“Yes, I’m old now, too….”
Benko mumbled regretfully as he abruptly opened his eyes to do something in the early morning—no, in the middle of the night. After doing his business quickly, he hurried to his bedroom.
His eyes suddenly shifted to the scene below the tall tower. The scene was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time, so it was refreshing. How long is he going to be here?
‘Oh, I have to hurry up and go in. If I keep doing this at this age, I’ll be senile.’
Benko rubbed his shoulders with both hands before returning to his bedroom. Suddenly, he caught sight of an unexpected figure.
‘Hmm? Why is he awake at this time of the night? Is he going to die?’
Benko checked again after rubbing his eyes, wondering if he had seen something in vain. However, Yohan Kerban, his master and the sage of the ivory tower, was idly standing there.
“This kind of day happens at least once in a lifetime.”
Yohan’s expression was unusually grave. At first glance, he appeared dejected and like a novice scholar who was unsure how to approach a problem that wasn’t yet solved. Whatever it was, his facial expression was completely out of place and didn’t fit him.
Yohan, who was silently staring at the moon at the time, suddenly opened his mouth.
“My disciple, soon there will be a great wave that neither you nor I have ever experienced.”
Benko was taken aback as he peered at Yohan from a distance. However, he soon reflected on the profound words spoken by his teacher.
“A great wave.”
Yohan once struck a ridiculous bargain with the god of wisdom Hemeroncis. Actually, calling it a bet would be more accurate.
Yohan argued that human wisdom, modeled after God, never falls behind God. Hemeroncis became enraged and meted out divine punishment to Yohan.
‘Your arrogance piqued my interest. Let me test you. Can your wisdom reach beyond God?’
Yohan was forced to observe the world. Everything must be seen, remembered, and recorded. That is the punishment meted out by Hemeronsis. However, no date has been set for the end.
“People believe that the Master has been blessed by Hemeronsis.”
He would occasionally make predictions about the future as it is now because he lived in a time that humans could not afford.
“Are you talking about a disaster?”
“I wish I could simply describe it as a disaster, but in any case, be prepared.”
“Don’t tell me we have to make a move……”
“What a fool. I can’t intervene. You won’t die, but you may be put in danger. So you have to be careful.”
Benko briefly touched mine. When was the last time he noticed his master acting this way?
“Master, as expected, you’re worried about me.…”
“Because you’re clumsy, you’re going to die in a blink of an eye.”
Toink~
The growing feeling quickly subsided. Benko raised his head and sighed.
“I am able to defend myself.”
Benko’s rambunctious voice caused Yohan to snort and turn around. He stepped inside the tower. Benko sighed and stumbled back to his room after taking a look at his back. It was still too early to get out of bed.
***
Lensley, who was continuously operating the carriage, reported by cracking open a tiny window that was located between the horse seat and the interior of the carriage.
“We’ll arrive in Biltawil after passing through the last teleport hall, where they’ll most likely all be waiting.”
Biltawil. It was a barren region that belonged to no other nation and was only used for commercial purposes.
“We’ll see each other soon.”
Adelia looked around before turning her head. The thin curtains were letting in a slight amount of light. The dawn was already breaking after they left in the middle of the night.
“Perhaps Dame Orca will be the most ecstatic to see you when you arrive.”
Dame Orca. Adelia remembered a woman with flamboyant orange hair and confident eyes. When Adelia arrived in the capital at the emperor’s request, Ivan assigned her as an escort.
“Melinda must have been very worried.”
Although their time together was brief, Adelia and Melinda got along well.
“Don’t even ask……. We tried to stop her from entering the palace as soon as she heard such rumors about the Viscount being detained……. Ha..”
Lensley sighed loudly, as if he was unable to continue.
Adelia raised the corners of her mouth, feeling sorry. She unintentionally worried a lot of people.
‘Yes, I have to finish this as soon as possible.’
Adelia’s eyes sank coldly.
***
“Viscount! You’re safe!”
The knight, who was tying her orange hair up high, jumped toward Adelia.
“Melinda, I’m sorry for troubling you.”
“Please do not apologize. What is your fault here? It’s the fault of those who spread that nonsense rumor and those who try to take advantage of it.”
Melinda’s voice changed to a more abrasive pitch. She appeared very furious.
“Melinda Orca. Let’s get angry later, and where are the others?”
“…I’m sorry. We have a hideout ready, and we’re on standby. You can start at any time.”
“Let’s start a little later; it won’t be too late even if I meet the people from the temple; how are they?”
Melinda responded to Ivan’s questions without pausing to think, as if she had been prepared.
“There were 15 in all, 12 Paladins and 3 priests, and three of them looked like experts. The Paladins seem to be at least a senior knight or more.”
“Nice. Where’s the priest?”
They claimed that all of the priests had combat experience and could be consecrated.
“We should put them in the back row just in case.”
“That’s what I think. Even if you have experience, your body stiffens when you’re in danger.”
“Then, together with the Viscount, I will keep at the back.”
Nearly simultaneously, Ivan and Melinda had their attention fixed on Adelia. They looked at her as if they needed her permission. Adelia said she had no objections while nodding her head.
Ivan and Melinda nodded and turned their heads.
“Then let’s go to the hideout for the time being.”
“I’ll show you around.”
Adelia and Ivan followed Melinda to the location of the earlier arriving party..
The distance between the hideout and the teleportation hall was not great. However, because it was cleverly hidden, she didn’t think anyone would be able to find it easily if it was their first time on the road.
“Is this the ideal spot for a hideout?”
Adelia exited the carriage while holding Ivan’s hand and surveyed the hideout. She then noticed blue hair dancing violently above the hideout’s window, and she also noticed Demalo clinging to the person with the dancing blue hair.
“Ha…”
A sigh came out of Adelia’s mouth.
“… I better go in for now.”
And so was Ivan.
Melinda shook her head and went into the hideout with Adelia and Ivan.
***
Berg sprinted over to Adelia as soon as she showed up. His long blue hair had been disheveled for a long time. A portion of it was brought on by the recent commotion, but Ale’s absence—his assistant priest who looked after him—was the biggest factor.
“Adelia-nim, you made it here safely. Did you experience any difficulties getting here? I should have been with you too….”
Berg left only a day earlier. Therefore, they were only a day away. And getting to Biltawil wasn’t all that difficult. The real challenge was getting to sacred ground in the Taklok Desert.
Ivan, who was watching Berg’s fuss, said coldly.
“You’re such a jerk.”
Demalo and others who had followed Bishop Berg down to the first floor nodded in agreement at what he said. Sadly, some of them were paladins and priests who had come to aid under Eustaf’s direct command.
Adelia immediately recognized who they were.
“First and foremost, I’d like to express my gratitude for your assistance on this journey.”
The moment Adelia opened her mouth to express her gratitude, the paladins and priests under Eustaf’s direct command bowed their heads in unison.
“May Vishna’s blessing be with you.”
“I apologize for recognizing the true saint so late.”
“I feel very ashamed, but at the same time I think it’s a relief that I have this chance to share my will in this way on this journey.”
“All of this is most likely due to our lack of faith.”
At the unexpected moment of reflection, Adelia’s eyes widened. But after a brief hesitation, Adelia acquiesced.
‘Did they say they were Eustaf’s people?’
It’s not an exaggeration to say she could see Eustaf’s figure through them. It appeared as though she was staring at Eustaf’s shadow.
He must have briefly explained the situation before he sent them. Then things will be a little simpler. She doesn’t have to discuss each specific point in detail.
“Do you know what we’re going to do in the future?”
“Of course, we have to look for the Pope and retrieve the holy relics.”
Adelia nodded at the Paladin’s reply.
“That’s right, we need to locate the Pope quickly so we can get the relics back.”
“Is your ultimate goal to have a confrontation?”
Adelia was unable to respond to the priest’s question right away. After some time of agony, she slowly and deliberately opened her mouth.
“No, the ultimate objective is the annihilation of chaos, which is revered by a group known as the Priest in Black.”
