Chapter 68

#068

"……"

While Cherwin blinked his eyes.

"Then, I will escort you to the village!"

"I will...! I will escort the new ember!"

The priests, who had turned around like startled deer, called out one after another.

Their lives, spent mostly in the temple, were inevitably ascetic.

Especially now, as the hearth was fading.

With the priests' passionate gazes, Cherwin finally smiled.

"Then, let's all go together."

***

The village adjacent to the hearth's temple was commonly known as the blacksmith village.

Thanks to the blessing of Ru Entel, it was relatively warm, and there were almost no monster attacks, so even as the temple declined, it maintained a considerable size.

It was a far cry from the desolate village Ian remembered.

Thanks to this, the tavern boasted a considerable size.

The villagers, who had been surprised to see Charlotte follow Ian inside, made way for the priests who followed in a rush.

Soon, food and drinks were laid out.

The priests, as if they had been waiting, began to devour what was in front of them.

It was like a festival.

Of course, it was natural, given that the ember to become the apostle of Ru Entel had appeared.

In the declining church, Lucy's existence was like a beacon of hope.

'Being surprised by merfolk while living with dwarves...'

Ian, sitting in the middle, chuckled as he brought his glass to his lips.

To him, there was little difference between dwarves and merfolk.

"How is it?"

Miguel, sitting across from him, asked with a peculiar look in his eyes.

He must have been asking about the taste of the alcohol.

"It's good."

Ian said sincerely.

It was a strong drink that could burn the throat, but he liked it for that very reason.

Thanks to his high resistance and mental strength, he couldn't even feel the effects of ordinary alcohol.

"The northern drinks are all like that. The beer isn't bad, but I often missed it."

Miguel said, sipping his drink.

His cheeks were already flushed.

"Why did you leave the north, Miguel?"

Lucy, who was eating warm soup beside him, suddenly asked.

Miguel blinked.

"Why are you suddenly curious about that?"

"I've never heard you talk about it before."

"It's not a big deal."

"Still, I'm curious."

"Hmm... Well, I was from a small village in the north. At that time, the war with the demons was still raging..."

Ian listened to Miguel's past, which he wasn't particularly interested in, while slowly savoring the food.

The tough meat and the soup with unknown chunks were a feast for him at the moment.

"...The Black Wall took Miguel's hometown, didn't it?"

"That's right, but maybe because I've been away for so long, the north itself feels like home now."

Ian finished his meal around the time Miguel's story came to an end.

Lucy had a pitying look, but it didn't particularly move Ian.

After all, in this world, it was rare to find someone without a tragic story.

'Especially since I'm from another world...'

Miguel looked at Ian then.

"So... Where are you headed? Are you going straight to the empire, as you mentioned before? To the imperial territory?"

"Hmm..."

"How about stopping by Travelgar? With your abilities, you could make a fortune there."

Travelgar was the capital of the northern autonomous region. Charlotte, sitting beside Ian, perked up her ears.

She was naturally concerned, as she would have to follow him wherever he went.

"I'll stop by Travelgar."

Ian, putting down his glass, looked at his left hand.

"But I have something to take care of first."

"Huh...? You have something else to do?"

Lucy, and even Chervin sitting beside her, looked at Ian.

After a moment's thought, Ian said:

"The forest we passed through extends deep into the north. I made a pact with something lurking there. So, I need to find it."

"What...? Why didn't you mention this before?"

"It's not a big deal, so don't worry about it."

"No, how can making a pact with an ancient being be a small matter? Do you know what it wants from you?"

Everyone looked shocked.

Even Charlotte turned to look at Ian.

But Ian remained indifferent.

"It wants me. It doesn't matter. I'll just kill it."

After all, it was a creature that had welcomed him until he came to find it.

Thanks to this, he had passed through the abandoned land peacefully, so he hadn't lost anything.

Moreover, the content of the pact Ian made was simply to find the creature.

Once he met it, he was confident he could deal with it.

Of course, it was a bit frustrating that it hadn't revealed its identity or location.

But once he shattered that ancient skull, he would feel a great sense of relief.

"You're talking about the forest that extends from the abandoned land to the north?"

Chervin asked.

Ian nodded, and she stroked her chin, muttering:

"I might find relevant information in the archives. Do you have any other clues?"

"Yes."

Ian took off his left glove.

A faint pattern was etched on his palm.

Chervin, staring intently at the pattern, nodded.

"How long will you stay in the village?"

"Two days. At most, four."

"I'll do my best to find out within that time. If I can repay even a small part of your kindness, I'd like to offer more help."

"I won't refuse anything."

"Then, please visit the temple tomorrow. We haven't allowed outsiders in for a long time, but you'll be an exception."

"What are you going to give...?"

"I'll pray for the hearth's blessing."

"......!"

Ian's eyes flashed.

In the game, Ru Entel's blessing increased cold resistance and health regeneration speed, which would be a significant help in navigating the cold and desolate northern fields.

"Can I ask for it before I leave?"

"Of course. The goddess will not withhold her blessing from Sir Ian, the bearer of the ember."

Ian nodded to the side.

"Can you also bless this one?"

"......!"

Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise as Chervin smiled.

"Of course."

Nodding, Ian took another sip of his drink.

Feeling a pleasant sensation as if his throat was burning, he eventually turned to look at Charlotte, who was staring at him.

"What."

"…No, nothing."

Charlotte quickly averted her gaze, then licked her lips and said:

"Have you fought ancient beings before? You seem very familiar with them."

"Before? Ha. You really don't know anything!"

The answer came from Miguel.

With a slightly tipsy look, Miguel pointed at Ian and shouted:

"The number of ancient monsters, spirits, and fallen ones this guy has killed in front of me easily exceeds dozens. Do you think he's called the savior of Agel Ran for nothing?"

"......!"

Charlotte's ears perked up.

Miguel chuckled.

"Why? It seems you've never faced such creatures before?"

"…Damn."

Charlotte, feeling ashamed at being treated like a novice, picked up her glass.

"You'll encounter them frequently from now on. I specialize in dealing with such beings."

Ian, speaking indifferently, looked at Charlotte with a detached gaze.

"Of course, you'll have to fight for your life. You'll have to repay the debt you owe me to get your tail back."

"......!"

Charlotte's eyes trembled as she looked at Ian.

Surprisingly, her eyes were filled with anticipation.

Licking her lips, Charlotte finally said:

"If that's all it takes to get my tail back someday. I'll do it willingly."

...Clearly, she wasn't in her right mind.

Ian, inwardly chuckling, silently took another sip of his drink.

Since he couldn't avoid it, he might as well enjoy it.

Lucy, Miguel, and the priests didn't head to the temple until the next day.

Ian, declining their invitation to join them, stayed in the village.

Unlike them, who saw this as the end of their journey, he had several things to do in the village.

***

To Charlotte, Ian was definitely different from other humans.

For one, the first thing he did after a full day's sleep was to take a bath.

He even spent over an hour meticulously cleaning himself, changing the hot water several times at a cost.

The humans she knew, even nobles, didn't obsess over cleanliness to that extent.

After all, they would get dirty again soon.

After that, Ian went around the village buying supplies.

Mostly cold-weather gear and various weapons to withstand the northern cold.

He bought a considerable amount and didn't even haggle over the price.

While Ian's wealth was surprising, what was truly astonishing was what followed.

"How are you going to carry all this? Are you going to load it onto a carriage?"

Charlotte asked as Ian sorted the items back at their lodging.

Instead of answering, Ian casually made the items disappear with a magic spell.

"How did you do that...?"

"Good."

"......"

Despite his indifferent attitude, her curiosity didn't last long.

"Here, this is yours."

Ian threw her a cloak made of bear fur and cold-weather gear to wear under armor.

"Mine...? Why...?"

Charlotte asked, taken aback.

She was practically his slave, and most humans believed merfolk didn't feel the cold.

While that was somewhat true, it wasn't entirely accurate.

"Why? If you freeze to death, I'll have more work to do. Isn't it obvious?"

"......"

The next day, Ian dragged her around, stockpiling food and other supplies.

Naturally, Charlotte drew attention.

"Bringing around a half-demon, how ominous."

"It might not even be a half-demon. They should all be killed and skinned."

Such gazes and treatment were all too familiar to her.

After becoming a bodyguard for the Celestial Balance Caravan, the number of people who openly said such things had decreased, but the essence hadn't changed.

Except for a few oddballs like Javier, humans always treated her as a peculiar slave or an ominous demon.

Of course, the law was always on their side.

When there were many witnesses, ignoring them was the best response, so Charlotte, as always, held her head high and ignored them.

But Ian was different.

"Do merfolk's skins make particularly tough and warm leather? How about selling it to us at a good price?"

The moment one of the merchants made this suggestion, Ian punched him square in the face.

Then, he effortlessly took down all the thugs who rushed at him.

The villagers, armed with hammers and tongs, gathered, but Ian acted as if he didn't care.

Instead, he broke the last thug's arm in front of everyone and looked around.

"Anyone else need merfolk leather?"

Of course, no one stepped forward.

Ian finished the remaining preparations without a care.

And he didn't mention his actions at all.

Not even when they left the village in a carriage the next morning.

"Why did you do that yesterday?"

Finally, Charlotte asked first.

"Yesterday...?"

"About beating those people up."

"Oh, that. I don't just listen to barking. What's the problem with that?"

Charlotte looked at him, wondering if he was serious.

"…Do you really think all that was just barking?"

"The fallen ones I killed were all humans. That doesn't mean I call all humans potential fallen ones."

Ian, leaning back in his chair as usual, added indifferently:

"The same goes for you merfolk."

"......"

Charlotte blinked.

Honestly, she didn't know how to take it.

She had expected a continuation of the humiliating and miserable situation from the beginning.

But looking back on Ian's recent actions, it seemed he treated her like a servant.

And surprisingly, it didn't feel bad at all.

In fact, it was the opposite.

She kept feeling like she was incurring more debts, and even receiving favors from him.

'Could this also be a side effect of losing my tail...?'

"From now on, you handle it yourself. Make sure I don't hear any barking."

Startled by Ian's words, Charlotte perked up her ears and eventually looked ahead.

"...I will."

They arrived at the hearth's temple.

After a lengthy conversation with Chervin, he took Charlotte to the large hearth in the center of the temple.

And she really received the hearth's blessing.

A pleasant feeling, as if warmth had entered her body.

While Charlotte secretly enjoyed the sensation, Ian said goodbye to Lucy and Miguel, who had come to see them off.

Lucy hugged Ian tightly.

Even Miguel did the same.

"I'll go to the empire after my training. We'll meet again. Sir Ian."

"See you again, brother."

Despite his distaste, Ian nodded.

"Sure. Someday."

Lucy and Miguel seemed to have a lot to say, but Ian didn't prolong the conversation and got into the carriage.

Charlotte, sitting in the driver's seat, asked:

"Which direction are we going?"

"North."

The carriage started moving.

Lucy and Miguel shouted something from behind, but Ian never looked back.

He just leaned back in his seat with a faint smile, as if this was the way of a wanderer.