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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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Two days had passed. My plan to simply get a sword from Olman and leave was no longer feasible.
The reason was simple.
“…What are you staring at?”
Ophelia, her face flushed, said between gasps for air.
I sighed.
“Nothing. I’m just… dumbfounded.”
I hadn’t expected Ophelia to fall ill. And with…
“A summer cold, in the middle of the desert. Unbelievable.”
“Shut up! It’s your fault! If you’re going to make fun of me, get out of my sight!”
Ophelia yelled, trying to raise her fist, but her arm dropped weakly. She didn’t even have the strength to move. Divine magic could heal severed fingers, but it couldn’t cure a cold, just like it couldn’t cure motion sickness.
Perhaps it was because colds were caused by viruses, not simple injuries.
“Just rest for now. Lyla went to get some medicine from the apothecary. You’ll be fine soon. Just try to bear with it.”
“…I know.”
Ophelia had a bad cold, and we were stuck.
This was troublesome. I hadn’t planned on staying in one place for too long.
The Shadows of God were on the move. We had to keep moving. But we couldn’t with Ophelia in this state.
“Cough”
She coughed, her face flushed.
“…You think I’m pathetic, don’t you?”
“Not really.”
I had been wondering when she would finally collapse. Aside from her rudimentary swordsmanship, Ophelia was still a young woman, barely twenty-one.
Traveling through the harsh desert, enduring the dangers of a mercenary’s life… it was bound to take a toll on her.
“…Sniffle”
Ophelia sniffled. I wet a cloth. For some reason, Ophelia seemed… different.
If the usual Ophelia was like spicy ramen, the current Ophelia was like mild ramen.
It was probably because she was sick. Sickness weakened the mind as well as the body.
“….”
I placed the wet cloth on her forehead, and our eyes met. Her face was flushed, her breathing shallow. And her eyes… they looked like those of an abandoned kitten.
“…Hmm.”
I felt my cheeks flush and quickly looked away. I didn’t know why. Ophelia had a different aura about her now. More alluring, and…
“Elliot.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you doing this for me?”
“Doing what?”
I asked, confused, and Ophelia said,
“You’re the hero… you could live comfortably anywhere… why are you traveling with me?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Yes. The Shadows of God are after us.”
“….”
She was still worried about that letter. I smiled wryly.
“And you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. I wouldn’t have kidnapped you if I did.”
I actually liked her. Both in the game and in this world.
She had a terrible personality, but we had been through a lot together in the past three years. Ophelia’s long eyelashes fluttered.
“I apologize for treating you harshly. I wasn’t considerate of your feelings.”
“…Are you dying tomorrow?”
“No.”
My apology must have sounded strange to her. I didn’t mean it, not entirely. But I said it anyway, because she seemed anxious.
“So, let’s just defeat the Demon King and live happily ever after.”
“…I don’t think I can defeat the Demon King.”
“Neither do I.”
“I’m… weak, unlike you.”
“You can become stronger than me.”
“Bullshit.”
It wasn’t bullshit. Ophelia was already several times stronger than she was in the original game’s timeline.
And she would become even stronger. That was Ophelia’s role in this world. She was loved by the world.
“Trust me. You have the talent. Just follow my lead.”
“…Will you… be responsible?”
Ophelia asked cautiously, and I chuckled.
“I told you I would.”
“You won’t… abandon me?”
“I told you that too.”
“…Okay.”
Ophelia nodded, seemingly relieved. Her small chest rose and fell with each breath.
“Why are you suddenly so clingy? Are you feeling that bad?”
I placed my hand on her forehead, checking for a fever, and Ophelia gasped, her lips parting slightly. But she didn’t stop me.
She closed her eyes.
“Because… I have nothing.”
“What do you mean you have nothing? You’re the Saintess of the continent. You have everything.”
“No, I don’t.”
Ophelia’s voice was firm.
“I have nothing… if I’m not the Saintess.”
“….”
It was an unusual thing for her to say. So, I took her hand. Her trembling stopped.
“You have me.”
I cringed inwardly. Even Ophelia looked surprised. She stared at me with wide eyes.
“….”
Silence.
Ophelia finally spoke.
“Can I… trust you?”
“More than the Pope, at least.”
“….”
Ophelia coughed softly.
“Idiot. Bastard.”
She closed her eyes. I stood up to leave.
“Don’t go.”
“….”
“Stay here.”
“You told me to get lost before.”
“Just stay.”
I sat back down. I gently stroked her silver hair, feeling awkward just sitting there. After a while…
…
I heard her soft, even breathing. She was asleep. I quietly left the room and bumped into Lyla, the dragonoid warrior, standing in the doorway.
“…Were you eavesdropping?”
“I just got back with the medicine, but it didn’t seem like a good time to interrupt.”
Lyla shrugged, then grinned.
“That was… unexpected.”
“What was?”
“Hearing you say something like that.”
Lyla placed her hand on her chin and studied my face, a sly smile on her lips.
“So, you torment those you care about? That’s a childish way of thinking.”
“…Shut up.”
I couldn’t deny it.
—
“A perfect resurrection!”
“Oh.”
When I asked her to train to celebrate her recovery, she slapped me.
“…You, you’re in the wrong.”
“….”
“Sorry.”
The only thing that’s changed is that Ophelia now apologizes, even if it’s late.
A significant improvement.
“You’re doing a good job taming her.”
Lyla commented, but I ignored her.
We decided to head north. Our business in the Auriga Desert was concluded.
There was one more named character I hadn’t met, but according to the information Owen sent, she had left Auriga.
Our next destination was the Empire, and then the Great Forest. Ophelia, as expected, wasn’t pleased.
“I hate elf stench.”
“One more discriminatory remark, and you’ll have no dinner.”
“Isn’t Lyla coming with us?”
Ophelia asked, changing the subject, and I nodded. Lyla wanted to stay with the Adventurers’ Guild in Auriga, and…
“With all due respect, Saintess, aren’t you going to the Demon King’s castle, beyond the Ice Palace? I can’t go there. Haha.”
“As you can see, those of us from the mercenary group have… unpleasant memories of the north. I don’t intend to take you there.”
“I… see.”
Ophelia nodded, seemingly disappointed. She must have grown fond of Lyla, despite calling her a lizard. We parted ways with Lyla. Her parting words were, “Be nice to the Saintess.”
“I will.”
She was a nosy lizard.
The next week, traveling through the Empire, was relatively peaceful.
Monster encounters were less frequent in the Empire than in Auriga. And the roads were well-maintained, making it easy to travel with just a backpack.
We walked all day, I carried Ophelia on my back when she complained, and we drank from nearby springs when we were thirsty.
We camped at night. It was lonely, just the two of us, but it had a certain charm.
Grilling fish caught from the stream over a campfire reminded me of childhood camping trips. Ophelia, seemingly disliking the silence, would often talk to me.
Her stories usually began with “Hey, so…” and ended with “…you bastard.”
A typical, heartwarming exchange between Ophelia and me. Despite her foul language, she seemed to be enjoying the peace.
“…Huh.”
But our peace didn’t last long. We were in the Empire. The well-maintained roads were a double-edged sword. Unlike the remote areas of Auriga, they made it easy to track us.
“Ophelia, get ready to fight.”
“What? Why?”
“We’re being followed.”
We had a tail. Several of them. And they weren’t friendly. A clear killing intent emanated from them, far more intense than the elven rangers in the Great Forest.
I knew.
“It’s the Shadows of God.”
“Ugh.”
We had stayed in Olman’s village for too long.
Were the assassins from the Holy City really going to attack us in the Empire? Weren’t they worried about the political implications?
Or perhaps they were confident they could eliminate a mere knight like myself and cover it up.
I wasn’t going to make it easy for them.
Shing.
I drew the holy sword. The familiar, cool, heavy feeling in my hand.
It had been three years.
It was time for the mad dog of the Black Eagle Mercenary Group to return.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m still new to translating as this is my second novel to pick up, so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
