Chapter 123: Scandinavia(2)
Chapter 123: Scandinavia(2)
The carriage carrying Lina and her party traveled down the road.
The group, which had been chattering away all morning, had eaten lunch and now seemed to be dozing off in a food-induced stupor.
Even the Saintess, who so loved to act elegant, was no exception.
Lina stared intently at her.
The Saintess really has changed a lot.
In truth, Lina had been on edge this whole time, haunted by the trauma she’d experienced with the Saintess in her past life.
Of course, Lina was aware of the problems from her previous life and had no intention of being easily taken advantage of again.
She was prepared to get into a brawl with the Saintess at a moment’s notice if necessary.
It would be tiring and annoying, but the Saintess was valuable enough to be worth the trouble of dragging her along.
But what was this?
There was no need for any of that.
The aggressive Saintess from her past life was gone, and in her place was a woman who had become remarkably docile.
It was all thanks to Kerry.
Just this morning, when the Saintess had started complaining about the side dishes, Lina had thought her original personality was about to resurface.
But a single glance from Kerry had silenced her. She’d even eaten every last drop of her soup, leaving the bowl sparkling clean.
Does Kerry have some kind of dirt on her? Or maybe…
Or maybe the Saintess and Kerry were in a special relationship.
Lina’s gaze shifted to Kerry, who was dozing like the rest of the party.
His tall frame, his clear skin and handsome face.
Honestly, watching him sleep like this, it was easy to see why he was so popular.
Just then, Kerry sneezed in his sleep.
“Achoo! Hrmm… mmm…”
Lina, who had been staring at him, was startled and quickly turned her head away. Her heart pounded in her chest, worried he might have caught her looking.
What on earth am I thinking? Kerry is… Kerry is… the man Natasha likes.
She had resolved to protect Natasha’s happiness in this life. She couldn’t fight with Natasha over a man.
Forcing her eyes away from Kerry, Lina looked out the window.
A blue sky stretched before her.
Whenever Lina saw the blue sky, she was reminded of her beloved homeland, the Kingdom of Astria.
Gazing out the window, she recalled memories of home: the vast green plains and the ordinary people living their lives in the kingdom.
Lina was prepared to willingly throw her life away if it meant protecting their daily lives.
That was her mission as a hero.
Just then, an unwelcome memory surfaced in her mind.
It was something that had happened in her hometown of Astria when she was a child.
An old woman, her face a web of wrinkles.
Everyone had treated her like a madwoman and kept their distance, but Lina had been kind to the old crone.
As if in return, the old woman had spoken to her.
[You wish to stop the blood, yet yours is a cruel fate that calls for it. Poor thing… truly a poor thing….]
[You take up the sword to protect, but because of it, the continent will be stained with blood.]
At first, Lina hadn’t paid the crone’s words any mind.
She had assumed the old woman was just spouting her usual nonsense. But as time passed, she realized the truth.
Everything the crone had said had come true.
The moment Lina drew her sword to protect…
That was when she had first drawn the Holy Sword in Astria.
She had drawn it to prevent a war, but because of it, the Holy War had begun.
In this life, Lina had made a resolution.
In this life, I will never draw the Holy Sword.
She could not allow the crone’s prophecy to be fulfilled again. She could not afford to fail this time.
Lina didn’t know how to break the prophecy.
But if drawing the Holy Sword was what caused the Holy War… then she simply must not draw it.
There was no guarantee she would get another chance like this one. She had to treat this as her last.
Lina looked out the window. Her cherished homeland was getting closer.
After they met that person in the elven village, they would head straight for Astria.
There was a Black Monolith in Astria, after all.
Lina spoke quietly to the coachman, careful not to wake the others.
“Please hurry. We have a long way to go.”
“I’m going as fast as I can, my lady.”
The road was long, but looking at the companions by her side, she felt reassured.
*
The journey to the elven village of Scandinavia was a long one.
After several days of traveling in the rattling carriage, my ass was starting to feel nonexistent.
Not that I wasn’t getting used to it.
But the trip wasn’t all that boring, and it was all thanks to the Saintess.
The fun of secretly drinking her breast milk was quite something.
“Haaang! Stop drinking my milk!”
“I can’t do that!”
I sucked on the Saintess’s breast milk whenever I got the chance.
I’d even made her change into clothes that were easier to remove for quick access. But it wasn’t just because the milk was delicious.
[Your Divine Power has increased by 1.]
This message, appearing along with the sweet taste of the milk.
I couldn’t ignore this, either. It might be Elena’s divine power, but since the White Witch had declared it wouldn’t be a problem, I felt at ease.
I didn’t know what I’d use it for, but I had to gather as much as I could while I had the chance.
“Heeut! How long is this milk going to keep coming out!”
“From now on, forever!”
“No… no… It just keeps coming… I feel like I’m turning into a real milk cow… Huuuhng!”
Slurp— Schwoop!
[Your Divine Power has increased by 1.]
What a sweet deal.
I was drinking so much I was worried I might gain weight.
It’s fine. I’ll just eat a little less for dinner.
Kerry pulled his mouth away from the Saintess’s breast.
He’d been sucking so hard that her pink nipples looked red and swollen. Did I suck too hard?
But seeing the Saintess glaring at him with teary eyes, any trace of sympathy vanished. Right. This is the delinquent Saintess I know.
Kerry and the Saintess returned to the group separately. No one seemed to have noticed they were gone.
Except for Lina.
Lately, Lina hadn’t taken her eyes off Kerry. It was making it much harder to get time alone with the Saintess.
Lina found herself constantly bothered by Kerry.
For some reason, it feels like the Saintess and Kerry have been disappearing more often lately…
It wasn’t like Kerry and the Saintess were blatantly vanishing together.
But whenever one of them disappeared, the other was sure to follow. That, in itself, was suspicious.
It made them look like a couple sneaking around.
The Saintess… anyone but the Saintess.
Natasha would be fine. Even Victoria would be fine. But the Saintess was not fine.
Lina believed Kerry didn’t know the Saintess’s true nature. The verbal abuse she’d hurled at him back then was just the tip of the iceberg.
Don’t tell me the Saintess is trying to seduce Kerry as revenge for me calling out her misdeeds back then?
Lina knew all too well that the Saintess, that wicked woman, was more than capable of such a thing.
The thought made her chest tighten.
She wanted to run to Kerry right this instant and ask him what was going on between him and the Saintess.
What if—what if Kerry got hurt by the Saintess and decided to leave the party? That would be… a disaster.
She felt it keenly every time Kerry was away, even for a moment.
This isn’t about personal feelings. It’s something I need to confirm as the party leader.
Lina rationalized it to herself.
She quietly called Kerry aside.
He followed her with an oblivious expression. Lina opened her mouth, her voice heavy.
She repeated to herself that this wasn’t her showing interest in Kerry.
“Uhm… Kerry.”
“Yes, Lina.”
“I’m only saying this just in case… I don’t have any other intentions. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Of course, Lina. Please, go on.”
“Well… it’s a hypothetical, but…”
Just spit it out! Kerry hid his frustration behind a kind smile.
“Are you, by any chance, in a… a special relationship with the Saintess?”
“A special relationship… you mean, like lovers?”
Lina nodded. Why would she misunderstand like that?
Have we been too obvious about disappearing together lately? I thought I was being careful.
Kerry shook his head. He had already run through this scenario in his head several times in preparation.
“I’m not sure why you’re asking such a thing, Lina.”
“It’s just that… I saw you. That night at the abandoned house, I saw you and the Saintess returning late.”
So that was it. Lina had been awake then. I’ll have to be more careful from now on.
Kerry spoke nonchalantly.
“Ah. You mean when the Saintess woke me up at the abandoned house?”
“Yes…”
“That’s nothing you need to worry about. The Saintess woke me in the middle of the night, and I was wondering what was wrong. She said she felt a sinister energy in the forest and asked me to go check it out with her.”
“Why did she wake you? I was there, and so were the others.”
“Well, you know the Saintess and the rest of the party aren’t exactly close yet because of what happened in the past, right? Victoria and Natasha openly dislike her… and you keep your distance from her as well, Lina.”
“!”
“To be honest, she seemed quite troubled by it. Since I was the one who persuaded her to join us, I couldn’t just ignore it. So I’ve often spoken with her privately to help cheer her up. I suppose that’s what led to this misunderstanding.”
Lina felt as if she’d been struck on the head with a hammer.
It was all a misunderstanding. The events of that night, and all the times Kerry and the Saintess had disappeared—it was all a misunderstanding.
“I… I had no idea.”
On the contrary, Kerry had been kindly helping the Saintess adjust to the party.
It was something that she, the party leader, should have been doing.
…Kerry, how can you be so kind?
Among everyone in the party, the one who had been insulted most by the Saintess was none other than Kerry himself.
And yet, that same Kerry was kindly helping her.
Lina felt as if her ideal man had just stepped out of a dream and into reality.
“…I’ve made a terrible misunderstanding. I’m so sorry. Kerry, I truly had no idea… haa. I don’t know what to say. A thousand apologies wouldn’t be enough.”
As Lina bowed her head, Kerry waved his hands.
This is making my conscience ache. Being this upright is a problem in itself.
“It’s alright, Lina. I’m fine.”
The heavy weight on Lina’s heart lifted completely. Kerry and the Saintess were nothing to each other.
It had all been a misunderstanding born from her own delusions. She felt genuinely sorry toward Kerry.
Lina apologized to him again and again. At the same time, she had to face the relief that was washing over her.
Am I relieved because Kerry and the Saintess aren’t dating?
To Lina, Kerry was just a party member. No. He had to be just a party member.
But slowly, Lina was beginning to realize.
Her feelings for Kerry were anything but ordinary.
It was just like that dream.
It was similar to the emotion she felt whenever the faceless man appeared in her dreams.
Lina finished her conversation with Kerry.
She walked over to the horses, who had worked hard pulling the carriage, and gave them some water.
They needed to hurry, but it was important to rest properly when they could. Otherwise, the horses wouldn’t last.
“I’m sorry. Is it very heavy?”
Snort—
The horse huffed as if to say it was fine. It was a good horse that was comfortable around people.
Too good to be wasted pulling a carriage.
Lina gently stroked the horse.
It drank the water Lina offered greedily. Feeling the horse’s warmth and watching it drink made Lina thirsty as well.
She opened the carriage door and rummaged through the luggage. She was sure she’d put her waterskin somewhere.
“Lina, are you looking for something?”
“!”
Kerry’s voice came from behind her. What’s wrong with me? She just had to act normal, but her heart was pounding.
Was it because she had just acknowledged that she might be in love with him?
The thought made her self-conscious, and she found it wasn’t as easy to be around him as before.
Calm down. Just act as naturally as possible, like always. From now on… I just have to… kill these feelings. Then… there won’t be any problem.
She just had to keep hiding this feeling from Kerry. As she made this resolution, her chest tightened once more.
Still rummaging inside the carriage, Lina spoke without turning around.
“…I’m looking for my waterskin, but I can’t seem to find it.”
“Natasha turned the carriage upside down a little while ago looking for something, so it’ll be hard to find. Here, have some of my water.”
“…Thank you, Kerry.”
Lina gave up her search and accepted Kerry’s waterskin.
He was looking at her with his usual, unknowing expression.
Kerry’s lips are moist.
He must have just had a drink.
Lina opened the waterskin. She had accepted water from him a few times before.
She had offered him her own waterskin as well.
But she had never felt as nervous as she did now.
“Thank you for the drink, Kerry.”
The waterskin he had just drunk from.
Did his lips touch it? She found herself thinking such things.
Lina could never confess her feelings to Kerry.
Because of Natasha.
But… but… I’m holding back so well. Don’t I deserve a little reward?
Lina looked down at the waterskin.
Slowly, she brought it to her mouth. Not like the other times, when she would drink with her lips far from the opening, but this time, she pressed her lips against it.
Imagining Kerry’s lips.
Her throat bobbed as the water went down.
“That was refreshing. Thank you, Kerry.”
Like a person who had just committed a crime, Lina lowered her head deeply as she handed the waterskin back to Kerry.
Her face was tinged with a faint blush.