Normally, the journey from Torrent City back to Seth Territory takes about two hours by steamship, with an additional half-hour of bumpy carriage travel. The entire trip is a real test of how well a traveler's stomach can handle such constant jostling.

If you're in the mood, you could dance a little jazz on the boat, sip a drink, and unwind. Because the carriage ride that follows certainly doesn't offer such comforts. Still, recently, the Steam Cult doesn't seem content with installing steam engines just on ships — some radical steam artisans have even started chanting slogans of "full steamification for all!"

Thanks to the chaos stirred up by beta testers, the steampunk aesthetic was slowly beginning to take root.

As for Maria—

She wasn't taking the usual road. Instead, she chose narrow forest paths that could loop her back to Seth Territory much faster. Despite being called paths, these routes often saw wild beasts, smugglers, spies, and sometimes even bandits prowling for an easy score — hoping to earn enough Gold Dragons to party for a while in some big-city brothel.

Luckily, Lady Maria, in her haste to return home, didn't encounter any of those troublesome sorts.

All along the way, deep within the woods, there were indeed secret eyes watching the lone black-clad nun as she galloped past. But once those eyes caught sight of Maria's robes — unmistakably belonging to the Radiant Church — and the snowy-white warhorse trained by the sun-god sect's equestrian rites, they quickly reconsidered.

Most of them even warned their fellow lurkers to leave this nun alone.

After all, Radiant Church clergy had a reputation for righteousness, and the sun-god sect held undeniable authority. Even the royal family would show them a bit of respect.

Hiiyaaah!!

The spirited warhorse beneath her clearly hadn't run this freely in a long time. The usually gentle mare neighed loudly, shooting out steam-like bursts from its nostrils, galloping joyfully along the forest path.

It was a little too much for poor Lady Maria.

Her riding skills weren't exactly refined. Just staying on this warhorse was hard enough. With the beast so full of energy, Maria had no time to dodge the whipping branches and vines that slapped her face and body. All she could do was draw her cane-sword and rely on her quick reflexes to carve open a path.

Even so, her black robe was slashed open in multiple spots.

Leaves stuck messily to her pale cheeks.

As she continued slashing and riding in this almost mechanical rhythm, Maria began to wonder if she'd become a cavalry unit herself. That's when the rain around her suddenly grew heavier! Her steed's hooves lifted high off the ground! Maria looked ahead at the open plains—through the downpour, she could just make out the silhouette of a familiar town in the distance.

She had returned to the borders of Seth Territory.

BOOOOM!!

At that exact moment, a jagged bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Maria's eyes seemed to pierce the thick curtain of rain as she looked toward the quiet little town ahead.

……

The guards in Seth Town obviously weren't out patrolling in this kind of weather. This was a peaceful, self-sufficient place — the kind of town where even petty brawls were rare, let alone actual combat.

Peace bred lax security.

When Maria galloped into Seth Town on horseback, the pounding of hooves cutting through the rain startled quite a few residents. It was already deep into the night, and the violent clatter of hooves had people lighting their lamps on both sides of the street, poking their heads out curiously to see what was going on.

What they saw was a black-clad nun dashing wildly through the storm.

"Whoa—stop, stop…!"

Maria yanked hard on the reins, clumsily trying to rein in the spirited warhorse. The gleeful mare shook its head, flicked its tail, and pranced about in short little steps. The nun quickly dismounted and dragged the unruly thing to a rain shelter at the edge of the square, tying its reins to one of the posts.

"Prprprprprpr!!"

Seizing a moment when her new master wasn't paying attention, the mischievous mare suddenly stuck out its huge tongue and gave Maria's beautiful face a long, wet lick. If certain people at the Luminous Cathedral had seen that scene, they'd probably be dying of jealousy.

"…"

Now drenched in horse drool, Maria scowled at the creature. The cheeky warhorse snorted proudly, clearly pleased with itself. Fortunately, the heavy rain still poured down, and Maria used the rainfall to wash her face, tidying up her travel-worn appearance outside the little chapel.

She was finally home.

As soon as she stepped inside, Maria pulled off her soaked black outer robe.

"Father? Felia? Anyone here?"

The chapel was pitch black. The oppressive roar of the storm outside only made the silence feel more suffocating. Maria noticed that the candles before the statue of the Radiant Sovereign had gone out — only the bare candlesticks remained. Her brow twitched fiercely.

"Maria? Is that you?"

Before she could think too much, Pastor Lynn's voice echoed from the back of the chapel. A moment later, his tall figure appeared in the foyer.

"Father…" Maria's voice trembled when she saw him, her nose stinging.

His once-upright frame now hunched. His face was tired, his beard unkempt. The man looked utterly drained, as if he no longer had the energy to maintain even the basic grooming expected of a clergyman.

Seeing her father in such a state, Maria didn't know what to say.

"You're back already? I thought it'd be another day before you returned," Pastor Lynn said, reaching out to stroke his daughter's silver hair. At last, a rare smile tugged at his weary face.

"How's Mother doing? I brought back the divine spell scroll." Maria didn't forget her purpose and quickly asked about Ruth's condition.

"She's… hanging on. As for the scroll… you don't need to waste it…"

Pastor Lynn showed little reaction to the divine scroll Maria had brought. During these long days of despair, he had already spent every favor, tried every method he could think of. But Ruth's condition only continued to worsen.

He had even broken his vows and begged the Radiant Sovereign for aid in desperation.

But the result was always the same.

Still, Maria wasn't about to give up just because of her father's words. Seeing her resolve, Pastor Lynn had no choice but to let her try. The pain he carried at this moment was heavier than anyone else's. His beloved wife lay weak and bedridden, fading with each passing day — and he had no power to stop it.

No matter how hard he tried, it was never enough.

He turned to look at the statue of the Radiant Sovereign, whispering a prayer.

"O Sovereign… why have You…"

A crack of thunder swallowed his words. In the flash of lightning, the image of the black-clad pastor staring up at the statue made one's heart sink with unease.

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