Chapter 24: A Confession Amidst Thorns

Naya’s entire being shone with a brilliant silver-white radiance, her clothes, even her very body, transforming into pure light.

Her unbound hair lengthened considerably, swaying gently like luminous ribbons. From time to time, silver-white tendrils of aura ascended into the air.

All those who had ever dismissed her as weak based solely on her appearance…

All the malicious words spoken against her…

All those who harbored ill will towards her…

And her own powerlessness during Leon’s moment of peril—

Trapped by these overwhelming burdens, Naya had become possessed by a resentment born of light through some profound connection, now manifesting before Leon and Ael in the form of pure light.

For a moment, Ael was utterly speechless with astonishment.

The radiant spectacle unfolding before her eyes was utterly unrecorded in the Holy Scriptures.

‘Could Naya be a Saintess?’

‘There could be no mistake! Her divine form, transformed into light, was nothing short of Aio’s own incarnation!’

‘But what was to be done now—?’

Ael glanced at Leon, observing that he hadn’t drawn his sword. Instead, he simply raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, cautiously taking a single step forward.

Between him and Naya lay a vast expanse of thorns, meticulously formed from countless vector arrows!

“What are you doing?” Ael demanded, her gaze fixed on him.

“I’m going to Naya’s side. I cannot simply stand by and do nothing for her.”

“Are you certain you want to approach her? What if, in this state, she… shows signs of losing control?”

“It’s fine.” Leon offered a faint smile, his resolve unwavering. “She is Naya, after all.”

Leon’s approaching figure was reflected in Naya’s luminous eyes.

“Don’t…! Don’t come any closer! These arrows are beyond my control! They’ll hurt you!”

“You’re still conscious; that’s wonderful!” Leon said, smiling at her. Not only were there thorns on the ground, but Naya herself was also enveloped by a cluster of silver-white vector arrows.

Rather than protecting her, they seemed more like a cage, trapping her within.

“It’s fine. Look, as long as I harbor no ill will towards you, I’ll be perfectly alright.”

Leon stepped over countless vector arrows, pushing aside those he couldn’t traverse with his bare hands. Instantly, the sharp points sliced into him. In the span of mere steps, his entire body sustained several lacerations.

“I… you’re too far away from me… I can’t heal you!” Naya cried, tears welling in her eyes as she watched him.

“Indeed, we’re not even twenty paces apart yet.” He simply stated, enduring the sharp pain as he closed the distance by a few more steps.

“Naya, what’s been troubling you these past few days? You claimed you came here daily to pray and strengthen your connection with Aio, but I can’t help but feel you’ve been avoiding me.”

Naya fell silent for a moment, clearly conflicted. “For the past three days, I’ve been asking Aio the same question.”

“What question?”

“Liuli.”

“Huh??”

After a moment of internal struggle, Naya finally confessed. “You told your master with your own lips that you would take care of Liuli for the rest of your life.”

“Oh, heavens…!” Ael exclaimed, covering her face in exasperation. ‘Leon actually said that in front of Naya!?’

“Master is essentially Leon’s guardian, isn’t she? When you spoke such a vow-like statement to a guardian, I… I had no choice but to believe it!”

As Naya spoke, tears began to well in her eyes.

“But… but I was the one who met Leon first.”

So this was the reason, and it was hardly surprising. Anyone in her position would find it difficult to accept.

Leon swept his hand, clearing away a large swathe of the thorny arrows. “Naya, let’s be together.”

“What???”

‘I must have misheard! It must have been a mistake—!’

“Let’s be together.”

“What about Liuli, then?”

“Let us be together first, and then we will care for Liuli.”

Naya stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Thankfully, the vector arrows remained still. “You… don’t you find anything amiss with what you just said?”

“I apologize; you’ve misunderstood. What I meant was that *we* would care for her together.

Because of Master… I feel a certain guilt towards Liuli. But—my feelings for you and my feelings for Liuli are entirely different concepts. The ‘care’ I referred to—and ‘being together’ with you—are two completely distinct meanings.”

“!?”

Leon finally reached Naya, having navigated through layers of shimmering silver-white arrows.

Though he was covered in wounds—it was only when the ‘prince’ ultimately rescued the besieged ‘princess’ that the tale could truly achieve a perfect ending!

He began to gently pry at the arrows surrounding Naya, pushing them aside one by one. They shattered with the fragility of glass.

Ael cleared her throat softly from behind them. “Naya, Aio’s teachings don’t explicitly state that one boy must be paired with one girl! Don’t you believe that the act of saving Liuli itself is also Aio’s divine will?”

“That… is true, I suppose,” Naya murmured softly. “The gods themselves surely wouldn’t permit me to monopolize the Hero, would they?”

As the Hero’s priestess, how could she lack such an understanding? Naya felt a sudden, profound enlightenment. Of course, nothing could quite compare to the sheer joy brought by Leon’s simple words: ‘be together.’

Leon finally broke through the last of the thorny arrows and pulled Naya into a fierce embrace.

“Heal me,” Leon whispered softly. “So Naya is truly this slender? It must have been incredibly difficult for you, always by my side.”

Pressed against his chest, Naya felt the warmth not just of his hands, but of his entire body. She wept, deeply moved by his words. She tugged at Leon’s clothes, desperate to speak, yet utterly unable to utter a single word.

The radiant light enveloping Naya’s body gradually dissipated.

‘To think the light of resentment was actually suppressed!?’

‘Truly worthy of the Hero!’