I travelled with Miguel and the others for a full day just like I had told them I would, and right now— the time has finally come for me to say my last goodbyes to the group.
"It was a truly fortunate day when our paths first crossed, and I cannot thank you enough for helping our village ever since the very beginning."
Miguel said those words with a heavy tone of gratitude as he bowed his head deeply toward me. The two older coachmen standing behind him followed his lead and did the exact same thing.
"Apparently, he wiped out an entire village of goblins all on his own and saved the kidnapped villagers... there was even a chief goblin leading them there."
Brylle whispered that information to his swordsman and mace-wielding teammates, though I could still hear him clearly. It seems like Miguel or one of the others must have told him the story during our travel.
"Damn, it would have been incredibly hard for the three of us to pull that off together, and you’re telling me he did it all alone...?"
Alden, the swordsman, mumbled that under his breath while looking at me with a new sense of awe.
"Ugh... I really messed up by talking trash, didn’t I. I should have just kept my big mouth shut."
Easton, the guy with the mace, followed up with that regretful comment.
"Yeah, you really are a special kind of stupid sometimes."
Brylle told him bluntly, and Easton couldn’t do anything in response but just let out a frustrated groan. I have only really travelled with these new guys for less than a day, but last night when we were camping; the three of them approached me and the mace guy gave me a sincere apology for his behavior at the gate.
They were actually good people at heart, it’s just that Easton is a bit of a muscle-head who always manages to get himself into some sort of trouble. Anyway, I don’t hold a grudge against them; quite the contrary, to be honest.
"Let’s make sure we see each other again somewhere down the road."
Moving on from the mercenaries, Geremie approached me and said that with a firm look in his eyes.
"Thanks again for those gold coins, you really are the best person I’ve ever met, haha."
Albert followed right behind him, wearing his usual wide grin.
I shook hands with the two of them, feeling a genuine bond with these guys, then I slightly bowed my head as well to Miguel and the rest of the villagers.
"I truly hope that we get the chance to see each other again."
I said those words with a sincere heart, feeling a bit of a lump in my throat.
I also glanced over at Brylle and the other mercenaries, nodding my head in a silent show of respect. They all waved back at me with friendly expressions.
"Hup...!"
I climbed back on top of Bong, settling into the saddle, then before I finally turned to leave—
"Take care of yourselves, everyone."
I said that to the whole group, giving them one last look before pulling on the reins.
TAP- TAP- TAP-
*****
It has been quite a while now since I separated from Miguel and the others... and I have to admit, parting ways with them was really sad.
They were the very first people I met and actually got close with after arriving in this world, after all.
"Hans and the others back at the village as well... I really hope they are doing okay."
I whispered that to myself, smiling warmly as I remembered their faces. I looked down at my chest and saw the pendant the kids had given me, and the simple moon design on it caught my eyes.
"Haha, a moon design, huh... How iconic for a guy like me."
I mumbled that, looking up at the vast sky above. The sun was already starting to set in the distance, and it was clearly going to get dark soon enough.
I had split up with Miguel and his group early in the morning, so I have already travelled a considerably far distance since then. And currently— RUSTLE~
I have just entered the outskirts of a dense forest.
"I really hope there are some monsters lurking around here that can give me some useful new skills."
I said that out loud, feeling a bit of excitement bubbling up in my chest.
... ... ...
I decided to go ahead and make my camp right in the middle of the forest once the moon started rising high up in the sky. I had been given plenty of camping essentials like a sturdy tent and a warm sleeping bag by Miguel and the others before we parted ways.
I don’t have many belongings on me so it only took me a short while to get everything prepared and set up.
After that was finished, I fed Bong some oats and made sure he was comfortable enough to rest for the night.
I also went ahead and started a campfire. I know very well that this light will reveal my exact location to any nearby monsters and enemies— but that was actually one of the main reasons I decided to make it.
And once everything was finally set and done...
SWISH~
I started my nightly training with my swordsmanship, moving through the forms I knew.
’Now, I just need to sit back and wait for something out there to come and attack me.’
I thought that with a confident smile spreading across my face.
*****
Verc spent the vast majority of his time focused on training with his sword. Contrary to what he had originally expected— only a few small monsters and wild animals actually came out of the shadows to attack him.
Most of them were just normal bears, or monsters that he had already encountered and drank the blood of before.
But he didn’t really care about the lack of variety; he slaughtered every single one of them and still made sure to drink their blood regardless. He didn’t completely dry them all up this time, though; Verc took the time to cut off some of the better parts so he could actually cook and eat them.
Right now, he was actually roasting some fresh [Ironhide Boar] meat over the fire while he continued with his training!
Technically, he does not really need to eat food at all, as he can survive and live a long time by just consuming blood.
’But living like that would just be sad and boring.’
Verc thought to himself. He didn’t want to live his life like a mere monster; he wants to eat delicious food and eventually live a luxurious life.
He is determined to live by his own standards, not by the standards of a typical vampire.
And so, just like that— SLASH!
He continued swinging his sword through the air, only stopping from time to time to take a bite of the roasted meat. He did this for several hours, and he planned to keep doing this until the sun finally came up.
It is not like he doesn’t want to sleep, he just feels like he can’t because both Bong and himself might get caught off guard by an attack.
Also, it’s not as if he strictly needs the rest.
Verc rarely ever slept at all these days; he spent most of his nights either training his body or doing something productive, and he only sleeps on a random whim whenever he feels like it.
He was going to keep swinging his sword all night long again this time... or at least, that was his original plan.
"Huh?"
With [Vibration Awareness] active, he suddenly felt something quite large approaching the area where he was camped. It was a big creature and it was moving pretty fast.
’Is it just another bear coming for the meat?’
He asked that as he turned his body toward the direction the sound was coming from. Both [Nocturnal Sight] and [Thermal Sense] helped him quickly confirm his guess. But just then—
"???"
He noticed a few more distinct vibrations coming from right behind the bear, appearing as if they were following it or hunting it down. And after a few more moments... the heavy footsteps of the bear completely disappeared.
’They killed it.’
Verc immediately concluded in his mind.
"They’re coming here next."
Then he muttered that quietly as he squinted his eyes to see through the trees. He felt the vibrations getting much nearer, and he quickly realized that there were quite a lot of them.
’Something very big is also travelling with them.’
Verc was torn for a second between staying where he was or running away into the brush, but because he could not possibly pack his things on time before they arrived— he just decided to stay put and wait for them to show themselves.
"..."
Verc stopped his training and waited in silence, he was incredibly vigilant and prepared for whatever was about to happen next.
And then, after a short while— TAP!
A man who was fully covered in polished steel armor stepped out into the light of the campfire. He was protected from his neck down to his toes.
’So that was why they were so hard to see clearly with my [Thermal Sense].’
Verc thought, realizing the armor had masked their body heat.
TAP- TAP- TAP—
Four more armored men emerged into the clearing where he was standing a few seconds after the first one appeared. They all stared at Verc, and Verc just stared right back at them— carefully observing their every move.
"Huh?"
Then he noticed the specific engravings on the chest pieces of the armors of those who had arrived.
It was the design of a radiant sun.
"...!"
Verc’s eyes widened the moment he saw that symbol, and before he could even find the words to say or do anything—
TAK- TAK- TAK—!
Two horses approached from behind the five armored men, pulling a very familiar-looking golden carriage behind them.
Verc saw it, and his eyes widened even further in disbelief.
The door of the golden carriage slowly opened up, and from inside— a beautiful young woman with bright yellow hair falling all the way down to her waist stepped out.
"Huh?"
The young woman looked completely stunned the moment she saw Verc standing there by the fire.
"No fucking way."
Verc muttered those words under his breath.
He simply could not believe his luck.
Standing just a few meters away from him in the middle of nowhere— was none other than Elianna...
[The Saintess of The Radiant Church]!