In the end, we departed in the fall.
Up until that point, my days had been filled with purifications, more purifications, a little archery practice, and then even more purifications. The only noteworthy event was that Emilia had found herself a good partner. Aside from that, life had been surprisingly peaceful.
Since that day, the Demon King hasn’t made another appearance.
I imagine he’s hiding somewhere in the areas with thick corruption. The cleansing of the entire country has progressed significantly, leaving only the places that require a direct visit to purify. There are about ten such locations left, and while traveling to these places, I’m sure I’ll cross paths with the Demon King again.
The Demon King is waiting for me, the Saint. This time, he’ll be fully prepared to kill me, with his army of magical beasts at his command.
“Well, I’m off. No matter what happens, don’t leave the temple,” I instructed Emilia.
“Yes. I’ll be waiting for your return,” she replied, offering a smile despite her hidden worries.
Standing by her side was Jildo, the former head knight. Initially, Jildo had been wary of Emilia, viewing her as a great criminal for pretending to be the Saint. But over time, he had grown to trust her. Jildo was only a little younger than me, so the age gap between him and Emilia was quite large. Still, love doesn’t concern itself with age, right?
I didn’t pry into the details—it would’ve been rude—but I’m sure Jildo will protect Emilia.
After giving the two of them a warm, knowing look, I boarded the plain carriage. As the journey to purify the land began, my chest was filled with a strange sense of anticipation.
✢ ✢ ✢
Accompanying me on this journey were Veerant, Dirk, and Kahim. There were also other guards protecting us from the shadows, though I wasn’t really sure who they were. At first, we considered disguising ourselves as mercenaries for the journey, but that idea was quickly abandoned. The main reason? Veerant’s appearance.
There’s no way a mercenary would look that shiny and glamorous. If such a mercenary existed, they’d become the talk of every town, making it impossible for us to move unnoticed.
There was also the suggestion of bringing someone else along instead of Veerant, but that idea was rejected due to the issue of skill. Veerant, who was once slated to become the next head knight, is one of the strongest knights in the entire order. While I may have higher stats than him, his overall strength is unmatched by most.
Considering we were traveling with a small group, there was no way we could afford to leave someone as capable as him behind.
And so, we ended up wearing the same navy uniforms as always. Our cover story was that we were traveling to various regions to comfort the people on behalf of the Saint, who couldn’t leave the temple. The carriage was said to be loaded with cleansing crystals and healing elixirs personally crafted by the Saint.
In reality, the so-called “cleansing crystals” were just shiny water crystals, and the purification would be handled by me. As for the healing elixirs, we had brought along a large number of empty bottles, which I planned to fill while we traveled.
It’s a good way to make use of the long hours on the road.
All the places that need purifying are in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, so thankfully, we have plenty of travel time. This also gives me the chance to ask something that’s been on my mind.
“Hey, there’s something that’s been bugging me for a while,” I said.
“What is it?” Veerant replied.
“Why were you searching for the Saint all by yourself?”
Finding the next Saint was a top priority for the knights. There had been several large-scale search parties dispatched, and even the temple knights from various regions had devoted manpower to the search. Typically, these search parties were organized in groups of three, and in larger cities, multiple groups would be sent out to conduct a thorough search.
But when Veerant came to my village, he was alone.
“That’s…”
“From what I’ve heard, you’d often take breaks while visiting various knight orders and spend your time searching. You even declined a promotion to the Saint’s personal knight just so you could have the freedom to do so. Why go that far?”
The Saint is essential to this country, but it’s unusual to turn down a promotion or spend personal time on such a mission. There had to be some special reason or personal motivation behind it.
I asked out of curiosity, but Veerant averted his gaze, looking uncomfortable.
…Maybe I asked something too personal?
“I… don’t really know myself,” he finally said. “My family has served the Saints for generations, so I always thought I would naturally serve the next Saint. That’s why I started searching for you in the first place. But as time went on and I couldn’t find you… I started to feel lost.”
“Lost?” I prompted.
“I began to question why I was searching for the Saint in the first place. Was it really for the good of the country? Or was it just to satisfy my own desires? Was I only searching for the Saint because I wanted to secure the position of head knight for myself? Those thoughts plagued me. Eventually, I started to feel relieved that I couldn’t find the Saint.”
His words were so unexpected that I found myself staring at him.
His impeccably handsome face gave away no emotion. The eyes that usually gazed directly at me were now focused outside the window.
I recalled the day Veerant arrived in my village. The expression on his face when he found me was indescribable—like a mix of a smile, tears, and a desperate attempt to hold something back.
Back then, I didn’t know Veerant, and the whole “Saint” thing took me by surprise. But now I wonder… what was Veerant feeling that day?
“…Are you okay with not becoming the head knight?” I asked.
On the surface, Emilia was the Saint, not me. As such, the head knight’s title belonged to whoever stayed by her side. Currently, that role was filled by Jildo, who had been the previous Saint’s head knight.
This meant Veerant wasn’t going to become the head knight anytime soon—nor would he, as long as he continued serving me.
It felt like something he wouldn’t be happy about, but to my surprise, Veerant gave a soft, genuine smile.
It wasn’t his usual polite smile. This one seemed to slip out naturally, like he couldn’t help it. A smile so warm and childlike that it made me feel strangely self-conscious just looking at it.
“Do you remember the villages we stopped in on the way to the capital?” Veerant asked.
“I don’t know the names, but I remember we stopped at a few.”
“In every village, you naturally helped people. You gave herbs to a girl with a sick father, shared dried meat with someone who was hungry, and even did heavy lifting for an elderly woman. You always helped others without hesitation.”
Oh, right. I guess that did happen.
I had brought plenty of food and herbs for the journey to the capital, so I had some extra to share. It wasn’t a big deal—just something to pass the time while staying in the villages.
In the poor, almost destitute village I grew up in, survival depended on helping each other. It was second nature to me at that point.
My mother used to say, “If you can do something for someone, do it without hesitation.” It became a habit.
“Back then, you hadn’t been officially recognized as the Saint yet, and you certainly weren’t wealthy. Even so, you reached out to help the people with whatever you had. Watching you do that, I realized something,” Veerant continued.
“What’s that?”
“I wasn’t searching for the Saint. I wasn’t seeking the position of head knight either. I was searching for someone I could dedicate my life to serving.”
…So that’s why he had felt relieved when he couldn’t find the Saint. Because as long as he hadn’t found them, he didn’t have to face the possibility of disappointment. He could still believe that somewhere out there, the person he was meant to serve existed.
And since he wasn’t fixated on becoming the head knight, he’s chosen to stay by my side.
…But still, the idea of dedicating his entire life to someone?
I’m just an old, worn-out guy. How much has Veerant glorified me in his mind?
It’s a bit unnerving.
I can’t laugh it off because he’s being completely sincere, but this is far too grandiose for me.
“You’re overestimating me,” I muttered.
“I’m happy to serve you,” Veerant replied, his voice filled with warmth.
I scrunched up my nose, but Veerant’s response wasn’t unexpected. It was as if he had anticipated what I’d say. His quick retort left me speechless, and I ended up turning my head away in embarrassment.
…This conversation needs to end.
No matter how it goes, it’s going to lead to more awkwardness.
2 extra releases in thanks to Beks’s Ko-Fi treats~
