Facing Desire (1)
After eating my fill and getting some rest, I headed west toward the village. Seed had said it would take about a day, but I got there in half a day.
My steps must have quickened from all the anticipation.
The place right in front of me was a real village across the river. And I mean no walls or fortifications anywhere for defense.
This treacherous forest probably serves as their wall.
The village was built between the river and a tributary. Just like Yeouido.
Which explained the guard post right in front of the bridge.
“Traveler, if you have identification or an entry permit, please submit it. Otherwise, pay three silver coins.”
The village entry fee alone was as much as a month's lodging in Prosek.
No wonder there were so many poor tents pitched outside.
I started to pull out the Prosek hero insignia... nah, better go with the adventurer guild badge just in case.
“Hmm, an adventurer badge from Prosek.”
The guard gave me a once-over. He didn't look thrilled.
Truth be told, my current state... well, ragged didn't even cover it.
Nearly a month in the forest. No baths, no fresh clothes, beard grown out wild. I could've blended right in with the beggars panhandling behind him.
“In that case, pay one silver coin and accompany an adventurer for identification purposes.”
I went along without a fuss. Made sense—someone could kill an adventurer and steal their badge to get in. One silver was probably the bare minimum security measure.
The adventurer guild was along the main road in the village center. The building was huge—twice the size of Prosek's, easy.
Lots of taverns and inns nearby too. Had no idea it was this developed inside, what with the slums outside. This wasn't a village; it was a town.
But what was the name of this village... er, town?
“This is the adventurer guild office in Forest Hideout.”
Right, Forest Hideout. Unlike Agnes Village or Prosek, it wasn't named after a person—just some improvised name.
Probably coined by folks who fled into the forest from monsters.
Under the soldier's guidance, I met what looked like the head clerk in the office, surrounded by guild guards.
Armed guards closing in didn't faze me. I could bolt if I wanted, and this was just standard procedure.
“Kirgil, when you joined the adventurer guild, could you tell us who introduced you?”
Question to confirm if the badge's owner was really me. They even knew I'd joined under Ferio's sponsorship.
Prosek's guild clerk hadn't blabbed my details to outsiders, but apparently they shared adventurer info internally.
“Lord Prosek's third daughter was with me. Want proof?”
“No need. Verification complete. We welcome Prosek's hero.”
Better stay on good terms with merchants and guild staff going forward. Seemed like they shared evaluations on me.
Never piss off the people who control information.
Once ID was cleared, I headed into the building where adventurers gathered. Felt like a big corporate lobby.
Sections for laundry, banking, gear repair, storage—you name it. This place must be famous among adventurers.
Like an adventure hotspot?
In that case, fateful encounters with diverse races in all sorts of outfits...
“Oh my~ How ragged. You actually made it in here looking like that.”
...Wrong vibe. Time to bail.
Grab!
“Whoa! Priestess, I'm not running—just gonna wash up and change...”
“Kirgil, do you need purification?”
“Ah, no. Let's talk after you let go of that mace. Okay, okay, I'm not running.”
Ashushikara finally released my nape. This woman's strength had to be on par with Ferio's—no escaping that grip.
She showed me her left hand.
“But just so you know, running's pointless anyway.”
The Connection Ring gleamed on her ring finger.
What the—this ring tracked me too?
Had she been tailing me this whole time?
Surrender for now.
I'd finally escaped the loneliness for civilization; no way was I heading back to the woods.
But seriously, why was she so obsessed with me?
I was starting to get scared.
I grabbed lodging a bit out of the way, washed up, changed clothes, dropped off gear for maintenance—dragging things out to delay the guild visit. That's when Ashushikara tracked me down in the shops.
Eventually, she dragged me to a nearby tavern for dinner, sitting us face-to-face.
Guess the Connection Ring really was a stalking ring.
Gonna yank this thing off...
“I'm truly glad you cherish our vow.”
“...Uh, sure.”
“I'm not angry.
You must have your reasons.
Rada, Suu—we saw light in you. But to you, we cast only thick shadows.”
She'd known back then that I saw them as a burden.
“Now I want to walk under your light. That's why I'm here.”
“...”
Hmm... Objectively speaking, this was a confession.
We'd bonded amid that over-the-top 'miracle in the center' event, and she had personal reasons to stick with me. Got that much. But we'd never built any real understanding between us.
'A holy, elegant, beautiful girl might be into me.' That was about the size of my thoughts.
Might be thrilling enough on its own. But something didn't sit right. This didn't feel like receiving a confession—it felt like spectating one.
Like watching some fairy tale or play that sheltered young ladies adored.
If her feelings were genuine enough to bring her all this way, I had to say something.
“Hey, listen...”
“Pardon me, but aren't you Saintess Ashushikara of Kalderan?”
A man cut me off, approaching our table.
Turning, I saw a blond noble-looking youth greeting her elegantly, like a high-end restaurant waiter.
She responded to his bow by...
“You must be mistaken.
Kirgil, done eating? Let's go.”
“Eh? Y-yeah...”
Ashushikara's face hardened as she stood abruptly, yanking my wrist and hauling me out of the tavern.
The guy who'd spoken watched us go, staring intently.
Ashushikara aside, that look he gave me wasn't friendly at all.
She marched me straight back to my inn, canceled my room, and booked a double on her own. I had to pay, of course.
Damn, expensive room too.
No misunderstanding—this was two single beds, not a double.
“My apologies. I didn't expect an unwanted suitor to show up here. Sharing a room with you should keep him away.”
Using me as camouflage boyfriend to dodge the hunter, huh.
Always knew her thinking was a bit off from normal folks, but no wariness about rooming with some random guy?
Or was it that martyr mindset, treating herself rough for the greater good?
“You look glum. Don't worry—even if many desperately desire me, your mission is my calling. You're far more precious to me than some guy like that.”
“...”
She knew her own worth, at least.
“Oh? Could it be... jealousy? So you do mind a woman's past.”
“...”
Her voice trembled a bit, words more childish than usual—she was still rattled from that encounter.
But man, she really underestimated me.
“Mission, calling, whatever...”
I closed in on Ashushikara, sitting defenseless on the bed, and shoved her roughly.
“Wh-what are you—!?”
She startled, instinctively grabbing her mace.
But in the blink of an eye, her hands were roped to the bedposts, a gag stuffed in her mouth, and she was laid out flat.
“Mmph!? Mmmph!?”
Ashushikara's eyes went wide in confusion. Then she glared, like it was some prank.
No matter her strength, a hunter's knot would hold—even for wild beasts.
I straddled her on the bed and spoke.
“I don't get what you expect from me, but I'm no superman. No saint earning 'holy maiden' whispers like you.
Not some teddy bear taking insincere confessions.
Just an ordinary guy, true to his desires.”
Never once thought I was special since arriving in this world.
“Nearly a month wandering the forest alone. Held back and suppressed a lot.
You have any idea how good you smell right now?
How your body gets me fired up?
You just threw yourself in front of a starving wolf.”
They say soldiers cooped up in closed bases get excited over anyone in a skirt once they're out in normal streets. Sounds like a joke if you haven't lived it—but try it yourself, and you'll know it's no laughing matter.
Ashushikara finally seemed to grasp her mistake.
Like after felling prey, eyeing it and wondering, 'How do I skin this thing?'
That's how my eyes were on her now.