The silence settled heavily.
Beyond my field of vision, I could see her looking thoroughly flustered.
"Uh, um. No, this is just..."
Her hands flailed aimlessly in the air as she tried to come up with an excuse.
"..."
In an instant, my mind turned cold.
It felt like I had been lost in a fantasy and was only now facing reality again.
I nodded with an icy expression.
*That's right.*
What was I hoping for?
What kind of dream was I having?
She must know how many curses are stuck all over my body. She must know that goodwill is an impossible concept for me.
What delusion was I entertaining?
The reaction she showed at the end was clearly one of disgust. It wasn't just empty words, but her instinctive response.
That made it all the more believable.
I quickly put on my mask and apologized to her.
"I'm sorry. There was a bug on the back of your neck. I reached out without permission."
"No, no! It's fine. I should be the one apologizing. I overreacted. That wasn't my intention at all. I'm truly sorry!"
Her words came faster and faster. I couldn't tell what the truth was, but I could tell she was extremely flustered.
"Not at all. Even I would have been startled if someone suddenly appeared from behind."
I did my best to shield her from embarrassment.
Fortunately, the dismantling work was almost finished.
Otherwise, we would have had to spend several more hours in this uncomfortable atmosphere.
"Oh my, it's gotten quite late. There's not much left anyway. Let's finish the rest tomorrow. Go get some rest now."
"No, we've come this far, so we might as well finish..."
"I appreciate your help, but it's fine."
I politely declined her offer.
As I was cleaning up and preparing to leave, the Saintess called out to me.
"Um..."
I could see her sapphire eyes trembling severely. Her facial expression showed a perfect blend of concern and regret.
She reached for my collar but hesitated and lowered her hand.
Then she said to me:
"I don't know what you're thinking... but that reaction wasn't because I dislike you. Please believe me."
Her voice seemed quite sincere, but I just nodded indifferently.
"Yes."
I should be more careful about trusting people from now on.
Now is the time to create some distance.
With that nod, I left her behind and went on my way.
I tried to feel grateful that I had received something like empathy, if only for a moment.
*
"Ah..."
Saintess Yulice sighed as she watched Luke walking away. She shouldn't let him go like this.
She needed to clear up the misunderstanding. But her mind went blank, and she couldn't think of a way.
His retreating figure looked so pitiful.
This wasn't what she intended...
She had made a terrible mistake.
It was all because of the curse.
It seemed that the curse the Hero Luke carried was evolving.
Or rather, it was changing its form to match the affected person.
At first, the curses only gave a sense of discomfort, but gradually they became more specific in tormenting her.
What Yulice hated most was insects.
Although she had somewhat adapted after spending a week with the Insect King, her aversion remained unchanged.
No, perhaps those experiences had actually made her hate them even more.
But when had it started?
Whenever she approached him, she felt as if insects were crawling all over her body.
It was due to the influence of Luke's curse.
The Curse of Fear.
This curse makes others feel a part of what they fear and detest most.
It's partly why people who first meet him tend to avoid him without reason.
Still, the Saintess endured.
She deliberately ignored the sensation of insects crawling over her body. She ignored the rustling hallucinations and approached him.
After all, the one suffering most from this curse was none other than Luke himself.
But... that final reaching hand was unbearable.
That hand casually trying to brush off insects.
For a moment, it overlapped with "someone" who reached out their hand while looking at her ecstatically.
A rotten tree trunk, maggots crawling over it, blood-stained bandages clumsily wrapped around.
"Transform for me."
Yulice had no choice but to knock his hand away.
She could make excuses that it was unavoidable, but the damage was already done.
*I'm sorry...*
Yulice watched his retreating figure for a long time.
*
Two weeks passed.
Although things had gotten quite awkward, Yulice didn't give up.
Whenever there was dismantling work, she always helped him, and if he was ever cornered by team members, she would defend him.
Not only that, but she also put extra holy power into purification magic and consistently engaged him in conversation.
She continued to show subtle considerations.
As a result, Luke, who had been depressed for a while, began talking to her as usual again.
... However.
She could feel it. The mask he wore had grown thicker than before.
She thought to herself with a bitter expression.
*He's closed his heart again.*
It was like seeing a dog abandoned on the roadside.
A dog that had been abandoned countless times by people and could no longer trust humans.
The door to his heart, which she had managed to open slightly through her efforts, had completely closed after that one mistake.
The Saintess bit her lip as she looked at him.
*But I won't give up.*
Someday she would open it again. She wanted to open it again and support his mind.
"By the way, I've been wondering something."
As she was thinking about this, Lily suddenly spoke up.
Her red eyes filled with curiosity.
"With all the commotion we're causing, are we really not being detected by the Insect King?"
"Hmm? Didn't the Hero say before? As long as we catch the one-eyed bugs well, the Insect King won't find out."
"Well, yes, but..."
She continued.
"Even so, he's too oblivious. The areas we've wrecked could swallow up a decent-sized territory. Is it really possible he doesn't know, even if we've caught the one-eyed bugs?"
Luke turned around and spoke. His face wore the same gentle smile as always.
"That's a good point, Lily."
Although he hadn't opened his heart, his communication skills allowed for normal conversation.
"You're right. It doesn't make sense that he wouldn't notice despite all we've done. The Insect King is probably starting to sense something strange."
All the one-eyed bugs raised by the Insect King eventually return to the audience chamber.
Contact with the Insect King is essential for them to report what they've seen and heard.
But some of them haven't returned to his audience chamber.
A few dozen wouldn't matter. Considering the size of Chunghoe Castle, that number would be like dirt under a giant's fingernail.
But what if that number reaches hundreds or thousands?
Even the Insect King would find it strange.
He would soon begin a major patrol.
"We were destined to be discovered eventually."
Especially if we enter the deeper levels, we'll definitely be discovered by the Insect King. From there, his detection range becomes extremely wide.
"What!? Why are you only telling us this important information now? What happens to us if we're discovered?"
"What are you asking? That's what we've been growing stronger for all this time."
"Then, can we know when we'll be discovered?"
"Well, if we calculate the distance we've traveled and the time we've spent here..."
He paused briefly. He seemed to be calculating something in his head.
Finally, after finishing his thoughts, he spoke softly.
"Soon."
This tedious life in Chunghoe Castle was about to end.
The party members were momentarily surprised by his bombshell statement, but they quickly regained their composure.
As he said, this was what they had been preparing for all along.
And as he predicted, the Hero's party was inevitably discovered by the Insect King a few days later.
"So there were rats hiding in my chambers."
A chilling voice echoed throughout the castle, and the surrounding environment changed.
Kikikik!
The passages were blocked, and insects swarmed from all directions.
Centipedes, scorpions, cockroaches, insect-type monsters, and more.
The scene was eerily identical to her previous life.
For a moment, the Saintess's face turned pale as she recalled her previous life.
Although months had passed, the memory of that defeat still remained a trauma for her.
"Tsk, you've managed to evade surveillance and come this far. I'm displeased that the Goddess's spawn has come without permission, but this works out well. I will gladly make you food for my children."
But that was only momentary.
After being frightened briefly, she slapped her cheeks and regained her composure.
*It's okay.*
Though the scene before her was the same, many things had changed.
Unlike last time when they charged in recklessly, they had prepared many things.
They had compensated for their weaknesses.
They had strengthened their advantages.
Their plan was thorough.
Their equipment was sufficient.
The relationship between party members... honestly couldn't be called good, but they didn't completely ignore him like before.
At the very least, the party members worked well together.
That was enough.
All that remained was to clash with the Insect King using everything they had built up.
"Come, dogs of the gods. I will personally deal with you."
The Saintess summoned her holy power.
Now only one trial remained.
Insect King Valkan—they just needed to overcome him.