Chapter 9 : Quest (1)

People scream atop the burning logs.

Leon could only helplessly look up at the live sacrifices from below.

The fall begins.

In the endless descent of despair, the distorted faces of his parents, older brother, younger siblings, neighbors, and cousins grab onto Leon.

The end of this nightmare was always the same.

A light split the world—and the dark god’s priests—in half.

From then on, Leon had only one goal.

To eradicate evil and uphold justice.

He dedicated his short life solely to that purpose.

“A revelation has been given. 

Find the Holy Grail. 

The one who follows the revelation shall be the next Paladin.”

Thus, Leon took up a sword and left the Holy Church.

All for the sake of setting justice right—

“Hey.”

A sudden voice jolted him awake.

As he opened his eyes, he saw a night sky full of stars.

Crackle. 

A bonfire flickered.

“You’re finally awake?”

Through his hazy mind, Leon lowered his gaze.

A man’s face wavered in the firelight.

That man—yes. 

He was a mercenary Leon had temporarily teamed up with.

His name was Merrick. 

A rather jovial fellow.

“Leon, you’re not moving too well, huh?”

“Ugh.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like you can move. 

That’s a problem.”

Leon was confused.

Why was he lying on the ground?

Alcohol? 

A knight-in-training like him wouldn’t drink. 

No, absolutely not.

Leon retraced his memory.

He had definitely been on his way back after completing a request.

The night was deep, and since the city was still far, they had set up camp.

Merrick had offered him a drink, but he refused. 

Instead, he had taken a spoonful of stew…

Into his mouth…

His mouth…

Leon lifted his head.

Merrick’s lips curled in a sinister smirk.

“No reaction, huh? 

That’s no fun. 

Thought I used just the right amount—maybe I overdid it?”

Leon clamped his mouth shut, speechless. 

Then, snickers came from nearby.

“Tch. 

Told you he’s a psycho. 

He just loses it whenever he sees a good-looking guy.”

“Never thought I’d see someone bold enough to mess with a knight. 

Won’t this be a hassle if we get caught?”

“A hassle? 

Look at him—he’s just a trainee on pilgrimage. 

And even if he were a full knight, who’s gonna find out who killed him?”

“True enough.”

Leon instinctively reached for his waist, but his drugged body wouldn’t respond.

Merrick approached and loomed over him.

Leon raised his head and glared at him.

Maybe that provoked him—Merrick licked his lips as he unbuckled his belt.

“Let’s see if that pretty face of yours is worth anything.”

Excitement leaked through his parted lips.

The wind blew.

Leon focused all his strength into his fingertips and glared at Merrick.

The scum around them, perhaps used to this sight, started placing bets.

The noise filled his ears.

Sssht. 

Tsk. 

Just a bunch of trash, huh? 

Tsk. 

Sssht.

Jingle.

Suddenly, everyone froze.

A clear, crisp sound that had no place in the deep forest rang out.

Merrick was the first to look up hesitantly.

Leon also turned his head with difficulty.

From the direction of the sound—

A floating flame wavered.

No, it wasn’t a floating flame. In the darkness, he had mistaken it.

It was a lantern.

And its owner asked a question.

“It seems like the knight is in a dire situation. 

Am I right?”

A woman had suddenly appeared in the middle of the forest at night.

Yet no one laughed mockingly or made lewd remarks.

Of course, they didn’t.

A woman who wandered alone in the woods at night, completely unshaken, could only be one thing.

A mage.

Merrick subtly signaled to his men, telling them to flank and ambush her.

Leon noticed and tried to shout, but his lips wouldn’t part.

Whether she knew or not, the lantern’s owner spoke calmly.

“I’ll help you. In return, would you help me as well? 

From what I’ve learned, complete recovery magic isn’t something people like me can easily obtain.”

Leon desperately tried to warn her to look behind—

“Help me? 

That makes this a deal.”

The flame stretched long, weaving patterns into the air.

“AAAAAGHHH!!”

The mercenaries screamed as their legs melted, writhing on the ground.

Every last one—those forming a perimeter and those sneaking in from behind.

“Shit!”

Merrick, having barely blocked the magic with a protective artifact, fled—pants still undone.

At the same time—

Swish!

Leon, staggering to his feet, threw a dagger.

It pierced Merrick’s thigh.

“Hah… 

Hah… 

Hah…”

Gasping for breath, Leon clutched his stomach and vomited everything inside him.

He rinsed his mouth with water, then drank some to soothe his gut.

His dazed mind cleared slightly.

Leon drew his sword and surveyed the mercenaries.

All of them had been struck in the legs.

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

She must have aimed for that.

Perhaps she disliked killing.

If so, it meant she planned to bind them and transport them to the city. 

Given their crippled state, that wouldn’t be hard.

Leon had no love for senseless slaughter either, so this was more than welcome.

He approached the lantern’s owner and spoke.

“Thank you for saving me. 

My name is Leon—”

“Wait a moment.”

The lantern’s owner cut him off and stepped toward the mercenaries.

Jingle. 

The lantern swayed.

Beneath the cascade of starlight, she spoke in a singsong voice.

“Do you possess magic?”

“Ugh…”

“Would you be willing to share it?”

“M-monster—”

“Would you be willing to give it up?”

Six crimson lines split the air and struck the ground.

Silence swallowed the campsite.

Leon stared in stunned awe.

An image flickered through his mind.

He reflexively voiced it.

“Witch.”

The lantern’s owner turned around.

Her robe billowed, revealing her face.

She smiled and whispered.

“Calling me a witch right after I saved you? 

You’re quite the blunt one, aren’t you, Sir Leon?”

“No, that’s not what I meant—”

A tale of the past.

On a moonlit night, I had no choice but to put on a dazzling fireworks show while watching a dance between a knight and some mercenaries—

“Next.”

The soldier waved the previous traveler through.

At last, my turn came.

I stepped forward.

The soldier frowned.

“You’re covering your face for an inspection? 

Who the hell are you?”

“Wait. 

That person is—”

Leon hastily tried to stop the soldier, but I was faster.

I loosened my robe slightly.

The soldier checked my face and clicked his tongue softly. 

His expression was that of someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have.

As I pulled my hood back up, I asked, “Am I allowed to pass?”

“Next.”

As I crossed through the city gates, the bustling main street unfolded before me.

Seeing the crowds I would never have encountered in a rural village, I nodded to myself.

“As expected, people are meant to live in the city.”

“Miss Ruina, are you all right?”

“Hm? 

What do you mean?”

“That is….”

“Now that I think about it, Sir Leon also called me a witch when he saw my face. 

To be treated this way… 

I feel like crying.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“I’m joking.”

I grabbed a child loitering near the city gates and handed them a silver coin.

The child wiped it on their clothes and beamed.

“Where would you like to go?”

“An inn. 

One with good food and clean beds, please.”

“Not a high-class one, right?”

“No.”

“Got it!”

The child led us to an inn.

I looked up to check the sign.

[Where the Wind Rests]

Surprisingly, both my childhood home with my biological parents and the place I lived with Kelton had an inn with the exact same name.

There was no way a franchise existed in this so-called “Happy Medieval Land,” so it must have been pure coincidence.

Still, it made me realize that people really lacked creativity when naming things.

Inside, the inn was lively but not overcrowded.

It was neither too full nor too empty.

The child had understood my request perfectly.

I had half-expected disappointment when asking for directions, but hitting the jackpot on the first try meant luck was on my side today.

Once seated, I raised my hand and ordered.

“Two mugs of mead! 

And four servings of white bread and cheese!”

“Wait. 

I don’t drink.”

“I know.”

Ignoring Leon, who was panicking all by himself, I downed the mead that had been brought out early.

It was cool and sweet.

Traditional mead tended to be strong rather than sweet, but this one fit my imagined taste perfectly.

Was it the power of magic?

As expected of “Happy Medieval Land.”

“Two more meads over here!”

“Miss Ruina.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t we organize the discussion we were having earlier?”

Organize?

Was our conversation really that complicated?

I didn’t think so.

“It wasn’t anything major.”

“Even so, I’d like to be clear.”

“You saw my face and body, didn’t you? 

I want to get this treated, but turns out full-body burn treatment is harder than regenerating lost limbs. 

Can you believe it? 

Even a fifth-rank mage, at the peak of their career, would have to spend their entire life savings on it.”

“It’s the same process as regrowing limbs, but since there’s more area to heal, the cost skyrockets. 

However, if you limited it to just the face—”

“That won’t do. 

That would go against the deal.”

I firmly cut him off and continued.

“I heard high-level divine healing isn’t given to just anyone. 

Even if you donate, they might just take your money and pretend they never saw you.”

“The Church does not commit such acts.”

“When there are actual victims, it’s hard to take a Church member’s word for it. 

Anyway, if I get swindled like that, who knows what I might do? 

And I did promise not to do anything reckless. 

That’s why I sought you out. 

Whether it’s a recommendation or using your authority, help me get a full-body recovery.”

Leon looked troubled at my very precise demand.

“I could recommend you, but it wouldn’t be effective. 

I’m just a trainee.”

“Really?”

“So I have almost no authority.”

“You’re basically a scarecrow, then? 

Should I have just let you enjoy some passionate love instead?”

“If I become a Paladin, anything is possible. 

But making promises on uncertain things would make me a fraud. 

I’m truly sorry, but finding someone else would be faster. 

That said, I will definitely repay my debt to you.”

“Can you actually become a Paladin? 

You couldn’t even detox a simple paralyzing drug.”

“…As long as I complete the Church’s mission, I can become one immediately.”

That was an interesting tidbit.

He had probably revealed it so easily because I was his benefactor.

So, completing the Church’s mission would make him a Paladin.

Hmm.

Sizzle.

I lit a pipe and took a deep drag.

Blowing out a stream of smoke, I spoke.

“All right.”

“What do you mean, all right?”

“I’ll help you with your mission. 

But you have to keep your promise, okay?”

I had already planned to travel around and earn some money, so helping out a trainee knight along the way wouldn’t be a big deal.

And if things didn’t work out, I could just ditch him.

If he showed promise, I could switch sides.

A true professional always avoids losses.

That was a lesson well learned from my master.