Chapter: 617
At the center of the Barandi marquisate stood a temple, likely the largest religious facility in the north at this point in time.
In the species protection zone, we had offered prayers before the World Tree, a symbol of Konstantina. This time, we decided to raise our prayers at the grandest temple of the Eternal Blue Sky. Even though it was a recently built temple lacking in history and authenticity, its status as the largest made it a significant place.
‘What a uniquely charming place.’
This thought crossed my mind as I took in the temple’s sight.
The temple resembled our church where we serve our Lord but was also distinctly different. It was grand and sacred, being a place of worship, yet it retained a wild, untamed essence owing to the nomadic faith.
Statues erected throughout the temple, animal paintings adorning the walls, and bone-made ornaments hung everywhere.
‘This is the culture of a paganish belief.’
While Konstantina’s faith has the easily understandable symbol of the World Tree, the one peculiar aspect of it was that beyond the World Tree, it had nothing special. Fairies and spirits were merely extensions of the World Tree itself.
However, the faith of the Eternal Blue Sky might lack a clear symbol, yet it displayed differences from the Dawn Sect even in the minutiae, much like how settled folk and nomads live and express culture differently.
‘The Ministry of Education would love this.’
Or perhaps even the Council of Chronicles.
The thought suddenly made me smile. The Ministry of Education, which is focused on learning and teaching the history, culture, and doctrines of the sect, and the Council of Chronicles, which records everything related to the sect for future generations. How would they react when confronted with a pagan culture so distinct from theirs?
Before the council’s changes, the zeal of the priests would have overshadowed scholarly curiosity. They may have expressed displeasure at such blasphemous pagan customs presented before them.
Yet now, the sect acknowledged the existence and positive roles of pagan cultures. Even if priests held their devoutness in high regard, they need not turn a blind eye to pagan culture.
‘I’ll probably be making more frequent trips to the north soon.’
Specifically, the scholarly trips of my brothers and sisters from the Ministry of Education and the Council of Chronicles.
Even now, some of my fellow pilgrims from those two departments were gleefully admiring the temple with sparkling eyes. Even after the prayers concluded, they would likely ask, “Can we stay just a bit longer before moving to our next destination?”
Of course, I could easily accommodate such a request. A pilgrimage is an itinerary that shouldn’t be rushed.
“Wow.”
Finally, reaching the innermost sanctum of the temple, a statue larger than any other welcomed us.
A long-haired woman leaned against the body of a wolf splayed on the floor, gazing down with languid and serene eyes. She appeared to oversee the faithful below from her lofty perch.
‘Eternal Blue Sky.’
That statue—no, that saint symbolizes the Eternal Blue Sky that descends among the nomads.
Though it was a pagan statue, it emanated a sense of awe. The rough, unpainted statue, with that watchful gaze over the ground, was depicted flawlessly.
– Konstantina is not here.
– The World Tree is my home. Konstantina, being the goddess of flora, frequently roams across the continent. When she returns, I will convey that the children of Enen offered their devout prayers.
Despite the deity’s voice being annoyingly laid-back.
“How does it fare? The statues crafted painstakingly by artisans summoned by His Majesty the Emperor are being admired. This marvel was a large undertaking with the northeastern artistic talent involved, you know!”
“If I were an unbeliever, I might have worshipped the sky.”
“Haha, I appreciate your words.”
At my comment, Lord Barandi smiled and knelt before the magnificent statue that would remain one of the continent’s masterpieces.
I followed his lead and knelt too, paying homage to the Eternal Blue Sky.
Though the Eternal Blue Sky may reside not here but within the World Tree.
I was already receiving responses to my prayers from the Eternal Blue Sky.
‘…What exactly am I praying for?’
A strange sentiment arose. Prayers are for the gods, yet as I prayed before a deity known not to exist, it felt odd.
My business in the north was complete, but I didn’t leave immediately. As a priest setting foot in the north for the first time, I required thorough observation and documentation of pagan culture for the first time.
Naturally, observation and record-keeping were not my roles. Even if I wanted to, over five individuals from specific departments were already urging me to refrain from doing so.
Thus, while my brothers and sisters attached to certain departments roamed the north, I enjoyed peaceful days.
“This… is a bit startling.”
“Y-Yeah.”
I was about to send them away, precisely until I entered the room guided by Brother Ainter.
“I didn’t expect this surprise gift.”
Sister Alexandria, who had been scanning the room with a bewildered gaze, shyly broke into a smile.
I felt similarly. I hadn’t imagined Brother Ainter would prepare such a thing.
[ The Lord greatly rejoices when faithful devotees pledge their love and wish to pass their faith onto future generations. ]
[ Love and thrive. Support and sustain. Such is the order of the world and the joy of the Lord. ]
[ Moving forward alone is a quick path to joy, but moving together is a longer path to happiness. ]
Scriptures about marriage and childbirth adorned the walls of the room.
A candle positioned somewhere between red and pink.
Warm, cozy bedding for two.
‘No one can deny…’
Anyone could tell that this was clearly a couple’s room. It was blatantly obvious what purpose it served.
It was odd that while the other pilgrimage members were guided one-on-one by different hosts, why were Sister Alexandria and I ushered together? It was clearly structured to guide us to the same room, no alternative given.
‘Did I make it too obvious?’
Feeling embarrassed, I idly fiddled with my lips. Just as Brother Ainter and Lord Barandi recognized the warmth between them, it was clear Brother Ainter had caught on to my budding connection with Sister Alexandria.
Yeah, that must be it. He wouldn’t have prepared such a surprise otherwise.
‘A shared consideration among comrades.’
I couldn’t suppress a chuckle. Bonded over love, having experienced mutual heartbreak led to an absurdly deep understanding of each other’s romantic lives. Now, I was even looking out for my heartbreak comrade’s new romance.
How I wished I had this sensitivity and thoughtfulness long ago. But then again, if all five of us were fully attuned, wouldn’t that be a problem too?
‘But thanks to that, I have this connection now.’
And because of the heartbreak of the past, I became who I am today and met such meaningful connections. In that light, it’s as if the Lord arranged this all, blessing us with His grace.
I concluded this and turned to Sister Alexandria.
Slightly blushing yet not avoiding my gaze, she met my eyes.
“Rejecting a friend’s gift wouldn’t be polite, would it?”
“That’s right! If the Pope’s gift were declined, it might stir up unnecessary gossip.”
Sister Alexandria nodded repeatedly at my words.
Of course, we still had several nations to pilgrimage through, so we should remember to adhere to the sacred rule.
*
After being caught up in a drunken frenzy of a wild alcohol party hosted by the Wise Duke, I had spent a few days quietly lounging in the mansion.
It had been a losing battle from the start. No matter how unmatched I was with the continent’s greatest sword, the opponent was the Wise Duke himself. A monster capable of purging alcohol from his system at will and resetting his inebriation level.
So, no matter how much I drank, it didn’t matter. Even if I out-drank him, he could reset the bar at any time.
“Urgh…”
Still clutching my throbbing head, I got the hell up from bed.
It was time to rise. I couldn’t just lie here; my dear kids would be worried and gloomy if Daddy stayed cooped in bed. As a father, I couldn’t accept such a sad reality.
‘Damn.’
But no amount of willpower could triumph over a hangover.
What the hell did I drink? It felt like I’d drunk more in a week than any water supply.
‘Should I learn magic?’
The Wise Duke’s unique magic, the Alcohol Disintegration Spell. If I learned that, I wouldn’t have to deal with this pounding headache.
But then again, I figured that learning a spell for hangover relief would ruin my pride. Imagine if the Duke’s son learned the first spell to save himself from hangovers.
‘Who would dare criticize me if a spell just flew my way?’
I might receive terrorist threats, being labeled as the vile son tarnishing the honor of Duke Marcilio. In fact, I might even humbly accept such threats without challenging them.
– Creeeek…
“Ti-ti?”
As I sighed in exasperation, the door creaked open, and Ti-ti walked in.
Seeing Ti-ti, who had grown big enough to open the door alone, made me smile for no reason. When he was a pup, he could barely whine at the door. I had even had to make a doggy door for him to slip through.
“Are you worried about me?”
– Woof!
Wagging his tail, Ti-ti padded over to my bedside, placing his front paws up and licking my hand.
I was touched. He came to check on me after hearing his master groaning in the room.
“Boo-bah-”
At that moment, Phedi came toddling in.
“Ow! Ow!”
“Pya-!”
“Pya-bu!”
The triplets crawled into the mansion through the opened door.
Tears were welling in my eyes. My children searching for Dad because they couldn’t find him—how precious could this be?
“Okay, Daddy’s getting up!”
With a warm heart, I watched the scene before carefully getting out of bed.
I couldn’t just sit here; my kids had come looking for me. It was only right to play with them around the mansion after so long.
Today, I was going to push through the pain, no matter what.
*
Then I stumbled upon some shocking news.
– The Marquis of Idraffen has prepared rooms for the next saint and Cardinal Alexandria. Seems like a close friend, he’s quite thoughtful.
It was a message from Lord Barandi, who was hosting Tannian and the pilgrimage group.
In the midst of ordinary information sharing, I learned that Brother Ainter had squeezed Tannian and Cardinal Alexandria into the same room.
‘What the heck?’
I was bewildered. It was hard to believe Tannian would share a room with a woman, let alone that Brother Ainter orchestrated it.
What on earth happened? Did something unfold that I wasn’t privy to?
– And the next saint is headed to the Kingdom of Armein for their next pilgrimage site—
Nodding mechanically at the continuation of Lord Barandi’s message, I processed it.
It seemed like Brother Ainter, who found his mate, was now trying to pair Tannian with someone too. It was something I couldn’t have imagined back in our academy days.
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