Jenin didn’t seem to be lying just to reassure me. The way they spoke so casually about it made my lingering doubts waver even more.
Of course, if the hero’s party decided to help me, my level would rise quickly. But more than anything, I was happy that I wouldn’t have to part ways with them. It hadn’t even been that long since I joined them, yet the thought of separating already felt unbearable…
“Then… I’ll be in your care.”
With my cheeks flushed, I bowed my head to them in gratitude. Meanwhile, Kelian and I simply kept holding each other’s hands tightly.
“Now, try this.”
Just as the conversation had settled, Seiris presented the dishes she had ordered, urging me to taste them. As always, the food she picked had names I didn’t recognize and appearances that were… unconventional, to say the least. But the moment I took a bite, the flavors melted in my mouth. Without thinking, I started showering it with praise, and that dangerous smile of hers returned.
It seemed that I had finally reached the point where even her extravagant staff looked genuinely beautiful to me. Maybe my tastes were slowly being influenced by Seiris after all.
❖ ❖ ❖
“I’ll be back.”
After finishing our meal, Kelian and I headed to the Rekenon Temple. High Priest Terrio seemed slightly surprised to see us arrive earlier than expected, but he quickly composed himself before casting a purification spell on me.
“You must have been undergoing purification diligently. This time, I’m using up far less divine power than before.”
His gentle expression carried no hidden meaning, just pure sincerity. Even so, I barely managed to squeeze out a weak, “Y-yes…”
“Terrio, the High Priest is waiting for you.”
Another priest called for him from outside the room. But it seemed he wasn’t the only one being summoned—Terrio’s gaze shifted toward Kelian, standing beside me.
“Hero, about your promised meeting with the High Priest…”
“Is it today?”
“If His Eminence permits, you may reschedule for another day. But since you’re already here, it would be best to meet him now. Would you rather postpone it?”
“It makes no difference to me.”
Kelian replied indifferently before turning to look at me, seated on the sofa.
“I’ll need to step away for a moment.”
“Ah, go ahead.”
As soon as I answered, Terrio offered me a friendly suggestion.
“Would you like to take a tour of the temple in the meantime? The Rekenon Temple boasts a 100-year history. You may find yourself so engrossed that time will pass in an instant.”
“Oh, that sounds like a great idea.”
It had been a long time since I visited a temple without worries weighing me down. Exploring this grand structure, situated in the heart of the empire’s capital, seemed like it would be a meaningful way to spend my time.
“I will assign you a guide.”
Following the High Priest’s orders, the young priest who had come to escort Terrio and Kelian was now tasked with guiding me. I wondered if a guide was really necessary, but after hearing that many visitors got lost due to the temple’s vast size, I quickly understood the reasoning.
“I will return to you as soon as possible.”
“…….”
Kelian, who I thought would leave immediately, hesitated, holding me tightly as he spoke. If anyone saw us, they’d think he was heading off on a long journey. But hearing him say he would return to me as soon as possible made me smile like a fool.
“Yes, come back as soon as you can.”
“…Should I not go at all?”
“Just go already.”
At this rate, he really might not leave. I could feel Terrio watching us with growing unease from behind. Gently but firmly, I pushed Kelian’s back, urging him forward.
“I will now guide you through the temple.”
After they disappeared, I followed the young priest, who gave me a polite bow before leading me out of the room.
As we walked down an open corridor without windows, the priest explained that our destination was the Prayer Hall—a place where visitors from outside the temple came to pray.
Holding Kelian’s white robe tightly around me as if it were a shawl, I walked with my head tilted up, admiring the beautifully painted ceiling that stretched above us. When I had come here before, it had been too dark, and I had been too distracted to appreciate the details. Now, for the first time, I could truly take it in, and I couldn’t help but be amazed.
“First-time visitors are always left in awe.”
The soft-spoken priest, unable to suppress his pride in the temple, looked eager to continue boasting.
“But even this cannot compare to the grandeur of the Prayer Hall. Normally, only those who have made significant contributions as devotees, important figures of the empire, or those above a certain level are permitted entry. However, such trivial restrictions, of course, do not apply to the hero’s companions.”
For someone supposedly granting me a special privilege, the priest sure sounded like he was making a big deal out of it. Still, since he was leading me to this so-called grand Prayer Hall, I simply nodded in agreement.
We descended a flight of stairs and reached the end of a long hallway, where the priest finally stopped. He struggled to push open a massive, ochre-colored door, and as I stepped inside behind him, I finally understood what he had been boasting about.
“Wow…”
At the center of the vast Prayer Hall—so spacious that children could run around freely—stood a massive statue.
It was breathtaking. The sheer size was impressive, but more than that, the craftsmanship was beyond anything I had ever seen. The stone figure of a man, carved with such intricate detail that it looked like a painting brought to life, gazed down with emotionless, inorganic eyes.
“This is a divine statue unlike any found in any other temple across the empire.”
“…Was it made by the gods?”
“Of course not. It was the final masterpiece of a sculptor named Antonio, who once saw the god in his dreams.”
The priest gave me a look as if to say, ‘How could you even think that?’ and I felt slightly embarrassed. But honestly, the statue before me was detailed enough to make such a misunderstanding seem reasonable.
“Priest Paeon, we’ve been looking for you.”
As I was engrossed in admiring the statue, two priests with troubled expressions approached my guide. From their conversation, I gathered that they needed his assistance with something urgent.
“But I am currently guiding this guest…”
“I’m fine. I’ll stay here and look around while you take care of your business.”
The priest hesitated, glancing at me uncertainly. To reassure him, I waved my hand a couple of times.
“T-then, please excuse me for a moment.”
The two other priests practically dragged Paeon away in their hurry.
I had no idea how long their task would take, but I didn’t mind passing the time by admiring the statue. Especially the way the sculptor had rendered the thigh muscles—it was so lifelike that I almost wanted to reach out and touch them.
Being alone in this vast space with nothing but the massive statue looming over me was a little unsettling…
Thankfully, at that moment, I heard some commotion outside the Prayer Hall. It seemed that people were about to enter. Of course, they weren’t anyone I knew, but just having others around would make the atmosphere feel less eerie as I continued admiring the statue.
“Oh, I see we have a prior guest.”
A man with brown hair and thick eyebrows stepped inside, his gaze falling on me. The moment our eyes met, he suddenly abandoned the priests accompanying him and strode toward me with purpose.
“A lady with black hair. Surely, our meeting today must be ordained by the gods.”
His voice and manner of speech had a slightly theatrical, almost overly charming quality to them.
“I am a devout believer, donating to this temple every year and visiting weekly to pray. Yet, never before have I encountered such a beautiful lady in this sacred place. Might I ask for your name?”
“…Aine Kruger.”
“Oh, what a fitting name. It carries the melody of a skylark singing as it flits through the forest.”
His words flowed so smoothly they almost slipped right past me. I blinked, momentarily thrown off, before regaining my composure and asking in return.
“And your name?”
I wasn’t particularly curious, but since I had introduced myself, it only seemed fair to ask.
“My name, you say?”
The man chuckled meaningfully, as if amused by my question. He didn’t answer immediately, instead adopting an air of mystery, making me wonder if I had said something wrong.
“If you’d rather not say, you don’t have to…”
“Seika Ail.”
The man introduced himself with an easygoing smile, then stared at me expectantly, as if waiting for a reaction. His gaze was so persistent that I almost looked up at the ceiling just to escape it.
Seika Ail…
I repeated the name in my head before my eyes widened at the familiar surname. No way. I quickly brushed aside the thought that surfaced in my mind. But then, as if reading my hesitation, he added with a smug expression:
“That’s right. The Ail Marquisate. And I happen to be its sole heir.”
The priests who had followed him nodded fervently, as if to confirm the significance of his words.
“It’s not something that warrants such shock.”
He winked at me, making his thick eyebrows twitch along with the motion. He wasn’t particularly tall—just slightly taller than me—but his sun-kissed skin and bulky muscles made his playful gesture seem oddly out of place.
“Since fate has brought us together, why don’t we…”
I had a good idea of what he was going to say next. Back in my hometown, men often started their courtship proposals with those exact words. However, unlike the immature or lecherous ones I had encountered before, this man—though undeniably flirtatious—had an unmistakable sincerity in his gaze.
That didn’t mean I was going to accept, though.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting. Next, I will introduce you to the Rekenon Temple Choir—”
Just in time, Priest Paeon returned from his errand, looking slightly surprised to see Seika and the other priests. He hesitated briefly before asking,
“Is there a problem…?”
“No, please lead the way to the next location.”
I quickly responded before turning back to Seika, who had paused mid-sentence.
“I have to go now. My apologies.”
“W-Wait! Then at least tell me when we can meet again…!”
Seeing me hurriedly trying to leave, Seika seemed to panic and grabbed my robe. His grip was stronger than I expected, and before I could react, the robe slipped off completely.
I froze.
“…Gasp!”
Seika let out a strangled sound, his body going rigid. More precisely, he was staring at the marks Kelian had left all over my neck, shoulders, and collarbone.
The air in the room grew stiflingly tense. Everyone present suddenly looked as if they had downed an entire bottle of strong liquor, their faces turning deep red.
“L-Lady, I apologize… I didn’t mean to—”
Seika stammered, his expression a mix of shock and embarrassment. His trembling hands quickly picked up the robe and handed it back to me. I snatched it from him and hastily covered myself again.
I could tell it wasn’t intentional, but I was far too mortified to linger in this situation any longer. I turned to Paeon and urged him in a desperate whisper.
“Priest, please… Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes.”
Still visibly flustered, Paeon quickly escorted me out of the Prayer Hall. Even as we walked away, I could feel a pair of burning eyes staring after me. I refused to turn back.
Maybe I should have just worn a heavy winter coat despite the heat. Just covering myself with a robe clearly wasn’t enough…
Still lost in regret, I followed Paeon to the rehearsal hall where the choir was practicing. However, before I could take in my surroundings, someone strode toward me and effortlessly lifted me into their arms.
I didn’t even flinch. The familiar warmth, the firm yet gentle hold—I instinctively relaxed and leaned into him.
The man who had marked my body so thoroughly gazed at me with a beauty that surpassed even the divine statue from earlier.
“Is it over already?”
“Yes.”
I had expected Kelian’s meeting with the High Priest to take much longer, but he was already back.
“Nothing happened, I assume?”
“Nothing…”
I had been about to answer automatically when my lips hesitated mid-sentence.
The man who had introduced himself as Seika Ail suddenly came to mind.
Appearance-wise, he and Kelian looked nothing alike—so much so that I couldn’t even begin to connect them. But the fact that they shared the same surname made me pause. Just in case, I decided to ask.
“Kelian, do you have any siblings?”
“No.”
His response came without a hint of hesitation.
I fell silent.
So, they really weren’t related. I must have been overthinking it. After all, it wasn’t impossible for unrelated people to have the same surname.
“I missed you, Aine.”
Just as I awkwardly clamped my mouth shut, Kelian said those words.
It had barely been any time since we were apart, yet he looked at me as if we were long-lost lovers reuniting after a year.
I was a little taken aback, but more than that, my heart ached at the sheer longing in his gaze.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
“I missed you too.”
As we held each other close… I suddenly felt a sharp gaze on us.
Turning my head, I found High Priest Terrio and Priest Paeon staring at us intently.
Though both were friendly toward Kelian, even they couldn’t hide the unimpressed look in their eyes—the kind that clearly said, This is a bit much.
“…….”
❖ ❖ ❖
Their “Operation: Level Up Aine” began with formally re-inviting me back into the hero’s party.
Kelian gave me a sulky look, as if pleading with his eyes for me to never run off like that again. Jenin enthusiastically backed him up, while Barkrud nodded in solemn agreement.
The sheer weight of my guilt swelled like a rushing river.
In the end, I found myself repeatedly promising that I would never leave the party on my own again. Only after that was settled did the conversation finally move on.
“Aine, your level is 29, right? You’ll be hitting 30 soon, so we need to get you the proper equipment.”
“I actually just bought a mid-tier club not too long ago, so I should be fi—”
“Alright, let’s go!”
I barely had time to finish my sentence before I was being dragged off.
Apparently, the weapon I had recently purchased was nothing more than garbage in their eyes, because they immediately took me to the weapon district.
The capital’s shopping district was on an entirely different scale from the ones I had seen before—massive and bustling with a sea of people. If not for Jenin pulling me forward and Kelian watching my back, I might have been swept away by the crowd.
Several times, I nearly lost my footing, but Jenin held onto my hand tightly each time. She turned back to grin at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“What kind of weapon are you looking for?”
A blacksmith, whose sharp gaze alone could make people hesitate, scanned our group as we entered his forge. Despite his intimidating demeanor, his tone was surprisingly polite—almost unnervingly so.
Jenin greeted him with a casual wave before answering.
“A club for someone around level 30, huh?”
“A club?”
The blacksmith raised an eyebrow.
“That’s an unusual choice of weapon.”
“Oh, it’s not for me.”
Jenin said, gesturing toward me.
“It’s for Aine.”
Following Jenin’s lead, the blacksmith turned his gaze toward me.
“Let me see the weapon you’re used to using,” he said.
“My old club broke beyond repair, so I had to throw it away. This one is a recent purchase, but it’s been decent so far.”
I hadn’t really thought about buying a new one since this one worked fine, but with the way my party was insisting, I hesitantly pulled out my mid-tier club from my inventory.
The blacksmith took it in both hands, turning it over as he inspected it. Then, in a tone of disbelief, he asked,
“Where the hell did you get this…?”
“Just a regular shop. Is it actually a good weapon?”
“No, it’s the worst I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“…….”
But it didn’t seem that bad when I used it…? Maybe my previous club was just so awful that this one felt like an upgrade. Judging by the blacksmith’s grim expression, I figured I probably shouldn’t say that out loud.
“What a waste of materials. No, actually, the materials are garbage too. And the craftsmanship? Even worse.”
He didn’t hold back in trash-talking my weapon.
Feeling slightly defensive, I cautiously took the club back and stuffed it back into my inventory.
“It needs to be highly durable since she’ll be using skills with it,” Kelian, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke.
The blacksmith flinched slightly for some reason before nodding.
“That goes without saying for anything made in my workshop.”
“Make it out of mithril,” Kelian added.
“…Mithril?”
The blacksmith blinked.
“Do you even have the materials for that?”
A brief silence followed as Kelian and the blacksmith seemingly negotiated something.
Wait. Did I hear that right? A mithril club? For me?
I wasn’t trying to undermine my weapon of choice or anything, but mithril was a material usually reserved for legendary weapons wielded by heroes. And I wasn’t even level 30 yet.
“Kelian…”
I started to protest, but before I could finish, he abruptly turned to face me, momentarily pausing his conversation with the blacksmith.
“That time… when you collapsed…”
His voice was quiet, yet firm.
“I was very worried.”
He probably wasn’t referring to the time I passed out after being with him…
Most likely, he was talking about when I collapsed after my fight with Hans.
“I never want to see that happen again.”
“…….”
“So…”
So I should just accept the weapon—whether it was made of wood or mithril—without complaint.
Kelian pulled me into a gentle embrace, gazing down at me with an almost pleading look. My pupils wavered.
He wasn’t the type to resort to manipulation, but honestly, if he had just ordered me to take it in his usual commanding tone, it would’ve been easier to refuse. But holding me like this, coaxing me instead of forcing me…
I couldn’t bring myself to say no.
“…Alright.”
“You’ve made the right choice.”
He smiled at my reluctant agreement and left a brief kiss on my forehead. Then, as if flipping a switch, he immediately turned back to the blacksmith with his usual cool demeanor, resuming their transaction.
Something felt off. Suspicious, I glanced around—only to find Jenin and the rest of the party glaring at Kelian with narrowed eyes.
“Disgusting…”
“Acting all pitiful like that…”
Jenin and Dain whispered something between themselves, but I couldn’t quite catch what they said.
“If it were ordinary materials, I could finish it in half a day. But since it’s mithril, it’ll take at least a full day,” the blacksmith informed us.
“Then I’ll return at this time tomorrow.”
“Understood. Oh, and…”
The blacksmith, who had been unusually polite toward Kelian, hesitated for a moment before handing him something.
“Could you write your name here?”
“…….”
“Actually, carving it into a stone tablet would be even better.”
The blacksmith handed Kelian a stone slab the size of a human head, along with a dagger.
I found it a bit odd, but Kelian seemed used to this sort of request. Without hesitation, he took the dagger and engraved his name into the stone.
“This will be a family heirloom!” the blacksmith declared proudly.
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Kelian responded indifferently before turning on his heel and heading toward me.
With that, our entire group left the forge as quickly as we had entered.
The next shop they wanted to visit was nearby, but the sheer number of people crowding the marketplace—even spilling into the alleyways—made it nearly impossible to move. It took quite a while just to push through and step inside the store.
This time, it was clear.
Everyone had gathered just to see the hero’s party.
I had noticed it back at the Rekenon Temple, but now it was undeniable…
“You’re all even more famous in the capital.”
They had always been well-known, even when I first met them, constantly attracting onlookers wherever we went. But here, in the capital, it was on another level.
Especially Kelian. There didn’t seem to be a single person who didn’t recognize him.
Jenin scratched her cheek.
“Really? I guess so… But it makes sense for Kelian. He was born and raised here in Rilka.”
At that, I turned to Kelian, who met my gaze and confirmed it.
“This is my hometown.”
“I see…”
So the city that Jenin had spoken about by the campfire—the place where Kelian had been hailed as a hero since the age of eighteen—was here, Rilka.
If he had gained that much recognition at such a young age, it made sense that there wasn’t a single person here who didn’t know him.
Despite the many sights to see, the overwhelming number of people made the city feel exhausting rather than exciting. Yet, now that I knew it was Kelian’s hometown, Rilka suddenly felt… familiar.
Even though there was no real reason for me to feel that way, just the fact that it was his city made a difference.
But then, a realization hit me.
I barely knew anything about Kelian.
Sure, we hadn’t known each other for long, but still… We had shared so much already, yet I hadn’t even known where he was from. That thought was surprisingly jarring.
In contrast, I could recall hearing plenty of details about the rest of our party. But when it came to Kelian…
“…….”
Without thinking, I reached out and took hold of his arm. He immediately noticed and leaned down slightly, always attentive to me.
“Kelian.”
“Yes, Aine?”
Since he had gone through the trouble of lowering himself to my height, I hesitated to speak normally and instead leaned in to whisper softly into his ear.
“I want to know more about you.”
“…….”
“Will you tell me in detail tonight?”
Right now, the sun was shining, and we were busy browsing the shops. Later, we would have dinner together. Night seemed like the best time—when everything was quiet, and we could talk freely.
For a moment, Kelian’s expression seemed to falter, as if something in my words had caught him off guard.
“…Do you not want to?”
Maybe it was too soon to ask something like this.
When would be the right time?
Of course, if he was uncomfortable, I wouldn’t press the issue. I was curious because I cared about him, not because I wanted to make him uneasy.
“Of course not.”
Kelian’s voice was low, as if he were restraining something.
There was absolutely no reason for it, yet somehow… it sounded impossibly sensual.
