Dawn's Journey to Holeysee
The moment the sun rose, Mathias sent a messenger to Jeanne.
She followed the servant’s guidance to the dock, where a small boat suitable for only four or five people bobbed at the pier.
Fabian, who had accompanied her, asked,
“Where are you planning to go?”
“To the island.”
“I will accompany you, Your Highness.”
Fabian stepped forward to follow her.
“No. You should rest.”
“Your Highness occasionally forgets that I am your personal guard knight.”
“Fabian, I have no idea how much comfort I draw from having you by my side. But if I face danger this time, it will only be if the boat tips over into the sea. That is something I cannot ask you to help with, even with you beside me.”
In the end, Fabian could not break her resolve. Yet someone else stood in her way besides him. This time it was Mathias.
“Are you saying you intend to go there yourself?”
“Yes.”
“You know how dangerous that place is, do you not?”
The waters around Holeysee were full of hidden reefs and rough waves.
Though Kallen was loath to imagine the worst, he also knew that if something happened to Mathias, the kingdom would suffer greatly. So he tried to persuade them as well.
“The priests of that island travel by boat once a year. It is dangerous, but with care one can reach the place.”
“What if enemies attack while you are away from the duchy?”
Since threats alone would not sway Mathias, Kallen tried another angle.
“The Battle of Tranquil happened only recently. After such losses, they will not move for a while. The enemy will probably lie low for a time, so leaving the duchy briefly should be all right.”
“But……”
Kallen could persuade no further. He knew that even if they went elsewhere, Mathias was essential to reach Holeysee itself.
Jeanne herself was surprised that Mathias would offer to go personally, and she asked.
“You, the duke, will personally guide us?”
“I must, to perform the rites and because Lady Cleary wishes to enter the Temple of Lan. The temple does not welcome just anyone. However, because the La Rochelle family received ancestral permission, we may enter.”
If Mathias had not come, they would have been unable to go at all.
Jeanne boarded the small boat. It rocked gently, and she felt uneasy.
At that moment Divine, who had just received the news, grabbed them.
“Eh? Only the two of you are going? Absolutely not!”
The latecomer Divine suddenly joined them, catching Jeanne and Mathias exchanging glances.
“A private voyage on the deck, you say? That is impossible. Take me along!”
“The boat is too small to carry many people, Divine.”
“I already told the princess—why are you the one answering?”
Divine turned to Mathias.
“Your Grace, do you know how shameless this man is? If the two of you go alone, who knows what kind of wicked thoughts he might have?”
Mathias sighed in exasperation. Jeanne was equally stunned.
“As the duke of La Rochelle, you would never do such a thing. You know that better than I do.”
“No matter what, the two of you going alone is unacceptable. Take me along.”
“What reason do you have for wanting to come?”
Divine hesitated a moment, then lifted his chin defiantly.
“The legendary knight’s resting place… As a scholar I simply cannot refuse to go, can I?”
Mathias immediately understood what he meant.
“While we were fighting, what were you doing? Locking yourself in the study, I suppose.”
“Ah, the study of the ducal residence is full of wonderful things. Reading history books reveals many fascinating facts. For example… the past of Holeysee? The legendary island… How could I miss that?”
“You never change, do you?”
“What does that mean?”
“You like to insert yourself everywhere.”
“You never change either. A stubborn, stuffy old man.”
Mathias was always calm and emotionless, yet when speaking with Divine he showed clear signs of exasperation and playful rivalry.
Jeanne stepped between them.
“You two seem very close. It is nice to see.”
“With this fellow?”
“Is it not? Only yesterday you told me you were friends.”
Somehow the image of their younger days appeared before her, and Jeanne smiled.
Divine was stubborn and caused trouble; Mathias took the blame and reluctantly gave in.
If Mathias had not been so meek in most situations, their relationship would not have lasted so long.
Both Jeanne and Mathias knew his stubbornness could not be broken. Especially with a scholar’s passion for the island, he would never back down.
“Since the two of you were never going alone in the first place, if you wish, I will accompany you.”
As he always did, Mathias yielded a step to Divine’s insistence.
“The boat is small. Is that all right?”
“One person is fine.”
“If you say so, I will not object.”
Jeanne also agreed it was fine.
The old fisherman, Jeanne, Mathias, and Divine boarded the small boat and set off for Holeysee.
“The old man we saw two days ago?”
“Yes.”
The old fisherman who guided the route had already boarded. He was nearly eighty, the same man Mathias had seen in the study.
Mathias took the oars. He could not ask the old man to row.
The boat began to move slowly.
“Even a duke like you can row?”
“All people of La Rochelle know how to handle a boat. Children, old men, women, men—anyone who has rowed a boat since childhood.”
Besides small boats, Mathias could also captain, navigate, and steer a larger galleon.
He was the duke of La Rochelle.
How much time had passed? Sweat beaded on Mathias’s forehead. He wiped it with his arm, the veins standing out, and returned to the oars. After rowing alone for quite some time, Jeanne said to Divine,
“You look tired. Divine, how about you help?”
“No need, I can manage. I have only been eating and exercising. I have enough stamina. Or perhaps Your Highness would like to help?”
Mathias, though not of the same physical-knight class, was far superior to Divine in that regard. That was why he had said so.
Likewise, if physical labor was required, Jeanne was better than Divine and offered her hand to Mathias.
“I will help.”
“I will manage.”
Mathias did not want either Divine or Jeanne to take an oar.
“The sea here is dangerous. I cannot entrust the oars to the inexperienced.”
It was more a matter of safety than sailors’ pride.
The small boat cut through the reefs and pushed slowly forward.
They had arrived at Holeysee.
Deep in the island lay the ancient Temple of Lan, weary and standing in the quiet.
Only one priest guarded the temple. Besides Holeysee itself, there was another Temple of Lan on the mainland; priests were sent there once a year in rotation while performing their duties. Food and supplies were provided when the priest arrived, but because access was difficult, they mostly lived off what they grew themselves.
The priest, as if he had known they would come, came out to greet them.
“Welcome. Jeanne Claretmer de Roire, Princess of Bluisol, Mathias Flot Sujet La Rochelle, Duke, and Minister Divine Dragopoly.”
Jeanne’s plan to go to Holeysee had been known only this morning. If the priest could foresee it, his ability was astonishing.
Mathias set down the oars and stretched his shoulders. Because the deck was low, he was drenched. He left the old fisherman aboard and followed Jeanne and Divine inside the temple.
The white pillars surrounding the Temple of Lan were carved with wave patterns symbolizing Lan. The carvings were less refined than rough.
The temple, centuries old, showed the passage of time at every corner.
The moment they entered, a net-covered altar stood directly ahead. When Divine stepped inside, the priest stopped him. Mathias placed a freshly caught fish on the altar. It was still alive.
After the simple rite ended, Divine was the first to ask the priest,
“Is there a library in the temple?”
“A room to keep books is inside, though not exactly a library. You may enter.”
“Thank you, priest.”
Divine bowed and quickly disappeared into the inner part of the temple.
“Whoa.”
The room Divine entered drew an immediate exclamation.
The space was quite large. As the priest had said, it was not filled with books, but instead contained other relics. Everything was an artifact.
Divine stepped deeper inside, wiped his playful expression, and began searching the shelves like someone looking for something. At last he pulled a single book from a corner of a shelf.
The cover of the old book, worn by centuries, bore no usual title, but faint writing was engraved below the spine.
At first glance it seemed merely an old tome, yet Divine handled it as carefully as if it were a great artifact.
Charles, Laurent, Olivier, Renaut.
The names were written page after page—names he knew too well.
This worn book was the diary of Isolle, one of Charles’s twelve knights who had spent his final days on this island.
After retiring as a knight, he had spent the rest of his life here. Divine was certain the diary remained.
The true purpose that had driven him to this island against his will was now in his hands.
Divine carefully checked the outside. The priest was talking with Jeanne and had his back to the storeroom; Mathias, after so long on the island, was wandering far away.
Divine quietly slipped the diary into his robe and left the storeroom as if nothing had happened.
While Divine had entered uninvited, the priest served tea to Jeanne and Mathias. The priest, face hidden behind a deep hood, waited quietly for Jeanne’s words.
Jeanne asked directly,
“Do you know the way to victory for this country?”
“Human affairs are achieved by humans. For Lan, the people of Bluisol and those of Rotinzel are the same—mere humans. I will not side with either.”
“Yet you are the god of this land.”
“Lan is the god of the sea. He is fair to all. Some places are calm, with no wind to drive ships aground and drown them. Other places can sink ships with fierce waves. Lan is extremely fickle and also cruel.”
Jeanne gave a soft sigh. With only this, it was still hard to understand why Mathias had desperately come to Holeysee before his death.
‘Perhaps he, too, despaired after hearing such words.’
Jeanne glanced at Mathias, but that was still the future that had not yet happened. She would ensure such things did not occur in the changed future.
The priest offered a cautious suggestion.
“Gods are not as merciful as humans imagine. They are more like young children who act only on instinct and whims. However, if you truly need the god’s help, I advise you to visit the Temple of Hode. Hode may answer your fervent prayers. The Temple of Hode is on Mount Yver.”
“Mount Yver.”
Jeanne repeated the priest’s words. Calling the priest who hid on the mountain would also be helpful.
Jeanne’s next destination was set: the Temple of Hode, the place where those on a pilgrimage lived.