The deep blue of the sea transformed into frothy white waves that flew up to the bow of the ship.
The rising foam quickly scattered and disappeared, only to have another foam rise up as if trying to fill the void.
Vigrind leaned over the railing at the bow, peering down at the sea below.
Hoping to catch a glimpse of a fish swimming beneath, she stared intently but saw nothing—not even a fish.
“It’s dangerous, Saint.”
Suddenly hearing a voice, Vigrind turned to the side.
With brown hair fluttering in the gentle sea breeze, the brave warrior Ludvik was gazing at her with a soft smile.
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
Vigrind felt a sudden wave of embarrassment.
As the saint of the Church of the Celestial God, it felt a bit shameful that she was lost in thought, staring blankly at the sea.
“It’s my second time seeing it, but… I’m just thinking about how vast the ocean is. Have you seen the sea before, Warrior?”
She truly believed the sea was immense.
Evian wasn’t wide, but it was her world, and seeing the ocean for the first time shattered her perception of it, revealing a world greater than she had known.
In contrast, Ludvik appeared so unfazed as he gazed at the sea—it was as if he had seen it before.
“No, this is my first time seeing the sea too, during my last trip to the Duchy of Kapatia. Marlen is in a place without a sea. Evian is the first time I’ve ventured beyond Marlen.”
“And yet, you remain so calm.”
“Is that so?”
She found it intriguing.
This vast expanse of ocean, filled with nothing but water.
How could one remain calm when experiencing for the first time such a wide sea, so blue that the bottom wasn’t even visible?
“After all, I’ll be seeing an even wider world, right? More vast than Marlen, Evian, or even this sea. If I were to be surprised every time, that would be rather amusing, wouldn’t it?”
“Really?”
Vigrind fell silent and gazed ahead.
Groups of nameless birds cawed and flitted above the ocean.
These birds, with their white bodies and yellow beaks, dove into the water from time to time, catching fish with their beaks.
“Aren’t those birds fascinating?”
Ludvik pointed to the birds.
Having somehow moved closer to Vigrind, he rested his arms on the railing, leaning in while pointing at the birds.
Rikigo itda.
“The birds are the ones that followed us all the way from the dock,” said Vigrind.
“Us?”
“Yes.”
Vigrind looked up at the birds the hero was pointing at.
Kkiruk, kkiruk-kkiruk— the unknown-sounding birds flew in flocks, then returned to the ship’s mast to peck at their feathers and tidy themselves.
“So they’re stowaways on our ship. They know that if they hang out with us, there’s plenty of food, and they can rest at the top of the ship,” he explained.
“They know they’ll get food and a place to rest…”
“Yes. Pretty clever little guys, aren’t they?”
Ludvik chuckled.
Since he’d heard this from the sailors working on the deck, it was probably a true story.
“Now, Saint, take a look at this.”
Ludvik pulled out a small pouch from his pocket.
Made of cheap fabric, the pouch was tied at the top, and as he tugged on one corner, the string loosened, and the mouth opened slightly.
Inside were yellow grains aplenty.
“This is grain. It’s all the leftover chaff after the good stuff has been taken out. Now, watch this…”
Ludvik scooped up a handful of husky remains that had more shell than grain and raised his palm high.
Some of it blew away in the sea breeze, but it seemed the smell of the grain spread even further, and the seabirds gathered above Ludvik’s head, cawing excitedly.
“The birds are multiplying!”
Vigrind shouted out over the cacophony of the seabirds.
He covered his ears and screamed, but his expression wasn’t all that bad.
“Now, watch closely!”
Ludvik, with a smile on his face, swung his hand holding the grain and hurled it overboard.
Just as Vigrind was taken aback, “Whoa,” the moment the grains hit the water, the seabirds rushed in, each grabbing a piece of grain and soaring back into the sky.
“Isn’t that amazing? Would you like to try it too, Saint? It’s really fun.”
Vigrind paused for a moment.
Honestly, it did look fun, and he wanted to give it a go.
But as the saint of the Church of the Celestial God, being caught up in such trivial and silly games seemed a bit ridiculous to him…
“Enjoying fun things is something everyone does. Do you think the Celestial God wouldn’t understand that? Now, hand me your hand.”
“Um, please give me your hand.”
Before Priest Vigrind could respond, Ludvik yanked her hand towards him.
Her pale hand was barely half the size of Ludvik’s rough, scarred one.
‘M-my hand…?’
Though it was a fluke, Priest Vigrind found herself flustered as it was the first time her hand had ever touched a man’s.
“Alright, this should do.”
Ludvik grinned.
Without realizing it, Vigrind looked up at Ludvik’s face.
“Our Saint needs to eat a bit more. Your hand is only half the size of mine.”
Ludvik put his hand on the back of Priest Vigrind’s hand, which was filled with grain.
She didn’t understand a word of what he was saying.
“Now, just throw it. Look over there, the sea birds are waiting! If you keep stalling, they’ll come over here… huh?!”
“Ah?!”
Vigrind had just poured grain into her palm and was frozen in place.
The seabirds must have thought it was an invitation because they swarmed her hand, pecking at the grain.
“Get away, you little brats!”
Seeing the flock of over twenty birds rushing at her made Vigrind panic.
Ludvik waved his hands to shoo the birds away, but it was too much to handle, so in a reflex, he pulled Vigrind into a tight embrace.
“Go away!”
Once he scattered the grain pouch into the sea, the birds finally shifted their attention.
“Saint, are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine. I’m fine, so… could you, um, let go…?”
Vigrind stammered, struggling to get free.
She was pressed so tightly against Ludvik’s chest that she couldn’t escape on her own.
“Oh gosh, my bad! I got a bit carried away.”
“N-no, it’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong, Hero…”
As soon as Ludvik loosened his grip, Vigrind hurriedly stepped back a couple of paces.
Her snow-white face was flushed red, almost like it could burst.
“Are you okay? Your face is quite red.”
“I’m, I’m really okay. Truly okay.”
“Did a seagull peck at you or something?”
Ludvik stepped forward towards Vigrind. He meant to check if Vigrind was hurt or uncomfortable, but Vigrind took a step back in response.
Ludvik was way too close.
“No, really. I’m absolutely fine. It’s nothing.”
“Is that so? If there’s anything uncomfortable—”
Ludvik leaned in and stared at Vigrind. With a noticeable height difference, he had to bend down quite a bit, but Vigrind was suddenly taken aback and stepped back at the unexpectedly close face of Ludvik.
“It’s not, it’s not a problem at all. I’ll just head back to my room and rest a bit. I hope you get plenty of rest too, Hero.”
Vigrind turned around without hearing Ludvik’s response.
With hurried footsteps echoing away, Ludvik wore a vague smile while watching Vigrind’s retreating figure.
‘What an impolite person.’
Vigrind sat on the bed, recalling moments from just a moment ago.
It shouldn’t be like this between the Hero and the Saint, but getting too close wasn’t a good idea either.
‘…If I’m not careful.’
Even though Ludvik was a Hero, he came from an adventurer background, so the concept of personal space would be different for him.
But Vigrind was different.
Before being a Saint, she had always been raised with the decorum of a Priest.
She needed to be cautious, Vigrind thought.
As a companion to the Hero, and as a Saint.
To avoid being the talk of the town,
She had to keep her heart and actions in check.
Vigrind thought.
But contrary to her thoughts, her feelings flowed differently.
He’s not impolite; he’s just honest.
Vigrind doesn’t need to be careful.
The Hero is just being straightforward.
Maybe the one not being honest is just me.
Vigrind tightly clasped her rosary and prayed to the deity.
Wishing to be a little more honest.
Hoping to shake off this dark heart.
She prayed, and prayed again.
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