Chapter 8

The forest brightened with the morning light. I was tidying up the remnants of the campfire, feeling the serene dawn air. Shortly after, the child lying next to me slowly sat up. He stared at me intently for a while before speaking.

“…Something… feels off. It’s like someone’s watching me.”

His voice was low but clear. I was momentarily taken aback but pondered his words as I looked at him. “Watching you? What do you mean?”

The child’s eyes didn’t waver. “It feels like you… but at the same time… not quite like you…”

I was dumbfounded. Why was he calling me “brother”? And what did he mean by “feels like you but not”?

“First, what’s your name?” I asked, brushing aside his confusing words.

The child thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t remember…”

“You don’t remember?” Claire chimed in, stepping closer. “This is serious. Could it be that his memories are sealed by something?”

I sighed and looked at the child. “If you don’t know your name, we’ll have to give you a temporary one. Is that okay with you?”

The child nodded quietly. Claire snapped her fingers and said, “How about ‘Luan’? It’s simple and easy to say.”

I looked at the child and asked, “Is that okay? The name Luan?”

The child thought for a moment, then nodded quietly. “Okay. Luan…”

—

As we moved on, Luan occasionally stopped to look around, behaving strangely. At first, I thought it was just childish curiosity, but his actions grew increasingly odd.

“Ellie, something’s off with that kid. Just now, he tried to go where there’s no path,” Claire whispered to me.

“Yeah,” I replied, watching Luan. “It’s like he’s being drawn to something.”

Then, Luan stopped and said, “Here.”

“What’s here?” I asked, puzzled.

Luan pointed under a tree. “There’s something underground. I feel a strange energy.”

Claire narrowed her eyes. “Energy? Could it be…?”

Curious, I dug where Luan pointed. Soon, a black gem-like object emerged. It clearly radiated a demonic aura.

“How did you know this was here?” I asked, staring at Luan.

Luan clutched his chest and said, “I don’t know. Something shows me. And… I hear a voice.”

“A voice?” Claire asked, startled. “Could it be that this kid can sense demonic energy?”

I looked at Luan seriously. “Luan, can you tell us more about what you see or hear?”

Luan hesitated, then said, “It’s like… it tells me which direction to go. And if something feels dangerous or bad, it warns me.”

—

When we arrived at the village, we registered Luan at the guild. His ability was useful but also dangerous, so I had to constantly suppress it.

“Registration’s done here. Now we need to take on a new request,” Claire said, looking at the guild board.

I nodded. “Right. Let’s start with a simple request near the village. Luan needs to get used to it too.”

But as we were choosing a request, a familiar voice came from inside the guild.

“Hey! Ellie!”

A familiar voice called out from inside the guild. Turning around, I saw a face I hadn’t seen in a while. A friend, smiling brightly and waving. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Oh??? You?!?! Fancy meeting you here!” He walked over, grinning.

“Likewise,” I said with a light smile. “You joined the Hero’s party, huh? Looks like you’re doing well.”

He nodded. “Yeah, thanks. We’re all doing well. Right now, we’re scattered on different requests. I just came here for some business.”

“Good to hear,” I said, nodding. “So, want to join us this time?”

But Claire, standing beside me, cut in, narrowing her eyes. “Who are you? You just showed up and started acting all friendly?”

“Ah, I should’ve introduced myself earlier,” he said with an awkward smile. “I’m Ellie’s old friend, and…”

“A player,” I interrupted. “He’s a player too.”

Hearing this, Claire froze for a moment, then her eyes widened as she exclaimed, “What?? Really?? You’re a player too??”

My friend leaned in and whispered to me, “Who’s she?”

“She’s a player like us.”

“What?? She’s a player too??”

“…..”

Then Claire started staring intently at me and my friend. My friend shrugged and began to speak.

“Yeah, I’m a player too. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah… right,” Claire said, looking around and shaking her head. “By the way, how did you join the Hero’s party?”

He chuckled and replied, “Connections.”

“Huh?” Claire asked, incredulous.

He pointed at me and said, “Ellie pulled some strings. You know, the power of being a Saintess.”

Claire’s eyes widened as she looked at me, then shook her head vigorously. “This world is so realistic. A Saintess using connections to get someone into the Hero’s party…”

I sighed and said…

“Chloe, it’s not like that…”

My friend glanced at me during the conversation and asked,

“Oh, right, Ellie, what about the church? I heard the Saintess went missing and everything’s in chaos. Did you just sneak out of the church?”

I licked my lips and nodded.

“As you can see. Yeah. I intentionally got out. Honestly, if I stayed there playing the Saintess role, it’d only lead to a bad ending.”

He sighed and said, “Hey, I get that you sneaked out of the church, but isn’t it dangerous to stir up so much trouble? Tons of people are looking for you right now.”

“I know. That’s why I’m moving around like this to avoid getting caught,” I replied in a tired voice.

Claire chimed in, “And the church even spread a rumor that whoever finds the Saintess can marry her…”

Hearing that, my friend chuckled and said, “Huh? Seriously? Ellie, be honest, are you doing this to find a fiancé or something?”

“Damn it, don’t joke around,” I snapped. “I don’t care about that stuff.”

“Alright, alright,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “But what’s your plan now? Are you just gonna keep wandering around here?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m moving to a safer place. And I need to properly take care of Luan too.”

—

While walking, Claire asked, “By the way, friend, what’s your name? I’ve just been calling you ‘friend’ this whole time… What should I call you?”

He smiled and replied, “Oh, right, right. My name’s Zion. Nice to meet you.”

“Zion, huh…” Claire nodded.

—

“Luan, if it’s not too hard, can you use your ability a little?” I cautiously asked Luan.

Luan nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. Seeing his small hand tremble, I immediately placed my hand on his and channeled a bit of Holy Power.

“It’s okay. Take your time.”

Luan slowly opened his eyes and said, “Over there. It feels heavy. Maybe… a demonic presence.”

Claire, standing nearby with her arms crossed, said, “This kid’s really amazing. He knows everything before we even figure it out.”

“But we can’t let Luan use his ability too often,” Zion said with a serious expression. “You know that, Ellie. This kind of power is too much for a child.”

“I know,” I said, stroking Luan’s head reassuringly. “Luan, it’s okay. Don’t push yourself. Just let us know when it’s necessary.”

Luan nodded and said, “Got it. But… it’s weird. Sometimes it feels like you’re blocking my power.”

I froze for a moment at his words. Claire, hearing that, looked at me and said, “Ellie, is your Holy Power affecting Luan somehow?”

“Maybe,” Zion muttered, adding, “Ellie, since you’re the Saintess, maybe you’re giving off some kind of protective aura to those around you? I also felt strangely light when I was near you before.”

“Damn, so I’m just casually spreading Saintess bonus effects everywhere,” I sighed in annoyance.

—

As we moved in the direction Luan pointed, the air began to feel strangely heavy. The forest trees looked sickly, turning ashen, and small demons were lurking around.

“This is it,” Claire said, drawing her sword. “It looks creepy as hell.”

“Luan, you only need to use your ability up to this point. We’ll handle the rest,” I said firmly.

But Luan shook his head. “No. I want to help too.”

I tried to stop him, but Claire spoke first. “Ellie, don’t overprotect him. You shouldn’t block his desire to help.”

“Fine,” I reluctantly nodded. “But don’t go too far ahead. Just stay back and give us signals.”

Luan quietly nodded at my words. His eyes sparkled as if he sensed something. Then, he pointed in one direction and said, “Over there. Something big is there.”

“Something big, huh…” Zion narrowed his eyes and continued, “Let’s be careful. In cases like this, it’s likely a boss-level monster.”

We slowly moved in the direction Luan pointed. Not long after, a massive Demon Beast revealed itself. It was a wolf-like creature covered in dark energy.

“That thing looks tough,” Claire said, tightening her grip on her sword.

“Luan, stay back,” I said, shielding Luan with a protective barrier, then turned to Zion and Claire. “Ready?”

“Of course,” Zion said confidently. “I didn’t become the Hero Party’s priest for nothing, you know~~”