Chapter 350: Thump
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 350: Thump
“Liya… where is your knight?”
The Saintess gazed into Liya’s eyes and asked softly.
Her voice was gentle; even when tinged with a rare seriousness, it held no hint of offense.
And this was not a question meant to corner or stump her. On the contrary, the Saintess made a point of asking this of every Saintess candidate.
But, despite it being such a simple question, one that should have required no hesitation…
Liya fell silent.
She didn’t know how to answer.
“I…”
Liya lowered her head, her fingers habitually clutching the hem of her dress.
A God-Attendant Knight. Of course she had one.
From long, long ago, a girl who could be called her knight had always stood before her, shielding her from the wind and rain, clearing a path for her.
And from long, long ago, all Liya could do was gaze at that girl’s back.
According to the original trajectory, that powerful and brave girl should still be standing before her now, a radiant light banishing all shadows.
But she wasn’t here now.
Now, there was only Liya, all alone.
Therefore… she could only…
“Muen…”
Suddenly, a soft call from the bottom of her heart startled even Liya herself.
She quickly took a deep breath, forcefully banishing the blond figure who, for some reason, had appeared in her mind’s eye in place of the other girl.
No, Liya. You can't.
You’ve already caused Muen enough trouble. He’s already helped you more than enough times.
You can’t drag him, an innocent, into your vortex.
You can’t.
And besides…
Liya bit her lip, a thread of determination gradually surfacing in her eyes.
You can do this.
Liya Angel, you can do this.
Even without your own God-Attendant Knight to help you, you can do this.
You’ve grown. You’re no longer the weak person who had to live in someone else’s shadow.
You can even muster the courage to face those terrifying enemies, even a Calamity.
It’s just being alone. For you, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
Therefore…
“Speaking of which… who is this Saintess candidate?”
Suddenly.
After the Saintess had spoken, the great hall of the church, which had fallen silent out of respect or etiquette, was filled with the sound of several noisy discussions.
The voices were low, like whispers shared with a companion.
But… so clear.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her. Have you?”
“The other candidates, even if they can’t reveal their identities, have already made a name for themselves. But this Liya Angel… I’ve never heard of her.”
“Then what has she been doing during her Mortal World Trial all these years? She’s so cute, she could have done anything and not remained unknown. Don’t tell me she never even thought about how to be a proper Saintess.”
“Shh, don’t talk nonsense. Maybe she’s just not interested in that.”
“Hah, not interested? Does someone ‘not interested’ have the right to be here?”
“…”
The small hand clutching the hem of her dress tightened, knuckles turning white.
Liya’s head, which she had been about to raise, now felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, impossible to lift.
It felt like a lump was stuck in her chest, making it hard to breathe, let alone… answer.
The gazes of the crowd converged on her, a tide threatening to drown her…
...
...
“Ah, I get it.”
Muen suddenly clapped his fist into his palm in a moment of enlightenment.
“This is that kind of plot, isn’t it? The classic story where the beautiful girl is trapped in a dilemma, looked down upon by everyone, and pushed to the brink, only for the protagonist to make a dazzling entrance at the last possible second, slap everyone in the face with the force of an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, and win the girl’s heart in one fell swoop.”
That’s right.
It must be.
Just like in certain stories, the real protagonist always makes their entrance right on cue!
That would explain why Ariel hadn’t appeared yet.
“But it’s about time. Ariel should be here by now.”
Thinking this, Muen craned his neck, looking toward the grand doors of the church, waiting for the figure who should appear at this very moment like a god descending from the heavens.
But, he didn’t see Ariel’s A-cups. Instead, he noticed that the people around him were all looking at him strangely.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know, kid.”
“Know what?” Muen frowned, looking at the Pink Bear who had spoken.
“Well…” The Pink Bear hemmed and hawed, a rare look of shame on its face. “The Ariel you’re talking about… probably isn’t going to show up.”
“Eh?” Muen was stunned. “Why?”
“Because… she still hasn’t arrived in the Holy City.”
“Impossible!” Muen’s voice rose.
She still hasn’t arrived in the Holy City? How is that possible?
The Forest of Death was huge, but he and Liya had managed to get out in two days, even while being pursued by enemies.
And how long had it been since Ariel entered the forest? Almost ten days now.
With her skills and her speed, how could she possibly not have reached the Holy City by now?
Muen glanced suspiciously at Fanny and the others around him, then suddenly pulled out his voice transmission stone. After a moment’s hesitation, he dialed the frequency.
After a few seconds of waiting, a stern, soldier-like voice came from the other side.
“Young Master Muen, what are your orders?”
“Count Eller, I want to ask you…” Muen took a deep breath. “Have you found any trace of Ariel?”
“…My deepest apologies, Young Master Muen. We have not.” Eller paused for a moment before answering. “Although we’ve been unable to send anyone back into the forest to search due to the Calamity’s awakening, we have set up patrols and warning magic outside the forest. The Adventurer’s Association has also sent people to help. Logically, the moment the Bugard’s daughter walked out of the forest, we would have detected her immediately… But I’m sorry to say, to this day… there has been no news of her.”
Muen said nothing, cutting off the communication. A heavy weight settled in his chest.
Dammit.
What went wrong this time?
Why did the one person who should be the most reliable, the protagonist herself, have an accident at the final moment?
If Ariel didn’t come, then Liya…
Muen raised his head, his gaze passing over the crowd until it finally landed on the girl.
The girl who looked as if she’d been abandoned by the entire world, so lonely it was heartbreaking.
Who was going to help her now?
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, this poor girl,” the Pink Bear lamented, scratching its butt. “Even if her original knight didn’t show up, if she had appeared earlier, some gambling dogs might have taken a chance on her and offered to be her knight.
“But… she just had to be the last one to appear. Now that all the other big bad wolves have shown their fangs, what fool would stand behind this delicious-looking little lamb as she walks right into their midst?
“Right, kid?”
The Pink Bear looked over, a smirk on its face, and raised an eyebrow. “My, my, what’s with that look on your face, like you’ve been constipated for seven days and seven nights? Need me to call a doctor for you?”
“…No need. I’ve just suddenly understood two things,” Muen said after a long moment of contemplation, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Oh? And what two things are those?” the Pink Bear asked curiously.
“The first…” An incredibly complex expression appeared on Muen’s face.
Confusion.
Anger.
Self-mockery.
Disbelief.
And then… a smile.
“Fate really is a son of a bitch, isn’t it?”
“Mm, I agree with that. And the second thing?”
“The second thing…” Muen smoothed out his collar, which had become a bit messy from his recent carelessness, then rolled his neck and stretched.
Then, word by word, he said:
“I’m a dumbass.”
“A huge dumbass.”
...
...
“Can you just answer already!”
The white-stockinged loli named Annie, who was also kneeling before the Saintess, was growing impatient. She turned to glare at Liya, her sharp voice laced with displeasure. “It’s a simple question! If you have one, you have one. If you don’t, you don’t. Stop wasting everyone’s time, okay!”
“Now, now,” Freya, who was beside them, straightened up slightly and offered a gentle consolation. “We can afford to wait a little. Perhaps Miss Liya has her reasons?”
“What reasons could she have? Don’t tell me she…”
“That’s enough. Quiet.” The Saintess’s voice was gentle yet firm.
But she continued to stare at Liya, relentlessly asking again, “Liya, what is your answer?”
“I…” Liya took another deep breath.
But she still couldn’t suppress the turmoil in her heart.
Those gazes, those words, were like the cold, deep sea, drowning her, leaving her in the loneliest place in the world.
I want to run.
I really want to run.
But…
But…
What good would that do?
This is the path I chose. How could I give up now?
Being alone… isn’t that something I’ve long been prepared for?
There’s nothing…
…to be afraid of.
“I’m sorry, Saintess Teacher.” Liya finally raised her head, mustering all her strength to answer. “Regarding a God-Attendant Knight, I actually… don’t have…”
“Ah, my apologies. I’m late.”
A beam of light pierced through the deep sea.
It felt like a hallucination, yet the presence so close to her was so real.
Liya whipped her head around and saw the familiar blond man. His features were handsome, his posture tall and straight, standing fearlessly in the light, standing… right behind her.
“My, the Holy Communion provided by the church was so delicious, I couldn’t help but indulge a little.” The blond man looked at the fork in his hand with a troubled expression, scratched his head, and then, with a standard of etiquette that no one could find fault with, he placed a hand over his chest and knelt on one knee before Liya’s astonished gaze.
“I didn’t keep you waiting long, did I… Your Highness, my Saintess?”
“Muen, you…” Liya’s eyes were filled with bewilderment, yet a hazy mist seemed to be gathering within them. “Wh-why?”
Why did you come?
I… I never asked you to.
“Because…” Muen smiled faintly, then suddenly leaned close to Liya’s ear and whispered, “I suddenly remembered that I invested a whole five hundred thousand in you. If you don’t become the Saintess, wouldn’t I suffer a huge loss? Hmm? Or is it that Liya plans to default on her debt?”
“I… I wouldn’t!” Liya stared blankly at Muen, who was so handsome that some of the girls in the crowd couldn’t help but gasp. An expression that was somewhere between crying and laughing appeared on her face.
But just as she was about to say something, she was interrupted by another ill-timed voice.
“My, this knight seems rather unfamiliar as well.”
“He’s quite handsome, though.”
“Tsk, tsk, a knight who’s just a pretty face and a Saintess candidate with nothing but a face and boobs… what a perfect match…”
BOOM—
In an instant.
The unpleasant chatter was cut off.
By a loud noise.
A deafening crash.
It was like dozens of lightning bolts striking at once, tearing through the cold air with a violent, ferocious, and unstoppable force.
But it… was just a dinner fork.
A single fork that had flown past numerous renowned elites, like an unreasonably sharp blade, and precisely targeted the man who had been hiding in the crowd, instigating the whispers from the very beginning. It was now embedded in the wall right beside his face.
The fork was still vibrating. The ordinary-looking man’s face was pale, and blood trickled down his cheek.
And the one who had thrown the fork was now just casually twisting his wrist. With a handsome smile that would make any girl’s heart skip a beat, he spoke in a calm, yet terrifying voice.
“My apologies. I happen to be a genuine chest-believer. So… please don’t defile my faith, would you?”
“…”
In that moment.
The world fell silent.
And the girl stared blankly at Muen.
In her line of sight, everything superfluous vanished.
The shocked faces, the disbelieving gazes, and everything else.
There was only the familiar blond man and his familiar smile.
She reached up and placed a hand over her chest.
Her heart, right now, was pounding in her chest—scalding, fervent, and passionate.
As if it were screaming with all its might.
Thump!