Chapter 37: Sanctuary of Hibras (4)

Chapter 37: Sanctuary of Hibras (4)

One positive change since entering the Sanctuary of Hibras was that we no longer needed to keep watch through the night.

With the constant threat of beast and monster attacks now behind us, we could sleep soundly in our room.

You only realize its value once you lose it—adequate sleep was an incredibly precious thing.

Looking back, having to keep watch with just the two of us on the road was too harsh.

I vowed to acquire proper travel gear for our next journey.

Something enchanted with magic.

Anyway, with my fatigue gone, I started my day with physical training.

Staying cooped up in a room, even as a patient, didn’t suit my personality, and physical fitness deteriorates if not maintained daily.

As long as I had a good environment to eat and rest, my body would continue to grow.

There happened to be a suitable open space near my lodging, which I used as a training ground.

With the environment set, there was no reason not to put in the effort. Even now, my future enemies wouldn’t be slacking off.

‘Even as a Swordmaster, I can’t afford to be complacent. I must treat this as just the beginning.’

The original novel of this world was a reverse harem story.

This meant it prioritized character appeal, with various male leads surrounding the female protagonist like trophies.

Each one bore grand titles like Archmage and Sword Saint.

Knowing I’d eventually face such adversaries, I had no time to rest.

I had to surpass even the original Razen.

After running for a while, I was drying off after a wash when I heard a slightly annoyed voice behind me.

“I knew it. I told you to rest until I got back.”

Sirien was glaring at me with eyes full of dissatisfaction.

Her cheeks puffed up slightly, as if she were about to sulk.

I expected some scolding, but I didn’t think she’d get mad so quickly.

“This is nothing, really.”

“But you promised me. You could’ve waited to run until after your treatment.”

“The morning air was just too refreshing.”

“Ugh!”

Sirien pouted at my nonchalant answer.

Her small hand slapped my back with force.

The sound echoed crisply, and my back burned with pain.

“That’s your punishment for not listening.”

“Your hand’s gotten quite strong, huh?”

“If I hit lightly, you wouldn’t even pretend it hurt.”

“Ahem.”

Even when she was furious, she used to throw soft punches.

Now she’d grown enough to deliver a slap that actually hurt.

It seemed I’d raised a beast.

Well, Sirien’s worries weren’t baseless. My body still had traces of poison.

After moving around a lot, I felt some discomfort in my limbs.

I got out of breath quickly, and my body didn’t move quite the way I wanted it to.

The habit showed no signs of wear, likely made after Sirien received her blessings.

It seemed she had only just finished sewing it in time to wear it today.

After the brief introduction, Melissa continued to walk around, cleaning various parts of the building.

Sirien and I headed to the dining hall, where she grabbed an apple. We walked leisurely, munching on the fruit together.

“This is the vegetable garden. Bigger than it looks, right? They say it’s maintained by everyone here.”

The vegetable garden looked much like the ones I was used to seeing.

A low fence, barely knee-high, marked the boundaries of the plots. Tender green sprouts peeked out from the carefully cultivated soil.

Sirien crouched down and gently touched the leaves of a sprout with her fingers.

“You know, it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen such tiny sprouts. The garden at home only had fully grown flowers.”

“But they did plant new ones every spring in the back garden.”

“Yeah, I saw that last spring. So, it’s been a year since I saw new sprouts. They’re so cute and tiny now, but they’ll grow so big by autumn.”

It seemed Sirien had forgotten that she herself was once very small, and even now, she wasn’t very big.

It was a strange feeling, like watching a child who thinks they’re already an adult.

Given the stinging pain in my back from earlier, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

She caressed the sprouts gently, as if afraid she might harm them. Once satisfied with her exploration of the vegetable garden, she stood up.

Next, we headed to the temple, the most splendid place in this secluded area.

It was where we had gone for the baptism yesterday.

The temple’s interior wasn’t much different from what we had seen, but it was my first time entering the sanctuary and prayer rooms.

They were quiet, modest spaces without much adornment.

I didn’t think I’d be visiting them often, so I just took it in with my eyes. After offering a candle with Sirien, we returned.

“This is fun. It feels like we’re on an adventure.”

“Haven’t we had plenty of adventures? Aren’t you tired of them by now?”

“Ugh. Those weren’t adventures. Adventures should be fun.”

“Like in the fairy tales?”

“What’s wrong with fairy tales? I like them. Anyway, Razen, you’ve always been like an old man.”

My eyes widened.

An old man? You’re just a kid!

I swallowed the retort that rose to my lips.

As a transmigrator, the last thing I wanted was to argue with a child over something like this.

It was, in my opinion, far too undignified.

On our way out of the temple, we encountered a child.

The child’s name was Luan.

At most, he was about eight years old, with a bright and innocent face typical for his age.

His expression was full of mischief, making him seem like he could cause as much trouble as Terion.

I was surprised to see a child in this place, but even more surprising was how cheeky and impolite modern kids could be.

After a brief greeting, the first question out of Luan’s mouth was this:

“So, what’s the relationship between you two? Are you dating?”

“W-w-wha... what?”

Sirien was at a loss for words.

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