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Magical arrays, nauseating to look at, were etched across the floor and walls, and in the center stood an altar.

On the altar lay a gaunt, emaciated man surrounded by heaps of bones with flesh still clinging to them and tattered clothing. It was not a pleasant sight.

“He’s still alive!”

Angelo pointed at the man on the altar.

Seeing Angelo’s readiness to rush forward, Ian quickly grabbed his arm.

While understanding the need to rescue the person, Ian couldn’t grasp why Angelo was so eager to step onto the ominous magical array. Was he not afraid?

Sigel nodded calmly.

“First, we need to purify this place.”

Sigel knelt down and placed his hand on the ground.

A brilliant light spread across the floor, driving out all the darkness that had settled in the cave.

Even the foul smell dissipated, and the eerie light emitted by the magical array quieted.

“Bring him here.”

Though the tone was commanding, Ian complied without protest and moved toward the altar with Angelo.

The man lying on the altar looked pained, his face twisted in agony as he groaned.

From the looks of it, he had exhausted all his strength.

‘Hmm, why does he look familiar?’

Despite his emaciated appearance, Ian felt he had seen him before. Suddenly, a vivid memory from his previous life flashed in his mind.

– “Hey, are you planning to commit suicide? If you’re going to take that mission, just quit. This rookie’s gone mad. How about this? This one should be good for gaining experience. Of course, that’s assuming you survive.”

– “Oh? Look who it is. Thought you were dead since we hadn’t seen you in a while. Seems you’ve gained some skill? If you don’t have any other missions, how about joining us this time? Having one more person would make things easier. Of course, we can’t split the money evenly if your skills aren’t better than ours.”

– “Wow, really. Thanks to you, I’m alive. When we get back… drinks! I heard you like them, right? I’ll treat you to a grand one. Also, you seem to have a talent for throwing. Interested in learning more? I’ll teach you. Practice whenever you can; it’ll be very useful.”

The fog in Ian’s mind cleared instantly. This was someone he had met at the beginning of his mercenary life.

He had been the first kind person Ian had encountered in his mercenary career, providing considerable help in many ways.

Despite numerous others trying to take advantage of him, making him nearly distrustful of people, this mercenary had made it bearable.

“Ha…”

He had once talked about being kidnapped by magical beasts and nearly becoming a sacrifice, only to be saved by a hero. It seemed that time was now.

Angelo, the priest, began to restore the man on the altar.

Meanwhile, Ian examined the scattered clothing around and found a few metal identification tags.

As expected.

These were mercenaries who had been sent earlier. Their lack of communication had been due to falling victim to Baphomet.

“Hmm!”

The effect of the divine power was certainly remarkable.

While Ian was inspecting the tags, the man on the altar regained consciousness.

Slowly lifting his eyelids and seeing Ian, he showed a fearful expression but greatly relaxed upon noticing Angelo’s attire.

“Ah, my lord…”

Tears began to flow. Ian chuckled softly and said,

“Let’s get him out of here first.”

As Angelo lifted her and carried her out of the cave, Sigel immediately demolished the cave, stating that there was no point in leaving it intact.

For a long while, the rumbling sounds echoed. It seemed like they were going to die, but if they survived, it was a relief, as evidenced by the sobbing sounds from behind.

Ian felt the same way. Defeating a magical beast at only level 3 was quite an achievement.

If word got out, it would certainly enhance his reputation.

Now that everything was truly over, they only needed to head back to the village. However, Sigel stood tall and showed no sign of moving.

“What’s the matter?”

“We’ll part ways here.”

“Can’t we rest in the village for a bit?”

Ian wanted to keep him around for a conversation, but Sigel firmly shook his head.

“I have tasks to attend to. So let’s look forward to our next meeting. Meeting you… was more enjoyable than I expected, Ian. You turned out to be much better than I thought. Perhaps we could become good friends.”

“…How about we meet again and have a meal, or rather, a drink?”

“That sounds good. I look forward to it.”

It seemed like Sigel was implying he would accept a treat. There was no reason Ian couldn’t treat him. If he was a hero, he could certainly afford it, especially since he was someone Ian had wanted to meet.

Ian smiled and raised his hand in acknowledgment, but Sigel turned his back and left without another word.

* * *

Back in the village, the mercenary who had been kidnapped and nearly sacrificed by Baphomet needed to recover, so Ian had rented a spare room in the church for him to rest, and Ian himself slept for a full day in the room he had stayed in the previous night.

Despite having consumed the magical stone from the beast, he was still suffering from magical exhaustion. Digestion was also incomplete.

He would need to rest for several days. Though he considered returning home for a break, it would take several hours to travel, so he decided to stay and rest here instead.

The village was extremely quiet, making it somewhat dull, but he was treated as a hero for solving the village’s troublesome problem, so it was bearable.

Of course, people hadn’t been this welcoming from the start.

There were those who doubted Angelo’s claim that the village had almost been wiped out by the magical beasts, and some questioned whether the fuss was warranted for merely dealing with magical beasts.

To prove them wrong, Ian showed them. When he opened the tightly sealed leather pouch and revealed Baphomet’s head, the villagers were horrified.

Even though it was just a head, its malevolence was unmistakable. Moreover, it still emanated an ominous magical aura, making it clear that it was a class above ordinary magical beasts.

It didn’t matter if the villagers acknowledged it or not. They weren’t the ones paying for the reward.

However, they were appreciative, as several people brought food to the church for every meal.

Thanks to this, he was well-fed. Due to the nature of the ‘Bane of Evil,’ Ian’s food intake was several times greater than that of an ordinary person.

Though he had not made it obvious, the food provided by Angelo alone was insufficient.

After meals, he moved to the back of the church and focused on absorbing Baphomet’s magic using the ‘Bane of Evil.’

Indeed, even though it wasn’t a holy relic, the magical energy contained in it was significant.

While deeply concentrating, he heard the sound of someone stepping on the dirt. Someone was approaching cautiously.

Turning his head, he saw a man walking out from the corner of the church.

Ferrak.

He was the mercenary rescued from Baphomet’s lair.

Though he was still gaunt, his complexion had improved significantly since their first meeting, and his walking seemed quite natural.

It was clear that with the priest’s healing, his recovery rate was abnormally fast.

When their eyes met, Ferrak flinched and quickly bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

His overly polite demeanor made Ian smile wryly, even as he felt a pang of bitterness.

Receiving such respect from Ferrak was surprising. It was clear that they would not return to the same casual rapport as before. It was just the way things were.

“It’s fine. I was about to finish up anyway. What’s the matter?”

“May I ask when you plan to return to the city?”

“Well, let me see.”

The aftereffects of magical exhaustion had subsided, and the magical energy absorbed from Baphomet’s stone was fully processed.

If the environment here was more suitable for staying longer, he might have considered it, but since it wasn’t, he planned to head back soon and began speaking slowly.

“Um, maybe by tomorrow?”

“So soon? Hmm. If it’s alright, could I accompany you? I can offer some reward, though it might not be much!”

Ian tilted his head. The distance from here to the city wasn’t far.

Though there were no teleportation circles available, it would take about three days at most to walk there.

“There’s no urgent need to leave right away. You could stay here a bit longer.”

It was unusual for a priest to provide dedicated treatment.

The costs were significant, and in the city, there were always injuries to attend to. Ferrak knew this well.

“I have family in the city. It’s been a long time since I was supposed to return, so they must think I’m dead by now. Since the mission failed, I’ll need to take a new one.”

It wasn’t as if they were going to support him for life. However, the fact that he had failed his mission was unexpected.

“Didn’t Angelo mention this to you?”

“Pardon? What are you referring to?”

“He said the mission was completed. He agreed that the lair of Baphomet should be considered as found by you. The reward for the deceased mercenaries will also come to you.”

Ferrak’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re a mercenary too, aren’t you?”

A senior?

Ian chuckled. It had been a short time since he started as a mercenary. He wasn’t at the level where he would be called a senior, especially not by Ferrak.

But there was no need to correct him. Explaining would be complicated, and he didn’t see the point. He nodded.

“Are you sure you don’t mind giving up the reward?”

“It’s not necessary?”

“Of course, I do need it. But…”

“Then just take it. Consider yourself lucky. For me, defeating the magical beast was enough. And let’s go to the city together.”

“So, the reward…”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that either. It’s just pocket change to me.”

Ferrak looked bewildered. Could someone be this kind?

He wondered if there was an ulterior motive, but there didn’t seem to be any personal gain involved.

If Ian were an exceptionally beautiful woman, perhaps Ferrak would have suspected some ulterior motive, but he was just an ordinary man, albeit still young.

“Why?”

“Why are you showing me such kindness?”

There was no need to ask, but curiosity got the better of him.

It’s said that excessive curiosity can lead one to death without realizing it. This seemed to be one of those cases.

Ferrak regretted asking too late, but the matter was already out in the open.

“It’s nothing. Just doing a good deed by following a hero. Don’t worry about it.”

Frankly, Ian hadn’t done much to save him.

Finding Baphomet’s lair was the hero’s achievement, and rescuing and treating him was the priest’s work.

Ian had only watched from the sidelines from start to finish. His contribution was limited to providing a bit of help to complete the mission.

“A good deed, you say.”

Ferrak, pondering Ian’s words, couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“I understand. In that case, I’ll do my best to live a better life from now on.”

“Just don’t become a pushover, okay? Understand?”

“Of course.”

Ian nodded in agreement.

———