The Saint’s Pilgrimage

While Seyi and her group headed toward her master’s workshop.

At the entrance town of the wasteland—Itoi—arrived the S-rank adventurer Phylite and her lover Bols.

“So this is the border town Itoi. I remember it being deserted before, but it’s really lively now.”

This was the westernmost edge of the Kingdom of Gata-Niiga. In other words, a frontier land.

Few people were expected to visit. Yet merchants now passed through and adventurers walked the streets.

Smiles filled the townspeople’s faces, and the entire town felt vibrant.

“Bols. How do you think the Black-Haired Saint traveled to the elf nation Anemosgive from here?”

“From here, either by ship or land.”

One way was taking a ship straight south from this town.

The other was overland, crossing the demonic frontier—the Stampede.

“Then she probably took a ship. The land route’s dangerous. Even if she’s got slaves, she’s still a woman. No way she’d cross a risky bridge on purpose.”

Phylite felt her lover’s opinion was reasonable.

However, they couldn’t afford to choose wrong. Her goal was to meet the saint.

“Let’s investigate just in case. We can’t say the land route possibility is zero.”

They split up and gathered information about the Black-Haired Saint.

Several hours later.

They successfully heard from a certain adventurer party.

At the Itoi Adventurers Guild.

“What!? You met the saint!? And in the Stampede!?”

Bols listened in the guild tavern.

The party leader nodded solemnly.

“Yeah. A beautiful black-haired saint, right? We met her while escorting through the wasteland.”

“Unbelievable… she’s crossing the Stampede to reach the elf nation… but why…?”

The sea route was absolutely safer than the land route.

Of course the sea wasn’t perfectly safe either.

But even a low-rank adventurer like Bols knew how dangerous the Stampede was.

Not only high-rank monsters thrived there.

Water and food were scarce, the wasteland stretched endlessly, sunlight had no cover, and fire spirits made the temperature extremely high.

It was no place for the inexperienced.

“Did she join a caravan?”

“No. She rode a dragon carriage. Only three female slaves accompanied her.”

“What!? Th-that’s insane! Is she trying to kill herself!?”

Four women traveling in monster-infested territory?

It was clearly too dangerous.

“Why cross overland with so few people…?”

Phylite, who had listened silently, snorted mockingly.

“My, my… it seems only I understand the saint’s true intent.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Phylite?”

Phylite grinned—a clear smile of a victor.

The confidence of a believer who alone understood a lofty ideal beyond ordinary people.

She declared proudly.

“The saint is on a pilgrimage.”

“A pilgrimage…?”

“Yes. Along the way, she travels helping those in need.”

“I see,” the leader nodded.

“She did save us. Traveling alone through the Stampede makes sense if it was a pilgrimage.”

“Exactly,” Phylite nodded smugly.

“The Black-Haired Saint deliberately chose the harsh path to save many people… Ah! How wonderful!”

Sadly, this guess was completely wrong.

Seyi had no intention of pilgrimage nor of helping people.

She was simply traveling as she pleased.

And she chose the land route simply because her master’s workshop was in the Stampede.

…And also because she didn’t know the sea route existed. Of course, Zenith knew, but—

As a slave, she did not oppose her master’s decisions.

So she said nothing about the safer route.

Bols spoke.

“Well… putting aside whether that’s true, what now?”

“Obviously we follow her!”

“But the land route’s dangerous… strong monsters everywhere.”

The leader said, “That won’t be a problem.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The saint left protective blessings on the path.”

“A blessing?”

“Seeing is faster.”

After buying food and water and requesting the adventurers accompany them, Phylite’s group entered the Stampede.

“Wha—!? What is this!?”

Bols widened his eyes.

A shining path stretched before them.

Away from the path, wolf monsters gathered in packs.

Yet they refused to approach the glowing road.

“What the hell is going on…?”

“Because of the holy water the saint gave us.”

“Holy water…?”

The leader nodded and spoke of when they met Seyi.

“She gave us sacred water with monster-repelling power. The effect lasted until we returned to town and washed at the inn.”

Bols stared wide-eyed.

“Unbelievable… repellent potions exist but only last minutes! Yet days later it still works…!”

Worse yet, the path they walked while under its effect also gained repellent power.

“How wonderful! The saint spreads holy power so people may pass safely! Truly magnificent!”

“Yeah, she even does this for commoners like us without payment!”

The leader also became a believer.

Bols couldn’t keep up.

“Now then! Let us go! To the saint!”

Phylite set off with her companions, chasing after Seyi, the Black-Haired Saint.