On the wide deck.
The massive ship docked at the pier belonged to the Count Travel’s family. Finally, the day had come to receive the blessing for the figurehead.
However, Count Travel, Lassek, felt uneasy.
He wasn’t sure why, but he had been feeling a little annoyed for a while. Perhaps it was because of the Grand Priest who was currently bestowing the blessing on the figurehead.
‘Something’s up.’
Normally, just one high-ranking priest would have been sent. However, this time, the Grand Priest personally made the trip, citing the excuse that there was no one else to send due to the lack of divine energy.
Lassek observed the Grand Priest as he finished the blessing and sank into thought.
A moment later, the Grand Priest approached Lassek. His eyes, twinkling as he chuckled, kept glancing at one particular spot.
Over there were Ciel, Calypso, Harty, and Marty. Previously, the twins had mentioned wanting to see the harbor, so this time, they came along to observe the blessing ceremony for the figurehead.
“Your grandchildren are truly adorable.”
“Well, children at that age are all adorable, aren’t they?”
The Grand Priest stood next to Lassek. The two men appeared to be of similar age, but Count Travel was significantly taller.
‘He looks rejuvenated. Seems like he’s having the time of his life.’
Lassek glanced at the Grand Priest sideways.
No matter how he thought about it, this entire ordeal only ended up benefiting the church.
Without lifting a finger, the church had found Reytan, shifted the troublesome Holy Sword to his son, and received the donation from the Travel family without returning a single penny.
Reflecting on this made Lassek’s blood boil.
He discreetly shot a barb at the Grand Priest.
“But I am concerned. Since you personally came, how would it look if divine power were used privately for just one family?”
“Ha-ha. Would public perception matter in this case? After all, isn’t this the family of the Grand Master? If help is needed, the church must step in.”
Ha. And to think this same person once used the blessing of the figurehead to threaten me. Now he’s pretending to be generous.
Honestly, I didn’t like that old man even when he was young.
There was no use getting angry now; it would only make him look foolish. As Lassek held back his irritation and resolved to address it later, the Grand Priest spoke.
“By the way, where is your youngest granddaughter? She should have had enough time to return from the Great Temple to the Travel family estate.”
Hearing the Grand Priest’s words, Lassek’s eyes widened.
If the youngest granddaughter he referred to was the one who visited the Great Temple, there was only one possibility.
‘Could it be… this bastard?’
The Grand Priest—this petty and narrow-minded man—was showing interest in none other than Lassek Iron Travel’s youngest granddaughter?
Right, the way his eyes had been scanning his grandchildren earlier, as if looking for something, had been bothering him. That must have been the reason for his discomfort.
‘My instincts never fail me, you scoundrel.’
And what instincts they were. The very instincts that had elevated the Travel family to its greatest heights.
Everyone who knew Lassek was aware of this fact.
There were limits to effort and skill. Especially in business, instincts and luck were essential.
Even Lassek himself couldn’t explain it. When he acted based on an unexplainable certainty, it always turned out to be the correct decision.
In over sixty years, Lassek had never encountered anyone with instincts like his own. It was a gift he was born with.
Thanks to that, the Travel family had risen above its competitors to reach the pinnacle.
Having amassed great wealth, he needed an heir to safeguard it.
Lassek wanted someone with the same instinctual talent as him to become the next head of the family. But, unfortunately, none of his children had inherited it.
If only Brown hadn’t been in an accident just before his adoption was finalized.
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. Lassek refocused on the conversation with the Grand Priest.
“Why are you looking for my youngest granddaughter?”
“She followed Sir Reytan to the Great Temple. She is truly adorable. The way she called me ‘Grandpa’—her voice was as angelic as could be.”
“What—!”
Lassek barely managed to suppress the angry outburst that threatened to escape.
‘What! How dare you hear her call you ‘Grandpa’!’
Even I haven’t had the chance to fully enjoy hearing her call me ‘Grandfather.’
“Gr-Grandfather.”
Whenever she saw him, she would freeze in fear. Yet she had the nerve to say whatever was on her mind—quite a bold one.
Thinking about his youngest granddaughter’s pink hair, Lassek couldn’t help but let a faint smile form on his lips before quickly frowning again.
‘But here I am, her real grandfather, alive and well.’
Why was this Grand Priest, who wasn’t even related by blood, being addressed as ‘Grandpa’ by my granddaughter?
“My granddaughter must have been impolite to you because she’s so young. I will make sure to teach her proper titles when she returns.”
“No, no need.”
The Grand Priest chuckled as he replied.
“How is a child calling me ‘Grandpa’ an offense? Besides, I’ve been feeling lonely since I don’t have anyone to call me that. Let’s consider this an opportunity—I’ve gained a granddaughter.”
“No. I can’t allow you to experience something so unreasonable. I will make sure she is properly taught.”
“It’s fine.”
“I am not fine with it.”
Both men, who had been looking straight ahead, slowly turned their heads to the side at the same time. Their gazes met, and though they were smiling, a subtle tension was palpable between them.
‘Don’t overreach. Go play grandfather to your priests instead.’
‘You seem desperate to monopolize being called Grandfather, don’t you?’
Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha.
Through their laughter, a high-ranking priest approached to call for the Grand Priest.
As Lassek watched the Grand Priest walk away, he let out a small huff.
It seemed undeniable that he was getting old. How else could he explain engaging in such a childish rivalry?
“Callet.”
Lassek called out to his aide nearby.
Callet tucked the notebook he was holding into his pocket and approached Lassek. The notebook, handed to him earlier by the instructor who taught the family members about trade, contained notes.
“When are they supposed to arrive?”
“The carriages left this morning. There should be no disruptions to today’s departure schedule—”
“Not that.”
Lassek coughed lightly.
Callet was a competent aide. There was only one person the Count of Travel would inquire about in such a roundabout way these days.
“I don’t know when Miss Berry will arrive.”
“You don’t know? Why?”
“We sent a telegram, but there hasn’t been a response yet. However, the knight accompanying his reported that they was instructed to wait in the nearby village until Young Master Reytan summoned them.”
“Where is Reytan staying now?”
“In the Leaf Village.”
It was a rural area, not part of any lordship. Lassek raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name.
“That’s apparently the hometown of Young Master Reytan’s disciple. His name is Theon.”
“Seems they went there directly from the Great Temple?”
“Yes, High Priest Holt mentioned that Miss Berry gave an adorable farewell as they departed.”
Hearing this brief praise, Lassek could almost hear his granddaughter’s voice in his ears.
“Grand Priest Grandpa, I’m off!”
No, no—that wasn’t right.
That was just a hallucination conjured by his imagination.
Lassek let out a faint scoff.
There was no way she would bid farewell to the Grand Priest when she didn’t even say goodbye to him before leaving for the Great Temple.
“Callet.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“What’s the schedule for tomorrow and the day after?”
***
Theon and I arrived at the log house gate, bringing along Calypso—I mean, Pochi.
Pochi was the name of the Chihuahua raised by Grandma Tomato.
“She’s so quiet.”
Theon commented while looking at Pochi, holding a picnic basket in one hand.
“Don’t worry~ She may look like that, but she has a loud bark.”
Separated from her owner, Pochi trailed behind us timidly, her tail hanging low.
Lightly swinging the leash in my hand back and forth, I spoke to Theon.
“I read at the Bonwell Village library that dogs belong to the same family as wolves. So, even though they’re different species, they can communicate at a basic level.”
“Do you think Pochi will understand what Jeffrey says?”
“We’ll have to find out~!”
To bring the wild dog tribe down from the mountains, dog language would likely work better than human speech.
As the saying goes, ‘a word with no feet can travel miles in a single night.’*
Just as we stepped through the gate, Jeffrey emerged onto the porch, dragging a bucket.
“Jeffrey!”
“Oh? Big sister Berry! Big brother Theon!”
Jeffrey’s previously gloomy expression brightened instantly. Tossing the bucket aside, he ran towards us, his nose twitching slightly.
“A dog?”
“Whimper. Whine.”
“Huh?”
The moment Pochi met Jeffrey’s eyes, she immediately flipped over onto her back, whining pitifully.
“She doesn’t stand a chance against Jeffrey, huh?”
“Wolves are stronger than dogs!”
Jeffrey proudly placed his hands on his hips. I called out to him.
“Jeffrey, Jeffrey.”
“Yes?”
“Can you talk to her?”
“Basic stuff, yeah.”
Oh. I exchanged a knowing glance and smile with Theon.
“Then, can you pass a message to her?”
“What’s this? You need my help? Sure thing!”
***
The results were remarkable. Not long after we brought Pochi back home, the sounds of dogs howling filled the entire village.
Barking and even howling echoed through the air.
“Hey, make those dogs stop barking!”
An elderly villager passing by shouted angrily, his voice drifting in through the window.
🍓; *Suggests how quickly news, rumors, or information can spread, even without physical movement. It emphasizes the power of words and communication—whether spoken or written—to reach far distances in a short time.
