Chapter 409 – Misunderstanding
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Hestia was walking in the corridors of the temple.
The priestesses she encountered bowed their heads and greeted Hestia.
And.
– Gossip gossip.
Hestia felt the goddesses cackle and whisper behind her back.
He couldn’t help but get on his nerves, even if he tried not to.
Hestia, who heard the unexpected story from Bark at the time, returned as if running away to the temple.
Hestia showed kindness to Bark and intended to observe him up close, but it seemed that it caused a strange misunderstanding.
‘I was stupid… That’s for anyone to see…’
At that time, I was unaware.
He only met Bark while chasing the trail from the Warlock Dungeon.
Approaching to take a look at the suspicious Bark, he was doing his best to do a favor that anyone would think was interested in him.
Originally, they should have parted ways as soon as they arrived in Crea, but Hestia constantly made excuses to meet him.
I’ll buy you dinner too.
He continued to visit him in the hospital who was injured while training.
I have shown him that I am too friendly to be an acquaintance whom I have just met.
Looking back on her actions, Hestia understood Bark’s misunderstanding to some extent.
In the end, such a misunderstanding led to an outrageous incident.
Hestia then came to think with now that he had to deny it immediately and strongly.
He was taken aback for a moment and, unable to make any excuses, left the place as if he were running away.
At the time, she was a woman who ran away because she was ashamed of revealing her hidden feelings.
Like that, the incident at Margana Inn instantly spread throughout the city, becoming a hot topic even among the goddesses of the temple.
“After…”
Hestia sighed involuntarily.
“What are you worried about?”
Hestia, who had been lost in her thoughts, was brought to her senses by the calm female voice.
Her lady in her white priestly robe was seen pouring tea into her own teacup.
She was Alma, a high-ranking goddess who had been friends with Hestia since she had been dispatched to Crea while living at the temple.
“Oh, nothing. Excuse me.”
Her wandering Hestia sensed that she had been a little rude to the person who drank her tea with her, and she apologized.
“If…”
“Hmm?”
“Is…Is it because of that man?”
Hestia couldn’t help but not know what her alma was talking about.
No matter how fast the rumors go.
How could what happened at a small inn spread to the temple in one night…
For Hestia, it was absurd.
‘There’s no one I really don’t know.’
Hestia sighed inwardly.
“That, it’s not like that.”
Irrespective of the denial, Alma continued her words with a hearty smile.
“You don’t have to be shy. Love is a natural emotion for a human being. Is this your first love?”
“Che, first love?! That, even if it’s not like that!”
Despite Hestia’s vehement denial, Alma’s benevolent smile did not disappear.
“You know? The Church of Terra does not prevent men and women from dating. Compared to Hestia-sama, his status may be a little lower, but if we make him a devotee to our religion, that won’t be a problem.”
“That’s because it’s not like that…”
Hestia denied it by beating her chest as if frustrated, but Alma’s expression on her face was such that she wouldn’t believe anything she said.
‘This can’t go on like this…’
Before this thing got out of control, Hestia felt the need to deal with it.
Naturally, Hestia did not approach Bark because she was interested in him as a man.
It was because he had been having trouble with him since meeting him.
On the way to the village after leaving the warlock’s dungeon, I saw the corpse of Diokan… And the magic that slowly rose from there.
It seemed like that was just the case, and it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
At that time, I wondered if a demon tribe might have been summoned.
Bark and Karen met while chasing like that.
I didn’t feel any magic from them.
On the outside, they seemed to be just normal people.
However, it was strange even to see them as people who had survived to become victims of the black magician until recently.
Bark didn’t feel the demon’s energy…
Hestia’s intuition whispered that he was suspicious.
During his paladin life, Hestia chased this intuition and was never wrong.
Bark’s story was also plausible, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had made it up.
However, it is difficult to verify that.
This is because all humans who could verify his story had disappeared.
…Doubt about them constantly sprouted in a corner of my heart.
But that feeling alone cannot drive an innocent person.
If they are truly innocent, they commit a great sin.
It was not that there were no humans in Terragyo who did such things. But Hestia was a person who hated such things.
So he had to be careful.
Bark seemed to be thinking of living a normal life as a mercenary in Crea, and it could have just been his vague suspicions.
If he was a suspicious person related to warlocks or demons, he would not have tried to stay away from Crea.
‘But why did things go like this…’
Hestia felt the need to correct this rumor. And he had to clear up Bark’s misunderstanding as well.
After much thought, Hestia decided to meet Bark again.
‘Should I be honest?’
Even if you do that
He couldn’t figure out what to say.
It doesn’t even make sense to say, “You seem suspicious. Let me watch from your side.”
Hestia thought about this and that before heading to the inn where Bark was staying.
For some reason, the closer I got to the inn, the more nervous I became.
It’s funny that the paladin who cut off the heads of the black magicians was nervous entering the inn.
“I went out to ask for mercenaries. I won’t be back today.”
The inn owner kindly informed me of Bark’s schedule.
“Then…Uh, when did you say you’d be coming?”
“I heard that Sandramen will come tomorrow.”
The innkeeper’s eyes are unusual.
Her eyes are warm enough to be burdensome, yet gratifying.
No, all the human eyes sitting at the table in the inn were focused on him.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Hestia left the inn as if she were running away from the burdensome eyes that were pouring on her.
And people who saw her like that deepened their misunderstanding.
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It is not difficult to get to the city of Zefia.
Since it was a stay-at-home life anyway, I could have checked out and left immediately, but the time was ambiguous.
Pantera’s avatar also had to be taken care of.
I logged on to Pantera and returned to Crea with Karen.
First of all, I decided to stop by the mercenary guild and inform her that I had completed her request.
The mercenary guild receptionist widened his eyes in surprise when he saw the request form with the village chief’s official seal on it.
Then, as if he couldn’t believe it, he looked back and forth at the request form and at me, then swallowed dry saliva and opened his mouth.
“Ser, no way. Was it a knight?”
“It’s not a knight.”
However, the receptionist’s eyes looking at us were very different from before.
You can think of it as a look that has been upgraded from being a dick to a mercenary with considerable skill.
After finishing her business at the Mercenary Guild and entering the Margana Inn, the hostess informed her of the new news.
“Ah, Mr. Bark. That Paladin found it.”
The only paladin to find me is Hestia.
A warm expression appeared on the innkeeper’s face.
Should I call it the expression of support for the love of a young man and woman?
‘Already?’
Is it like a holy knight?
Hestia’s recovery was faster than I expected.
‘I thought I wouldn’t see you for about a week…’
Perhaps she heard the news of our return, Hestia quickly came to her feet around dinner time.
“Hmm… First of all, I’m not in love with you.”
“…Okay. I’ll let you know if you want.”
“Well, I think you’re mistaken about something! It’s not like I’m really in love!”
“Because I know.”
Hestia made a disapproving expression as if my answer was not satisfactory.
“Are you buying dinner?”
“…I get it.”
I was a man who was not ashamed to be beaten by women.
Above all, Hestia must have a lot of money.
That’s why he didn’t feel pressured to eat.
It is not easy to become a paladin.
He is also a high-ranking official within Thera Church.
Maybe you can buy a castle even if you only sell armor?
Hestia seemed to want to solve this situation, which was rumored by the neighborhood.
She is misjudging now.
If you want to clear up the misunderstanding, the solution is simple.
You don’t have to meet me like this.
If there is no interaction with me for a long time…Of course, the rumors will disappear.
Above all, the best way is to leave Crea altogether.
Anyway, with the death of the warlocks who summoned me, the mission would have ended. Maybe it wouldn’t matter if I left like this.
I don’t know if Hestia knows the solution… But this was the perfect handshake.
Besides, if you buy me rice like this…
I wonder if people who have been longing for a long time will be convinced when they see this.
Today, after this meal, a paladin and a third-rate mercenary might become a rare official Krea couple.
