“Reneben must be worried.”
After securing a room for the night, we set out again. Of course, this wasn’t some manga or web novel where they say ‘there’s only one room available.’
“Lord Reneben must be concerned yes, so we should hurry back soon.”
Alois said words he didn’t mean.
Hurry back soon, my foot.
We were about to head to the forest that that man told us about yesterday. The place the kingdom was actively trying to keep a secret.
The forest where the so-called great beast appears.
Alois wasn’t lying when he said we were leaving early in the morning Before the sun even rose, we were already heading out, treading through the morning dew.
***
We definitely left early in the morning, but somehow, we arrived after nightfall.
Why do we keep doing stuff so late these days…
As I stepped out of the carriage, I stretched my stiff shoulders.
“That took longer than expected.”
“Well, the village was at the bottom of the mountains. Still, I didn’t think it would take this long.”
Just as the man described, the mountain we arrived at was heavily guarded by knights. At this point, it was as if they were outright declaring, ‘Yes, something is happening here’.
“How do we get in though?”
Right below was where Reneben was staying. I wondered if we should go back and strategize first…
I turned to Alois for his opinion but stopped when I noticed he was thinking.
“Lady Emilone.”
“…Yes?”
“I have a way.”
Alois looked down at me with a meaningful look in his eyes.
“Will you be okay with it?”
He looked at me like he was assessing me and for some reason, that got me worked up, so I immediately nodded.
Of course, it was okay with me. Getting into that forest was the priority, so any method was welcome.
…Or so I thought just five minutes ago.
Now, I found myself perched atop a massive tree, cradled in Alois’s arm, unable to see anything through a pitch-black darkness.
Maybe I should consider learning how to climb trees.
Then again, even if I learned, I doubted I could ever scale a tree this tall.
The towering tree looked almost centuries old, and it was so high that the ground was nowhere in sight. But it allowed us to avoid the keen eyes of the knights below.
“Hold on tight so you don’t fall.”
“…I know.”
I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck.
I stared at him wondering if there was anything he couldn’t do and he must have noticed the doubt in my eyes because after jumping to next tree, he took out a watch from his pocket.
“…??”
“It’s an artifact. It has a wind spell…so you can move lighter.”
No wonder…I was starting to think no one could be so perfect.
Since he was using an artifact, he likely wasn’t going to make any mistakes like falling off the tree.
I probably felt relieved because I started thinking I should get a few artifacts when we get back to the temple.
While I was entertaining those idle thoughts, we had already made our way to the heart of the forest, avoiding the knights completely.
* * *
‘Great beasts’ were things found in fantasy legends. So, if something was here, it was not a great beast, but something else.
With the heightened vision of a Saintess, I quickly adjusted to the darkness and could see my surroundings clearly. Alois and I wandered through the forest for what felt like hours.
“…There’s nothing here?”
Even if there was no great beast, I thought there would be something similar so we wandered around for hours but found nothing.
I felt like I was sweating a little so I bent down and drank the water that Alois had brought.
Since the knights were out there, there had to be something they were guarding…
I heaved a heavy sigh. A part of me wanted to rest…
And then, I saw it.
A black mass.
At first, I thought it was a rock because it was round, but it had a strange shape.
Probably because I was staring, Alois noticed what I was looking at and drew closer.
He brightened our surroundings with magic and stepped closer without hesitation. But as he got close, he covered his nose and stepped back.
“…Alois?”
“Lady Emilone… would you like to see this?”
“…”
“You don’t have to, but… this…”
I was already walking forward.
Alois’s artifact illuminated the floor, revealing the true form of the dark mass.
“…Haa.”
A pained breath escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The black mass was not a rock, it was a person.
The corpse of a shriveled woman, her eyes open in death. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
I tried to turn away, knowing that I couldn’t look at this with a sound mind but soon enough, I realized there wasn’t just one corpse.
I began to see black masses in the same position, hugging their legs together, and at this cruel scene, I grabbed Alois’s wrist tightly, silently asking if he knew anything about this.
Alois placed his hand over mine and took in the grim sight.
“Looks like a corpse disposal site.”
“…What?”
“Burning bodies creates too much of a smell. It looks like they threw the bodies of drained humans here.”
Humans that were drained of blood.
Why couldn’t they just bury them…I couldn’t even close my eyes and as I looked at the corpse, I felt so absurd that I suddenly started laughing.
“Alois, the past Saints must have faced a lot of scenes like this, right?”
“…I’m sure.”
“Those ladies must have been incredible.”
I reached out to the cold body. Alois tried to stop me but quickly withdrew his hand when he realized what I was trying to do.
As I closed the corpse’s eyes, a chill ran through me.
I tried to feign calm but the moment I felt the sensation was so different from touching the living, I was dazed.
“I am so angry right now…”
They reaped a life in the name of drawing blood to save another life.
“Hah…dark magic or heretical faction…I don’t care anymore.”
“Just calm d—.”
“You said it might be dangerous so we should approach carefully, right? I agreed too so I’m sorry to change the plan now but…the plan has to change.”
Alois straightened up, as if to say he knew this would happen.
“If we approach carefully, these bastards will run away, and we’ll have to wait for the next time they appear.”
This was likely not the only corpse disposal site. The rumors of the ‘great beast’ likely started because of the bodies. This was beyond just a few victims.
Those knights didn’t seem to be handling corpses or anything of the sort.
They seemed to be ordered not to touch the corpses as several corpses were lying around untouched.
At least the bodies had been left untouched…A part of me was glad I could bury them after this whole thing was over but I gritted my teeth.
“I’ll take responsibility for this, Alois.”
Alois’ gaze was peering right at me, and it made me feel like I was shouldering a burden.
“It’s time I show you why I am called the Saintess and why I am called the Blessing of God.”
* * *
After leaving the forest, we headed straight back to Reneben.
I couldn’t shake the uneasiness lingering in my chest. Once we got to the inn, I let my hair unfurl.
The sun had barely risen, but Reneben was already awake and eating.
As soon as we entered, Reneben shot up from his seat.
“Sai—Lady Emilone.”
He wanted to call out to me, but he couldn’t raise his voice and he rushed over to me with such a long face that I spread out my arms.
Reneben paused for a second then he hugged me tightly, and I patted his back, silently apologizing for leaving him alone these last few days.
Since there was no easy way to reach us, he must have been anxious, not knowing how to tell if Alois and I were okay.
“Lord Reneben, I’m tired so can we go to the room first?”
I wanted to hug Reneben a little longer, but Alois must have been tired because he held Reneben’s arm and pulled him back.
I figured I was also a little tired, and I took the chance to brush off the stray grass clinging to my sleeve.
“Then…let’s get to the room first?”
“That would be great.”
More than fatigue, it was the lingering image of the corpses that wouldn’t leave my mind. Shaking off the thought, I nodded.
I also had something to discuss with Reneben.
The room we got was the best one on the highest floor, but it also meant climbing a lot of stairs. As I climbed the stairs, I mentally organized what I had to do first.
“Ah, Fel and Marien are doing good.”
“Really? I’m glad they behaved.”
“Although, they did look for Your Holiness a little…”
Reneben said in a soft voice as he opened the door and the moment he opened it, joyful shrieks rang out with impeccable timing.
A moment later, I was tackled to the ground by two small figures.
“Hahaha…oh my goodness?”
The solemn expression I had been wearing vanished as the little kids clung to me. They were whining as if they were upset at being left behind and I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Reneben added in an aggrieved tone.
“The kids were whining all night, so I had to pay the innkeeper extra.”
Even without seeing it, I could imagine Reneben’s troubles.
Ah…come to think of it, if I took Reneben with me, Fer and Marien would have to stay in this room alone.
As an apology, I kissed their little foreheads and hugged their fluffy bodies tight.
Haa… Considering what lay ahead, Reneben was about to have a lot more trouble on his hands.
I struggled to suppress that feeling of unease and finally stood up, holding the two baby monkeys in my arms.
Alois supported by back while I stood up, so I didn’t have to drop them to stand.
“Reneben, can I ask you for a favor?”
“Pardon…? I don’t know you mean but… whatever it may be, I will do as you ask.”
“Mmm…Alright then. Reneben, will you summon all the priests in this country?”
The two kids who didn’t understand a word I said kept playing with my clothes. They seemed to like the musty-smelly fabric so I figured I could just leave it behind for them.
“Huh…? Lady Emilone?”
Knowing that Reneben still had no idea what was going on, I repeated myself.
“Tell them that the Saintess, that I, Emilone, am calling.”
I planned to explain to Reneben while we were on the move but if he had any questions now, I was ready to answer them.
There’s no reason why Reneben should summon the priests of this country without even knowing why.
“…Understood.”
“…”
But contrary to my expectations, Reneben nodded without asking any more questions.
I opened my lips to say something else but then stopped myself.
I made a note to myself to hug him tightly one more time and I turned to look at Alois.
As if sensing my gaze, Alois stopped looking out the window and focused on me.
“I have something brief to take care of…separately. I’ll head there first.”
“…Alois?”
I tried to think of what he could possibly need to do, but nothing came to mind.
“I’m listening.”
“…Are you hiding something from me right now?”
“Who knows.”
Alois didn’t seem to be in a good mood either. His expression held a dangerous edge, like he was about to plunge into something.
“I’m joking. But after seeing that with my own eyes, my mood is foul so…”
He smiled bitterly and ran a hand over his face, half-covering it.
More chapters available on Patreon.
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapters 47 – 49 - November 22, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 44-46 - November 14, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapters 42-43 - November 8, 2025
I wonder how difference is it when such event is experienced first hand than just knowing of the event