#048

The party left the Marquess’s territory and reached the main road heading southwest. As the forest, now at a lower altitude, appeared, Cullen broke his two-hour silence. He slowed his horse and spoke.

“We must decide on a destination now. Lasano-nim, do you know the next destination?”

At Cullen’s words, Lasano looked around in all directions. After surveying his surroundings, he finally shielded his eyes with his hand, looked up at the sky, and spoke.

“From the looks of it, there isn’t one, Cullen-nim.”

“Weren’t all destinations decided when the revelation came down?”

“Unfortunately, oracles are often unclear.”

That changed things. Cullen quietly organized his thoughts. If deciding the destination was now their choice, it was right to follow the clues.

In that case, Lasano and Arne would inevitably witness events related to Cullen’s past.

He had no intention of telling others what he hadn’t even told Kiyen. However, if they traveled together, they would naturally share a certain part of his story. That meant he had to be able to trust them, even a little.

“So, you have no particular clues either, Lasano-nim.”

“Yes, that’s correct!”

Lasano exclaimed cheerfully. Cullen glanced at Kiyen. As he had felt before, animals didn’t seem to fear Kiyen. Unlike herbivores that were wary of Demonic Beasts or carnivores, they seemed to follow him instead. He looked peaceful on his horse.

But it was impossible to know what he was thinking. The eyes that quietly watched Cullen rippled serenely, as if merely observing.

Cullen made a decision.

“Then, it would be best for Lasano-nim to return to the Grand Temple now.”

Arne, who had been pulling the horse laden with food, widened his eyes. Lasano, with the same smiling face, asked back.

“Why is that?”

“Because I cannot trust you.”

Lasano made a sound of interest.

“Aren’t you someone who doesn’t trust anyone in the first place, Cullen-nim?”

“However, the journey ahead requires at least a minimum of certainty. I have no idea what you are thinking.”

Lasano’s power was undoubtedly useful. Kiyen couldn’t heal anyone with magic, so Lasano’s divine power was necessary for such a dangerous journey.

But at the same time, Lasano had caused many unexpected incidents. Cullen disliked unpredictable situations. Arne had also acted differently from his intentions, but as long as it wasn’t related to himself, he didn’t seem to act so recklessly. Above all, he could subdue Arne.

However, Lasano was different. He had twice urged Arne to die.

Although he seemed to have changed his mind at the end, Cullen judged that he could not trust Lasano. Despite being the High Priest of the goddess, he was suspicious to an extreme degree.

“You continuously wished for Arne to die. Even without certainty as to whether that was the solution. You have too many suspicious aspects for a High Priest.”

Despite the openly suspicious remark, Lasano remained calm. With the same inscrutable smile.

“But I am undeniably the High Priest.”

Lasano gestured to his hair and eyes. He continued.

“If it weren’t for my divine power, Cullen-nim would be bandaged from arm to leg and unable to move by now. And Arne-nim here would have died long ago.”

Arne cautiously interjected.

“That is true, Cullen-nim. In the cave… you did save me at first.”

It seemed Arne was not the type to get angry easily. He was defending the person who had openly tried to kill him.

“Magic cannot heal someone. The granting of life and death is the domain of the goddess. I have been permitted a portion of that power. Without my power, you will surely face difficulties when encountering situations like this in the future.”

“There were too many variables caused by you. That cannot be denied. Complicating matters is not the way I want things done.”

Lasano looked intently at Arne. Startled by the sudden gaze, Arne flustered and stealthily moved behind Kiyen. Only the words, oblivious to the atmosphere, fluttered like a horse’s snort.

“I strongly dislike bystanders like you, Arne.”

The smile faded from Lasano’s eyes. With only the corners of his lips raised, he continued.

“You don’t believe that ignoring someone in need is wrong, but rather that it only worsens the situation. Such cowardly indifference disgusts me more than those who commit sins.”

Lasano had said such things before. Was there something hidden behind that smiling face? The thought crossed Cullen’s mind, but he quickly dismissed the question.

It’s not my business. And I won’t answer, anyway.

“Everyone has something they dislike.”

As Lasano spoke, Arne lowered his head. His hands, gripping the reins, trembled. A moment of silence followed. It was Kiyen who broke the stillness.

“Then why did you save this priest?”

Lasano gazed at the bowed Arne for a long time. As the wind began to blow gently, he spoke.

“Well.”

He shrugged his shoulders and put on a smiling face again.

“Let’s call it a whim.”

“That is not an answer.”

“But it is not important. What I can tell you is that I am useful, and I serve the Goddess. All of this is in accordance with the Goddess’s revelation. Would I, who does such things, possibly interfere with you, Cullen? This will not happen again.”

Cullen frowned slightly.

“How can I believe that?”

“This is all I can say. However, allow me to tell you one thing…”

Lasano lowered his voice.

“A priest who betrays the Goddess is punished. The Goddess watches over everything.”

Kiyen agreed with his words.

“That is true. If that High Priest acts against Aksha’s will, we will know immediately.”

This was the first time Cullen had heard such a thing. However, it was natural for Cullen, who was merely a commoner, not to know. The answer remained unclear, and his thoughts spun in circles.

For now, Cullen decided to trust Lasano. If he acted like this one more time, they could send him away then.

“Understood.”

“Phew, I’ve truly never been this tense in my life.”

Lasano immediately returned to his usual self. His jesting lightened the rigid atmosphere. Kiyen shifted his gaze from Lasano to Cullen. When their eyes met, Cullen’s hand inexplicably felt itchy. His nape felt itchy too. He felt strangely tense.

So much had happened in just a few days.

It felt like they had grown apart, and yet, like they had closed the distance. They had shared a room, and Kiyen had saved him. Even if his actions had a clear purpose, they were noticed.

“Then we’ll have to decide on our destination ourselves.”

Kiyen’s dry voice snapped Cullen back to attention. The fact that Kiyen didn’t speak his thoughts aloud suggested he didn’t have an immediate destination in mind either.

“The only thing I can think of right now is… following the traces of the power that devastated the Exion Territory. However, there’s nothing to track.”

There were scattered clues, but the whereabouts of those who orchestrated the events were vague. Their objective was also still uncertain. Since it had been over two weeks since they visited the Exion Territory, they were likely plotting something elsewhere by now.

As Cullen pondered, a hint came from an unexpected person.

“Um… there’s something I’d like to say.”

Arne timidly raised his hand. The three pairs of eyes turned to him.

“What is it, cook?”

In Kiyen’s mind, Arne was firmly fixed as a cook.

“I wasn’t in my right mind, so I hadn’t thought properly until now, but… I think this power might be the power of the god Akesis.”

God Akesis?

Did a god other than Aksha exist in this world? Questions flooded Cullen’s mind. Kiyen spoke first.

“There are no gods other than Aksha.”

“Wh-what do you mean…?”

Arne looked at Kiyen, truly surprised. His wide eyes were full of bewilderment.

“Lord Akesis is Aksha’s sibling. Although he now rules over the undead on the legendary Dark Island, he originally resided in this land.”

“Where did you hear such a story?”

Lasano also asked, as if hearing it for the first time. Cullen’s gaze swept over Lasano’s face. He looked genuinely ignorant. Even the High Priest didn’t know this story?

“It’s a story my master told me. Lord Akesis is known as a god with destructive power. It’s not a power belonging to this world, but if it’s a power strong enough to revive the undead… could it be Akesis?”

Kiyen and Lasano’s expressions turned serious. The god Akesis. Even Cullen, who had wandered the world for a long time, had never heard the name.

“What is that priest’s name?”

Lasano inquired. Arne quickly replied.

“Linley.”

“I’ve never heard that name. He sounds like a Common Priest.”

“That’s right. He didn’t originally live in the Exion Territory but came from elsewhere. He is the master who taught me.”

This time, Kiyen asked.

“Is that person dead?”

“I’m not sure.”

Arne wore a lonely expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps he thought I had learned enough, but one day he simply left a letter and disappeared. He was always a wanderer… that’s how we parted. I only hope he is living well under the Goddess’s care.”

Arne’s statement seemed to trouble Kiyen. He furrowed his smooth brow and pressed his lips together, an expression Cullen had never seen before. Cullen, once again entranced, observed his face before chastising himself and regaining his composure. He really needed to take the time to figure out why he was acting this way.

“Then, it would be best to head to Dadin for now.”

Cullen summarized the situation. Kiyen asked.

“Dadin?”

“Yes.”

“Was there such a territory?”

Kiyen seemed genuinely confused by the continuous appearance of things he didn’t know. Cullen was surprised that Kiyen didn’t know Dadin, but he quickly realized it was a place that hadn’t existed during Kiyen’s free days.

“It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know, Kiyen. Dadin is a city that was founded about 500 years ago. Nobles rarely know of it.”

Kiyen’s eyes narrowed, as if his pride were hurt. He looked sharp and incredibly, adorably petulant.

“It makes no sense that there’s something I don’t know.”

“Cheer up, Kiyen. Even Dragons can’t know everything.”

Lasano offered unhelpful encouragement. Kiyen’s face stiffened.

“What?!”

The reaction came from Arne. Arne’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Kiyen and Lasano. Then he spoke again.

“D-d-did you say, Dragon?”

“…You didn’t know?”

“D-dragons… have wings… no, a person, no…”

Arne hastily changed his tune and moved far away from Kiyen, going to Lasano’s side. It seemed he hadn’t noticed until now, though Cullen had thought he had. Kiyen raised his eyebrows and turned his head away from Arne, who was openly avoiding him.

“Depart.”

The voice, laced with anger, commanded. Cullen glared at Arne, then moved his horse beside Kiyen’s and said, as if to appease him.

“You’ll like it when we get there.”

“Enough. Just depart.”

Cullen glanced at Lasano and Arne once more before urging his horse forward. Dadin had many sights to see, so perhaps he could find a gift Kiyen would like.

If he gave him a gift he had never seen before, maybe he could cheer him up.

Trying hard not to think of the discarded shoes, Cullen mused.