Chapter 64
Eir, under the excuse of enjoying her newfound freedom, stayed outside and waited for Rubel.
Someone truly enjoying their freedom wouldn’t be leaning against a wall, sneaking glances in the direction Rubel would come from, or absentmindedly fiddling with the bundle of herbs tucked in her arms—but let’s just call it ‘enjoying freedom.’
But let’s just say she was enjoying her freedom.
Eir was in the middle of reciting prayer after prayer to restore her divine energy—one, two, three, four…… well, a lot of them—when she heard voices.
The voices of Rubel and the priests and knights who had accompanied him echoed through the now fully darkened surroundings.
From the sound of their conversation about the severity of the corrupted areas and the dangers they posed, it seemed Verina had been right—Rubel hadn’t just been enjoying a banquet. Something dangerous had indeed happened nearby.
“Are they going to go deal with it now?”
Rubel’s subordinates insisted that he should return quickly, but Rubel argued that it was important to inspect the neglected northern regions, at least along their travel route, even if they couldn’t cover everything.
Throughout the journey, he had been assessing how safe the areas were, how much of the land was corrupted, and how the people were preparing for monster attacks. It seemed he had been working nonstop.
Seriously, he’s unbelievable.
Thanks to his efforts, even though only a week had passed, they had already been sent off with farewell ceremonies three times. This time, too, before leaving the village, he would likely purify the severely corrupted areas and give a speech on how to avoid monsters before mounting his horse and departing.
For Eir, riding a horse was exhausting in itself, but for Rubel Shinote, it seemed like riding was more of a restful activity than work.
How could he do that?
Well, he’s the kind of guy who literally kicks monsters to pieces, so I guess it’s not that surprising. Shrugging, Eir suddenly realized Rubel and his group were getting closer and quickly ducked back into the inn’s courtyard.
She couldn’t hand over the herbs to Rubel in front of everyone.
Eir, unsure of what to do, considered going inside the inn but decided it would be better to wait until everyone had entered and then go in separately. She hid under a large cherry tree in the garden.
The tree, which must have been in full bloom not long ago, still gave off a faint, pleasant scent. Though people said cherry blossoms had no fragrance, to Eir, an herbalist, all flowers had a scent.
After all, flowers were the moment a plant’s life force burst forth in full bloom. Even moss, stones, and water had their own scents—why wouldn’t cherry blossoms?
Lost in thought, Eir pressed her forehead against the tree trunk to avoid being seen. Bright light spilled out from the open inn door, and the sound of Rubel’s group’s footsteps grew closer until they echoed within the courtyard walls.
Eir held her breath and stood as still as possible. They were discussing the day’s banquet, how to proceed with their inspections, and how to handle different types of monsters based on their movements.
Rubel seemed to be quietly listening, occasionally nodding in approval as his subordinates spoke.
Eir waited for them to go inside, but suddenly, Rubel stopped walking, and one of his subordinates asked, “What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just…….”
Rubel’s slightly low, husky voice rang out. He must have had some alcohol. He often got like this after drinking.
‘Please, just go inside.’
There was no way someone like Rubel, especially with the bracelet infused with his divine energy on Eir’s wrist, wouldn’t sense her presence. But what Eir hoped for was that he would go inside and wait for her, rather than calling her out in front of everyone.
Then she could slip in quietly.
‘Surely, he trusts me that much!’
Just then, Rubel’s voice was heard.
“Go in first.”
Eir flinched and hunched her shoulders. The subordinates, not understanding, asked again.
“Huh? Why? Is something wrong?”
“No. I just remembered something.”
They exchanged glances, silently confirming they were all thinking the same thing.
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