EVHE 48

Chapter 48

After Saint left, I reluctantly changed my clothes.

I even took out the one pair of pants I had at home and put on a robe enchanted with perception-blocking magic over them.

Just in case, I didn’t forget to bring the necklace containing L’chelle’s Estella.

“What is that?”

As soon as Saint saw me come down to the garden, he voiced his displeasure.

“…Does it look weird?”

I thought he was pointing out the pants I was wearing for the first time, so I hesitated awkwardly. But apparently, he meant something else.

Saint conjured a purple bird in his hand. It flapped its wings a few times before landing on my shoulder.

A flash of light burst from its feathers, and then the bird vanished without a trace.

“Now, no one will be able to recognize who you are.”

It seemed he had cast an even stronger spell on me.

“Thank you!”

I smiled broadly and thanked him, but Saint just scowled and turned on his heel.

The place we arrived at looked far more desolate and dangerous than Ruben. The air felt so foul I could sense it on my skin.

“If you’re scared, you can turn back,” Saint said firmly, as if reading my worry.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t afraid. I absolutely hated situations this dangerous. But…

“To put it simply, we’re going to smash a slave trader, right? Then I’m going.”

Even in this world, slavery had been outlawed long ago. I didn’t need to look it up to know the miserable conditions slaves endured.

So I couldn’t back down. If a person had learned morality and had a conscience, they couldn’t ignore something this inhumane.

Saint entered a derelict building, weaving through a maze-like path and descending below. I followed closely, my fear growing with every step.

There were several rotting corpses in the passageways. More than once, I nearly fainted when swarms of rats suddenly scurried past.

I should’ve just gone home when I had the chance!

All I had left now was the meager courage being chipped away with every passing second.

At the end of the narrow corridor stood a large iron door. Saint turned to me and brought a finger to his lips—telling me to be quiet. I nodded vigorously.

The iron door opened slowly, revealing a long hallway. Lining it were rows of barred cells.

The cells were empty, but clothes—presumably human—were strewn inside. A terrible stench made me wrinkle my nose.

“Who’s there?!”

A guard’s shout echoed down the hallway. We hadn’t been inside for ten seconds before we were discovered.

The guard charged at us, but Saint was much faster.

One punch from him sent the guard flying. The crack of bones breaking was downright terrifying.

He’s really scary…

His combat skills truly were formidable.

“This way,” Saint said quietly. I followed, keeping my footsteps light.

As we walked down another long hallway, voices drifted from upstairs. Judging from the sound, there were many of them—and they were coming this way.

Saint slipped behind a door and wrapped one arm tightly around my waist, practically tucking me under his arm.

“Shield ready?”

“Right now?”

“Didn’t I say this was live practice?”

I closed my eyes and released mana, forming a shield around us. I couldn’t see it, but the flow of mana told me it had worked.

Even after opening my eyes, I focused hard to keep the shield up. My heart was ready to burst from the sudden combat situation.

“Intruders!”

The descending guards spotted us quickly.

Still holding me at his side like I weighed nothing, Saint moved with sharp precision.

One by one, he struck them down with the scabbard of his sword. Even as an ally, the sight was chilling.

He hadn’t even drawn his blade, yet the guards collapsed without putting up much resistance.

But there were too many of them, and one guard’s sword slipped past—aiming straight for Saint.

The blade never reached him, stopping midair as it hit the shield. It cracked slightly, but was otherwise fine.

It really works!

I forgot this was a real battle and marveled inwardly.

The tension melted away, replaced by confidence.

“See that?!” I whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

“Well done,” he replied, tightening his grip on me for the next leap.

Then, an instant later, a crossbow bolt flew by, grazing his shoulder.

If its aim had shifted just a little, it would have hit me dead-on.

Blood spattered before my eyes, and my breath caught in my throat.

“S-Saint…”

I looked up at him, my pupils trembling. He, as if it were nothing, placed his palm on his own shoulder.

A moment later, holy power mended the wound.

“Focus,” he said.

I immediately squeezed my eyes shut, leaving all the fighting to him and focusing solely on the shield.

When the last guard fell, I collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily like melted ice cream.

“Is it okay to push a beginner this hard?!” I cried between gasps.

It felt like every ounce of strength had drained from my body. I could barely hold myself up.

“But thanks to that, you’re perfectly trained now, aren’t you?”

I had no comeback for that, so I just pressed my lips together.

Slowly, I forced myself upright and looked at his shoulder.

The spot where the arrow had grazed him was still covered in blood. When I pressed it lightly, sticky black blood smeared my fingers.

“Are you sure it’s healed?”

“Do you not trust a priest’s holy power?”

“I don’t trust you.”

“That’s rather blasphemous.”

“It’s more blasphemous for someone who was just punching people.”

We traded light banter as he helped me up. My legs were shaky, but I could still walk.

“Why do you think the cells were empty?”

I finally voiced the question that had been on my mind. Anxiety rose—had all the prisoners already been sold at the slave market?

“Feels like a trap,” he said seriously.

“Strange. The client was supposed to be reliable…”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“…Or maybe someone else got here first?” he murmured, barely audibly.

“In any case, we should head back.”

He took a framed picture from behind the bars. Behind it was a small hidden door.

“Catch,” he said, tossing me a magic scroll. From what I could tell, it was a teleportation spell.

“This place blocks scrolls, so use it outside.”

“What about you?”

“I need to investigate further.”

Using a key he’d apparently stolen at some point, Saint unlocked the small door, revealing another dark corridor much like the one we’d entered through.

“Shield,” he said.

I pointed my fingers in the air to show it was still up.

“Go on,” he urged.

The door slammed shut behind me. He didn’t offer any parting words like be careful or can you manage alone.

He’s trusting me way too much…

I could maintain a shield decently enough, but my offensive magic was weak.

At least I had brought the necklace L’chelle gave me—but I still felt uneasy.

With only a wall-mounted torch for light, I walked down the dark hallway. Thankfully, it was a straight path with no forks.

When I get home, I should have some strawberry cake.

Ally had stood in line for two hours at a famous bakery yesterday to get it. I’d planned to eat it for lunch today, but Saint had ruined that.

As I was lost in that happy thought…

Rustle—a sound of something stepping on the floor came from behind.

I was about to turn, thinking it might be a rat, when—

A rough hand suddenly covered my eyes, and someone yanked me into a tight hold.

Something cold touched my neck. Even without seeing, I could feel the unmistakable edge of a blade.

“Who are you?”

A low voice laced with killing intent whispered in my ear. My back stiffened instantly, a chill running down my spine.

The shield was definitely up, but apparently it hadn’t stopped the intruder from ambushing me.

M-my necklace…

I barely managed to keep my wits. But using its power here, in this cramped corridor, would likely catch me in the blast.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”

My lips trembled, making my voice quiver.

“I really just took a wrong turn.”

Rambling an implausible excuse, I searched for any chance to create distance.

The intruder said nothing. Then, unexpectedly, they pulled the blade away from my neck.

My hood was shoved back. Not satisfied with that, they roughly yanked off my robe entirely.

Once their arm left my body, I collapsed to the floor. My legs, already trembling, had completely lost strength.

“How much confusion magic did you put on yourself that I couldn’t recognize you?”

The intruder tossed the robe aside. My gaze, which had been fixed on it as it hit the floor, lifted to meet their face.

“…You.”

My voice came out a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

Even with half his face covered by a mask, there was no way I wouldn’t recognize those dark red eyes.

“What, are you happy to see me in a place like this?”

Calix narrowed his eyes and smirked.

“Nonsense,” I muttered, burying my face in my hands. If I could, I’d have just passed out on the spot.