Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: False Flame of Vanity (4)
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"Has another Devil's Cradle popped up somewhere?"
"Thankfully not. If demons popped out that often, the world would be in even worse shape."
After some light banter, Myra continued.
"Well, to be precise, it might be more fitting to say I've got a commission that should suit your tastes."
"Oh, come on, no need to go that far."
"On a grand scale, it's still under the church's purview, so it's not just for you. Interested?"
"Mind if I hear the details first before deciding?"
"Of course. Feel free to turn it down if it doesn't appeal."
Galen nodded attentively, and Myra rummaged through her drawer, pulling out a rolled-up sheet of paper.
It was a map depicting the entire eastern region in reasonable detail—not quite as intricate as the one around Elta he'd seen at the Burtane family estate, but close enough.
"What people commonly call the 'eastern region' strictly refers to the Eastern Archdiocese as designated by the church. The same goes for the other areas."
"Ah, I see. Never really thought about it that deeply... Come to think of it, there are nine archdioceses, right?"
An archdiocese was the administrative unit above a diocese. Several dioceses formed one. In earthly terms, dioceses were like counties or districts, and archdioceses were provinces or metropolitan cities.
East, west, south, north, the four diagonals, and the center—making nine in total. Each of these major regions doubled as an archdiocese.
"I don't know about the past, but these days, the church is the only organization spanning the whole world, so it sets the standards. Anyway, the point is, the Eastern Archdiocese has some unique circumstances."
"Unique how?"
"As you know, aside from the coast, the east is mostly mountains."
"Right."
"Limited habitable land means low population, fewer churches, and fewer priests. In short, it's an archdiocese in name, but lower priority."
In principle, a bishop oversaw a diocese, and an archbishop an archdiocese. But just as there weren't enough priests capable of the sixth miracle to assign bishops everywhere, there were only nine archdioceses but fewer archbishops.
Archbishops had to wield the eighth miracle.
In terms of warriors or mages, it was beyond Gold rank—equivalent to the exalted Gem tier. There simply weren't many.
"So one archbishop handles both the Eastern and Northeastern Archdioceses. They prioritize the more important northeast, leaving the Eastern Archdiocese to Bishop Roald as proxy."
"Like how priests stand in for absent bishops in dioceses?"
"Exactly. Bishop Roald is based here, in the Belpas Diocese."
Myra pointed to a coastal city in the eastern region.
"I have a personal friendship with Bishop Roald—we exchange letters now and then. Most are just complaints about how exhausting it all is."
"Well, proxy archbishop isn't an easy job, either in workload or responsibility."
"Managing frontier zones isn't a walk in the park either. Anyway, most complaints are harmless venting, but some point to real problems... like the pirates."
"Pirates?"
Galen peered at the map again upon hearing Myra's words.
Looking closer, there were small dots scattered haphazardly to the right of Belpas. Not dots—islands.
Realizing what had caught Galen's eye, Myra added.
"These islands east of Belpas are called the Dawn Archipelago. You might know this, but there's the Sun Archipelago in the south."
"Ah, yeah."
Not just heard of it—he'd lived there over twenty years. Galen feigned ignorance with a nod.
"I hear the Sun Archipelago has fewer but larger islands, rich in resources internally. The Dawn Archipelago, by contrast, is full of small islands. Hard for them to be self-sufficient in food."
"So, is this a pirate haven or something?"
"Not entirely wrong, but more accurate to say the myriad tiny islands make it easy for pirates to hide—not that every islander is a pirate."
Even on modern Earth, shipping large cargoes by sea was cheaper than by land.
In this world, without railroads or even paved roads, it was a no-brainer.
The east was mostly mountains inland, making overland travel tough—coastal areas fared better.
Barring exceptions like Abaca, most cities hugged the coast, with trade flowing by sea.
No inland resources to speak of, so blocked sea lanes from pirates hit hard.
The mainland had small coastal plains at least, but Dawn Archipelago folk would starve if sea routes closed.
"I'm ignorant of eastern fief politics, but..."
Galen asked.
"Don't Belpas or the Dawn Archipelago have ruling powers? They'd never let pirates rampage in their backyard."
"No family has ever crushed the pirates outright. Mid-tier ones wear themselves out in endless skirmishes and wither away. Now it's just a bunch of middling powers vying."
Ships were pricier than you'd think, and sinking meant no repairs.
Sailors weren't plug-and-play; they needed sea experience. Lose at sea, and it's death or capture. Lose on land, at least you can flee.
Recovering from a defeat was no joke.
Of course, pirates suffered the same—a solid thrashing could cripple them too.
But no powerhouse family was keen to settle in the east; it lacked appeal.
Who knew the past, but now the eastern coast was middling forces scraping by modestly.
"The church does what it can with steady purges, but it's no easy task. We're not naval warfare experts."
"Hmm, so the commission you're suggesting is pirate-related?"
"Spot on. What battlefield doesn't welcome a mage? Especially at sea."
A fire mage could torch ships, a wind mage shred sails.
Hitting foes indirectly, beyond melee, was a huge edge.
"Especially you, with water mastery? Sounds like a huge environmental advantage over other mage types."
"True enough."
The Oceanis family wasn't dubbed invincible on water for nothing.
Though hyping like that, Galen with his spirits could claim land invincibility too.
Anyway, pirate hunts suited Galen's strengths.
He just had zero interest in fame from heroics.
Glory or cash could come later. His goal was levels.
Pirates were ship-borne thugs—what good was grinding them for XP?
Galen was about to politely decline.
"Of course, I don't expect plain pirate hunts to whet your appetite."
Myra's words made Galen swallow his refusal and listen.
"You wanted the Devil's Cradle for magic training benefits, right?"
"Yes."
"Pirates aren't strong—they're slippery pests. Routine sweeps are dull. I'm recommending this because Roald's latest letter hints at pirates organizing."
"Organizing... like a Pirate King emerged?"
"He's just starting to investigate. Warrior or mage? Solo or crew? Unknown. But rumors say they smashed a Silver-rank's ship."
"Why'd someone that strong turn pirate?"
"Beats me. Capture and ask?"
"Hmm..."
"If you're interested, I'll write an intro letter. You could go without, but it'll get you better treatment from Roald."
Galen pondered the tempting offer.
Frontier thrills were tapped out.
The killer perk was easy Silver fiends, but he'd cleared most with Lilia.
Now hunting Silvers meant hard scouting. Blindly combing mountains? Even for levels, no thanks.
Weak fiends helped level False Flame of Vanity, but Galen was too famous as a water mage here. Flaunting fire openly? Risky.
Time for a change of venue—and check this intriguing rumor.
Practice False Flame solo en route.
If this 'Pirate King' really wrecked a Silver ship...
Warrior meant solid XP; mage, new spells. Evil pirate too—no qualms.
"Alright... I'll take it."
Galen decided.
Days dragged when just lounging, but prep time flew.
The horse, left long at the church after Nijerte, was full of vigor from rest—handy ride ever since.
No water to pack simplified his already light load; no firestarters made it lighter still.
Galen bid farewells.
Not many to tell. Doni was off trading, per merchant life. Quick goodbyes to the ascetic crew from two months in the frontier.
"I'll not forget your contributions. Hope we meet again. Stay safe out there."
Myra, busy, got hers early.
"You've done so much, Brother Galen. Thanks for everything... and keep up the good work."
Jenny's words felt oddly nuanced. 'Keep up the good work'? Probably just encouragement.
No malice in her face. Galen smiled back.
"No helping it."
Lilia's reaction was surprisingly cool.
Before Devil's Cradle, she'd wanted back to the frontier post-job.
Now she took his departure breezily—left him a tad wistful.
Still, her clinging would've been trouble. Clean break was best.
Shaking off mixed feelings, Galen waved. Lilia beamed and saw him off.
"See you later, Brother!"
With all goodbyes done, Galen passed Abaca's gates, turning east.
Destination: eastern seaboard's grandest port.
Belpas.
And that evening.
Elta was a day's ride by cart or horse—a familiar path. Galen made good time, entering smoothly.
"Fancy meeting you here!"
"...Why are you showing up here?"
He ran into Lilia at the inn's first-floor tavern.