Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

Using Moon Dance for the first time in a battle was quite a good experience.

Thanks to the fact that the elf was overly confident, Alex never found any necessity to engage in a battle with him first and then utilize that technique.

He believed there was one who could land a hit on him, so Alex exploited that confidence and landed a single blow that took his life.

Well, easy work.

The opposing soldiers immediately backed off, having their leader killed, which was quite surprising in Alex's eyes since if they had tried, they could have damaged the other party significantly.

Christopher frowned as he looked at the enshrouded figure who was not around until a few moments ago.

He was about to step forward and ask about his identity when suddenly a very soothing voice interrupted him,

"Father, can you call him?" The Saintess, from behind the curtains, called out—making his shoulders relaxed as Cristopher said,

"You don't need to thank a soldier now, Supreme Grace."

"Christopher." A slightly stronger tone arrived, telling Christopher about her intentions.

He sighed, 'The Saintess is too benevolent.'

Strolling forward, he raised his hand, and while pointing at the enshrouded figure, he said, "Hey, you. Come here."

Liam was the one who first turned towards the priest before he patted Alex's shoulder.

Alex slowly turned towards the man before asking wordlessly.

"Come here," Christopher repeated his words, feeling annoyed already.

Devon sighed before he decided to accompany Alex to the carriage.

Knowing Alex's personality and Christopher's attitude, Devon feared that he might see another head rolling on the ground.

Once they were near, Christopher stopped the duo and said, "You, go near the carriage but leave your weapon here first."

Alex raised his brows, "Do you think I will attack the Saintess?"

"That's not what I am asking your weapon for! The Supreme One is a kind woman with a pure heart. I don't want her to witness such instruments of violence."

Alex rolled his eyes, wanting to say something but he held back.

Devon took his sword and patted him on the shoulder, "Good luck."

Alex walked past the priest and reached the carriage where the most important individual in the nation rested.

He didn't gaze inside the carriage, thinking that he might offend her or something.

With his hands interlocked behind his back he asked, "You needed me for something, Your Holiness?"

The curtain was shifted to reveal the face of the beauty from within.

Alex had a hard time hiding how surprised he was to see such a beautiful countenance from this close.

Her supple lips were stretched in a small smile as she looked at him from behind that short veil draped over her eyes.

"Can you honor me with your name, brave soldier?"

Her voice was like that soothing cup of tea after a long day at work—making his shoulders slump and eyes dazed.

"...Alex." Okay, he wasn't supposed to reveal his name.

Thanks to the realization of the mistake, Alex was able to pull himself together and break the cloud of daze that was forming around him.

"Alex….you fought bravely, Alex. I never felt you breach the barrier, and before I knew it, you had passed judgment."

Alex was surprised, "You had a barrier around?"

The Saintess' smile widened, "Indeed; I could not have allowed the soldiers to get harmed for my sake."

Alex was amazed, but naturally, he didn't say anything. The fact he was able to fool the Saintess was quite an achievement.

"Alex, considering your strength and the necessity of my protection, why don't you stop struggling in the forest and join me in the carriage?"

Her proposal took him off guard, "Your carriage?"

"Yes." She simply nodded, completely unbothered by the fact that she was offering to share her resting space with a mere soldier.

To be honest, the offer was tempting. Alex was struggling slightly moving through the forest while keeping an eye on everything. A few hours of comfortable rest sounded too desirable.

However, "My role is to protect you from the shadows, Supreme Grace, so spare me from getting highlighted in your brilliance."

Rejecting the offer to share the seat with the Saintess? Yeah, only a mad lad would do such a thing.

However, more than the comfort Alex gave priority to his chances to participate in the ascension trials.

Showing closeness to the Saintess would make him a subject of scorn and envy.

… However, it was a fact that the influence the Saintess had would surely push his name up in the potential list.

Well, a tough choice but right now, sharing the carriage with the Holiness would surely surround Alex with rumors.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The smile on her face never disappeared as she looked down, and took out something,

"Here, my brave soldier," She handed him a white handkerchief with a violet flower designed near the left corner.

Seeing the design Alex was suddenly reminded of someone, however, rather than dwelling in the past, he focused on the Saintess in front of him,

"Show this to the guards and meet me in my room in the evening. Let's have a long chat, soldier."

Alex slowly raised both his hands to receive the fabric…and accidentally, his finger touched hers.

*SHIVER*

He felt he saw the nun suddenly trembling before she hurriedly pulled the curtains back.

Alex was astounded as he stood while holding the token.

He couldn't understand the woman at all. Why was she giving him such a priceless thing? Meeting her in her room? Won't that make things even more hectic?

'Wish she could have offered me some potions…but well.'

Shrugging Alex pocketed the handkerchief and returned to the trio.

"Quite a long chat you had there." With a teasing(?) smile, Devon commented.

Christopher was closely scrutinizing the boy who spent a rather awfully long seven minutes with the lady.

Liam just smiled at the boy and said, "Thanks to you, we were saved. Your timely intervention was like a support from God."

Christopher scoffed before he said, "If you all are done with praising him, then shall we resume the journey?"

Liam was startled as he instantly nodded and gestured for Alex to return to his post.

Devon rolled his eyes and proceeded towards the carriage, followed by Christopher.

Once again, the convoy began to move.

—------**-------

The gates of Grimland's capital creaked open, revealing streets transformed into a spectacle of splendor. Streamers in shades of gold and white fluttered in the wind, their edges shimmering under the pale sunlight.

Crowds pressed along the cobblestone streets, their murmurs of anticipation swelling into cheers as the convoy approached.

Children waved fresh blooms, their petals scattering like confetti in the air, while vendors hurried to hand out small ribbons blessed with holy symbols.

Banners bearing the emblem of the Saintess—a radiant sun cradled by angelic wings—hung from towering poles and balconies.

Priests in ceremonial robes stood at intervals, chanting hymns that wove a serene melody into the air. Bells tolled in unison, their solemn peals echoing from the church that loomed ahead like a guardian.

The convoy entered at a steady pace. The carriages gleamed under layers of intricate carvings, their golden trim catching every flicker of light.

As the Saintess's carriage passed, the cheers reached a crescendo. Commoners knelt, pressing their hands to their hearts, and the air thickened with reverence.

Ahead, a grand archway awaited, draped with flowers in cascading arrangements of white and gold. Beyond it, the palace gates were thrown wide open, their guards standing at attention, saluting as the convoy advanced.

The capital of Grimland had never looked brighter, each corner radiating an air of hope and celebration for the arrival of the Saintess.

Alex sighed, seeing the arrangements, he couldn't believe that this was the same place that remained busy in profit-making most of the time.

He was no longer using the scarf around his face, allowing the smell of scented flowers around him.

He was not much far behind the convoy, steadily proceeding toward the palace.

The King himself was present near the entrance along with his wife and some other important people from the council.

He spotted Celestria also standing there; however, rather than the Saintess, her eyes were searching for someone else.

Alex smirked; for some reason, he knew she was searching for him.

However, despite having the intention, he couldn't go to meet her as of now.

Alex decided to stop a few meters away to not get mingled in all the pleasantries….well, it was highly unlikely they would notice his presence.

Disembarking the horse, he stretched his arms and looked at the stores. They all were closed.

He was hungry and there was no eatery around. Alex had no relatives in the Capital ... so he decided to be a little sneaky and steal some dishes from the royal kitchen.

'Not like they would sentence me to death for stealing bread.'

—------**-------

A/N:- Thanks for reading. I really appreciate all the support you guys are showing so far.