CH 27

The end of his long shadow reached my heel. I was bewildered by his appearance, but I tried not to reveal it.

“I only pushed him, but he fainted.”

There wasn’t even light sparkling from my hand, so it was up to me to wrap it around.

“It’s really strange.” I said with an awkward smile.

Daisy opened her eyes wide and blinked, but then looked at me and nodded her head, opened her mouth.

“What the hell is this!”

Ah, it was an unnatural voice that I would rather not have made.

There was an awkward atmosphere, and Cass grinned.

I slowly lowered my hands.

He didn’t notice anything strange, did he?

“You…”

And it was then.

The Fatty, who had been waking the Pole-like Man, got up in an angry voice and pulled something out of his arms.

“This witch-like woman! What have you done to Brother!”

Something in that fleshy hand gleamed in the moonlight.

The moment I recognized that it was a sharp blade, my body stiffened and my flow of thought stopped.

“Die!”

“…!”

I thought it was late.

Will I die like this?

As I stood motionless in the shadow of death that came upon me, I felt a rush of wind and heard the sound of something piercing.

“UGH. ARGHH!!”

I blinked several times in disbelief in the scene in front of me. Something that looked like a dagger was stuck in the Fatty’s wrist.

It pierced through the palm of his hand in an instant, and the sword in his fleshy hand fell to the floor. The fallen sword was dripping with red blood.

Cass approached me as I was staring at it in surprise. Then he stretched out his long legs and gracefully kicked the Fatty’s belly.

“ARGHH!!”

The Fatty who had a sword in his hand screamed in pain and fell to the floor.

Does that mean that he sharply hit the moving hand with the sword accurately with a dagger?

It was surprising, as I had never seen Cass Lloyd directly use force in the original story.

“Ughh…”

The Fatty trembled like an aspen leaf, then rolled over and grabbed the wrist on the side that was hit by the dagger and hurriedly ran away.

Only the bloodstains that were connected, and the distant ridges that were circled around, told us what had happened here.

“Oh my.”

The blue eyes of Cass, whose emotions I couldn’t easily read, were staring at me.

Soon his lips twitched slightly playfully.

“I just threw it, and it hit him.”

It was similar to what I said earlier.

Looking at it now, it seems like an 8th grade syndrome, right?

I looked at him without a word with a blank expression on my face, and I felt ashamed for nothing.

He held out his hand to me, who was still without a word.

“You came to the festival with a lot of effort, but it must be a waste of time to deal with garbage.”

He then said with a small smile.

“It’s only a coincidence that we saw each other at the merchant very often and we met like this, but the Saintess gave me a chance to escort you.”

“….”

“It just happened that there is no Paladin.”

I glanced at his hands and then his face, then opened my mouth.

“…I can’t do it today. I came out to see the festival with Daisy.”

And then I heard Daisy’s voice.

“I’m alright. Saintess.”

Her innocent eyes twinkled in the dark.

Cass Lloyd of Lloyd’s Merchant would be the second-generation conglomerate in Korea’s number 1 business company.

He often visited the temple and was close with the High Priest, so many of the priests and priestesses knew his face.

“I wondered if you’ve changed your mind about His Highness Prince Kyle, but it turns out there is a reason. No wonder you often went out with Sir Dwayne so often and went to see the owner of the merchant?”

Daisy came up to me and whispered in a very low voice.

“It’s not like that.”

However, it seems that that child had already interpreted the phrase ‘seeing each other at the merchant very often’ differently.

“I’m really fine. Don’t mind me. Have a good time and see you at the temple, Saintess.”

Greeting to me with her eyes wide open and an absurd expression, Daisy pulled herself out of this place.

“…Excuse me, it’s not fine for me, though?”

But my words just floated through the air.

“She’s a child who is good at reading the room.”

I heard Cass’ voice stopping me from trying to catch Daisy, who had already turned around.

For reference, since the last time I deactivated the oracle, even the Gods didn’t interfere with my daily affairs and only added words. They seemed to be paying attention to whether I would deactivate it again.

In this case, it would be nice if they could use a mini lightning bolt.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

I asked him with a sulky look.

“The Marquis must be busy, so is it okay to stay here like this?”

He said, leading me by his side.

“Yes. I’m very relaxed.”

We entered the street of the night market.

The crowd was more crowded than before, and the night deepened, creating a proper night market atmosphere.

It was awkward to accompany him, but at the sound of cardinal music and buzzing voices, I began to look around eagerly.

“Will it be this crowded all week?”

He answered my question.

“On the fifth day, the tents are all demolished and the vendors leave the streets. Only tourists stay.”

“Why?”

“For the merchants of the capital. If such a big night market is held throughout the festival, you won’t be able to enjoy the specials properly.”

“It’s a way of… win-win.”

He nodded.

A horde of noisy children was running in front of me.

‘Wherever people live, it’s the same.’

I moved slightly to the side to make some way for the children.

Then he gently wrapped his arms around my shoulder. I could feel his firm chest touching my inner shoulder and a cool body scent.

“….”

As the children escaped and passed by me, my heart raced for nothing.

The festive atmosphere with red lanterns illuminating the night made me feel strange.

“It would be dangerous to walk with children like that…”

I muttered, deliberately turning my gaze to the other side.

“They’re orphans.”

Then I heard his voice.

“Orphans?”

His eyes were drenched in darkness as red as the lamps.

“They either join a burglar’s guild and live on pickpockets or, if they’re lucky, serve as an errand man at the merchant. Those kids seem to be the former.”

Those young children looked only six or seven years old, at most, around the upper grades of elementary school.

Cass said as he looked at me, who was staring with serious eyes in the direction of the children who were disappearing.

“I don’t believe in Gods.”

There was a heavy silence between us

More than 99% of the people of the Empire were believers, and the power of theocracy was so strong that if they didn’t believe in God, they wouldn’t be able to enter mainstream society.

Perhaps this is Cass’ secret that only he himself knows.

‘By the way, can he tell me that?’

“Because there are many things that can’t be explained if there are Gods.”

His eyes, looking straight at me, were dark, thick, and suffocating.

“….”

I looked away.

His words were shocking, but not wrong.

After a while I opened my mouth.

“There are Gods.”

The Saintess can’t deny the Gods.

“But…”

I thought for a moment and then continued.

“I don’t think the Gods are perfect either. Well, they’re trying.”

The Gods of this place I’ve known so far were like that.

Imperfect beings, just as imperfect humans are.

Books say that the Gods created beings that resembled them, and it really was. I don’t know if they were like aunts or uncles, but they were like human beings.

“….”

At my words, he looked at me with subtle eyes. It’s like I didn’t expect those words to come out of my mouth.

Indeed, it was an awkward word to come out of the mouth of the Saintess who had to preach the omnipotence of the Gods.

“The Gods aren’t perfect…” Cass licked his lips.

I went on.

“That’s why it’s okay to blame the Gods, but wouldn’t it be better to try as hard as you can to change the world you live in? For the Gods are a little lazy.”

At those words, I could feel him looking at me for a moment.

It would sound a bit blasphemous for the Saintess to say.

After a moment of silence, I added.

“And I’m quite acquainted with the Gods, so I’ll tell them to pay attention.”

It was said as a joke, but it was also sincere.

“No matter what, I’m the Saintess.”

Was it a misunderstanding that his glance looked a little shaky?

A faint smile crossed Cass’ lips.

“I see.”

As we walked along the road, we finally came to the end of the square.

Cass stood in front of me, and he opened his mouth first as I was about to say goodbye.

“I was also like that the last time.”

He looked somewhat mysterious as he received the light of a red lamp that was softly shining from behind.

“I want to know more about the Saintess.”

“….”

I stared into his eyes without a word. I didn’t know how to respond to the strange atmosphere, so no words came out.

He licked his lips again.

“If I see you, in here.”

His hand tapped his chest.

“My curiosity is rising, you know.”

I smiled awkwardly and shook my head.

“I’m just an ordinary person.”

“I’ve never met an ordinary person who said they were ordinary.”

His voice rang in my ears.

I was caught up in the conversation that seemed to somehow get me involved.

“I guess this is how you usually work with women.”

“Do I look like such a man?”

It’s an impression that you will fall in love with his cat-like thin eyes.

I said to end the conversation.

“I’m going to get going. There are many interesting items in the night market, so have a good time.”

Fortunately, he didn’t stop me from turning around. Instead, I heard his voice behind me.

“See you again.”