I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

“…A subjugation task for reinforcing the garrison?”

“It’s a subjugation task, but there’s hardly any danger. The dangerous monsters are handled by high-ranking adventurers led by a hero, and newcomers just need to focus on scouting or dealing with small monsters like goblins.”

It was a task where quantity was more important than level, so both high-ranking and newcomer adventurers gathered without distinction.

Certainly, with such a task, anyone could take it on without concern for their level.

Of course, if it went as the future that Airi read, I would die in this task, but then, all quests had a risk of death, so wasn’t it the same whatever I did?

Moreover, the whole point was to help Merilyn so that I could prevent that future.

If minimizing variables was the goal, then perhaps the right answer would be to go to this place with her without changing anything.

“Merilyn, what do you think about this task?”

“……”

“…Merilyn?”

“Oh, sorry. I got absorbed in reading the task details without realizing it.”

Merilyn spoke while carefully reading the contents of the document.

Then she continued, smiling as before.

“…Since I’m not familiar with this kind of content, I’ll follow Mr. Woo Hyo-sung’s opinion for now.”

“Ah, yes. Then let’s proceed with filling out the application…”

The silence was a bit unsettling, but it should be fine.

After filling out the documents provided by the clerk and confirming the task, I left the guild and glanced back at her.

“The task starts tomorrow, so we have some free time today… Do you have any plans afterward, Merilyn?”

“Normally, I would look for work at places like taverns to earn travel funds, but…”

She pondered, resting her chin on her hand.

Then, she glanced at me and asked cautiously.

“If it’s alright, may I observe what you’re doing?”

“Me? Are you talking about me?”

“Yes, since we will be working together, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to spend more time together when we have the chance.”

Fellow adventurers on the same task often build camaraderie by drinking together or sharing accommodations.

Such occurrences were common among adventurers, and as a porter, I had often experienced them.

If it weren’t for the fact that the person in question was of the opposite gender and was attractive, I would have accepted it without much thought.

“You can follow if you like, but it won’t be very interesting. I’m just planning to loosen up at the training ground in preparation for tomorrow.”

“Hehe. Thank you for considering me, but you don’t need to worry about that.”

Merilyn, always smiling, looked back at me, modestly gathering her hands near her waist.

“From the moment I became interested in you, I have been giving meaning to every moment I spend with you…”

Interest and value.

Considering the meaning and weight implied within them, they were not words to be said to just anyone.

The words she spoke at that moment meant she thought of me as someone special…

“…You’re not joking, right?”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Damn.

As expected, she was bad for my heart.

The second benefit provided to adventurers following class selection was that the training ground was usually free to use.

Hiring instructors or using advanced training tools required money, but otherwise, there was little restriction for newcomers like me.

Naturally, for someone like me looking to test out a new weapon in addition to my class, the opportunity to use the training ground for free was considered a stroke of luck in itself.

But was luck something that shone on its own once found?

If it rolls in front of me, I must grasp it and make the most of it.

As I diligently swung my spear at a dummy, Merilyn, who was observing from the side, took the opportunity during a break to ask me a question.

“You’re working harder than I thought. You could take it easier. Is there a reason for you to work so hard like this?”

Working hard…

I did my best within what I was capable of, but it seemed even such an effort was somewhat surprising to her.

Actually, most who came to the training ground just swung their weapons casually or followed what the professional instructors would say.

“Well, if I had to say, it’s probably because of a compulsion to work hard.”

“Compulsion, you say?”

“Yes, it’s because of something that happened before…”

Although I valued adaptability and diligence, I did not work this hard in my past life.

Yet, the admiration from other people probably came from an experience I had before.

It was likely due to my experience assisting a hero sponsored by an organization.

“Don’t look.”

“But…”

“It’s not your concern. Please don’t look.”

At that time, she was in a precarious situation, yet she accepted her circumstances with a calm demeanor.

Her endurance was such that even I, known for my patience, felt admiration.

However, I still couldn’t withdraw my concern.

“…Isn’t that dangerous?”

While traversing the dungeon, as she led me to find a place to pray, her lower body had fallen into a trap in the corridor.

“It’s fine. I can get out of this situation by myself anytime.”

“No, it seems like you can’t get out…”

“I consider this situation part of the Lord’s will and am calming my mind accordingly. Don’t worry about me. Just do what you need to do.”

That damn nun stubbornly glared at me despite her situation.

But it wasn’t easy to leave her and do what I was supposed to do.contemporary romance

A significant portion of the baggage I was carrying was for setting up a ‘portable altar’ she needed for prayer, and my task before she fell into the trap was to set up this altar.

“…Should I call for help?”

“How many times must I say that it’s not necessary?”

“It would be easy to get you out if I called someone since we are here…”

“Sigh. This is why people without faith…”

People without faith.

It was a phrase she habitually used when she saw someone who disagreed with her.

No, more precisely, it was something that heroes sponsored by religious orders often say.

Heroes, with the aura of their role and the power bestowed by their Gods, tend to prioritize their faith in their God above all else.

“You, sit down there for now.”

“…Excuse me?”

“It seems a sermon is needed, so sit down.”

Ah, yes. If you say so.

Resigning myself, I set down the baggage and sat opposite her, and she cleared her throat and continued speaking, hands modestly gathered in front of her.

“Porter, what do you think faith is?”

“…Belief towards a God.”

“And faith is essentially patience. Heaven grants miracles to those who can endure, and I am also quietly accepting my current situation as a trial in accordance with that teaching.”

“Ah, yes. I see.”

She spoke well.

In reality, she was probably too embarrassed to escape from the trap immediately.

“What’s with that expression? Do you think I’m talking nonsense?”

“No, no. How could I, who knows nothing, think that? Everything the hero says is right.”

“Stop talking nonsense. I can tell from your expression that you’re mocking me… Eeek?!”

In the midst of my excuses, she pierced through my true intentions and vented her annoyance. Then, a harsh moan escaped her lips.

Afterward, her face reddened, and she twitched, looking down with a frown at the pit where her body was stuck.

“Ah, ah, uh! Haah♡”

“…What’s happening?”

“Something, like sticky tentacles, is crawling up my leg… Ah, hah, aah♥”

Oh no, was a tentacle-type monster approaching from below?

“I’ll help you!”

“It’s fine, it’s okay! I can handle this… Eek, eek!”

As I reached out to help, she forcefully slammed her hands on the ground.

As the light spread and seeped into her body, her previously twitching body calmed down, and a serene expression appeared on her face.

“Phew. I feel relieved now.”

“…Did you cast a barrier on your body?”

“Yes, as long as the barrier is maintained, the monsters in this underground can’t defile my pure body.”

Barrier.

Clerics could create barriers using divine power, but the one she used was different from those used by other clerics.

With her awakened abilities as a hero, she could not only block physical attacks but also intangible ‘conceptual’ threats.

This included mental attacks and sensations like those of the body’s nerves.

“Of course, feeling something fumbling outside the barrier would be unpleasant, but I’ve also cast a spell that blocks the sensations used in meditation. That’s why I can endure it.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better to use that power to escape?”

“Be quiet. What do you know about faith to speak so freely?”

My words were meant to suggest using her power more efficiently, not about faith.

Damn, how much more of this dungeon did we have to conquer? Yet she was wasting energy like this because of her stubbornness.

“As I’ve said several times, those without faith don’t understand the necessity of waiting. Those who pray and prove their patience will eventually be granted a miracle by the Lord…”

That damn nun went on preaching about waiting for a miracle to come, like in an Indian rain dance.

Normally, she wouldn’t cast barriers during others’ fights and would instead randomly criticize others’ actions with her preaching, which was exhausting.

As a mere porter, I could only watch from a distance, but seeing her preach in such an undignified state with only her lower half trapped, my blood pressure felt like it was rising in real time…

“Once again, patience is a virtue that people need. Especially in such rough times, those like you who lack faith and therefore can’t awaken the proper power need to feel the necessity of patience even more.”

That damn nun kept repeating these boring lectures like a school principal’s admonition, worthy of being smacked down with a Dempsey roll.

But for someone like me, a lowly outsider, standing up to a hero blessed by the Gods was impossible.

If I resented it, I needed to earn money quickly and start my own adventure.

Mulling over it internally and merely nodding along for a while, I soon noticed her face turning pale.

“Always keep this in mind. If you pray to the Lord, it will be granted. Thus, you will have the power to overcome any danger in this harsh world… Ugh!”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’ve said so many times… Ugh!”

She seemed to be struggling with a feeling of something surging from within, like nausea.

But the cause was not immediately clear.

Since she had blocked her sensations with her powers, it was impossible to know exactly where and how she was affected.

“Something’s wrong. The Lord’s holy protection should be guarding my body. Why then…?”

Even she, who had been preaching, couldn’t overlook the abnormality as she waved her hands, and a status window pertinent to her appeared in front of her.

Perhaps within it, she could check the status of the barrier she had cast, linked to her abilities.

And then…

“What? What? Has the barrier been broken?”

Her confusion burst out reflexively.

Then, as she looked down the hole, her face began to redden with intense anger, fading away her paleness.

“No, no way. Then, my body is… Aaah!! This filthy demon! How dare it defile this body dedicated to the Lord!!”

“…Is the situation serious?”

“Can’t you see!? What are you doing? Don’t just stand there! Call someone… *Cough!”*

Damn it, I should have called for help earlier!

In haste, I threw down the baggage and called people from the base camp, who, not realizing the severity of the situation, followed me with slow steps.

Spending hours in prayer was routine for her.

So, everyone must have thought it was no big deal, even though I was making a fuss…

“Er… uh… ugh…”

But what they found when they arrived was her upper body, always so proud and upright, now toppled over.

Unable to emerge from the hole, and with her upper body slammed to the ground, she was gasping. A sight that was enough to make anyone take it seriously.

“Over here! Dig up the ground quickly, please!”

“Damn it, what the heck is going on!?”

The party members, who belatedly realized the gravity of the situation, started to dig up the ground where she was buried forcefully.

Soon, sand began to pour down from above.

At that moment, utter emptiness was revealed, and everyone’s mouth, including mine, fell open in shock.

Yes, there was nothing there where something should have been.

“Eh, what?”

The person who had witnessed the scene with me soon opened his mouth, spitting out blood, and spoke with difficulty.

“My… My lower half, where has it gone…?”

A sob choked with despair.

Immediately after, a bunch of tentacles slithered up from the ground, wrapping around his remaining upper body and then dragging him into the earth.

Followed by a squelching sound echoing around.

“Aaahhh! A sensation-blocking man-eating monster!”

I ran away from that spot without looking back.

“…So, like that nun, relying on the heavens might get you devoured without even realizing it. That’s why I decided that when an opportunity to act arises, I should give it my all.”

“Oh, um. I see.”

After recounting such a past to explain why I was putting so much effort into training, Merilyn, who was listening to my story, stared at me with a blank expression.

Strange. Given her character, I would have expected her to crack a few jokes.

Wasn’t this a fairly common story in this world?

done.co