Chapter 64: Those Who Can Never Be Forgiven (15)

The path guided by Ariel felt distinctly different from what we had experienced so far.

The World Tree, which had always seemed impossibly far no matter how much we walked, now appeared visibly closer after just an hour of travel.

Truly, the Elves were remarkable. Despite the disorienting barriers of this forest, it was still their homeland.

Even with the ground blanketed in snow, they knew exactly which areas were dangerous and which paths led to the World Tree as if a map were etched into their minds.

However, the destination Ariel led us to wasn’t the World Tree.

Instead, we arrived at a cabin in the western forest.

It was a worn-down structure, large enough to house several people, with a snow-laden roof that looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Yet, Kaellia greeted us with a bright smile, insisting it was sturdier than it appeared.

It was hard to understand where her confidence came from.

I explained to Ariel that it was imperative we reach the World Tree.

I laid out the details: that we were the Hero’s Party, that we were here to restore the Holy Sword, and that unknown forces had already infiltrated the forest.

Despite my detailed explanation, Ariel firmly refused.

In snowy conditions like this, it was vital to make quick decisions about where and how to proceed.

The supplies we had brought into the White Mirage Forest wouldn’t last forever, and we couldn’t afford to waste time here.

“I would first like to confirm whether you truly are the Hero’s Party,” Ariel declared decisively.

It seemed he doubted our claims, and there was only one way to prove our legitimacy.

If we bore the blessings of the gods, the markings engraved upon our bodies would serve as undeniable evidence, as they couldn’t be fabricated.

“Wow! That looks just like the marking on my lower abdomen!” Kaellia exclaimed.

“Well, I am a Saintess, after all…”

And that’s how I ended up unfastening my corset belt and unbuttoning my white shirt, lifting it just enough to expose the divine marking on my lower abdomen. It was deeply embarrassing.

Thankfully, the warrior had already shown his mark and was waiting outside.

If only my mark were on my hand like his, things would’ve been so much simpler.

“Ah! Wait, hold on—!”

“Oh, I’m sorry! Did that hurt?” Kaellia asked innocently as she prodded my abdomen.

Poke, poke.

It seemed she couldn’t help but touch the marking, her curiosity overpowering her sense of decorum.

While it was good that we had cleared up the misconception that humans ate Elves, her utter lack of exposure to humans had made her inquisitiveness almost unbearable.

I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

If I looked in a mirror, my complexion would undoubtedly be bright red.

The inside of the cabin was filled with ash from the fire, and the air was thick and unpleasant, but I barely noticed—it was my shame that consumed me.

“Saintess, what’s the outside world like? Do pumpkin-shaped carriages really fly in the sky?” Kaellia asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

“…No, you won’t see anything like that anywhere.”

“Really? That’s a shame,” she sighed.

Pumpkin carriages? What was this, Cinderella? Who had been feeding her such nonsense? The outside world Kaellia imagined seemed entirely made up of fairy tales.

It was no wonder she had been so gullible as to trust the slavers.

After 300 years without contact, the Elves were astonishingly ignorant about humans.

I glanced out the window. The setting sun cast a faint reddish glow over the snowy landscape, creating a stunning view.

However, clouds were beginning to gather, and the wind was growing stronger, tapping insistently at the windows.

A blizzard was undoubtedly on its way. Even someone as clueless about weather as me could sense the impending storm.

When I looked back down, I saw Kaellia crouched, still intently studying the marking on my abdomen.

How much longer would this go on? Just as I sighed in frustration, Kaellia seemed to snap back to her senses and raised her voice.

“All done! Ariel and the Hero can come in now! Oh, Saintess, you’re okay with that, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yes—wait! Wait a second—!”

Lost in thought, I had reflexively answered without thinking.

The creak of the door opening jolted me back to reality.

Too late. I hastily tried to raise my voice, but the warrior had already entered the room, and our eyes met.

Let me reiterate: I was sitting there with my corset belt unfastened, my shirt fully unbuttoned, my black undergarments completely exposed, and without pants.

This clueless Elf hadn’t even considered my state before calling him in.

Our gazes locked for a moment. In a panic, I tried to cover myself, but my slender arms couldn’t hide much. It was pointless.

“Y-you saw, didn’t you?”

My face burned hotter than ever.

My exposed underwear, the marking on my abdomen, and even the pale skin beneath—it was all laid bare to him.

The warrior quickly turned around, his reaction praiseworthy under normal circumstances, but given the situation, I couldn’t stop myself from throwing random objects at him in frustration.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Don’t just apologize—get out, you idiot!”

“Serah… You said it was okay for us to come in. What is—”

“You mutt! What kind of nonsense were you thinking?!”

“Wait, why is the Saintess angry?” Kaellia tilted her head in confusion.

The warrior hurriedly exited the room after my sharp outburst, but Natalia and Laura had been standing right behind him and saw everything.

I wanted to die. Even though I had agreed to let them in, the fact remained that I had been practically naked. It was mortifying.

Kaellia, the cause of it all, remained clueless, tilting her head in innocent confusion.

Stupid girl… How could an Elf possibly be this dense? Under the judgmental gazes of Natalia and Laura, who were looking at me like I was some kind of stray mutt, I had no words to defend myself.

I was the most proper one in this party—so why was I always the one treated like this?

“Ahem. Well, I can now confirm that you are indeed the Hero’s Party, bearing the blessings of the gods,” Ariel finally spoke after I hastily redressed. “However, it’s already late, and the weather is worsening. Perhaps you should rest here before proceeding.”

Ariel entered the room with a polite cough, trying to maintain composure.

At least the warrior had been the only man to see me like that… Or had he even seen anything at all? Maybe it was too brief for him to notice? I glanced at him to gauge his reaction, only to see his face flush red as he quickly averted his eyes.

…What am I supposed to do now?

I sighed heavily. The warrior avoided my gaze, awkwardly responding to my silent reproach.

I felt like biting my tongue and ending it all.

No matter how I looked at it, my embarrassing state was probably burned into his memory.

That night, as a blizzard howled outside the cabin, Laura stood outside, violently kicking at the snow.

Her life had taken a sharp turn since the events in Edirne.

The love she thought was hers had become meaningless.

Her wedding had been a disaster, and now she wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

Even the death of her cherished family haunted her.

At this point, giving up on the warrior felt impossible; her life had become too pitiful.

She had swallowed her pride and agreed to Serah’s harem proposal.

But what was her life now? She was the first to love the warrior, the first to share a relationship with him, and the first to marry him.

Yet somehow, she had lost everything to the mutt who joined last.

“No child, no closeness to the warrior allowed. What even is this? Meanwhile, she gets away with acting so shamelessly…”

It was infuriating. Serah claimed to be the warrior’s one true love while hypocritically forbidding any other woman from approaching him.

Laura’s thoughts spiraled as she pondered the unfairness of it all.

Then, a honeyed voice spoke beside her, interrupting her thoughts.

“You seem troubled.”

Startled, Laura spun around, gripping her staff tightly.

Standing beside her was a woman with striking white hair and piercing red eyes, dressed in a nun’s habit devoid of any divine aura.

“Who… are you? How did you get here?”

“Oh my, whatever do you mean? I’ve been here beside you all along.”

The woman smiled sweetly, yet there was no kindness in her tone. It felt as if her voice coiled around Laura like a serpent, tightening with every word.

“Laura Annerinne Frostfell. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.”

“…How do you know my name?”

“Oh, it’s well-known, of course. The great mage of the Hero’s Party. And I’ve heard you’ve inherited the Dragon’s Soul as well.”

Her words were courteous, but they carried no warmth.

The low timbre of her voice was disconcerting, like a dark fog settling in Laura’s mind.

She tried to resist the instinctive unease but found it impossible.

As the woman leaned closer, she whispered with a devilish smile, “Serah… You despise her, don’t you?”

Laura’s breath hitched. The suffocating sweetness of the woman’s presence made her break out in a cold sweat.

“My name is Diana,” the woman continued, her grin widening. “And I’m very interested in your dear Saintess.”

Laura wanted to flee. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her body refused to move.

It was as if she had sunk into a mire, and the more she struggled, the deeper she sank.

Diana’s voice wrapped around her like a curse, whispering in her ear.

“Jealousy is where curses are born. At the most critical moment, you’ll be unable to save those dear to you. Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on your face when that happens.”