Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Sun Maiden, Heriel
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The knight doesn't spare a single glance at the Mortals and NPCs slipping into the tents.
He simply strides toward the Sanctuary, and Doren and I have no choice but to follow the stubborn knight.
Chatting with the others who were summoned alongside us can wait. First, we need to meet the people of the Sanctuary, starting with this knight in his pitch-black, soot-stained armor.
The two religious orders that exist in the Blessed Land—their positions on the map are polar opposites, and their attitudes toward Mortals couldn't be more different.
The nuns of the Sanctuary, draped in white robes bearing the same emblem as the knight, are boiling stew beside the weary and sick Mortals.
It doesn't smell appetizing, but the warmth radiating from it reaches even me as I walk from afar.
Yet, astonishingly, no laughter or conversation echoes between these tents.
Whether that's because of the soot-covered knight nearby or simply the atmosphere of the Sanctuary, I can't tell.
It feels like a makeshift clinic for the wounded.
Or perhaps a rundown nursing home rife with death?
This place is filled with nothing but pain and despair, the people silently shoving spoonfuls of their gruel into their mouths, clutching their bowls.
...It's a scene too vivid to forget.
We weave through the exhausted and ailing crowd and finally arrive at the Sanctuary itself—a quaint, modest structure.
Unlike the Monastery, built like a fortress or castle, the Sanctuary reminds me of a small, pretty chapel.
But its atmosphere is just as unique.
Golden light—the same that had been following me—hovers quietly around the Sanctuary, feeling like a sacred blessing enveloping the entire building.
Creeeak.
The knight leaves Doren and me waiting outside for a moment, then pushes the doors open with both hands. The gentle, reverent motion is impressive, ill-suited to his massive frame.
"Lady Heriel."
He's probably notifying the one he serves of our arrival. Heriel, is it?
The name lingers in my memory. When I executed the Rotten Knight Veronine and equipped his Ruby Ring, it was mentioned in the description.
Sun Maiden Heriel.
The woman who leads the Sanctuary and commands the golden beams of light.
Creeeak.
...It hasn't been long, but the knight emerges again, gesturing for us to enter.
"Just you."
Ah, not all of us.
Doren isn't permitted. But he acts as if it's only natural, quickly stepping back and bowing his head.
"G-G-Go on ahead... sir..."
"..."
In the end, I step inside alone. I don't know if it's my imagination, but the Ruby Ring from Veronine on my finger seems to tremble with joy.
Yet contrary to that reverent quiver, the first thing I see is a single bed placed plainly in the center. The interior is so stark and simple it's almost underwhelming for a human.
Which only piques my curiosity more.
A beautiful chapel-like exterior, but inside just one bed, surrounded by tents crammed with vagrants of all sorts.
"...Ahh."
On the pristine white bed sits a golden-haired woman, half-reclined, attended by three or four nuns devoted to her care.
"Mortal."
She extends a pale white hand toward me. Though illness has withered her hand and face, her clear features and gentle voice evoke the image of an angel.
She's so beautiful it's hard to believe she's human—yet frail, with tears already welling in her eyes.
"Pleased to meet you."
She greets me first.
"I am Heriel. I lead the Sanctuary. Please, rest easy here."
With her brief introduction done, Sun Maiden Heriel clasps her hands before her flushed lips and murmurs softly. It sounds like a prayer.
I can't make out the words.
But watching the tears gathered at her eyes finally trickle down her pallid cheek, I sense she's no evil person.
"Lady Heriel."
The soot-covered knight approaches her side again, kneeling before her and looking up as he reports.
"This man carries Veronine's greatsword and ring."
"Veronine...?"
Only then does Heriel pause her prayer, scanning me up and down with her blue eyes.
My greatsword slung over my shoulder and the ring on my finger capture her gaze. Soon, she smiles...
"Ahh—"
...and sheds tears once more. She even rises unsteadily on her frail legs, stumbling toward me.
The nuns hurry to support her lest she fall, but none try to stop her.
Instead, they quietly steady her hands and waist, helping her get closer to see Veronine's relics.
I join in the moment, lifting the greatsword overhead on my palms. Heriel places her hand gently on the blade, stroking it slowly as she speaks.
"This is indeed Veronine's sword."
Then she pulls me into a tight embrace.
I'm a bit startled by the sudden contact, but apparently, I'm not the only one.
The knight and nuns look flustered, baring their teeth as if to intervene. But she ignores them all, stroking my back tenderly while holding me close...
"Thank you. We've received a great favor from you, Mortal."
...and shows a smile. Not the kind that stirs a man's heart, but one so kind and warm it makes you glad to be born human.
"Veronine..."
Heriel returns to her bed and asks me about him. But her question is concise and poignant.
"Was he strong?"
"He was."
I answer just as honestly. She smiles again, quietly wiping the tears from her eyes with her pinky.
"He must have been. Cursed as he was, he hunted Mortals until death finally found him too."
Yet Heriel speaks almost resentfully of Veronine, whom I slew, and thanks me sincerely. Her stance is completely opposite to mine, who showed respect to my first boss.
"We must repay you properly. Give him a Sacred Stone."
Heriel instructs her knight to hand over a white, lustrous stone. Even without reading the description, I can tell it's a material item for something specific.
But for a first reinforcement item, the number is surprisingly high.
I look up at the soot-covered knight again. I have so many questions for her.
"...So where do I get Light's Sacred Stones 1 and 2?"
"...?"
The massive knight tilts his head, staring at me oddly. Heriel and the other nuns react the same.
Their gazes hold only bewilderment. Every woman here treats me like some weirdo.
"What an amusing person."
Sun Maiden Heriel covers her mouth with her hand, chuckling softly. She thinks I'm acting dumb on purpose.
"Even cursed as he was, you—a Mortal who overcame my former knight Veronine—asking about Sacred Stones. And after conquering that southern forest's curse too."
She sounds a bit angry now, her voice sharpening.
"Did the Monastery put you up to this? Did Lien tell you to play dumb and get aid from us?"
"Lien?"
"...The child leading the Monastery. You must've gotten a Sacred Stone from them to sharpen your weapon and defeat Veronine. But trying to squeeze more from us? That's not something we can easily tolerate."
Our conversation goes completely off the rails.
Heriel is a very kind woman, but she gets hysterical at any mention of Veronine or the Monastery.
Even the soot-covered knight and other nuns start glaring at me with clear disdain. They might think I'm a spy from the Monastery.
"Get a Sacred Stone from the Monastery? They give them out? Why didn't they give me one...?"
"Pardon?"
But I truly know nothing. All I got from the Monastery was Abbess Sarabella's request.
Go to the southern forest, Lord Magius's territory, retrieve the corrupted blessing—and I went straight to the Screaming Forest, killed Belmont and Langbie too.
"What..."
Heriel quietly wipes the sweat from her brow instead of tears.
"Why act like you know nothing?"
She and everyone else gathers around me, inspecting my weapons and inventory.
"That's a cruel joke. As if that's possible..."
But my weapons are in their original state, and the gold potion for HP recovery and blue one for mana are just basic too.
"...Isn't it?"