Chapter 565: Chapter 565

Lucia, who had been standing to the left and gazing in the same direction, turned to Ian, her expression also growing serious.

Just then, a cheerful voice rang out from behind the group. "This is truly ominous, isn't it?"

Ian blinked, his brow twitching for a moment.

"Honestly, what a clueless idiot," Thesaya clicked her tongue, looking back. Simon was leading his party up the stairs, a bright smile on his handsome face.

"Let's not talk about Bukikia. He might get scared and insist on going back to the pier." Lucia said, looking at Simon with a pitying expression.

"That's not something a priestess should say, but it's a good idea," Ian replied, one corner of his mouth lifting.

As Lucia shrugged as if it didn't matter, Thesaya stepped forward and added, "Don't worry about it. I'll handle him."

Her eyes gleamed like a cat stalking prey as she fixed them on Simon. Ian nodded indifferently. He didn't particularly care what Simon did. His gaze was already sweeping over Brennen, who was following behind, and Shahin, who was walking beside him.

He looks rather annoyed.

Ian had sensed it when talking with Thesaya, but the boy didn't seem particularly happy about the opportunities he'd been given. He hadn't seemed to have any complaints about his life in Rune Catis in the first place. He had been swept up in this unwanted journey solely for the sake of his siblings.

Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered giving that prayer.

Ian smacked his lips slightly and glanced at Mukapa climbing the stairs, holding onto both railings.

"What brings you here, young master? Don’t tell me you wanted to enjoy my company a little longer?" Thesaya said in a leisurely tone.

Simon, who had been glancing at Lucia like a lovesick teenager, paused. "Ha, haha. Your words alone are already a pleasure, Elder. But for now, I've come to offer my thanks."

At that moment, Brennen stepped up behind him, though Shaheen did not. The boy turned and walked in a wide circle, likely to join Mukapa without disturbing the nobles' conversation. As Brennen's eyes followed the boy's back, Simon respectfully bent his knee.

"Thank you, Elder. Thanks to you, we can return to the mainland safely."

"Save your gratitude until we actually arrive," Thesaya said, her smile widening.

She stared intently at Simon for a moment, then added, "After all, something unforeseen might happen while crossing the sea."

Simon blinked awkwardly in mid-bow.

Almost at the same moment, Sanford’s shout rang out below. "Unfurl the sails!"

The ropes lashed to the mast were loosed one after another. Vast triangular sails spread wide, then slowly shifted as if to catch the wind.

"Haha. You must be talking about the monsters said to be hiding in the inner sea," Simon said, having straightened his posture.

Wearing that guileless, almost foolish smile, Simon added, "Sir Brennen has told me the gist of it. But really, what could happen? The ones fighting the sea beasts now are none other than the fleet of the archipelago. They're renowned as sea beast hunters, are they not?"

After a string of words that made Lucia's eyes narrow, Simon lowered his voice as if sharing a secret. "Besides, there are also rumors that they are far more dangerous than that."

Typical. Just like every noble from the central region.

Ian scoffed silently. All the nobles from the central region were probably . Ominous rumors from across the continent were nothing more than interesting stories to them.

"You know a lot. So, why don’t you return to your cabin and pray to the Radiant Goddess? Pray you won’t cross paths with such monsters during this voyage." Thesaya said, one corner of her lips quirking upward as if she shared Ian’s thought.

"Haha. As always, Elder, you have a terrifying sense of humor," Simon laughed heartily, then tilted his head at Thesaya. "Unless... you're not joking, are you?"

"Of course not. It's a joke."

"Except for the part about going back to your cabin right now."

As Simon's smile stiffened into an awkward grimace, Thesaya tilted her head to the side. "Our apostle was just about to offer her prayers, you see."

"Ah, I was being inconsiderate. Then I won't disturb you. Please don't mind me." Simon finally glanced at Ian and bowed his head. His nerve, at least, was unbefitting of a noble.

Bowing respectfully, Simon turned away. Of course, he didn't head for the stairs. He strode toward the railing overlooking the main deck, clearly determined to strike up a conversation with Lucia somehow.

"Persistent..." Thesaya clicked her tongue under her breath.

Lucia shrugged. "Let's just ignore him. We'll be parting ways in a few days, anyway."

"How can I ignore him? He's still targeting our little sprout."

"Ah, so that’s what you meant." Lucia smiled, realizing Thesaya was looking at Brennen, not Simon.

"If you need to pray, should I come back later?" Shahin, who had been waiting quietly, asked.

Lucia looked at him and shook her head. "No need. I can just pray in that corner."

"You're an apostle of a god, my lady?" Shahin asked, bewildered.

Lucia glanced at Ian and smiled. "Yes. I received a revelation from the Blazing Goddess."

Surprise finally dawned on Shahin's face. Winking at the boy, Lucia turned away, intending to pray quietly in the opposite corner. Ian gestured for Mukapa to follow her, then turned to Shahin.

"If you have nothing to say, you can just stand there. I know you came up here because you didn't want to be stuck with Sir Brennen."

"Aha... But there is something I need to tell you."

At Shahin's quick addition, Ian gestured with his chin. "Go on."

"Your horse, sir, I tied it next to the carriage, not in the stable. The other horses were getting strangely spooked. So I had to separate it."

"I see. Well done." Ian nodded.

Just then, the area brightened. This time, it wasn't thunder. Orange flames spread over Lucia's hooded cloak as she kneeled to pray. Mukapa, standing beside her, bowed his head reverently.

"Whoa," Shahin gasped, his attention captured. The sight of Lucia praying, wreathed in flames, was impressive in more ways than one.

"Lu Solar, My goodness..."

Even Simon, standing a short distance away, could not hide his shock. He clearly never imagined, not even for a moment, that Lucia was an apostle of a god. Brennen, standing beside him, was also staring blankly at Lucia with his mouth agape, his hands unconsciously clasped before his chest.

"What in the..." murmured Sanford, who had just climbed the stairs.

Sneaking a glance at Lucia as he moved, he met Ian’s eyes and forced an awkward smile."Uh, should I come back later, sir?"

"No, don't mind her. Best to talk about the payment first, right?" Ian shook his head and gestured for him to come forward.

"Ah, well, about that, you don’t need to, my lord." Sanford glanced behind him and added, "The young master paid for everything."

"Oh, really..?" Ian's gaze swept over Simon.

He was now looking at Lucia with an expression of shock, almost of devastation. It seemed only now he realized his feelings would never be returned.

And after going so far as to pay extra.

As Ian swallowed a dry laugh, Sanford added, "I don't know if you noticed, but a few men who were set to board other ships decided to instead. Said they had bad dreams. We worked it out with the others, so we didn't charge any extra fees. I'm just saying we definitely didn't overcharge you—"

"That’s enough. Move on," Ian cut him off.

Sanford quickly nodded. "As I mentioned, we’ve altered our route. We’ll head northwest, not due north. I don’t suppose I need to explain why?"

"Then how far from our original destination will we be?" Thesaya interjected.

Sanford scratched his greasy hair. "I'm not exactly sure, but probably about a two-day walk."

"Does that mean the time on the ship will increase by that much?"

"No, it doesn't. The wind is helping us. At this rate, we'll only be delayed by half a day at most."

"Half a day at most," Ian murmured, looking up at the gently billowing sails. The ship was now moving by wind alone.

Sanford scratched his sideburns and then his bearded cheek. "The wind seems to be getting stronger, which is actually a concern. The time will be shorter, but the waves will probably get higher. For experienced guys like us, it's one thing, but for you all, it will be quite an ordeal."

"Well, that's a problem for the passengers to deal with."

It's not like we can control the waves.

A smile of relief appeared on Sanford's face. "Do you know where the cabins are?"

"I saw them earlier."

"As expected, you have a keen eye. If you need anything, just call me or Hashim."

"Then, have a good time." Sanford bowed his head and turned away.

After giving a nod to Simon, he walked away with a much lighter step.

"So much for leaving early," Thesaya remarked to Ian.

Ian shrugged again. "Doesn't matter. We're heading north to the frontier anyway. I have a rough idea of where we'll land."

"You mean near Tessen? True enough. There won’t be many people there."

As Thesaya nodded, the light that was illuminating the area faded. Chapters fırst released on Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

"Phew..." Lucia stood up with a long exhale, the lingering divinity still shimmering in her eyes. She gave a small smile to Shahin as their eyes met.

"Let's go inside then." Ian nodded and started walking, glancing at the now palm-sized Rune Catis.

As lights flickered on the pier and in the city beyond, ships that had finished their preparations early headed out to sea one by one.

"We don't know when the waves will get rough, so we should rest while we can."

Leaving Simon and Brennen behind, the group all descended the stairs.

"What cruel trick of fate is this..." Simon's low lament, of course, was ignored by everyone.

Simon barely managed to hang his head over the railing before retching. He had already emptied his stomach, and now only strings of bile and saliva dribbled down.

"Young master! Please go inside. It's dangerous out here," Brennen said, grabbing the back of Simon’s neck, kneeling to stay low against the railing.

It was only natural. The wind and waves were getting stronger. The Black Wave was now rocking back and forth and side to side like a roly-poly toy.

On top of that, the world would flash with light and tear the atmosphere with a deafening roar every few moments. It wasn't raining, but Brennen felt like he was caught in a storm.

"I'm not going inside. The smell in there makes my stomach turn even more!" Simon shouted without turning his head, retched again, and added, "Besides, I don't want the apostle to see me in this pathetic state."

"This is not the time to worry about your dignity..." Brennen sighed in resignation and squeezed his eyes shut. The squire sitting next to him looked just as helpless. He reluctantly patted the young master's back while gripping a railing post with his other hand.

"Hey, why are you still out here? Get inside!" a shout erupted. Brennen's head automatically turned toward the bow.

Sanford was staggering toward them. He was balancing relatively well, but his expression wasn't good either.

Brennen looked at Sanford's one eye and added, "Isn't there anything you can do? The young master is going to collapse, or the ship is going to capsize!"

"This ship won't capsize in waves ! More importantly, get inside! From the looks of it, this is—" Sanford trailed off as a faint, monstrous roar flowed in with the howling wind.

Brennen whipped his head toward the railing, and his brow furrowed. "What in the..."

He finally realized that a faint mist had been mixed in with the wind for some time now. Come to think of it, it was long past sunrise, but it was still dark all around.

"What is that?" Sanford's cry of alarm pierced his ears just as the ship, which had been leaning toward Brennen's side, leveled out again.

Sanford, gripping a rope tied to the mast with his right hand, stared out at the distant sea with his one eye wide.

Brennen, following his gaze toward the stern, blinked blankly. In the distance, where the misty wind was blowing in, ominous blue lights flickered like beacons here and there. Around them, hazy purple heat-like shimmers undulated. The reason he couldn't make out their exact shapes was likely because the fog was much thicker over there.

"Damn it, fuck. Oh, Lu Logis..." Sanford groaned, covering his face with his right hand.

Simon and the squire were still groaning, clinging to the railing without even lifting their heads. Brennen reflexively patted their backs and asked, "Do you know what those ominous lights are?"

"The fleet," Sanford murmured to himself, then slowly lowered his hand from his face and added, "Those blue lights are probably the Black Fleet."

"What?" Brennen's gaze snapped back to him.

"And right now, they seem to be retreating." Sanford sighed, lowering his right arm, and looked down at Brennen with his one eye.

Brennen's eyes flew open, and his head whipped back to the eastern sea. The squire's mouth also fell agape.

With a deafening roar, the world flashed again. It was only for an instant, but it was enough to briefly reveal the shapes hidden by the fog.

"My goodness. By Lu Solar..." A gasp escaped Brennen's lips. He let go of Simon's neck and the railing. The squire sitting next to him also looked completely dumbfounded.

"This is no time to be standing around in a daze."

A low, even voice rang out then. Brennen's head turned a little more to the right. The door to the cabin was now wide open, and standing in the middle of it was a black-haired paladin with a flowing cloak.

Staring at Sanford with his hollow eyes, he added, "They're coming this way."