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Three years might be an incredibly short time for someone, but for others, it can feel like an eternity. My friends, who had changed much both inside and out, postponed their joy of reunion for a single common purpose.

All three of my friends were daughters of powerful families within the Empire. In fact, Selian was practically the head of her family, and Anne was the next in line, making it difficult to treat her as just a noble daughter.

Harnessing their familial power, the three of them gathered all information regarding Elysia. They collected knowledge not only from their family’s information books but also diligently followed every rumor that surfaced, even those whispered in the back alleys, maximizing everything they could learn about Elysia.

Though the three of them didn’t know it, their ability to obtain information had limits due to the scheming of the expert, Lindy. Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, three years could be both short and long. When pieced together, even the smallest traces began to form the outline of one person’s trail.

They heard whispers of a silver-haired woman wielding an expensive sword, rumors of an assassin targeting corrupt nobles, that the Demon King’s Army lost their leader overnight at the border and scattered, and even reports of demonic corpses littering the forest.

Even with the chaotic nature of the rumors, they were certain that all pointed to Elysia, chasing after the traces she left behind.

The more they followed, the heavier their hearts became. Though there were days spent comfortably in towns or cities, far more often they found themselves camping out in the wilderness. They didn’t lament their own plight of sleeping rough but rather worried about how much Elysia must have suffered traveling that path.

The number of dead demonic creatures left by Elysia far surpassed what ordinary Imperial troops or knight orders could defeat. Moreover, these weren’t just low-level demons. The lesser demons were worthless, while the mid-level ones were plentiful, and occasionally even high-level demons appeared. The mere fact that there were so many high-level demons was surprising.

Once, they were shocked to learn that Elysia had to stay in a shabby temple for a whole month after suffering severe injuries, without even a priest capable of using holy magic. They regretted that if they had been there at the time, Elysia wouldn’t have been injured so badly.

“…Can we find out which bed she stayed in during her recovery?”

They asked, hoping that laying on that same bed might give them a clue about her whereabouts.

“Ah, I’m afraid? The room she stayed in is currently occupied by someone else…”

Sadly, they only received the answer that it was already in use. Instead of pressing their request further, Selian casually stroked a pillar with cracked gold, changing the topic.

“…It’s quite an old building. Must be uncomfortable for you to stay here.”

“Can a priest seek comfort? Still, thank you for your concern.”

“No, priests dedicated to helping others shouldn’t receive such treatment. Don’t worry. I’ll use the name of House Deretia to build a new temple.”

If the vassal managing their family’s finances had heard such a statement, he would’ve collapsed at once, but Selian wasn’t concerned with such trivial matters.

“Oh dear, please cancel that statement. You really don’t need to worry.”

“Think of it as a way to spread the love of Goddess Serena. It seems you’re also caring for many children who have lost their parents, so I plan to make a small donation to assist. Please don’t refuse.”

Upon mentioning the children she was caring for, the sister found it hard to refuse further. Having devoted her life to Goddess Serena, a hard bed, and insufficient food were no issues for her, but the children were different. They needed a bigger house and better food during their crucial growing years.

“If you insist…”

Thus, the sister closed her eyes tightly and accepted Selian’s offer. Of course, it was amusing for a priest to be coveting wealth, but what sin did the clueless children bear? If others found out, they would surely point fingers at her, but all sins and karma could be shouldered by herself.

“I’m sorry, Goddess Serena.”

As the sister quietly accepted Selian’s proposal, secretly confessing her sin to Goddess Serena, Selian spoke up again.

“Um… It’s completely unrelated to the donation, but… is there really no way to see that bed? It’s purely for investigation! Yes, investigation!”

Who would even think that a mere request to see an occupied bed could lead to a donation and a new building? The sister believed Selian’s excuse without any doubt.

However, the sister had no power to grant Selian’s request. The room where that bed was located was occupied by someone she couldn’t deal with.

Of course, if she politely asked the guest, they wouldn’t refuse. But asking felt overly bothersome and made her feel guilty.

“I’m sorry, but the person in that room is…”

“…Huh? Who are you…?”

Just as the sister was about to repeat her refusal, the long-awaited door opened and a person walked out. However, neither the sister nor the friends expected that they would recognize the person.

“That’s right… I came here looking for news about the Hero…”

“I heard that she had to stay here after a serious injury. The room where the Saint is resting, the bed she uses…”

“Is that so? What an unexpected coincidence! This is the best room in the temple, so Sister Belle must have given it to Elysia and me as patients!”

Mariel’s voice, seemingly flustered, revealed her words were lies. In truth, Mariel had received the room afterwards, yet she knew it was the same room where the former hero Elysia had recuperated.

Of course, knowing that didn’t require her to change rooms, so she simply stayed.

Selian, still burdened by guilt towards Mariel, refrained from prying into her attitude. Moreover, Mariel was also a woman connected to Elysia, one of the victims due to her actions.

It was unavoidable that feelings of rivalry and shared suffering arose within her.

“By the by, Saint, what brings you here?”

While Selian was observing Mariel with a complex gaze, Yuli, on behalf of her, asked Mariel.

As Yuli pointed out, it was quite a waste for Mariel to be there. Normally, she should have been alongside the hero going to slay the Demon King, but hero Elysia had left without a word. However, there was no reason for her to be staying in a rundown temple in such a remote town.

“Well… I may seem silly saying this at such a time, but I was on a pilgrimage and got dispatched. Then I heard that Elysia stayed here, so I decided to stay a few more days. Ah! You don’t have to worry about safety. I’m being thorough about it.”

Though she wouldn’t remember, just like she had unhesitatingly climbed the path to slay the Demon King in her past life for Hero Selian, Mariel respected Hero Elysia’s will and accepted that she departed alone, even amidst her hardships.

Of course, that didn’t mean she could simply stay comfortably in a safe place, so she had been requesting dispatches to various dangerous locations and battlefields.

But after meeting Elysia’s friends and hearing that they were searching for her, Mariel realized it was time to end the tedious life of dispatches.

On top of that, she had recently been urged by Goddess Serena during her prayers, giving her further concern.

“Could I… possibly join you?”

With Mariel’s question, the eyes of Yuli and Anne turned towards Selian. No one was superior, but at least it was Selian who had brought them together. Therefore, it was natural that she would be the one with the loudest voice in this party.

And finally, it was expected that Selian, who was ready to bear everything, would accept Mariel’s request as well.

“On one condition, let me stay in this room just for today.”

“Uh, okay?”

That night, a trivial battle of rock-paper-scissors for a spot on the narrow bed ensued.

*

With Mariel joining the party, their search for Elysia’s trail quickened.

While it was impossible to hear directly from Goddess Serena about Elysia’s whereabouts, learning even the rough direction was a significant gain.

As they followed Elysia’s trail step by step, the timeline of the rumors grew closer to the present.

The village they had just arrived at was one of those sites. A girl who had been kidnapped by the demons and saved by Elysia was the starting point for the latest rumor.

“Um… why is she here…?”

The girl, wary of possibly causing trouble for her benefactor, Elysia, looked on suspiciously.

Yet, they were all too familiar with this girl’s wary behavior.

“Don’t worry. I am Saint Mariel. I promise that she won’t come to any harm.”

Without needing to boast about their family’s power or cause any fuss, when Mariel took a step forward, most would relax their guard and start sharing their cherished memories of Elysia.

“Ah, she was indeed a hero! Even from the moment we first met, she was extraordinary…”

The chattering girl began recounting all the things that had happened with Elysia, from start to finish without missing a detail. They didn’t even worry that the girl might forget some vital clue. The girls they had met so far had all astonishingly retained their memories of Elysia.

“Is this why the Goddess urged us…? If I had known, I should have come to get her sooner….”

“…Here too?”

The image of Mariel understanding Elysia had long since faded, and even Anne, who had always been bursting with energy, now murmured boringly.

“This scarf? I made it while thinking of you, hero! When you meet her, please tell her! Also, she requested that you visit our village again!”

Selian tucked the scarf given by the girl neatly into the enormous backpack strapped to Anne’s back. Regardless of wanting it placed gently, there was no room to do so; the backpack was already stuffed to the brim, leaving no space to find.

All of these were what the girls they had encountered along their journey had asked them to deliver to Elysia one by one. Today marked the twelfth scarf received, and the rings they debated discarding had long passed thirty in number.

While the weight of their burdens had increased by just a single scarf, their steps chasing after Elysia grew ever faster.