Chapter 42
When Seo-ah first came to this place, crying and calling out for her mother, Ephelinus thought, she must have experienced a loneliness and despair a hundredfold greater than what he now felt. That thought alone filled him with immense regret.
Had he truly offered her comfort back then? Or had his participation in the summoning—under the guise of saving Genève—merely cast her into an abyss of sadness? The only thing left to him now was to regret.
After Seo-ah departed, thoughts of her began to occupy more and more of his time.
During his meditations, he found himself invariably revisiting memories of her or imagining her journey. During his thrice-daily prayers, all he could do was plead solely for her safety.
As he ate the simple, modest meals of the Holy Kingdom three times a day, he wondered: Was she eating well? Did the food of the outside world, abundant in seasonings, suit her palate? Had she discovered the joy of late-night snacks there? He worried endlessly about her meals.
At night, he often wondered: Had she grown close enough to her companions to share chatter before bed, making the silence of the night less oppressive?
Though Seo-ah came from a place where no intelligent beings existed aside from humans, he thought, with a hint of pride, that someone as resilient as her—someone who had survived and even befriended an unremarkable person like him in an unfamiliar world—must surely have adjusted by now.
Though his body remained in the Holy Kingdom, following the routines he had known for over twenty years as a faithful servant of Sol, Ephelinus’s heart always wandered westward, traveling the same path Seo-ah now took.
Where might she be walking now?
Was she traversing a forest, dense with ancient trees, her path illuminated by the lights of fairies?
Or crossing the dry, barren roads of highlands beneath an endless sky—the same sky she had once likened to his eyes?
Perhaps she was navigating mangrove swamps, cutting her pants short and splashing through the shallow waters?
As time passed, Ephelinus naturally grew more attuned to news from the Union’s capital regarding the expedition. His visits to the capital became more frequent, driven by a desire to glean even the smallest details that might not have been shared with the public.
This led to occasional interactions with high-ranking officials and senators of the New Union. Perhaps because they regarded him as an accomplice in the Saintess’s summoning, he often overheard their unfiltered and candid opinions about Seo-ah.
“The expedition reportedly struggled in Luem Territory after being ambushed by mutated giant bats. Since these creatures aren’t documented in existing bestiaries, their usual weakness to fire magic didn’t work, and they were forced into physical combat. The Saintess suffered serious injuries.”
“Well, there are priests, so a few healing spells will fix her up. Mutated giant bats, though… They’re a boon for academic reporting.”
“To defeat the dragon, they’ll naturally have to deal with the berserk monsters it has influenced. The Saintess is fulfilling her duty.”
People who took Seo-ah’s sacrifices for granted.
“If that savage girl actually manages to defeat the dragon… wouldn’t that undermine the Union’s image?”
“On the contrary, it’d be perfect for propaganda. What ties does she have here beyond the Holy Kingdom? Toss her some treasures and handsome men, and she’ll happily do whatever we say.”
“Sure, but what if she doesn’t fall in line so easily? I hear she’s quite unruly… though I suppose we’ll deal with that after the dragon is handled.”
“As long as she slays the dragon, what wouldn’t we grant her? That dimwitted barbarian wouldn’t dare dream of seeking power anyway.”
People who saw Seo-ah as nothing more than a tool to exploit further.
Hearing the raw, unvarnished opinions of these leaders left Ephelinus suffocating under guilt and self-loathing.
This place… this homeland of his, where he had forcibly brought Seo-ah, was nothing but a hell populated by greedy, piggish opportunists.
It could never serve as a second home for her. It’s an unkind world that will forever treat Seo-ah as a stranger.
And even worse…
“They say that girl might actually slay the dragon. When she returns, have her bear a child.”
“…Pardon?”
“She seemed quite obedient to you, didn’t she? A child born from the union of you—of the purest lineage in history—and the Saintess would elevate the name of Alife to even greater heights.”
His father, who had manipulated his life for the sake of his ambitions, now intended to exploit Seo-ah’s life for the same ends.
Ah…
The carefully constructed world of unquestioning faith and duty that had shaped Ephelinus as the Holy Kingdom’s chosen son was finally crumbling.
Was it because Seo-ah had introduced cracks into that world?
No.
It was because Seo-ah had become special to him.
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