Chapter 114 – Mindset (7)
15. Mindset (7)
‘It hurts…’
As soon as Illumina opened her eyes, she wanted to scream. But her voice didn’t come out. She was screaming so hard that her throat was completely locked.
‘When and how did you get into the inn yesterday?’
It felt like my memory had disappeared and time had been erased. She definitely seems to have returned, but it seems like someone washed her, or someone applied something all over her body. Maybe that’s why her body was clean and the pain was less. Compared to yesterday, anyway.
She gently turned her head to her side. On the bed next to her, Shay was lying face down, grunting and talking in her sleep.
“I’m the captain… Lol…”
What’s so good about it, she smiled and licked her lips. She was cute
“Okay…”
Let her lie down a little longer. She only has 5 more minutes. No she only has 10 more minutes. She doesn’t seem to have woken up anyone, so that should be fine.
Thinking so, Illumina tried to close her eyes again, but she smelled something strange. She lifted her arm, like a piece of iron, and tried to smell her, but it was not her own body odor.
She tried to ignore it, but once she recognized it, it was a smell she couldn’t ignore. She couldn’t technically say it was a good smell, but it was the kind of subtle smell she smelled strangely. Eventually, waking up screaming in pain, she immediately realized the source and identity of her smell.
The source is a fairly large tent set up in one corner of the room. And the identity of her smell…
“Sniff, kheung. Where does the strong male scent come from? No, the smell of a woman… Ah.”
“Ah.”
Illumina’s face, facing Hendrick’s face sticking out from the tent, was as red as her hair.
‘Why is the boat thumping all of a sudden… !’
**
‘That’s a hundred percent enlightened expression.’
The embarrassment when encountering Illumina was considerable. When she went out to buy something to eat after a fierce battle in a studio with poor soundproofing, what would she do if she ran into a guy of the opposite sex the same age next door? At least Shay was still sleeping… She forgot that the Illumina was a prisoner.
Kaya, who woke up late, came out of the tent in a daze in her nakedness. She ran into Illumina and almost broke the tent support, but somehow she managed to get over it.
Kaya, seemingly restless, took her Illumina back to the clearing, while Shay headed for the monastery. She was worried about Shay and the condition of her Illumina, but her own will was so strong that she couldn’t stop it. Above all, she said that Shay had her teacher, and Illumina had Kaya. She had some kind of safety net.
The noisy room quickly became quiet. It was very awkward for her to be alone. I took a day off yesterday, so I’d better do something again today.
“Today, first stop by Cestia and talk about the reward… Shall we visit Justitia-sama’s monastery?”
She is the second goddess to serve, and she must have felt sad at the bottom of her heart that she had never visited.
She left the inn. If I add a bit of exaggeration, it seemed that I could go to Raella’s monastery now with my eyes closed.
‘Lady Justitia! Sorry!’
Passing through the wide open front gate and entering the monastery, I felt the nuns I hadn’t seen before staring at me. However, no one dared to come and talk to me, and I didn’t care and prayed while offering flowers in front of the statue of Raella.
‘Warm kindness and cold generosity. Miss Laella. No, mother-in-law. The son-in-law is here.’
When I added an aphorism in front of it, I was quite praying. She might say that Raella-sama is arrogant to call her mother-in-law, but since Kaya is Raella-sama’s (spiritual) daughter, she is completely wrong. I never lied don’t be like that
‘I think I will challenge the dungeon again in the near future. Of course, Kaya goes too.’
Looking up from under her, I couldn’t see her face well because of La Ella’s benevolent part. So, instead of looking at her face, she continued to pray.
‘La Ella, Keel Kaya will be just one of her many daughters. She’s like that, so she’s not even a special daughter. But she is a special woman and colleague to me more than anyone else. I even took my first one.’
Last night, I took my spirit. Unfortunately, she didn’t say that. What if you were watching Kaya… Big hum.
‘I am anxious to clear the second area and return safely. But I can’t guarantee that she will return safely. It’s not just Kaya. The same goes for myself, Shay, and Illumina, who joined this time. But, Laella. If Raella has been watching me all along, you would know. That they would go through great hardships but return safely in the end.’
Jabak – There was a small footstep sound.
‘Yes. What I can’t guarantee is the future outcome. The future is uncertain, but the definite results of the past give me the strength to move on to a better future. Repeated results become a law. And in that power and law, Raella-sama and mother-in-law also have a share.’
I turned my head in the direction of the sound. Sestia, her hands neatly gathered on her stomach, was watching me quietly.
‘Warm kindness and cold generosity. Miss Laella. Please keep watching us.’
“Warm kindness and cold generosity. Sestia-sama, see you again.”
“Warm kindness and cold generosity. Hendrick-sama, welcome.”
Glancing at the statue of the goddess, I followed Cestia. Instead of leading me to the main building, she led me to a deserted area, where I glimpsed the ‘Room of Truth’ on one side. Luckily she didn’t go there. She seemed to want to talk while taking a walk, not inside the building.
“No one is around, so you can talk comfortably, Mr. Hendrick.”
“Sestia can also talk comfortably.”
“Whoops. I am comfortable with this.”
A light whistling wind scattered Cestia’s hair. Her light brown hair, which was slightly fluttering and resting on her shoulders, suited her very well.
“Isn’t it very difficult?”
“Are you okay. Are not you tired. I think I would be lying if I said that.”
Write.
How heartbroken she must have felt when a mother who lost her daughter couldn’t properly commemorate her daughter and instead had to treat her as a fallen person. She can’t even get a good rest. Seeing her steadfastly holding out, doing her job, and not forgetting to take care of the rewards she gave to our warriors, it was so amazing, I was grateful, and I felt sorry. Her heart felt heavy as it seemed to urge her, who was already having a hard time, to tell her the story of her reward for her.
“What did the church headquarters say?”
“I didn’t ask as much as I thought. It seems that the seriousness and scale of the incident have far exceeded the level that that individual can prevent. Still, you can’t take responsibility at all, so there will be formal punishment.”
“It’s a punishment, doesn’t it sound really bad?”
“Um, as I said before, I’m currently expecting to step down from the position of chief nun and live as an ordinary nun.”
“I can’t imagine a normal nun, Sestia, who isn’t the chief.”
“What does that mean?”
“Is it okay?”
“Joy.”
Cestia crossed her arms and pretended to be sulking. If you knew I was thinking this way, you would be really pissed off, but now she was cute, unlike an older sister of the same age. At that age, with that face and body, it was against the law to be cute. Maybe Raella-sama chose her as a nun after seeing her face.
She laughed moderately, then she released her arms herself and apologized. Then she smiled and crossed her arms at me this time.
‘Um, up to this point… I’m sure it’s at a level where I can move on to the meaning of friendship, right?’
Recalling the creepy images of Kaya and Shay, I deliberately brought up the story of the third reward in order not to fall for soft touches. Cestia looked a bit sad this time, but that expression was fleeting. She readily replied that she would. It’s difficult right now, so he told me to come back in a few days. Thanks to that, I was relieved to be able to improve my specs further.
Equipment upgrades, artifacts, and now skill upgrades.
Although we received a fair price for our hard work, it was Sestia who prepared it.
“Thank you, Sestia.”
“If you really appreciate it, please visit us more often than now. I’m not asking for anything grandiose… I think it would be helpful if we could just walk like this and talk about trivial things.”
“Oh, I will.”
“A promise? Do you swear by Raella-sama’s name?”
“Ah Okay. I swear to Raella.”
“Whoops. Just listening to it already gives me strength.”
As we chatted while taking a walk, we got closer to the main building before we knew it. Cestia took off her arms first. She was terribly sorry.
“Before entering the dungeon, be sure… Please come back again.”
Cestia saw me off again with her hands on her stomach in a rather gentle posture. She replied that she had already promised, but her tone sounded sad and she would know once more. She was in a bad mood.
‘Ha. I miss Cestia too. Even if it wasn’t for the negative traits…’
She brushed off her lingering feelings. She has already recruited Illumina. It was rude to her to regret it any more.
Brushed her hair She and she headed to the Justinian Monastery. It wasn’t far from Raella’s Monastery. But the front door to her place was closed and there were gatekeepers.
“This is a place to serve Justitia. Who are you?”
“My name is Hendrik from HAT, a colleague of Shay Crusader who is walking the path of justice.”
“Hendrick from HAT… ?”
“Ah!”
Judging from the fact that he didn’t recognize me at once and realized it only after hearing my name, it seems that he didn’t participate in the battle during the fall of Bestia. Either he wasn’t in Salem at the time, or he was judged out of power. It looked like the latter to me. What… No matter how small the crusaders are, they should be respected.
“I heard that a colleague of mine is training here. I want to pray to Justitia and cheer for my comrades. Can I come in for a moment?”
“Yes. Welcome to Hendrick from HAT. May Justitia-sama’s light dwell upon you.”
“Light and fair justice all around.”
The grand front door opened. It seemed like a waste to open a door this large just for one person to enter, but what can I do? It’s not something I designed.
Raella’s monastery had a large site, but if the building or interior felt cozy and modest, Justitia’s monastery was the exact opposite.
Grandeur. Solemnity. Majesty. Other than that, words that put pressure on you.
All the buildings were big, and the statue of the Goddess was just as big. My first impression of Justitia, who is holding a scale in one hand and a longsword in the other… The fact that she is a bit sharper-looking beauty than Raella-nim?
Looking at the world with sharp eyes, I could see a determined will not to sit idly by if something went wrong.
‘Light and fair justice all around. I hope you will light our way through the dark dungeon with your light. Give strength to Shay, who is at the forefront of our safety.’
After offering flowers and praying to Justitia, she set out to find Shay. It was my first time coming here, but I had heard about the monastery a few times, so I was able to find it easily by asking directions from wandering crusaders or priests.
‘What kind of skill are you trying to acquire while struggling so much?’
Taking out an envelope containing Shay’s favorite snack and a small gift for Shay’s teacher, the moment she sneaked her foot inside.
Kwaaaaa —-!!!
“Aaaaa!!!!!”
With a great roar and a great aftershock.
The one who greeted me was Shay, who ricocheted off like a shell.
