The Hero and the Saintess (3)
A week had passed since the residents returned to Evernode. During that time, I enjoyed a period of perfect, uninterrupted rest. Grand Duke Quenor even went ahead and resumed the Midsummer Festival that had been cut short, allowing our party to spend three days purely enjoying the festivities without the looming pressure of war.
And, as one might expect, the event for the final night of the festival was practically set in stone.
Need I even say it? It was a knights' drinking party.
Thud!
A ridiculously massive wooden mug slammed down onto the long table. Ale spilled over the brim, trickling down the sides. There was no need to ask whose mug it was—it belonged to Georg.
The man looked utterly wasted before the party had even properly begun. Even though he hadn't had a drop yet, it felt as if the scent of alcohol was already radiating from his entire body.
"Hyahahaha! The seal is broken today!!"
Bellowing his declaration of alcohol liberation at the top of his lungs, Georg hoisted his mug high. Watching the knight commander lead the atmosphere with a mug that surely had to be measured in liters... how should I put it? It was certainly romantic, but frankly, sitting right next to him felt like a massive burden.
"What's this, Commander Georg? Are you going to show us how it's done today?"
"Hey, why aren't you guys filling your cups! Stop drinking alone and pass the keg!"
"Chug! Chug!"
And then there were the lunatics chanting for him to down it. Georg kept shrugging his shoulders to build up the hype, waiting until every single person at the table was looking at him and chanting for him to chug.
"Alright! Since you all seem so eager to see me empty this cup, I shall demonstrate first! Everyone, raise your cups! When I empty mine, you drink yours!"
"Uwoooooo!"
Wow. The man really knew how to enjoy a drink.
I watched Georg bask in the knights' cheers with a mix of half-admiration and half-exhaustion. Good grief, his eyebrows were practically dancing. Georg swept his gaze across the knights, then proceeded to pour the ale straight down his throat. Actually, it would be more accurate to say he opened his gullet and dumped it directly into his stomach.
"Georg! Georg!"
"He's drinking! He's drinking!"
Within seconds, Georg spun around in a circle, showing off his completely empty mug. Spurred on by the sheer vacuum-like suction of this mad alcoholic, the knights cheered and raised their own cups, gulping down their drinks in unison.
Watching the party descend into half-chaos, I let out a dry chuckle.
"It's not so bad when it's this lively."
Daphne was also holding her mug with both hands, wearing a silly, relaxed grin. It didn't look like she was drunk yet; rather, she just seemed so happy that the smile came naturally.
"It's a much better noise than the sound of a battlefield."
"True. Though it's a bit of a shock to see those solemn northern knights turn out to be such drunkards once they let their hair down."
I looked down at my own cup. The ale poured into the wooden mug was of an indistinguishable color. My reflection appeared on the surface, only to ripple and vanish.
"Shall we make a toast too?"
Daphne offered her cup. I chuckled, raising mine to clink against hers.
"Wait, Elroy, aren't you supposed to avoid drinking yet?"
"It's medicinal."
Daphne frowned, her eyes darting to the bandages still wrapped around my body. I shook my head and took a small sip. It was refreshing, with a slightly sticky sweetness followed by a bitter finish. It wasn't anything special, but it tasted good. Perhaps because it was a familiar taste.
Marianne didn't drink, but she had managed to find a spot at the table anyway. The wooden cup in her hand likely held water. True to her usual self, she maintained her own pace amidst the noisy atmosphere, sipping her water like alcohol with her eyes closed.
"Well, look at this. You've already started a massive brawl of a drinking session."
Grand Duke Quenor and Luke entered the banquet hall, letting out dry laughs at the sight. The knights welcomed the Grand Duke and Luke with even louder cheers. Despite not looking the part at all, Grand Duke Quenor grinned, thoroughly enjoying the knights' welcome.
"Now, now, let me offer a toast. Is everyone's cup filled?"
Grand Duke Quenor naturally picked up a cup. The knights immediately began passing the kegs around again. Empty cups were refilled, and the atmosphere grew even hotter.
"What's the toast going to be, Your Grace?!"
"How about an acrostic? 'He-ro'. Someone call out the syllables!"
Grand Duke Quenor looked at me as he spoke. Oh, no. My lips twitched in horror. Please, don't do this. Of course, seeing my terrified expression only made the Grand Duke happier, and he raised his glass even higher. Ah, I should have just kept a straight face.
"HE!"
"Hero!"
Please, stop.
"RO!"
"ROmantic love!"
"We love you!!"
Damn it. I couldn't lift my head out of sheer embarrassment. How could they embarrass me so easily with something so simple? I buried my face entirely in the table, while those malicious bastards laughed and enjoyed my reaction to their hearts' content. Is teasing people a common trait among the folks here? I couldn't help but worry for Karin in a few years.
With a bright red face, I lifted my head and took a drink. Marianne still had her eyes closed, and Georg was too busy laughing and chatting with the knights. I watched the scene and let out a faint smile.
Knights who offered me toasts, clinking their cups and eagerly gulping down their drinks. Knights who boasted of their exploits, arguing over who had slain more monsters. And...
"Hehehe. Elroyyy."
Daphne, who had somehow gotten drunk, her face flushed red as she wore a foolish smile. She slid right up next to me, leaning her face against my arm. I could feel several knights noticing this and subtly turning their heads in my direction while taking drinks.
"Drink some water. You're drunk."
"I know. Hehehe."
She rested her chin on my arm, looking up to meet my eyes with a soft smile.
"I love you too."
Daphne's purple eyes sparkled under the banquet hall lights. Once again, I found myself thinking she was truly beautiful. I muttered, "Sure, sure," and handed her a cup of water, but Daphne ignored it, pulling her face away from my arm to take another sip of her drink.
"Tsk, tsk."
"How boring."
Accusing glares and whispered murmurs directed at me. When I narrowed my eyes and glared back at the knights, they quickly looked away, pretending to search for their cups. I looked back and forth between Daphne and the knights in disbelief, then laughed helplessly as I refilled my cup.
Alcohol and stories flowed. I watched the knights get drunk, and I grew drunk along with them. The Grand Duke, Luke, Reese, Hamil, Serin, Hans, Adrian... I closed my eyes, committing each of their smiling faces to memory.
"I must thank you once again, Elroy. No matter how many times I say it, it won't be enough."
The Grand Duke shook my hand firmly. It was mid-August, and we had finally decided to return to the Royal Capital. The northern wind was beginning to turn cool, and the nights were growing longer. We had kept saying we should leave, only to be held back by their pleas to stay just one more day.
"From the day you felled the Giant—no, from the day you patrolled with our knights, you became family to Evernode. And you will remain so forever."
Having held me back for so long, Grand Duke Quenor patted my shoulder with a look of lingering regret. Behind him, the high-ranking officials of Evernode had gathered in force to send us off. Others, who didn't strictly need to be there, were looking down at our party from atop the fortress walls.
"Remember, Evernode will always have your back."
I looked past the Grand Duke's shoulder. The atmosphere was completely different from when I had first entered this fortress.
"Just as Evernode remembers me, I will always remember Evernode."
"Come back anytime. There will always be a place for you, Georg, Daphne, and Marianne."
I nodded. As I turned to leave, a hesitant Karin stepped forward.
I tilted my head slightly, wondering what was wrong, and Karin looked up to meet my eyes.
"Will I be able to see you again, Hero?"
I let out a soft chuckle and nodded. This would certainly not be my last time in Evernode. There would be plenty of opportunities to meet again in the future.
"...Can you promise me this time too?"
Karin carefully extended her hand, and I gladly reached out to hook my pinky with hers. At that, Karin flashed a brilliant smile.
"We're heading out!!"
I mounted my horse and looked ahead. The wind was blowing along the road back to the Royal Capital.
The Hero had defeated the fourth Calamity.
The news spread across the continent as if it had grown wings. Coming only a few months after the fall of the third Calamity, the joyful news threw the entire continent into a state of jubilation.
Because the Hero's party had been plagued by controversy following the expulsion of the Saintess, the shock was doubled. In particular, the other northern cities, which had been anxiously waiting for the war to end under Evernode's shadow, erupted into full festival mode upon hearing the victory report.
And before long, the news reached Vaktins, located quite far from Evernode.
"Thanks to you, Saintess, many of our critical patients have improved significantly. I don't know how to express my gratitude..."
The local administrator of Vaktins bowed deeply, looking as if he didn't know what to do with himself. He had just escorted a patient whose fractured leg had been completely healed out of the tent.
But the words "improved significantly" brought no comfort to the Saintess. Isis nodded, her head feeling as heavy as if a lead weight were attached to it.
"It's nothing. If there are more people who need treatment, please bring them in. I can stay here for as long as it takes."
The more patients she treated, the more Isis's healing magic grew, and her mana pool expanded. While she could only treat five people on her first day, weeks of practice allowed her to easily heal fifteen now. But Isis could not find any joy in this growth. For her healing magic to grow meant that there were that many more injured people.
"...Actually, Saintess," the administrator began hesitantly. It wasn't a hesitation born of worry that he might offend Isis, but rather one weighed down by sorrow. "There is nothing more you can do here."
Isis's face stiffened.
"The residents of Vaktins will now scatter to other cities. We cannot allow so many people to live in this temporary settlement forever. The condition of the patients we can treat will only worsen, and the able-bodied are wasting their labor here."
The administrator let out a long sigh.
"We will eventually rebuild a new city over the ruins, but as you can see, it is currently in no state to function as an administrative district. Once the reconstruction has progressed to some degree, we will call the people back."
The administrator's words stabbed heavily at Isis's heart.
"Then... I..."
Isis stammered, looking as dazed as a lost child. Behind her, a priest stepped forward and spoke.
"In fact, word has already come down for us to leave Vaktins."
Isis grimaced as she looked at the priest.
"Then... are you saying we must return to the Holy Kingdom without achieving anything, without seeing any progress in the reconstruction...?"
The priest shook his head, looking at Isis with pity in his eyes.
"No. New word has arrived."
"New word?"
The priest knit his brows slightly, speaking with caution.
"The Hero's party has succeeded in defeating the fourth Calamity."
Isis's pupils dilated, trembling. Defeated? The fourth Calamity? Without her and the mercenary? When she had first heard that the campaign against the fourth Calamity had begun, she had thought it was reckless. She had expected them to fail. How on earth? By what means...?
"The fourth Calamity... they really defeated it? The Hero did?"
Isis looked utterly lost in confusion. The priest nodded quietly.
"Yes. And since there is nothing left to do here, we have received instructions to pack our bags and head to Evernode."
Isis shook her head reflexively. There were still many patients to treat. Many people still needed a helping hand. To leave like this...
"Isis, the patients here can survive and receive treatment without your help now. You've already healed all the critical ones."
The mercenary, Aryen, who had been watching the scene from behind, spoke in a low voice. He then looked at the priest, his own expression clouded with confusion.
"Is the fourth Calamity really dead?"
"Yes. The news of the Hero defeating the fourth Calamity is currently spreading across the entire continent."
Aryen scowled and fell silent. The priest looked at Isis, who was still sitting dazed, and let out a soft sigh.
"Let us depart, Saintess. There must be those in Evernode who desperately need your help."
Isis bit her lip and nodded. The words Elroy had left her with began to rise in her mind, one by one.