NOVEL NEXT The cathedral carriage that departed from Evian was now rounding the Lukasian Mountains.
The final destination was the port of Askhargen located at the northernmost tip of the Kingdom of Lukasia.
The ultimate goal was to sail across the Sea of Flabus, pass through the Sea of Alter, and finally dock at the Duchy of Kapatia.
“Please don’t look at me like that, Hero.”
“Oh, I apologize.”
Priest Vigrind turned her gaze away from the hero with a haughty expression.
It was already the second day since they left Evian.
Six carriages had set out, and in the middle one designated for VIPs were Hero Ludvik and Vigrind.
No matter how you looked at it, he seemed too lightweight to be called a hero.
Vigrind herself felt inadequate calling herself a saint — she was pleased when she became one, but honestly questioned whether she was worthy of the title. Yet, the problem was that Ludvik didn’t seem to have any self-awareness at all.
“Saint.”
Vigrind barely restrained her habitual sharp tone, which almost escaped her.
She thought it wouldn’t be fitting to talk like that to Ludvik, with whom she would be traveling for a long time.
“Yes.”
“What is the northern continent like?”
“The northern continent… Are you asking?”
She initially thought it was a joke, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Ludvik’s expression was surprisingly serious, and the previously frivolous look had vanished, his gaze now demanding a serious answer from Vigrind.
“I may have asked too bluntly.”
Ludvik rummaged through a briefcase attached to the side of the carriage seat, pulling out a map and spreading it on the side table.
It was a map detailing the countries of this continent.
“Evian, where we were, is right here, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Evian was located at the northern edge of the Kingdom of Lukasia, backed by the Lukasian Mountains.
Ludvik’s finger traced the line toward Askhargen as he noted, “And we’re heading here now, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. And from Askhargen, we’ll head into the Sea of Flabus.”
Vigrind’s slender finger pointed to the sea in front of Askhargen.
The Sea of Flabus, also known as the Sea of Gold.
There’s a legend that during the old battles between Katus and Kapatia, a treasure-laden ship fleeing from the fiery land sank here, submerging all that treasure.
“And from the Sea of Flabus… to the Sea of Alter.”
“The number of nations really is quite a lot. The powers must be very diverse.”
Vigrind reminisced about her training days at the cathedral.
Surely, while the nations were divided, it wasn’t the nations themselves that were important.
“There’s no need to think too complicatedly. The conflict isn’t really between nations, but rather between races, which is much simpler.”
“Races, you say?”
“Yes, races. Currently, we have five opposing races: elves, humans, beastmen, dwarves, and orcs.”
“Hmmm.”
Ludvik crossed his arms and let out a puff of air.
The southern continent he came from wasn’t this complicated.
Beneath the map of the northern continent was a tiny spot marked as the Land of Death, the Great Desert.
Ground, Great Desert.
Below that lies Marlen, which belongs to the Southern Continent and serves as his hometown.
“Come to think of it, you said you were from Marlen, didn’t you, Hero?”
“Yes, it’s in the Southern Continent.”
Vigrind was somewhat puzzled by that part.
Marlen.
That name which frequently came up during cathedral training sessions, Marlen.
Isn’t it the place where the legend of the Celestial God remains?
A place where his descendants have lived for generations, Marlen.
Vigrind knew well that it was located in the Southern Continent.
How on earth did this person come all the way from Marlen to Evian, a place that is almost like a holy land of the Church of the Celestial God?
Considering he crossed the land called the Great Desert, his condition looked far too fine.
“…No.”
Suppressing his rising doubts, Vigrind shook his head.
To suspect the hero would be akin to doubting the Celestial God, which would be utterly sacrilegious.
Surely the Celestial God led him here to Evian, and ultimately, the Saint was also born in Evian, so it couldn’t have been a futile divine guidance.
Thus, there was no need to doubt.
“You’ll arrive at Askhargen in about three days. I know it feels tedious, but please bear with it a little longer, Hero.”
“Well, that’s fair. It’s not bad for me since I’m traveling comfortably.”
Ludvik had no reason to complain separately.
Once you’re on the carriage, it just takes you straight to your destination, making for an exceptionally pleasant journey.
Dust hung in the air.
The dust was a result of the movement of six carriages from the cathedral, accompanied by the horses of the Holy Knight Order escorting them.
Because of the dust, the scenery outside was completely shrouded, and visibility was poor.
*
“—Kaiyak?”
– Yes. May I come in for a moment?
“Wait a second.”
Yona hurriedly wrapped the Sacred Barrier around her right arm to cover her tattoo.
Although she trusted Kaiyak, she was unsure if he would still remain a comrade upon seeing such an ominous tattoo, and whether that trust could be maintained was uncertain.
“Come in.”
Creeeak—With the sound of old wooden hinges creaking, Kaiyak stepped into the room.
Once inside, he gestured to Yona without taking another step inside.
“I’d like everyone to gather and discuss something for a bit. Please come down to the first floor.”
“Uh? O-Okay. I’ll be down shortly.”
On hearing Yona’s reply, Kaiyak turned without hesitation and left the room.
He could have just called her, so what was the point of coming all the way up here? Yona muttered to herself as she tidied up her outfit and went downstairs.
“Hey, Yona. Did I wake you up?”
James smiled slyly as he raised the drink he was holding.
Given his size, the cup he was holding was larger than normal; it looked clunky, as if carved from a chunk of wood.
“Come, sit down.”
“Okay.”
Upon seeing the handkerchief Alex had laid over the chair, Yona scrunched her face and picked it up to rub it on Alex’s head.
“Stop treating me like a lady, you bald brat.”
“Hey, it’s just manners, manners.”
“I don’t need that kind of nonsense. I’m a man, you know.”
“Whoa, that’s true.”
At James’s words, Yona turned her attention from Alex, who she was bickering with, to him.
With all eyes suddenly on him, James scratched his prominently protruding tooth in embarrassment.
“No, it’s just that Alex said so. Yona looks like a tough guy, so don’t judge by appearances. But I really didn’t think it was true, you know.”
“Well, I’m just stating the facts. Why is that a problem?”
Yona shut her mouth tightly and sat on the chair.
She was already feeling down because of that piece, but seeing James, who she thought was serious, acting like this made her mood sink even further.
“Anyway, I called you all here because I think we need to change the schedule a bit.”
Kaiyak lifted the cup in front of him and slurped it loudly before speaking.
There was a cup in front of Yona too, and when she looked inside, it seemed to be fruit wine from the smell.
It tasted so sour that she didn’t really want to drink it.
“How are we changing the schedule?”
In place of the tightly shut Yona, Alex asked.
“I think we have to give up the original route.”
“What do you mean by that? Kaiyak, explain it in detail.”
“Yeah, Yona. I’ll explain, so just wait. Can’t a guy wait a little?”
Kaiyak waved his hand to calm down Yona, who looked like she was about to say something, and then he grinned.
His mouth, which looked like a shark at a glance, twisted into a smile, which was quite a frightening sight, but Yona and Alex were already used to it.
“We’re going to the Plain.”
“…The Plain?”
“Yeah.”
Kaiyak pulled out the expensive map from his bag and unfolded it.
“We’re about here.”
He pointed to a spot teetering on the border of the Duchy of Kapatia and the Republic of Mareya.
“Originally, the plan was to go straight through here and cross the Insturia Mountains, but after seeing your stamina, Yona, I don’t think crossing the mountains is possible.”
“Hey, I can do it! I really can. Marching is all about mental strength!”
“Oh, sure. Your mental strength. I admit it, Yona.”
That wasn’t just flattery; he meant it.
If it weren’t for Yona, Alex, and even Kaiyak would have been cold corpses in that catacomb.
Trying to purify that dreadful monster and actually succeeding takes more than just guts.
“But this is a long-distance trek. You can’t rely on just mental strength for long distances. You understand what I mean? Calm down and listen to my explanation.”
Yona swallowed her rising irritation and gulped down the fruit wine.
It tasted sour.
“From here, we’ll go up, pass through the Duchy of Kapatia… and then head to the Medial Plain. From there, we’ll get to the community.”
“That’ll definitely be slower than taking a shortcut.”
“That’s true. But I don’t want to rush and throw my life away either.”
With Kaiyak’s firm words, Yona shut her mouth.
Well, it might actually be for the best.
If they went through the Medial Plain, they’d also pass through the Infura Church Region, which might even be better.
“…Alright. Let’s do that.”
“And James decided to join us. Just to the Medial Plain.”
“James? But he has a family!”
“Hehe, he owes us a favor. Luckily, he’s an archer, so it’s not overlapping with our roles. It’s just to the Medial Plain, so you don’t have to feel burdened.”
The bulging molars reflecting candlelight every time they spoke was quite a bizarre sight.
But, as seen when dealing with the black bear, their skills were indeed reliable. At least it was much better than just the three of us going.
“Besides, the Medial Plain knows the roads well.”
“Thank you very much.”
There was no other choice.
“Don’t be so down.”
“When did I ever do that?”
Just like the homemade fruit wine back at home, it was carelessly packed, and the strong alcohol content was hidden behind the tartness of the fruit.
Yona always got confused.
When she was a guy, she remembered hammering down bottles of soju with a couple of friends.
Now, she often mixed up the fact that her current alcohol tolerance was not that high.
Having downed three or four glasses of fruit wine, she was starting to feel quite tipsy.
When Alex suggested walking for a bit to shake off the drunkenness, she shot back, wondering where he was trying to hit on her, but it wasn’t so bad so she came out with Alex.
It was a truly beautiful village.
Though there were no fields or paddies in sight, each household had a little vegetable garden in front that was quite adorable.
The dew settling on the gardens reflected the moonlight, sparkling as if the stars had landed.
“Oh, right.”
Suddenly, Alex remembered something he had stashed in his sling bag.
“What is it?”
As he rummaged through the sling bag, he accidentally glanced at Yona.
The full moon illuminated the night sky without a cloud in sight.
The bright, shining moon appeared as if it were Yona’s background, rising just behind her.
With the moonlight backlighting her, Yona looked truly beautiful in Alex’s eyes.
But he didn’t let that fact slip out.
He desperately wanted to say it, but he held it back.
At least it wasn’t the kind of thing to say right now.
“…This.”
Instead, Alex held out what he had taken from the sling bag.
It was wrapped in light brown leather.
Yona accepted it from Alex.
“What is this?”
“I bought it because you came to mind.”
It was the hunting knife he bought from the old man at the general store for stories about bears and sacred trees.
“Just carry it. I know you can’t use a weapon with your right hand, but you can with your left. I thought it would be good for self-defense.”
“Heh…”
Yona pulled the knife out of its leather sheath and held it up to the moonlight.
The gleaming dagger looked quite appealing.
“I don’t really know about this. I’ve never used one before. But since you gave it to me, it must be good.”
Then she rolled up the left leg of her nun’s outfit and twisted the holder cable around her thigh to secure it.
“Aren’t you ashamed to show off your legs like that, girl?”
“I’m a guy, you bald bastard. What, do you want to use your ‘boob-squeezing coupon’ right now?”
Yona, with the hunting knife strapped to her thigh, stood tall and grinned.
That made Alex burst into laughter.
“I’ll use it later, just not now.”
“Do it, but don’t regret it after holding back.”
He didn’t think he would regret it.
Alex pondered.