The night passed as the devastating inferno engulfed the chief’s house.
Struggling to open her eyes amidst the chirping of birds, Becky opened the window to the smell of burnt wood.
Looking out, she could see remnants of Chief Fran’s house, which had been reduced to ashes. Unless she’d gone mad, it was undoubtedly his house.
Gathering at the front of the old man’s house, whose mind had clouded with Sela’s death, was a mass of people in a commotion.
Becky turned her head and, with a trembling voice, asked Ruon, who was leaning against the remains of her own house.
“What happened during the night?”
Ruon replied.
“Who knows, maybe they received divine punishment.”
Thinking his words were absurd, Ruon added, “The chief is dead. He probably tried to salvage something from the fire and ended up trapped inside.”
Ruon pointed outside the window as he spoke.
“Those people standing there grabbed anything valuable as soon as the fire subsided, blackened or otherwise, they took everything. They didn’t seem to care much that the chief died. Look carefully, those people were your neighbors all this time.”
Seeing Becky’s face showed a bitter smile as she observed the crowd, Ruon brushed off his seat and stood up.
“I should be going now.”
As Ruon stepped outside the door, Becky followed him.
“I don’t want to live in a place like this anymore.”
Seeing Becky’s tearful smile, Ruon smiled wryly.
“A good choice.”
His concerns about what to do with Becky if she tried to follow him subsided as they left the village. As they walked, Becky lowered her head deeply and spoke.
“Thank you very much. I won’t forget this kindness. Someday, I will repay you.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I’m going somewhere, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to survive.”
Impressed by her determination, Ruon couldn’t help but admire her. Becky had been persecuted as a witch, facing scornful glances and torture. However, she smiled with clear eyes, seemingly impossible for someone who had been abandoned under the gaze of contempt.
Caught off guard by her serene and composed expression, Ruon unconsciously uttered a sentence. He didn’t even realize he was speaking until the moment his words ended.
“If it’s alright with you, I can take you to the city.”
Becky raised her head.
“No, I would be too much of a burden. I can’t allow it.”
Belatedly realizing the words he spoke, Ruon also raised his head.
‘I have to take responsibility for what I said.’
“No, wandering around like that, you’ll either end up torn apart by hungry wolves or become a target for street gangs. I’ll take you just to the city, nothing more. It’ll only take a few days to get to Nook anyway.”
Ignoring Becky’s comment about being a burden, Ruon turned around and spoke.
“Follow me.”
***
With a statue of Tibella for every 300 steps, people often called this serene path the Pilgrim’s Path or the Path of Peace and Mercy.
Whenever you see a statue of Tibella, stop and say a silent prayer.
It was the commitment required of those walking the Pilgrim’s Path.
As they passed hundreds of Tibella statues, Priest Igor faithfully adhered to the ancient tradition, showing sincere reverence to each statue without neglecting a single one.
“O Mother who embraces all with mercy. May your touch be devoted to peace…”
His expression was solemn as he prayed quietly. Despite passing over a hundred statues, his posture remained unchanged from the start of the path.
With such devotion, it was no wonder Igor was transferred from a foreign church to the Great Church.
“…Thank you.”
As Igor finished his prayer and rose with a joyful expression, someone walked past him without stopping to pray.
‘What a disgrace!’
Igor turned his head sharply and shouted.
“Hey, you!”
One of the two people walking side by side turned to face him.
“What’s the matter?”
Facing the man’s massive figure and stern expression, Igor nervously swallowed his saliva. However, he raised his voice again. There was nothing to be afraid of, Mother was standing beside him!
“This is the Pilgrim’s Path!”
“So?”
As the man replied gruffly, Igor was at a loss for words, alternating his gaze between the man and the scruffy woman beside him. She whispered something in the man’s ear, who then scowled.
“Why waste time on such things?”
The man turned around swiftly and strode forward. The woman, alternately glancing between Igor and the man with a bewildered expression, bowed her head apologetically and chased after the man’s brisk steps.
“This is blasphemy!”
Shivering, Igor chased after the two while shouting.
“Stop! Stop!”
‘What the f*** is this guy doing?’
Seeing the man running towards him and shouting from behind, Ruon frowned.
Though there was a tradition of praying whenever a Tibella statue came into view, Becky had just told him that hardly anyone followed it these days.
Even if the tradition was still being upheld, from Ruon’s perspective, such a waste of time was unthinkable. The man running towards him seemed like a lunatic.
Meanwhile, Ruon passed another Tibella statue.
“No, no, no! Stop!”
In a hurry, the man reached another statue and, after a brief struggle, ended up kneeling and praying.
Seeing this, Ruon let out a sigh.
“…And he’s praying in the midst of chasing us.”
“He must be a devout person.”
Ruon nodded at Becky’s words.
‘If we leave him alone, he’ll fall behind himself.’
Having sorted out his thoughts, Ruon turned around and continued walking.
Meanwhile, Igor, watching Ruon from a distance, sighed.
“W-Wait…”
***
After a while, Ruon, who had left the Pilgrim’s Path, looked at the setting sun in the western sky and murmured softly.
“The sun’s setting faster than I thought.”
He directed his words towards Becky, who had neatly folded her hands below her waist, and asked, “Is there a suitable place nearby to rest?”
“No, as far as I know, there isn’t. The distance between villages is so great that there is hardly ever any traffic.”
‘Camping again, huh?’
Today marked the second day since they left the village, and once again, they found themselves preparing to camp. Ruon sighed softly at the thought.
Seeing Ruon’s sigh, Becky gave a faint smile.
“Let’s try to find a suitable spot.”
The two of them found a spot with level ground and immediately began preparing to camp. Becky diligently helped Ruon, even though it was clear that she was in no condition to do so.
Sitting in front of the flickering campfire, Becky said, “Ruon-nim.”
“Ruon is fine.”
“Ruon-nim.”
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Sighing lowly at Becky’s insistence on honorifics, Ruon asked.
“What’s up?”
“Can I go somewhere for a while?”
Ruon was about to ask where she wanted to go at this hour, but he held his tongue when he saw Becky’s flushed face.
Her crossed legs and anxious expression clearly indicated that she had an urgent matter to attend to.
Ruon realized that Becky hadn’t mentioned wanting to go to the bathroom once all day. He immediately said, “Go. Just don’t go too far.”
As she quickly stood up and disappeared into the tall grass, Ruon scratched his head.
‘I’ve been thoughtless.’
He hadn’t noticed because she was trying to avoid being a bother.
Ruon was contemplating whether he should apologize when a sharp scream jolted him into action.
“Kyaaah!”
Ruon rushed towards the direction of the scream and furrowed his brows at the scene before him.
‘What’s going on?’
Dozens of wolves surrounded Becky, who had fallen to the ground. However, what caught Ruon’s attention was a man standing tall with his arms outstretched, facing the wolves.
“Hungry beasts, back away from this woman!”
The man spoke in a grandiose manner, and Ruon recognized him as the same one they encountered on the path filled with the statues of Tibella.
As Ruon started to walk closer, the man’s body emitted a bright aura.
The light was bright, but not blinding. Rather, it gave off a feeling of warmth.
As the wolves exposed to the light hesitated and eventually withdrew, the man kneeling down immediately began to pray.
“Thank you. Mother, your mercy has saved this woman and your lambs…”
“In the midst of this, he’s still praying?”
“Hmph!”
Hearing Luon, the man scoffed.
‘Who is this guy?’
Ruon shook his head in disbelief as he watched the man who continued to pray with his cupped hands.
“You, you!”
“Shut up.”
Cutting off the man’s words, Ruon went straight to Becky, who had fallen to the ground.
“I told you not to go too far.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t do anything either, so let’s forget about it.”
Having said that, Ruon looked at the man still kneeling and said, “Follow me.”
A moment later, the three of them sat around the campfire, wordlessly glancing at each other.
In reality, it was more like Becky and the man were glancing at Ruon.
The first to break the silence was the man.
“I am Igor. I thank you for your hospitality.”
“Thank you for assisting us. I am Becky.”
“No, your thanks are unnecessary. As a proud priest of Tibella, it’s my duty to do what I did.”
“Did you recently start on the Pilgrim’s Path?”
Igor nodded as if it was obvious.
“Yes, it hasn’t been long since I started on the path. I thought I would have to spend the night without shelter due to the setting sun, but thanks to Mother’s mercy, I met all of you and now sit by this warm fire.”
He added briefly, “While we’re at it, let’s all offer a prayer of thanks to Mother…”
“You can pray on your own. Are you headed to the Grand Church?”
Ruon interrupted and entered the conversation, causing Igor to nod slowly with a displeased expression.
Ruon chuckled at his expression. Though he found the prayer enthusiast Igor a bit irritating, it wouldn’t hurt to have a Tibella priest accompanying him on his way to the Grand Church.
Besides, it was a bit much to leave him alone after his timely appearance and rescue of Becky.
Igor asked, “Where are the two of you heading?”
“To Nook.”
Ruon answered briefly.
“It’s a coincidence that we met like this, but in the future—“
Suddenly, Igor’s words trailed off. Frowning, he glanced up and down at Ruon, then fixed his gaze on Ruon’s waist.
“Uh, what is that sword? Why does it seem so infused with Tibella’s power…”
Ruon lifted the Holy Sword out of its sheath, directing his gaze towards Igor, who looked at it with a puzzled expression.
“Your Mother gave it to me as a gift.”
