Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Ghost of the Sea (1)
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Galen took a seat across from Lilia, who was waving from the corner table while drumming her fingers on it with her other hand.
"Let's order some food first!"
"Ah, sure."
They had pushed on a bit faster than usual, thinking they'd grab dinner once they reached the city, so neither had eaten yet. It was later than their normal dinnertime anyway, and they were both hungry.
After calling over the innkeeper and placing their order, Lilia stood up from her seat before Galen could even open his mouth.
"Wait just a sec! I need to grab a room real quick!"
Come to think of it, Lilia was still wearing her bag. Unlike Galen, who had unpacked his in his room before coming down.
Lilia chatted with the innkeeper for a moment, then headed upstairs only to come right back down. She must have just tossed her bag inside.
"Don't people usually book a room first when they check into an inn?"
"I was right behind you the whole way! I haven't had a chance yet."
"Behind me? From Abaca?"
"No, from the city gates!"
"The gates? Elta's gates?"
"Yep!"
"Does the church have some secret teleportation method I don't know about?"
He had definitely said goodbye to Lilia before leaving Abaca, so how had she beaten him here?
As Galen tilted his head in confusion, Lilia chattered on.
"After you left, I packed my stuff and set out too. Then I spotted you up ahead on the road!"
"I had no idea."
"Of course not—you were way ahead."
Lilia's Iron Body miracle gave her far superior eyesight compared to Galen's.
What was barely a speck to him, distinguishable only as a person or not, she could make out faces clearly.
"You got that letter of introduction from Bishop Myra, right? For Belpas."
"Yeah."
"It mentioned you were heading east, so of course you'd pass through Elta. I took a little detour and got here first to wait!"
The only way east from Abaca was through Elta. Sure, one could tunnel through the mountains, but Galen had no reason to ignore the perfectly good road.
And since the path to Elta wasn't some narrow cliffside trail, it was easy enough to slip off the main route used by most travelers and pass him without notice.
"If you were going to follow anyway, why not just catch up and say hi?"
"It'd feel weird meeting right after saying goodbye, don't you think?"
"This still feels pretty immediate, though..."
"W-Well, yeah... To be honest, I got bored waiting alone..."
"I see."
Given her boundless energy and the fact that she'd never really been on her own, it must have been a trial for her.
At any rate, Galen now understood how she'd shown up here.
Truth be told, it wasn't a big deal. It was only a day's travel away, and she'd made it fine on her own.
The real question was why. Galen asked seriously.
"Um... did you... run away from home?"
"No way?!"
Lilia jumped up in protest.
"It's a pilgrimage! I have permission!"
"A pilgrimage?"
A novice couldn't even take holy orders. A deacon was still apprenticed, learning church duties under someone else.
True independence as a full-fledged cleric began with priesthood. That was when free activity was permitted.
"I think I've heard they call priests who travel alone pilgrims."
"Exactly! Pilgrimages aren't required, but if you want to go, you can!"
The intent was noble: wander the world to broaden horizons, witness and aid diverse lives firsthand.
But with criminals who showed no respect for clerics, fiends that slaughtered humans indiscriminately, and more, pilgrimages were far from easy.
He'd heard the church was reluctant to approve them. Losing a carefully trained priest to a tragic end on the road was a major blow.
Of course, Lilia was hardly the type to die in some roadside inn with her skills—but skills aside, sending her alone felt... worrisome. Not that it was his place to say.
"The church just let you go like that?"
"Bishop Myra suggested it first!"
"What?"
"She said I'm too naive about the world. Fine for a priest, but not for a bishop!"
"Well... a bishop oversees a diocese. It does require experience and maturity."
Galen nodded along.
Even if Lilia could handle church administration right now—which was debatable—she was still too young.
Skilled or not, would subordinates trust an eighteen-year-old? It wouldn't be easy.
"So first, I'm heading to Belpas to show the Miracle of Radiant Light to Bishop Roald. I have to prove myself for bishop review."
"Ah, so you're going to Belpas too, then?"
"Yep! After that, she said to pilgrimage however I want. So I asked if I could travel with you, and she said it's up to me!"
"I... see."
"Oh, Sister Jenny said she's sorry. Did something happen?"
"No. Nothing at all."
Galen forced a casual smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Now he understood what Jenny had meant by "good luck ahead." She'd known Lilia would follow him.
"Am I... being a burden?"
Lilia asked with anxious eyes. Galen scratched his cheek.
"Not at all. I'd love the company."
Why turn down a powerful cleric now who would only grow stronger—and one whose mere presence purified the eyes, no less?
"It's just... you might find it uncomfortable."
"I've never been uncomfortable around you before."
"Not in daily life. Up till now, you were the employer, and I was the hireling."
"Right."
"That's changing. Now I'll decide, and you'll follow. Bluntly put, no more chasing fiends like in the frontier. That okay with you?"
"Totally fine!"
Lilia answered briskly.
"I've decided to advance one step and retreat ten!"
"Huh?"
"Remember what Sister Jenny said? There are so many fiends that a few priests or mages barely make a dent."
"Ah, yeah."
"But there's a difference between a priest and Silver rank sweating it out, versus an archbishop and Gem rank doing it, right?"
"Obviously."
"That's it!"
"Huh?"
"I'll think about it after I become an archbishop!"
She said it like becoming archbishop was a given—and with Lilia, it felt scarily plausible.
"You're super into magic training, so sticking with you means I'll learn a ton too! That's why I want to travel together!"
"In that case... sure. Let's travel together."
"Yay!"
As Galen finally nodded, Lilia beamed like a child.
'Eh, it'll be fine.'
He hadn't traveled alone because he preferred it. Companions were better for daily life and combat alike.
Just that unreliable ones were worse than none, so he'd been cautious about choosing.
Lilia was the type who worried about being betrayed, not betraying others—personality-wise, she passed. Skill-wise, even more so.
'It'll be a bit tiring, maybe...'
But not an unwelcome kind.
Galen smiled faintly.
He'd sensed it somewhat in the frontier, but having a cleric in the party made a world of difference.
Specifically, one who could use miracles freely without worry. Lilia exceeded that criterion.
For starters, their daily travel distance had increased dramatically.
Even on horseback, ordinary folk couldn't go surprisingly far. Better than walking, sure, but compared to trained riders, the gap could be twofold.
Riding was incredibly demanding. Trained riders endured far longer with less effort.
But with a priest, it didn't matter. Aching thighs, sore rear, stiff back? Healing miracle. Drained stamina? Vitality miracle.
This held for daytime travel and nighttime rest alike.
Cities weren't spaced perfectly, so camping was a last resort. Usually, they'd overnight in a small village.
Alone, Galen as an outsider faced suspicion; even renting a room cost a pretty penny. He'd slept in barns in some villages.
But people practically begged Lilia to stay.
In villages with no church or just a deacon, a priest was a mythical figure.
The slightly ill flocked out, pleading "Mercy, priest!" and prostrating.
Lilia generously bestowed healing miracles, and in return, villagers cried praises to divine mercy while offering their homes. Galen got a room for free.
The result?
"Huh, traveling isn't as tough as I thought. I heard it was brutal."
"I never imagined it could be this comfortable..."
Galen had to agree with Lilia's innocent remark.
Even with his eyesight, he could make out the distant structures: Belpas's walls.
He'd budgeted a generous month for the trip, but their speed had shaved it down to just twenty days.
'We got here so fast I barely had time to train Phantom Inferno...'
Phantom Inferno Lv.18
Progress to next level: 21%
The one downside to traveling with Lilia: he couldn't openly practice Phantom Inferno.
But that stemmed more from the spell's nature.
Water Flow Manipulation or Spirit Creation could be tinkered with discreetly—playing with water on his hand mid-travel or indoors.
You couldn't ride while setting the surroundings ablaze, nor train explosions inside. Even walling off with water couldn't fully muffle heat or noise.
Since it saw no real combat use anyway, he'd dumped all spare mana into practice and still hit this level.
'Gotta find some wide-open spot with no eyes around.'
Galen grumbled inwardly as Belpas's gates drew nearer.
Another perk of cleric company: no lining up at the gates.
"You're good to enter, priest."
"Thank you!"
The white robes were proof enough of status. Galen passed through by association in one go.
Inside the walls, it felt similar to Nijerte overall, though less crowded.
"It smells super salty!"
"We're by the sea. Sea breezes carry salt."
"The sea! Let's go see the sea, brother!"
Lilia's eyes sparkled. Having never left near Abaca her whole life, she'd never seen the ocean.
"Sure. Hope there's a sandy beach."
No need to hit the church first thing, so they headed to the docks.
Not knowing the streets, they just followed the distant blue and would get there eventually.
As the pair strolled leisurely across town,
"Out of the way! Move!"
"Emergency! Please step aside!"
A commotion erupted ahead.
Galen pulled his horse aside out of curiosity when,
"Eek."
Lilia's sharp senses caught it first.
"Brother, hold the reins for me?"
"Pardon? Oh, sure."
Lilia dismounted. Galen followed, taking her reins.
Moments later, panicked pedestrians parted left and right as a group rushed through.
Over a dozen stretchers they carried held blood-soaked figures.
"Brothers! Patients?"
"Y-Yes!"
The lead man, spotting the white robes amid the chaos, answered hurriedly.
"If it's urgent, I'll treat them first! Take the others to the church and get help!"
"P-Please!"
Before the man could halt his group, Lilia was already rushing to the patients.
"What in the world..."
Galen muttered, scanning the bystanders' faces.
Little shock. More like weary resignation.
This wasn't the first time.
A bad feeling stirred.