last, they watch the sunset and give thanks for the day.”
“….”
“Where could you find a more devout believer? Even priests flee to cool temples at midday, passing the time reciting scripture….”
Adrian staggered toward Aria and Arti. Then he laid his wrinkled hand on their heads. His fingerprints had worn smooth, and his hand smelled of ink and paper.
“Son and daughter of the Sun’s most faithful believers.”
“….”
“….”
Do not worry.
You are more faithful than anyone in this world.
“You deserve to be the noblest of all.”
Adrian said that, then turned away.
“Then… I’ll be going.”
“Thank you.”
Arti and Aria remained where they were,
in the plaza, beneath the sunset’s plaintive glow.
The two stood side by side.
Arti was the first to speak.
“…Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“….”
He looked at Aria earnestly.
Aria looked back at him just as earnestly.
In the aftermath of the battle,
their hair was disheveled and their clothes were torn.
Even so, they looked at each other.
“….”
“….”
Feeling the sunset’s warmth brush one cheek, Arti shyly raised a finger. He extended his little finger slightly—a clumsy gesture.
Aria tilted her head.
“?”
“Um….”
“Yes.”
“Well….”
“…?”
Aria looked at Arti’s finger, then at his face. Up close, she could see that he was blushing so hard it showed even against the sunset.
“!”
She caught her breath.
Ah.
I see.
She smiled.
And waited
for the awkward country boy’s next words….
Arti spoke, his voice a little hoarse.
“Would you….”
“Yes.”
“From now on….”
“Yes.”
“Would you be willing to start as friends?”
“….”
Aria’s eyebrows drew together. For a moment, emotion welled up and her fist clenched tight.
‘Should I smack some sense into him with the Sacred Sword?’
“….”
But she unclenched her fist.
Then she spoke in a sulky voice.
“I don’t think I can feel just friendship for you anymore, Hero.”
“….”
Arti’s face turned even redder. His gaze darted around, and he didn’t know what to do.
“W-well, you see….”
“I’ll forgive that slip just now, so say it again.”
“…No.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t misspeak.”
“….”
Hah.
Damn…
Should I just hit him?
Just as Aria narrowed her eyes and lifted her head,
Arti spoke with utmost seriousness.
“I haven’t really seen you properly until now.”
“….”
“Because I’m a commoner, because I’m the Hero… I thought of the Saintess as just someone standing beside me. I thought I needed to prove myself worthy of being by your side.”
“Is that so?”
“But that wasn’t it.”
“….”
“You like eating a quick bowl of vegetable porridge when you can’t be bothered, just like me. You were a mischievous child who stole the priestesses’ liquor, and when danger came, you were a warrior who took up your sword before anyone else.”
“…Is that so?”
Arti nodded.
“I want to learn, one by one, the things you like that I overlooked.”
“Can’t we just start as lovers?”
“Umm… well, you see.”
“?”
Arti awkwardly ran a hand through his hair.
“If we became lovers right away… I don’t think I’d be able to focus on anything else. I’d throw everything aside and run off with you.”
“…Hmm.”
Not bad.
I can hit him later.
Aria smiled playfully.
“And?”
“So… let’s start over as friends.”
Seeing the things they hadn’t seen in each other,
learning the things they’d never tried to understand….
“I want to stay with you for the rest of my life, taking things slowly from now on. So I want to get to know you again, starting as your friend.”
“….”
“I love you, Aria.”
“…Yes. I love you, too.”
The two smiled and linked their little fingers.
Not as the Hero and the Saintess,
but as country boy Arti and country girl Aria, they made a promise.
“Promise.”
“Promise.”
Because they loved each other,
they became friends.
Not to reach the destination,
but to cherish even the beginning of the journey.
*
Mave smacked her forehead.
“Are they idiots…? Why are they acting like that when they know how each other feels?”
“….”
Lydia said with a fond smile,
“Isn’t it lovely?”
“Pardon?”
“To set out on a journey whose ending is already decided, yet take in even a single dandelion by the roadside. Where could there be travelers so pure and so heartrending?”
“….”
Life inside the adult game was always harsh.
They had to fight villains who constantly targeted the heroines. Once the chastity vows were lifted, they had to bed the heroines before someone else could claim them.
Like rabbits fleeing from beasts.
They had to live in a hurry, always anxious, if they wanted to protect their love.
“….”
But those two were different.
They simply trusted each other wholeheartedly,
and cherished the present so they could stay together in the future.
“That is pure love, isn’t it? Foolish because it’s pure, and lovely because it’s pure.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“….”
Mave looked ahead again.
“Hmm.”
-So in the countryside of Gallia…!
-Really? In the countryside of the Theocracy…!
Arti and Aria were happily swapping stories about their rural lives. They were happy sharing little everyday things and talking about delicious food.
Mave watched them and murmured,
“They seem more excited now than when they were the Hero and the Saintess.”
“Because that’s who they are.”
“That’s who they are?”
“Yes. Their true souls were rooted in warm soil. They’re happy to have found each other and to cherish that.”
“Is that so.”
Lydia smiled quietly.
“What a beautiful promise. A friend promising to become a lover.”
“….”
Morgan looked at Lydia, then glanced at their own little finger.
“….”