Chapter 278: Lara Receives the News

The monster’s last breath came out as a wet, rattling wheeze, and then it stopped moving altogether.

It was a horrendous beast, six limbs, a hide like wet leather, a mouth that opened in three directions.

And Lara stood over the corpse with her sword still buried in its throat, chest heaving after the hard battle.

She smirked, thinking about how one year earlier, taking on that giant enemy alone would have seemed impossible, and now this was just training for her. Meeting Shin had changed her life completely.

The dog girl pulled her sword free and wiped it on the creature’s flank, then turned around.

The local villagers were watching her with tears in their eyes. Several of them fell to their knees to show their respect and gratitude.

Then someone started clapping. It spread, awkward and uneven at first, then all at once, becoming a roar.

"Saint!" a man shouted. "The Saint of the Fang is back!"

Lara’s jaw tightened. She sheathed her sword, wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her wrist, and smiled at the crowd.

It was not her first time being worshiped, but things were becoming more extravagant at each village she saved.

She was no saint. She was simply a sacred virgin... Well, not much of a virgin anymore. Still, she had been the first to awaken the Guardian Beast Mark in Centrius, not to mention the incredible power she had recently gained.

All of that, combined with her decision to travel throughout the Dog Clan’s territory, recruiting and training people, turned her into a legend.

People spoke of how she saved forgotten villages plagued by constant monster attacks. They spoke of how she took in the poor and gave them hope for a better future.

Anyway, she continued her journey, hoping to get stronger and be ready to be of use once Shin returned. And, by the time she reached the next town, word had gotten there first.

It always did.

She arrived at Lowville, a somewhat large city with a prosperous agricultural industry and a handful of rich merchants.

To her surprise, the city was ready for her arrival. Someone had strung up cloth banners in the colors of the old faith, and many had turned out to welcome her with a grand festival.

"Saint Lara!"

They pressed gifts on her as she walked: bread still warm, a clay jug of cider, a bundle of dried herbs, a knife with a hilt wrapped in new leather. A woman with a baby on her hip caught her sleeve and would not let go.

"You saved my sister’s village," a woman said, her voice shaking. "Those monsters were going to eat them all."

Soon more and more people began telling their stories, making her sound like the greatest hero ever born.

She flinched for a second at the attention, but smiled and played the part. This would make her more influential in the clan and give people hope. And, of course, these things would ultimately be useful for Shin.

As such, she would play the part of a saint as well as she could.

Lara had no healing skills, but a few of her new followers did, so she always set up a healing post wherever she arrived.

To keep the kids entertained, she always put on some kind of show too. This time it was a short display of her cutting through hell flames and then taking on four guards at once.

It was something simple, but enough to make the public excited.

At last, she had her most important obligation: visit the local Guardian Beast temple, meet the local priestess and sacred virgin, and take part in the rituals there.

For a long time, the Guardian Beast had been the dominant religion among the Dog People. As the centuries passed, however, its influence gradually faded, particularly in the capital and other major cities. With no one awakening the Guardian Beast Mark for generations, it was only natural that people would eventually lose faith in the old religion.

Yet its legacy remained. Temples still stood at nearly every corner of the territory, silent reminders of a faith that had once shaped the lives of an entire people. And now, with Lara awakening the Guardian Beast Mark and wielding its incredible power, there was a chance to breathe new life into the slowly dying religion.

Recognizing the opportunity, Lara decided to use her newfound influence to restore the faith and bring the Guardian Beast back into the lives of the Dog People.

Her first stop was an ancient temple, its imposing structure built from gigantic blocks of stone. The weathered walls and archaic architecture spoke of an age long past.

Standing before its massive entrance, Lara couldn’t help but wonder how many generations had passed since the temple had last seen such a devoted follower.

The priestess was a tall, weathered woman with her hair bound back in bone clasps and her forearms wrapped in pale cloth. She bowed lower than Lara was comfortable with.

"Everything is prepared. Would you please lead the Vigil?"

"Are you sure?" Lara asked. "I could take care of the sacred reading and leave the greatest honor to you."

The priestess shook her head. "I would never dream of outshining the saint."

Lara accepted the priestess’s wishes and took the lead in the Vigil, one of the most important rituals of the Dog People.

The priestess began by reading the sacred text. As her voice echoed through the temple, more and more people arrived, kneeling on the stone floor until every inch of space was filled. Even outside, crowds gathered around the entrance, eager to witness the ceremony.

When the reading ended, Lara stepped into the center of the hall, where a great iron brazier glowed with dying coals.

The priestess dipped her fingers into a clay pot of ash and drew a line down Lara’s forehead, across each cheek, over the hollow of her throat, and across the backs of her hands.

"Blood of the hunt," she intoned.

A low murmur echoed through the hall.

She then took a second bowl, this one filled with dark water, and washed the ash from Lara’s hands, one at a time, letting the water trickle into the coals. It hissed, sending thin wisps of steam into the air.

"Water of the return."

The priestess stepped back and raised both arms. The congregation rose with her.

"Hunt well. Return whole. Endure."

"Endure!" the hall answered.

Lara stood with her hands extended, the ash drying on her skin, and tried not to meet anyone’s gaze. Then she began to pour her mana into the Guardian Beast Mark.

The mark blazed with light. A heartbeat later, the mark of the sacred virgin shone in response, bathing her in a faint radiance.

All around her, the congregation fell to their knees.

Once the Vigil was over, Lara stepped out of the temple into the cooling evening air, and a young servant of hers hurried to her side, holding a folded letter sealed in deep red wax.

"Forgive me, Saint. This came by a fast rider from the capital. Marked for your hand only."

She broke the seal, and gasped while reading the contest... Shin was finally back.

She read it twice, and her whole body answered before her mind did: heat climbed her neck, her thighs pressed together on instinct, and a slow ache settled low in her belly at the simple thought of him saying her name.

"The feast," she said, folding the letter and tucking it inside her breastplate. "Cancel it. The hunters, the healing post, all of it. I leave tonight."