Chapter 22: Just Part 1

The hero’s funeral was held with great solemnity.

According to Saintess Pia, the hero had merely returned to his original place.

Only his physical body had died here, and his soul had simply gone back to the world where he was born.

Thus, he wasn’t truly dead.

However, even if that were true, it didn’t mean that those left behind here weren’t grieving.

No matter how much they dressed it up with the saintess’s words, to those who had known the hero personally, it was no different than death.

They would no longer be able to see the hero.

Not even his body remained.

All that was left was a single radiant holy relic.

Could they think of the hero by looking at that relic?

It was Pia herself who had claimed that the hero had merely returned to his original world.

She, too, tried to believe that.

She convinced herself that the hero had undoubtedly gone back to the place he once lived, where he could reunite with the people he loved and, naturally, live happily from now on.

That he would gradually heal from the wounds inflicted by the horrific experiences he had endured here.

Didn’t even the goddess say so?

She had assured them that he had returned to his original world with a satisfied expression.

There was no need for them to worry, as he would slowly mend his wounds back where he belonged.

One day, far in the future, there would come a time when they could meet the hero again.

Pia didn’t doubt the goddess’s words.

She was a saintess, after all.

As someone who believed more firmly in the goddess’s existence than anyone else and considered it her mission to use her divine power to aid and save people, doubting the source of her strength was unthinkable.

But even so—

“We owe so many people a debt too great to repay.”

Pia’s voice echoed through the cathedral.

Her tone was steady.

That unwavering voice, which never trembled, had always been a pillar of support for the kingdom’s people.

Wherever the saintess passed, the presence of the goddess could be felt, and every time she appeared with her divine power radiating behind her, people felt hope.

That light could even revive the dying.

Wherever the saintess walked, life abounded.

The dying rose again, and evil was obliterated.

Even some of the demons were moved by her.

“Of course, that’s just the story released by the church. In truth, the situation was much more complicated.”

“Even if they are not here with us to celebrate our victory, we will always remember that they were with us. All of us breathing here today owe our lives to them, and we must never forget that.”

Yes, they owed a debt.

Time and time again.

To Kalia, who always stood at the forefront to shield them from enemy attacks.

To Arna, who always shot arrows from Pia’s side.

To Dana, who intercepted enemies from behind and even leapt in to protect them, getting injured when an unexpected ambush struck.

And to the hero, Shinyun.

And to the scout teams who risked—no, sacrificed—their lives to pave the way for the hero’s party, and the knights who somehow held their ground until the hero’s party arrived.

To the mages of the tower who used every means available to protect the kingdom’s barrier.

To all the young souls who shed blood on the frontlines against the Demon King’s army throughout the war to defend the kingdom.

To the entire population of the kingdom who provided food, paid taxes, and offered supplies when needed.

It was thanks to all these sacrifices that they could win.

“One day, far in the future, when we stand beside the goddess, I hope we can meet those who left before us once again. I hope we can smile and tell them that their sacrifices were not in vain.”

Pia prayed earnestly.

“You’ve worked hard.”

As Pia stepped down from the platform and exited through the back door, Kalia spoke.

“No, it was something I had to do.”

“Even if it was necessary, hard work is still hard work. You probably haven’t even recovered from the journey yet.”

Pia had been leading the returning procession.

Even though she had traveled by carriage from the battlefield, it had been immediately followed by a parade, leaving her no time to recover.

For Pia, who was physically weaker than the other party members, it must have been exhausting.

Above all, Pia had been using her divine power to heal Kalia during the final moments.

“You worked hard too, Kalia.”

It was Kalia who declared their victory to the knights after the battle.

Normally, the hero would have done so, but the hero had already left this world.

The emotions the knights and soldiers held for the hero were far from light.

How early the hero arrived on a battlefield often determined whether the knights and soldiers survived.

The hero, who always emerged victorious, liberated territories, and rescued people wherever he went, had become a great source of psychological support for them.

The absence of the hero from the victory declaration must have been easy for the knights and soldiers to guess.

And so, it fell to Kalia, who represented the kingdom’s army in the hero’s party, to lift the heavy atmosphere.

Moreover, upon returning to the capital, she had to attend the king’s commendation ceremony.

As the second daughter of a prominent duke, she had countless responsibilities ahead of her.

Even the clothes she was wearing now weren’t her usual traveling armor.

“They suit you well.”

It was a dress that matched Kalia’s red hair beautifully.

Though it revealed some of her voluptuous figure with its slightly low neckline, it covered her arms and legs entirely.

Considering that noblewomen often wore sleeveless dresses, one might think the design was overly conservative…

Some wounds couldn’t be healed even with divine power.

Wounds that were too severe would leave scars, even when healed rapidly with divine energy.

Kalia had several such scars on her arms, legs, shoulders, and back.

This dress was likely designed to hide those scars.

Still, they weren’t so prominent as to be glaring.

Was it that the flaws seemed more significant in the eyes of the nobility?

“Really? It just feels awkward to me.”

Whether or not she realized Pia had noticed, Kalia lifted her skirt slightly and spread it out as she spoke, her tone suggesting she wasn’t entirely displeased by the compliment.

“Arna and Dana…”

When Pia looked around and asked, the slight smile on Kalia’s lips quickly vanished.

Pia didn’t need an answer to guess how the two were doing.

“Arna is in the kingdom’s guest room, and Dana has returned to the mage tower. Both seem to have decided not to receive visitors for a while.”

“…Us too?”

“Nothing was said, but…”

Kalia’s gaze lifted.

She briefly glanced at the statue of the goddess in front of the cathedral, then quickly looked away.

She shrugged her shoulders once and scratched her neck, which bore a fabric choker necklace.

There was a time when she had nearly lost her life to a grave injury.

After Pia healed her with divine power, Kalia had proudly displayed her remaining scars as “evidence of fighting with one’s life on the line—scars of honor.”

Perhaps Pia’s words had been an attempt to ease the burden on her heart for always shielding them from attacks at the front.

Now, had those scars become something she felt she needed to hide?

“Still, I think giving them a bit of time would be good.”

For once, Kalia’s voice sounded uncertain as she spoke.

Perhaps she, too, had come here seeking answers.

In truth, her choice wasn’t wrong.

The church was always open to those with concerns, and it was the church’s role to listen to such worries.

However, even Pia couldn’t help Kalia with her concerns.

Even as a saintess, she had yet to find her own answers.

Should she rejoice that the hero had returned? Or grieve that they would never meet again?

Should she comfort her wounded party members, or follow Kalia’s suggestion and give them time?

Kalia wasn’t fine either.

Despite her bright demeanor, she was the child of a noble family.

While she had been candid and straightforward within the party, Kalia always took the lead when dealing with nobility.

Among the party members, she was the only one who could act nobly in front of other nobles.

“What do you think the two will do from now on?”

Arna was an elf.

While it wasn’t unheard of for elves to live outside their sanctuaries, it was unlikely that Arna, who had faced the Demon King as the elves’ representative, wouldn’t be offered a high position in their society.

No, it was probably already decided.

Dana still had much research to do.

With the kingdom’s territory expanding rapidly, new barriers needed to be constructed, and she had to resume the research she had paused before the expedition.

And the research she had been conducting until the end was still incomplete.

What should she do?

Pia fell into momentary contemplation.