* * *
Seo Woohyun absentmindedly poked the remains of the sweet potatoes with the end of a fire stick.
He had only let his mind wander for a moment, but everything was burned to a crisp.
“I thought a few might burn, but they all got ruined. On YouTube, they said it was easy… If I can’t even roast sweet potatoes properly, how am I going to survive out here?”
He had always considered himself decent at simple cooking, so this failure caught him off guard.
He felt embarrassed to face the others, especially Malrang, who had been eagerly waiting, even calculating when the roasted sweet potatoes would be ready.
“It’s okay, hyung. I don’t need roasted sweet potatoes.”
The child patted Seo Woohyun’s back, trying to comfort him.
Giselle, who had been watching, headed towards the cart loaded with supplies.
“We can just roast more sweet potatoes.”
After all, he had a duty to ensure that the Saint could enjoy the journey.
With Erdian briefly away, he felt it was his responsibility to handle things properly.
Fortunately, there were more potatoes and sweet potatoes in the basket.
When he returned to the campfire with the fresh supplies, the Saint’s face finally brightened.
Seo Woohyun realized he hadn’t thought to just roast more in the first place.
“When the sweet potatoes are done, let’s cut them open and spread some butter on them, hyung. How does that sound?”
Malrang, licking his lips, wiggled his hips in excitement.
Even though he had said it was okay not to have any earlier, the sweet smell now filling the air had him salivating.
He was an honest child when it came to his desires.
“Sounds good. It’ll taste even better that way.”
“I’ve only ever watched people eat it. This will be my first time trying it.”
“I won’t burn them this time. If they start to, let me know.”
“Okay!”
Admitting defeat, Seo Woohyun asked Malrang for help and accepted that his cooking skills weren’t as great as he had thought.
Living off frozen meals and convenience foods had inflated his self-perception.
If he couldn’t even roast a simple sweet potato, he couldn’t claim to be good at cooking.
“Well, I’ll improve with practice.”
Seo Woohyun didn’t dwell too much on the fact that his cooking skills were lacking.
After all, kissing a god and intertwining their tongues had happened—burning a few sweet potatoes didn’t seem like a big deal anymore.
Thanks to Malrang’s sharp senses, the second batch of sweet potatoes and potatoes didn’t burn.
When Seo Woohyun cut one open, a cloud of steam rose, and he placed small pats of butter inside, which quickly melted from the heat.
“Careful, it’s hot.”
“Okay!”
Seo Woohyun handed the first roasted sweet potato to Malrang, who had been waiting eagerly.
Then, he distributed buttered sweet potatoes to the rest of the group.
Despite the extended mealtime due to the earlier mishap, none of them complained—they were all kind people.
Even the thief, who was tied up with his hands bound, received a share before Seo Woohyun finally bit into his own.
The butter-soaked sweet potato was soft and sweet, bursting with flavor.
‘I should save one for Erdian.’
Pleased with himself, Seo Woohyun set aside the best-looking sweet potato for Erdian, but just as he did, a notification window appeared before his eyes.
[Main Quest: ‘Prohibition’ complete.]
[Reward: 1 Erdian’s Praise Stamp]
[Would you like to collect it now?]
It had already been a week since he had received the quest forbidding apologies.
Seeing the quest completion notification made him think of Erdian again, leaving him with mixed feelings.
He accepted the reward and glanced at the board where he had collected five stamps so far, mumbling to the group.
“Sorry again about burning almost all the sweet potatoes earlier. Dinner took much longer than expected…”
Now that the quest forbidding apologies was complete, he felt a small sense of relief.
“Everyone burns their first batch of sweet potatoes. But you succeeded on the second try.”
“That’s right. We’ll reach a village just outside the forest in a couple of days. We can buy more sweet potatoes there, and after roasting them a few more times, you’ll get the hang of it.”
Tia and Giselle encouraged Seo Woohyun, who still looked somewhat downhearted.
Even though Erdian was away, the Saint was still the Saint.
It wouldn’t do for someone favored by a god—so much so that they traveled together—to be upset over burning a simple dessert.
“Hyung, I’m full and sleepy now…”
Malrang, who had thoroughly enjoyed the roasted sweet potatoes, patted his belly contentedly, smudges of ash around his mouth.
His large eyes were already half-closed with drowsiness.
“Do you want to head inside and sleep first?”
“Won’t you sleep too, hyung? Let’s sleep together.”
Normally, Seo Woohyun would have gladly agreed to head to the cart and sleep with Malrang, but tonight was different.
Shaking his head, he led the boy to the cart.
“I’ll join you later. I have some things to think about.”
With Erdian away, Seo Woohyun needed some time to sort through the whirlwind of thoughts running through his mind.
“Oh, do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep? In case you’re scared?”
“I’m ten years old, hyung. I can sleep alone. But you should come sleep next to me when you’re sleepy. Since El isn’t here today, we can sleep together, just the two of us.”
Since the day Erdian had reluctantly called Seo Woohyun by the name “Francis,” Malrang had alternated between sleeping with Seo Woohyun and Erdian.
One night with Seo Woohyun, the next with Erdian.
“Okay. You go ahead and sleep. If anything happens, come straight to me, okay?”
“Okay!”
Malrang lay down on the wide sofa where Seo Woohyun usually slept.
Once the cart door was closed, he would return to his small, round form and snuggle into his blanket, falling fast asleep.
Seo Woohyun patted the boy’s soft head before closing the cart door.
As he sat by the campfire, sipping lukewarm tea, he noticed Raullet and Justin exchanging secret glances.
It was a signal that a group with lanterns had been spotted approaching.
“I thought I saw a light nearby. So, the priests are resting here.”
A man with a friendly face approached.
All of them were plainly dressed, unmistakably pilgrims returning from the Holy City.
“Mind if we share your fire for a bit?”
“Of course. Feel free. Would you like some water?”
“Oh, we’d be honored if you could spare some.”
Giselle smiled kindly, offering them part of the camp.
As they boiled water over the fire, the clearing grew livelier.
Seo Woohyun quietly joined his companions, deep in thought.
‘It’s too noisy to think here. Should I go inside the cart? But then… all I’ll do is think about him.’
After all, it was in the cart that Seo Woohyun had kissed Erdian, which made it a terrible place to sort out his thoughts.
Maybe blending in with the lively group would help him clear his mind better.
“But who’s that man all tied up over there?”
The thief stood out, surrounded by the well-dressed pilgrims.
One man cautiously asked while wiping his face with a warm, damp cloth, and Giselle answered casually.
“He’s a thief who tried to rob our cart. We caught him in the act, and he confessed to other crimes. We’re planning to hand him over when we reach the nearby estate.”
“Unbelievable! Of all the things to steal, he goes after the priests’ goods!”
The pilgrim glared at Marvin, the thief.
Justin quickly slung Marvin over his shoulder and carried him off to the storage cart.
Though Marvin was an unforgivable scoundrel, it wasn’t worth making a fuss when the Saint wasn’t in the best mood.
Once the thief was out of sight, the atmosphere quickly lightened again.
They sipped their tea, relaxing as one of the pilgrims spoke up.
“By the way, are you priests all doing alright?”
“Why do you ask?”
“We’re returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy City, and well, it seems that priests from the Erdian Order were ambushed outside the city.”
“Can you tell us more?”
Giselle’s usual gentle expression stiffened for a moment.
“Yes, we only heard the story from the inn, so we don’t know the details. But from what we’ve gathered, it seems to be the work of a group of apostates. Fortunately, it appears you avoided any major harm, but the innkeeper did advise caution near the forest.”
Seo Woohyun flinched at the word “apostates.”
‘Apostates… that’s what you call people who leave one religion to follow another. Why would they attack the priests of our order?’
All this time, Seo Woohyun had felt like his position as a saint was just a comfortable life handed to him, like a parachute that landed him in luxury, causing him to feel burdened.
That’s why he tried his best to adapt quickly, so others wouldn’t point fingers at him.
Even though he had died from overwork in his previous life, he hadn’t allowed himself to rest in this new world either, constantly asking questions and learning new things as if he were a rookie employee.
He at least wanted to make an effort so it wouldn’t seem like he had just stumbled into this highly coveted position by sheer luck.
But now…
‘Wait… Does our order have more enemies than I thought?’
Being the leader of a group under assassination threats was a different story altogether.
Seo Woohyun tensed slightly, gripping the cup in his hand tightly.
* * *
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Good chapter.
Erdian come back