* * *
As Seo Woohyun’s anxiety swelled uncontrollably, he heard a soft whisper from Erdian, who had gently pulled him into a reassuring embrace.
“That… is the sound of Malrang hunting. Did it scare you?”
“Malrang?”
Seo Woohyun was dumbfounded by the unexpected answer.
“Yeah, the little guy has quite the explosive personality.”
While Erdian spoke casually, another explosion reverberated through the air.
Each time, Seo Woohyun flinched and leaned closer to Erdian.
‘This is… the sound of Malrang hunting? What on earth is he using to hunt for it to make such noises?’
With each blast, the sound of something crumbling and shattering echoed clearly.
But as Seo Woohyun imagined Malrang enthusiastically hunting birds, perhaps waving his little white hands or sky-blue paws, he started to calm down.
Maybe it was also because of the reassuring hand patting his back.
‘But… isn’t this position a little too close?’
At first, he had instinctively clung to Erdian’s arm out of surprise, but now he realized that Erdian had pulled him into his arms to comfort him, leaving him nestled securely against Erdian’s chest.
It was unbecoming for a man nearing thirty to be acting like a frightened child.
Feeling embarrassed, Seo Woohyun quickly withdrew from Erdian’s embrace.
Sensing the change, Erdian’s voice came out in a tone that was clearly disappointed.
“What, you’re already calm?”
“…Yes.”
“It doesn’t seem like it to me. If you’re still anxious, you can lean on me more.”
Erdian opened his arms again, his expression full of concern, though his tone implied he wouldn’t mind if Seo Woohyun clung to him more.
Seo Woohyun hesitated for a moment but then steeled himself, deciding he needed to stay focused.
‘I really need to stop having these blasphemous thoughts, but why does he keep confusing me like this?’
Seo Woohyun was fully aware that Erdian was an ethereal being far beyond his reach, not even human.
And yet, he couldn’t help but feel flustered by Erdian’s face and physique.
He knew he had a weakness for good looks, but he hadn’t realized it was this bad.
Clearly, his self-awareness still had room for improvement.
“…No, I’m fine. But if Malrang is making all that noise while hunting, won’t it be hard to clean up a bird that big?”
As Seo Woohyun deliberately shifted the conversation, Raullet, who had been standing nearby, responded confidently.
“Justin and I have a lot of experience with cleaning game, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Oh… I heard knights learn things like that, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Knights learn various skills, including how to care for armor and weapons, as well as how to prepare the game they catch.
After many years of being a knight, Raullet was confident he could handle whatever Malrang brought back.
“I’ve gathered the firewood!”
The attendant, Finn, came cheerfully, his arms full of dry branches.
His tightly tied green ponytail was half undone, likely from the effort of gathering the wood.
“Good job, Finn. Could you place it over here?”
“Sure! By the way, Malrang hasn’t returned yet, has he?”
“No, not yet.”
Finn was the only one in the group without the ability to sense divine energy.
As an attendant tasked with serving the clergy, just thinking about the time Malrang had been scolded for stealing still made his heart race.
Especially when Malrang, without fear, had growled at the saint and the air around them had trembled.
That moment remained vividly etched in Finn’s memory.
Even though Malrang had since joined their group, Finn was still terrified of him.
‘Maybe with time, things will get better?’
It hadn’t been long since Malrang joined them.
Finn told himself that his awkwardness was understandable and neatly stacked the firewood he had gathered.
‘Even if Malrang growls, Erdian is here, so there’s nothing to worry about. Just like before, when Erdian scolded him with just a look.’
When Erdian had expressed his displeasure by revealing his divine nature, Finn, like Seo Woohyun, had been unaffected.
He had noticed the strange atmosphere, but without the ability to sense divine energy, Finn couldn’t grasp the gravity of what had transpired.
“Lord Ciel, could you light the fire now?”
“Can I borrow a match?”
Seo Woohyun crouched in front of the firewood and extended his hand.
He had learned by watching others that they typically used matches to light fires here.
Naturally, he expected Tia to hand him a match, but she looked at him with a somewhat confused expression.
“Uh, a match?”
“Isn’t that what you use to light the fire?”
“We usually use divine energy.”
“You can light a fire with divine energy?”
Tia quickly closed her mouth, her face showing clear embarrassment at Seo Woohyun’s puzzled expression.
Divine energy is a byproduct of the power Erdian had lent to this world.
The ability to sense and utilize divine energy is a talent one is born with.
No matter how long someone serves the church, if they lack this ability, they cannot become a priest.
Many fail the divine resonance test and spend their lives as servants, like Finn, who had just gathered the firewood.
“We usually use it to light candles during prayers and daily rituals, but it’s also handy for campfires…”
Tia trailed off, glancing nervously at Erdian.
Sensing her discomfort, Seo Woohyun quickly tried to steer the conversation.
“Oh, it’s just that people in my room were using matches to light candles, so I thought I’d ask. Plus, I’m not very familiar with using divine energy…”
“Pardon?”
It was hard to believe that someone so imbued with divine power didn’t know how to use it.
Although High Priest Sihero had explained that Seo Woohyun was still unfamiliar with the ways of this place, Tia hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.
‘Ah, so that’s why I was included in this group.’
Tia had a talent for teaching others how to handle divine energy.
She had even received numerous recommendations to become a high-ranking priestess due to her success in training novice priests.
“Why not take this opportunity to learn from Tia? She’s good at teaching divine energy, much better than I am,” Erdian suggested, finally joining the conversation.
Seo Woohyun had only learned the basic concept of divine energy from Sihero.
Given his level of knowledge, it seemed Sihero hadn’t yet deemed him ready to be taught how to use it.
“As long as Tia doesn’t mind, I’d love to learn a bit. Would that be okay?”
“Of course! It would be an honor.”
Tia briefly explained the basics of divine energy, and her clear explanations made Seo Woohyun feel confident enough to give it a try.
“I think I can do it. Let me give it a shot.”
Seo Woohyun, who was proudly about to start a fire, ended up causing a large wildfire in the mountains.
“Hahahaha! So, it wasn’t that soft one, but you who’s all fiery! How could you start such a huge fire? Haha!”
Erdian leaned back, laughing so hard that tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
Seo Woohyun stood next to him, dropping his hands to his sides, looking up helplessly at the innocent sky.
Even though a large fire had broken out, the sky remained frustratingly clear without a hint of smoke.
Thanks to Erdian’s quick thinking, who managed to swiftly contain the sudden flare-up, there wasn’t even a trace of soot near the forest where the group had gathered.
The only one who appeared amidst the flames was Malrang, who had been in the middle of hunting.
“Was it you, brother, who made that fire earlier?”
“…Yeah, but I put it out well. Everything’s fine.”
Seo Woohyun patted Malrang’s head, who had returned with prey as big as a wagon wheel.
He thought he had done well, following Tia’s instructions, but the fire had turned out to be much bigger than expected.
Trying to help out had only led to causing trouble.
If Erdian hadn’t intervened, they could’ve all been seriously hurt.
Seo Woohyun decided to hold back on using his sacred powers for now.
“…Thank you for your help. I’ll practice more before I try again next time.”
Though he really wanted to apologize, with a quest in play, all he could do was express his thanks.
Seeing Seo Woohyun looking downcast, Erdian finally stopped laughing.
“For a first-time attempt, you did well. It was fiery, I liked it.”
“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
“No teasing. That was a compliment.”
If only you’d wipe that grin off your face when you say it, Seo Woohyun thought, letting out a long sigh.
Meanwhile, Justin, standing nearby, was busy preparing Malrang’s prey.
Unlike the startled Seo Woohyun, who was taken aback by the size of the bird Malrang had caught, Justin deftly plucked its feathers and cleaned its insides.
Priest Caro, using sacred power, burned the unusable parts and washed the bloodstained meat.
“You can make water with sacred power too?”
“Yes, but it does consume a fair bit of it.”
Seo Woohyun, who had been watching curiously, asked, and Caro answered cautiously, glancing at Erdian.
It felt strange explaining things when the very person responsible for such abilities was standing right there.
“But wow, that’s a big bird you caught. Looks like we’re all having grilled skewers tonight.”
Seo Woohyun said to Malrang, who was stuck to his side.
At that, Justin, who had just finished cleaning the innards, looked serious.
“After observing Malrang’s hunting today, I must say something.”
Seo Woohyun was curious about Justin’s assessment of Malrang’s hunting skills.
The group also seemed interested in what Justin had to say.
Especially Malrang, whose eyes sparkled with anticipation, puffing out breaths excitedly.
“Malrang is a bit more… ferocious than expected. I’m concerned about putting him in the same carriage as Lord Ciel.”
Malrang’s eyes grew wide, clearly expecting praise.
“No! I don’t threaten Hyung! Ferocious is a bad word!”
In protest, Malrang shouted, clinging even tighter to Seo Woohyun’s leg, crumpling the priest’s robes.
* * *
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Yeah, it’s a bad word 😆
Damn! A wildfire! His divine power must be very strong!