Chapter 34: Sanctuary of Hibras (1)

Chapter 34: Sanctuary of Hibras (1)

It felt like I had been asleep for quite a long time.

It was as if I had dreamed, yet it didn’t feel like a dream.

In my dream, I occasionally saw Sirien. She would get angry at someone, or sometimes look at me with a face on the verge of tears.

As my mind, which had been submerged for so long, floated up to the surface, I realized that those scenes were not just dreams.

Perhaps I saw those things as I woke up and fell asleep again.

When I lifted my heavy eyelids, my vision was blurry.

“Ugh...”

My body creaked as if the joints were rusted.

My fists wouldn’t clench properly, and my consciousness hadn’t fully returned, making it feel as though I were still dreaming.

It was a bit warm. As I pulled the blanket down from my neck, I felt more comfortable.

‘A blanket?’

A slight sense of incongruity reached me.

We never had such soft blankets. All we had was a multipurpose blanket, and the floor was never this comfortable.

Come to think of it, the ceiling was unfamiliar. Not just the ceiling, but the whole space felt foreign.

I was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar room.

I managed to lift my stiff body and saw Sirien sleeping beside me, near my side.

She must have woken up from my movements because she was rubbing her eyes.

She seemed to have just fallen asleep, as it looked painful for her to wake up.

As our eyes met, the curtain fluttered from the breeze outside.

Morning sunlight streamed into the modest room.

Under the warm sunlight, her sleepy face opened its eyes wide.

Soon, her small, pretty lips curved into a smile. Her red eyes sparkled with laughter as she spoke.

“You’re awake? How are you feeling?”

It was the sweetest morning greeting I had ever heard.

* * *

To be honest, I was still bewildered by the changed environment.

Right after fighting the spider, it was as if the world had changed when I opened my eyes.

But I could guess what had happened.

It must have followed the original story.

The place I reached with all my might was the same place where Razen had arrived in the original story.

Sirien must have done the same. Her best efforts ultimately led us here.

I didn’t know the details of the process, but eventually, Sirien became the saint of Hibras here.

A saint of a god who would someday be called a demon god.

To be frank, Hibras being labeled a demon god wasn’t solely due to slander.

Of course, there wasn’t such a thing as a demon god in the first place. Each god had both beneficial and harmful aspects for humans.

Therefore, the declaration of Hibras as a demon god was merely a proclamation by several mainstream religious sects.

However, there were plausible grounds for Hibras being called a demon god.

“Aren’t you hungry? Let’s have a meal first. I’m hungry too.”

Right after Sirien went out briefly to call someone, a person dressed in black came in and brought us breakfast.

The clothes weren’t particularly luxurious; they were closer to mourning attire.

“I do feel a bit of regret, but I don’t regret the decision. Even if time went back, I would make the same choice.”

As soon as Sirien finished her meal, she nestled into my arms.

I was forced to lie down, bearing Sirien’s weight. She seemed lighter than before.

Her soft cheek rubbed against my chest. I was about to say something, but seeing the sheer happiness on her face, I stopped.

Her eyes, curved like a crescent moon, were filled with joy. Her smiling lips, and arms that seemed to want to hug me tight, yet hesitated as if afraid of hurting me.

Sensing her emotional struggle, I gently patted her head.

Sirien liked this the most.

The motion of lowering her bangs onto her forehead. She didn’t like having her hair messed up but enjoyed being patted on the head.

Sirien savored my warmth for a long time before she was satisfied.

We lay entwined, looking up at the ceiling. The wallpaper, faded with time, came into view.

Sirien suddenly reached out her hand.

“Razen, I’m a saint now. Look, I can use holy magic like this.”

“Yeah, I heard. You’re good at it. All that studying paid off.”

A reddish light flickered above her hand.

It was a soft, lamp-like light. A warm light that seemed to radiate heat.

In the novel, Sirien used to wield dark divine power to bring death, but it seemed that such power could also be used this way.

“I can use healing magic now, too. The first thing I did after receiving the baptism was to heal you. Every day, I poured all my divine power into you. So when you woke up, I felt like I could fly.”

Sirien’s hand gently touched my arm. Then she found my wrist and held it with both hands.

Despite all the hardships, Sirien’s hands were still soft and tender.

“Hey, Razen.”

“Yeah.”

“I tried really hard. Just like you did for me, this time I fought with all my might. I put everything on the line and protected both of us. So, praise me.”

“You did well. This time, I really survived thanks to you, Sirien. Thank you.”

“I really wanted to hear that? Tell me a bit more. And I’d be even happier if you hugged me.”

If she asked, I had to oblige.

I wrapped my arms around her small waist. Sirien placed her hands over mine and giggled.

The hands we held felt warmer than usual.

My chest and Sirien’s back resonated with our heartbeats.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

Our alternating heartbeats felt as though they had merged into one.

We stayed like that for a long time, listening to the sound of our hearts. The occasional breeze felt pleasant.

“Razen, as a saint, I can now knight someone.”

Suddenly, Sirien gulped.

In the quiet room, the sound was distinct.

“Of course, you’ve always been my knight. Just as you protected me without asking for a vow, I think of you as my knight without needing any formal vow.”

Her clear voice continued without hesitation, as if she had thought about this for a long time.

The girl, who always seemed delicate, suddenly sat up.

“But I want to do it once. I don’t care if the world acknowledges it or not; I want to officially make you my knight. Even if it’s just our own ceremony. No, it’s better if it’s just the two of us.”

The girl who stood up first reached out her hand to me.

“Please, Razen. Will you be my knight?”

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