ALL NOVEL Chapter 19 - The Champion
Perhaps due to advance notice, when they returned to Evian, they witnessed the somewhat strange scene of not only Viscount Kartein but also Bishop Phoebe rushing out to wait for them at the city entrance.
The incredible news of Champion Rudvik and the birth of a saint after hundreds of years.
Moreover, the astounding news that Bigrind had become a saint in this Evian parish.
Evian had suddenly become a parish that produced a saint.
It was news that neither Viscount Kartein nor Bishop Phoebe could help but rush out for.
But that’s their story, and the adventurers don’t particularly care.
Whether the Demon King appears or not, that’s for the champion and the saint to deal with, and Yona and Alec really don’t care.
“Baldy, let’s go get something to eat.”
“Don’t call me baldy. I’m telling you, I shave it myself.”
“Oh my, yes, yes.”
Having entered the town, Yona freely placed her hand on Alec’s head.
Stroking Alec’s smooth scalp like this often makes her feel at ease.
That’s why it’s more comfortable to go around with Alec, it seems nice.
“Meri, can you collect our reward for us?”
Meri, busy with the aftermath, glared at Yona as soon as she heard her words.
Asking her to collect the reward when she’s already swamped with work, isn’t this too much even if Meri is close to Yona?
“Are you going somewhere again?”
“We need to eat, don’t we? I’m not asking for it for free, you know?”
Yona took a coin out of her pocket and flicked it to Meri.
Meri caught the spinning coin with a snap, and when she looked up, Yona and Alec were already gone.
“They’re so fast at times like this…”
Meri sighed and opened her hand.
A single copper coin was clutched in it.
*
“I really thought you were going to die.”
Walking side by side with Alec, Yona shuddered.
Really, she thought Alec was just about to die.
His face was pale without a hint of blood, and he couldn’t even speak properly, trembling like someone who was about to die.
Adventurers were particularly close to death.
No matter how strong or experienced, if a stray arrow or sword flies in, their head could be cut off in an instant of carelessness.
Unless you’re a gold-rank human who is inherently strong, silver or bronze ranks will die if they’re hit by a sword, no matter how skilled they are.
So she had seen countless adventurers die.
Moreover, most of her peers who had received education at the church together—
“Why are you making that face again, you woman? I’m not going to die. Who would go around with you if I died?”
This guy is digging himself into a hole again.
Alec reached out and ruffled Yona’s hair.
Her still-stiff hair made a rustling sound with each movement of his hand.
“Oh, look at this guy? Hey, there are tons of guys dying to go around with me even without you, you know?”
“Sure there are. But where can you find a guard who works as well with you as I do?”
“What—”
That’s, well.
Yona couldn’t bring herself to say that.
Well, he probably knows even without saying it.
Even so, Yona suddenly thought of Rudvik.
“…It’s surprising that that person was really a champion.”
“Mr. Rud?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he was like that.”
As they walked like this, the two soon arrived at the Moon Star Inn.
Pushing open the wooden door of the 24-hour Moon Star Inn, Yona looked around inside.
The eternal stew, still boasting its foul smell.
Adventurers holding bowls of it, burying their noses and eating.
Among them, bowls of stew were quietly placed in front of Yona and Alec, who sat at an empty table.
Since there’s no other menu anyway, they might as well eat this—
Yona thought that on a day like today, they could be a bit more generous.
“Give us two barley breads each.”
“Looks like you’ve made some money.”
“We have. And a mug of beer each.”
“Alright, got it.”
The innkeeper rarely responded aloud and went back into the kitchen.
Steam was rising from the stew.
A stew of beans, chunks of pork, unidentifiable fish, and vegetable pieces all mixed together and simmered.
It looks unappetizing and actually doesn’t taste good either.
But if you just eat it, it’s somewhat edible.
At least it’s much better than the field rations eaten outside.
Yona picked up a wooden spoon and slurped some stew broth.
“Ugh.”
Still, this time the seasoning is a bit strong.
It must be stew that came out just before new broth was added, when the broth had reduced quite a bit.
Well, this is edible enough.
The feeling of her insides warming up pleasantly wasn’t so bad.
“Hey, this stew is not bad.”
Alec seemed to feel the same way.
“Right? It’s edible. The broth is thick and there’s quite a bit more meat than in other places.”
Yona giggled as she ate the stew.
With each slurp of the thick red broth, there’s surprisingly some umami flavor.
When she first came, she thought this was some kind of food waste, but—
Maybe Yona’s palate, her standards, have just dropped.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
Alec asked, tearing apart the barley bread that had appeared in front of him and stuffing it into his mouth.
“Well.”
Yona answered indifferently, pushing a cup full of water towards Alec.
Even without any explanation, Yona knew what Alec was asking.
“We should leave soon. We’ve killed a demon, so things should be quiet for a while, right?”
“Won’t there be quite a few parties to plunder there?”
As soon as Alec picked up his beer mug, Yona also picked up hers and made a toast with a “cheers.”
It wasn’t a glass so there was no clinking sound, just a dull thud.
“Well, I have a feeling there won’t be much to get from plundering there.”
“Oh? If that’s the case.”
Alec nodded readily.
He picked up the water jug and filled Yona’s now-empty cup, then filled his own cup.
“I’d like to leave as early as tomorrow, but…”
Yona muttered.
But since there’s a guest to meet here, it’s a bit awkward to leave hastily.
“Why?”
When Alec asked, Yona answered him.
“Let’s go up to our room to eat.”
*
“What kind of girl are you, not hesitating to bring a man into your room?”
At Alec’s words, Yona scrunched up her face and kicked him in the shin.
There was a thud, but Alec, who was wearing all his protective gear, didn’t seem to be in much pain as he giggled.
“If you’re going to talk like that, get out, you bastard.”
“It’s a joke. Anyway, why?”
Alec asked as he set down the food bowls on the table in Yona’s room.
With the small table and only one chair, Alec sat in the chair while Yona perched on the bed.
“I went to see Alebien.”
“Ugh.”
Alec frowned too.
That fairy with constantly crazy eyes was uncomfortable just to hear about.
His eyes sparkle so much whenever he sees Yona that Alec wondered if he should add Alebien to his list of rivals, but he thought it couldn’t be that serious… anyway, he’s an unpleasant fairy.
“Why did you go to that weird fairy?”
Yona scooped up a spoonful of stew broth.
As she had almost finished eating, the wooden spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl, and Alec wordlessly spooned some of his stew into Yona’s bowl.
“Well, because of this arm of mine. I went to see if he might know something.”
Yona casually ate the stew Alec had given her while slightly raising her elbow to show him.
“He said he didn’t know anything. He said he’d look into it, and if he finds out anything, he’ll come here. So I figure we’ll hang around for a few days, ask Alebien when he comes, and then leave.”
Yona put down her wooden spoon and drank some water.
“Come to think of it, now that we’re back in the room, should we take another look?”
Yona removed the clip from her shoulder and started to unwrap the holy cloth.
Each time, Alec struggled to control his gaze towards Yona’s exposed armpit, that bare skin.
Alec picked up the end of the holy cloth that was sliding onto the table and rolled it up.
As the holy cloth gradually unwound, black tattoos began to appear from Yona’s shoulder.
Past the upper arm to the elbow, past the elbow to the forearm.
And then the wrist.
“…Huh?”
Yona let out a dumbfounded voice.
“Hey, this…?”
Alec also spoke in an equally dumbfounded voice.
The pitch-black letters—tattoos that had clearly been there up to the wrist, now densely filled up to Yona’s hand.
“Why did this spread…?”
Yona held up her hand.
The back of her hand, palm, fingers.
Letters were so densely packed that her white skin was barely visible.
“W-What is this…”
*
“What are you saying, Champion?”
Phoebe barely managed to keep his expression straight.
He almost frowned, but the fact that he managed to control it shows how impressive experience is.
“I mean exactly what I said, Bishop.”
Rudvik—Rud smiled as he sat in the chair.
“Exactly what you said or not, I can’t understand. Why on earth?”
“Saint, I am the core of the party, right? Champion Rudvik. Isn’t that right?”
Since that was a fact anyway, Bigrind, who had now become a saint, nodded.
But she couldn’t help not understanding.
“It’s just a report that you received an oracle as the champion and saint. And then discussions about the champion’s journey that will follow. That’s all, so why are you so surprised?”
Rud looked as if he was the one who didn’t understand.
He looked around at Saint Bigrind, Bishop Phoebe, and Guidance Sister Eije sitting around him, as if wondering why they were so surprised.
Meanwhile, Eije didn’t particularly look surprised.
“Is it so surprising that I want to take that healer Yona as a member of the champion’s party in that process?”
“…It is surprising. How could it not be?”
“Is that so?”
Rud interlocked his fingers and leaned back comfortably in the chair.
His face still held that same refreshing smile.
“Anyway, that’s what I intend to do. Because that healer Yona will definitely be helpful.”