Chapter 27

Ah, the chef Heath has kidnapped. The poor guy who reluctantly made food with his rabbit-like children back home. I nodded.

Dale and Jeremy arrived at the shore of the lake while fleeing from the Demon Castle, and saw me, poisoned and enveloped by purple light and disappeared.

“Disappeared?”

I uttered a silly question. But I couldn’t immediately understand what he meant by her disappearance.

“Yes, you literally disappeared. After the purple flash disappeared, Lady Julia was nowhere to be seen.”

He searched the area, but even her body was not found. Suddenly, a person disappeared, so both the demons and the Holy Knights were confused. Escaping the mess, Dale and Jeremy found me here in the amethyst cave.

“At first, I thought I was just seeing things. But when I found Lady Julia trapped in the amethyst cave…….”

They argued over whether to break the crystal with a hammer and get me out. But one day, however, the goddess Gremia appeared in their dream, saying, “She will wake up on her own when the time comes, so leave her alone. She’s currently in the process of purifying the poison from her body.”

Then Dale and Jeremy waited for me to wake up as the goddess said. And a year passed when I finally opened my eyes.

I tried to move around. Although my body was sluggish and stiff, there was no major pain. I could still use my divine power. But I couldn’t see the tears of the goddess hanging around my neck anymore. The principle was unknown, but it was clear that I was healed by the power of the goddess latent in the tears of the goddess.

At the end of the long story, I asked what I was most interested in.

“Then what happened to Heath now?”

The look on Heath’s face was still clear in my mind. His face was distorted as he looked at me, his arms were shaking and hugging me, and his eyes were wet with tears……. It bothered me that I couldn’t say I was sorry for doubting him. I wonder if he’s looking for me.

Jeremy put on a troubled look for a moment. He looked as if he had heard a question he didn’t want to answer. His appearance of trying to say something very difficult suddenly filled me with anxiety.

“The Demon King is…”

It was then.

“Oh, the saint is awake.”

Suddenly a strange voice came in. There was a man who raised his head to the entrance of the cave. I figured that he was the chef Dale whom Jeremy was talking about.

Dale was a very muscular man. His hair was cut short, and his forearm that was about the size of a kid’s waist was about to pop out of his top. His tanned skin was dark brown. If I hadn’t heard about him beforehand, I wouldn’t think of him as a chef just by his appearance. He was a man dressed more like a hunter or a mercenary than a chef.

Dale spoke in a friendly manner.

“We’re finally meeting like this.”

“……thank you.”

I bowed my head. He would have wanted to go back to his hometown right away, but I was grateful that he waited for me to wake up. However, Dale’s words that followed made my head blank.

“You’ve just woken up well. If you slept longer, the world might have ended.”

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

“Chef, give me another bowl!”

I shouted at the kitchen.

It was a small village with many farms, but the restaurant here was large and plausible. This is because it was a village located near the north-south intersection crossing the Holy Land. Travelers traveling through this road used to stop by the village to fill their stomachs and relax. The restaurant’s dense table, which occupied the first floor of the three-story building, was filled with customers.

Soon the restaurant clerk put down a large bowl in front of me. Steam came from the bowl. The soup was boiled with various vegetables and spices along with the chicken. It was great food to fill a hungry stomach. I took a spoonful of soup and made a loud gurgling sound. Maybe because I slept for a year, so the food went in very well.

I was surprised by Dale’s words that the world might have perished if I hadn’t woken up and was about to ask in more detail.

‘Kururuk…’

Then there was a thundering sound from my stomach. My cheeks turned red. However, if the last time I ate was a year ago, wouldn’t it be natural to be hungry? Now I wanted to put something in my stomach before the end of the world.

“Let’s talk later and fill our stomachs first.”

“There’s a village just a short walk away from here.”

Jeremy and Dale said they had stayed in the village’s inn.

They couldn’t even stay in the cave, so they headed to the village for now. I covered my long blonde hair with a hoodie as a disguise. I didn’t want to let everyone know that I am Saint Julia until I figured out what was going on.

And as soon as I arrived, I came to the biggest restaurant in town. The restaurant with many travelers was a good place to know the news around. I decided to find out the news around me as I fill my stomach.

I dipped the meat in the soup with a fork. The bowl contained substantial meat, so it was good to fill the stomach.

The food was quite delicious. However, what Dale made when I was in the Demon Cast;e was much more delicious. The meat was moist and tender, and the sauce was savory. I suddenly spoke to Dale, who sat across from me, recalling the luxurious food.

“Dale, don’t you want to be my exclusive chef?”

“Exclusive chef? But the saintess said–”

“Shh.”

Jeremy warned him to lower his voice. As I decided to hide my identity, we decided for them to call me out by my name. Dale coughed and continued.

“Well, anyway, you belong to the temple. Where would I cook for you?”

“Hey, I’m leaving for the South…. ”

That’s right.

The plan to steal the 100,000 gold has already become a piece of tissue. I don’t know exactly what the situation is now, but since I’ve been missing for a year, I won’t have time to steal any more money.

I reflected on my beautiful plan with tears in my eyes. The second chapter of my life, in which I will buy a luxurious mansion with 100,000 gold and play around with handsome men I like. I thought I had almost everything in my hand, but I didn’t know it would fall like dust. It was such a waste that tears came out when I thought of 100,000 gold and freedom.

“No, it’s nothing. I’m sure Mr. Dale is also waiting to be with your rabbit-like children at home.”

“I’m single.”

I see. It’s just beyond my expectations.

In fact, I thought about how to run away like this.

My whereabouts are not yet known except for the two here. Even if I don’t have 100,000 gold, I could run away to the South and find a new life.

My description was not known in the South as the Gremian Goddess Church was not widely spread. If I hide my identity and pretend to be a healer, I can earn money to live on.

But the Goddess Gremia told me to save Heath. I am not a very faithful believer, but if I don’t keep my promise with the Goddess of Gremia, she might come to my nightmare.

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