The carriage that had left Kapatia Port finally crossed the Duchy of Kapatia’s border after four days.
Crossing the border was a breeze, thanks to Ceres’ nameplate.
“This is what power looks like!”
With her nameplate casually lifted and shoulders puffed out, Ceres was the talk of the town for the group.
And why wouldn’t they be impressed? If it weren’t for Ceres, they would have been stuck everywhere asking where the villages were, where to find inns, how many were in the party, how many rooms they needed… inspections, searches, you name it— it would have drained them dry!
But with Ceres on their side, one nameplate bypasses inspections and searches, and they could go straight to the inn without a hitch.
Ceres wasn’t wrong when she said she’d cover the lodging and meals. Just not with her own money.
“Still, now that we’re out of the Duchy of Kapatia, I should spend my own money.”
“Is that so?”
Ludvik, who had shifted positions and was now seated at a round table, took a swig of fruit wine while gazing outside.
It was a beautifully sunny day. Remarkably blue skies for the onset of winter, with fluffy white clouds lazily floating by.
The expansive grasslands stretched wider than one could see.
Whether the harvest had ended was unclear, but the browns were dominating over the greens in those vast fields.
The horizon was so far it looked like an endless ocean of plains.
“This is nothing like Marlen.”
Ludvik chuckled as he soaked in the scenery, having grown up amid the mountains of Marlen; he was seeing such vast plains for the first time.
The horizon he had seen while crossing that Great Desert to get to Evian was nothing compared to the vitality radiating from this plain.
“Sir, where are we?”
“Huh? Um…”
Ludvik picked up Rubina, who was crawling up his knees, and sat her on his lap.
But he still couldn’t answer Rubina’s question.
He, too, had no idea where they were.
He knew it was some kind of plain but couldn’t recall the exact name.
“…It’s the Medial Plain.”
Vigrind, who was seated next to Ludvik, mumbled in a low voice.
Though he acted disinterested in Rubina, he chimed in when he saw Ludvik fumbling for an answer.
“Wow, you know everything, big sister!”
Rubina exclaimed, her mouth agape in amazement.
In reality, she had already asked Yona and Alex the same question before Ludvik.
But neither of them knew either.
I didn’t know.
Since Kaiyak and James were sitting in the back due to their size, it was honestly a hassle for Rubina to go all the way back. In the end, she finally found an answer through Ludvik to get it from Priest Vigrind.
“Not that I know everything.”
Clearing his throat softly, Vigrind turned his head away from Rubina. But a smile that couldn’t be hidden appeared on her lips.
From now on, it’s the Empire’s territory.
Duchy of Kapatia, Medial Plain.
A rich reservoir called Lake Kantasia and vast grasslands.
Thus, the Medial Plain became the largest granary of the Empire.
Considering that a significant portion of the grains circulating in the Empire is harvested from the Medial Plain, the scenery outside the carriage was a sight to behold.
“Sleep well.”
Rubina was snuggled in Priest Vigrind’s arms, sleeping soundly with a little snore. This was Rubina’s first carriage ride, and being only ten years old, it wasn’t unusual for her to doze off frequently.
“Indeed. You’re sleeping well.”
Though Vigrind detested kids, something must have changed in him, as he was quite kind to Rubina.
“You have changed a lot.”
“What are you talking about out of the blue?”
“Well, back when you grew up in the Cathedral orphanage. You hated kids. Always crying, noisy, and throwing tantrums.”
Even though Yona had only spent about half a year in the orphanage, Vigrind was of a similar age, and they had become somewhat close during that short time.
And in that time, Yona remembered that Vigrind did not like children.
In contrast, Yona was quite fond of them.
“That was then, and this is now.”
“What a surprise. Since you became a saint, you’ve become more gentle.”
“…People can’t always be the same. Isn’t it said that position shapes a person?”
“Position shapes a person…?”
To Yona, that sounded like the Healer was saying he was far beneath her.
“What do you mean by that?”
“What are you talking about?”
As Yona’s tone suddenly sharpened, this time Vigrind looked flustered. He thought they were having a friendly conversation, but for some reason, Yona was getting upset.
“When you say position shapes a person, do you think I’m looking down on you because you’re a Healer?”
“W-what are you saying…?”
Vigrind was about to clarify that as a saint, he ought to change; that was what he meant. But he shut his mouth instead.
Why did he have to make such an excuse in the first place?
There was no need to.
After all, once they reached Infula, they would part ways, so there was no need for that.
“We’re going to end up breaking up anyway, so there’s really no need for this.”
“…Think whatever you like.”
“Ha, seriously. This is ridiculous.”
“Hey, why are you all fighting?”
“Hey, why are you fighting with the Saint?”
Ludvik and Alex jumped in at the same time.
Ludvik to Vigrind, Alex to Yona.
“No, they said something weird—”
“No, they heard something weird—”
With their oddly overlapping words, Yona and Vigrind glared at each other.
After a fiery exchange of glares, the two finally turned away with a huff.
Thanks to that, the air inside the carriage became icy cold.
So cold that even Ceres tried throwing in a few jokes before giving up and going back to her seat with a book.
“Mr. Alex, have you been to places like this often?”
Ludvik sat next to Alex and gestured toward the window of the carriage.
“No, this is my first time.”
Alex glanced out the window, following Ludvik’s gesture.
The endless plains stretching out before them were a sight Alex had never seen, even after being born and raised far away before flowing into Evian.
How can there be no mountains at all?
He heard there were great forests beyond, but it looked so flat that it was hard to believe there were any hills, let alone mountains.
And across those plains—
“Oh, look over there.”
Alex squinted and stared into the distance.
In the far-off distance, something small caught his eye; to Alex, it definitely looked like a person.
“Is something there?”
“Over there, in the distance.”
“Uh… wait, isn’t that a person?”
With Ludvik’s words, everyone turned their attention that way.
“Advisor, look over there.”
As Ceres approached, Ludvik pointed out the window.
Getting closer, the figure became clearer—it was definitely a person.
“Why do they look so rough around the edges?”
As Alex said, the people’s appearance was truly a mess.
Their clothes were hastily put together, clearly not worn properly, and they were burdened by heavy packs on their backs. The kids looked filthy, their faces a complete disaster, clearly having seen better days.
A group of more than twenty of them was marching toward the carriage.
Ludvik stepped down from the carriage, while the Holy Knight Brigade Commander, Luis, also dismounted his horse and made his way towards the procession.
As they got closer, it became painfully clear just how shabby the procession looked, and to make matters worse, they appeared to be completely drained of energy, as if they hadn’t eaten for days.
However, as the two approached, a bit of color started to return to their faces.
“Greetings.”
“Uh, yes! Yesss!”
The man at the front of the procession was bowing repeatedly to Luis, who exuded an aura that screamed “knight.” It wasn’t strange behavior; rather, they seemed to be after something more.
“Are you perhaps the representative?”
“P-please, speak comfortably, my lord! We are all just humble peasants!”
“Oh, is that so?”
Immediately after he spoke, Luis changed his tone to that of a highborn, and Ludvik shot him a slightly bemused glance. Just because he introduced himself as a humble peasant doesn’t mean he had to switch gears so quickly. A noble is a noble, Ludvik thought to himself. After all, he was the commander of the Holy Knights, so he must be nobility.
“Where are you coming from?”
“We, we are just ahead, about, um, two days away…”
But the man couldn’t reply right away.
He seemed to have something to say, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
“Speak up about what’s going on.”
After hesitating for a moment longer, the man finally spoke cautiously.
“My lord, I’m terribly sorry, but could we possibly get some food? My companions and the children have been walking for days without food…”
“No, but food—”
Just as Luis was about to blow his top, Ludvik intervened, stretching out an arm to stop him.
“Oh dear, is that so? Then please, wait a moment.”
Saying that, Ludvik gently pulled Luis’s arm and turned back.
“Well, both the kids and adults clearly look like they’re starving. It’s the teachings of the God of Heaven to help the poor, why be so stingy? If we eat less, we can spare some food. I’ll speak nicely to the Regent on our behalf.”
“Still, that food was purchased with the donations from the followers. I can’t just distribute it willy-nilly…”
Before Luis could finish, Ludvik quickly shut him up, flashing a bright smile.
“Oh come on, why so inflexible? Who said we should just give it away?”
He then pinched his thumb and forefinger together, swirling them slowly.
“Let’s say the Regent is buying it. Not the head elder, mind you. The Regent has plenty of money, right?”
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