What Will You Believe? - (2)
Arty opened his eyes in a hazy daze.
“…Mmm.”
‘Huh… what was I doing again?’
Something… he had definitely been doing something. But the memory refused to surface. It felt like thick fog was swirling inside his head.
‘Wait, there really is purple fog all around me…?’
A voice drifted through the mist. It was a woman’s voice—low, soothing, and resonant.
—…rty, when something good… first… remember….
The golden silhouette of a woman was blurred. Yet even through the haze, her beauty was unmistakable. Strangely, though, he couldn’t quite make out who she was.
‘How could I possibly forget a silhouette that overwhelming…?’
“…?”
Arty felt a strong sense of dissonance with the entire situation.
‘No, this is weird. Honestly, forgetting something like that would be impossible.’
With that thought, his mind gradually began to clear.
‘Oh, I remember now. This is the beginner illusion dungeon. I came straight here after swordsmanship class ended. That person is my master, Lydi—’
Whoosh—!
Suddenly the purple fog surged violently, erasing her form. Thanks to that, Arty couldn’t recall who she was. He slipped back into a dreamy state.
‘…Hmm. I guess it wasn’t that important after all?’
[The strongest temptation awaits.]
Before the greatest seduction, forget everything and crumble….
‘Strongest… temptation…?’
Arty looked forward.
“Saintess…?”
“Hehe.”
Aria was smiling with seductive allure. She wore the pure white dress she had on during the first Hero trial. It was a modest design that covered her entire body, yet her slender waist was impossibly captivating. Beyond the soft fabric of her skirt, gentle curves that were impossible to ignore shimmered faintly. Because everything was concealed, the subtle revelation of her whole figure created an irresistible charm.
In a dazed voice, Arty murmured, “You’re beautiful… Really, so incredibly beautiful….”
“Hehe, thank you. Did you doze off for a moment?”
“Saintess….”
“Yes. I am your Saintess.”
“My… Saintess.”
My very own Saintess. No one can take her away….
Arty slowly reached out toward Aria. He drew closer with a desperate longing.
“Saintess….”
She stepped close and whispered softly. Her voice tickled his ear.
“Please hold me, Hero….”
“!”
He froze. At the same time, the golden woman’s voice echoed in his mind. It was Lydia.
—Arty, when something good happens, first remember when and why it occurred.
“….”
Arty remembered.
‘Would the Saintess ever say something like this to me? From the beginning, were we even in that kind of relationship?’
“….”
None of it was true. He had only admired Aria from afar. They had never properly shared their feelings.
“….”
“Stay with me tonight.”
At those words, his heart pounded as if it would burst—but his mind turned ice-cold.
‘There’s no way the Saintess would say something like that to a commoner like me.’
Arty gave a bitter smile.
“…It’s a dream. And a filthy one at that.”
“Pardon?”
“The Saintess wouldn’t say those things to me even after her coming-of-age ceremony. Besides, we aren’t in that kind of relationship, and I still haven’t proven myself in the Hero trial.”
“What are you—?”
“I’m sorry, Saintess. Even if this is a dream, if you keep talking, it’ll be too hard for me to attack.”
“?”
Arty roughly covered the dream-Aria’s mouth with his gauntleted hand. She struggled, letting out muffled cries.
“Mmph?! Mmm—?!”
“…I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”
Arty summoned the Holy Sword into his right hand. The blue blade glowed with an eerie light as it slowly rose.
*
Lydia stared at the trembling goat-faced dwarf monster before her. Morgan was sleeping peacefully on her back.
“….”
“Kiiiik?!”
The monster shook violently as it watched Lydia, who remained unaffected by the purple fog. Those unshakable blue eyes fixed on it were utterly terrifying. Why? All the other humans had fallen asleep so pathetically!
It seemed to be screaming that as it looked at Arty and Mave collapsed on the floor.
“Kik… kek…?”
“….”
Lydia simply continued to watch the monster in silence. In truth, it possessed almost no real combat strength.
“….”
A lesser incubus that emitted purple fog. Even this shabby creature was technically a boss-level monster for a beginner dungeon. If she crushed it now, the dungeon would be cleared.
But Lydia did not.
‘It’s Arty who needs to overcome these illusion dungeons and grow stronger. To prepare for the next trial, he needs this kind of experience a few times…’
What the next trial demanded was cold judgment that would not yield to illusions. That was why she left it alone.
“….”
And Lydia’s expectations were not betrayed.
‘As expected, Arty is the fastest.’
Shuffle…!
The first to rise among the party was Arty.
“….”
He stood up unsteadily, his face deeply furrowed. His eyes met the monster that was still spewing purple fog.
“….”
“Kik?! Kieeek…?!”
Without a word, Arty strode forward. The monster focused all its purple fog on him, spraying it like a misting can.
“Kieeeeek—!!”
Hiss—!
But Arty only frowned. He was no longer caught in the illusion. Catching up to the short-legged lesser incubus was instantaneous.
The lesser incubus was driven into a corner of the boss room. By then, Arty had already summoned the Holy Sword in his right hand.
“…Die.”
“Kiiiik…?!”
The declaration was swift.
Slash—!
The purple fog vanished from the boss room. Mave and Morgan, who had been collapsed, staggered to their feet.
“Huaam. Huh? What about my knighthood appointment ceremony? Why was I lying on the ground…?”
“Uung… I can still smell Lydia…”
But Arty remained silent.
“….”
He stood in the corner of the boss room where purple sand had piled up, staring at the wall. A chilly aura radiated from his back.
Lydia gently set down Morgan, who had been nuzzling her neck, and approached Arty.
“Well done.”
“…Yes.”
“If you wish to resent anyone for what you saw today, resent me. I could have ended it, yet I chose not to.”
“….”
Arty shook his head.
“No, it was actually for the best. I was able to clearly see the foolish desires lurking in my heart. Thanks to that, my head feels much clearer.”
“….”
Lydia quietly turned away. As she walked toward Morgan, who was searching for her, she spoke.
“After we stop by the market to sell the materials, go alone to the statue of the Sun God near the training ground where we always practice at dawn.”
“Huh?”
“A rather good advisor will be there praying. Consult with him about your worries. Sometimes talking to a slightly unfamiliar person can bring unexpected relief.”
“…Understood.”
*
The academy campus was bathed in the glow of sunset. Arty headed toward the training ground, the heavy pouch of gold coins jingling in his hand. Ever since he began speed-clearing dungeons after class, his pockets had never been light.
‘Even after swapping out for good equipment every week, I still have plenty left. Enough to eat out every day.’
Yet somehow his heart felt empty.
‘No, let’s be honest.’
He simply missed Aria. At the same time, the illusion rose in his mind and weighed heavily on his chest.
“….”
His deepest desire—the fact that he dared to love the Saintess. Confronting it and cutting it away felt like far too heavy a burden.
“…Hoo.”
That was why he was following Lydia’s advice and heading to the statue beside the training ground. He wanted to honestly confess this worry to someone.
‘Lydia wouldn’t recommend just anyone, so it must be someone who can keep a secret. I feel like I’ve seen someone there before, but I can’t quite remember.’
However, the moment Arty arrived in front of the statue, he froze.
Before the old, weathered statue of the Sun God, an elderly man in a familiar gray robe was praying. It was Edrian, the Prayer Priest who oversaw the Hero trials.
He finished his prayer and stood. Then he looked at Arty in silence.
“….”
“….”
Ah, right. It was this person.
“….”
“….”
An awkward silence stretched between them. In the end, Edrian spoke first.
“Why has the Hero candidate come to this place?”
“W-well…”
“If you came to ask about the Hero trial, you may be on your way.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then?”
“I… I wanted to ask about how to pray…”
“….”
A short while later, Edrian was correcting Arty’s posture for evening prayer. It was something any child who believed in the One Faith would know, yet the Prayer Priest kindly taught him.
“Now, close your eyes. Give thanks that you are able to see the sunset at the end of the day. Then reflect on the past with a reverent heart.”
“Th-thank you… I’m sorry.”
“Not with your mouth. In your heart.”
“….”
Arty regretted the slip of the tongue that had come from his flustered state.
‘Damn it, I ran into him here before and still forgot…’
But there was no better excuse he could come up with.
“….”
Asking a Prayer Priest about romantic troubles seemed a bit…
‘Still, while praying, the random thoughts seem to have faded… Lydia’s advice was surprisingly on point.’
Anyway, Arty somehow managed to finish the prayer. Then a sudden curiosity slipped out.
“…Prayer Priest.”
“What is it?”
“During evening prayer we reflect on the ‘past.’ Then what should we think about during morning prayer? The priests back in the countryside always just told me to pray, but they never explained what we were supposed to pray for.”
“….”
Edrian answered calmly.
“To be precise, it is not morning prayer but dawn prayer.”
“Dawn?”
“Morning is simply the time the faithful choose for their own convenience. Only at dawn can one truly greet the moment the sun rises.”
“Hmm.”
“What one must contemplate during dawn prayer is ‘preparation for the future.’”
“Prayer to prepare for the future…”
“This is something only priests who spread the gospel need to understand fully. Hero candidate, you may simply remember it.”
“…Yes.”
Edrian pointed at the sun, which had begun to set completely.
“I shall tell a devout believer an interesting story.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know the Saintess?”
“…!”
Of course he did. Wasn’t Aria the very one he loved?
“….”
But he couldn’t possibly answer, “Yes! She’s the person I like tremendously!”
“…I do know her.”
“There is a record that says, originally, there were two who served as the Sun God’s proxies—the Saintesses.”
“?!”
This was news to him.
“It is a record that barely appears in documents from five hundred years ago, and its authenticity is unclear… but it is said that two girls received divine revelation.”
“That’s…”
“However, at some point the revelation began to be given to only one. And that has continued until now.”
“Then the current Saintess is…?”
Edrian nodded.
“Now there is only one Saintess who prophesies the future.”
“What does the other Saintess prophesy?”
“…The past.”
“…?”
“The Saintess who contemplates the past and prepares for the future in the faint light of dawn.”
“?”
The past? What past was there to prophesy? Arty could not understand it at all.
Edrian smiled bitterly.
“In truth, even I do not fully understand what that means. It may be nothing more than meaningless folklore.”
“…I see.”
“However.”
“?”
“It may serve as a lesson that what we consider truth in our lives may not be the complete truth. That suspicion alone is worth keeping.”
Edrian brushed off his gray robe and stood.
“Therefore, Hero candidate, do not lock yourself inside false truths. Always think with all your might. The real truth may be hidden within your own thoughts.”
“Thank you.”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“….”
Arty watched Edrian’s retreating back.
“….”
Truly, after hearing his words…
‘My heart feels lighter.’
*
As Lydia carried Morgan on her back toward the dormitory, she thought,
‘The Prayer Priest may be a stubborn old man about faith in public, but privately he’s an NPC mentor who listens to all kinds of worries. If it’s the humble Arty, he should receive good advice.’
That meant there was now only one person left for her to take care of.
“Morgan.”
“…What?”
“Is something troubling you?”
“Why?”
“Usually after exploring a dungeon you walk on your own two feet. Yet today you seem to want to cling to me more than usual.”
“…Do you hate it?”
“I don’t mind, but I’m worried you might have had a bad dream.”
“….”
Morgan muttered in a small voice. The evening sunset made both her hair and face look red.
“…My legs hurt. I’m not a swordsman like you people.”
“Aria follows us just fine.”
“That’s because she’s a bit… weird.”
Morgan tilted her head for a moment.
“Huh? Now that I think about it, she’s a pure priestess—how did she keep up with those insane dungeon runs?”
“….”
That part had surprised Lydia a little as well.
‘In the game, the Saintess did say her hometown was a rural village. But the real Aria is far sturdier than her game description suggested.’
There were so many omitted details in the game that it was hard to believe everything, but even taking that into account, Aria’s pure physical stamina seemed exceptionally high.
‘In this reality, Aria could probably become a swordsman without any problem.’
“Hmm.”
That was something she could check later at her leisure. For now, she needed to return to the original topic.
“Morgan.”
“What.”
“If you don’t want to talk, I won’t force you.”
“….”
“But I will always stay by your side. That is all you need to know. So if I am the cause of your anxiety, you may let it out.”
“Yeah. We’re friends without friendship, after all. Even if there’s no friendship, trust still exists.”
“….”
Lydia let out a small chuckle.
“Still none?”
“Idiot.”
But Morgan was smiling quietly too. So that Lydia couldn’t see…
‘Idiot.’