I would gladly give away all my possessions for deceiving them. Although we weren’t the type to need someone else’s possessions, I would do it if it could alleviate some of their anger. Without money, I couldn’t go to the temple, but the thought of parting ways with Kelian’s group dampened my enthusiasm.
I had thought I didn’t want to die, but now that I was in this situation, an unbearable loneliness surged within me. It was an unrelenting loneliness that couldn’t be relieved even by thinking of my friend Malley back home. If it was going to be like this, why did I try so hard to stay alive? Why did I approach them in the first place? If it was going to be like this, why…
“That’s not possible.”
A firm voice pierced through my self-blame, echoing in my ears. Looking up, Kelian, who seemed visibly upset, didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
“That’s right. It’s not allowed.”
“It’s not.”
Their tone was resolute.
Continuing, both Jenin and Barkrud also voiced their opposition. What should we do then? I anxiously awaited their decision. Eventually, Kelian took charge of the situation.
“I think we should start by confirming.”
“The curse, right? If it’s an S-rank rare curse, we should go to the temple in the capital.”
Upon Dain’s suggestion, Kelian nodded and unexpectedly reached out his hand to me. In the completely different atmosphere from before, I flinched as his hand was extended towards me once again.
“Can we leave for Rilka immediately?”
“I believe the scheduled request was not for today…”
“The plan has changed. I don’t mind paying an additional fee—I’d like to depart now.”
“In that case, it won’t be a problem.”
A mage, their face half-hidden by a dark gold robe, led us somewhere—likely to the location where the teleportation spell would be performed.
“I heard the Brave Hawk Guild collapsed overnight…”
“…And they say the Hero was the one who…”
The teleportation circle was placed on an elevated platform with small stairs on either side. Below, a few mages were casually chatting.
Brave Hawk—wasn’t that Hans’s guild? And did they just mention the Hero?
For some reason, their conversation bothered me.
Of course, Kelian wasn’t the only person in the world called a Hero, so they might not have been talking about him. Still, I glanced up at him, feeling uneasy. But he showed no reaction. If he wasn’t concerned, then it must have been unrelated to him.
The mage who had been guiding us glanced in our direction before snapping at the others.
“The Hero is here, and you have time to gossip?”
“Ah—s-sorry!”
“Prepare the teleportation spell immediately! Destination: the capital, Rilka.”
The mages hurried to their positions around the magic circle. While they arranged themselves, we stepped onto the platform and moved into the teleportation array.
One of the previously chatting mages, now holding up a staff, spoke nervously.
“T-Then, we will begin. Please remain still. Sudden movements right after teleportation may cause dizziness, so allow yourself time to adjust.”
This was my first time experiencing teleportation magic.
As the mages simultaneously raised their staffs and chanted, the large magic circle beneath us flared with light, as if about to swallow us whole. It felt similar to stepping into a dungeon—except this time, the chorus of incantations made all the difference.
Under any other circumstances, I would have been fascinated.
Instead, weighed down by heavy thoughts, I squeezed my eyes shut. The blinding light made it necessary anyway.
Then, suddenly, the voices of the mages cut off.
Sensing that the darkness beyond my eyelids had returned, I cautiously opened my eyes.
We were still on a magic circle, but the once-bright lights had faded, and the mages who had been surrounding us were now gone.
“Which temple are we heading to?”
“Rekanon Temple.”
Despite the abrupt change in scenery, the party carried on as if nothing was unusual, casually discussing our next destination.
Kelian, still carrying me, was the first to step out of the teleportation circle.
At first glance, the building looked identical to the one we had just left, except the mages were gone. But upon closer inspection, this place was much larger, with significantly higher ceilings.
As we exited, we passed a few more mages clad in deep gold robes like the ones before. However, unlike the mages in Yuil Village, these ones simply bowed silently without a word.
“…Oh.”
Outside, it was incredibly dark.
When I thought of Rilka, the Imperial Capital, I had imagined a vibrant, bustling, and extravagant city. But right now, none of that liveliness was present.
More than anything, it was shocking that Yuil Village had been bright and sunny when we left, yet Rilka was deep into the night. It was hard to believe.
Noticing my dazed state, Dain spoke in his usual blunt tone.
“You seriously didn’t know there was a time difference?”
“Ah… No, I didn’t.”
I really hadn’t.
Jenin looked around at the quiet streets and muttered,
“The difference between day and night here is so drastic.”
From the way she said it, I guessed that Rilka must be exactly as I had imagined during the day.
Kelian, walking ahead as if he knew the way, strode purposefully toward a destination—most likely Rekanon Temple.
But it was so late and eerily silent. Would the temple even be open at this hour?
“Come back when the sun is up.”
My concern turned out to be valid.
Even in the dim light, I could tell how grand the temple was. When we knocked on its massive front doors, a voice from inside, presumably a priest, refused us outright.
I expected Kelian to turn back after that. Instead, he immediately stated his name.
“I am Kelian Ail. I’ve come seeking help.”
“…Did you just say Kelian Ail—?”
Like magic, the doors swung open.
With a deep, rumbling noise, the heavy entrance revealed two frail-looking priests, eyes wide with astonishment.
“It really is you, Hero. To what do we owe this late-night visit? …Please, come inside.”
Kelian was famous even here in the capital. The fact that the priests of such a grand temple opened their doors upon just hearing his name was astonishing.
As they led us through the dimly lit halls, holding lanterns, Jenin explained our purpose—confirming the existence of an S-rank rare curse.
“If it’s an S-rank curse, we’ll need a high-ranking priest.”
After lighting the reception room and excusing themselves, the priests left.
It wasn’t long before a high-ranking priest arrived.
“I am Terio, a high-ranking priest of Rekanon Temple. It is an honor to meet you, Hero.”
With an expression full of reverence, he kissed the back of Kelian’s hand as if greeting a divine figure.
So far, the only people I had encountered in Rilka were the teleportation mages and a few priests at this temple. But compared to the people in other towns, these priests seemed to hold Kelian in much higher regard.
“I see the other heroes have also come. Seiris Lin, Jenin Izabeth, Dain Parion, Barkrud… And this person?”
Terio had been eyeing me with curiosity ever since he greeted Kelian. After listing the others, he finally hesitantly asked about me.
Kelian answered in my place.
“We need to confirm whether she has an S-rank rare curse.”
“Ah, so it is this young lady.”
Terio seemed momentarily surprised, as if he had expected an introduction instead of getting straight to the point. But as expected of a high-ranking priest, he quickly regained his composure.
“Please, have a seat.”
Following his guidance, Kelian gently set me down on a chair.
This was already my third visit to a temple since being cursed, but this experience felt completely different from the others.
For one, a high-ranking priest was personally tending to me, looking almost nervous as he examined my condition.
Terio carefully placed his palm against my forehead and closed his eyes.
A sacred light washed over my body.
“It is confirmed—you are indeed afflicted with an S-rank rare curse. Specifically, the curse of a rare Torong.”
Hearing a fact I already knew somehow made it feel even worse.
Feeling awkward, I glanced at Kelian and the others, but to my surprise, their expressions were darker than mine.
Especially Jenin—who was always so cheerful—let out a drawn-out, dramatic sound. My mouth fell open in shock as she suddenly lunged forward and hugged me tightly.
“J-Jenin?”
“An S-rank rare curse?! Aine, you must have suffered so much!”
“W-Wait a second—”
“You should have told us sooner… Hnghh…”
She wasn’t crying, but her face was twisted with pure sympathy as she kept making those strange sounds. I had no idea how to handle such excessive concern.
“Jenin… I lied to you. I deceived all of you.”
I emphasized it again, worried that she had somehow forgotten what I had said earlier. But she didn’t seem to care at all.
“That doesn’t matter, hnghh…”
What am I supposed to do with this overly softhearted person…?
I could understand why they brought me to the temple—to verify if I was telling the truth. But just because my curse was real didn’t erase the fact that I had manipulated and used them.
Not long ago, I had wished for their sympathy more than anything. If this had happened back then, I would have accepted it eagerly.
But now… now, I liked them too much.
“Ugh. First, we had someone pretending to be cursed, and now we’ve got someone actually cursed.”
Dain scoffed from the side, shaking his head in exasperation.
Dain’s usual sarcastic tone lacked its usual sharpness.
Gently, I pulled Jenin away from me.
“I have been deceiving and using all of you.”
I tried once again to bring the conversation back to reality, but she was already focused on something else.
“So, how do we purify this? Shouldn’t we just blast it with divine power right away?”
Terio remained calm as he answered.
“Complete purification is not impossible. However, S-rank rare curses can only be purified by high-ranking priests with a rare cleansing skill. Here at Rekanon Temple, I am the only one capable. Even so, it would require nearly 20 attempts before any real results could be seen.”
“…Twenty times?”
The priests at the temples I had visited before had said it would take at least ten attempts. But now, in what was supposed to be the grandest temple I had seen, the high-ranking priest himself was saying it would take twenty.
I felt disoriented.
Terio looked at me with solemn eyes.
“Yes. For A-rank curses, around ten attempts may suffice, but for S-rank and above, the amount of divine power required is drastically higher. Ah, there is another method.”
“Another method?”
Terio glanced at me in an odd way.
I already had a feeling about what he was going to say next.
“You can also purify the curse by sharing physical intimacy or consuming the blood of someone with divine power. However, drinking blood is inefficient, so…”
At those words, everyone turned to look at me.
My head dropped lower and lower under their gazes.
Barkrud, who finally seemed to piece everything together, muttered,
“So that’s what the contact was about.”
I had never outright said that Kelian and I had slept together—I had only vaguely mentioned that physical contact had helped ease the pain of the curse.
Barkrud must have found my explanation odd, and now, hearing Terio’s words, he finally understood. His innocent tone made my head sink even lower.
“Can my divine power purify it?”
Kelian, who had been silently listening, finally spoke in a low voice.
Because of that, my head, which had nearly buried itself into the floor, shot back up.
Terio looked at him as if he had just said something absurd and quickly responded.
“Of course…! Ahem, Hero, your divine power is on par with—no, comparable to the High Priest himself. With that level of divine energy, even without a purification skill, your abilities would be far more effective than mine.”
Kelian’s divine power was that strong?
I had always known it was impressive—after all, just a single kiss from him was enough to suppress the pain of my curse. But to hear that his power was comparable to the High Priest of this enormous temple in the capital?
“Then if we combine both methods, we should see results faster.”
“That is correct. However, the temple cannot perform purification daily. You will need to visit about once a week.”
“Can it be done now?”
“Of course.”
Terio, who seemed ready to grant any request Kelian made, turned back to me.
“Hero, I—”
Had he, like Jenin, forgotten what I had done?
I instinctively flinched and leaned back slightly, but Kelian stepped closer and whispered,
“Do this… for me.”
“…”
I lost my words.
Terio’s hand pressed against my forehead once more, and my vision was swallowed by light, obscuring Kelian from view.
The silence stretched under the light. What were they thinking right now? What did they expect from me? What did Kelian expect from me…?
“…It’s over.”
Only after Terrio withdrew his hand did the light and my thoughts dissipate. Since I had only been purified once, there was no dramatic change in how I felt.
“You don’t have to pay. Instead, as I requested before, please accept the honorary priesthood…”
“I will pay.”
“…If you don’t wish to accept it, at least meet with the High Priest.”
Kelian seemed to consider this indifferently before finally nodding. That alone was enough to bring a bit of color back to the exhausted Terrio’s face, thanks to the use of divine power.
“Even so, I will still pay.”
In the end, it seemed that Kelian had paid him, unable to erase the debt. I stared blankly at the scene before suddenly jumping up.
“Oh, the money!”
“Aine, what’s wrong? Don’t get up so suddenly. You’re not well.”
Jenin scolded me like a mother warning a reckless child, trying to stop me. Though I was cursed, I wasn’t so sick that I couldn’t stand, but his concern seemed to have grown suddenly.
“No, Jenin, I’m fine… Priest!”
I struggled for a while to push past Jenin’s worries before finally reaching Terrio.
“How much is the purification fee?”
“It’s 100 gold per session. And the Hero has already paid for it. Even the additional costs.”
I had worried that, like the temple in the Village of Unity, they might charge 1,000 gold per session—or even more—but thankfully, the amount was much lower. Still, even 100 gold was nearly all I had. But what was this ‘additional cost’?
Without another thought, I emptied my purse, pulling out my entire fortune—just over 100 gold.
“Hero, this…”
I hurriedly held out the money, but Kelian simply looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“Hero?”
He showed no intention of taking it. When I called him again, he finally responded. But it wasn’t the kind of response I had expected.
“You agreed to call me by my name.”
He pointed out something I hadn’t even considered—why was I still calling him ‘Hero’ despite our agreement? Ah…
“…Can I still call you that now?”
The question slipped out before I could stop myself. Kelian reached out, gently lowering my hand that held the gold. He never took the money.
“There will never be a time when you cannot call my name. Now or ever.”
This time, I understood him perfectly. It was permission—undeniable, absolute permission. A silent affirmation that I could stay by his side. Tears I had been holding back finally broke free, rolling down my cheeks.
“I deceived you all. I used you. From the very beginning, I approached you for your divine power.”
“I never once thought you came to me for no reason.”
His cold yet steady reply made me wary of the hope rising within me. I tried again to convince him.
“I’m just like the people you despise.”
“And aren’t you the one running away because you despise me?”
That was absolutely ridiculous. He had said something like this before, and now he was doing it again. Instinctively, I shook my head.
“I already told you that’s not true.”
“Then stop pushing me away.”
He pulled me into his arms. His quiet breath brushed against my bare shoulder.
“Because that’s how it sounds to me.”
I felt like I might completely break down in his embrace, so I forced myself to think of something else. Malri’s daughters playing pranks on me, the terrifying depths of a rare dungeon, the clothes I had tried on earlier—anything to distract myself. Fortunately, it worked, and my tears gradually subsided.
Terrio, the priest who had been standing nearby, had no choice but to witness all of this. He looked back and forth between Kelian and me with a bewildered expression.
“Hero… just who is this person…?”
Come to think of it, he had purified me but never heard an introduction. Though Jenin and Kelian had made it clear they wouldn’t cast me aside, I still didn’t know how to define my place among them. So, I simply gave him my name.
“My name is Aine Krueger. It’s late, but… thank you for purifying me.”
“No need for thanks. I only did what had to be done.”
Perhaps my introduction was lacking, as he continued to look at us like he had more to say. But since I offered nothing further, he eventually gave up and took a few steps back.
“Aine, stay with us from now on. If you suddenly fall ill, we need to purify you, and if you grow weaker, someone might try to take advantage of you.”
Jenin’s serious advice was met with a scoff from Dain.
“You weren’t already staying with them? Don’t be so dramatic.”
“It’s different now. A rare curse… what are we supposed to do about our Aine?”
“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’? It’s not a fatal illness. As long as we purify it, she’ll be fine.”
“Dain, do you even understand how painful it is?”
“And do you?!”
Dain, who had been fuming, suddenly turned to look at me. Despite his furrowed brows, his gaze had softened slightly.
“You got cursed because you’re weak.”
He wasn’t wrong. If I had been at my current level back then, I might not have been cursed by that rare Torong.
“If you hadn’t been cursed, we wouldn’t have met.”
Barkrud patted my shoulder with his large, warm hand as if comforting me. That warmth nearly brought tears to my eyes again, so I blinked at an angle to hold them back.
“Are you all really okay with this? Will you keep letting me stay with you?”
It was a miserable question, even to my own ears. Clenching my hands tightly, I waited for an answer. Then, Seiris, who was always expressionless except for the occasional bout of irritation, stepped closer.
“I don’t dislike you.”
“…….”
“So don’t even think about leaving.”
Seiris’ beautiful voice flowed like a song, yet beneath it lay a chilling possessiveness. It must have been my imagination… Regardless, the conclusion was clear—they wouldn’t cast me aside. Only then did I realize how tense I had been all this time, as my stiff shoulders finally relaxed.
“Shall we go now?”
Kelian took my hand, gently pulling me forward while locking eyes with me, as if seeking my permission.
“…Yes.”
The moment I agreed, my body was lifted once again. I could have walked on my own, but he likely wanted to shorten our travel time. I stayed still, deciding not to resist. By now, being carried felt almost natural.
After leaving Rixan Temple, the first thing our group did was find lodging.
“Now, will you tell us everything? What kind of monster was it, and how exactly did you get cursed…?”
The entire way, Jenin kept asking me question after question. I had nothing left to hide, so I answered diligently. Even after revealing the truth, the way they remained so calm around me felt almost like a dream.
❖ ❖ ❖
It was already late at night, and securing a room in Rilka, the imperial capital where people flocked from all over, wasn’t an easy task. Still, we were lucky enough to find vacancies in a good inn.
The only issue was that there weren’t enough rooms. Kelian, who usually had a room to himself, would have to share this time. The real problem? That ‘someone’ he was sharing with was me.
“Then I’ll be staying in Dain and Barkrud’s room. Sleep well, Aine.”
“What? …What? Jenin?!”
Without looking back, Jenin disappeared into his room. The others did the same. Before I knew it, only Kelian and I remained in the empty hallway, staring at each other.
“Go on in.”
Unlike my flustered self, Kelian opened the door casually, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. His natural demeanor made me follow suit, stepping inside without hesitation. Only when I heard the door close behind me did reality sink in.
“Oh… We’re… sharing a room….”
“Yes. Would you like to wash first?”
It seemed I was the only one who found this situation anything but normal. Even though we had already… been intimate before, was sharing a room really such a trivial thing to him? Watching Kelian remove his robe with no hint of awkwardness, I realized I was the only one overthinking it.
“Y-Yes. I’ll wash first, then.”
It seemed better for me to wash first rather than come out to see Kelian fresh from the bath. So, without hesitation, I hurried into the attached bathroom. If it had been outside the room, it might have been less embarrassing, but of course, it had to be right here, making my neck heat up for no reason.
I just needed to wash quickly and get out. That was the plan, and I stuck to it.
“…You’re already done?”
Kelian, who had been waiting for his turn, looked at me with mild surprise. Even he seemed to think I had been unusually fast. I nodded firmly.
“I’ll go wash now.”
As he stepped into the bathroom, I was left alone. I perched on the only bed in the room. There could have been two beds, but no—just one. It was big enough to fit us both with room to spare, but that didn’t make it any less of a dilemma. Kelian didn’t seem to mind at all, yet here I was, overthinking everything.
Even after learning that I had approached them under false pretenses, that I had used them, they had chosen not to abandon me. Unlike their party, I hadn’t spent years traveling with them or built deep bonds. I was someone they had met only recently, yet they still chose to keep me close. Not only that, but they were willing to help cleanse my curse—something I couldn’t resolve on my own—and even worried about me.
But… emotions and forgiveness were different things. No matter how kind he was, there was no way he still saw me exactly as he had before.
“Of course not…”
With that thought, my mind settled a little. Just then, Kelian emerged from the bathroom. His damp bangs fell over his forehead, and he had changed into simple white loungewear. Somehow, he looked… cuter than usual.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, sitting beside me.
“Good. I got plenty of sleep, and the purification helped, too.”
“That’s a relief.”
I returned the question.
“What about you, Kelian? You had to move suddenly because of me. Aren’t you tired?”
His stamina was beyond my imagination, but he had lost two days because of me lying unconscious, then immediately had to deal with the revelation of my rare curse. After that, we had traveled straight to Rilka and visited the temple.
He might have looked fine, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t exhausted. If only I had an item to help restore his energy—but my inventory held nothing useful.
At my words, Kelian gave me an unreadable look. Then, with a sigh, he covered his eyes with one hand.
