Mage Community (1)

“Is there anything you find uncomfortable?”

At Scarlet’s words, Bigrin smiled awkwardly and shook her head.

“With so many people here, what could there be for me to be uncomfortable about?”

Although she tried to speak with some dignity, in truth, Bigrin still looked like a young child to anyone who saw her, far from dignified.

Bigrin was also well aware of this about herself, but she tried not to worry about it, thinking that she was still growing and would grow more.

That aside, there was something Bigrin wanted to say somehow.

‘Honestly, you’re the most uncomfortable…’

However, she couldn’t say such a thing outright because Bigrin now had the status of an officially ordained Saint of the Celestial Church.

She had to be careful with her actions, thinking that someone’s eyes were watching everywhere,

And be careful with her words, thinking that someone’s ears were open everywhere.

Not only because she was a Saint of the Celestial Church, but also as the closest companion of the Hero right beside her, her mindset was like that.

Bigrin smiled at Scarlet and adjusted her robe.

Because the exposure of the Saint’s outfit itself was quite excessive, it was inevitably cold in this winter.

She had gotten used to the exposure, and had to wear it as the Saint’s outfit to be exposed to the sunlight called the Celestial God’s radiance as much as possible, but still, she couldn’t get used to the cold.

So Bigrin was wrapped in a pure white robe, the winter ceremonial garment, covering her entire body.

Suddenly, when the robe wouldn’t pull, she looked that way and saw that Ludvik, the Hero, was sitting on her robe.

Whether Ludvik was thinking about something with his eyes closed or perhaps sleeping, Bigrin had to pull on the robe, grunting, to get it out from under his bottom.

After a while of this, Bigrin finally let out a small sigh and tapped Ludvik’s shoulder.

“Oh, Saint. I wasn’t sleeping.”

“…It’s fine if you sleep, but could you let me pull out my robe?”

Only then did Ludvik look down at his bottom.

Noticing the thick, pure white robe hem trapped under his bottom, Ludvik smiled awkwardly and lifted his hips.

“Thank you, Hero.”

“Thanks? Not at all.”

Even as he said this, Ludvik yawned widely, covering his mouth.

The way he stretched, raising one arm high, made it clear that he had been sleeping despite his claim.

The carriage heading to Capatia Port now had significantly fewer passengers.

The carriage that had been crowded with Yona’s group, Rubina, Ceres, Scarlet, and the Hero’s group now only had five people left: the Hero’s group of two, Ceres, James, and Scarlet.

Thanks to this, the much lighter carriage flew along, and it had been a week since they left the church territory.

If they continue at this speed without any incidents for about three or four more days, they will arrive at Capatia Port.

“Come to think of it, Sir Scarlet.”

“Yes, Saint.”

Scarlet had been sitting right next to Bigrin from earlier.

Before she received her Saint ordination, he had seemed a bit aloof, but as soon as she was ordained, his attitude changed so drastically that it was rather disconcerting.

“Did you… not go to investigate Semec?”

She had clearly heard that the Crusader Order had set out.

So she thought Scarlet would have led them, but unexpectedly, when the carriage was about to depart, Scarlet appeared and boarded with them, which was surprising.

At Bigrin’s words, Scarlet paused for a moment.

“The Crusader Order went out for the Semec search. I was given a separate mission to escort the Saint and accompany the Hero, which is why I joined here.”

Even his way of speaking seemed to have changed.

Bigrin nodded at Scarlet’s words.

What could Bigrin say when he said that?

But when even Bigrin fell silent, the carriage became deathly quiet.

In the back, James was snoring in his sleep, and Ludvik sitting next to her also seemed to be sleeping.

Across from them, Ceres was busy writing something, with piles of parchment stacked like mountains.

In the end, the only people awake and in their right mind in this place now were just Bigrin and Scarlet.

“…Have you ever seen a demon, Sir?”

“A demon, you say.”

Hmm.

At those words, Scarlet closed his mouth with a thoughtful sound.

When there was no answer for a while, she thought he might not have seen one, but just as Bigrin was thinking this, Scarlet opened his mouth.

“I have never seen one directly. As you know, since the Celestial God shone His radiance upon this land, all demons were driven back to the lands from whence they came. So I have never seen one directly.”

“I see.”

It’s also mentioned in the scriptures.

When the Celestial God finally revealed Himself in Marlen and emitted His faithful light to destroy the False God, at last all false light retreated, and the demons sleeping in the ruins all around were driven back to where they belonged.

And when the remaining three demons schemed to summon the Demon King, Hero Siwu and Saint Sonia, along with their companions, bravely went forth and repelled the Demon King with their lightning — that passage.

It’s the very story she had heard to the point of boredom while studying at the cathedral.

“It must be that such things are finally trying to return with evil schemes, so He has sent the Hero and Saint to this land to punish them, don’t you think?”

“I-Is that so.”

Bigrin’s face somehow felt hot.

This was the first time someone had praised her so excessively to her face, so she didn’t know how to respond.

If Yona, who was sociable and good at dealing with people, were here, she would have handled this well.

“What kind of relationship did you have with that white-haired adventurer?”

“White-haired adventurer… Do you mean Yona?”

“Yes. That… rambunctious, thunderous naked adventurer.”

Scarlet’s voice describing Yona was nothing short of cold.

She knew well that he didn’t like Yona much, but even so, isn’t it a bit much to express it like that?

“She’s my fri… classmate. We grew up in the same orphanage and learned at the same cathedral.”

“Is that so. However, while you are so elegant, how could a classmate be…”

“She is my classmate.”

Scarlet closed his mouth at Bigrin’s sharp voice.

He inwardly thought he hadn’t said anything wrong, but he still kept quiet.

“Regent.”

Ceres, who had been burying her face in the pile of parchments, raised her head and looked at Bigrin.

There was a black aura covering her eyes, making it look as if she had applied black powder under her eyes.

“…You seem very busy.”

“Oh, well. Yes. Because of the Semec report. But what is it?”

At those words, Bigrin again found herself at a loss for words.

She had called out to Ceres because talking with Scarlet had somehow put her in a bad mood, but she didn’t actually have any business, so she had nothing else to say.

“Give her something sweet. It seems our Saint is feeling bored. Haha.”

In contrast, a voice full of energy.

Ludvik, who had woken up at some point, grinned as he looked at Ceres and then back at Bigrin.

“Isn’t that right, Saint?”

That voice somehow felt like it was teasing her.

But Bigrin kept quiet when she saw the plate of cookies and the honey pot next to it being held out in front of her.

Maybe… it was true that she was feeling bored.

Bigrin picked up a cookie and dipped it generously in honey.

She knew well the taste of these cookies, made with no shortage of sugar.

She had often fed them to Rubina while holding her, and Bigrin herself had eaten those cookies put into her mouth by Rubina several times.

That sweetness was truly delicious.

“Hero, please have some.”

Cupping her hand to catch any dripping honey, Bigrin held it out to Ludvik.

It would be good if he took it quickly, how embarrassing.

But when Ludvik suddenly leaned in close, Bigrin was so startled that she almost dropped the cookie for a moment.

“Oh my, you surprised me.”

Ludvik grasped Bigrin’s wrist.

Quickly catching the cookie that was about to fall with his mouth, Ludvik showed that usual cheerful smile of his.

“Wow, this is really delicious. Of course, it couldn’t be anything but delicious coming from the Saint.”

“…Please eat. There are many.”

Bigrin didn’t respond to those words and just picked up a cookie herself and bit into it.

It’s really delicious.

Very sweet and—

*

“Ugh, it’s bitter.”

Yona spat out the flower petal she had been holding in her mouth and frowned terribly.

“I told you not to eat that.”

Alec looked at Yona with a look of exasperation.

“Hey, baldy. People are supposed to eat sweet things sometimes. Don’t you know?”

“What kind of crazy woman sucks on flowers?”

“No, this, this is really a delicious flower… Why does it taste bitter?”

She had forgotten the name, but this red flower is exactly the one Yona remembers.

It’s the kind of flower where if you pick just the bud and suck on it, honey comes out.

But when she ate it now, there was no honey, only bitterness.

“Let’s go quickly. Kairoc is going to throw a fit again because of you.”

“Ugh… that lizard would have been dead already if it weren’t for me.”

Yona grumbled but quickened her steps.

She did so because the sight of Kairoc, who had already gone ahead, glaring at her with a frown looked quite ominous.

“Yona, come quickly. What are you doing?”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

As Kairoc had said before, they didn’t encounter a single monster while crossing the Medial Plain towards Lake Cantasia.

It was a very peaceful journey where they didn’t even encounter the common wild orcs.

There was one very big incident in the middle, but no one mentioned it.

Moreover, Alec was even more uneasy.

Because Yona had threatened him, glaring with fierce eyes, saying they needed to talk after parting with Kairoc.

Unaware of Alec’s thoughts, Yona adjusted her nun’s habit again to tidy her left arm, and checked the seam of the sacred robe to tidy her right arm.

“Look over there, Yona.”

Kairoc, who had already climbed all the way up the hill, waited for Yona and pointed far away.

“Wow…”

Lake Cantasia.

A lake with a legend that water pooled in the place where an arrowhead of a giant who lived long ago had fallen.

Thick mist always surrounded that lake.

— Like now.

Through the mysterious mist that was thick but didn’t obscure vision, a building could be seen rising up.

A building visible far away as they stood on top of the hill.

“…Aren’t mages usually in towers?”

“What kind of common sense is that? Don’t you know the law that no building can be higher than the imperial palace?”

“You’re seeing it for the first time too, baldy.”

“First time or not, that’s just common sense.”

Leaving the two bickering behind, Kairoc moved forward.

The two quickly followed Kairoc as he descended the hill.

“That’s the mage community. As you can see, it’s just a village. It’s a village because it’s a community.”

“Oh… that’s true, but.”

When you think of mages, it’s still towers, right?

There’s even a term like ‘mage tower’, you know.

Yona muttered inwardly as she hurriedly moved her feet.

The main road stretching out before them led straight to the mage community.

That place where buildings, at most 5 stories high but mostly 2-3 stories, were clustered tightly together.

At last, it was the mage community.