Mage Community (4)

The deep blue of the sea turned into white foam and sprayed up onto the side of the ship.

The surging foam dispersed and disappeared fleetingly, and soon, as if to fill its place, another spray of foam rose up.

Bigrin leaned over the railing at the bow, looking down at the sea below.

Even though she peered down hoping to see fish in the sea, she couldn’t see anything, let alone fish.

“It’s dangerous, Saint.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Bigrin turned to the side.

Brown hair fluttering in the clear sea breeze.

The Hero, Ludvik, was looking at her with a faint smile.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Bigrin suddenly felt embarrassed.

She felt a bit ashamed that she, as a Saint of the Celestial Church, had been staring at the sea in a daze like this.

“Even though it’s the second time I’m seeing it… I was thinking how vast the sea is. Have you seen the sea before, Hero?”

She thought the sea was truly vast.

Although Evian wasn’t large, it had been Bigrin’s world, so seeing the sea for the first time on this trip was an opportunity to shatter her world at once and show her that there was a wider world beyond it.

In comparison, Hero Ludvik seemed unfazed by this sea, as if he had already seen it before.

“No, I also saw the sea for the first time when we went to Capatia last time. Marlen is also a place without sea nearby. It was my first time leaving Marlen when I went to Evian.”

“Yet you’re so calm.”

“Am I?”

It was fascinating.

This sea full of nothing but water.

How could one be calm when seeing for the first time this vast sea, so wide and blue that you can’t even see the bottom?

“We’re going to see an even wider world anyway, aren’t we? Wider than Marlen, than Evian, than this sea. We’ll see an even wider world, and if we’re surprised each time, wouldn’t that be a bit silly?”

“Is that so?”

Bigrin closed her mouth and looked ahead.

Unknown birds were crying out in flocks, flying over the sea.

These birds, with white bodies and yellow beaks, would fly over the sea and frequently plunge their beaks into the seawater to catch fish.

“Isn’t it fascinating, those birds?”

Ludvik pointed at the birds.

Standing next to Bigrin without her noticing, he was leaning on the railing with his arm and pointing at the birds.

“Those birds have followed us all the way from the dock to here.”

“Followed us?”

“Yes.”

Bigrin looked up at the birds the Hero was pointing at.

Crying out with incomprehensible sounds — kiruruuk, kiruuk kiruuk — the birds would fly in flocks and then return to sit on the ship’s mast, preening their beaks and feathers.

“They’re stowaways on our ship, you see. They know that if they come out with us, food will be plentiful, and they can also rest on top of the ship.”

“They know that we provide food and a place to rest…”

“Yes. Aren’t they clever?”

Ludvik grinned.

Since he heard it from the sailors doing odd jobs on the deck, it must be accurate information.

“Now, Saint. Take a look at this.”

Ludvik took out a small pouch from his bosom.

The pouch made of cheap cloth had its mouth tied with a string, and when he pulled one corner of it, the string loosened smoothly and the mouth opened slightly.

Inside were yellow grains.

“It’s grain. It’s the chaff left over after removing all the edible parts for people. Now, like this…”

Ludvik scooped out a handful of the chaff, which had more husks than grains after processing, and held up his palm high.

Although some were blown away by the sea breeze, the smell of grain seemed to spread further, and the seabirds flocked above Ludvik’s head, crying out.

“There are more birds now!”

Bigrin shouted loudly at the sound of the seabirds crying.

She covered her ears and shouted “wak wak,” but her expression wasn’t too bad.

“Now, watch closely!”

Ludvik, with a smiling face, swung his hand holding the grain and threw it over the sea.

Bigrin was startled for a moment, but before the grains could fall into the seawater, the seabirds rushed in, each catching some grain in their beaks before flying back into the sky.

“How about it, isn’t it fascinating? Would you like to try it too, Saint? It’s quite fun.”

Bigrin hesitated for a moment.

Honestly, it looked fun, and she wanted to try it.

But as a Saint of the Celestial Church, wasn’t it a bit silly to be absorbed in such a trivial, shabby game — she had such thoughts.

“Enjoying fun things is the same for all people. Wouldn’t the Celestial God understand that much? Come, give me your hand.”

Before Bigrin could answer, Ludvik suddenly grabbed her hand.

Her fair hand was so small it was barely half the size of Ludvik’s.

‘Ha-hand…?’

Although it was sudden, Bigrin was momentarily flustered as it was the first time in her life that her hand had touched a man’s hand.

It was rough and full of scars, far from a soft and comfortable feeling.

“This much should be enough.”

Ludvik grinned.

Bigrin unknowingly looked up at Ludvik’s face.

“Our Saint needs to eat a bit more. Your hand is only half the size of mine.”

Ludvik said this while comparing Bigrin’s hand full of grain to his own, placing his hand on the back of hers rather than palm to palm.

Bigrin couldn’t hear a word of what he was saying.

“Now, try throwing it. Look, the birds are waiting now. If you keep hesitating and not throwing, they might fly over here… Oh oh?!”

“Eek?!”

Bigrin had been standing still for a while with the grain in her palm.

The seabirds, perhaps thinking this meant they should come and take it, flocked over to peck at the grain in Bigrin’s palm.

“You rascals, get away!”

Seeing more than twenty seabirds rushing in, Bigrin got scared.

Ludvik waved his hand to chase away the seabirds, but it was too much for him to handle, so he instinctively pulled Bigrin close and embraced her tightly.

“I said get away!”

Only after scattering the entire pouch of grain into the sea did the seabirds’ attention turn that way.

“Saint, are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. I’m fine, so… please, let, let me go…”

Bigrin stammered as she spoke to Ludvik.

He had embraced her so tightly that Bigrin’s face was pressed against his chest, and she couldn’t escape from his arms on her own.

“Oh my, I apologize. I was flustered too.”

“No, it’s not. It’s not your fault, Hero…”

As soon as Ludvik loosened his arms, Bigrin hastily stepped back a couple of paces.

Her pale face had turned bright red as if it might burst at any moment.

“Are you alright? Your face is red.”

“I-I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”

“You weren’t pecked by the seabirds, were you?”

Ludvik stepped closer to Bigrin as he said this.

He intended to check if she was hurt or uncomfortable anywhere, but Bigrin stepped back once again.

Ludvik has no sense of personal space.

“No, really. I’m really fine. I’m not affected at all.”

“Is that so? If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, anytime—”

Ludvik leaned his head forward to peer closely at Bigrin.

Since there was quite a height difference between them, he must have had to bend his waist quite a bit to do so, but Bigrin, startled by Ludvik’s face suddenly appearing in front of her, stepped back once more.

“I’m not, not affected at all. I’ll go back to my room and rest a bit. I hope you rest well too, Hero.”

Bigrin turned around without waiting for Ludvik’s reply.

Ludvik wore an ambiguous smile as he watched Bigrin’s retreating figure, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.

‘What a rude person.’

Bigrin sat on the bed, recalling the recent memory.

It wouldn’t be right for the Hero and Saint to be distant with each other, but getting too close wouldn’t be good either.

‘…I need to be careful.’

Although Ludvik is a Hero, he’s from an adventurer background, so his sense of personal space between men and women might be different.

But Bigrin is different.

Even before becoming a Saint, hadn’t she grown up being educated about proper behavior as a clergy and priest?

Bigrin thought she should be careful.

As a companion of the Hero, and as a Saint.

To avoid becoming the subject of gossip,

She must always be careful of her mindset and behavior.

Bigrin thought.

But contrary to her thoughts, her heart flows differently.

He’s not a rude person, but an honest one.

Bigrin doesn’t need to be careful.

The Hero is just being honest.

The one who’s not honest might be just me.

Bigrin clutched her rosary tightly and prayed to the Celestial God.

To be able to become more honest.

To be able to shake off this dark feeling.

She prayed, and prayed again.