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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Nothing would have happened.
He must have been glad to see me.
Surely, that’s what he must have been thinking.
I don’t know what happened before I joined the group, but he was so oblivious to the kindness shown to him.
It was almost as if he was deliberately ignoring it.
›Priest. One who serves God and uses divine power to perform miracles.
However, the image of the God I was supposed to serve had long since vanished from my mind.
Because of him.
Those night sky-like eyes constantly made my heart pound.
His smiling eyes tickled my heart.
My cheeks flushed at his kindness towards me.
I trusted him.
I admired him.
I loved him.
My faith in a God, whose existence had become unclear, had faded long ago.
However, my divine power wasn’t taken away.
In fact, it had grown stronger.
Even the mechanical repetition of prayer was devoid of true devotion.
Still, the church and the people, who desired the appearance of a response, attributed meaning to it, claiming, “The peace of the continent is maintained thanks to the Saintess.”
Within the vast temple that had been emptied for me, I merely repeated the same routine every day, like a machine.
Lately, even this prayer had become increasingly simplified, losing its meaning.
You smiled at me often.
You thanked me every time after receiving my healing magic, and if I ever got hurt, you were the first to run to my aid, even though you knew I could heal myself.
I loved you.
Ever since you saved me.
Even during the perilous journey of the demon subjugation, I couldn’t help but follow you with my eyes.
Even when you left without a word, I continued to paint you in my heart.
Every day since our disbandment, I prayed to God.
My request was entirely personal.
For the first few months, it was, “May he remain safe on his journey.”
While waiting for a response that never came, it was, “May our bond continue.”
For several months after that, as I still awaited any news of you, it became, “May we meet again, may our hearts connect.”
Apart from the time I spent supporting some adventurers from the academy, I devoted myself entirely to formal prayer within the temple, all for you.
But God would not grant my earnest wish.
Did he sense that the reverence for him within me had faded?
Still, I persisted.
Reliving the past while praying like this had become my only solace.
After you disappeared, I realized it clearly.
You were my hero.
You were my everything.
You were my God.
If only I had realized it sooner.
All that time, I had been suppressing my feelings due to my insignificant dignity as a Saintess and my affiliation with the church.
Self-reproach, confusion, sadness, and other negative emotions filled my mind.
Whenever I received letters from Rain, Sola, or Odrox, I always told them that I was living the same routine.
But that wasn’t true.
I barely ate enough to survive in the temple, devoting myself entirely to prayer.
Never before had I prayed with such fervor.
Not even when Odrox was on the verge of death with a spear piercing his heart, nor when Sola went berserk and nearly brought about our annihilation, nor even when we faced the Demon King, had I prayed with such desperation.
I was sincere.
I wanted to see you again.
I wanted to confess my feelings and be with you.
I wanted to see those night sky-like eyes once more.
And then we met.
For the first time, I felt gratitude for receiving the meaningless title of being one of the 7-stars.
I had intended to ignore them and continue praying, but the thought that you would also be there prompted me to move, and it paid off.
We reunited.
Overwhelmed with joy, unable to believe that the longing I had endured was fading, I ran to you and embraced you.
The familiar scent, which slowly faded from my memory, washed over me again, and I trembled with ecstasy.
It didn’t matter that Sola had brought you here.
Whoever found you first, I knew I would be the one with the strongest feelings for you, the one who would win in the end.
But that confidence shattered the moment I truly saw you.
Gifted with the ability to perceive wounds, I could see what lay hidden beneath the bandages that adorned you.
I wanted to ask about everything that had happened to you, to comfort you and tell you everything would be alright.
But seeing you smile as if nothing had happened, I couldn’t utter a word.
Countless small cuts around your eyes.
Slightly sunken eyeballs.
Shallow scars on your chest, concealed by your clothes.
Scars that covered every inch of you, leaving no place untouched.
They were clearly self-inflicted.
I couldn’t understand why you would do such a thing, possessing such unparalleled strength…
I channeled my divine power, attempting to heal you with my magic.
However, I couldn’t erase the scars that had already taken form and regenerated.
I could only ease the pain, if any remained, which had almost completely vanished.
How much it must have hurt.
If you were to hurt yourself again, would others be able to heal your wounds?
Could Rain heal you with her weak divine power?
Could Sola comfort you?
No, they couldn’t.
Being by their side would only lead to more scars around your eyes.
Ron dislikes feeling burdened.
So I won’t tell him my true feelings right now.
However, if I continue to suppress my feelings like this, they’ll burst someday.
So for now, I’ll keep them to myself.
Just seeing you again made me happy.
I didn’t want to approach you with unnecessary burdens and risk you leaving again, because then, it might be irreversible.
Now I can say it with certainty.
I’m the only one who can embrace your free-spirited nature.
Yes, the only one who can be by your side is…
Only me.
Only I can empathize with the pain you hide, only I can embrace the wounds you inflict upon yourself.
Only I can offer you everything: my wealth, my honor, my body, my heart.
I desire only one thing.
That you never leave my side.
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“Let’s stop with the happy reunion giggles. Sola, you did too much. Apologize to Lian.”
I may have spoken like an elder, but Sola was the same age as me, possessing far greater talent.
Would she even listen to me?
“Sorry.”
“…No, it’s fine.”
Sola, who apologized quite coolly, looked at me.
Perhaps she expected me to praise her for apologizing so readily.
Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.
“Shouldn’t we be heading in? We’ve wasted enough time.”
“Ah, right. I thought so too. Well then, see you later. If you want to talk to Ron, come find me first.”
Before I could question why She should go through her, Sola grabbed my arm and leaped towards a hole that appeared to be the entrance to the labyrinth.
The unfamiliar feeling of weightlessness was brief.
Regaining our bearings in midair, we landed perfectly.
However, Sola, being a mage, wasn’t accustomed to physical movements.
She popped out with a yelp, about to land on her bottom, so I quickly caught her in my arms.
It resembled a princess carry… but anyone seeing our appearances would probably mistake us for a suspicious man and a young girl, which wouldn’t be far from the truth.
“Th… Thank you…”
Don’t try to act shy; I know you too well for that.
Tell me what you’re hiding.
Did you really revert to a child mentally?
Or do you want something from me?
“Th…That Ron… over there…”
“Huh?”
As I set Sola down, she stared intently at me.
Did she really think she could let her guard down like this inside the labyrinth?
I wanted to scold her, but knowing Al Sola, the great mage, she could finish her incantation and unleash a spell before anyone could attack her.
So I held my tongue.
A monster’s voice boomed from nearby, interrupting Sola’s hesitant words.
The deep, resonating voice, accompanied by a growling sound, was undoubtedly speaking the common language of the continent.
Intelligent monsters were incredibly rare.
Was this the influence of the Demon Realm?
We had encountered such a being right from the start.
“Did anyone else come in? This is the Plate Labyrinth, right? With those sharp turns and walls of grass, it seems likely.”
“…Yes, that’s right. The Plate Labyrinth. That’s why we can’t tell if other teams have entered. Even if they came through the same entrance, they would be in a different location.”
With heavy footsteps, a massive figure with the head of a bull appeared.
At least three times my height, its bulging muscles looked like they could crush Tolman with ease.
However, I remained calm.
I didn’t` even draw my sword.
After all, I had Al Sola by my side.
Perhaps angered by the interruption, Sola unleashed a barrage of red magic power like exploding fireworks, all while growling under her breath.
“Who’s chewing who alive? You’re the one who’s going to get eaten, you…”
Technically, it was more of a beast than a “he”… and besides, was it really something to get so worked up about?
She wasn’t usually this hateful towards monsters.
Sola began chanting.
The simultaneous chanting, too fast for me to decipher, ended in less than three seconds.
The bull-like monster pawed the ground with one hoof, preparing to charge.
With a snort, the monster launched itself forward.
Despite my tightly shut eyes, I felt the intense burst of light.
The blinding flash lasted only a few seconds, followed by darkness.
When my vision returned, the result was annihilation.
The 5-meter tall minotaur that had stood before us was gone, leaving no trace. Only a single hoof, lying on the ground outside the spell’s range, remained.
“Seriously, that was insane…”
Faced with such overwhelming talent, comparing myself or feeling inadequate was futile.
When I voiced my awe, Sola glanced at me.
“Right? You wouldn’t have to worry about danger with me around, would you? So, what do you say? Want to live with me?”
She must have thought I was scared of her magic, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.
Haha, as if I’d be scared after adventuring with you for years.
I wasn’t even that scared when everyone else was terrified of you.
Still, her thoughtfulness touched me, so I responded in kind.
“Not bad. You’ll make sure I don’t have to lift a finger, right?”
I chuckled as I spoke, making it clear I was joking.
The atmosphere seemed to have lightened, so we could finally move on…
“Ah… Yes… No, of course…”
…Uh… you do realize I was kidding, right…?
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Lol. His jokes literally gets taken seriously by everyone xd