Published: September 10, 2025
Sorry for the delayed update! I somehow managed to get it done before the end of the year!
"What is that?"
Zena pointed towards a suspicious-looking man wearing a robe.
"To overcome the apocalypse, people must have the 'Wings of Freedom' in their hearts! They must!"
He was spouting something incomprehensible, but the villagers around him just gave annoyed looks and didn’t really listen.
"Probably just some weirdo lured out by the spring weather. Let’s just eat."
"Agreed."
I agreed to Luu’s casual comment and urged Zena and Iona, who were still curious about the weirdo, to head towards the dining hall.
There are always a lot of weirdos around early spring.
More importantly, it would be bad if the food ran out while we were dealing with some weirdo.
"B-but..."
Zena kept looking back, clearly still interested.
"You heretic! What are you doing there!"
A man in priestly robes appeared. Someone from Zaikuon Temple, maybe?
I had a feeling this might get complicated.
Zena and Iona stopped in their tracks.
Our gazes met.
When Luu silently asked what to do, I just shrugged.
Even if I abandoned my colleagues and prioritized eating, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the meal comfortably anyway because of lingering worries.
"The fool is preaching about how to live in the apocalypse!"
"You heretic! What apocalypse? As long as our God Zaikuon exists, no apocalypse will ever come!"
They were saying some complicated things.
The priest should just ignore him seriously.
—Ah, he just punched him.
The priest has a short temper.
"We have to stop this!"
"Ms. Zena!"
Zena rushed out without thinking.
When Zena, trying to mediate, was about to be punched, Iona skillfully stepped in and deflected the blow.
Really reckless, that young lady.
"—Both of you help me!"
Iona called for our help.
"Alright, no choice."
"Let’s go."
Luu and I split up to restrain the heretic man and the priest.
I took the heretic, who seemed out of shape.
"Let me go! You outsider!"
"Why am I being restrained? I am a subdeacon of the glorious Zaikuon Temple!"
Both were noisy.
"What’s all this commotion?"
Baxter appeared.
The old man with him must be the village chief.
"You again!"
"Don’t butt in, old man!"
The heretic was apparently the chief’s son.
No wonder the villagers only gave annoyed looks and didn’t intervene.
"Let me go!"
The man struggled.
When I looked to the village chief for an answer, he replied, "Please let him go."
They probably wouldn’t cause trouble anymore, so Luu and I released their restraints.
"What did you come here for?"
"When I was told your idiot son caused trouble, I had no choice but to come."
"You always treat me like a half-baked adult!"
The man reacted like a brat.
You should outgrow that in puberty.
"You all! You all! You mock me! Even if you suffer in the apocalypse, you won’t be saved!"
Pointing at us, he then bolted into the woods.
So fast! How does someone that shape run so quickly?
"Pursue him?"
If we catch him, maybe we can manage.
"No, it’s unnecessary. He doesn’t have the courage to leave the village anyway."
"Alright."
Those kinds of people can do stupid things when cornered, so we can’t be careless though.
"He went outside the barrier pillars. Is that okay?"
Zena was too kind for a noble.
"Worrying is just a waste."
"Exactly. We locals know the dangerous spots."
"Like Lirio and Luu said, let’s go, Ms. Zena."
Ignoring Baxter, who was just a background figure, we headed to the dining hall.
The meal served was just ordinary countryside food, but compared to the awful packed rations and camping meals, it was a feast.
Apparently, the noble ladies felt the same; Zena and Iona were also eating happily.
â—‡
"Hey, Lirio! You guys wanna go drinking?"
When we left the dining hall, some male colleagues hanging around outside invited us.
"No way."
"Come on, let’s go."
"What if monsters or wild beasts attack at night when we’re drunk?"
"That won’t happen."
"Come on, let’s go."
They were unusually persistent today.
I realized from their looks that their targets were the beautiful Iona and the noble Zena.