NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47
Hmm, the taste of the vegetables isn’t bad at all.
Of course, the dressing is the best. It can make even the most tasteless greens delicious.
I was enjoying a somewhat satisfying meal when I quietly surveyed the cafeteria, feeling a strange atmosphere.
Curious glances were felt everywhere. It didn’t seem like they were watching me, but… why does that old man cover his mouth and shed tears every time he sees Karina chewing?
Is it like the Saint is eating in front of me…?
Well, if I were in the presence of a worldwide star, I’d probably be a bit flustered too. Especially if it were the Saint, who is basically an idol in the world’s greatest religion.
“Rowan Priest?!”
…Ah.
He fainted.
I truly empathized with why Karina didn’t want to say anything. As the cafeteria’s atmosphere grew chaotic, I turned my head to look at Karina, who had a pained expression. Poor thing.
It must be hard to eat with someone always acting like that.
“Haha… I’ll go check on that priest.”
Karina awkwardly smiled and stood up. I watched as she rushed over to the priest while transferring more food onto my plate. But should she really be going over there? Is she going to give him a heart attack if she gets too close? I guess it doesn’t matter much since she’s a healer…
“Renny, why did that old man faint?”
“Hmm, think about when you first ate Hydra snake meat.”
“It felt good!”
“That’s it. But he liked it even more and passed out.”
“Really?”
Great explanation, right on point.
I was surprised that Renny had this much intellect. I turned to look at her face, and she seemed to notice my gaze and met my eyes.
“What are you staring at?”
“…Nothing.”
“How boring.”
I like boring things. I don’t want anything unnecessarily spectacular. I silently put a piece of greenery in my mouth. Hmm, it’s sour. What’s this dressing made from? Should I ask the chef later?
Thus, our dinner ended peacefully. Well, another person fainted, though.
—————–
“Johann! Let’s go to the night market!”
“Millia, look at the sky.”
The sun is right above us, so why are we talking about a night market? Do they call day night here and night day? As I looked at Millia with that question, she tilted her head, as if asking what was wrong, then dropped her head.
“Ah!”
“Be careful.”
I quickly picked up her head to set it back on her neck before anyone saw. Seriously, why isn’t she wearing a neckband? No matter how stuffy it is, you have to do what you need to do.
If she drops it in front of people, it’ll make a big fuss.
Of course, even with the sacred magic blessing, she’ll just be healthier, so it’s not really a problem, but losing this comfortable lifestyle would be a big deal.
Food is served, we have rooms, and we have overflowing money from exchanging gems. If we don’t go out and enjoy a luxurious meal, it wouldn’t do to lose it all in one accident.
…Though, it is a bit excessive to be too comfortable for a week.
Sometimes when I’m tearing into a high-end steak at a fancy restaurant, I miss the sting of a fat caterpillar’s texture.
Eating etiquette, somewhat uncomfortable clothing, and the attention I receive being with the Saint sometimes makes me miss the deserted island. I was in a place with no treasures before, yet now it feels regretful to have left. Human feelings can be so fickle.
Although, I have no intention of going back.
People need to live among people. You’ll go crazy living alone, just like I once did, talking to the void.
“Johann? Johann?”
“What is it?”
“I wonder what Karina is doing right now?”
“She’s probably being surrounded by people.”
Unlike us, Karina is a high-ranking person. Naturally, the name of the Saint attracts countless people eager to meet her. Until the day after tomorrow when we leave for the Academy, she’ll likely be conversing with others, healing them, and it would be hard to catch a glimpse of her face.
“Karina is popular, huh?”
“Well, being a Saint naturally comes with popularity.”
“But it looks annoying.”
“Right? It is annoying. That’s why living a long life without drawing attention is the best.”
“A long and thin life?”
“Living without being noticeable.”
In a modern society where security is excellent and safety devices are assured, having a reputation here equates to a significantly higher chance of danger to your life.
Think about it. There’s an assassination guild, bandits, goblins capable of raiding a small village, and, crucially, cults that sacrifice people just outside the outskirts. Being well-known in such a world without any genuine power is just being choice delicious prey.
I don’t remember all the details or settings of the Survival Academy, but even snatches of memories tell me that this is no peaceful world. The clearest memory of betrayal was the route where the traitor realized there was no hope for humanity and joined the cult serving the evil god.
A good ending feels like a good ending for now, but it ended uncomfortably with no shadowy figures surfaced.
The true ending comes after catching that shadowy figure, I guess…
Who was the shadow anyway?
I have holes in my memory, but all I remember from back then is spending hours on keyboard battles arguing over who the shadow was.
“…Well, it’ll work out somehow.”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“Just talking to myself.”
“Johann really likes talking to himself.”
“When you live alone, there’s no one to talk to.”
“Then I’ll chat with you from the side!”
“…Thanks.”
Really.
Millia looked at me, as if to say I could say anything, with her hand on her hip and her chin raised. I gave her head a quick pat and turned my gaze to the window. The view of the city outside was quite lovely. Since this city really is a city, all the houses are made of bricks, so they look alike, but there’s still a certain charm to it.
This city feels just like one located on the European coast.
I’ve never been there, and all I’ve seen are videos.
“What’s up, why aren’t you talking to me? I’m ready to answer anything!”
“Did you finish your homework?”
“…That’s unfair.”
So she hasn’t done it.
She has to at least master the language if she’s going to enter the Academy. We can’t communicate using letters from hundreds of years ago, right?
Watching Millia’s retreating figure as she hurried off to do her homework, I turned my gaze back out the window.
It’s great for passing the time.
———————
‘I’m tired.’
Karina thought for the seventh time without ever expressing it out loud while smiling lightly.
Even though she longed for this situation of being surrounded by people when she was on the deserted island, paradoxically, being surrounded by people here reminded her of that island in a puzzling emotion.
Each time she spoke with others over the past few days, the feeling continued to nestle in her heart.
“Karina-sama! Greetings! I am…”
“Hey, wait a second! I was first! Karina-sama!”
“Karina-sama!”
“Karina…”
Urgency, joy, awe, curiosity, desire. Countless gazes pierced Karina’s body.
The Saint is the symbol of Kalon Church, the largest religion in this world, and carries the will of the God. She is the very symbol of hope. Those glances were the ones she had grown tired of before becoming stranded.
They were glances she should have grown accustomed to by now.
…Until she returned to the continent.
Ever since her return, the feeling of suffocation had begun to nestle in her heart. Everyone was watching her every move, and she couldn’t even let a word slip casually; her expression always had to bear a kind-hearted smile.
No other expression was allowed. That is what it means to be a Saint.
‘It wasn’t like this before…’
Karina ultimately had no choice but to accept within herself that she had changed. Once you taste sweet fruit, forgetting it is a tall order.
However, she couldn’t expose that feeling in front of people. As always, Karina recited the too-familiar prayer while listening to the countless people’s prayers.
“According to the words of Kalon…”
A prayer so predictable it could induce sleepiness.
However, when the speaker is the Saint, the story changes. A multitude of people gathered to see her sat in unison, looking up at her. With hundreds of people staring at her face, a single mistake could be catastrophic.
Karina recalled the content of the prayer and recited it without issue.
Just that alone could bring tears of emotion to countless people, making fainting a common occurrence.
She would then quietly escape with the help of other priests; that was her routine.
Naturally, she believed today would be no different when suddenly, a chill from behind made her shudder.
‘Something is behind me, but I can’t see…’
Without realizing it, Karina slightly turned her body to the side. It was the smallest movement she could manage. That very movement saved her.
Thud.
“Karina-sama!”
‘It hurts…’
An unexpected pain made Karina’s delicate body collapse.
The overwhelming agony clouded her vision. Even as she fell, Karina struggled to not frown at the pain she felt in her back. Collapsing with cold sweat dripping from her whole body, she looked back with her blurred vision.
Who shot an arrow at me?
Who…
Karina’s consciousness slipped into darkness.