LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 211: First Excursion
“I felt uneasy even after sleeping…”
He patted his chest and looked around.
The only thing visible in the empty room was an old, worn-out bed.
Lately, there had been an eerily quiet atmosphere.
The village scenery seemed to hush something about him, and even Hesia, who used to visit often, appeared to be avoiding him.
When he asked anyone, he only received simple answers of it being nothing, which left him with a nagging sense of unease.
He shook his head, trying to quell his growing anxiety.
“Maybe it really is nothing, just like the elders say…?”
Shedding his formal attire, he changed into a comfortable robe.
He packed a small backpack with books worth reading and his crumpled formal wear and left home, ready to depart.
Leaving behind Saein, who waved endlessly, and Eil, who merely smiled once, he headed toward the Silia Kingdom’s castle.
The journey there was leisurely, unlike the trip back home.
If he saw a village along the way, he would stop for a meal and enjoy sunbathing.
Chewing on a deliciously grilled skewer, he murmured to himself, “This is all the will of the gods. Hahaha. Enjoy the abundance!” Passersby whispered to each other, thinking him mad.
Thus, with a mix of real and feigned leisure, he arrived at the Silia Kingdom’s castle, where Iriel immediately confronted him.
“You’re late! What took you so long?”
“I was spreading the word of the gods.”
Iriel looked at him with narrowed eyes, like a detective interrogating a suspect.
“…What’s that seasoning on your mouth?”
“You are a rigid and unyielding person, Iriel.”
He said this, grumbling, firmer in his stance than a diamond.
“Sigh… Please get in the carriage. I have finished all the preparations.”
“Indeed, Iriel, you are always so well-prepared!”
His brain conveniently interpreted everything in a positive light.
He lightly boarded the carriage waiting at the castle gates.
Then Iriel climbed in as well.
“Huh?”
“There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Is it about the next pilgrimage site?”
“You catch on quickly. Yes, it is.”
While he spoke, he produced a piece of parchment.
It was a permit to stay in the Western Continent.
He had a hunch about their next destination just by looking at it.
“The Western Continent, huh… We’ll have to travel by boat.”
He nodded and replied.
“The exact pilgrimage site is Priyas Holy Kingdom.”
“Holy Kingdom?”
He had never heard of it before.
It was surprising to learn that there was a Holy Kingdom not only in the Eastern but also in the Western Continent.
Do they also select saints and saintesses there?
As if reading his mind, Iriel continued.
“Goddess Priyas has never chosen a saint or saintess.”
“Hmm… A more diligent goddess than ours?”
Knowing Goddess Gaia as a shameless deity who delegated her duties to humans, he already felt an affinity for Goddess Priyas.
Surely she must be more esteemed than our goddess who gorges on us every day!
“But why do we need to go on a pilgrimage to the Western Continent?”
Aren’t pilgrimages typically just brief visits to holy places nearby?
Why must we travel to another continent?
Especially to a Holy Kingdom, similar to their own.
Iriel answered his questions.
“It’s because Goddess Gaia and Goddess Priyas are sisters.”
“Sisters?”
“Yes. The closeness of the gods reflects in their followers. That’s why we need to visit Priyas Holy Kingdom.”
He understood then.
So, because Goddess Gaia and Goddess Priyas share a special bond, their followers should also maintain a good relationship. That explains why Priyas Holy Kingdom is included in the pilgrimage.
Nodding in agreement, he acknowledged the logic.
“Right. Then we should depart soon, right? Since the pilgrimage schedule is set.”
“If someone hadn’t taken their sweet time, we would have left yesterday.”
“What’s done is done.”
No matter how wise his words were, looking back on what had been done did not add any grace.
Ray thought seriously.
‘In the Western Continent, can I find something about the hero’s lineage? To leech off it for a lifetime, I need some information.’
To gather information, he could use his divine emissaries.
Except for Soyeong and Heukyeong, all the other divine emissaries were currently under the command of Hongyeong and Euclid, weeding out corrupt nobles.
Therefore, he had to entrust Soyeong and Heukyeong with all matters related to information gathering and disruption.
Their hard work was already evident.
‘It would be better to hurry if I want to gather information.’
He called the herald waiting outside the carriage, signaling the start of the next pilgrimage.
Soon, knights, healers, and priests gathered and mounted their horses.
As they were already prepared, the assembly was quick.
“We shall depart now.”
The head knight informed quietly, and the carriage began to move forward.
As if someone had given prior instructions, the castle gates opened wide.
Since they didn’t receive a formal send-off for a pilgrimage, just reporting to the king, someone must have arranged this beforehand.
Thus, they had completed their first pilgrimage and were starting their second.
They traveled by carriage for three days.
Just as he began to feel restless, the sea came into view.
“Wow.”
“It’s refreshing.”
He brushed back his hair, looking out the window.
A small sigh of admiration escaped his lips at the sight of the beautiful sea and the pleasant sunshine.
Gehel, a small trading town by the sea, had a different atmosphere. Even though it was once a small town, all that remained of Gehel were crumbling buildings and sinister back alleys by the sea.
In contrast, this port boasted a considerable size.
Buildings in soft hues and a long pier lined with light brown wooden planks gave it charm.
Even the lively streets with a refreshing breeze seemed like an ideal place to live.
“Wow, it’s quite an impressive port,” one exclaimed.
“Indeed. It’s always a beautiful place to visit,” the other agreed.
The childlike wonder in the two elicited warm smiles from the surrounding knights and healers.
Despite being saints chosen by a god, they remained children, with more days ahead of them than behind.
Usually content to admire quietly, their excitement now stirred a heartwarming joy in onlookers.
As they headed towards the dock where the prepared ship was anchored, all eyes followed them.
Knights clad in shining armor and healers in fine silk robes were not a common sight.
And the priests, with white cloth draped over their heads, completed the unusual tableau.
A few heralds had managed to secure a large ship for the voyage.
Once they loaded the carriage and provisions, the ship looked ready to depart.
“Shall we start departing soon?” Iriel suggested.
His words made him gaze out to sea.
Beyond the horizon, nothing was in sight.
The distance between continents was quite significant.
Undoubtedly, the journey would take considerable time.
They also needed to be wary of monster attacks.
Monsters lived not only on land but in the sea as well, and dealing with them could prove troublesome.
Of course, unless they were insane, monsters wouldn’t dare attack such a large ship.
Monsters knew that these gigantic vessels often carried armies of magicians or skilled swordsmen.
He casually kicked the seemingly old deck.
“This wooden ship is different. I wonder if it can withstand a monster attack.”
Until now, he had only traveled on luxurious yachts or large cruise ships.
This was his first time on such a wooden ship.
Positively viewed, it was a quaint wooden vessel; negatively, it looked like a ghost ship that might sink mid-voyage.
Though he sensed the flow of mana, indicating that various spells were engraved on the ship…
“Still, the appearance is a bit…”
Muttering to himself, he applied some force to the railing, causing small chips of wood to fall off.
This was indeed worrisome.
A ship must withstand the water pressure on its outer hull and the weight of cargo on the bottom deck.
That’s why large vessels often employ a double-hull block construction method.
But this ship looked as though it could break with just a little force, let alone withstand any water pressure.
It would probably be swept away by big waves.
Looking around, it seemed that all the ships in this world were built this way.
He placed his hands on the ship and gathered mana.
“Strengthen (Strengthen).”
Not wanting to swim to the Western Continent, he cast a reinforcement spell on the entire ship.
Of course, a strengthening spell is not infallible.
It merely surrounds the material with mana, making it slightly sturdier.
The essence is still wood, so it can’t withstand severe impacts.
But it’s better than doing nothing.
As they waited for the rest of the crew, thirty minutes swiftly passed.
Gazing out at the sea from the deck, he watched the ship move out of the harbor.
His heart fluttered strangely as he saw the ship cutting through the waves.
With the sunlight reflecting off his hair, he resembled a painting as he stared at the horizon.
As the ship began to set sail, people inside started to emerge onto the deck.
The presence of noble children chatting with their bodyguards was noticeable.
There were no commoners in sight, likely because the fare for such a large ship was unaffordable for them.
Observing the couples, he secretly felt a twinge of envy.
‘Hmm. It would be nice to bring Lady Aira here sometime.’
He turned his head with an indifferent expression, ignoring the ongoing displays of affection around him.
However, to the others, he appeared to be a mysterious noble, disinterested in those around him.
“Wow… Is he a half-elf?”
“Such an impressive appearance…”
“What is he thinking about?”
To Ray, who turned away in disgust from the affectionate behavior, the onlookers perceived him as an aloof noble uninterested in anyone else.
His flowing white hair and piercing blue eyes added intensity to his appearance.
Noble offspring, growing tired of their partners, began to take an interest in him.
His clothes appeared quite luxurious, and he exuded an aura typical of nobility.
Confident that he was not a commoner, they found it easy to approach him.
Two noble daughters, accompanied by their bodyguards, walked up to him.
“Hello? The weather is really nice, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…?”
“…”
The conversation ended there.
It ended so naturally that he wondered if they had initiated the conversation just to talk about the weather.
He was taken aback by this unfamiliar and impenetrable style of conversation.
In this manner, no real conversation could take place.
Shaking his head to regain his composure, he continued the conversation.
“Would you like to join us for a meal, if you don’t mind?”
“I’ve already eaten.”
“How about dinner…?”
He already had plans for dinner with Iriel.
The man, who had nothing to do with divinity, shook his head solemnly, like a loyal and stern general.
“I already have someone to dine with this evening.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, that can’t be helped then…”
“Hehehe… If it’s okay next time, please come find us.”
With that, the two walked away, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Then, two young men and a woman approached him.
“Hahaha! I really like your straightforward answer! How about it? Would you like to join us to see the evening scenery?”
“I’d rather not.”
The young man turned away with a dejected expression after being briskly rejected.
Gradually, more and more noble offspring gathered around him.
It was as if they were there to spectate.
On the deck of the giant ship, as more people were rejected, rumors about him began to spread.
“Does he ignore everyone who approaches him?”
“Rumor has it he’s the heir to a great estate.”
“There’s also talk that he’s traveling to find a spouse.”
Though all were mere rumors, these unfounded tales gradually took on a life of their own, becoming more exaggerated as they spread.