The two knights quickly let go of their sword hilts and straightened their backs. Their stiff posture subtly signaled their lack of fighting spirit, so Ruon also relaxed his stance and looked at them.
Their eyes briefly met in the air. The one who broke the short silence was the knight.
“Are you really the great Ruon?”
He seemed to realize how foolish his question was, as he nodded his head at Ruon’s reply.
“I’m not that great.”
The knight exchanged a glance with his colleague, as if something had passed between them. He then turned his head and spoke.
“Please follow me.”
He finished his words and turned his body with a graceful gesture, leading the way. Ruon followed him without a word, and Tarwen whispered.
“I didn’t expect them to let us in so easily. Maybe my mention of the great Ruon had some effect.”
What are you talking about?
Ruon thought that the fairy had a surprisingly dull side, and said.
“They’re letting us in not because they recognized who I am, but because they thought it wasn’t a good choice to leave a warrior who can wield holy power standing outside.”
Tarwen also seemed to agree with that, as he scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.
“That makes sense. Then, do you have any way to prove who you are?”
“Well, I’ll figure something out.”
As they chatted, they entered a long corridor following the knight’s guidance.
The ceiling of the corridor was decorated with colorful stained glass, which let the light pass through and created a dreamy atmosphere for the people walking through it.
This was designed to impress the visitors of the church with its dignity, but Ruon only thought it was a waste of money.
They wasted a lot of money on this.
Soon, the knight reached the end of the hallway and knocked lightly on a small door. Then, a permission came from inside.
“Come in.”
The knight opened the door and gestured for Ruon and Tarwen to enter. A man with a good appearance rose from his chair as he saw the two people who came in.
“Oh, we have guests.”
The man, who was wearing a white priest’s robe that dragged on the floor, looked like he was in his late years, with his hair completely white.
He quickly approached the knight and whispered in his ear. His voice was very low, but Ruon, who had superhuman hearing, could hear it.
In summary, he said that he brought a warrior who claimed to be Ruon, because he had an unusual amount of holy power and he couldn’t just send him away.
Just as I thought.
Ruon thought as he watched the man, who understood the situation and pointed to a long chair.
“Please sit down.”
He sat down on the opposite side and said.
“I am Jonathan, a priest who preaches the mercy of the Mother in Belgrade.”
Jonathan?
Ruon frowned as he heard a familiar name, and focused his attention. Jonathan, who introduced himself politely, folded his hands over his thick belly. He looked like he was waiting for their answers.
“Tarwen.”
“Ruon.”
The two people briefly introduced themselves in turn, and Jonathan’s eyes fixed on the fairy’s face. He soon made a faint face and said.
“I don’t understand how someone who uses the power of the curse has the nerve to come to the church. If it wasn’t for the warrior next to you, I wouldn’t have just watched.”
Tarwen smiled faintly.
“I get it. But I’m not very happy either.”
Jonathan turned his head to Ruon with an expression that demanded an explanation.
“Warrior, I need you to tell me what’s going on. There are many things to clear up. First of all, the fact that you are Ruon…”
Then, Ruon cut off his words with a sudden memory that flashed in his mind.
“Wait, wait… Are you the priest who wrote the recommendation letter for Igor?”
Jonathan flinched noticeably and stuttered.
“H-how did you know?”
So that’s why there was such a fuss.
Ruon chuckled. He thought that too many people had gathered to dismiss the reason that there was a priest of Tivela in the party that killed the great demon, but it turned out that the church was where Igor had been until recently.
“When I visited the Grand Church, Igor showed me his transfer order and mentioned you.”
Jonathan grimaced and barely uttered a word.
“Where did you meet that kid?”
“I met him on the Pilgrim’s Road for the first time. He was praying at every statue. Why?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jonathan pushed his armrest and stood up.
“I’m honored to meet you, hero.”
The knight who was watching the situation from a distance also hurriedly bowed.
“I’m honored to meet you, hero.”
Ruon waved his hand in embarrassment at the situation.
“Please stop. I’m not a hero, nor do I want to be one.”
He had been worried that he might have to shoot an arrow through the ceiling with the weapon he had received from the goddess, if the conversation went sour. But he was satisfied with how smoothly things had turned out, and opened his mouth.
“I guess Igor left you some kind of message, judging by your question?”
Jonathan, who seemed to calm his startled heart, nodded hastily as he wiped his face with a dry cloth.
“Yes. After he defeated the archdemon, he sent me a letter from the Grand Church, where he was recovering. He wrote in detail what had happened to him during that time.”
He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded paper, and handed it to Ruon, who shook his head.
“I don’t need to read someone else’s letter. It’s fine.”
Jonathan put the letter back in his pocket at the polite refusal, and said.
“It’s a letter that came with the messenger from the Grand Church, to announce the news of the archdemon’s death. It’s been exactly three days today.”
He ran his fingers through his hair nervously, and muttered.
“He was a very talented kid. That’s why I invested my one and only recommendation letter for him. But I never imagined he would achieve such a great feat…”
After that, he bombarded Ruon with various questions. Most of them were about the situation at the time, which was hard to convey with just the words of the letter.
Ruon answered all of them sincerely. It was his own courtesy to the person who was like a mentor to his colleague.
He didn’t stop there, but also explained briefly about Tarwen and the purpose of the gods’ visit to the church. That way, he wouldn’t have to repeat himself unnecessarily.
By the time his unintentionally long story was over, a faint moonlight was seeping through the window.
“…So that’s how it happened.”
Jonathan stroked his chin and pondered, then spoke.
“I see. You want to use the portal that connects the church, you say?”
“Yes.”
“It’s located in the western branch of the kingdom.”
“Yes.”
Jonathan replied to his unhesitating answer.
“Normally, the portal is reserved for emergencies, when the branch faces a threat that it can’t handle, or when it needs escape or support. It’s impossible for me to open and close it at will with my authority. But if the reason is you, Ruon, then it’s a different story.”
He looked determined, and said with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
Ruon smiled faintly at his generous acceptance, when Jonathan added.
“It’s too late today, so why don’t you leave first thing tomorrow?”
Ruon nodded, looking at the crescent moon outside the window.
“I’ll do that. I have another person who needs to use the portal anyway.”
“Oh, you have another colleague? Where are they now?”
Ruon gave a thin smile to Jonathan, who tilted his head.
“They’re probably sleeping in the stable by now.”
***
There was a large flat rock in the open space of the church, which served as a bench. Ruon, who was sitting on it and looking at the sky, asked without turning his head.
“Can’t you sleep?”
The fairy, who was wrapped in warm clothes, sat next to him and answered.
“I doubt I could. The church and the cradle are enemies, you know. Well, it’s more like the cradle hates the church one-sidedly.”
Ruon still didn’t take his eyes off the stars that filled the sky, and retorted.
“That’s why you left out the fact that you’re a witch from the cradle, right? And you didn’t mention that the curse you feel is from that tattoo, did you?”
“Hey!”
Tarwen was startled and pressed her lips to her index finger, looking around. She sighed in relief when she realized no one was there, and asked.
“What about you? Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Ruon didn’t answer, but just kept looking at the sky. She followed his gaze and looked at the sky with him.
“Why? Does the sky remind you of your hometown?”
“I don’t see that many stars in my hometown.”
Tarwen’s eyes widened. It was an unexpected answer.
“A place where the sky is darkened by evil magic? The cradle is just like that…”
Ruon swallowed a bitter laugh at her naive question, and answered.
“It’s because of the artificial lights. The night sky is bright, so the stars are not visible. They called it light pollution on the news, I think. Well, anyway.”
Tarwen tilted her head.
“Light pollution? The night sky is bright? Does your hometown have a thousand magicians who manipulate light?”
Ruon didn’t answer.
The street lamps that filled the busy streets, the neon signs, the incandescent lights, the bustling people. All of that mixed together to create the bright night that he couldn’t describe.
Sometimes he looked up at the night sky like this for a simple reason. He felt a sense of alienation from the stars that seemed to pour down at any moment.
The night sky, which was full of unreal beauty in the eyes of modern people, made Ruon more aware of his own foreignness.
He couldn’t find a proper answer that would encompass all of his emotions, so he just smiled faintly.
Tarwen did not ask any clueless questions like what artificial lighting is or what news is, facing his lonely smile.
Instead, she asked a completely different question.
“When are you going to stop using that stiff tone? I’ve been talking to you casually since the first time we met…”
She coughed as she continued her words, seeing Ruon look at her after taking his eyes off the sky.
“I know. I look very rude. It’s no excuse, but… I’ve been living for over twenty years among crazy women who have no respect for anyone. I can’t seem to use polite speech. You know, like the ha-o-che that you often use…”
Ruon shook his head and cut off her words.
“Did I do that? You’re too long-winded.”
“Sorry… But what can I do about the way I talk?”
Ruon felt that the fairy who was arguing with her mouth pouted looked like a person who was awkward in human relationships.
Maybe it was natural?
He wondered if it was natural that she had not formed a proper human relationship after living for twenty years, seeing all kinds of dirty things after being kidnapped by witches who killed her family.
He suddenly thought of the trio who always talked nonsense in any situation.
He thought they would have said something in this situation.
Kyle would have lightened the mood with a joke, Strabo would have shouted romance endlessly, and Igor would have prayed quietly.
Thinking of them, Ruon smiled faintly and said.
“Promise me you won’t use ha-o-che at least. Is that okay?”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Turning his back on the fairy’s face that looked excited somewhere, Ruon looked up at the night sky again.
The brightly shining stars were looking at him.
The next morning, Ruon, Tarwen, and Nightmare hid their traces in Belgrade by taking the portal that Jonathan opened.
