It was a fucking terrible combination.
It was a fucking terrible combination.
The next morning.
The meal provided by the monastery was better than I thought.
It wasn't particularly fancy like the Imperial Palace, nor did it have that feeling of knights forcing formalities like at Valtium Fortress.
Warm bread, thin but fragrant soup, and pickled vegetables.
And some tea that supposedly had herbs in it.
It was a meal without a single piece of meat, but strangely, my stomach felt comfortable.
Of course, the atmosphere was not comfortable at all.
"Claire-nim, are you really okay?"
"I am fine, Saintess-nim."
"But your complexion has been... since yesterday..."
"It's just because the air in the monastery is a bit cold."
A bitch who can't even lie.
I chewed my bread and glanced at Claire.
Stiff face as usual.
Straight posture as usual.
A knight guarding the Saintess-nim's side as usual.
But unlike yesterday, the skin under her eyes was a bit red.
A face that hadn't slept properly. Well, none of my business.
She was the one who suddenly came into my room yesterday and spouted crazy nonsense.
I just had a common-sense conversation.
Probably.
"Raul."
"Why."
"Don't make that face."
"What face did I make?"
"The face of someone thinking useless thoughts."
"Are you managing my expressions now too?"
Claire's hand stopped while holding the fork.
Seraphina hurriedly looked between the two and smiled.
"Now, now. It's better not to fight during a meal. Eria-nim likes peace, after all."
"As you say, Saintess-nim."
Claire immediately bowed her head.
It's fascinating to see her so docile in front of the Saintess, considering she calls me a beast or a vulgar bastard.
At that moment, Noel was smiling silently.
Creepy bastard.
The fact that his smile looks as innocent as usual makes it even creepier.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Just because."
"Guys who smile 'just because' are the scariest."
"It's a bit strange hearing that from you, Raul."
"What about me?"
"It's nothing."
Noel smiled softly, took a sip of tea, and looked at Claire and Seraphina one by one.
His eyes looked strangely amused, and seeing that gaze, I was certain.
That bastard definitely knows.
Even if he doesn't know what Claire said in my room last night, at least he knows that something inside her has thoroughly broken.
Anyway, this party is becoming less and less normal as time goes on.
No.
Maybe there wasn't much to begin with.
After the meal, the Mother Superior of the monastery guided us inside the temple.
Seraphina hadn't been able to hide her excited expression since earlier.
"This is an old pilgrimage site that serves Eria-nim. The scale has reduced a lot now, but in the past, pilgrims heading to the Magic Tower city always stopped by here."
"Why stop at a temple when going to the Magic Tower?"
"Just because they handle magic doesn't mean they all lack faith."
"That's true."
"And I heard there's an old confessional left here too. They say the Saintesses of the past used to listen to the pilgrims' confessions..."
Seraphina looked really happy.
Clasping her hands together, eyes sparkling, she looked around here and there like a child.
Anyone would have smiled just looking at her.
I almost smiled too. Yeah, almost.
Thwack.
"Ow."
"Don't look at the Saintess-nim with weird eyes."
"I was just trying to smile, okay?"
"Your smile is filthy."
"You really need to go to a clinic."
"Raul."
"Why, Hero-nim."
Noel called me with a smile.
"This is a temple, so let's be a little quiet."
"She hit me first."
"Even so."
"Fuck. Fine."
I'm the only bad guy. As always.
Guided by the Mother Superior, we passed the chapel and headed toward the inner corridor.
Old stone walls.
The smell of candles.
Old wooden doors.
The air in the monastery was definitely strange.
Quiet, cold, and feeling old somewhere.
It was similar to the smell of rain-soaked stones in the mountains, but with more of a human touch to it.
However.
I stopped walking.
"Hm?"
A strange smell caught the tip of my nose.
At first, I thought it was the smell of mold.
It wouldn't be strange for an old monastery. But it wasn't.
Sweeter than mold.
Stickier than rotten water.
A strange smell, more sickening than the breath of a human soaked in alcohol.
I frowned.
"Is there a basement here?"
The Mother Superior stopped and turned to look at me.
"Yes. There is an old artifact storage room and a confessional. They are rarely used now, but..."
"The smell is weird down there."
"Smell?"
Claire glared at me immediately.
"This is a temple. Watch your mouth."
"Does the smell have to be holy just because it's a temple?"
"Raul."
Seraphina cautiously called my name.
I waved my hand dismissively.
"No, it's really weird. It's not a human smell, and it's not a beast smell... It smells like some kind of rotten desire."
"Rotten desire?"
Seraphina's face stiffened slightly.
The Mother Superior also clasped her hands, looking flustered.
"Is it perhaps coming from the underground confessional?"
"Probably."
"For a few days now, there have been reports of pilgrims getting headaches or hearing strange whispers when passing by there. But we just thought it was because it's an old place..."
"Let's go."
Claire stepped forward, placing her hand on her sword.
I smirked at her.
"Do you trust my nose?"
"I don't trust it. I'm just verifying."
"How is that different from trusting it?"
"Shut up."
We went down to the basement guided by the Mother Superior, and the stairs were narrow and long.
With every step down, the air grew colder and the candles flickered.
Old holy paintings hung on the walls.
Faintly smiling Eria.
A kneeling Saintess.
Pilgrims receiving light.
The paintings were old, but strangely, only the eyes were vivid.
And the smell grew stronger.
"Fuck."
"Raul?"
"The smell is too strong."
"What kind of smell is it?"
Seraphina asked in an anxious voice.
I tried to explain something but gave up.
"I feel like this is what desire smells like when it rots."
Claire frowned at those words.
"What nonsense..."
"I think it's nonsense too."
When we reached the end of the basement, an old confessional came into view.
The door was half-open.
Something like black mist was flowing out from inside, very faintly.
The Mother Superior gasped.
"I have... never seen anything like that."
Seraphina stepped forward.
"I will try to purify it."
"Wait."
Claire immediately blocked her path.
"Saintess-nim, it's dangerous."
"But this is Eria-nim's temple. We can't just leave it..."
That was when it happened. A voice came from inside the confessional. A small, damp voice.
It was like a sound whispering directly into our ears.
"You are not pure white."
Seraphina's body flinched.
"Pardon?"
"You thought of that man."
"No..."
Seraphina's face turned deathly pale.
"You remember that scent."
"N-no. I..."
"Even while being called a Saintess, you..."
"Shut up."
The moment I was about to step forward, Claire moved first.
She grabbed Seraphina's hand and pulled her behind her.
"Saintess-nim. Do not listen."
"Claire-nim..."
"Listen only to my voice."
Claire's voice was trembling.
"You are the one chosen by Eria-nim. You are the light we must follow."
The black mist rippled.
The whispering turned toward Claire this time.
"Light?"
"You were jealous of that light."
Claire's hand stopped.
"You wanted the Hero."
Seraphina looked at Claire with surprised eyes.
"Claire-nim...?"
"You thought it would be good if the Saintess disappeared."
"Shut up."
Claire's voice dropped.
The black mist grew thicker.
"That's why you tried to offer your body to the beast."
Grind.
I heard the sound of Claire gritting her teeth.
"I said shut up."
I clicked my tongue watching the scene.
"Hey."
"Don't interrupt."
"You're listening to that right now."
"I said shut up..."
"If you're going to listen, listen properly."
Claire glared at me.
I shrugged.
"Does the world end just because you like Noel?"
"You...!"
"Does the Saintess die just because you were a little jealous of her?"
"Shut your mouth...!"
"Isn't that thing feeding and growing because you're burying it away like it's a sin?"
Claire froze as if she were speechless.
The black mist churned.
Seraphina looked back and forth between Claire and me.
Noel was quiet.
So quiet that it was actually bothersome.
Claire stood there holding her sword for a long time. And then, very slowly, she opened her mouth.
"Yes."
The black mist wavered.
"I like the Hero-nim."
Seraphina gasped.
Tears welled up in the corners of Claire's eyes.
But this time, she didn't bow her head.
"But that does not mean I want to harm the Saintess-nim."
The sword went up.
"What I desire and what I must protect are different."
Oh.
I was a little impressed at that moment. She was like a real knight.
The black mist shook as if it were being torn apart.
Something howled from inside the confessional.
It sounded like a human voice, and also like a beast's cry.
The moment it was about to reveal its form.
Clang.
A clear sound rang out.
Noel drew the Holy Sword.
Lumenark.
The Holy Sword shone very brightly in the darkness of the basement.
At that moment, the air changed.
The sickening smell I had been smelling.
The whispers that had been shaking Claire.
The black mist that had been tormenting Seraphina.
All of it stopped before the tip of Noel's sword.
Noel said quietly.
"This place is not for swallowing confessions."
His usual gentle face remained the same. But his voice was different.
Like that time when he said he hated the bandits. It was definitely the voice of a Hero.
"And it's not a place to hold onto sins and let them rot."
The Holy Sword shone brighter.
"It's a place to bring them out into the light and let them walk forward again."
The sword came down. The sound wasn't loud.
It was just a single stroke of light.
But that was the end of it.
The black mist couldn't even let out a long scream.
The smell of rotten desire was torn away in an instant, and only the smell of cold stone and candle wax remained in the underground confessional.
I stared blankly at Noel.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"You were a bit like a Hero just now."
Noel smiled.
"Because I'm a Hero."
"That's true."
Seraphina let out a breath as if her strength had finally left her.
"Noel..."
"Are you okay, Seraphina-nim?"
"Yes. Yes... I'm okay."
Claire was looking at Noel with her sword lowered.
Her gaze was complex.
Admiration.
Relief.
And shame that felt like it would tear herself apart.
I scratched my head watching that.
If I stay in this party for too long, I'm going to get sick.
Noel sheathed the Holy Sword and turned toward the Mother Superior.
"It would be best to seal this place off for the time being. Could Seraphina-nim help with the purification prayers?"
"Of course."
"Claire."
Noel called Claire.
"Yes, Hero-nim."
"Could I ask you to stay by Seraphina-nim's side?"
Claire froze for a moment.
But soon, she knelt on one knee.
"Leave it to me."
Her voice was lower than before.
But it didn't waver.
Seeing that, I felt shitty for no reason.
A real Hero.
A real Saintess.
A real knight.
And me, mixed in with them.
It was a fucking shitty combination.