CHAPTER 47…………………………………………………..
“[At last, you have returned after vanquishing every curse—my proud warriors!]”
When they returned to the village of Eshkal, Nahia stepped forward first to greet the party.
Beside her stood Sael, wearing a picture-perfect, tranquil smile.
“[Well done. Thanks to you, the curse will no longer be able to take root in the Sanctuary.]”
The barrier spread across the Sanctuary by the six Guardian Trees had become firmer than ever before.
The villagers burst into cheers.
“[You’ve worked hard, kids!]”
“[Sierra! Thank you so much.]”
Everyone welcomed them with joyful expressions.
“[You must be exhausted, so let’s just have a simple meal today and get some rest.]”
Nahia gestured toward the meal prepared in the plaza.
“[This doesn’t look simple at all…?]”
Sierra’s eyes widened in surprise, but her companions ran over excitedly at the sight of familiar food.
“[Wow! It’s been so long!]”
“[Mmm, it smells amazing!]”
“[We all worked hard! Eat up, everyone!]”
Sierra was able to savor a long-missed sense of comfort as they sat around the table together.
Her companions, worn from their struggles, encouraged one another, while children they hadn’t seen in a while clung closely to Sierra and Ashur, trying to make up for lost time and filling the air with laughter.
After a leisurely meal, the villagers gradually dispersed.
Nahia and Sael came out to see the party off.
“[We’ll hear the report tomorrow at our leisure. You must be tired, so go in and get plenty of rest.]”
“[Yaaay!]”
“[Thank you!]”
Rohita and Kadiya dashed off excitedly, with Alnab following behind at a relaxed pace.
Sierra laughed along with them, her smile bright and innocent.
Before she knew it, the tightly pressed line of Ashur’s lips had softened as well.
Once the party had left, Sael spoke calmly, bringing up one last matter.
“[Ashur, Sierra. There’s one final thing I should tell you.]”
“[Yes.]”
“[Unfortunately, I can still sense remnants of the curse scattered throughout the land.]”
“[Remnants are still there?]”
Startled by the unexpected words, Sierra turned to look at him.
“[There’s no need to worry. They no longer have the power to cause harm. However, to extinguish even the last remaining embers, one more step will be required.]”
Sael paused, choosing his words carefully.
“[What that step is, you’ll know when the time comes. For now, rest easy and get some good sleep.]”
On a rare, peaceful morning, children gathered closely around Ashur and Sierra.
“[Big sister! You know that cracked ground that appeared in the forest behind the village? Did you know hot, bright-blue water is filling it up?]”
“[Huh? Oh! I saw something like that in Nuarel—so it formed here too? Did you go inside?]”
“[We want to, but it’s so deep that it’s scary!]”
“[No. That would be dangerous.]”
“[Hiiing. Ashur oppa says no to everything. Sierra unni, is it really not okay?]”
The child riding on Ashur’s shoulders tugged hard at his hair while whining.
Sierra smiled softly at the sight and fell into brief contemplation.
“[Hmm… Ah! I’ve got a good idea. Why don’t we all go together?]”
“[Wow! Sierra unni really is the best!]”
“[Change into clothes you can get wet and meet back here!]”
The excited children quickly scattered back to their homes.
Watching them, Ashur asked curiously,
“What are you planning?”
“I’ve got a way. You’ll come with us, right?”
Perhaps drawn by the children’s excitement, several village adults came outside as well.
Among them were Rohita, Kadiya, and Alnab.
“[That hot water the kids are talking about—like the one we saw in Nuarel? Is that what they mean?]”
“[Yes. It’s called a ‘hot spring.’ I’ve heard it’s good for restoring energy and even for skin care.]”
Aunt Benya, intrigued by the mention of its benefits, asked with curious eyes,
“[Really? How do you know so much about it, Sierra? Are there many of those in the kingdom?]”
“[Ah—no, not really. There aren’t many in the kingdom either, but Serentia Island in the southwest is famous as a hot spring tourist spot. I’ve only heard about it.]”
Rohita and Kadiya stepped closer and joined the conversation.
“[I was feeling a bit disappointed already, but if one formed here, can I join too?]”
“[It’d be fun if we all went together.]”
“[Alright, shall we go together then?]”
In the end, a fairly large group—including the children who had changed clothes—set off together.
The hot spring was located a short distance from the village entrance.
“[Woooow, it’s so blue!]”
The water filling the ground below looked like a lake hidden deep inside a cavern.
The exposed, jagged walls created a grand, awe-inspiring atmosphere.
While everyone marveled at the sight, Ashur checked the surroundings first.
“[There aren’t many places to step. It’ll be especially hard for the kids to climb up and down.]”
The children, who had been full of anticipation, flinched at his words—then immediately turned their sparkling eyes toward Sierra.
“[Hiiing, unni.]”
“[Ahaha. Just a moment—wait a little bit. I’ll take care of it.]”
“[Hehe, big sis is the best!]”
Sierra looked around, searching for footholds.
“Hmm, should we go down over there?”
“We have to go down?”
Ashur asked as he watched her thinking.
“Yeah. Looks like we do.”
“Hmm.”
After briefly gauging the descent, he leapt down in an instant.
“Ah.”
It looked quite high, but Ashur landed lightly.
“Come down. I’ll catch you.”
“Huh?”
“Hurry. They’re waiting.”
“…Okay.”
The children’s heads swayed back and forth as they followed the exchange.
Seeing their small faces full of expectation, Sierra decided to push aside her embarrassment.
“Eek!”
She knew it was high, but actually jumping made her heart drop into her stomach.
Still, Ashur caught her easily, as if it were nothing.
“[Haha, looks nice.]”
“[Oh my, oh my—aren’t the two of you quite close?]”
Her ears burned at the whispers that followed, but it was already too late.
Trying to hide her embarrassment, Sierra lowered her head and rolled up her sleeves.
Then she knelt near the surface of the water.
Soft white steam rose gently from the vivid blue pool.
“Alright, I’ll start.”
She closed her eyes and dipped her hand into the water.
Ripples spread from her fingers, stirring the water beneath the surface.
“[Woooow!]”
“[My, how fascinating.]”
Standing up, she held out her hand to Ashur.
“All done. Let’s get back up quickly. The water will rise soon!”
“Really?”
Ashur watched the churning surface briefly, then took her hand and looped it around his neck.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Ah.”
“This is faster.”
He slid an arm behind her knees and lifted her up in one smooth motion.
Before she knew it, Sierra was perched in the crook of his arm.
‘Goodness…’
Ashur lightly leapt up the steep wall and returned to where everyone was watching from above.
“[Ohhh, the water’s rising!]”
Everyone stared blankly at the swirling, steadily growing waves.
“Hm, if we just had places to sit, it’d be perfect… What should we do?”
“Hmm. In that case, we should leave it to Alnab.”
“Really?”
“[Alnab, I have a small favor to ask.]”
The two briefly discussed something while pointing at the rock wall.
When Alnab nodded, a divine beast appeared behind him.
His beast, shaped like a water buffalo, slammed its horn forcefully into the ground.
“Whoa! That startled me!”
“[Alnab, at least say something before you do that.]”
“…Mm. I’m done.”
Seats for people to sit on had been formed at last.
The water level had risen quite a bit now—close enough that stretching out a hand would touch the warm steam.
“[Wow! At this level, we can swim too!]”
“[Thank you, big sis!]”
“[Kids, still—be careful.]”
One by one, the children thanked Sierra and slowly entered the water.
“[Ah, it’s hot!]”
Unfortunately, the temperature seemed a bit too high for them.
Their disappointment didn’t last long, though, and they soon began giggling and splashing each other.
Leaving the children to play happily, Sierra stepped in slowly at a spot a little distance away.
“Mmm… it’s warm. This feels nice.”
It was different from a bath, and her body relaxed completely.
As she settled in comfortably, Ashur approached her side.
