Chapter 10

We arrived at a small village. The peacefulness we felt after leaving the forest calmed our bodies and minds, even if just a little. We entered a restaurant located in the center of the village, grabbed a table, and let Luan rest comfortably. A small spirit was also by Luan’s side, glowing faintly.

“Let’s rest a bit until Luan wakes up,” I said, and Claire leaned back in her chair with a tired face.

“Seriously, this time was too much. I don’t want to face those demon beasts again,” Claire grumbled.

“Yeah, you must’ve had it tough too. As a sword mage,” Zion teased.

Claire glared at him. “You still remember that? I said I’m a magic swordsman!”

“Alright, alright. Magic swordsman~,” Zion raised his hands and laughed.

I sighed while listening to their banter. Just then, Luan groaned faintly and moved. I quickly approached him.

“Luan? Are you okay?” I asked carefully.

Luan slowly opened his eyes and looked around. His gaze landed on me, and he said in a small voice, “Brother… I’m okay.”

“I’m glad you’re awake,” I sighed in relief and stroked his forehead. “How’s your body? Does anything hurt?”

Luan shook his head. “I’m fine… But what about that kid?” He pointed to the small spirit beside him.

The spirit was still glowing faintly next to Luan. Claire pointed at it with her finger. “That spirit… you saved it. But we’re not exactly sure how.”

Luan looked at the spirit and said quietly, “It… helped me. When I was in danger, it came to me… and said it would stay with me.”

“Did the spirit make a contract with you or something?” Zion asked with interest.

“No, not like that… It just entered my heart. And I feel like I need to help it until it’s okay.”

I nodded at Luan’s words. “It seems the spirit chose you. We’ll have to take good care of it now. And your abilities might be related to the spirit too.”

Luan hugged the small spirit tightly and nodded. “I’ll protect it.”

—

After finishing our meal, I started to feel a bit lighter. I went outside to take off my stuffy hood. The sunlight was harsh, but it actually felt refreshing. As I was adjusting my hair, someone suddenly approached me.

“Excuse me,” a strange man’s voice called out.

I turned to look at him. A young, boyish-looking adventurer stood there. He wore leather armor on his shoulders and held a weapon in his hand. His face was red, and he looked nervous.

“Yes? Can I help you?” I asked cautiously.

He clenched his hands, took a deep breath, and then shouted.

“I… I fell in love at first sight!”

I froze for a moment, not understanding what he was saying.

“…What?” I asked, baffled.

“As soon as I saw you, my heart started racing, and I couldn’t breathe! I’ve never felt this way before!”

“Uh, well…” I stared at him blankly, then gave an awkward smile. “I think there’s been some misunderstanding, I’m…”

He cut me off, waving his hands. “No! I’m serious! Just meeting someone like you is a huge stroke of luck for me. Please… accept my feelings!”

“…” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Behind me, Claire and Zion came out.

“Ellie, what’s going on?” Claire asked, then burst out laughing when she saw the situation. “Hey, what’s this? Did you just get confessed to?”

“Shut up,” I replied firmly.

Zion chuckled beside me. “Wow~ Ellie, you’re popular, huh?”

“No, I’m not!” I shot back, glaring at them. “This guy is just…”

“No!” the man shouted again. “I’m serious! I fell for your beauty and aura!”

“Damn it…” I muttered, lowering my head. “What even is this situation…”

Claire couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. “Hey~ Ellie, isn’t it nice to get confessed to for the first time?”

“It’s not nice!” I snapped.

“Wait, Claire, this isn’t her first time getting confessed to. LOL, I’ve seen this like a hundred times already…” Zion crossed his arms, watching the scene. “So, Ellie, what are you gonna do? Will you accept?”

I glared at them and said, “Both of you, shut up.”

—

Zion crossed his arms and smirked mischievously. “Look at this, it’s time for Ellie’s rejection routine again.”

I glared at Zion and sighed. “Don’t.”

But Zion didn’t stop. “Ellie’s rejection routine is always the same. Here we go. ‘Uh… actually, I’m a man.’”

Before I could open my mouth, Zion mimicked my voice and shouted, “Uh… actually, I’m a man.”

I pinched my forehead and sighed. Claire was beside me, clutching her stomach and laughing. “Hey, it’s even funnier because it’s the same every time. Ellie, how do you keep using the same routine every time you get confessed to?”

“Shut up,” I growled.

But the problem was, the rookie adventurer who confessed had a completely unexpected reaction. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then tilted his head and asked.

“Uh… so what does that matter?”

“What?” I was stunned and looked at him.

“Whether you’re a man or a woman, does it really matter?” he said with a serious face. “I didn’t fall for your looks or aura, but something deeper. So… that kind of thing… doesn’t matter at all.”

Claire almost fell over laughing even harder this time. “Hey… wow… damn…”

Zion couldn’t hold back his laughter and said, “Ellie, how are you gonna handle this?”

I was at a loss for words. “Huh? I… uh…”

The rookie adventurer looked me straight in the eye and said, “So, my feelings haven’t changed. Can you seriously consider it?”

Claire clapped from behind and said, “Hey, crazy!! Crazy!! Ellie, what are you really gonna do this time!? LOL”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “Whatever, I’m outta here!” I quickly got up and headed into the restaurant.

From behind, Claire and Zion’s laughter continued to echo.

—

Once inside the restaurant, I sat down at the table and let out a sigh. Claire and Zion followed me in and took their seats.

“Our lovely lady~, you’re really popular, huh~~” Claire said, trying to hold back her laughter.

“Shut up,” I snapped back, taking a sip of water.

Zion sighed and said, “But seriously, it’s kinda creepy… Was the game this PC before…?”

Claire added, “Right. It’s a little scary because of all these changes…”

I looked at the two of them and said, “I’m the one who’s most serious here…”

“Ugh…” Zion waved his hand and laughed. “But it’s been proven that you’re a beauty beyond compare, right??”

I sighed again. “A beauty beyond compare, my foot…”

—

After the commotion in the restaurant died down, we quietly discussed our plans moving forward. The air around the table was a mix of tension and anticipation. Luan was still quietly watching us, holding the spirit in his arms.

“So, what are we gonna do now?” Claire asked. Her voice still carried a hint of exhaustion.

“First, stabilizing Luan’s condition is our top priority,” I said, looking at Luan. “The spirit hasn’t fully recovered yet, and this village has its limits. We need to move to a bigger city.”

“If it’s a big city… the closest one from here would be Radelia,” Zion said, unfolding a map. “But that’s the main area of activity for the hero party I belong to. Your identity as the Saintess might get exposed.”

After a moment of thought, I nodded. “We still have to go to Radelia. To heal the spirit and Luan, we need better resources than what’s available here. We’ll have to take the risk…”

“Alright,” Claire said, crossing her arms. “Then we need to find a safe way to get to Radelia.”

“Before that,” Zion added with a serious expression, “it might be dangerous to go just by ourselves. If there’s a merchant group heading to Radelia, it’d be better to travel with them. They often have strong escorts.”

“Then let’s head to the village guild first and gather some information,” I said, standing up. “We’ll also stock up on supplies.”

Claire and Zion agreed and stood up as well. Luan followed slowly, still holding the spirit.

—

The village guild was bustling. Adventurers and merchants were chatting, filling the place with energy. We went straight to the guild desk and asked, “Is there a merchant group heading to Radelia?”

The guild employee at the desk nodded and said, “Yes, there’s one departing at dawn tomorrow. With the recent increase in demon beast activity, they need more escorts. Are you interested?”

“Of course,” I answered firmly. “What do we need to do to join?”

“Just fill out this form,” the employee said, handing over some paperwork. “The escort mission is simply to ensure the safety of the merchant group. Payment will be made upon arrival in Radelia.”

As we filled out the forms, we quietly shared information.

“Dawn tomorrow, huh? That’s cutting it close,” Claire said. “We need to prepare thoroughly tonight.”

“Right,” I replied, finishing the paperwork. “We also need to figure out how to protect Luan and the spirit.”

—

That night, we stayed at a small inn and finished our preparations. Luan was asleep with the spirit, and I sat by the window, looking outside. Claire and Zion were checking their weapons in the corner of the room.

“Ellie,” Claire suddenly called out. “Are you really okay? Lately, it seems like you’re carrying more and more on your shoulders.”

I looked at her and gave a bitter smile. “I’m fine…”

“That attitude of yours is the problem,” Zion chimed in. “You can trust us more. Trying to handle everything alone just tires us out too.”

“I get it,” I nodded. “But my instinct is to protect these kids no matter what… even if it costs me my life…”

“Of course,” Claire replied confidently. “What’s there to worry about when we’re here?”

—

The next morning, we joined the merchant group. They welcomed us and briefly explained the escort mission. The road might be rough, but they seemed reassured by our presence.

“Let’s go, to Radelia.”