Chapter 66: Those Who Can Never Be Forgiven (17)

Lina was said to be a compassionate and merciful woman.

She would cry whenever she saw a wild animal bleeding or dying after being caught in a trap.

She especially loved raising kittens, often feeding them milk and treats while caring for them with great devotion.

Her golden hair shone like melted gold beneath her white veil.

Her flawless white skin radiated a healthy glow.

Her gracefully curved red lips and her sapphire-like blue eyes could make anyone smile.

Even after sealing the Demon King, Lina maintained contact with the other heroes.

Even the Elves, who had severed ties with humanity, couldn’t refuse to meet with her.

That’s how she came to know about the World Tree’s waning power.

Mateis explained that the solution lay in a seven-day prayer ritual led by the Saintess.

Only this could restore the World Tree to its original state.

“Prayer?”

I replied absentmindedly.

Why prayer?

Oh, right—I’m the Saintess.

Though I couldn’t understand why I needed to pray when no god had ever answered me, I realized it was expected of me.

“But I’m not really good at prayer…”

Having the blessing of the gods guaranteed me basic divine power.

In terms of sheer divine power, no one was above me.

However, aside from invoking holy flames, my prayers didn’t yield results befitting my divine strength.

At best, I could perform at the level of a high priest.

Though my holy flames were powerful enough to burn down an entire city, I hated the idea of using them because they would burn me along with everything else.

While I mulled this over, I felt everyone’s gaze fixed on me.

If there were a hole to crawl into, I would’ve hidden in it.

In all my life, I’d never been expected to succeed at anything, but in this world, I was constantly under scrutiny.

Just the thought of failing to meet expectations and disappointing them made me want to lock myself in a room.

So, I tried to express that I wasn’t particularly talented at anything involving healing.

“Long ago, Lina said she could not escape corruption and left her power behind for the future,” Mateis explained.

“That power lies dormant in the forests, and the seven days of prayer are merely to awaken it.”

Mateis’s eyes met mine as he spoke, emphasizing that the process would mostly be handled by Lina’s divine power.

Of course, since it was the power of the first Saintess, not just anyone could awaken it.

Only a Saintess blessed by the gods, one with the blessing of light, could perform this task—and that was me.

I sighed and assessed the situation.

My unease was clear on my face.

Essentially, I needed to travel to the places where Lina’s divine power lay dormant and pray for seven days.

It seemed straightforward, something even my mechanically trained prayers could accomplish.

There was no real reason to refuse.

“Will it really be okay?”

I whispered anxiously to the Hero.

“If anything happens, I’ll protect you,” he reassured me with confidence.

Come to think of it, the Elves weren’t openly hostile, and “Elven life” ultimately referred to the World Tree.

If it wasn’t restored, we’d gain nothing from this.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

And if something went wrong, the Hero would protect me.

“I’ll do it,” I said reluctantly.

“Good choice,” Mateis replied immediately, as if he had never considered that I might refuse.

He called someone to guide us to our accommodations.

“If you need anything, let us know.

From now on, the two of you will share a room.”

“What?

Share a room?

With the Hero?”

I blurted out in shock.

“Yes.”

“This… person…?”

“Correct.”

Mateis’s curt response left no room for argument.

Glancing at Natalia and Laura, I noticed their expressions were anything but pleasant.

Natalia’s gaze was tolerable, but Laura’s piercing glare made me shiver.

First the tent incident, and now I’d be sharing a room with the Hero until the prayers were complete.

I couldn’t help but envision a future where I ended up stabbed to death.

Surely it wouldn’t come to that.

The conditions for triggering such an event were surprisingly strict, after all.

Even when deliberately seeking it out, the event was difficult to activate.

First, the Hero would have to fail to collect enough magic crystals, causing his hypnotic influence to waver.

Then, the heroine with the highest affinity—the most “trained” one—would need to lie about being pregnant.

Finally, the other heroines would have to be left in a state of unmet desires.

Except for the second condition, our current situation matched perfectly.

And lately, I’d spent a lot of nights alone with the Hero…

Could we really be heading for disaster?

“The blessings of light grow stronger when the Saintess and the Hero are together,” Mateis explained, sealing the deal on our shared room arrangement.

The Elven sanctuary, despite its natural beauty, felt more like a remote, snow-covered village.

The wooden buildings were spaced far apart, and the frozen snow made the ground rough.

With no arable land, the Elves seemed to rely on hunting and gathering to survive.

I shivered, the cold air biting at my skin.

Deciding that breathing the icy air wasn’t doing me any good, I quickly shut the window and examined the room.

It was spacious and well-stocked with necessities, but the rustic design made it feel like an isolated mountain cabin.

The real issue was that it wasn’t just my room—it was ours.

Even as a loner, I understood what sharing a room with a man implied.

The whole “spending the night together” trope from steamy novels and games…

Wasn’t that why these stories often took place in remote villages?

I knew I was overthinking, but Laura’s sharp glares and muttered insults of “b*tch” weren’t helping.

Natalia might eventually follow suit.

My stomach churned at the thought.

I had to avoid the “baby ending” at all costs.

I sighed, sinking onto the bed.

Why was there only one bed?

The queen-sized bed, with two neatly placed pillows, made it clear how the Elves perceived our relationship.

No wonder the others were jealous.

“Everything will be fine.”

The Hero’s voice broke the silence.

“Do you even understand the situation we’re in?”

Annoyed by his thoughtless reassurance, I snapped at him.

A tense silence followed.

Why did I say that?

It hadn’t been long since we lost the Unyielding Boulder.

He must still be grieving.

Yet, here I was, making it all about myself.

I felt guilty.

“There are two unknown enemies lurking nearby.

It’s natural to be uneasy.

But you should try to relax.

If anything happens… I’ll protect you.”

“You got dragged into this because of me.

I’m sorry,” the Hero admitted.

I sighed again, unable to shake the feeling that no matter what happened, things were going to spiral out of control.