I Became a Raid Boss

Paaaan-

“….”

“…Yum.”

“It looks delicious.”

“Yeah. It’s tasty.”

“….”

Hmph.

If you were to put into words the emotions in Joanie’s eyes, it’d roughly translate to that.

“You said you weren’t eating.”

“…No, that’s…!”

“You also said you can’t eat.”

“…Ugh!”

So that’s why I’m not giving it to you. What’s the problem?

There’s an old saying: those who don’t work, shouldn’t eat.

When I looked up blankly, Joanie twisted her body in pain.

Hmm, maybe I’ll just stop the teasing here.

I never really intended to eat alone anyway, so this is about all the teasing I’ll do.

“…It’s delicious!”

With a rapturous face, Joanie was gobbling up the meat.

She looked entirely different from when she was eating orc meat.

I mean, a Rain Buffalo and an orc are the same kind of monster, right?

After enjoying a rather splendid meal, we left the sorrowful gaze of the Rain Buffalo herd and hit the road again.

“Stick your butt to the saddle and straighten your back.”

“Like this?”

“A bit more like… like this.”

“Wow, Kana adjusted it for me…!”

Joanie let out an odd giggle.

Smack!

“Ow!”

“…Focus.”

I continued the lesson after punishing the delinquent student who wasn’t paying attention.

“You’re putting in too much strength.”

“But earlier you said to straighten my back, didn’t you?”

“I said to straighten your back, not to put in strength.”

“…Isn’t that the same thing?”

“How can that possibly be the same thing?”

By the end of the lesson, Joanie’s posture had improved a lot compared to the beginning.

The process wasn’t exactly smooth, but as long as the result was good, I was happy.

Joanie, the first graduate of Kana’s horseback riding class, left the following review.

“It was nice that you taught kindly, unlike when you teach swordsmanship! Hehe, Kana is indeed kind.”

“…I didn’t really mean to be kind.”

“You’re just being shy~”

Pok pok.

“Don’t do that.”

I swatted away Joanie’s persistent finger poking my cheek.

It was only natural to teach differently since the issues when riding a horse and handling a sword are different.

Well, it’s free to be mistaken, so I don’t need to correct her.

—

“Yawn….”

Joanie let out a big yawn.

After learning the proper riding posture from Kana, the muscle soreness that had been bothering her subsided.

At first, Joanie regretted thinking, “Maybe I should just take a carriage…”, but soon her thoughts changed to “I’m glad I rode a horse.”

It was much faster than a carriage and way more comfortable….

-They say riding a magical carriage is a lot more comfortable.

-Have you not bought that yet?

-Poor Kana is suffering because of the stingy leader…

“Do you say whatever you want just because it’s not your money? If you’re going to say that, at least give me a little money!”

-Us?

-Are you promoting direct transactions right now?

“…Maybe I should just stop talking about horses.”

Is this some sort of strike announcement, or is she neglecting her duty as a streamer? The chat showed no signs of being different from what she expected.

Anyway, classic trolls.

Shaking her head, Joanie turned her gaze toward Kana this time.

Was she not bored after riding for hours? Kana just swayed this way and that with the horse’s movements without saying or doing much.

If Joanie hadn’t been speaking to her, one might think she had placed a doll there.

‘Of course, Kana is cute like a doll.’

So it wouldn’t be strange to mistake her for one.

Joanie had a mental swoon over it.

Suddenly, she was curious about Kana’s reaction to her swooning but didn’t act on her impulse.

The gentle wind flowed through her softly waving hair, and her pink eyes, half-closed in thought, were as lovely as a painting.

It felt like blasphemy to interrupt such beauty.

Cuteness is justice.

Joanie delightedly admired Kana’s profile, mulling over the truth of the world again today.

Usually, she thought that saying she never got tired of just looking at a face was a typical line, but watching Kana like this made her wonder if it really wasn’t just flattery.

Had she been staring too hard?

Kana’s eyes, which had been staring blankly ahead, turned towards Joanie.

“…What?”

“…Huh? Did I say something?”

“You didn’t say anything, but your eyes are making me feel bad.”

“… .”

“Feeling bad.”

“…Okay, okay, just stop saying that…?”

Kana appeared as docile as a lamb, not even swearing, but every word coming from her beautifully shaped mouth had a slightly sharp edge.

Today, Joanie was hit by a direct fastball out of nowhere and muttered gloomily.

‘Well, at least it’s better than at first.’

It was certainly much better than the initial days when Kana had ignored her completely. Although a bit painful, the current situation was much livelier.

Whether that was the only reason she spoke to Joanie, Kana turned her attention back to the front.

Or at least she was trying to.

“Oh! Kana, can I ask you something I’m curious about?”

“…What is it?”

If it weren’t for Joanie bringing up a sudden curiosity, Kana would probably have remained silent.

“Why are you planning to go to the Holy Kingdom? I feel like I’ve heard you’re going but not the reason why…?”

Upon hearing the question, Kana looked at Joanie with an expression as if seeing something bizarre.

It was a rare emotional change for the typically indifferent Kana.

“E-Ehehe….”

Joanie awkwardly laughed, realizing how ridiculous she sounded even to herself.

They had traveled together with Kana for several days, and now she was asking about the reason?

If you were curious, you should have asked earlier, and if you weren’t going to ask, you shouldn’t have at all.

Of course, Joanie hadn’t thought that far, simply feeling excited about traveling with Kana.

It was a rather awkwardly timed question, but since it wasn’t exactly a bad one, Kana willingly answered her curiosity.

“I’m just curious.”

“Curious?”

Even if she had gotten curious, did she really think to travel all the way to the other side of the continent?

It didn’t seem likely.

As one mystery was solved, another question sprung up in Joanie’s mind, and she asked again.

“Since you want to go to the Holy Kingdom, does that mean the curiosity you have can only be resolved there?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask what it is?”

“No.”

“That’s to be expected~”

She knew it wasn’t going to be any other answer. What a succinct girl.

With the firm rejection returned, Joanie accepted it and stepped back.

Kana seemed oblivious, but according to Joanie’s assessment, there were two types of refusals from Kana.

‘…No.’

‘Aw, come on~’

‘Sigh…’

There’s a chance the latter kind could be turned around if pressed enough, whereas the former offers no leeway at all.

Kana’s refusal just now belonged to the latter type.

So Joanie, instead of digging deeper, focused on her own brainstorming.

‘If she feels she must go to the Holy Kingdom, could it be related to the Edel Church?’

She didn’t seem particularly religious, though.

“Wow, don’t tell me you’re trying to become a nun?”

-What?

-This person has quite the imagination.

-About how I became the strongest swordsman yet ended up as a lowly nun.

-She’d probably be a Holy Knight if she said yes;

“Wait a second. Kana in a nun’s outfit…? Hmm, now that’s tempting?”

-100% agree;; can’t resist this

-What? You mean I can see Kana in a nun’s outfit if she joins the Edel Church??

-Where’s the application form…

-The number of Edel Church believers is skyrocketing ㄷㄷ

[‘ㅇㅇ’ donated 10,000 won! Thank you!]

-Actually, what people think are nun characters are historically incorrect. Real nuns shouldn’t wear clothes that reveal their figures and should keep their hair covered due to the need to avoid drawing attention. So that’s why the priests of the Edel Church…

“Ah… thanks for the explanation!”

-‘Truth’

-Wow; the cost of meals has skyrocketed lately ㄷㄷ

-How is a bowl of rice costing 10,000 won???

-Korea’s gone downhill;

-Wow! That was genuinely interesting information!

-The leader’s expression lol

Joanie then continued to chat with her audience while keeping the microphone off.

From time to time, Kana would glance over at her, but immersed in her conversation with the viewers, Joanie didn’t notice.

Even so, the horses they were riding on continued to gallop earnestly toward the Holy Kingdom.

“Let’s rest for today now.”

How much time had passed?

As the sun began to set beyond the ridges of the mountains, Kana finally opened her tightly shut mouth.

Just as the conversation was dwindling, Joanie perked up to welcome Kana’s words.

“Camping feels nice after so long. Kana, you’ve camped before… oh, of course you have.”

Recalling Kana’s previous occupation, Joanie awkwardly paused her speech.

If she’d guessed right, Kana probably had a lot more camping experience than she did.

“But… are we camping here?”

Considering the location and the ground, this didn’t seem very suitable for camping.

Joanie’s experience in camping, even if not as good as Kana’s, suggested the same.

“We need to find a decent spot.”

Kana replied casually while gently tapping the side of the horse, and the horse, understanding its owner’s intent, walked slowly.

“Oh, I think I see some lights over there.”

Joanie’s eyes, searching for a camping site, caught a glimmering something.

A small fire, dancing on neatly stacked firewood.

Though fire could naturally occur, there was no way wood would be stacked so neatly without human effort; clearly, it had been arranged.

“Wait-”

Filled with eagerness, Joanie pushed ahead, leaving Kana behind to steer her horse towards the campfire.

“Is anyone there~?”

What luck to find an open area in such a spot!

As Joanie arrived at the little clearing with a campfire, she craned her neck, searching for any guests.

Clatter.

“Joanie.”

“Oh, you’re here!”

“…Sigh.”

Kana arrived behind, letting out a sigh.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Kana, who looked like she had a lot to say, ultimately stayed silent.

Instead, she turned her head toward what seemed like a presence not far away.

Rustle.

“Ah, are you travelers?”

“…A nun?”

Emerging with the sound of stepping on small twigs or leaves was a woman dressed in a nun’s habit, appearing mature yet still carrying a youthful aura.

Without realizing it, Joanie’s eyes wandered to her notably rounded figure as she recalled the earlier donation message and shook her head vigorously.

The nun looked at them with concern.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Oh, no…! It’s just there are bugs around.”

“Oh dear. Most bugs around here aren’t poisonous, but there are some that are, so please be careful. If you’d like, I can check for you?”

“That’s… that’s okay…”

‘She’s a real nun…!’

The nun, embodying compassion, washed away the dark thoughts clouding Joanie’s heart.

“Are you camping here alone?”

“Yes, I am. I parted ways with my party in the previous town and I’m on my own now.”

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, may we stay here with you?”

“Of course. I’m not the owner of this land. I was worried about the coming night, and thanks to you brave folks, I can rest easy.”

The nun smiled sweetly and set down the things she had been holding.

Dried twigs and fruits fell down like rain.

“Kana! We got permission! We can stay here together!”

“…Ugh.”

At Joanie’s cheerful gesture, Kana sighed once more.

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