Chapter 21: Chapter 21 - Road of the Saintess
Chapter 21 — Road of the Saintess
The carriage smelled faintly of old wood, rainwater, and silver incense.
Honestly?
Not bad.
Far better than I expected from medieval fantasy transportation.
Still uncomfortable though.
Very uncomfortable.
I sat near the small window while watching Erald slowly disappear behind us beneath the morning sun.
The village looked peaceful from a distance.
Quiet.
Small.
Normal.
Hard to believe divine assassins attacked it less than twelve hours ago.
The repaired rooftops glimmered slightly under sunlight while villagers watched our departure from the roadsides.
Some bowed respectfully toward Elena.
Others toward Lucien.
And a few—
toward me.
That part still felt deeply surreal.
Faith.
Actual faith.
Not internet followers.
Not admiration.
Real belief.
The blue divine core inside my chest pulsed softly whenever villagers looked at me that way.
Like invisible threads connected us briefly.
Honestly?
That sensation scared me.
Because it felt good.
Addictive even.
And that was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The carriage shifted roughly as wheels rolled over uneven roads.
Across from me, Dorian casually drank tea like we weren’t currently traveling toward a politically dangerous divine council.
Honestly impressive emotional stability.
Or maybe just rich-person confidence.
Hard to tell.
Elena sat beside the opposite window quietly reading a silver-covered book filled with glowing symbols.
Probably holy magic things.
Saintess activities.
The morning sunlight passing through the carriage windows illuminated her silver hair beautifully.
Which honestly should’ve been illegal.
How was anyone supposed to focus around that?
I quickly looked away before my brain embarrassed me internally again.
Dorian noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
The merchant smiled faintly over his teacup.
Dangerous man.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Don’t."
"I said nothing."
"You were about to."
"Probably."
Elena glanced up briefly from her book.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing," both of us answered instantly.
She looked suspicious.
Fair.
The saintess studied us silently for several seconds before returning to her book.
Crisis avoided.
Probably.
Outside the carriage, armored knights from the Eternal Light rode alongside us in disciplined formation.
Commander Lucien traveled near the front.
Always alert.
Always watching.
Honestly?
I still couldn’t decide whether he trusted me slightly or considered me a walking apocalypse.
Possibly both.
The road stretched westward through endless green plains beneath bright skies.
Beautiful scenery honestly.
This world looked almost untouched compared to Earth.
No highways.
No electrical towers.
No industrial noise.
Just forests, rivers, mountains, and distant villages.
Yet despite the beauty—
I kept noticing missing things.
No communication systems.
No rapid transportation.
No large-scale infrastructure.
Civilization here developed completely differently because magic replaced technological necessity.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
My mind instinctively started comparing possibilities.
Water systems.
Agriculture improvements.
Printing technology.
Transportation networks.
The blue core pulsed softly again.
Almost eagerly.
Okay yeah.
That was concerning.
Elena suddenly closed her book.
"You’re doing it again."
I blinked.
"...Doing what?"
"Thinking too much."
Rude.
Accurate.
Dorian laughed quietly.
"He’s imagining civilization-changing inventions again."
I pointed accusingly at him.
"You’re weirdly supportive of dangerous ideas."
The merchant shrugged casually.
"Dangerous ideas built every successful economy."
Honestly?
Fair point.
Elena sighed softly.
"That sentence explains too much about merchants."
Dorian smiled proudly.
As the carriage continued westward, more villages appeared occasionally along the road.
Small farming communities mostly.
Simple.
Peaceful.
But every time our convoy passed through one—
people stared at me.
News spread fast apparently.
Whispers followed us constantly now.
"The forgotten authority..."
"The new god..."
"The saintess travels with him..."
Some villagers looked curious.
Others frightened.
A few openly hostile.
Interesting.
Fear traveled faster than faith.
Useful thing to remember.
Around midday, the convoy stopped near a river crossing for rest.
The knights immediately secured the surrounding area professionally while servants prepared food.
Honestly this church organization operated more like military nobility than simple religion.
I stepped out of the carriage and stretched slightly.
Fresh air felt nice after hours inside cramped wooden transportation.
The river nearby flowed beautifully beneath sunlight while birds moved through nearby trees.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful honestly.
After recent events, calm environments automatically felt suspicious now.
That probably wasn’t healthy.
Elena walked beside me quietly while Lucien discussed routes with several knights nearby.
Dorian disappeared immediately toward the supply wagons.
Probably negotiating prices somehow.
The saintess looked toward the flowing river.
"You haven’t asked about the sanctuary yet."
I leaned lightly against a tree.
"Figured someone would explain eventually."
Elena nodded slightly.
"The western sanctuary belongs to the Eternal Light."
Her blue eyes remained on the water.
"It’s one of the oldest divine strongholds remaining."
That sounded important.
"And the council?"
"Temporary gathering."
She hesitated briefly.
"Multiple factions will likely attend."
Ah.
Wonderful.
Religious political summit.
Exactly where I wanted to spend my week.
I rubbed my forehead slightly.
"How many factions are we talking about?"
Elena became quiet.
Then softly answered—
"Enough."
Not reassuring.
The blue core pulsed uneasily.
Honestly same.
I looked toward the knights nearby.
"So what exactly happens if these factions decide I’m dangerous?"
The saintess finally looked directly at me.
"Then I’ll protect you."
Immediate answer.
No hesitation.
My heart genuinely forgot proper function for a second.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Elena seemed to realize what she said afterward because her expression shifted slightly.
Subtle embarrassment.
Which somehow made everything worse for my emotional stability.
I quickly looked toward the river again.
"Right."
Excellent recovery Kaiser.
Truly masterful conversation skills.
The saintess quietly cleared her throat.
"The situation remains politically complicated."
Ah yes.
Back to safer topics.
Good.
Probably.
Before either of us could continue—
sudden shouting echoed from the road ahead.
Every knight immediately reacted.
Weapons drawn.
Divine light ignited.
Lucien moved instantly toward the disturbance.
The peaceful atmosphere vanished completely.
I frowned sharply.
"What now?"
A few seconds later, one of the forward scouts rode back rapidly.
"Commander!"
The knight looked alarmed.
"There are refugees ahead."
Lucien’s expression tightened slightly.
"Refugees from where?"
The scout swallowed nervously.
"...The eastern territories."
Silence spread instantly among nearby knights.
Interesting reaction.
Lucien immediately mounted his horse again.
"How many?"
"Hundreds."
That definitely sounded bad.
The convoy began moving forward cautiously now.
I exchanged a glance with Elena before following the others toward the front of the road.
About fifteen minutes later—
I understood why everyone looked so tense.
People filled the road ahead completely.
Families.
Children.
Elderly villagers.
Merchants.
Farmers.
Hundreds of exhausted refugees moving westward desperately with carts and damaged belongings.
Some were injured.
Others looked starving.
Fear covered every face.
The moment they noticed church knights—
panic spread through the crowd.
Interesting.
Not the reaction I expected.
Lucien raised his voice sharply.
"Remain calm!"
The refugees hesitated uncertainly.
Then one older man stepped forward shakily.
His clothes were covered in ash.
"Please..."
His voice trembled.
"...they destroyed everything."
Cold silence followed instantly.
Lucien dismounted immediately.
"Who?"
The old man’s eyes filled with terror.
"The Silver Masks."
My chest tightened.
Hunters.
The refugees around him began speaking desperately all at once.
"They burned the temple—"
"Entire villages vanished—"
"They searched for someone—"
"They killed anyone resisting—"
Elena’s expression darkened immediately.
Dorian quietly muttered beside me—
"That’s not containment."
No.
No it wasn’t.
The blue core inside my chest pulsed harder.
Anger spread unexpectedly through my chest.
The refugees looked terrified beyond reason.
Children cried beside broken carts while exhausted families clung to whatever belongings they managed to save.
This wasn’t surgical divine intervention.
This was destruction.
Lucien questioned the old man carefully.
"Did the hunters say what they wanted?"
The man nodded shakily.
"They searched for..."
His fearful eyes suddenly landed on me.
Then widened completely.
The crowd around him slowly followed his gaze.
Oh no.
Recognition spread instantly.
Whispers erupted across the refugees.
"The blue light..."
"It’s him..."
"The new god..."
Fear mixed with desperate hope across exhausted faces.
And suddenly—
one little girl stepped forward from the crowd.
Couldn’t have been older than eight.
Dirty clothes.
Barefoot.
Trembling slightly.
She looked directly at me with tear-filled eyes.
Then quietly asked—
"Can you save us?"
