Praise Makes Yona Dance (2)
"What good does it do to charge in like a brute? Your body still moves before your head does."
"...Ugh."
Yona sulked in silence, her lips jutting out in a pout.
Thank goodness for the cloak Alec had draped over her—if not for that, the tattoo would have been exposed even without her holy shroud.
"Attend to the others' healing directly for now. Just for the time being."
"Got it."
Yona hesitated for a moment, glancing at Vigrind.
Should she thank her, or not?
She mulled it over briefly, then simply spun on her heel and walked away.
She'll get it even if I don't say it.
Alec, Kayak, James, and Ludwig were busy tending to the dead.
The surviving guards, along with the reinforcements who had arrived belatedly and the Cathedral Knights, arrested the bewildered cultists in a daze while also collecting the bodies and clearing the scene.
"So why exactly were your reinforcements so late?"
The Cathedral Knights gleaming in their silver armor cut an imposing figure just to look at.
If they had arrived sooner and fought alongside them, the tide of battle might have turned differently. Ludwig couldn't shake that lingering regret.
"We came as quickly as we could. A demon's descent—no one keeps preparations for that on hand at all times."
"If the Cathedral Knights don't prepare for demonic descents, what exactly do they prepare for?"
The knight commander frowned at Ludwig's blunt remark, but had no answer ready.
"...There are procedures to follow. We are not in a position to deploy at a moment's notice, so I ask for your understanding."
"I'm not trying to assign blame. But a regret is a regret, isn't it?"
Still, the disappointment remained.
The Archdemon of Contempt, Berbaria.
It had claimed the thing they fought was merely an avatar as it faded away—but even if it was only an avatar, defeating it should have yielded some meaningful gain. Failing to do so was a bitter pill to swallow.
"Now, now, there's no need for everyone to quarrel."
It was Ceres.
In the sky where Berbaria had retreated, the full moon hung bright and pale, just beginning its descent—and by its light, her silver hair shimmered all the more.
"Besides, the Hero was here, so we were able to drive off even Berbaria's avatar. It's a shame about the guards who lost their lives, but their families will be amply compensated. And we managed to round up the Dark Cult—those damnable rats—so I'd call that a victory in its own right."
"...If you put it that way."
Ludwig stopped there.
Any further argument would only sour the mood on both sides, so he saw no point in continuing.
"More importantly—you're Miss Yona, was it?"
"Oh, y-yes, that's me."
Yona, who had been holding Rubina tight and carefully inspecting her for injuries, jumped at Ceres's sudden voice.
At the jolt, the cloak that had been covering her right arm slipped smoothly down—and Rubina snatched it and clutched it in place.
"I hear you were extraordinarily impressive out there."
"I-Impressive? Me?"
Her face heated up on its own, and Yona scratched her cheek.
Watching her, Ceres broke into a radiant smile and took Yona's hand in hers.
"Eh, uh...?"
"For now, let's leave the cleanup to the Cathedral Knights and the guards, and all of you come to my estate. The banquet we couldn't finish earlier is surely still waiting for you. What do you say?"
With that, Ceres glanced back at the knight commander and gave him a meaningful wink, and the commander had no choice but to nod.
They had arrived late—there was nothing to be done about it.
Even if it hadn't been by choice.
"Wow."
Rubina, poor at hiding her emotions, let out a small gasp of awe.
She wasn't the only one making noise—Yona felt exactly the same. Never in her life, neither in this world nor the one before it, had she ever seen a dining hall this lavish.
"W-woooow..."
Alec stood with his mouth hanging open, looking around and clicking his tongue in admiration again and again. Finding his manner rather unsightly, Yona jabbed him in the side.
"Ow—what? What was that for?"
"Stop broadcasting that you're a country bumpkin. It's embarrassing."
"E-embarrassing? What's embarrassing about it?"
"It just is, so knock it off, baldy."
It was a mercy that Alec had no idea Yona was hardly one to talk.
"Please, everyone, make yourselves comfortable."
Ceres stood before the group and spread her arms in a light, welcoming gesture.
From the moment they had stepped into the estate, everyone except Ludwig and Vigrind—the four adults and one child—had been utterly overwhelmed. And now, it was only getting worse.
"Big Sis? Are we really allowed to be in a place like this?"
"O-of course we are! We've more than earned it!"
"Our clothes are... dirty, though."
When Ceres had asked whether they wanted to wash first and then eat, or eat first and then wash, the whole party had answered in unison: eat first, then wash.
They were all starving, and besides, none of them had imagined they'd end up eating somewhere like this.
If they'd known, they surely would have insisted on washing first—but what was spilled water, as they say.
"Come on, let's go."
Yona took Rubina's hand in one of hers and grabbed Alec by the wrist with the other, hauling them along.
They were already here, after all.
Having come this far, they might as well stuff themselves with food—truly delicious food—or the trip would be a waste.
"Have those people really been standing there waiting this whole time?"
Ludwig approached Ceres and asked.
A long while ago—even before they'd all rushed out during the Dark Cult incident—the chefs had stood before their respective tables. And still, they remained at their stations now, unmoved.
There was a faint hint of fatigue about them, yet their faces betrayed nothing as they quietly held their posts.
"They have. I never told them to withdraw."
"...I see."
Ludwig found himself at a loss for words.
Because you didn't tell them to leave, they're still waiting—the answer was so obvious there was nothing more to say.
"So, what are your plans from here on out?"
The meal was drawing to a close. Yona had just spooned a final mouthful of soup into Rubina's mouth and was wiping the girl's lips with a napkin.
At the voice that came out of nowhere, she looked up toward the head of the table where Ceres sat—and found their eyes meeting directly.
"Wh... what do you mean?"
"Your journey going forward. The Hero here, Lord Ludwig, and Saintess Vigrind will soon be heading to the Infula Holy See—and I intend to accompany them. Berbaria descending, even in avatar form, is a matter of the gravest import."
Having said that, Ceres raised her wineglass.
The butler standing at her side poured wine into the once-empty glass, filling it halfway.
Ceres wet her lips with the wine, set the glass down, and propped her chin on her hand.
"I've already sent word ahead, but for a matter this serious, a report in person is best. Bishop Phileo is advanced in years and frail, so it's hardly strange for me, the seniormost elder, to go in his stead."
...Shouldn't it normally be the bishop who goes while the elders hold down the fort?
Something about that struck Yona as subtly off.
She'd never been taught such details in the Heavenly God Religion. At least, from the day she'd been identified as a Healer until the day she'd left the cathedral, nothing of the sort had appeared in any of her lessons.
"Which brings me to an offer I'd like to make."
At those words, not only Yona but Alec, Kayak, and James all turned their eyes toward her.
"Oh my, everyone staring at me all at once is rather intimidating. I'm more timid than I look, you know."
Ceres waved a hand lightly, her smile wide and beaming.
"Anyway, the offer is—hmm, how do I put this... pardon my bluntness, but who is the leader of this party at present? The handsome gentleman with the splendid bald head over there, the Guard?"
Ceres's eyes narrowed sharply as she looked at Alec.
Yona quickly wedged herself into the line of sight, blocking Ceres's gaze, and thumped her own chest.
"That would be me. Me. Speak to me."
"A party led by a Healer—how rare."
"...Wouldn't you care to state your business first?"
Even at Yona's barbed reply, Ceres didn't drop the smile from her face.
If anything, it deepened as she met Yona's gaze.
"So, as I said—the Hero, Saintess Vigrind, and I must travel to the Infula Holy See. My offer is that you all come along on that journey. As escorts. And of course, since you're adventurers, we'll pay you a more than generous wage."
Ceres leaned back in her chair.
Behind her, like an ornament, stretched a row of tables crowned with cooking stations, and the chefs standing in formation before them.
"I am extremely wealthy. However much you can imagine, I have more than that. Which means I'm in a position to offer terms that would tempt anyone. Travel expenses—meals, lodging—and on top of that, a daily wage. All of it, I promise you, at the very highest standard."
Yona's pupils wavered mightily.
Still, she had no particular desire to join a party with that Ludwig bastard.
Money? She had money.
Only a few gold coins, admittedly—but at least enough to afford the procedures once she reached the Community.
So money wasn't the issue. It was just—yes, for now at least—traveling packed in with not only Ludwig but that Vigrind girl as well felt distinctly unpleasant.
"It's not—money isn't the issue here—"
"Of course not!"
Ceres cut her off cleanly.
"I would never suggest moving a Healer of your caliber with mere coin, Miss Yona. Someone of your skill is nothing short of exceptional. Not a Healer who simply heals from behind the Guard, but a battlefield coordinator—one who commands the field itself! A Healer with the breadth of vision to run a party while reading each monster and responding to it appropriately. Such healers are vanishingly rare. Wouldn't you agree?"
The corners of Yona's mouth crept upward toward the sky, helpless and grinning—
"And a Miss Yona as dependable as that—no wonder you keep a Lizardman warrior and an Orc archer in your party. Their abilities were proven beyond doubt in the battle against Berbaria, so how rude would it be to suggest I'm simply buying people like them with money?"
"W-well, that's true, but—"
Hey, you idiot, get a grip.
Yona was on the verge of nodding along when Alec jabbed her hard in the ribs, wringing a strangled huurgh out of her and snapping her mouth shut.
"And I'd gladly offer more if I could. Regrettably, all I can promise you right now is money. One gold coin per person, per day. Would that do?"
One.
But saying yes! right away somehow stung her pride.
Honestly, it was greed. She knew that.
Still, sometimes you had to shoot your shot when the chance was there.
After a moment's hesitation, Yona cautiously opened negotiations.
"...T-Two..."
"Two. Very well. All incidental expenses excluded, two gold coins per day as wages. Then, with those terms settled, go discuss it with your party members. You have until tomorrow to give me your answer."
Ceres smiled in satisfaction.
Yona, by contrast, felt vaguely cheated.
She should have pushed for three.