“Is there anything uncomfortable for you?”
At Scarlett’s words, Vigrind awkwardly smiled and shook his head.
“With so many people around, what could possibly make me uncomfortable?”
He tried to sound dignified, but honestly, anyone could see that Vigrind looked more like a kid than anything dignified.
Vigrind knew that he still looked young, but he figured he was still growing, so he tried not to think too much about it.
That aside, Vigrind had something he wanted to say.
“Honestly, you are the most uncomfortable one for me…”
Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to say that out loud, as Vigrind was now officially ordained as a saintess of the Church of the Celestial God.
He had to behave as if someone was always watching and be careful with his words as if someone was always listening.
Not just because he was a saintess, but also because he was the closest companion to the Hero standing right next to him.
Putting on a smile for Scarlett, Vigrind adjusted his robe.
The saintess robe was quite revealing, making it rather chilly during the winter.
He had gotten used to the exposure, but wearing it because he needed to be exposed to the sunlight, known as the Divine Light of the Celestial God, was unavoidable. However, the cold was something he couldn’t get used to.
So, Vigrind wrapped himself in a pure white winter robe.
Then suddenly, feeling his robe being tugged, he turned to see Ludvik, the Hero, sitting on it.
With his eyes closed, it was hard to tell if he was thinking or maybe even asleep, but since Vigrind needed to pull the robe from under his bottom, he grunted and tugged at it.
After a while, Vigrind let out a small sigh and tapped Ludvik on the shoulder.
“Um, Saintess. I’m not asleep.”
“…You can sleep if you’d like, but could you please move so I can get my robe?”
Finally noticing the thick white fabric of the robe beneath him, Ludvik sheepishly smiled and lifted his bottom.
“Thank you, Hero.”
“No need to thank me; it’s no trouble at all.”
Despite that, Ludvik covered his mouth and let out a huge yawn.
He stretched one arm high, clearly indicating that he had been sleeping even though he denied it.
Inside the carriage heading to Kapatia Port, the number of passengers had noticeably decreased.
With Yona and company, Rubina, Ceres, and Scarlett, along with the Hero’s party, the carriage was once bustling but now consisted of just the two members of the Hero’s party, Ceres, James, and Scarlett.
Only five people were left.
Thanks to that, the carriage felt much lighter and flew along, and it had been a week since they left the Church Region.
Now just three or four more days at this speed, without anything happening, and they would reach Kapatia Port.
“By the way, Scarlett.”
“You, Sir Scarlet.”
“Yes, Saint.”
Scarlet had been sitting right next to Vigrind for a while now.
Before receiving her saintly ordination, she seemed a bit indifferent, but now that she’s officially a saint, her demeanor has completely changed, and it’s quite surprising.
“Have you not gone to investigate Semek?”
I had definitely heard that the Holy Knight Brigade had set out.
So, I figured Scarlet would lead the charge, but much to my shock, when the carriage was about to leave, there she was, hopping on board.
Vigrind’s words caused Scarlet to pause momentarily.
“The investigation of Semek was undertaken by the Holy Knight Brigade. I have a separate mission to accompany the saint as her escort, which is why I joined you here.”
Her tone seems to have shifted a bit as well.
Vigrind nodded at Scarlet’s words.
If she says so, what can Vigrind really argue against that?
But then, with Vigrind also going quiet, the carriage turned into a silent wasteland.
In the back, James was snoring away, and it seemed like Ludvik was also fast asleep next to him.
Across from them, Ceres was busy piling up bundles of parchment like a mountain, scribbling something furiously.
So, in this carriage, the only ones awake and somewhat sane were Vigrind and Scarlet.
“Have you seen a demon before?”
“A demon, you say.”
Hmm.
At that, Scarlet fell silent with a contemplative look.
After a long pause without a reply, I thought perhaps she hadn’t seen one, but just then, as if reading my mind, Scarlet finally spoke.
“I’ve never seen one directly. As you know, ever since the Celestial descended and shone His glory upon this land, all demons have been banished back to their birthplace. So, I haven’t seen one in person.”
“That makes sense.”
It’s a line straight out of the scripture.
When the Celestial finally revealed Himself in Marlen and emitted a holy light, He vanquished the false deity, causing all the demons that had been lying dormant in the ruins to be cast back to where they belonged.
And then, the remaining three demons schemed to summon the Demon King, but the hero Siu and the saint Sonia boldly stepped forward with their companions to vanquish the Demon King with a lightning strike — that very passage.
It was the same story I had heard countless times during my days at the cathedral.
“And now that they seek to return and plot mischief, it seems the purpose of sending the hero and saint to this land is to deliver punishment upon them, isn’t it?”
“…Is that so?”
Vigrind’s face seemed to flush for some reason.
It was the first time he felt so flustered facing someone who laid it on this thick, leaving him clueless on how to respond.
If only Yona, with her witty charm and sociability, were here; she would’ve handled this beautifully.
“What relationship did you have with that white-haired adventurer?”
“The white-haired adventurer… Are you referring to Yona?”
“Yes. The… wild one who acts like a thunderous buffoon.”
The way Scarlet described Yona was nothing short of frosty.
I know he doesn’t much like Yona, but still, isn’t it a bit much to express it like that?
“I’m… a classmate. We grew up in the same orphanage and studied in the same cathedral.”
“Is that so? However, how can you call her your classmate when the saint is so orphaned…”
“She’s my classmate.”
Scarlet fell silent at Vigrind’s sharp voice.
He didn’t think it was entirely wrong, but still, he kept his mouth shut.
“Regent.”
Ceres, with her face buried in a pile of parchment, looked up at Vigrind.
Her eyes seemed covered in a dark aura, as if she had put on black makeup under her eyes.
“…You seem quite busy.”
“Uh, yes, well. That’s right. It’s because of the Semek report. But what can I help you with?”
At that, Vigrind found himself at a loss for words again.
Having talked with Scarlet made him feel a bit off, so he called Ceres over, but he didn’t really have any particular business, so he was left with nothing to say.
“Please give me something sweet. Our saint seems to have a bored mouth. Haha.”
In contrast, her voice was full of vitality.
Before he knew it, Ludvik woke up, grinning as he looked at Ceres, then back at Vigrind.
“Am I wrong, saint?”
There was a hint that his tone was teasing.
But Vigrind kept silent as he watched the plate of cookies pushed forward and the honey pot beside it.
She was probably bored… which could very well be true.
Vigrind picked up a cookie and dipped it generously in honey.
She knew well the taste of this cookie, made without sparing any sugar.
She often fed it to Rubina and had also eaten the cookie that Rubina offered her several times.
That sweetness was truly delightful.
“Hero, please have some.”
Holding it up with her hand to keep the honey from dripping, Vigrind offered it to Ludvik.
She wished he would take it quickly, shyly.
But when Vigrind was suddenly taken aback by Ludvik’s approach, she almost dropped the cookie.
“Oh my, you surprised me.”
Ludvik grabbed Vigrind’s wrist.
Before she could drop the cookie, Ludvik quickly caught it in his mouth and flashed his usual hearty smile.
“Wow, this is really delicious. It can’t be bad since it’s from the saint.”
“…Please eat it. There’s plenty.”
Vigrind didn’t respond to that and bit into a cookie herself.
It was really delicious.
So sweet—
*
“Ugh, bitter.”
Yona spat out the petal she had in her mouth and grimaced.
“Don’t eat that!”
Alex shot Yona a pitying look.
“Hey, baldy. People need to munch on sweet stuff sometimes, you know?”
“But who in their right mind sucks on a flower like a lunatic?”
“No, seriously, this flower is really tasty… Why does it taste bitter?”
She forgot its name, but this red flower was exactly the one Yona remembered.
The kind where if you pluck the bud and suck on it, honey comes right out.
But now that she tried it, there was nothing but bitterness.
“Let’s hurry up. Kaiyak’s gonna freak out again because of you.”
“Oh man… If it weren’t for me, that lizard would have been dead ages ago.”
Even while grumbling, Yona quickened her steps.
Kaiyak, already quite a distance ahead, was glowering like he meant business.
“Yona, get a move on! What are you doing?”
“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
As they made their way across the Medial Plain toward Lake Kantasia, just as Kaiyak said, they didn’t encounter a single monster.
Not even a common wild orc crossed their path on this exceptionally peaceful journey.
Although a very big incident happened in the meantime, nobody mentioned it.
Besides, Alex felt even more uneasy.
He couldn’t shake off the thought of Yona glaring at him with those fierce eyes saying they needed to have a talk after separating from Kaiyak.
Unaware of Alex’s worries, Yona adjusted her nun outfit and straightened her left arm, checking the seams of the Sacred Barrier before fixing her right arm.
“Look over there, Yona.”
Kaiyak, who had already climbed the hill, pointed off into the distance.
“Wow…”
Lake Kantasia.
A legendary lake said to have formed where a giant’s arrowhead fell long ago.
Mystical fog always surrounded the lake.
—Just like now.
Through the thick but not obstructive fog, a building came into view.
From the top of the hill, they could see the structure in the distance.
“…Isn’t a tower what you normally expect from a mage?”
“Who made that rule? Didn’t you know there’s no law against buildings taller than a palace?”
“And yet you’re seeing it for the first time, huh, baldy?”
“Seeing it for the first time doesn’t mean it’s not common knowledge.”
Leaving the bickering duo behind, Kaiyak moved ahead.
Following him down the hill, the two hurriedly caught up.
“That’s the Mage Community over there. As you can see, it’s just a village. Community means village.”
“Well… I guess that’s true.”
But when you think of mages, it’s still the image of a tower, right?
As the saying goes, ‘Mage Tower.’
Yona muttered quietly to herself and quickened her pace.
The broad path spread out before them led straight to the Mage Community.
At most five stories high, mostly two to three-story buildings were clustered together snugly in that place.
Finally, they had arrived at the Mage Community.
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