A few days passed, and the rescued Adventurer was finally able to walk on his own. He left, overflowing with gratitude.
The village returned to its usual tranquility, and Celia’s Retirement Plan was officially put on the agenda.
In the Backyard of the Church, there was a fenced-off patch of open ground.
Celia was holding a small trowel, digging into the earth one stroke at a time.
She had never done any farming in her previous life, and this was her first time in this life too.
There was absolutely no muscle memory in this body; she had no idea what to do.
All she could do was rely on the bits of vague farming knowledge she managed to scrape together from her memories and figure things out as she went along.
Before long, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. The stamina of this body was truly worrying.
Celia straightened up, wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, and looked at the patch of land she’d dug into a mess. Despite that, a sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.
This was for her own life.
Something real—one shovelful after another, all for her own belly.
“Celia! Celia! Come quick and see!”
Lynn’s shout came from the front yard, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.
Celia leaned the trowel against the fence, patted the dirt off her hands, and walked out with a puzzled look.
She had just rounded the side wall of the Church when she understood what Lynn had meant.
At the bottom of the steps outside the Church stood a tall young man. He wore a suit of heavily worn light leather armor, a broadsword strapped to his back that didn’t quite match his height. His brown, tousled short hair made him look about seventeen or eighteen.
At this moment, the Adventurer stood with all his focus, striking a textbook combat stance. And his opponent—a gray rabbit.
The rabbit was crouched about three steps away, scratching its ear with a hind leg, its beady black eyes full of innocence.
The man and the rabbit faced each other in a silent standoff. The scene was so quiet, it was almost eerie.
Celia stopped in her tracks, while Lynn came over to her side, covering her mouth as she whispered, “He and that rabbit have been at a stalemate for nearly half an hour. He says he accepted the village’s Commission to defeat the ferocious Demonic Rabbit.”
Demonic? Celia looked the rabbit up and down. Other than being a bit bigger than an ordinary wild rabbit and having grayer fur, there wasn’t the slightest sign of demonic traits.
Just then, the young man made a move. He stepped forward, but instead of drawing his broadsword, he swung the hilt at the rabbit’s forehead.
The motion was swift, slicing through the air with a whoosh.
The rabbit seemed startled. Its hind legs pushed off, but it didn’t dodge or flee; instead, it charged straight at the young man.
The young man was clearly caught off guard. He barely managed to pull his sword hilt back to block.
A flash of gray shot past, stepping right on his face, using it as a springboard to leap backward, vanishing into the grass at the roadside.
Everything happened too quickly.
The young man froze in his defensive pose, and two dusty gray pawprints were still stamped on his face.
He lowered his sword, touched his face, and fell silent.
Lynn couldn’t hold it anymore and let out a snort of laughter.
Celia couldn’t help but stifle a smile herself. She cleared her throat and walked down the steps.
“Excuse me, do you need any help?”
The young man turned at the sound. When he saw Celia approaching, he was momentarily stunned.
Then his cheeks flushed red, and his gaze became evasive.
“I—I’m fine!” he retorted loudly, trying to hide his embarrassment, “Just a bit hungry.”
As soon as he spoke, his stomach gave a thunderous rumble. Immediately after, his tall frame wobbled, as if he might collapse backward at any moment.
Celia instinctively reached out to steady him, but ended up nearly falling herself as his whole weight leaned on her.
Thankfully, Lynn reacted quickly and supported her from behind.
With effort, Celia propped up the half-fainted fellow and dragged him inside the Church.
……
In the Church dining hall, the young man was devouring the food on the table like a storm.
Two big plates of black bread and a bowl of vegetable soup were gone in the blink of an eye.
His name was Elent. He claimed to be a Hero Apprentice.
“So, the Village Chief’s task to defeat the ferocious Demonic Rabbit pays three copper coins and a lunch?” Celia sat across from Elent, resting her chin on one hand as she repeated his words.
“That’s right!” Elent swallowed the last bite of bread and burped, “He said that rabbit has been stealing his carrots a lot lately. It’s vicious!”
“So did you catch it?”
Elent’s expression fell instantly, his eyes wandering, “Th-that thing is too crafty! It only got away because I was careless…”
“Yeah, it’s pretty crafty, all right. Even knows how to brake with its face.” Celia commented with a deadpan look.
Elent’s face flushed bright red again, and he protested, “I was just too hungry! I haven’t eaten in a whole day and night—didn’t have any strength! Otherwise, ten of those rabbits wouldn’t be a match for me!”
“Oh.” Celia replied, raising her cup and taking a sip.
Elent seemed to be at a loss for words in the face of her calm reaction. He opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
He sneaked a glance at the priestess before him—small and looking even younger than himself, but her words always cut straight to the point, making it impossible to argue back.
“Um, Priestess,” Elent suddenly put on a serious expression, “Thank you for today. I, Elent, will remember this favor!”
“No need for thanks. It’s my duty to help those in need.”
“No! This is different!” Elent shook his head earnestly, “Repaying kindness is my principle!”
Looking at his earnest face, Celia sighed inwardly. This guy… Is he an idiot?
“So, how do you want to repay me?” Celia asked casually.
Elent’s eyes lit up. He straightened his back and thumped his chest. “I, Hero Apprentice Elent, am willing to stay and protect the Church and your safety! At least until I’ve paid off my meal debt!”
Celia was stunned.
“Our Church is very safe. We don’t need protection.”
“No! Bandits, monsters—they could appear at any time! With a hero around, you’ll be much safer!”
“I don’t have money to pay you a salary.”
“I said it’s to repay your kindness! Besides…”
Stare——
Elent’s voice grew quieter. His eyes drifted toward the door, and he added, lacking confidence, “…the Inn in the village is too expensive.”
All right, Celia understood.
Looking at this guy, earnestly trying to find an excuse, a word popped up from her memory.
Freeloader.
Celia rubbed her forehead, feeling that her leisurely retired life seemed to be ending just as it began, all thanks to this Hero.
But when Celia looked up and saw Elent’s slightly embarrassed but expectant face—
Forget it.
“In that case, Hero, the Lord’s Radiance will not turn away any sincere lost soul.”
After all, that patch of land in the Backyard could use a free laborer.
Yes, that’s what the Lord’s Radiance would say.
Celia nodded to herself with great certainty.