WOSE Chapter 28

The first thing she did was unfasten two of the tightly buttoned closures on his priestly vestments.

"How's that? More comfortable now?"

"...It feels bare."

He kept touching the area around his neck, as if deeply awkward and strange.

Iyu ignored his discomfort entirely and proceeded with the next plan.

The second transgression was leaving without permission during morning prayer time.

'The dawn market opens nearby, right?'

If merchants recognized the 'Savior' or a celestial—especially the Holy Knight Commander—the outing would become extremely troublesome, so both of them left the temple wearing drab robes pulled up over their heads.

Since there was only one road connecting the marketplace the cook had mentioned and the temple, they reached their destination without difficulty.

The dawn marketplace wasn't much different from markets in other worlds she'd experienced in the past. It primarily sold fresh foods like fruit and milk, but one peculiar feature was the considerable number of shops selling weapons.

More excited than Odynne, who should have been experiencing something novel, Iyu looked briskly around the bustling marketplace. Then she spotted bright red ripe apples at one stall and promptly bought a basket.

Having efficiently collected even her change, she selected the most luscious one from the basket and thrust it toward him abruptly.

"Here, take it."

"As I mentioned before, celestials don't need to consume food..."

"I know you don't need it. But eating food doesn't exactly cause problems either, does it?"

Recalling Freya, who occasionally shared meals with her, consuming food didn't seem to cause any particular problems, and her sense of taste appeared perfectly normal like other races.

She placed an apple on his hand, which didn't know how to move readily, and bit into her own share first. Crunch—the sound accompanied fresh juice filling her mouth.

He gazed down at her apple with its round bite mark and the unblemished apple held in his own hand, then after hesitation, took a bite.

Sweet juice stained his bright red lips. The wet lips moved slightly, then he bit into the apple once more.

Iyu asked contentedly, confirming the apple that had grown smaller than before and his bulging cheek.

"Delicious, right?"

This time the answer came very quickly.

"It is."

A faint smile spread across his face as he affirmed. The sight looked exactly like a flower blooming through frozen ground, and Iyu held her breath for a moment.

'Good thing I made him wear the robe.'

Already drawing attention due to his different eye level from the dwarves, if someone had seen that smile, it might have caused quite a commotion.

As she marveled at this creation that clearly received divine love—no, at this level it was definitely favoritism—a joke suddenly popped out.

"I've been curious for a while, do celestials have wings?"

'Since from appearance alone he seems holy and sacred, exactly like an angel.'

The angels she'd encountered in her world's media were noble beings with white wings.

Just like this man.

Still, it was just a joke with no basis whatsoever.

"No."

"Really? That's disappointing."

"...Perhaps among the beastfolk there might be individuals with wings."

Thinking the Savior wanted to see wings, he answered quite seriously. The reaction made her laugh softly.

When this man, who seemed made of stone or iron, avoided her or felt uncomfortable, she couldn't understand what he was thinking, nor did she want to.

'Maybe his words about not disliking me weren't empty after all.'

Considering he permitted the use of his name, answered even trivial questions faithfully, and humored her unreasonable demands.

Somehow feeling like a wall that seemed it would never crumble had broken down just a little, Iyu burned with more motivation.

'I should help make this transgression more perfect!'

Though the person in question hadn't asked for it, having made that decision, she focused all her attention on him rather than the dawn market.

Whether she pointed out or thrust before him strange things, novel things, beautiful things, his reactions were generally indifferent.

Then Iyu noticed a stall where his gaze lingered just slightly longer and immediately turned her steps there.

It was a place selling simple weapons and accessories. Without much deliberation, Iyu picked up the high-grade whetstone and leather cord for wrapping sword hilts that had been placed in the direction he'd been staring.

"Nothing else you want besides these? That dagger looks serviceable too."

He showed discomfort and shook his head slightly.

"It's fine. Having material desire and possessiveness for unnecessary items is improper for one who serves the gods..."

"You've helped me multiple times and accompanied me all the way here. You're not planning to refuse a pure expression of gratitude, are you?"

"..."

Iyu dismissed his objection very easily.

Having forcibly thrust the gifts into his hands, she pointed to the opposite stall.

"Oh, they're selling sweets over there! I'll buy some snacks for the children."

Odynne seemed to have given up on breaking her stubbornness. Holding the items she'd placed in both his hands, he followed obediently.

Meanwhile, Iyu, who'd moved with light steps, became very serious.

'What would they like?'

On the stall lay various snacks: round flat bread soaked in honey, dried fruit, candies the size of thumbnails, and cookies packed with nuts.

She was seriously contemplating what else to buy besides cookies for Tamia when the stall owner suddenly spoke to her.

"From your height, you seem human. Are you here to trade weapons?"

Darun and Kalix had told her on the first day that most people visiting dwarf villages were humans who came for weapon trades.

Iyu pressed her robe hood down further as she answered.

"Something like that."

No need to specifically reveal they were the Savior and Holy Knight Commander.

Whether the clumsy lie worked, the other person continued the conversation without any change in attitude.

"Tsk, you came at a bad time."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Well, it's... Other people will all keep quiet about it, but watch yourself. Especially don't go anywhere near that mountain close to here!"

"You mean the 'disappearances'?"

"Since you already know about that, the explanation will be quick. Things had been quiet for a while, but it seems another person has disappeared."

"...What?"

The cookie bag she'd picked up fell limply back onto the stall.

It was impossible. After the Savior's arrival, until the darkness was eliminated, no other 'incidents' had ever occurred.

'But why?'

"When, no, who..."

"Last night, what was it, a server working at Stonehold Grove Respite."

'Stonehold Grove Respite' was the inn where she'd stayed.

'A server working there, surely not...'

"Is that person's name Belga by any chance?"

"That was the name! Do you know her?"

Iyu, her face drained white, stumbled backward. Thump. Her back bumped against his chest, and Iyu lifted her head.

Odynne, his face frozen like ice again as if it had never softened, said dryly.

"We should return now."

After ending their brief transgression and returning straight to the temple, the two woke the half-asleep Tamia and immediately went down to the village.

Since Darun, who'd gone to deliver the news, showed no signs of returning, they entrusted Eila to the temple priests.

The front of the inn they'd hurried to find was already in chaos with people.

Residents trembling with anxiety demanding to know if it was truly a disappearance, inn guests who'd come out to see, an elderly woman who appeared to be Belga's family and her friends. Everyone had gathered and was shouting over each other.

"Is it really a disappearance?"

"Is it the darkness again? Did she go to that mine and vanish? Is that it?"

The guide, who always maintained composure, was sweating profusely as he struggled to calm them.

"She simply hasn't returned home. It's too hasty to conclude it's a disappearance yet. Everyone please calm down first..."

"Her belongings were found at the base of the mountain where the darkness is! Why else would a child who always came straight home after work have gone there!"

"That, that's... Ah, Savior!"

The guide, whose eyes had been rolling anxiously, somehow recognized her despite her robe and distance, and gestured.

In that moment, dozens of eyes whipped around and fixed on her.

The crowd surrounding the guide and inn rushed toward her in an instant.

As if the dam of anxiety they'd been holding back had finally burst, people screamed desperately.

"Savior! Eliminate the darkness immediately!"

"Right! We can't live like this with this anxiety!"

"You said you came to remove the darkness! Why aren't you doing anything?"

Among the people closing in with frightening momentum, a middle-aged woman with ash-gray hair like Belga's gripped Iyu's hands and arms stubbornly.

"Please, please find my child, find Belga! Please?"

"Release her."

As she frowned at the rough force, Odynne easily shook off the woman's hands. Then he hid Iyu behind his back as if protecting her.

But the people infected with anxiety were now beyond control.

"Remove the darkness!"

"Bring back the missing!"

The crowd only grew larger, and the voices demanding immediate elimination of the darkness only grew louder.

Then, through the gaps between people, a familiar voice was heard.