Chapter 134: Promise (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Promise (2)
I opened my eyes.
The room was pitch-black.
I’d closed all the blackout curtains.
Even before I looked at the clock, something felt off.
‘I feel… refreshed?’
Far from tired, my body felt light.
I rubbed my eyes and habitually raised my watch to check the time.
7 AM. I hadn't even slept a full seven hours.
“I should sleep a little more…”
I'd planned to sleep like a log, but I hadn't gotten much rest at all.
As I tossed and turned, a sudden chill ran down my spine.
I checked my watch again.
This time, I looked at the letters in front of the time.
[PM 07:14]
The strange feeling of refreshment wasn't just in my head.
“Wait a minute…”
Twelve more hours had passed than I'd thought.
Which meant I hadn't slept for seven hours, but for nineteen straight.
“Well… I slept well, I guess?”
How could I have slept so soundly without waking up once?
It seemed the exhaustion that had built up was worse than I'd imagined.
I quickly sat up.
I tapped out a quick message.
The moment I lay back down, my eyes closed.
*
[AM 07:30]
In the end, I slept for a total of thirty-one hours.
I had to get my days and nights straight, so I had no choice.
I'd barely made it over the great mountain that was Bulgaram's Workshop, but the vacation wasn't long.
With no time to rest easy, I had to quickly take the next step.
The first person who came to mind was Cheon Yeo-wool. I'd sent her a message when I'd briefly woken up yesterday.
[belief_]: Ms. Cheon Yeo-wool, let's meet tomorrow afternoon.
[1000_y]: Huh??? Where?
The problem was, I hadn't sent a time or a place.
I hadn't even suggested the trip to her yet.
I'd confirmed she didn't have any special plans for the vacation, but I was getting anxious that something might come up.
“Still…”
My standing as a hero has risen quite a bit.
People are starting to recognize the name Jung Hae-in.
But something was bothering me.
Cheon Yeo-wool. She's a Saintess.
The title doesn't carry the same weight it used to, and the concept has faded over time.
But the word "Saintess" is still a symbol of divinity, taboo, and purity.
Especially when it comes to relationships with men.
An adult man proposing a trip to someone like her?
“…I have no choice.”
This isn't something I can compromise on.
I have to take her with me, no matter what.
– Trrrring.
Just then, a call came through on my watch.
It was Cheon Yeo-wool.
“Hello.”
- When are we meeting?
“Uh… How about around noon?”
- No?
Cheon Yeo-wool is a busy person, after all.
I should try to accommodate her schedule as much as possible.
“Then what time? If you're busy today, we can meet some other ti—”
- I'm in front of your house. Come out.
“What?”
I reflexively turned my head toward the window.
When I pulled back the curtains, there she was, standing under a streetlight.
She really came?
A thin, beige cardigan over a top.
Her hair was neatly combed back, held in place with a white headband.
No matter how I looked at it, this was not an outfit she'd just thrown on.
“I'll be right out.”
I washed up quickly and went outside.
As soon as I opened the door, she turned her head.
She was wearing a mask, but I could recognize her distinct eyes in an instant.
The moment our eyes met, she lowered her mask slightly.
The corners of her mouth lifted as she spoke to me playfully.
“Oh my, if it isn't a celebrity.”
“Not as much as you.”
“Oh, come on~”
She laughed and tapped my shoulder with her fingertips.
“So, why'd you ask to see me today?”
“This isn't something to talk about out here. Let's go to a cafe or something.”
We needed a place where we could talk.
“Okay.”
I turned and started walking.
Without a moment's hesitation, she fell into step beside me.
The sunlight was pleasantly warm, and there weren't too many people around.
We went into the cafe closest to my house.
I avoided the city center.
I figured it would be tiring if it was too crowded.
It's not that I have celebrity syndrome. I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about Cheon Yeo-wool.
She's a real celebrity.
The place we arrived at was a cozy, two-story cafe.
Vines grew next to the entrance, giving it a strong local vibe.
It was a place Sion sometimes dragged me to.
Sion loves the fresh cream rolls here.
“This place is nice, right?”
“Oh, it has a nice atmosphere.”
Cheon Yeo-wool let out a small sound of admiration as she stepped inside.
Her gaze slowly swept across the interior.
Luckily, a window seat was open.
We quietly ordered and took our seats there.
A moment later, a strawberry latte, an americano, and a white roll were placed in front of us.
The latte was beautifully decorated with a halved fresh strawberry on top.
Cheon Yeo-wool picked up her cup, took in the aroma, then cut a small piece of the white roll and popped it into her mouth.
The corners of her eyes crinkled slightly.
“Mmm~ This is delicious. How did you… find a place like this?”
“A friend showed me.”
“A girl, I presume?”
“…”
I didn't bother answering. That was answer enough.
Cheon Yeo-wool chuckled and set her cup down on the table.
“You went through a lot… The Workshop must have been really hot, right?”
She was talking about Bulgaram.
Cheon Yeo-wool said, her expression full of sympathy.
I shook my head and answered lightly.
“It was fine. Thanks to my artifact.”
“That's a relief.”
She let out a sigh of relief, as if she truly meant it.
“Did… anything unusual happen inside?”
“Unusual how?”
There were plenty of unusual things.
Nothing about it had been ordinary.
“Ah… no, it's just. Never mind.”
Cheon Yeo-wool looked like she was about to say something more, but she swallowed her words.
She took a sip from her cup and met my eyes.
“So… why did you want to meet today? Ah, it's fine if there's no reason, too.”
I nodded slowly.
It was time to get to the point.
I took a sip of my americano.
The bitter taste coated my tongue, but it sharpened my focus a little.
Proposing a trip to a Saintess.
Jung Hae-in, you've really got some nerve.
“Yeo-wool.”
She blinked.
She carefully set her cup on the table and leaned forward slightly.
With her back no longer touching the chair, she met my gaze.
“Do you remember… when I asked if you were free during the vacation?”
Her eyes widened slightly. She immediately started nodding vigorously.
“I remember. Of course, I remember.”
Her gaze was clear.
I hesitated for a moment, then put down my cup and spoke.
“Want to go on a trip, just the two of us? To… the Vatican.”
I asked her point-blank.
At my words, her expression briefly stiffened.
Surprise and unfamiliarity showed on her face.
A short silence followed.
Was that too sudden? Still, I had to take her.
My plan was to acquire at least one Fragment during the vacation.
I was just about to run through my arguments to persuade her.
“……Okay.”
But she broke the silence before long.
"Really? You can't take it back."
A smile spread across my face at her ready agreement.
It felt like one of my worries had just vanished.
“Hah… Really?”
“Yep. No take-backs.”
I said with a smile.
Cheon Yeo-wool tilted her head, her eyes sparkling as she asked.
“So when are we going? And for how long?”
“Hmm…”
The sooner the better, but unfortunately, you can only enter the Vatican when it's open to tourists.
So we'll have to pick the earliest scheduled date.
The earliest one I could find was probably… in three weeks.
“In about three weeks?”
“Three weeks? Hmmm…”
Cheon Yeo-wool's shoulders twitched slightly.
“I tried to find an earlier date, but the procedures are strict. Entry for tourists is only possible on set days. That was the earliest one I could find.”
“Really? So if we could just get in… we could go anytime?”
She touched her chin thoughtfully, her eyes sparkling again as she asked.
“That's right.”
But it wouldn't be easy.
The Vatican's Ordinum Sect can be surprisingly particular about things.
Before I even finished my answer, she took out her watch.
With a familiar flick of her hand, she swiped down the screen and opened the call menu.
“What are you doing?”
Before I could ask, a short ringing tone sounded.
And soon, the other person picked up.
[Che la luce di Terna ti guidi. Chi siete voi in questa notte?]
(May the light of Terna guide you. Who is this, calling in the night?)
“…?”
What the hell was that?
I couldn't understand a word, but I could tell from the accent.
It was Italian.
“Buona sera, Santità. Tutto bene? Sono io, la Santa d'Arcadia!”
(Good evening, Your Holiness. I hope you are well. It is I, the Saintess of Arcadia!)
Just then, Cheon Yeo-wool began to speak fluent Italian.
At her words, the speaker's language and tone of voice changed completely.
[Oh, Lady Yeo-wool. It has been a long time. For the Saintess of Arcadia to call me directly like this.]
The Pope? No way.
The Pope I know of?
Unlike Arcadia, which is centered around the Hero and the Saintess, the Ordinum Sect that manages the Vatican is led by the Pope, its highest authority.
Ordinum and Arcadia are sister sects.
The gods they serve, Terna and Ariel, are sister goddesses, and the sects even share a language.
Therefore, the two have a very close relationship.
Still, he wasn't someone you'd think she could just call up directly…
Ah, or is he? She is an official Saintess now, after all.
“I hope I'm not calling at a bad time.”
[There is no such thing as a bad time under the blessings of Lady Ariel and Lady Terna. I was just coming down from service.]
I just stared at her blankly from the side.
The atmosphere was less like a call with the Pope and more like she was catching up with her grandfather.
He was laughing on the other end, and Yeo-wool was smiling slightly with every word.
She carefully moved on to the main topic.
“The reason I'm calling is… I'd like to visit the Vatican for a little while… There's someone I'd like to bring with me. Would that be possible?”
The person on the other end took a short breath.
[Of course. …Is your companion, by any chance, the Hero of Arcadia?]
“Absolutely not.”
After that, her tone shifted to that of a granddaughter asking her grandfather for a favor.
The mood softened, and the call soon came to an end.
“Yes~ I'll see you soon, then~ Have a good night~”
– Click.
The call ended.
Cheon Yeo-wool slowly lowered her watch and turned her head toward me.
Then, she smiled as if it were nothing.
“It's done. We're going tomorrow.”
“What is?”
“Tomorrow.”
She looked at me, then grabbed my arm with a bright smile.
“No taking it back… right?”
Her gaze held mine as she uttered a single, quiet command.
“Pack your bags.”
