NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46
“Wh-what’s going on?”
“It seems we’re being mistaken for suspicious people.”
“Huh?”
Karina looked at me with a shocked expression. She must have been taken aback by the fact that we were being considered suspicious…
“Why are you nodding?”
“Uh… Aren’t we suspicious people?”
I froze for a moment at Karina’s words. She looked back at me, seemingly confused. The smile on her lips was incredibly charming, but it was her previous statement that struck me.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t technically a wrong statement.
A castaway, a Dullahan, a Saint, and a guard. It was a combination so strange it bordered on bizarre.
Even in a mediocre fantasy novel, if you threw together a combination like this, you’d get calls like, “What kind of ludicrous combination is this?” and if you tossed it into a game, it’d probably be labeled a mess. Ah, but this combination might actually fare well in a deep, dark dungeon. I’m just relieved I didn’t get drawn into that. I don’t want to end up being a ruin or eaten by an ancestor.
“I don’t think we can dock the ship unless we convince the guards.”
“That’s troublesome…”
Why am I so perceptive? I was perplexed by Karina’s glances at me until I suddenly recalled one crucial fact.
Come to think of it, she’s been hiding her identity as a Saint, hasn’t she?
With her pink hair and odd eyes that signify her as a Saint, if she stepped forward, the guards would immediately change their attitudes, but it seemed she was hesitant to reveal her identity to me and Millia. I understood.
The difference between an ordinary priest and a Saint was as significant as holding one’s head up high versus bowing down.
They wouldn’t like having to bow down if they found out we were in the presence of a Saint.
“Karina, don’t worry. My attitude won’t change, so you can reveal anything freely.”
“Huh? What was I hiding?”
“Uh, that’s…”
“Are you hiding food from us?”
Karina smiled at Millia’s innocent question.
“No, actually… I…”
Karina revealed her true identity to us. She is a Saint of the Kalon Church. That she was sorry for hiding it. That if she stepped forward, we could smoothly enter the port.
Since I already knew this fact, it wasn’t all that surprising, but out of courtesy, I pretended to be astonished.
“Oh, really? You’re such a-mazing person!”
“The captain is so awkward!”
I know I’m terrible at acting, so don’t you dare imitate me! Renny, standing behind Karina, looked like she was about to burst into giggles.
“Show yourselves! If you don’t, I’ll burn you all to ashes!”
“Karina.”
“…Yes!”
As soon as I finished speaking, Karina revealed herself to the people.
Is it true that a Saint is indeed a Saint? As soon as she appeared, the atmosphere at the port underwent a drastic change.
Shock, surprise, relief, joy.
People’s jaws dropped in unison, and I could see the townsfolk getting restless.
A Saint really is an impressive figure.
Seeing such reactions from everyone makes sense, especially since unlike where I used to live, the power of religion is strong enough to make the average country feel small.
Of course, it’s not to the extent of incidents like the Avignon Affair, but…
“Captain, so what is a Saint?”
“A high-ranked person.”
“Do they fly in the sky?”
“Basically, it’s like saying she’s a princess.”
“Oh! Got it!”
Did you really understand though?
I shifted my gaze from Millia, who was looking at Karina’s back with a strange look, and continued to stare at the ever-blue sea.
The sea water is really so blue.
——————-
“Karina! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
This guy looks like he could sell indulgences easily.
“Huh?”
Oh.
“Nothing…!”
Crap, I blabbed again. Thankfully, the chubby priest didn’t seem to catch my remark and looked at me with curious eyes.
Looks like there aren’t any indulgences here. Well, in a world where gods descend themselves, if anyone tried to sell those, the god would personally hunt down whoever proposed the indulgences.
…Though, it’s true that the Kalon Church has many divergences in any of its routes.
The bald-headed chubby priest looked at me with curiosity before withdrawing his gaze and returning to stare at Karina with admiration.
“Ah, Karina! Who is this person?”
“To explain in detail, it’s a bit long… he’s the one who saved me.”
“Oh, so you’re the one who saved Karina!”
He looked like a grumpy old man, but seems to have a nice temperament. I awkwardly smiled at the priest, who shook my hand up and down. He returned my smile with a wicked grin.
Uh, that’s just a smile, right?
He’s not plotting something sinister, is he?
“If my handshake was unpleasant, I apologize.”
“…It’s nothing.”
What’s going on? I didn’t do anything.
Why does Renny keep poking my side and making funny faces? I can’t understand why at all.
I’m not a handsome guy, but saying something about my smiling face is a bit much.
“Archbishop Pierre, since we’ve been on the ship for a long time, can we have a meal?”
“Of course! Rize! Show Karina and our guests to the cafeteria, and even before that, to the bathhouse!”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Archbishop Pierre.”
“Ah, no problem.”
Priest Pierre stroked his long beard while giving a warm smile. He’s a good person… right?
Usually, priests with those kinds of faces have ulterior motives, but he doesn’t, right? Honestly, I just want to peacefully reach the Academy.
“Understood, Pierre. Karina. And guests, please follow me.”
We quietly followed Rize.
————-
Wow, for the biggest religion in the Survival Academy universe, this bathhouse is amazing.
I’m thinking I’d need to make a ton of money if I rented out this huge bathhouse all to myself. Having a large bathtub built at home for leisurely baths is a dream for sure. Back when I was a mere university student in Korea, I couldn’t even dream of that, but here, if I have money, it’s completely possible.
…But first, I need to survive in this chaotic world.
“Status Window.”
Opening the Status Window, I glanced at the mission section and noticed there was a “clear” label next to the mission.
Let’s see, the reward is…
“One Trait Point?”
Couldn’t they have given me more? Who’s going to stick just 1 point on their nose? Whoever drew me into this life doesn’t seem to want me to live easily. But I should be thankful they at least gave me something useful. It could be worse—they could have thrown something crazy instead of this.
Still, where should I invest this?
Should I save it for now?
Since it’s a rank system, I’m not even sure what one point means.
Does it mean a full rank up? Or half a rank? This blasted status window doesn’t explain anything. In this day and age, receiving poor explanations would get a “What the hell is this?” on evaluations. And it usually trends negatively.
“I guess I should hold on to it for now…”
Because I don’t have a clear idea of what to invest in, I’ll check the next mission.
“Arrive at Kalon Academy.”
Distance: 1700km
Reward: One Trait Point
Another 1 point? Ugh.
Status window, can’t you do better with your rewards?
I closed the Status Window while inwardly complaining. I stood up. I better eat something quickly before they start nagging.
This was the first civilized dinner I’d had in ten years.
I wonder what’ll come out.
With great anticipation, I slowly put on the clothes the priest had given me—starting from my underwear all the way to my top. Honestly, it was a bit weird when putting on the outer garment, but I can’t be running around topless here. I gritted my teeth against the awkwardness and joined my group.
“Captain! This way, this way!”
“Got it, but take it slow.”
Where do you think you’re going, not even knowing the way!
I caught Millia, who was trying to go ahead, and cautiously adjusted the angle of her head. It was only slightly off, so you couldn’t really tell, but still, better safe than sorry. Even though they said a Saint brought her along, if a Dullahan shows up here, it’ll be chaotic. But was there ever a Dullahan in this Survival Academy?
I can’t recall.
It didn’t seem likely, though.
“Oh, Johann, keep dressing like that. On a deserted island, it wouldn’t matter, but not here.”
“I know.”
Why are you looking at me skeptically? I do have basic common sense.
“Right. Here, if you mess up, you might get caught, so be careful.”
Feeling too lazy to explain, I just nodded vaguely.
As we chatted and followed Rize, we arrived at the cafeteria. The long table looked like it could comfortably fit five or six people lying down.
Dinner was already laid out before us on the table.
The meal looked incredibly healthy, colorful with greens. Whoever prepared this meal must surely be a vegan.
“I thought you’d be hungry, so we prepared plenty.”
“Thank you, Sister Priest!”
“Oh, you’re welcome. Please enjoy your meal.”
Rizemara, I mean Rize, elegantly smiled before leaving the cafeteria.
The cafeteria fell silent in an instant.
I picked up my fork as if signaling the start of the meal and said, “Let’s eat.”