TGS - Chapter 34
Chapter 34: Setting Out on a Journey
Before truly setting out, Lotus and her party made a brief stop in Kadera City, mainly to inform the priestesses of their departure.
Rhea had gradually taken over the temple's affairs from her mother. Aside from the daily rituals, which mother and daughter still performed together, most other duties were now in her hands.
The young priestess was now over twenty, yet she still looked like a girl of thirteen or fourteen. Only her childishness had been worn away, replaced by an air of reliability just like her mother's.
In the presence of others, the mother and daughter priestesses only bowed and greeted Alyuin. It was only after entering the inner sanctum, forbidden to outsiders, that they turned their joyful and reverent gazes to Lotus.
"Divine Envoy, it is wonderful to see you again," Rhea said, the corners of her mouth lifting happily, revealing a small dimple.
For the past three years, the Princess had returned to the Kadera temple to stay for a few days during her annual leave. No matter how short the time, she never missed a year.
As priestesses of the temple, they had watched helplessly as Alyuin's spirits sank lower and lower with each visit.
Although it was never explicitly stated, the priestess had guessed that the Divine Envoy's return to the Kingdom of the Gods might be the reason for the Princess's condition.
Having watched over the Princess for many years according to the will of the Goddess Lotus, the priestess had developed a maternal affection for her. Seeing the Princess in such torment pained her heart.
Fortunately, that was all in the past now.
A weight was lifted from the priestess's heart, but she couldn't help but worry about the Princess's safety.
As a priestess devoted to serving the gods, she didn't have a clear understanding of the intentions behind the royal decree or the Princess's response, but she knew that Akhet was a dangerous place for Alyuin.
But on second thought, with the Divine Envoy by the Princess's side, what was there to worry about?
Meanwhile, the envoy from Akhet and the members of the caravan were resting near the temple.
He slipped away from prying eyes and quietly blew a pigeon whistle. A pigeon landed on his shoulder, tilting its head and cooing softly.
The envoy rolled two slips of paper into tubes, tied them to the pigeon's slender leg, and murmured, "May the Beast God protect you. You must reach the King's side safely."
The pigeon flapped its wings and flew away with the paper tubes. The envoy watched it go before returning, relieved, to the caravan master, where he resumed listening with a dead-inside expression to the man's amusing anecdotes from past trade journeys.
He didn't know that the moment the carrier pigeon left his line of sight, it was captured by a massive golden eagle.
It was held in the eagle's talons, but so carefully that it wasn't injured, as if trapped in a cage made of claws. It was then delivered to Alyuin, who had just stepped out of the inner sanctum.
"Well done."
The Princess praised it, her reflexes sharp as she blocked the eagle's head from nuzzling against Lotus. She dismissed it with a strip or two of fresh meat, then took the trembling pigeon and removed the paper slips tied to its leg.
Lotus glanced down and saw the writing on the paper.
Just as they had expected, the envoy had written down the Princess's plan to delay the journey. In addition, there was a simple map of the caravan's route.
Alyuin kept the map, retied the note with the writing on it, and opened her hand.
The pigeon remained perched on her palm, its beady black eyes nervously darting toward the two golden eagles nearby, not daring to move.
Not until the Princess impatiently flicked its wing did it shoot off, disappearing from sight with only half the intelligence.
Alyuin raised a hand to her brow, gazing in the direction it had vanished, her eyes cold.
With the Princess already on the road and tasked with escorting the caravan, Horst couldn't directly order her to return quickly. Without a legitimate reason, even the King of Solancia couldn't be too blatant in his actions.
That was precisely why Alyuin needed to stall for time.
Come on, then. Target me in the shadows.
Assassination, instigation, it didn't matter. As long as she wasn't on Horst's home turf, where he couldn't mobilize his official forces, nothing could kill her.
And as long as she didn't die...
Alyuin lowered her lashes, then suddenly turned her head and gave Lotus a brilliant smile. "Let's go. We can treat it as a trip. Have you ever traveled like this before?"
Lotus shook her head.
She had indeed been on Solancian soil before, but that was several millennia in the future, as a foreign tourist wandering through a steel city of modern architecture. All that remained of Solancia could only be seen in museums and a few ruins, unrecognizable from their former glory.
"Then I'm the first person to travel with you. How wonderful," the Princess said, linking her arm with the goddess's, as intimately as an ordinary girl would with a friend.
Lotus thought about it and realized it was true.
Including her past memories, Alyuin was indeed the first person to travel with her. Still, the feeling was a bit strange.
It was only after they had walked some distance together that she figured it out.
This journey was supposed to be more political in nature. It was one thing to call it a trip, but what was with this feeling of two best friends going on an outing?
No, that description wasn't quite accurate either.
As the Princess led her forward by the arm, Lotus searched her mind for a suitable adjective. After a long moment, a strange phrase popped out of her memory bank of its own accord.
—A loving mother and her filial daughter.
Lotus: "..."
She silently deleted that inexplicable association.
After their brief stop, the group officially set out on their journey.
The caravan's route roughly followed the White Yilu River.
The only river in Solancia originated from the northern snow-capped mountains and split into a tributary near Digebia City—the White Yilu River, which passed by Kadera.
It turned at the foot of the high mountains outside Kadera City, flowing south through the largest major city in the south—Surinia, known as the City of the Sun God. In the Solancian language, the name meant "City of Suriel."
This city was the caravan's first destination.
For the caravan, Surinia was an essential stopover, trading market, and place to replenish goods. For the Princess, it was also of critical importance.
She had to win the support of the city's ruler.
That afternoon, the convoy stopped to rest on a relatively flat patch of grassland by the Yilu River. They had just emerged from the mountainous region of the northwest and were still a day's journey from Surinia.
Alyuin leaped down from her carriage, observed the riverbank for a moment, and then borrowed a fishing spear from someone in the caravan. "Looks like we're having grilled fish today."
Lotus came over to watch, slightly curious.
Alyuin held the spear in one hand, its tip pointing straight down. Her eyes were fixed on the water's surface when she suddenly thrust it downward.
When she lifted the spear again, a wildly thrashing fish was impaled on its three sharp prongs. It didn't look particularly plump, but to people who had been eating dry rations for the past few days, it was quite appealing.
Lotus thought for a moment. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she extended a hand, palm up, and dipped it shallowly into the water.
In less than three seconds, the water swirled unnaturally, and a plump fish leaped out, landing squarely in her palm, where it lay still.
Lotus calmly lifted the fish. It didn't struggle at all, as serene as if it were already dead.
However, would the Goddess of the Yilu River feel too sorry for such an obedient fish to eat it? Obviously not.
A moment later, the fishing contingent of the Royal Guard, led by Motis and Luca, gathered by the river, cheering on their captain who was determined to spear a fat fish.
Unfortunately, he hadn't caught anything yet. Instead, a fish suddenly jumped up, slapped its tail a few times, and splashed water all over their faces.
The Princess and the goddess, who had long since secured their food, sat at the other end.
Two gutted and cleaned fish were placed side by side over a fire. Alyuin turned the wooden rack, skillfully brushing spices and honey onto the fish as the fragrant aroma of grilling meat wafted through the air.
The first one to finish cooking was for the goddess.
Lotus didn't refuse. She took a bite. Beneath the thin, crispy skin was rich, tender fish that melted in her mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance.
"Is it to your liking?" Alyuin asked expectantly.
Lotus took another bite. "You're very skilled."
"That's wonderful." The Princess's smile widened. "I knew you would like it."
On military campaigns, they generally tried to stay near a water source to get water and food. Any fish they caught would usually be cooked together in a large pot of soup. Occasionally, Alyuin would be able to take her share aside to grill.
While grilling, the Princess would think that adding honey and spices would probably create a flavor Lotus would like.
It was just that back then, she thought she would never have the chance to find out. She thanked Lotus, and she thanked Destiny, for giving her the opportunity to continue her pursuit.
Just then, a snow-white wild rabbit suddenly hopped out from the woods.
It calmly hopped past the caravan members, past Alyuin who was happily grilling fish, and finally landed in Lotus's arms.
"So eager to become an ingredient?"
The Princess had never seen something walk right into a trap like this. Finding it amusing, her first instinct was to toss away the thing that had no business being in the goddess's arms.
But Lotus's expression suddenly froze.
The rabbit's three-lobed mouth opened and closed, but only Lotus could hear it speaking in a human voice, and a very familiar one at that.
"It's me, Adia."
"Lotus, don't forget there's still a welcome banquet. When are you planning to return to the Kingdom of the Gods?"
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment