Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The First Time My Disciple Embarrasses Me
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Amid Elia's endless barrage of praise, just as my mind began to grow hazy,
Nameless, who had been quietly watching our conversation until now, stepped forward and nodded.
Somehow, I could predict what he was about to do, and my already flushed face turned an even deeper red, as if it might burst at the slightest poke.
...Nameless, please.
"Indeed, you truly are the Saintess."
"...Yes?"
Was it because Nameless had suddenly interrupted while she was in the middle of speaking?
Elia blinked repeatedly as she stared at him, but Nameless paid no mind to her bewildered gaze and opened his mouth.
"Our Master is truly as beautiful as the Saintess says."
"Yes... she is, isn't she?"
"If I may add just a little more detail to the Saintess's words—"
Nameless continued with his "little" addition.
Hair softer than fine silk, the color of a night sky; deep double eyelids and eight-shaped eyebrows as if meticulously painted by a renowned artist day and night; long eyelashes like the grand curtain opening a lavish ball; black pupils so deep their depths could not be fathomed, like black pearls; plump laugh lines as if a master craftsman had sewn them one stitch at a time to cradle those black pearl eyes; a beauty mark beneath the eye like the final flourish on a masterpiece painting; a sharp nose as if personally refined by a dwarf artisan; lips tinged with a faint pink like the cheeks of a girl in the throes of first love; soft, squishy cheeks... and so on.
Nameless seemed like he had more to say, as if he wasn't finished...
But I couldn't bear to hear any more. I collapsed to the ground and covered my burning face with my arms.
"Gyaahhh... Nameless, please stop...!"
My fingers curled up like squid laid on a hot griddle.
Either Nameless truly didn't realize what he'd done wrong, or he tilted his head in puzzlement.
"Pardon? Master, what do you mean? I haven't even gotten halfway through."
"...What are you talking about?"
"Halfway?"
Not even halfway—my head throbbed.
Elia, too, looked utterly flustered, as if she'd never imagined Nameless was this kind of person, wiping away cold sweat nonstop. But Nameless, on the other hand, nodded with an expression of bewilderment.
"Yes, not even halfway."
Nameless glanced back and forth between Elia and me, then cleared his throat.
-Ahem!
"Then I'll continue."
Seeing him grinning like that, I felt the heat rising to my face again.
Was this brat doing it on purpose to tease me?
If that was truly his intent, I'd applaud his disciple for successfully achieving his goal.
...Of course.
I knew Nameless had no such intention—that it was all sincere—which only made my face burn hotter.
Even so, wasn't that a bit much...? Moderation is key in all things, but Nameless clearly had no sense of limits.
Did that boy have no shame at all...?
I snuck a glance at the man named Lucius and Elia. They were staring at Nameless with expressions of disbelief, as if doubting their own ears.
I'm going to lose my mind...
Nameless kept talking nonstop right up until the carriage was about to depart, only stopping when the coachman awkwardly interrupted him.
Elia and I spent three hours in a daze, listening to him.
Ah, I should never have come down from the cabin.
This was a moment of deep regret for my past choices.
...
After what felt like an eternity of torment finally passed, I hopped onto the carriage.
"Finally...!"
No more listening to Nameless.
I didn't hide the joy plain on my face, smiling broadly as I lay down with my head pillowed on Nameless's lap.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Before the Saintess's party had met them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -Lucius
I furrowed my brow at the incomprehensible scene.
"What's wrong?"
"...The slums shouldn't be this quiet."
The place where the Saintess and I stood was the slums—or rather, the slums where a massive fire should have broken out by now, claiming countless lives.
A reasonable doubt crossed my mind: 'Had I gotten the timing wrong?' But I quickly shook my head.
No, that wasn't it.
This was the time when, in my weaker days, I'd set out on my belated pilgrimage under the excuse of training. And on the very first day of that pilgrimage with the Saintess, a huge fire had erupted as if we'd been expected.
Moreover, it was the incident that caused demon worshippers to surge in numbers, so there was no way I'd mixed up the date.
Squinting, I scanned the slums.
Of course, the absence of such a fire was a good thing.
That was why I'd come here—to prevent it in advance.
But setting that aside.
It wasn't pleasant realizing that the future I knew was twisting bit by bit.
The nagging thought that maybe I hadn't returned to the past, but arrived in a similar yet different world, kept surfacing.
Whenever that happened, nausea welled up.
Thinking positively, it could be the butterfly effect from me embarking on the pilgrimage early...
But really, was there any connection between my pilgrimage and no fire breaking out in these remote slums?
My head ached like it was splitting.
As I pressed a hand to my forehead, biting my lip to suppress the rising urge to vomit amid the swirling thoughts, Elia approached me with a grave expression.
"Lucius, there's a trace of demonic magic that's been erased here."
A trace of demonic magic erased...?
"Is that true?!"
"Eek... Yes...!"
I released Elia's hand, which I'd unconsciously grabbed, and hurriedly turned to look where she pointed.
If what Elia said was true,
it would explain to some extent why no fire had occurred.
I overlaid mana on my retinas.
Suddenly, the world I saw was bathed in blue.
And on the ground where the Saintess pointed, a sinister red like blood—traces of demonic magic—came into view.
Whether it was used by a fairly high-ranking demon, tracking it fully seemed beyond my current level, but discovering it was what mattered now.
"Haa..."
Despite the gravity of finding demonic magic, a sigh of relief escaped my lips.
Elia tilted her head curiously at me, but for now, I wanted to surrender to the wave of relief washing over me.
...This explains why no fire broke out.
'A high-ranking demon who planned to start a fire in the slums to increase the number of demon worshippers sensed the presence of me and the Saintess nearby and fled.'
Of course, even with this explanation, some parts still didn't add up...
I set aside my doubts for now.
For the moment, the priority was finding where the fleeing demon had gone.
Tracking it was beyond my current abilities, so regrettably, I'd have to rely on the Saintess's help.
"Saintess."
"Yes."
As if she'd guessed the request just from me calling her, Elia nodded immediately.
Without hesitation, she knelt on the filthy dirt as if it didn't bother her at all and neatly grasped the rosary around her neck.
A single beam of light pierced the overcast sky, where no sunlight had penetrated, illuminating the Saintess.
Brilliant divinity rose from her body.
It was a scene I'd witnessed many times, both recently and in the past, yet it never failed to fill me with awe.
...
Less than a minute passed like that.
The light on the Saintess began to fade, and the clouds once more veiled the sky.
"...?"
Receiving the word of God shouldn't end this quickly...
Had something gone wrong?
With a slightly worried expression, I approached Elia. She murmured a single word with her eyes closed, then slowly opened them.
"...The north."
Soon, her eyes fully opened, and she turned to look at me.
"We need to head back to Ellen in the north..."
"...Ellen, you say."
Ellen in the north was the territory of the northern grand duke near the 'End of the World.'
...And Elia and I had already been there and completed the purification.
Moreover, Ellen was guarded by the grand duke known as Ironblood...
No matter how I thought about it, unless suicide was the goal, no demon would go there.
"...Did He not say why?"
"Yes... It felt like He was reluctant to stay here."
I clutched my throbbing forehead and helped the Saintess to her feet.
"We should report this to the church first."
"Yes..."
We headed to the church.
I felt a slight sense of incongruity that none of the slum residents, who in the past had rushed toward the brilliant light seeking salvation, approached us this time...
But I brushed it off as nothing important.