Erica - When a Friend is Obsessed With Me

Chapter 38

The saint gently extended the back of her hand to Erica.

Her hands were pristine, fair as snow, without a single blemish, scar, or callus.

"If what you say about slaying the Lord of the Illusory Forest is true, then you will surely be honored guests of the temple."

"..."

"Here, make an oath before God's representative."

An oath. Erica fumbled to recall its proper form, something she had heard from her teacher once.

Erica dropped to one knee.

She delicately grasped the back of the holy woman's outstretched hand, treating it as if handling delicate glass.

"What reward did you come seeking in the upper levels?"

"Nothing, Saint."

The saint's demeanor softened. She seemed to understand now.

"I didn't come for a reward. It was purely coincidental that we encountered the basilisk."

Erica respectfully kissed the back of her hand.

"So?"

"...Pechenik Rifelsiyan."

Saint Hyelia's fingertips paused.

Erica looked up.

"I have come to find my master."

Haelia's eyes widened.

"If he is here, will you please let me see him?"

Erica had a hunch.

That the long game was finally over.

***

It had been years.

Since he had settled in the southern metropolis of Dantes, Pechenik had taken over as head of the mercenary guild and frequently ventured out on his own.

Though he often brought Erica along, once she became an S-class mercenary, he encouraged her independence.

Pechenik was a wanderer at heart, unable to stay in one place for long.

His departures were sudden, his returns equally swift.

So when he disappeared, Erica wasn't concerned.

"...He's in the sky garden over there."

Even though it had been ages since she last saw him, it was nothing new.

Or so she thought.

"...Master."

But was it the long absence that stirred her, or the sight of her biological father, Count Herais, in the lower reaches of the temple?

"Master!"

Tears welled up in her eyes.

The sky garden, with its beautiful sunset and serene landscape.

Pechenik's eyes widened as he turned to her.

"You old man! Really!"

Her lips quivered, and she sprinted toward him.

"What are you doing here, seriously!"

She shouted, leaping into the air.

Pechenik staggered slightly as she threw herself at him.

"Ugh, Erica!"

Despite her full-force embrace, Pechenik only smiled, seeming accustomed to her like a father with his child.