Chapter 4: Raiga and Emi

Raiga left Emi resting in his own bed, then walked over to the newly lit campfire and began bandaging his wounds.

His mastery of the Dark Arts granted him tremendous offensive power, but it fell short when it came to healing, tracking, and other skills essential for survival.

He grimaced as he removed his gambeson, exposing his bare torso. The wound was vicious; it had come frighteningly close to being fatal. The warrior swallowed hard before dropping onto the log he used as a seat.

“I-I should buy some healing scrolls. I used up the last of them after my previous battle.”

He spoke to himself in an attempt to ignore the sharp pain piercing his skin.

He took one deep breath after another, pushed all unnecessary thoughts from his mind, and focused his attention on the wind and the singing of the birds.

Meditation was his only escape from the pain. He wanted to writhe, scream, foam at the mouth, and curse at the top of his lungs.

Despite being the Heretic, Raiga was no superhuman monster capable of regenerating his own body. Everything he had accomplished was the result of training, experience, and enchanted armor.

Without those things, he would have died long ago.

He stood and snapped his fingers. A bucket filled with water appeared on the ground.

The adventurer slowly bent down to look at his reflection. His eyes were weary from the battle, and beads of sweat still ran freely down his pale cheeks.

He had no beard. He had shaved it himself a few days before reaching the town.

“I don’t have the face of a young man anymore, do I?”

Raiga touched his forehead. His reflection now looked every bit of his thirty-three years. The constant stress, anger, and lack of human connection had made him appear older than he truly was.

“I was never particularly handsome anyway. I’d better keep wearing my helmet whenever I’m in a city.”

More than a decade of insults, hatred, and abuse had reduced Raiga’s self-esteem to almost nothing.

Although he defended himself behind a wall of sarcasm and arrogance, intrusive thoughts stalked him like hunters during those lonely nights beneath the moon and stars.

“Damn it, the pain won’t go away. Me and my stupid heroic calling.”

The Heretic whimpered, and his complaints continued throughout the afternoon and well into the night.

He could not fall asleep.

Nor could he enjoy any of his three daily meals. The moment he tried to chew, a painful ringing filled his ears.

He spent the entire night suffering from muscle spasms, relentless burning, and a constant migraine.

What rotten luck.

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The following day, Raiga heard movement coming from the makeshift bed inside the camp.

He had not slept at all. His eyes were crusted with sleep and ringed by dark circles, giving him a miserable appearance. That was without even mentioning the stench of blood and shit that now clung to him because he had nowhere suitable to bathe.

The unarmored warrior entered the small shelter. Inside, he saw Emi stir slightly. After a few seconds, the young woman opened her eyes.

Her beautiful violet eyes regained their brightness. She quickly assessed the situation and immediately reacted.

“Ah!” she cried. “Where am I? What happened to the caravan? Who are you?”

Emi forced herself into a sitting position. She looked pale, confused, and deeply frightened.

“Easy. You’re safe.”

Raiga spoke to her gently, but Emi wrapped her arms around herself and backed away as far as she could.

“It’s me, Raiga. We met in the city.”

“R-Raiga... Ah, the warrior who saved me. I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you because you were wearing your helmet back then, but now I recognize your voice.”

Emi also noticed the smell of excrement, but it would have been terribly rude to tell her savior that he stank.

“Yes, it’s me. This is my face. I don’t show it very often.”

He lowered his head sadly.

His exhausted appearance and dispirited voice did not leave much of an impression on her. Had she not witnessed his imposing black armor and overwhelming power during their first encounter, Emi never would have believed that this haggard man was an elite adventurer.

“What happened to the members of the caravan? Are they all right? I don’t remember much. I only heard the driver scream, and then the wagon suddenly stopped. I hit my head, but I didn’t lose consciousness right away. I heard the sounds of battle for a few seconds, then everything went black, and I woke up here. Tell me, Raiga, are the people from the caravan safe?”

The concern in Emi’s expressive eyes made the adventurer take a step back.

Once again, she had neither insulted nor cursed him.

Her concern was genuine. Rather than ask about her own condition or anything else that would have been perfectly reasonable, Emi wanted to know what had happened to her traveling companions.

“Most of them escaped, but a few novice adventurers weren’t as fortunate. I’m sorry. I couldn’t save them. The others ran away and left you behind in the wagon, though. You shouldn’t worry about people like that.”

His answer did not completely satisfy her.

The young blonde shook her head.

“No. This is very sad, Raiga. People died while carrying out their duty. I know you did everything you could, but someone’s death is always tragic. Did you bury them?”

Raiga’s face darkened once again at her words.

“No, I’m sorry. My wounds hurt so much that I could barely move. I defeated the attackers, but they injured me.”

“Ah! I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to lecture you or blame you for anything... You must think I’m terribly ungrateful.”

For Raiga, that expression was something entirely new.

Since receiving his eternal condemnation, no one had ever apologized to him.

The word sorry no longer existed in his world. For that very reason, he found himself unable to answer.

He simply stood there in stunned silence, staring into her eyes with his exhausted expression.

His lips threatened to form a smile. He fought with all his strength to contain it. This was no time to smile, not while Emi was mourning the deaths of innocent adventurers.

“No, don’t worry about it.”

But he failed.

Raiga smiled naturally. It was perhaps the most sincere smile he had shown since he was nineteen years old.

“You’re very kind, Emi. I can’t bury them right now. My entire body really does hurt. It was a rather violent battle. I’m sure the guards went back to take care of it.”

“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry again. You put yourself in danger for our sake and were injured. I should have been more considerate of what you were going through.”

Emi finally managed to stand. It took considerable effort for her to approach Raiga, but once she reached him, she gently wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you for saving me again. I’m truly grateful to you.”

The gesture left the Heretic speechless.

He had no defenses against a hug.

He was accustomed to being struck and cursed, but such a sweet and honest gesture left him completely bewildered.

He wanted to respond properly. There were so many words caught in his throat, yet all he could do was stammer.

“I-I... Emi...”

“When someone thanks you, you’re supposed to say, ‘You’re welcome,’” she explained with a smile.

“Y-You’re welcome,” the Heretic whispered as his cheeks turned red.

“Well, I think I should return to town and look for some odd jobs so I can earn money. I’ll need to hire a new escort before I can travel to the capital.”

Emi released him and sat down again on the edge of the bed.

“I lost all my savings on this failed journey. At least I’m not too far from a city. It would have been a disaster if I had ended up stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

“Odd jobs? Are you an adventurer, Emi?”

“Oh, no. Not at all.”

The blonde shook her head before letting out a heavy sigh.

“I’m a researcher. Until recently, the academy of magic was funding my work, but they stopped sponsoring me because they didn’t consider my research relevant. Ah, how unfortunate! But I can’t spend the entire day feeling discouraged!”

She lightly slapped her cheeks and forced herself to smile.

“A researcher? That sounds interesting. Do you hope to become a scholar?”

“Yes! I still don’t have enough academic credits to officially become one, but my dream is to help people through my knowledge of magic. People hold mages in the highest regard, but hardly anyone ever talks about those who study magical theory in books.”

Emi grew increasingly enthusiastic. Her voice gained strength and confidence as the conversation continued.

“To tell you the truth, I can’t use magic myself, so I focus on deciphering ancient grimoires. I may not be able to use the spells they contain, but someone else might! Just imagine if my research brought about a great change in human history. I would be remembered forever!”

Raiga found himself dazzled by such honest passion.

For someone as gloomy as him, a man with no real ambitions, Emi’s presence and the way she spoke of her dreams gave him something he never believed he could possess.

Hope.

How could a heretic dream of anything?

What purpose could someone condemned to eternal suffering possibly have?

“A dream, huh... It sounds wonderful, Emi.”

“Doesn’t it?”

She winked cheerfully. Little by little, her strength was returning.

“Anyway, I should head back before nightfall. Thank you for helping me, Raiga. You’re very kind.”

Emi stood and walked toward the entrance of the tent.

Raiga watched her frail, unsteady back. Yet she was so full of confidence in herself that he could not help feeling jealous.

So that’s what someone who follows a dream looks like. Someone with a clear goal that allows her to keep moving forward.

Sunlight poured into his tent. The afternoon was approaching its warmest point, and the blue sky stretched overhead, unblemished by a single cloud.

It almost seemed like a divine sign.

Raiga set his insecurities aside for a moment, rose to his feet, and raised his voice.

“Wait, Emi,” the Heretic called out.

“Yes? Is something wrong?”

The young woman slowly turned around, careful not to tempt fate. She looked at Raiga through the delicate spectacles that had miraculously survived the commotion intact.

“Would you like to travel to the capital with me? I-I could be your escort.”