Rookie Guardian (4) - The Village the Young People Left
Rookie Guardian (4) - The Village the Young People Left
Rustle, rustle.
The steps walking on the deserted forest path were infinitely heavy.
"Hoo..."
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Rose looked back, and in her sight, she saw two women walking precariously, as if they would collapse at any moment.
"Let's just try a little harder. We'll find a place to rest before the sun sets today, no matter what."
Despite Rose's gentle encouragement, the two women merely nodded their heads, their eyes unfocused.
The appearance of the women rescued from the Goblin lair was wretched.
Their entire bodies, covered in wounds, were dirty from not having been washed for a long time,
and their clothing consisted of rough, dirty leather torn from tents, barely covering their chests and pelvises.
But more serious than their outward appearance was their shattered minds.
The terrible memories of being violated by monsters had left indelible scars on their souls.
Whenever they encountered an animal while walking through the forest,
the two women would be startled, collapse to the ground, cover their ears, and scream.
It took hours of effort to comfort them from their panic and get them moving again.
'According to the original plan, I should have gone straight to the northern metropolis Deluna without rest, but...'
Rose let out a small sigh.
Although she, having awakened as a Guardian and possessing mana, could walk for days and nights without issue, it would be impossible to travel that far with two distraught ordinary women.
'Even a small village would be fine; I need to find a place with human warmth first.'
After wandering along the forest path for another half-day,
the forest's edge thinned, and a small village with smoke rising below open hills appeared.
"Ah..."
Low stone walls, old wooden roofs, and a faded signpost at the village entrance.
A landscape similar to the hometown where she was born and raised.
It wasn't a place with many good memories,
but she couldn't help but feel a sense of welcome.
"It's a relief. We should be able to rest in the village."
Rose smiled brightly, led the two women, and cautiously entered the village.
However, the village atmosphere was quite different from what she expected.
Creak- Thud!
As Rose and her companions entered the alley,
people who had been looking out through their windows hastily began to lock their doors.
Perhaps because it wasn't a place frequented by travelers,
a strong sense of caution towards strangers permeated the air.
What was even stranger was the age of the people.
Those who peeked out with wary eyes through cracks in doors were all middle-aged with deep wrinkles or elderly people with bent backs.
There wasn't a single child who should be running around the alleys,
nor any robust young men who should be working in the fields.
"Excuse me! We are lost travelers! We'll pay generously, so please, some food and a place to rest...!"
Rose shook a pouch of silver coins and shouted, but the tightly closed doors showed no sign of opening.
On the contrary, some houses even drew their curtains, as if they had seen something ominous.
'...Country hospitality is just amazing.'
Just then, as she bit her lip, swallowing a curse inwardly,
a small building located at the innermost part of the village, on a hillside, caught her eye.
Its white exterior walls were old but neatly maintained,
and a symbol of the goddess stood on its roof.
It was a small temple, one she hadn't expected to find in such a small village.
When Rose led the women to the front of the temple,
she saw a young man in an old but neat priestly robe sweeping fallen leaves.
It was the first 'young person' she had seen since entering the village.
"Excuse me."
At Rose's call, the Young Priest turned his head, and his eyes widened.
"Ah... um..."
Young women.
And what's more, barely covering parts of their bodies with old cloth.
Furthermore, the woman who spoke to him, despite her shabby attire, exuded dazzlingly radiant skin and overwhelming sensuality.
For the Young Priest, who had lived an ascetic life in a small village, the sight before him was truly eye-opening.
The sensual woman opened her red lips again.
"We got lost in the forest and had a rough time... We need a place to rest, so could we stay at the temple for a bit? We'll compensate you generously."
At her gentle voice, the priest was startled and blushed.
"Oh, no! Compensation, you say! The Goddess's embrace is open to all who are wounded. Please, please come in!"
The priest hastily put down his broom and led the lost lambs into the temple.
A simple bathroom prepared inside the temple.
For the wounded women, the priest,
after thoroughly cleaning the wooden bathtub that wasn't usually used,
filled it with warm water by burning firewood.
"Come, slowly now."
Rose went in first to check the water temperature, then
carefully guided the two hesitant women into the bathtub.
"Aah..."
As the warm water enveloped their frozen bodies, moans of relief escaped the two women's lips.
Rose, too, relaxed her body, tired from continuous outdoor sleeping, and leaned back.
As the dried-up dirty traces melted away in the warm water, bruises and wounds remaining all over the women's bodies were revealed.
Rose, who had frowned at the cruel sight, soon changed her expression and comforted them with a warm voice.
"Don't worry about anything and just relax. It's okay now. It's safe here."
Perhaps because the warm heat melted their bodies.
Or perhaps because the gentle words of comfort embraced their hearts.
Had the tension that had been tightly stretched within the women finally snapped?
"Heeuk... Heuk...!"
One woman buried her face in Rose's embrace and sobbed,
"Uwaaaang...!!"
The other woman next to her hugged Rose's waist and began to cry out like a child.
"It's okay... Cry it all out. Wash it all away."
Rose silently accepted their tears, stroking the two women's wet hair.
As she comforted the women for a moment,
an unexpected problem arose.
Inside the narrow bathtub full of warm water,
as the bare skin of the three women, not wearing a single thread, came into close contact, Rose's sensitive body began to react.
"Heuk... heueuk..."
The face of the woman sobbing quietly gently pressed against Rose's elastic chest.
Her tears flowed down the curve of Rose's breast and gathered at the tip of her nipple.
"Uwaaaang..."
The face of the woman who was hugging her waist and weeping beside her was touching Rose's neck.
The breath she exhaled touched the side of Rose's neck and collarbone, making Rose flinch.
'Ah... Eugh...'
Rose bit her lower lip tightly.
The temperature of the warm water, the sensation of skin rubbing against skin, and the humid air filling the bathroom.
Everything stimulated Rose's sensitive nerves.
Her nipples gradually hardened and stood erect,
and in the secret valley between her legs, sticky, hot arousal fluid, hotter than the bathwater, began to gather.
'No... Get a grip...!'
Feeling the heat spreading throughout her body, Rose gathered all her strength to compose herself.
The women crying in her arms right now were victims of terrible violence.
If she were to be overcome by lust and do something rash here, she would inflict irreversible harm upon them.
"Haa..."
Rose exhaled a hot breath,
and forced strength into her thighs, suppressing the pleasure.
Yes, I'm not some bitch in heat.
I am a noble Guardian who protects and comforts wounded, pitiful people.
Thinking of Lucian, who ultimately did not succumb to temptation and only offered warm comfort, she suppressed her instincts.
'...No. If I think of Lucian, I might lose control. Let's just not think about anything.'
And so, the bath of patience and asceticism ended.
The two women, having changed into clean everyday clothes, fell into a deep sleep as if fainting the moment they lay on the bed.
Rose carefully closed the door so as not to wake them and headed to the temple's small chapel.
At an old wooden table in a corner, the Young Priest was waiting for her, having brewed warm herbal tea.
"How are your companions?"
"After washing in warm water, they must have relaxed, as they've fallen into a deep sleep. It's thanks to your consideration, Priest-nim, thank you very much."
Rose sat across the table and smiled.
What she was wearing was a spare shirt lent by the priest.
Because she was wearing a man's shirt, it was roomy,
and as Rose leaned forward to express her gratitude, her deeply carved collarbones and ample cleavage were precariously revealed.
"Ah, that, that's a relief...!"
The priest, unable to find a place to look, cleared his throat and fiddled with his teacup.
Rose thought his innocent reaction was cute but didn't tease or tempt him.
"As I came into the village, I noticed an unusual lack of young people. Is something going on?"
"Well... everyone has left. For Deluna in the north."
"Deluna?"
"Yes. This village is a barren and dangerous frontier. Deluna is a safe place, and furthermore, there's a widespread rumor that the Lord-nim who governs it is a very benevolent and excellent person. All the young people left to find opportunities there, and only the old and sick who couldn't leave their hometown remained in the village."
Is that so.
So there was a reason Lucian told me to go to Deluna.
As Rose nodded and tilted her teacup, the priest lowered his voice and added conspiratorially.
"But... there's another real reason why people left the village."
"A real reason?"
"Recently... there's talk that a Gate of the Demon World has opened deep in the nearby forest."
Gate of the Demon World, Gate.
The settings of the novel she had read in her past life quickly flashed through Rose's mind.
'Demon World... and Magical Beasts.'
There were largely two types of monsters in the novel's world.
One type, like the Goblins Rose had slaughtered,
were lower-level magical creatures that naturally formed from murky mana swirling in the atmosphere. These were typically referred to as monsters.
And the other type,
were true demonic kin who crossed through the 'Gate of the Demon World,' a rift in dimensions, in other words, 'Magical Beasts.'
Magical Beasts possessed intelligence on a different level than ordinary monsters, overwhelming destructive power, and could even use magic with mana, like Guardians or Lords... they were truly the main antagonist characters of the story.
'I haven't read the whole novel, but... I thought Gates usually opened near large cities.'
Perhaps because the story primarily focused on large Gates near major cities where Lords and Guardians were active,
the disturbances near small villages like this simply weren't depicted?
As Rose fell into thought with a serious expression, the priest continued with a worried face.
"Indeed, there were hunters who claimed to have witnessed strangely shaped Magical Beasts in the forest. That's why the villagers are in an extremely sensitive state. Their particular wariness towards outsiders is also due to this."
"I see..."
Rose put down her teacup and looked directly at the priest with clear eyes.
"But... in such a dangerous and hopeless village, why haven't you left, Priest-nim? You're young too, aren't you? You could live much better if you went to a large temple in Deluna."
At Rose's direct question, the priest wore a blank expression for a moment.
But soon, a shy smile bloomed on his lips.
"Well... I am a priest who serves the will of the Goddess."
The priest clasped his hands together and answered calmly.
"Even if the young people leave and the threat of Magical Beasts looms, there are still helpless ones here who need comfort and prayer. When everyone leaves in search of light,
to hold the hands of those left behind in the darkness. I believe that is the mission the Goddess has given me."
"......"
Rose quietly gazed at the priest's face.
He didn't possess mana like a Lord or a Guardian,
nor did he have a strong physique, weapons, or skills like knights or martial artists.
Just an ordinary, weak young man in an old priestly robe.
But his pure goodwill, to quietly hold his ground with that insignificant body and help others, warmed a corner of Rose's heart.
'He's a wonderful person.'
A clear and beautiful smile, filled with sincerity, spread across Rose's lips.
"Priest-nim... you're truly a good person."
"Oh, no! I'm just...!"
Faced with Rose's bright smile, the priest's face once again turned red like a tomato.
He picked up the kettle in a fluster, not knowing what to do.
"The, the tea has gotten cold! I'll bring more hot water!"
Watching the priest's back as he fled to the kitchen, Rose let out a small laugh.
It was the first peaceful and warm night she had experienced since parting ways with Lucian.