Chapter 136: Fated Encounters in the Holy Empire
"Ah. Lady Ariel."
"……?"
The hero flinched as she turned at the voice calling her name.
"…Lord Siu."
At the sound of his name, the man—Siu—approached with a friendly smile.
"Where are you headed?"
Ariel glanced toward her companions in response to Siu's question.
"To grab a meal with my party…."
"Wow, our saint. You only greet Ariel and act like the rest of us are invisible?"
Hansol jumped in with a grin.
Her words carried a hint of amusement rather than outright sarcasm—a playful tease.
Curiously, it wasn't Siu who responded to her remark.
"Cut it out, Hansol. It's just because I was standing right in front."
"……?"
It wasn't wrong, but hearing Ariel say it first left Siu puzzled.
And he wasn't the only one sensing something off.
A few in Ariel's party, including Hansol, had their eyes gleaming.
Those who saw Ariel not just as a hero or idol, but as a friend, picked up on it immediately. Conversely, her comrades who viewed her as superhuman or untouchable missed the subtle oddity.
"Still, isn't it rude not to properly greet a senior hero party?"
The one who interjected with a snide tone was Belatant, the S-grade male hero from the Holy Bishura Empire.
Belatant wasn't part of Ariel's party, but his well-known one-sided crush on her was famous. She remained oblivious, her pure kindness letting her accept incomprehensible things without question.
"Senior hero party…. Hm, you're right—they're one of the rare SS-grade hero parties on the continent. I was too rude. Sorry if I offended anyone."
Siu apologized straightforwardly.
As he dipped his head slightly, everyone waved it off with smiles.
The only one not smiling was Belatant.
'SS-grade? This bastard….'
He was clearly apologizing only to everyone except Belatant.
Calling it out would just make him look petty, so Belatant held his tongue.
'I'll endure for Lady Ariel's sake.'
Belatant glared at Siu with fierce eyes, but Siu brushed it off lightly.
"Oh, right. You're on your way to eat, and I've held you up too long."
Belatant's face brightened at Siu's quick retreat, his inner anger subsiding.
But it was short-lived.
"Um, Lord Siu?"
Ariel grabbed Siu just as he was bidding farewell to the other party members.
"Yes?"
"Do you have some time?"
"……!"
"Is that an invitation to join us for the meal?"
"…Yes."
Belatant's face crumpled miserably, but no one paid him any mind.
"Sounds good! I'm all for it."
Led by Hansol's cheeky grin, the others gradually voiced their agreement with Ariel.
No woman would object to an extra man at the dinner table.
Hansol alone had no interest in men, but she stepped up enthusiastically to support Ariel's budding romance. Belatant, not being a party member, didn't even get a chance to object—and it would've been ignored anyway.
"Then, if you'll excuse me…."
"Pfft, excuse nothing. We invited you. Right, Ariel?"
"Of course."
Ariel replied with a subtle smile.
The silver-haired SS-grade hero smiled often, but this was different from her usual expression—a smile on another level.
"Where were you headed to eat?"
"They say there's a nice new restaurant at the intersection over there."
"Ah."
Siu naturally blended in with the group as if he'd been one of them from the start, and they set off together.
Belatant trailed behind, his face twisted.
His expression soured, but he calmed himself with various self-justifications.
Ariel was kind to everyone—that was nothing new. As much as he hated to admit it, he benefited from that personality too. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened; he was just jealous because of the guy's insane talent and saint status.
'Anyway, I'm the closest man to Lady Ariel. That guy's just going back to his own country eventually.'
Such thoughts settled his stomach.
As Belatant soothed himself alone, Siu chatted amiably with Ariel's party members.
"Wow, what a coincidence."
"So, do you carry the saint's sword around?"
"I have it… sort of. I do right now, actually. Turns out the holy sword even has subspatial storage."
"Subspace? Awesome."
"How incredible must it be? I'm dying to see."
"I'll show you next time we're in a dungeon or on the battlefield."
Ariel's party consisted of seven members: the leader herself, Saintess Kim Hansol, and five others.
Excluding two, they were all from the Holy Bishura Empire—and devout followers of the Lord God Church regardless. Their balance was a bit off, with a high proportion of clerics.
Thus, their fondness for Siu was through the roof. Even without word of his goddess encounter, his status as the first saint in centuries was half the battle among Lord God faithful.
Siu's personality was great, and he was handsome to boot, so they couldn't help but eye him covetously.
'If I push him toward Ariel….'
'Maybe we'll get a shot too?'
Oblivious to Ariel's feelings, the women set their sights on Siu.
Siu had long picked up on their overt advances. The SS-grade hero party's members were undoubtedly attractive, but he ignored the temptations—he had to take care of those around him first.
'Good thing they're all pleased.'
Romance-blind Ariel watched innocently, pleased with the scene.
'Heh. This is fun.'
Kim Hansol enjoyed the spectacle from a third-party view, chuckling merrily.
It had been ages since something this entertaining unfolded, and spectating was a delight.
Especially since it involved Ariel tangled in a man-woman issue, amplifying the fun.
"Just ignore the guy scowling behind us~."
"Huh? What'd you say?"
"Heh, nothing."
"……?"
The restaurant Siu and Ariel's party arrived at had a relaxed atmosphere. Being near the Papal Palace, it stayed calm despite the famous faces—diners knew better.
The Papal grounds housed not just Ariel's party but several hero groups, and high clerics frequented the area for meals. Local eateries thus maintained strict decorum. First-timers had a quaint tradition of signing autographs post-meal, of course.
"Hnggh…! The Unique Hero's party, a-and even the Saint…!"
The restaurant owner scrambled to clear a wall section for signatures, dazed by the combo.
A prime spot had opened up—clearly for theirs.
"Kinda embarrassing."
Siu made an awkward face at the fuss.
"Embarrassing? Try going somewhere else—this is tame."
Hansol said, scanning the menu.
"Haha…."
"Hansol's right. You're the first saint in centuries, Lord Siu. You'll be welcomed grandly not just in the Holy Empire, but anywhere Lord God followers hold sway."
"Yeah. And you were already famous before that, right? In all sorts of ways. Hehe."
"You'll face a lot. Though someone like you might handle it no differently than before?"
Ariel and the others chimed in agreement with Hansol.
Belatant, shoved to a corner away from Ariel, grumbled quietly amid their worried-yet-flattering vibes. He wasn't foolish enough to ruin the mood, so he sat in silence.
Siu pondered briefly before speaking.
"It won't be exactly the same, but not much different either. The goal's always been one thing."
"……?"
"Goal? What goal?"
No one took "goal" seriously.
"Obviously, ending the war and bringing peace to the continent."
"……!!"
Siu's follow-up hushed not just their table, but the entire restaurant.
"Peace… huh."
Ariel's eyes widened as she echoed him.
She felt his sincerity—more than from any hero she'd met.
"D-Do you really think… the war with the demons could end…?"
A blonde party member stammered.
Born and raised here, she'd never imagined the demon and Demon God war ending.
Frontlines had stagnated for decades; even recent battles yielded no real gains. No nation pushed for it amid endless losses.
"Of course."
"……."
"Ten years. I'll end it within ten."
"……."
"……."
Some saw it as heartfelt, others as bravado. But every woman there felt her heart race—no exceptions, especially those calling this world home.
The pounding silence broke with one man's mutter.
"……Nonsense."
"Belatant?"
His voice was tiny, but the hushed restaurant carried it to the table—all heard the Holy Empire's S-grade male hero.
Belatant startled at his own slip, but words couldn't be unsaid. Eyes turned to him—including Ariel's, whom he adored.
"…Ridiculous. The war ending… ending…, well, sure, someday. But ten years? Impossible. Are all the active heroes and parties idiots? Just some cocky rookie's…"
"Belatant."
He flinched.
"Lady Ariel…."
"That's enough."
"Yes…."
Ariel's expression soured badly.
Everyone knew her genuine efforts to end the war. Belatant, who'd watched for years, denying it—even trailing off to fix it—was a mistake.
"Your orders are here."
"Ah."
The waiter dispersed the tension.
Dishes arrived remarkably fast—VIP treatment, no doubt.
No complaints from the guests.
"Looks delicious."
"Let's dig in."
They resumed their usual lively chatter over the meal.
The war-and-peace talk seemed shelved, but Ariel fixated on Siu's words.
"…Lord Siu."
Siu looked up from his steak to the hero across from him.
"Yes, Lady Ariel."
"Everything you said… you meant it."
"Naturally."
Ariel thought: she wanted to talk more with him.
It stemmed purely from one hero's concern for the world's future—not influenced by her budding rational fondness. Without a hint of shyness, she said:
"I'd like to speak with you more, Lord Siu."
"Sure, I'd welcome—"
"Do you have time this evening? In my room."
"……Pardon?"
Clang.
"…Whoa."
Ariel—28 years old, minus two—had invited a man to her room for the first time in her life.
She remained utterly earnest, oblivious to the reactions around her.