* * *
I just smiled because, even if it were true, saying it out loud was another matter entirely.
“No, if you hadn’t joined, I would have just hired another adventurer.”
Arthur shot me a glare, clearly skeptical, but since he had already agreed to cooperate, he didn’t press the issue further.
“They might find it annoying, but they won’t outright refuse a priest. It’s just one sermon, after all. They’ll probably even pick the quietest and most obedient prisoners to send. Once that’s settled, we’ll have them hold the sermon in the room I specify.”
“Which room?”
“The one with the secret passage. The guards don’t know about it. There were no signs of anyone using it at all.”
“How did you even find something like that?”
“I’m naturally competent.”
“Hey, that wasn’t a compliment! I meant you’re ridiculously obsessive!”
For an adventurer, that still counts as praise.
“While Arthur is preaching, Vasco and I will use the secret passage to infiltrate Hiskers Castle. Once I arrive, I’ll signal you, and you’ll find a reason to briefly bring the target out of the room.”
“Outside, you mean?”
“The guards will be watching inside the room. Not because they’re particularly vigilant—more like they’d rather slack off.”
Honestly, who wouldn’t prefer sitting comfortably in a room under the pretense of religious devotion over supervising a bunch of filthy prisoners doing forced labor?
Whether or not they truly believed in the faith didn’t matter.
They were more likely to nod off in the back than actually listen.
But still, they were seasoned enough in their ranks to be given the easy jobs, so we couldn’t underestimate them.
“The moment their eyes are off him, I’ll knock out the target and hide him.”
“That’s when I step in?”
Vasco, having done this sort of thing often, understood without needing a full explanation.
“Exactly.”
I lifted my hand, and Vasco clapped his palm against mine.
Whatever our differences, we worked well together.
“…Are you sure about this?”
Arthur looked at Vasco with concern.
Probably because, despite not being fully recovered yet, Vasco would be stuck in a prison surrounded by filthy inmates.
Love really does make people see others differently.
It was almost ridiculous.
That guy’s existence was practically that of a “living ghost.”
He was perfect for this kind of job.
He’d spent so much time blending in, pretending to be someone else, that it must have felt routine by now.
Why worry about an expert?
“Of course. If anything, it makes repaying my life debt easier.”
Vasco laughed, making it sound like a joke.
…Life debt.
I had managed to save him this time, but after the demon attack, who knew what would happen?
Just like Aimone had died.
Just like Naike had died.
Just like so many others had.
Even Vasco, whom I had barely managed to keep alive—
‘No.’
That must never happen.
That’s why I have to do this right.
Not because of my petty emotions, but for the sake of humanity, I need to reconcile with Batista.
I clenched my fist tightly.
Arthur, despite making it very clear that he didn’t want to do this, did his job well.
Honestly, it was suspicious for someone visiting the castle for the first time to insist on preaching in a specific room.
And Arthur wasn’t exactly smooth with words, which only made it worse.
Just in case, I disguised myself and followed him as his assistant.
He ended up bringing up a curse, one that might not even be real.
He claimed he needed to cleanse the area where the castle’s curse was strongest before using it.
Surprisingly, the prison staff were quite pleased about that.
The problem was, if they actually believed it was purified, they might start using that room more frequently, increasing the risk of the secret passage being discovered.
But whatever.
Once war breaks out, sneaking into prisons like this won’t even matter anymore.
Everything had gone smoothly, and I was relieved.
Being away from Batista like this was making me more anxious by the day.
Had I already missed my chance to reconcile?
Was I wasting precious time…?
What was Batista doing right now?
After all that time resting at the temple with me, had he taken on a new job?
Had he completely forgotten about me and buried himself in work?
Or maybe, just maybe, was he feeling a little uncomfortable because there was no one around to make sure he ate properly?
I shouldn’t wish for the Hero to be inconvenienced, but I couldn’t help but hope he was, just a little.
Because if he was too comfortable, too content being alone—if he decided he never wanted to deal with another person by his side ever again—
Then even if I apologized, he wouldn’t accept it.
‘I want him to think about me.’
It was presumptuous.
‘I want him to miss me.’
It was arrogant.
‘I want him to be waiting for me.’
It was a foolish dream.
Even though Batista had been the one to cut me off, I selfishly wished he would regret it.
That, just like I longed to see him, he would also yearn for me.
Because I love him.
It didn’t have to be much.
I didn’t expect Batista to love me back.
I couldn’t expect that.
I would never be the person who could stand by him as a Hero.
But just a little—just the tiniest bit—I wanted him to think about me.
“Hey, Raul. What are you doing?”
Ah.
I had been lost in useless thoughts again.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
Instead of sitting around hoping, I needed to work to earn forgiveness.
After sending Arthur ahead, Vasco and I snuck into the back entrance of Hiskers Castle.
There weren’t even any guards.
The door was just locked with a simple mechanism.
I picked it open in an instant.
This was one of my specialties.
Why did it feel like I was only ever good at things that were completely useless when fighting demons?
Those bastards didn’t leave buildings intact for sneaking into, and they certainly didn’t use locks.
There was no civilization with them!
I held my breath as we passed a few people near the back entrance.
Nothing difficult.
I already knew the secret passage well and easily guided Vasco through it.
Carefully, I pushed open the hidden door, stepping inside.
A long, dark corridor stretched before us.
If nobles had still been living here, torches would have been lit along the walls, but now the place was abandoned, the sconces rusted beyond recognition.
“Ugh, it smells like dust.”
Vasco waved his hand in front of his face.
There was no helping it.
This place had never been ventilated.
“Vasco.”
“What?”
“Be careful.”
I hadn’t even lit the way yet, but he was already walking ahead like it was nothing.
I called out to him, but before my warning could reach him, his foot pressed down on the floor.
A moment later, the ground gave way beneath him.
Vasco’s leg flailed in the air as he nearly plummeted.
I grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back just in time.
“What the hell was that?”
His bewildered voice was amusing.
The way he clung to my hand like I was his savior was, too.
He must’ve been really shaken.
“This is practically the same as sneaking into a noble’s mansion!”
“Shh. Keep your voice down.”
Vasco ground his teeth.
“…Fine, I’ll lower my voice. But seriously, you should’ve given me a bigger warning. If I’d known, I would’ve been mentally prepared.”
While he grumbled under his breath, I finished lighting the lamp.
* * *
