The Human Saint is Bored, so I was Summoned to Another World

Realizations, Forgiveness, and Moving Forward (Part 2)

Hagena was a small village on the north coast of the northern half of the land of Chersea. It consisted of several worn-out wooden cottages, though one could tell that it had been a bigger place in the older times. To its west—when facing the sea—lies a majestic chalk cliff, reminiscent of 'Dover cliffs' of England, while the eastern and southern sceneries were those of a lush temperate forest, where the villagers often get their sustenance once the fishing season was off.

"..."

Now that Lily had settled down for a bit, it was the first time she noticed a thin veil of fog covering the place. According to Grandma Margie, the light fog was surrounding the land and had been a permanent feature of the region. And dominating the village skyline was an imposing castle constructed at the top of the cliff to the west, quite far from the edge, and yet still had a commanding view of the entire village.

"Ah, our lord lives there." Grandma Margie explained when she noticed their guest was looking in the castle's direction. The breakfast that they had—the usual bacon, eggs, and bread fare, paired with a piping hot kettle of brewed coffee—was held outside, giving Lily a good eyeful of Hagena.

"What a beautiful place..." Lily couldn't help but admire what she saw. At the Holy Palatial Gardens, which were built in a wide valley surrounded by rolling hills and towering mountains, the nearest forest in their area would be the ones to the north, on the way to Nerfes. There were trees inside its walls, but those were intentionally planted there and were arranged neatly—giving an air of magnificent artificiality.

However, here at Hagena was of a different matter. It's like Lily returned to raw nature and she felt relaxed more than ever...

"It's true, eh?" it was Mariya; her eyes sparkled with delight as she proudly showed everything as if she owned it, "Even though I and Anton grew up here, we still find this place lovely from time to time. And, if I may add, you can't find any kinder local folk than our neighbors. Right, Anton?"

Anton was the big guy, eating silently with them at the table. He just nodded in agreement with Mariya's statement and went back to what he was doing. Well, the fellow was Mariya's little brother, and yet, every time Lily looked at him...

"..."

...she couldn't help but wonder if Mariya said it the wrong way. The 'little brother' was anything but little; if she could say it, Anton looked like a man with almost the same number of seasons behind him as her dead brother...

But well, Lily knew that she's just a stranger in this place, so she preferred to keep her mouth shut.

"Why...hello, Anton..." Lily awkwardly greeted the big fellow.

Anton gave her a shy, yet gentle, smile.

"Oh! I think Anton likes you!" Mariya laughed, "He rarely does that to strangers...well, not that we don't get a lot of guests, anyway. But yes, I think he likes you, right, Anton?"

"..." the big 'little brother' fiercely shook his head while he began blushing terribly.

"Ah!" there was a meaning to Mariya's smirk when she saw her brother act that way; however, she just kept it to herself. She'd like to observe for a little while longer.

Lily laughed silently.

"Hagena's pretty big and bustling in the old times." Grandma reminisced, "The previous king of Calabria permitted us to settle here, after running away from Nerfes. Most of my acquaintances eventually raised families here and then moved to other places when their finances allowed it."

"Oh...but isn't Her Holiness fought and destroyed that witch? What happened after that?"

"Well, once the news that the Bloody Witch's reign of terror was over, some of us found the courage to return to their lands. Most vowed never to return; some decided to move away forever from their painful memories. And there were a few like us, who fell in love with the place they settled in for long and adopted it as their home as well."