I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

16 – Dangerous Journey (1)

When we returned, the cabin was filled with cold silence.

Even the wind did not blow, and the stillness ominously settled.

We didn’t expect it to be as lively as yesterday, for we had been through too much.

But we wished for Hena to recover her heart alone.

The overly silent space made Siren and I feel uneasy, and soon unease became reality.

Was it too painful? Hena chose suicide.

She seemed to have grabbed a sword lying on the ground and stabbed herself in the heart.

The blade was deeply buried in Hena’s fallen body.

Was it fortunate? She didn’t seem to be in pain.

Hena’s expression looked quite peaceful, as if she had awoken from a nightmare and fallen into a light sleep with a comfortable smile on her face.

Her gaze held Terion until the very moment her life faded away, her unfocused eyes continuously capturing his face.

We finished our short consolation and wiped Hena’s blood together.

I told Siren about the emotions Hena had harbored.

It became a long unrequited love story. Siren listened silently and suggested that we cremate them together.

We took both of them outside and laid them down side by side on white cloth. As I imagined they would have wanted, I made them hold hands.

They looked like a young couple that way. Would Hena have been happy to hear this?

I know it was a determination to be together even in death. Although it became a sad ending, we decided to respect it. We had no choice but to do so.

Terion had always cherished Hena. There should be no complaints.

Today, the weather felt particularly cold. It was like the late winter’s mischief and the wailing of spring.

The wind that wandered the snowfield sang Jangseung’s song with a gloomy sound. Leaves rustled in the darkness of the night.

“Shall we start the fire?”

“Yes.”

Two people surrounded themselves with dense firewood and lit the fire.

Funerals in the Elyncia Empire were always solemn and quiet.

While the deceased’s body burned and ascended, the living would close their eyes in silence and recall their memories with the departed. That was the custom.

They believed that if they did so, the gods in the sky would read everyone’s memories and guide the deceased.

If we think of happy memories, it would lead the deceased to a better place, and if we think of sad memories, it would comfort the deceased together.

I decided to believe that. The gods of this world are a real concept. They even give power directly to believers or express their intentions through faith.

If they have conscience, they will not judge Terion and Hena. Only the two of us are at this funeral, but our time together has been dense and deep.

The last time we lit a fire here was definitely a happy one.

Eating delicious food in front of the bonfire, laughing while enjoying dancing and singing. Now, Sirien couldn’t even shed tears and bit her lip.

We kept silent as the fire swallowed both of them.

When the cremation of the two was over, our thoughts were aligned.

“We have to leave here.”

* * *

We have to leave.

Now this hut was dangerous.

It was clear that Baron Roxen had betrayed us.

Since we killed all of Baron Roxen’s followers, the message of our departure wouldn’t have reached them.

Soon, the Baron would send stronger people, and they wouldn’t be like the trash we had dealt with now.

They would come with enough force to kill us, for sure. It was clear that I couldn’t handle it on my own.

So we needed to flee now.

The problem was that we didn’t know exactly where this hut was.

When we first came to this cabin, we all talked together and guessed that it might be somewhere in the northwest of the Empire, but it was just a guess.

In other words, it was a journey in which we had to run blindly without knowing the way.

We had relied more on Baron Roxen than we thought.

Now that he has become an enemy, Sirien and I were practically thrown empty-handed into the wild.

I couldn’t believe the words the Count had uttered.

Were the Archduke and his wife really safe? What about my father’s death?

From the start, who was the traitor who helped in the invasion of the Devil King Elegos? Was there even such a traitor? Or was Count Roksen himself the traitor?

The more I delved into it, the more endless questions arose.

It was a problem without an answer.

Sirien and I decided to prioritize our survival first. The destination of our journey had to be decided now.

A simple map of the empire was spread out before us.

“I think we should head northeast, don’t you? It’s the opposite direction from where the Archduke is coming from.”

“I think the same. If there are any pursuers, they would probably start from there. Is there a place in the northeast where we can get help?”

“Yes, it’s quite far, near the end, but there’s the land of the Count of Eloran. My grandfather… No, the Count has always been on good terms with our family. They will surely help us.”

I had also briefly met the Count of Eloran.

Should I call him a benevolent elderly man? He was said to be vigorous in his prime, but he always acted like an affable old man in front of Sirien.

If we went to the Count of Eloran, he would no doubt help Sirien. So, our destination had been decided.

We packed as much stuff as we could possibly carry.

The knowledge learned at the Knight’s Order came in handy.

We couldn’t carry too much, as our bodies couldn’t bear the weight of heavy bags for a long time.

The problem is getting to the Count of Eloran’s land… The north is full of lawless areas and barbarian tribes, and there are too many dangerous places.”

“Even getting out of this forest is a problem. You’ve seen them too, the monsters that live in this forest.”

“Ugh… I didn’t want to think about that.”

We had spent quite a long time in this cabin.

As Count Roksen said, we were well protected in this hideout, so we had never been directly attacked, but there were many dangerous creatures in this coniferous forest.

Running around the surrounding snowfields or taking a look around at night, we would occasionally see giant beasts or monsters.

Now, we had to break through the forest filled with such creatures.

How vast was this forest?

We didn’t even know where the exit was.

“Did you pack everything?”

“Yes, I’ve checked everything. What about you, Rajen?”

“I’ve packed everything I need too. Let’s go to bed early and set off as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Our attic wasn’t too messy since the fight had occurred on the first floor.

The attic on the second floor was in relatively good condition. It had a musty corner where the bodies of our enemies were thrown outside.

So now there were only the two of us in this cabin.

Lying on our separate beds, we could feel the emptiness where Hena and Terion used to be. There were gaping empty spaces between the four beds.

Terion had a terrible sleep habit, tossing and turning a lot. Even if Hena cleaned and tidied the bed, it was bound to be messed up soon. So, seeing a clean bed, it seemed like Terion would come and lie down any moment.

In the midst of the absence, a delicate voice was heard.

“Lazen, should we sleep together?”

“Why?”

“Can we sleep together just for tonight?”

I was about to ask ‘Are you scared?’ but stopped myself.

Just saying that might shake Ciriene.

“Sure. Come over if you’re okay with it.”

“Thanks. I’m having trouble sleeping.”

“Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?”

“Do I look like a child…? Never mind. Just for today, please.”

“Alright.”

I patted her back a few times as I sang the lullaby.

It was a lullaby Ciriene used to love. A song the maids used to sing for her when she was a child.

She didn’t need lullabies as she grew up, but there was no harm in singing one on a day like this.

As I sang for her, I suddenly felt dampness against my chest. I also felt the small, trembling body.

I remembered a similar moment not long ago. The words Ciriene said to comfort me back then. It was this bed, too.

– If such a day comes, I’ll definitely cling on to Lazen and cry my heart out. I might even wet all of Lazen’s shirts with my tears.

– When I cry like that, I wish Lazen would do this to me. I feel like it’d be nice if he would hold me like this and pat my back.

Ciriene didn’t cry out loud and didn’t make my shirt all wet.

But it seemed like she would like it if I held her like this and patted her back.

Her slender arm wrapped around my waist.

“Lazen, you know?”

“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“I will take revenge, no matter what. I will avenge them and show it proudly to my brother and Hena. I’m not the least bit curious about why my uncle did all this. Even if I listen, it’s bound to be a pathetic reason.”

Her voice was weak and trembling. But Ciriene declared heavily,

“I can never forgive him. No matter what he says, I won’t listen. Since he let my brother and Hena die in a place like this, I’ll let my uncle die in a place where no one knows.”

“No one in this world will know?”

“Yeah, I’ll make them as if they never existed from the beginning. All of the most precious people to my sworn enemy will be completely erased.”

“Let’s do that. It’ll all happen just as you say.”

Because I will definitely make it happen.

“I’ll help you.”

“Will you promise me?”

“Yes, I promise. I swear on my name that I will keep it.”

The story of Count Roksen didn’t appear in the novels I knew.

There were no records related to him, and there was no one who mentioned him. Probably, Celine had succeeded.

We killed Roksen and buried the truth in darkness.

Just as Terryon and Henna died without anyone knowing, Roksen must have faced a lonely, desolate death.

The difference is we made sure Roksen didn’t leave anything behind.

Otherwise, this rage and sorrow wouldn’t be relieved.

We would have cherished Henna and Terryon until the end, but there wouldn’t have been anyone for Roksen.

“Thank you, Lazen. You’re my everything now. So don’t ever leave me.”