Chapter 43: Hearing Him Out

Deena thought for a moment and said, “It sounds completely absurd.”

Luke had expected as much, but he couldn’t let that stop him. This was his chance to get someone on his side. He had to keep pressing.

Before he could utter another word, she continued, “But that doesn’t mean I don’t think what you’re saying is a lie. I just think some things don’t make sense.”

He blinked, his mouth hanging open.

That was it? She just accepted just like that?

“You look like an idiot. Are you sure you’re supposed to be the hero that led all the other heroes to fight the evil god ten years ago?” Deena said as she held her hand out to him.

Luke stared at it before hesitantly taking it. Despite her small stature and injury, she helped him to his feet without batting an eye, and he marveled at her strength.

“Then what now? What will you do after hearing my story?” Luke asked.

“Killing you would be much easier, but I don’t like being used. I’ll help you sneak into the capital and get answers from the annoying god,” she said, grabbing the remains of her ax.

Did she just call Fidall an annoying god?

He had never encountered a person like her before. Perhaps she really was a follower of the evil god.

As if sensing his gaze, Deena said without turning around, “Stop looking at me like that. Would you prefer I just end you right here and now?”

“I don’t think you’re exactly in the position to fight me,” he said.

She spun around, and under his astonished gaze, her wound healed without leaving a scar. Luke blinked several times as if expecting the wound to return, but it really had vanished without a trace.

What powerful healing magic.

Why hadn’t she used it against him during the fight?

“Enough staring. We have to make this look convincing before the others show up. I can’t exactly sneak you into the capital if they see that you’re standing perfectly fine on your own,” she said, looking him up and down.

“You still haven’t told me what your intentions are?” Luke pointed out, still uncertain if all of this was real or not.

“It’s simple. I’ll say I slayed you and that we should bring your body back to the capital to be examined by the church. Once you’re there, you can try to contact Fidall and get an answer out of him. Easy enough,” Deena said with a completely straight face.

Luke wondered if he was hearing things.

How was that simple? More importantly, what made her think it would work at all?

Common sense stated that they dismembered his body and destroyed it with flames like they did with the monsters.

Why would they listen to her and bring his body into the capital, much less the church? Was she actually trying to fool him into letting his guard down?

In the distance, they could hear the monster hunters quickly zoning in on their position.

“Hurry up,” she snapped, indicating for him to lie on the ground and fake being a corpse.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to move, Deena scowled and took a step towards him. He instinctively took a step back and gripped his sword tightly.

“I swear if you don’t listen to me, I’m going to rip that sword out of your hands and shove it where it doesn’t shine,” Deena threatened.

“Why should I listen to you? How do I know you won’t kill me when I least expect it?” Luke demanded.

“Are you serious right now? Fine. I swear to Fidall that I’m not going to stab you in the back or something,” she said before muttering something under her breath.

If she expected that to convince him, she was wrong.

People swore to Fidall all the time, but it didn’t mean they would actually keep their word. If anything, it made him dubious.

“You know what. Have it your own way,” Deena said before lunging at him.

He hesitated to strike knowing that she had no weapons to defend herself, but that was his biggest mistake. She took advantage of her size and aimed below the belt, causing him to fall to his knees with a wheeze.

Then she grabbed his sword and used the flat side to strike him hard across the head. He slumped forward, barely conscious as he silently cursed her.

Luke couldn’t believe she had just done that.

Who aimed below the belt?

Deena wiped some of her blood onto him and ripped some of his clothes to make it more convincing. By the time she finished, the other monster hunters burst onto the scene with worried expressions.

Upon seeing her standing over Luke’s body, they froze before they rushed over to her.

“Deena, are you alright? Are you hurt?” a monster hunter asked, looking her up and down.

“I’m fine,” Deena said, wiping the sweat off her face with the back of her hand.

“What do you mean you’re fine? There’s a huge cut,” one monster hunter pointed out.

“It was barely a scratch. You should know better that this isn’t enough to put me down,” she said, waving them off.

“Even so, that was dangerous. You could have been killed,” a different monster hunter said.

“Have you forgotten who I am?” Deena asked, shooting them a glare.

“Even if you’re Fidall’s chosen, that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous for you,” another monster hunter said.

They continued to chat, but Luke’s mind remained focused on what he had just learned.

Deena was Fidall’s chosen?

He had never heard such a thing before.

Sure, Luke had heard plenty of stories about those chosen by the gods, but there had never been any proof of such a thing. The closest would be the high-ranking members of the church who could hear the god’s voice.

However, they were never called Fidall’s chosen.

Now several things made sense to him, like how she dealt with the dark energy and why she was so confident she could bring him into the capital in one piece.

As Fidall’s chosen, being able to deal with dark energy shouldn’t be a big deal for her. She would have power bestowed by the god, and no one would dare go against her words, as she was basically his representative.

If she had just explained things earlier, then he wouldn’t currently be in this position.

Then again, perhaps she had expected him to know about it, but not a single person had mentioned it since he broke free from the seal. All everyone had said about her was that she could have been a hero.

There hadn’t been a single mention that she was Fidall’s chosen.

As he mulled over this information, Deena ordered, “We’re bringing his body back to the capital. The church needs to investigate this matter.”

“Understood,” the other monster hunters declared.