NOVEL NEXT “Why are you following us to Kaiyak? I said the Kingdom of Lukasia is our destination.”
Yona’s sharp voice echoed.
“Right, Sekti. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a bit much to continue following us. Since Sister Serad’s hometown is here, I think it would be better for you to stay and take care of her so she can settle in comfortably,” Alex said soothingly.
“…I… I owe my life to her, so… I think I have to repay that…” Sekti’s voice trembled but still managed to express her feelings.
“The Saint was originally a healer, you know. Now she can act like a priest. So I want to go with the Saint too. If necessary, I’ll convert. If I have to apostatize, I’ll think about it, but it seems okay. The Heavenly God doesn’t seem to really favor me anyway, so I’d like to become a priest too,” Serad blatantly said she was going to use her.
“Uh—so, umm… I mean, the boat can take all of you, right—” Amira, still sounding quite leisurely, chimed in.
“Ah—seriously, this is so annoying, aaaaah—!”
Finally, Yona’s irritation exploded.
It’s all because of this guy. If he hadn’t brought that damned little brat along, or better yet, if they hadn’t even met, none of this would’ve happened—Yona was about to go insane from the frustration rising within.
Anger usually fades over time, and the rage and hatred she felt toward Sekti were lessening little by little.
However, she couldn’t have good feelings toward Sekti in the first place, so even just coming all the way from Evian with her was already a show of generosity.
But to say she would follow them to Kaiyak? That was just too much.
Yona, Alex, Kaiyak, James, and Rubina.
These five were the ones Yona truly trusted and relied on.
Of course, it wasn’t so much relying on Rubina, but nonetheless, they were undeniably precious to her.
The idea of those impurities like Sekti and Serad trying to join their group was utterly ridiculous.
It was a proposal Yona simply could not accept.
“Why are you doing this to me? Why! Ugh, this is driving me insane!”
Yona’s face was twisting and turning with emotions.
Seeing her like that, Rubina slyly hid behind Alebians.
“…Hey, pretty girl.”
“Why you! What! What do you want?!”
As Alebians called out to Yona, she spun around.
Upon seeing Yona’s eyes, red and bloodshot, Alebians flinched in surprise.
“Wait a sec, can we talk?”
“What is it? Do it here, right here!”
“It’s a bit awkward here. Just for a moment, okay? Let’s chat.”
“Ugh…”
Yona placed her hands on her hips and let out a long sigh.
Trying to cool down the irritation that boiled to the top of her head, she gestured to Alebians.
“Fine, I got it. Let’s go.”
“So it’s Sekti and Serad, right?”
“Yep.”
After pulling out some ice from the freezer in the room she shared with Amira and tossing it into her fruit juice, she downed it all in one go, as if that would help her cool off a bit.
Alebians watched her carefully.
Yona’s temper had definitely dropped a lot.
She was always hot-headed and easily irritated, but she’d never gone this berserk before.
Perhaps it was because she was holding the powers of both Dukes—her behavior was becoming increasingly wild, and her patience was wearing thin.
‘…I have to keep an eye on her, somehow.’
Unbeknownst to Alebians, Yona slammed her empty juice glass onto the table and growled at her.
“Alright, now that we’re here, spill it. What’s up with Sekti and Serad?”
“You should take them along.”
“Are you in on this too?”
“Just hear me out, pretty girl. You know what role I have among the demon realm’s priests.”
“…You mean that thing called a Watcher or something?”
“Yep.”
Alebians nodded slowly.
Watcher, Alebians.
Unlike Ceres, the leader, she might not take direct action, but there was one reason Ceres couldn’t let her go.
Alebians could see what Ceres couldn’t.
And she had the ability to piece together fragmented information gathered from her perspective into something useful.
That was the power and weapon Alebians possessed.
And in a way, it was almost a form of foresight.
It wasn’t the omniscient kind of foresight, but rather a sharp future analysis based on given information.
“I’ll cooperate with you. You can trust me on that.”
“—Alright.”
Yona didn’t deny that part.
Looking back on the time spent in Alebians and Evian, it turns out that Alebians hasn’t really done anything too bad. They’ve taken a lot of heat just for being on Ceres’s side, so maybe there’s some room for mercy after all.
Above all, when Yona almost crumbled fighting Damian, she found courage in Alex, and the fact that it was Alebians who brought Alex to that point definitely influenced her perception even more.
“So, I think it would be better to take those two with us. You owe Sekti a big debt, and based on what I’ve seen, Serad—the nun—seems like she’ll pull her weight too. Plus, when we go hunting for the Duke in Katus, Yona, you won’t have to worry about anyone other than Alex.”
It’s not like that—Yona thought at first.
But on second thought, there was definitely some truth in Alebians’s words.
If Serad, the nun, does her part, then even during the Duke hunt—
“…Duke hunt?”
“Yeah, the Duke hunt. Either make all the Demon Dukes on your side or kill them off like Damian and absorb their power, right? There’s really no word that fits better than ‘hunting’, don’t you think?”
“That’s true.”
Yona nodded, thinking it was indeed a fitting term.
Anyway, if Serad can take care of the rest of the crew besides Alex, that’d be a huge help.
Plus, if things go south, once we reach Katus, they can be dropped off somewhere to face all kinds of horrible deaths, and seeing that might make Yona feel a bit better.
Honestly thinking it through, it’s definitely better to take them along than just leave them here.
“…Alright, I get it.”
“Good, you made a smart choice, pretty girl.”
“Hmph.”
*
“This is the only time. I’ll allow you to come along to Katus. But after that, there’s no more, understood?”
“…Finally going with you, senpai…”
“What!?”
Yona raised an eyebrow at Sekti’s muttering.
She had agreed to Alebians’s request, but hearing Sekti mumble made her wonder if she had just said something unnecessary.
“Oh, no… it’s nothing… really, it’s nothing.”
Sekti shook her head vigorously.
It’s obvious what her true feelings are, but Yona didn’t worry about that.
Although she couldn’t bear to wear it, the Sacred Barrier that Alex had extracted for her sat snugly in Yona’s backpack.
That Sacred Barrier was undeniable proof that Alex was on Yona’s side.
It’s not like there’s undeniable evidence, right?
I lost the clothes I received as a gift somewhere in the Church Region, but I swear I won’t lose this Sacred Barrier and hunting knife.
“And you, Serad.”
Serad was unyielding, always throwing back retorts, still fresh in my mind was how she insisted on saving Sekti, saying it would be you regretting it if we didn’t.
Such a plucky and fearless girl.
“Yes! Saint!”
“You too. Only until Katus is allowed. After that, it’s off-limits. Got it?”
“Yes! Saint!”
Whether she understood or not, Yona grumbled inwardly as she turned to Amira.
“Amira, are we done? Can we move the stuff now?”
“Oh my—Saint, moving the stuff…?”
Amira, smiling brightly, tilted her head and spoke to Yona. With her hands clasped together, she looked back at where the luggage had been, and Yona followed her gaze to where the pile was.
“…Where did it go?”
“I already loaded it all up—”
Yona marveled inwardly at Amira, whose actions were quicker than her words.
*
The deep blue of the sea soon becomes a white foam.
The foam crashing against the bow disappears without a trace, yet another foam seems to rush in, eager to fill the void.
Fleeting foam, constantly hurling itself at the ship.
Yona leaned over the railing at the bow, peering down at the ocean below, not with calm reflections in hopes of spotting fish—
“Waaaah—!”
With little in her stomach, Yona was vomiting only stomach acid. Beside her, Alex stood, incessantly patting Yona’s back.
“Ugh, slow down, slow down… You’re making my head spin… Waaaah!”
“What should I do when your seasickness is this bad?”
“Waaaah!”
Thankfully, the Bitia Strait isn’t a long journey, but Alex thought he should pack some seasickness meds for any future trips.
The sky was so high and blue.
Winter was at its tail end, and spring was right around the corner.
Seagulls gathered at the bow for an unexpected feast, and each time Yona retched, fish beneath the surface swarmed, while seagulls swooped in from above.
“Waaaah—!”