NOVEL NEXT In the shaking guest room, Priest Vigrind lay on the bed with a pale face.
He had been born in Evian, and that was Vigrind’s world.
Now that he had finally escaped such a place and found himself in this huge ship, Vigrind was suffering from severe seasickness.
Each time he managed to eat, it was a tremendous ordeal to have to check what he’d eaten.
Unintentionally, it became a habit to dash to the railing right after a meal and hurl everything into the beautiful blue sea, which was a real pain.
“Saint, are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
It’s not just the agony of not being able to eat properly, but also the dizziness and splitting headache that were unbearable.
Yet, not being able to reveal that was another kind of torture.
She was a saint, after all.
Though he still needed to go to Infura to be formally appointed as a saint, the fact that the divine directly descended to appoint Vigrind as a saint left no room for doubt about its legitimacy.
The ordination process was merely a formality, so it was almost as if he had already become a saint.
He accepted the drinking cup handed to him by the maid.
The ceramic cup, warmed just slightly, was likely filled with lukewarm water.
After throwing up so many times, having the mildly warm water in his burning stomach finally brought some relief.
“If you’re feeling even a little unwell, please do call for us anytime, Saint.”
“Yes. I’ll do that. Please leave.”
Vigrind waved his hand to dismiss the maids.
He watched as they bowed their heads quietly and stepped back, and then he sipped the water slowly.
He still had nearly two weeks to go on this ship.
He’d heard of seasickness before, but honestly, he never thought much of it.
However, now that he was experiencing it himself, it was no joke.
“Ugh…”
After swallowing the warm water, Vigrind let out a long sigh.
Two weeks, two weeks… It had been just two days, meaning he still had over ten days to endure on this ship, and that worried him.
While some well-meaning folks said that after about four or five days he would get used to the ship’s sway, that was easy for them to say, but for Vigrind, who was actually going through it, saying it was simple was far from true.
“I’m going crazy.”
The words he had tried so hard to conceal felt like they were about to slip out.
“Geez—”
And then, at that moment, a knock came that interrupted her thoughts.
A voice came from outside.
– Knock knock.
“…Who is it?”
– It’s Ludvik.
The hero, Ludvik.
At that voice, Priest Vigrind unconsciously furrowed his brows.
Honestly, it’s not exactly a welcome visit.
But the hero and the saint can’t act all cold and indifferent, and yet, getting too cozy isn’t a good idea either.
‘…I just need to be careful.’
“Please, come in.”
The wooden door creaked open.
A shadow of a man, taller than the door itself, stretched into the room.
“Saint, pardon my intrusion.”
He was still the same cool-smiling guy.
Hero Ludvik.
Vigrind got up from the bed, draped a shawl around himself, and welcomed him.
“It’s not improper for you to visit, is it? Please, have a seat.”
Vigrind watched as Ludvik sat down and tapped a small dish of heating stones.
Soon, the stones began to glow red, and he placed a teapot on top of the hot stones, where it began to boil with a gentle sound.
“All I have to offer is tea; is that alright for you?”
“Oh, yes. That’s more than enough. I’ll enjoy it, Saint.”
Still giving well-formed answers.
Vigrind turned his back to Ludvik and sprinkled some tea leaves into the cup.
Once hot water is poured over them, the leaves will bloom, and the tea will steep.
He lifted the boiling kettle and poured the water into the cup.
Steam rose up, and Vigrind placed the cup in front of Ludvik.
“Please, enjoy.”
“Ah, thank you very much! Are you not having any, Saint?”
“I’m feeling a bit unwell.”
I wonder if just water would be okay. If I drink this tea, it might come right back up.
It’s not the kind of condition one should be showing in front of someone with an already awkward distance between them.
“I heard seasickness can be quite severe.”
“Yes, I’m a bit embarrassed about it.”
There’s no way to lie about it, and since Ludvik clearly knew about it already, Vigrind honestly nodded his head. He wanted to add that he felt a bit uncomfortable sitting here face-to-face, but that would just not do.
“You seem to be alright, Hero.”
“Yes, I guess I am.”
“Have you traveled by boat before?”
“Do you have any enemies?”
“No, this is my first time too. But since I’m an adventurer, I adapt to this kind of environment pretty quickly. Plus, if you’re around gold rank, you don’t really get bothered by such conditions.”
“I see.”
‘Well, aren’t you something?’
Priest Vigrind thought sarcastically.
“Even if that’s the case, I think it might be a bit tough for you, Saint. That’s why I came to see you. Just a little visit.”
“Thank you for that.”
So, won’t you just hurry up and leave already?
It’s not good for the Hero and the Saint to have such a strained relationship, yet it’s not like she could view him favorably.
Even before she became a Saint, Ludvik had always pulled Yona ahead of her.
During the raids in the Catacomb, he insisted that the Saint needed to be with him, dragging Yona along instead of Vigrind.
And it didn’t stop there.
Even after her appointment as a Saint, he continued the same behavior.
Despite having the perfectly Saintly Vigrind right next to him, Ludvik still prioritized Yona, giving her nothing but bad feelings.
On top of that, he tried to bring Yona into his party.
What made it worse was that he didn’t even ask for Vigrind’s opinion in that decision, which left her quite upset.
Because of that, now, unless Ludvik engaged her in conversation, an awkward silence lingered between them.
Vigrind had nothing else to say, and it seemed Ludvik had run out of things to discuss, leaving him just sitting there.
“…Hero, may I ask…”
“Yes, Saint.”
“When you were appointed by the Heavenly God as a Hero, did the Heavenly God descend?”
“Um… descend, you say…”
Ludvik recalled that moment.
While he was soloing the eastern fortress among the ruins of Marlen, a sudden beam of light shone down upon him.
And he heard the melodious voice of a woman.
Though her appearance was hidden, Ludvik was certain it was a divine descent, leaving no room for doubt.
“Yes, that happened. I was definitely told by the Heavenly God to prevent the impending unprecedented disaster.”
“I see.”
“…Um, do you perhaps have some negative feelings towards me, Saint?”
Vigrind fell silent at his words.
Wasn’t there something she could say more indirectly?
Was this even a story that should be so straightforward? she questioned.
“Negative feelings… you’re asking?”
Priest Vigrind fell silent.
It wasn’t that he was at a loss for words, but he needed a moment to gather his thoughts on how to respond.
“Just a moment.”
After asking for Ludvik’s understanding, Vigrind stood up from his seat.
Having just boiled some water not long ago, he tilted the kettle to pour out the still steaming water before returning to his chair.
“Though one might wonder what feelings are necessary between a hero and a saint, I can’t carelessly mention the gods. However, as mere humans with emotions, if I were to speak relying on these feelings…”
Vigrind closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
After sipping some warm water, he took a small pause.
“Yes, it’s not such a pleasant feeling towards the hero.”
“Why’s that?”
Even after hearing the direct rejection, Ludvik maintained a faint smile throughout.
Somehow, that smile felt both annoying and made him want to tease him a little.
“Well, as the saint who should be closest to you, hero, it feels like you’re prioritizing someone else instead of me.”
“Are you talking about Yona?”
Vigrind scrunched his brow slightly.
How can he be so blunt?
Does he prefer speaking plainly and getting straight to the point?
‘It’s not like I enjoy beating around the bush either.’
Vigrind took another sip of warm water.
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“I see. If that’s how you feel, then it’s my mistake. I intended to create the best composition for the party, but perhaps my explanation was lacking.”
Ludvik looked genuinely sincere about it.
Even after saying that, Vigrind felt a bit embarrassed, as his grievances seemed so childish. But unexpectedly, Ludvik’s apology made that feeling even stranger.
“I will be more mindful going forward. I shall remember that the one who should be closest to me, as a member of my hero party, is you, Saint Vigrind. Please forgive my ignorance.”
“Y-you don’t have to go that far.”
It was a bit awkward for him to suddenly try to bridge the gap.
“I will focus entirely on the saint from now on. Please do calm down.”
To be honest, he wasn’t even angry.
Vigrind didn’t say that and simply nodded slowly while sipping on the warm water.