Was it because of the Crown Prince's noble determination, or was it because of my depressed mood? The carriage was as quiet as a mouse.
I could sense that Chihara and Netanya were uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere, to the point where I couldn't even complain about being bored, but I couldn't say a word.
'If Your Highness gets hurt in this duel...'
Just thinking about it made my eyes dizzy.
Just then, I was holding my slightly trembling hands tightly.
"What...!"
The carriage tilted to one side.
It was such a severe tilt that my body was thrown into a corner in an instant.
“Be careful.”
The Crown Prince next to me hugged me protectively...
'What?'
I suddenly felt out of breath.
My breathing became rapid and my body trembled, as if a wet cloth had been stuffed tightly around my throat.
'Why is it like this?'
While I was confused by the sudden strange phenomenon, the carriage found its place again, and Sir Arthur's voice was heard from outside.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
“It’s okay. What’s going on?”
“Sorry, there was a sudden gust of wind.”
"Wind?"
The Crown Prince leaned over a little more and stuck his head out the window.
Only when the Crown Prince's hand that had been wrapping around my waist fell away was I able to breathe a little?
I took a deep breath, then belatedly turned my gaze to the Crown Prince and hardened my expression.
'What is that?'
A strong wind was blowing across the green meadow beyond the window.
It was definitely not a wind that would blow in the summer.
'Has another disaster begun?'
The moment when I feel my tension rising due to the unusual scenery.
“I guess he's arrived.”
Chihara raised his body.
He got out of the carriage and looked around with an indifferent expression.
Then suddenly he stretched out his hand towards a spot in the meadow.
Boom!
'What, all of a sudden?'
I instinctively closed my eyes tightly at the loud noise that seemed to rip my eardrums, but when I could no longer hear any sound, I slowly raised my eyelids.
A smoky dust storm was blowing from a certain point in the grassland where Chihara had suddenly launched an attack.
“Jeez, what’s going on...”
Just as I was about to ask, unable to contain my curiosity, a human figure appeared behind the slowly clearing dust storm.
Curly purple hair, blue eyes as cold as the winter sea, and a sturdy body that couldn't be hidden even by a loose black uniform.
'Surely the author...'
As I was looking at him with trembling eyes, Chihara spoke with a sigh in his voice.
“Your playfulness remains intact, Danos.”
The corners of Danos' mouth went up.
The meadow where Danos stayed was a sparsely populated place.
The nearest town was a full day's drive away by carriage, so we had no choice but to camp.
It was my first time sleeping outdoors, but it wasn't too bad.
A slightly chilly summer night.
The crackling sound of the campfire and the excited voices of the knights who were finally able to relax and share a drink felt very pleasant.
Danos's appearance of bursting into laughter at the sight of his long-awaited friends was also one of the elements that made the mood cheerful.
“Hahaha. It’s been so long since I came down to the human world by Hethel’s orders that I’m so glad to see you all like this after being lonely for so long.”
He looked at Chihara and Netanya with happy eyes, then quickly turned his gaze to Bayen.
“How have you been, Bayen? It’s so touching to see you grow up like this.”
“Chihara was like that too, and now you treat me like a child too.”
“A child? Haha. Well, I’ve been watching you since Hethel conceived Bayen, so it’s not like you’re wrong.”
Danos' refreshing smile was short-lived, as he tilted his head.
“But I can’t see Adam. I can definitely feel his presence nearby.”
“Ah. If it’s Adam...”
Chihara cast a glance at me.
When I quickly took out the beads on my waist, Danos looked at them with a puzzled look, and his eyes turned into lanterns.
“What, why is this guy still in the form of a relic? Isn’t he happy to see his old friend again?”
“What is this guy, really? When have we ever hung out together? We haven’t even seen each other’s faces yet.”
When Chihara spoke bluntly, Netanya also stepped forward and intervened.
“He hides himself so thoroughly that he doesn’t even show up when we’re in danger.”
“Well, he was like that originally. It’s been so long since I saw him that I forgot.”
Danos, who had been nodding as if he understood, suddenly stopped.
“But what do you mean by danger?”
He had a very bewildered expression on his face as if to say, "What in this world would dare put you in danger?"
They began to briefly recount the events that had occurred at Count Ganeth's residence.
When he heard that Netanha had fallen in love with a human and had a child with him, he said, “You still can’t get rid of that habit, you're going to have to.” He touched his forehead, and his expression became darker and darker as the story went on.
“What? Those guys attacked you too! Huh? How dare these insolent bastards dare to act so fearlessly...!”
Unlike Danos, who was indignant just from hearing the story, Chihara, who had actually experienced it, responded with an indifferent expression.
“Those who are after the position of the goddess, can’t they touch us? That’s not the point. It’s that they, mere humans, have amassed enough power to strike us, the archangels. It’s through the power of the heretic goddess Ibis.”
“Huh, what on earth is that woman’s identity?”
Chihara let out a short sigh as Danos made a shocked expression and opened his mouth again.
“Anyway, we benefited greatly from that woman this time. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have even figured out how to attack them. The man next to us also helped us a lot.”
At those words, Danos' gaze fell on me and the Crown Prince for the first time.
“Oh, so they are the Saints appointed by Hethel?”
The eyes that were looking at the Crown Prince and me were extremely dry.
'You were so kind to Chihara, Netanya, and Bayen.'
It seemed that it was indeed true that there was a clear hierarchy of power.
'I guess that's thanks to Chihara speaking so kindly of us.'
As I was sighing inwardly at the sight of it not being easy to join as expected, Danos strode towards us.
“My friends, you are my debtors. I will definitely repay this debt someday.”
My eyes lit up at those words.
'Debt?'
I thought that if I did this well, I might be able to get Danos to join without risking the Crown Prince's life.
I was so happy about that that I opened my mouth without even having time to think deeply.
“Then, can you pay off that debt now?”
"Now?"
“Yes. On our journey to save the goddess...”
“Come join us,” I was about to say when the Crown Prince suddenly grabbed my hand.
I turned my head wondering why he was suddenly acting like this, and he shook his head quietly as if to dissuade me.
Then he looked at Danos and said.
“Please give us a chance to borrow your power, Danos.”
“Borrow my strength?”
“Yes. As the body that received the revelation from the Goddess, we are gathering our strength to stand against Ibis. We are gathering the four holy relics that the Goddess has arranged for us humans, to drive out the heresy and bring peace to the empire. Adam, Chihara, and Netanya have already agreed to join us on this journey, and now the only one we have to persuade is Danos.”
“So you want me to join you? Pay for the lives of my friends like this?”
Danos' expression hardened.
“Have you ever seen such an insolent man? I indeed said I would repay the debt, but it is up to me to decide when and how I will repay it. How outrageous that a mere human being would make a demand of me, an archangel!”
My shoulders trembled at the cold voice.
'I was short-sighted.'
Danos was a man of clear pecking order.
Even if we were the first to mention debt, it would be difficult for us humans to be happy about quickly setting conditions.
It was fortunate that the Crown Prince stopped me before I could speak properly. If he had hesitated, I could have been in real trouble.
As I was sighing inwardly, the Crown Prince spoke in a calm voice.
“I never said that. I just asked for the opportunity to do so.”
“Opportunity, that means...”
“Netanya has told me. There is only one way to borrow Danos’s power: you must win the duel with Danos.”
Only then did Danos' expression soften slightly.
“So you mean to say that you want to fight me?”
It was a voice that seemed both excited and humorous.
But the Crown Prince simply nodded with a determined expression.
“Yes.”
“Oh, you could lose your life.”
“I am prepared.”
There was not a hint of fear on the face of the Crown Prince as he spoke like that.
It was the appearance of someone truly prepared to die.
Danos, who had been quietly watching the scene, slowly opened his mouth.
“You have nice eyes.”
It was the expression of a beast that had discovered interesting prey.
“Good. I grant you the right to fight with me.”
Sigh, I closed my eyes tightly at his sagging lips.
I could sense that Chihara and Netanya were uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere, to the point where I couldn't even complain about being bored, but I couldn't say a word.
'If Your Highness gets hurt in this duel...'
Just thinking about it made my eyes dizzy.
Just then, I was holding my slightly trembling hands tightly.
"What...!"
The carriage tilted to one side.
It was such a severe tilt that my body was thrown into a corner in an instant.
“Be careful.”
The Crown Prince next to me hugged me protectively...
'What?'
I suddenly felt out of breath.
My breathing became rapid and my body trembled, as if a wet cloth had been stuffed tightly around my throat.
'Why is it like this?'
While I was confused by the sudden strange phenomenon, the carriage found its place again, and Sir Arthur's voice was heard from outside.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
“It’s okay. What’s going on?”
“Sorry, there was a sudden gust of wind.”
"Wind?"
The Crown Prince leaned over a little more and stuck his head out the window.
Only when the Crown Prince's hand that had been wrapping around my waist fell away was I able to breathe a little?
I took a deep breath, then belatedly turned my gaze to the Crown Prince and hardened my expression.
'What is that?'
A strong wind was blowing across the green meadow beyond the window.
It was definitely not a wind that would blow in the summer.
'Has another disaster begun?'
The moment when I feel my tension rising due to the unusual scenery.
“I guess he's arrived.”
Chihara raised his body.
He got out of the carriage and looked around with an indifferent expression.
Then suddenly he stretched out his hand towards a spot in the meadow.
Boom!
'What, all of a sudden?'
I instinctively closed my eyes tightly at the loud noise that seemed to rip my eardrums, but when I could no longer hear any sound, I slowly raised my eyelids.
A smoky dust storm was blowing from a certain point in the grassland where Chihara had suddenly launched an attack.
“Jeez, what’s going on...”
Just as I was about to ask, unable to contain my curiosity, a human figure appeared behind the slowly clearing dust storm.
Curly purple hair, blue eyes as cold as the winter sea, and a sturdy body that couldn't be hidden even by a loose black uniform.
'Surely the author...'
As I was looking at him with trembling eyes, Chihara spoke with a sigh in his voice.
“Your playfulness remains intact, Danos.”
The corners of Danos' mouth went up.
***
The meadow where Danos stayed was a sparsely populated place.
The nearest town was a full day's drive away by carriage, so we had no choice but to camp.
It was my first time sleeping outdoors, but it wasn't too bad.
A slightly chilly summer night.
The crackling sound of the campfire and the excited voices of the knights who were finally able to relax and share a drink felt very pleasant.
Danos's appearance of bursting into laughter at the sight of his long-awaited friends was also one of the elements that made the mood cheerful.
“Hahaha. It’s been so long since I came down to the human world by Hethel’s orders that I’m so glad to see you all like this after being lonely for so long.”
He looked at Chihara and Netanya with happy eyes, then quickly turned his gaze to Bayen.
“How have you been, Bayen? It’s so touching to see you grow up like this.”
“Chihara was like that too, and now you treat me like a child too.”
“A child? Haha. Well, I’ve been watching you since Hethel conceived Bayen, so it’s not like you’re wrong.”
Danos' refreshing smile was short-lived, as he tilted his head.
“But I can’t see Adam. I can definitely feel his presence nearby.”
“Ah. If it’s Adam...”
Chihara cast a glance at me.
When I quickly took out the beads on my waist, Danos looked at them with a puzzled look, and his eyes turned into lanterns.
“What, why is this guy still in the form of a relic? Isn’t he happy to see his old friend again?”
“What is this guy, really? When have we ever hung out together? We haven’t even seen each other’s faces yet.”
When Chihara spoke bluntly, Netanya also stepped forward and intervened.
“He hides himself so thoroughly that he doesn’t even show up when we’re in danger.”
“Well, he was like that originally. It’s been so long since I saw him that I forgot.”
Danos, who had been nodding as if he understood, suddenly stopped.
“But what do you mean by danger?”
He had a very bewildered expression on his face as if to say, "What in this world would dare put you in danger?"
They began to briefly recount the events that had occurred at Count Ganeth's residence.
When he heard that Netanha had fallen in love with a human and had a child with him, he said, “You still can’t get rid of that habit, you're going to have to.” He touched his forehead, and his expression became darker and darker as the story went on.
“What? Those guys attacked you too! Huh? How dare these insolent bastards dare to act so fearlessly...!”
Unlike Danos, who was indignant just from hearing the story, Chihara, who had actually experienced it, responded with an indifferent expression.
“Those who are after the position of the goddess, can’t they touch us? That’s not the point. It’s that they, mere humans, have amassed enough power to strike us, the archangels. It’s through the power of the heretic goddess Ibis.”
“Huh, what on earth is that woman’s identity?”
Chihara let out a short sigh as Danos made a shocked expression and opened his mouth again.
“Anyway, we benefited greatly from that woman this time. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have even figured out how to attack them. The man next to us also helped us a lot.”
At those words, Danos' gaze fell on me and the Crown Prince for the first time.
“Oh, so they are the Saints appointed by Hethel?”
The eyes that were looking at the Crown Prince and me were extremely dry.
'You were so kind to Chihara, Netanya, and Bayen.'
It seemed that it was indeed true that there was a clear hierarchy of power.
'I guess that's thanks to Chihara speaking so kindly of us.'
As I was sighing inwardly at the sight of it not being easy to join as expected, Danos strode towards us.
“My friends, you are my debtors. I will definitely repay this debt someday.”
My eyes lit up at those words.
'Debt?'
I thought that if I did this well, I might be able to get Danos to join without risking the Crown Prince's life.
I was so happy about that that I opened my mouth without even having time to think deeply.
“Then, can you pay off that debt now?”
"Now?"
“Yes. On our journey to save the goddess...”
“Come join us,” I was about to say when the Crown Prince suddenly grabbed my hand.
I turned my head wondering why he was suddenly acting like this, and he shook his head quietly as if to dissuade me.
Then he looked at Danos and said.
“Please give us a chance to borrow your power, Danos.”
“Borrow my strength?”
“Yes. As the body that received the revelation from the Goddess, we are gathering our strength to stand against Ibis. We are gathering the four holy relics that the Goddess has arranged for us humans, to drive out the heresy and bring peace to the empire. Adam, Chihara, and Netanya have already agreed to join us on this journey, and now the only one we have to persuade is Danos.”
“So you want me to join you? Pay for the lives of my friends like this?”
Danos' expression hardened.
“Have you ever seen such an insolent man? I indeed said I would repay the debt, but it is up to me to decide when and how I will repay it. How outrageous that a mere human being would make a demand of me, an archangel!”
My shoulders trembled at the cold voice.
'I was short-sighted.'
Danos was a man of clear pecking order.
Even if we were the first to mention debt, it would be difficult for us humans to be happy about quickly setting conditions.
It was fortunate that the Crown Prince stopped me before I could speak properly. If he had hesitated, I could have been in real trouble.
As I was sighing inwardly, the Crown Prince spoke in a calm voice.
“I never said that. I just asked for the opportunity to do so.”
“Opportunity, that means...”
“Netanya has told me. There is only one way to borrow Danos’s power: you must win the duel with Danos.”
Only then did Danos' expression soften slightly.
“So you mean to say that you want to fight me?”
It was a voice that seemed both excited and humorous.
But the Crown Prince simply nodded with a determined expression.
“Yes.”
“Oh, you could lose your life.”
“I am prepared.”
There was not a hint of fear on the face of the Crown Prince as he spoke like that.
It was the appearance of someone truly prepared to die.
Danos, who had been quietly watching the scene, slowly opened his mouth.
“You have nice eyes.”
It was the expression of a beast that had discovered interesting prey.
“Good. I grant you the right to fight with me.”
Sigh, I closed my eyes tightly at his sagging lips.
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