After confirming that all the Ogres in the cave had been slain, the group finished off the remaining Goblins while searching for the Captain and Todd.
They eventually found the two men in a makeshift wooden cage, hanging on by a thread and covered in wounds.
When they heard Sains’s approaching footsteps, they reacted with expressions of terror, quickly pressing themselves against the ground.
“They’re practically like livestock,” Gabriela remarked, looking at the waist-high fence.
After enduring such inhuman torture, the two had lost any will to escape.
Even if they had tried, it would have been impossible to leave under the watchful eyes of so many Goblins and Ogres.
Their only destiny would have been to remain tethered there as reserve rations.
Qiaolin sighed.
Although he didn’t particularly like the brat named Todd, they were still teammates, after all.
When the Captain had first enthusiastically talked about forming the strongest adventurer party of this generation, it had reminded Qiaolin of his younger self — the one who had just become a Celestial Hero, full of pride and youthful vigor.
However, compared to his old self, the Captain wasn’t pure enough.
Ultimately, being an adventurer was just a job to make a living.
Qiaolin raised his hand, and a golden magic circle appeared beneath the two men.
Holy light shone down, healing their wounds and soothing their minds.
As a fellow magic caster, Clara was deeply shaken by the scene.
The man before her had released a spell with such powerful mana fluctuations without almost any incantation.
Furthermore, he had used Holy Magic, the most profound and difficult school of magic to master.
Was he a God-official of the Holy Hero Church? But why would a member of the clergy give up such a prestigious position to be an adventurer in a small place like this?
Moreover, his Taijutsu was incredibly strong, having taken down an Ogre with a single punch.
At the thought that she had nearly — no, she definitely had — offended such a figure, Clara’s heart sank into an abyss of regret.
A moment later, under Qiaolin’s treatment, all the injuries the two had suffered were fully healed.
They drifted into a deep sleep within the warmth of the holy light.
“It’s over. Let’s get them out of here.”
“Right!” Sains followed behind Qiaolin and helped the two men up.
Clara’s body had also returned to normal, allowing her to walk on her own, though she looked embarrassed in her tattered clothes.
It seemed Qiaolin’s Time Retrocession Magic hadn’t restored her garments.
Gabriela produced a cloak from somewhere and handed it to the young woman.
“Th—thank you.”
Looking at this beautiful blonde woman who seemed slightly older than her, Clara realized it was her first time seeing her.
However, the woman appeared to be quite close to Qiaolin.
Clara grew increasingly curious about Qiaolin’s identity and felt more regret for her previous recklessness.
—
In the end, Qiaolin did not accept Sains’s reward.
He saved those people for the sake of their past as teammates who fought together, not for money.
“If you really want to show your appreciation, treat me to a meal another day,” Qiaolin said with a faint smile before bidding farewell to Sains and the others.
On the way back, Qiaolin shared the day’s events with Gabriela.
“As I thought, that Captain was just too greedy. I bet he actually took the largest share every time a commission ended,” Gabriela said.
“Not exactly. According to our agreement, I took a fixed commission every time. It started at half and eventually went down to one-fifth. However, after the team was established, he came up with a rule where those who did more work earned more. This meant my reward was always deducted from his portion. Over time, he naturally became unwilling to pay,” Qiaolin explained.
“I agree with the principle of working more to earn more, but he clearly underestimated the value of information. More importantly…”
The man looked up at the night sky.
The full moon was exceptionally bright tonight, casting a layer of ethereal moonlight over the ground like a veil, reminding him of a certain girl’s flawless silver hair.
Qiaolin’s sudden silence made Gabriela realize he was thinking about the Saintess.
300 years ago, Tor, the Saintess of the Celestial Realm, was the only magic caster in the Hero’s party who had mastered the All-attribute Healing Art.
And now, 300 years later, the former Celestial Hero, Qiaolin, had become such an existence himself.
All to make up for the regrets of the past.
“A proper team can never be without a Healing Mage.”
After returning to the small house, Qiaolin offered to let Gabriela stay the night.
However, the young woman seemed a bit hesitant.
“What’s wrong? It’s not like we just met, Princess Gabriela,” Qiaolin said with a wry smile.
“Um… that’s not what I meant.”
Gabriela held her teacup, looking somewhat restless as she sat in her chair.
For some reason, being in the same room as Qiaolin, especially when it came time to sleep at night, felt very awkward.
It was as if she were worried about something, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
“Then what is it? Do you think my place is too small, Lord Demon King?”
Qiaolin said.
“While there really is only one bed, do you want to squeeze in together?”
“No, no, no!”
As soon as she heard his suggestion, Gabriela shook her head like a rattle.
“I’ll just go find a place to hunker down outside for the night. That’s how I’ve been spending my nights while I was looking for you.”
As Gabriela spoke, she started to head outside, but Qiaolin immediately stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.
His strength was enough to keep her from moving.
“Wait. I want to ask, how long have you been out looking for me?”
“About four months now.”
Qiaolin’s current residence was in the Kingdom of Nolan in the southern part of the continent, while the Demon King’s Castle was located in the western heartland.
That meant this girl had traveled all the way south, relying on her mana perception to conduct a manual search for four months!
“You’ve been away from the Demon King’s Castle for four months? Didn’t you say people back there wanted to rebel? You dared to stay away for so long?”
“It’s fine. I have others watching over things. Those people shouldn’t be able to cause much trouble for now.”
Gabriela grumbled in complaint.
“On the other hand, Qiaolin, you left traces of yourself all over this land. It took a lot of effort to check them one by one.”
“Couldn’t you have used a teleportation spell? My god… I remember you had some talent for Space Magic.”
Qiaolin was almost driven to laughter by Gabriela’s crude method of finding people.
If he had still been wandering the continent like in previous years, she might not have found him even after ten years of searching!
“I used it. I tried to teleport by sensing your mana, but I almost ended up in the holy city of Promia instead…” Gabriela wore a pitiful expression.
Qiaolin covered his face, feeling helpless.
If the Demon King they had fought back then had been her instead of her sister, they would have cleared the quest long ago.
“Fine, it’s my fault, Lord Demon King. I should have left a Teleportation Crystal for you back then. If you had crushed it, I would have teleported to your side instantly!”
“Mm…” Gabriela knew Qiaolin was scolding her.
She lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong.
“Forget it. Anyway, you’re staying here tonight. Don’t sleep outside.”
“Alright then.”
Qiaolin brought out another set of bedding to change the bed, moving the original set to the floor to make a pallet.
“Ah… I can just sleep on the floor!” Gabriela stood up immediately, understanding his intention.
“You sleep on the bed. Don’t argue.”
The girl had spent so much time searching for him alone, likely living a rough life outdoors for most of it.
There was no way Qiaolin would let her sleep on the floor.
Qiaolin’s tone was quite firm, so Gabriela had no choice but to nod in agreement.
While he was busy, the man didn’t forget to ask if she wanted to take a hot bath.
Though Gabriela said she didn’t need to, she was actually quite eager.
Qiaolin naturally understood her; both of them had a penchant for bathing.
“The bathroom is over there.”
Qiaolin pointed the way with his thumb, smiling proudly.
“Don’t be fooled by how simple this house looks; the bathroom is quite luxurious and spacious.”
“It doesn’t need to be that much trouble…”
“At my place, those who don’t bathe aren’t allowed in bed.”
As soon as Qiaolin laid down this temporary rule, Gabriela ran to the bathroom with a blushing face.
Soon, the sound of splashing water could be heard.
The room filled with steam, and occasionally, the girl’s soft, refreshed sighs drifted out.
Much later, the sound of someone rising from the water echoed.
The girl’s graceful silhouette appeared in Qiaolin’s incidental glance.
Even through the frosted window, her lovely waist and curves were visible, every movement enough to captivate the heart.
In Qiaolin’s memory, Gabriela had the best figure among the girls in the party.
Coincidentally, she also had the largest appetite, which often made Tor jealous.
“Haha…”
Perhaps because he was reminiscing about the old days, those amusing memories made Qiaolin laugh out loud.
He was unaware that the girl had already come up behind him.
“Um… I think I accidentally used your towel.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
Qiaolin turned around.
The girl had changed into a white nightgown, and some water droplets still clung to her red-accented hair.
“It’s fine. Go to sleep.”
Qiaolin reached out and used a bit of mana to dry her hair, and then it was his turn to bathe.
‘This silly girl… why did she use my face towel?’