The Journey (11)
I spent a while wondering what to do the next day, then decided to pay a brief visit to the temple.
Of course, I kept the fact that I was the Saintess carefully hidden. I had my own measure of faith in the gods, and it felt as though I hadn't prayed in far too long, so I went to offer one.
Standing before the statue of the goddess, a natural reverence settled over me. Whether it was the piety rising from the very floor of the temple or something deeper, the moment I began to pray, Holy Power surged through my entire body.
Fortunately, none of it spilled outward — but it still felt as though the goddess herself was scolding me.
Even so, Goddess… I don't think the time has come yet.
It still wasn't the moment to unleash the knowledge I carried. At the very least, I would wait until the rumors quieted down, until the attention faded, and until I had accumulated still more knowledge before making anything public.
That way, people would bother me less.
When I finished my prayer and turned to leave, I found the temple folk looking at me with entirely different eyes.
"What is this…?"
I had introduced myself as a nun in training and carefully concealed my identity. Why were they reacting like this?
Sister Mary hurried over and whispered under her breath.
"When you prayed, Saintess, your Holy Scar began to glow."
…What?
My Holy Scar glowed? Don't tell me the goddess did it again?
"So everyone noticed."
The one mercy was that they all accepted Sister Mary's explanation without fuss. Apparently they were simply grateful I had come to visit them at all.
So that was why everyone was being so formal. I went over to where the worshippers were gathered and made a short request.
"Please don't let word of this spread."
"Of course, Saintess. How could we refuse?"
Their worshipful gazes made me deeply uncomfortable. Hiding that discomfort as best I could, I carefully and quickly slipped out of the temple.
Once back at the inn, I returned to the hot springs to restore my frayed nerves.
We were scheduled to leave the following morning, so I needed to enjoy myself as much as possible today — right now.
"Julian? Haven't you been in there a little too long?"
This time I was using the private bath attached to my room rather than the outdoor pool, soaking alone.
"Has it already been that long?"
As much as I loved it, I had probably stayed in the water longer than I should have. I climbed out, washed thoroughly, dressed, and stepped outside.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing like that."
Priest Daniel and my older sister had gone out to buy supplies, so I simply decided to rest at my ease.
*
In the morning we ate our last breakfast at the inn and set out once more on the road home.
"Miss Julian? Why are you sitting out here instead of inside the carriage?"
The moment I settled onto the coachman's seat, both Priest Daniel and the young master looked distinctly uneasy.
"Just because."
Being cooped up inside a carriage for hours on end was miserable!
I had planned to pass the time watching the scenery go by…
But it was colder than I expected. The headwind kicked up by the moving carriage was fierce, and winter only made it worse.
"You're cold, aren't you? Why not go back inside?"
"I'm fine."
It was cold, but not so cold I couldn't bear it. We even stopped briefly to let the horses rest.
Sister Mary fretted over me, but I was growing a little bored.
"At this rate, aren't we going to end up camping outdoors?"
"It can't be helped."
Perhaps the road was simply too rough. We weren't making any real speed.
"It'll be hard in this weather, but we'll have to camp."
Ugh. After several comfortable days, the mere thought of sleeping outdoors already made me feel exhausted!
Just as expected, the sun set before we reached any village, and we were forced to camp for the night. On the way to the hot springs we had been near the capital, traveling a tourist route thick with villages, so the journey had been easy.
This was different.
We were heading toward the capital's outskirts along a mountain path rather than a proper highway, and villages were few and far between.
"Ugh, the moment the sun goes down it gets freezing."
Even after pitching a tent and a makeshift shelter and lighting a campfire, the cold still pressed in. I tried the same method I had once used to warm the manor, but the open surroundings swallowed the effect completely.
"Wouldn't it be better if you slept inside the carriage?"
The young master looked at me with open concern.
"Inside or outside — isn't it about the same?"
"At least the floor wouldn't be freezing."
Well… even with a mat and thick cloth laid down beneath the sleeping bags, the chill still seeped up from the ground. But if I went into the carriage, I'd lose the warmth of the fire entirely. It would probably even out.
"This is why winter is so hard."
There had to be merchants who still made their trade routes in this weather. How on earth did they manage it?
Camping was truly miserable. The cold kept sleep at bay… standing night watch by the fire actually felt less freezing than lying down.
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
The young master, rising for the next watch, asked me.
"You don't look like you've slept much yourself."
"Haha. Honestly, the cold made it hard to fall asleep. I did manage to doze a little, though."
Priest Daniel and Sister Mary seemed much the same. At least while I was on watch, I used magic to control the surrounding air and keep the warmth steady, so they had managed to sleep reasonably well…
"Someone else ought to get some rest."
I kept the magic going as I talked with the young master.
"You're very kind."
Kind, over something this small…
"Considering all the help I usually receive, this is nothing."
Without me, the warmth would vanish in moments, and then I wouldn't be able to sleep either. The sun would rise in about four hours — I just wanted the others to rest properly until then.
I could sleep in the carriage while we traveled.
Priest Daniel had to drive, and Sister Mary handled all the little tasks. If they got a good night's rest, I would be the one who benefited!
"That's true enough."
"And maybe I shouldn't wake my sister either."
She was scheduled for the final watch, but I was tempted to just let her sleep through it.
"As you prefer."
The young master gave me a warm, contented smile. Looking at it made me feel oddly bashful.
Since I couldn't sleep anyway, I decided to treat it as magic practice.
I carefully maintained the warmth without letting the oxygen thin, and kept the fire from going out. It was fairly difficult, but surprisingly enjoyable in its own way.
"Miss Julian, what do you plan to do once you reach the territory?"
The territory?
"Which territory?"
"Meyer Territory, of course."
The young master's territory?
"Hmm… First I'll visit my master, and then I'll need to go home, I suppose."
After that… I'd probably just stay home and research alchemy.
"Is that so…? Would you consider staying at the baron's manor?"
Hm? The baron's manor?
"Why?"
"W-well, if anything were to happen to you, Miss Julian, it would be a serious matter."
Hmm… if I were wounded in an attack by the Lindel Kingdom — that neighboring country — what would happen?
The Church would almost certainly mobilize…
Thinking of it that way, yes, it would be a serious matter.
"Amelie will be delighted when she hears you're coming."
Young Lady Amelie… She truly was an adorable girl. We had studied magic together under the same master, so one could almost call us fellow disciples.
"A short visit is one thing, but staying for long would be an imposition."
"I-it would absolutely not be an imposition."
"No. Even if you don't mind, other people might."
I couldn't impose on the baron or the baroness. And if it came to that, staying at the temple would be better! Even barbarians wouldn't casually attack a temple.
When I made my refusal clear, the young master's face fell into deep disappointment. Why get so dejected over something like this? Honestly, with looks like his, even a crestfallen expression somehow managed to shine. A melancholy air, maybe? Either way, his beauty was doing all the work.
For no particular reason I felt a rush of fondness, an urge to comfort him, and a twinge of guilt all at once…
Looks really did matter. If an unattractive person had made that face, I probably would have found it off-putting. But with a face like his, the whole effect was completely different.
"I see…"
"Besides, don't you have a territory to protect? If you're not even there and I'm staying at the manor, I'd have to watch my every step."
"Th-that could be explained properly…"
"If that's the case, the temple is simply better. There's a temple in the territory, isn't there?"
"Yes… I suppose so."
Honestly, was this really something to be so disappointed about? What a cute person.
We passed the time with small talk — which routes we would take next, what we planned to do, and so on.
And my sister, who was supposed to take the final watch, never woke up at all.
"Ugh… I'm starting to get tired."
As the sun began to rise, drowsiness finally crept in.
"Would you like to rest now?"
Compared to me, the young master still looked perfectly fine.
Marrow Cleansing really was something, wasn't it?
One by one the others began to stir from their bedrolls, though none of them seemed fully awake.
"Come on, get up already."
I wanted to eat breakfast and rest as soon as possible. I released the wind domain I had been maintaining all night, and a wave of cold air swept in from outside.
"Brr, cold."
Even the young master and I shuddered for a moment under the sudden chill. The three who had still been half-asleep snapped their eyes open at once.
"Everyone up? It's morning."
I smiled as I spoke to the three of them.
"Ah… morning, is it…"
Sister Mary rose sluggishly and began to stretch, while Priest Daniel still looked completely dazed.
My sister? She opened her eyes, then tried to close them again.
"Unni, you're still sleepy after sleeping that much?"
"Dunno…"
Once all three were fully awake, each of them took up their assigned tasks.
"You didn't have to go to all that trouble."
Sister Mary scolded me even as she cooked.
"I just wanted everyone to sleep well. It worked, didn't it?"
"We did sleep well thanks to you…"
"Then that's all that matters."
Sister Mary let out a long, heavy sigh.
"I did it because I wanted to. I'll just sleep in the carriage later."
Priest Daniel and my sister diligently packed up the tent and shelter, and once the food was ready we ate breakfast.
After the meal, we made our final preparations.
"Fire's out… luggage is all packed… nothing left behind."
Once the checks were done, everyone climbed into the carriage.
"All right, let's get moving."
Already seated inside, I urged them along, and the young master and Priest Daniel headed for the coachman's seat with amused smiles.
The moment the carriage started rolling, I lay right down.
The rattling was uncomfortable and the early morning air still held a chill, but sleep crashed over me all the same.
Next time, I hoped we could rest at a proper inn instead of camping outdoors.