When Yuda opened his eyes in the morning, he immediately noticed how comfortable his body felt. Bright sunlight filtered in through the window, birds chirped outside, the bed beneath him was soft, and a warm presence rested against his back. Everything felt perfect. He wanted to sleep a little longer, but once he noticed the chair in front of him, his hazy mind snapped into focus, and a question rose within him.
‘A bed?’
His last memory was sitting in the chair with his arms crossed, watching Jeanne. So why was he lying on the bed? Then what was the warmth on his back…? He glanced behind him and found Jeanne sleeping back-to-back with him.
‘Hm.’
Maybe she had crawled onto the bed in her sleep because the chair was uncomfortable. Feeling awkward, he carefully sat up.
“Is it alright for you to stop sleeping now?”
She must have felt him move. Though he thought she was asleep, she turned and spoke. Startled by her unexpected voice, he flinched. Not knowing what to do with the half-raised posture he was in, he awkwardly moved back to the chair.
“Weren’t you sleeping?”
“Yes. I woke for a moment, saw you sleeping uncomfortably in the chair, moved you onto the bed, and went back to sleep. Why did you sleep in the chair?”
“I didn’t think I’d fall asleep. More importantly, is your head alright? You hit the wall.”
Jeanne tilted her head at his words and touched the back of her head.
Her hair was messy from sleep, but she felt a firm lump beneath it. There was no pain, so she hadn’t realized. Why had she hit the wall? When she briefly woke earlier, nothing had felt strange. She had simply seen Yuda sleeping in the chair, moved him onto the bed, and gone back to sleep. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Why had she been sleeping in the bed to begin with?
“When the magic circle lit up, I felt overwhelming fear. I remember walking toward you on the altar and… after that, nothing. What exactly happened?”
“Ah, that.”
Yuda couldn’t possibly say that a Monarch had appeared, so he searched for something plausible to say.
“Nothing.”
“Pardon?”
“Literally nothing appeared. I was terrified too, but it must have failed. The light vanished after a moment. And despite that reaction, nothing happened afterward.”
Jeanne slowly nodded.
“I see. Then that truly is fortunate. If a being capable of causing that kind of fear had been successfully summoned… we wouldn’t be lying here, enjoying the sunlight.”
“Well, shall we head back then?”
“Wait.”
“Hm?”
“I need to confirm something. Count Jinmu is definitely dead, correct?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Did you bring evidence? If we submit it to the Adventurer’s Guild, we might be promoted to Silver Rank immediately.”
“…No.”
“Then we can’t return yet.”
After that, he returned to the underground with Jeanne. From the corpse of Count Jinmu, they gathered the cursed robe, the ring, and the black magic tome he had ignored earlier. Jeanne was thorough enough to skim through every book in the study before finally suggesting they head back to the village.
After walking rainy paths for days, stepping under clear sunlight lifted Yuda’s spirits. Jeanne, unusually talkative, chatted with him along the way. Thanks to that, the trip back felt anything but dull.
When they returned, the villagers were still gathered anxiously in the town hall. As Yuda and Jeanne entered, countless eyes turned toward them. The village chief stood and hurried over, visibly relieved.
“Ohh, you returned safely. Did you find the young man?”
“We found him. But he’d already been killed by wraiths. We brought back only his belongings.”
“…I see. A pity indeed.”
“And we eliminated the cause behind the wraiths. You can all go home without fear now.”
The chief’s eyes widened at Yuda’s words.
“Is that true? The cause… what exactly was it?”
The chief didn’t readily believe him. Intent on judging carefully, he watched as Yuda took out the cursed robe from his 〈Inventory〉. The moment he revealed the chilling garment, the people around them gasped.
“There was a mansion deeper in the forest. The one living there, Count Jinmu, was the source. If you doubt me, you can go see it yourself.”
At the suggestion of going himself, the chief frantically waved his hands and gave an awkward laugh.
“N-no, that won’t be necessary. Knowing the culprit is gone is enough. We planned to wait here until the priest woke up. Will you two be staying in the village for now?”
“Probably. I have business with the priest as well. If anyone feels there are still wraiths around after returning home, come find me. I’ll accompany you.”
He already expected what the chief wanted, so after speaking, the chief gratefully bowed and quickly urged everyone to return home. Encouraged by the bright sky, the villagers cautiously stepped out and dispersed.
A few frightened villagers returned claiming to have seen illusions, and Yuda or Jeanne accompanied them each time, though of course, no wraiths remained. After repeating that a few times, the town hall was finally empty.
Feeling hungry, Yuda asked the chief if they could use the town hall’s kitchen. The chief gladly gave permission.
He took instant noodles from his 〈Inventory〉, cracked in an egg, and cooked it with Jeanne. The smell attracted several adventurers hiding somewhere nearby, and they wandered into the kitchen.
“Ah, you were eating.”
They hesitated, watching longingly, practically begging with their eyes for a taste. But nothing was free. Yuda sold them noodles at twice the normal price in exchange for dishwashing duty. They looked displeased, but since he had no intention of raising their affection or trust, he didn’t care. Once the noodles started boiling, their complaints disappeared instantly.
“Has the priest woken up yet?”
“No. She hasn’t slept for ten days, so she’ll likely rest the entire day. A villager is looking after her. If you’re curious, you can stop by.”
“Hm.”
That villager probably hadn’t eaten either. So Yuda cooked another pot of noodles, transferred it into a bowl, and headed to the room. Jeanne knocked politely in his stead, and because the room had no soundproofing, rustling sounds came from inside as an older woman opened the door.
“What is… oh my.”
“You probably haven’t eaten. Please have some.”
“Thank you. You came to see the priest, right? Come in.”
She accepted the bowl with a bright smile and welcomed them. The room was surprisingly spacious. The woman sat in a corner chair and began devouring the noodles with slurping sounds, while Yuda looked toward the priest resting on the bed.
“Are we just supposed to watch her sleep?”
“…True. Now that we’re here… it feels wrong to shake her awake.”
He had no intention of replacing the caretaker, so he was unsure what to do. Looking down at the priest, Yuda cautiously opened her Status Window. Fortunately, the name matched what the chief had said: Arhil. Her information appeared.
──────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Arhil]
[Title: Savior]
[True Name: One Who Never Loses Hope]
[Level: 30]
[Job: Intermediate Priest (B)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 25(D) / Potential C]
[Endurance: 24(D) / Potential B]
[Agility: 20(D) / Potential C]
[Holy Power: 62(B) / Potential S]
[Mana Resistance: 50(C) / Potential S]
[Faith: 64(B) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Knowledge: 40(C) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Luck: 59(C) / Potential C] ◀ Special
[Affection: 50 (Interest)]
[Trust: 30 (Belief)]
「Traits 5/6」
[Saintly Aptitude] - Rank A
[Savior] - Rank A
[Irresistible Allure] - Rank B(A)
[For Your Sake] - Rank S
「Skills 4/5」
[Holy Magic – Blessing] - Rank B
[Holy Magic – Protection] - Rank B
[Holy Martial Arts] - Rank C
[Self-Defense] - Rank C
──────────────────────
‘Hmm.’
There was a lot to unpack. Reviewing her name, true name, stats, and traits, Yuda confirmed his suspicion. She was destined to become an Apostle of Asmodeus, servant of the Seventh Monarch, Artemia.
‘She isn't an apostle yet, so taking her along shouldn’t put me in conflict with Asmodeus… right?’
Asmodeus probably didn’t even know of Arhil’s existence yet. Yuda felt a bit uneasy, but if they ever clashed, he could just summon Bel-Terza.
Having a safety measure made him feel secure. He reviewed her stats one more time.
Her Strength and Agility were low, but that was natural for a priest. Compared to ordinary priests, her potential was even higher. Her Holy Power, Mana Resistance, and Faith were exceptional.
Her traits almost all boosted holy magic, blessing, defense, and recovery. But the ones that bothered him were 〈For Your Sake〉 and 〈Irresistible Allure〉. Why were those such high-rank traits?
[Irresistible Allure] - Rank B(A) / Workmanship: 3/10
Born with remarkable beauty, figure, and voice, she naturally attracts and tempts others. Due to the current job, your rank decreases by one stage, while Stamina and Agility increase by 5, and physical movement and reflexes increase by 15%.
[For Your Sake] - Rank : D(S) / Workmanship : Master
She is ready to love and to nurture that love. Although she has a free-spirited set of values, no man has ever entered her heart yet. If someone meets her strict conditions and she begins to harbor love for you, her rank will increase at certain stages, and once she reaches S-Rank, she will become a devoted, foolish woman who looks only at you and lives solely for you.
Each time her rank rises by one stage, her Stamina and Faith stats increase by 2. When she is with the one she loves, all of her stats increase by an additional 1.
The effects left him speechless. He was about to move on to her skills when Jeanne tapped his thigh.
“She seems to be waking up.”
Just as Jeanne said, Arhil’s eyelids twitched before slowly opening. She turned her gaze toward Yuda and spoke with difficulty.
“I’m hungry.”
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