### Chapter 64: The Journey Begins (Part 2)
Before long, I spotted Beiyard rushing back in the main hall.
He burst through the church’s grand door, followed by a few strangers dressed like butlers or traders, chatting animatedly as they hurried toward the inner hall. When they reached the staircase leading to the second floor, he caught a glimpse of me hiding quietly in the back corner of the pews, nibbling on some cookies I had bought from outside. His expression suddenly froze, and he slowed his steps, exchanged a few words with his companions, and then made his way towards me.
I wiped the cookie crumbs from my mouth, slowly got to my feet, and waved at Beiyard as he arrived in front of me.
“Peilo…”
It had been a while since I last saw him, and he seemed a bit thinner, but still full of energy, that sunny vibe still clinging to him.
“You skipped class!”
He grinned at me with that all-too-cheerful expression, his ash-brown hair flopping in a couple of strands, his bright white teeth shining like a carefree big boy. He joked around easily, making it hard not to like him.
“Today is a rest day.” I couldn’t help but smile back. “How long has it been since you attended class that you forgot?”
“I didn’t forget! I just knew you were definitely going to ditch.” At this, he leaned closer with a conspiratorial tone. “Right now, your absence slip’s probably already on Teacher Melville’s desk, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh.”
I nodded at him.
He guessed right…
“So, beautiful Miss Peilo… does this mean that on our journey to Silgaya, I will have you as my companion? God bless, this truly is the only good news for July.”
“Get a grip!”
I rolled my eyes and took a bite of my cookie. “Are you heading to the Mosliri Coast?”
Honestly, the moment I saw him, I figured Angel was talking about Beiyard when he mentioned a familiar face at the Currency Exchange.
Not that I’m saying I couldn’t have guessed before meeting him—after all, he was pretty much the only person I knew from the entire Saint George Currency Exchange.
Though strictly speaking, he wasn’t technically part of that place… He had once gone on and on about how boring the Currency Exchange was, insisting that the people there only cared for coins, and he wouldn’t want to sully himself with that crowd…
Now he seemed to be handling things himself.
“Yeah, my dad’s been down there dealing with those heretics for nearly two months now. If I didn’t go check on him, wouldn’t that be a bit irresponsible?”
Beiyard shrugged at me.
“Your dad?” I raised an eyebrow, tilting my head.
…I vaguely remembered Beiyard mentioning it before.
His father was… the Commander of the Third Knight Legion of the Church, or something like that. What was his name again?
I blanked out on that; whatever, just the Commander.
“My father, as the commander leading the battle at the Mosliri Coast, is rallying countless glory-seeking knights against those barbaric heretics. As his proud son, it is my duty to follow in his footsteps to Silgaya… Wait, didn’t I already tell you this?”
“You did?”
I took another bite of my cookie.
Beiyard thought for a moment and nodded firmly.
“Definitely.”
“Oh.”
Guess I forgot…
But that’s not important.
“What’s the situation like over there now?”
“Not good.”
Upon hearing this, Beiyard lightly shook his head, his smile fading just a tad.
“Since a while back, the messages coming in have been confusing, even full of speculation. The exact details we used to receive at the Currency Exchange have turned into rumors that are hard to tell apart from truth. The current situation is quite unclear; I don’t know if it’s due to some issue with the messengers or if someone is trying to hide something…”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.
“What we do know is that there seems to be a significant issue with the knights’ supplies. The merchant caravans are afraid to transport provisions there. Silgaya is fertile, yes, but not every place is brimming with food. The rich harvests are concentrated in Woodward Forest, while remote places like the Mosliri Coast are actually very poor, and the roads are treacherous. Transporting adequate supplies is already a challenge, and the consumption rate might outweigh the amount delivered.”
He spoke quickly, throwing information at me like a fire hydrant; it was just his style.
“Nevertheless, with the stockpiles from the ten or so branches and merchant associations near the coast, sustaining a knight order of ten thousand should have been completely manageable, even if a prolonged standoff with the enemy lasted six months. Moreover, before the battle began, there had already been civilian fundraising efforts, so logically, there shouldn’t be a problem. Yet from the current intelligence we’re getting, it seems like something is indeed wrong… We don’t know where the issue lies, but figuring it out is why I’m headed to Silgaya.”
“We’ve already written to the king of Silgaya requesting stockpile assistance… I don’t know if that’ll work, this whole battle has revealed so many issues. Peilo, someone is sabotaging our efforts… Do you understand? Someone doesn’t want the knights of the Mosliri Coast to win… I don’t know who, but I will find out. I’ve already sent people to the Holy City to inform the Williams Family; Grandpa might not be up to date on what’s happening over in Silgaya… I hope everything goes smoothly…”
As Beiyard spoke, his demeanor grew more serious, his voice lowering, leaning in as if about to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. His breath tickled my cheek, and normally I’d hate this kind of closeness, but right now, I wasn’t in the mood to care. I tilted my head, listening intently, mulling over what he had just revealed.
“Beiyard, it’s getting late.”
Someone called him from behind.
“Okay!”
Beiyard waved goodbye to me over his shoulder as the topic abruptly ended. He lifted his head and flashed me a smile.
“All in all, this trip may be a bit rough, and you need to be careful too, Peilo.”
After saying that, he winked at me.
“When are we leaving?” I nodded and asked.
“Pretty soon, the sooner the better; go prepare now. I’m worried… no forget it, I’ll go see the Pope first.” He rubbed his nose and said no more, turning back to his companions with a shake of his head and a sigh, “Ah… there are so many things to look at on the way. I really regret not learning more about coins back then… It makes me feel stupid. Those old geezers at the Currency Exchange don’t listen to me…”
“……”
After Beiyard left, I settled back into the corner of the pew, curling my legs up on the seat and making myself into a little ball, mulling over what he had just said while finishing off the cookies.
The knights’ supply issues seem pretty severe…
Someone doesn’t want the knights to win…
…What’s going on here?
Is there someone in the church or the Currency Exchange standing with the heretics?
Or…
Is there something else at play?
Beiyard didn’t seem inclined to scare me with wild tales; I sensed he was intentionally skirting the important details, mentioning only the unclear situation while saying nothing about the warfare dynamics… perhaps he truly didn’t know. After all, this era isn’t like my past life where one phone call could spill important intel; many matters from there will take half a month, maybe more, to reach here…
Anyway, a confrontation is definitely on the horizon…
I just hope Barry is okay…
……….
By midday, the comings and goings in the church became more frequent.
Numerous clerics and nuns gathered at the church entrance, and outside, there were a dozen war chariots from the Currency Exchange and the church, parked along the road. Armored church knights stood lined up in the back; roughly two hundred of them, creating quite the spectacle that stopped passersby in their tracks, leaving them to guess whether the Holy Church was holding some grand ceremony and if the Pope was going to be here—maybe they could garner some divine favor for their future generations.
Having finished my cookies, I stepped out of the church with my black leather box, standing on the stone steps at the entrance, clad in a spare cloak from the church. The pure white cloak enveloped me, billowing in the wind, the large hood obscuring my hair and half my face.
“Is that…”
“The Pope Knight…”
“Wait, is that… Miss Silvya?!”
“Miss Silvya!”
A few people seemed to recognize me and began to stir the crowd, shouting.
“Miss Silvya!”
“Miss Silvya——”
The crowd roared louder, and countless eyes sparkled with excitement. The moment Angel appeared, the brightness of those gazes transformed into fiery torches.
“Pope!”
“Pope, may the deity bless us——”
In pure white ceremonial robes, Angel stepped gracefully out of the church amidst the throng of admirers, standing tall with a fake smile, resembling a serious little deity, utterly different from the awkward n*ked guy I had seen lying in bed moments ago.
“Come on, Little Black Charcoal.”
As he passed me, he gently patted my shoulder.
I pouted but followed him, heading towards the lavish war chariot at the front of the line.
Angel stepped onto the chariot first and immediately waved for me to join him.
“Little Black Charcoal, don’t forget what you promised me. No matter what happens, remember, under any circumstances, you are not allowed to leave my sight, okay?”
His voice nearly drowned in the jubilant crowd.
“…Mm.”
I absently replied, then turned to scan around and soon spotted Beiyard standing by a war chariot from the Currency Exchange, chatting with someone. He seemed to catch my gaze, turned his head to look at me, and then gave me a big silly grin.
He looked so goofy…
I rolled my eyes and turned away, stepping up into the Pope’s chariot.
Once the curtain was drawn, the clamor outside faded slightly, and after a moment, the chariot began to move slowly.
I unloaded my box from my back, placed it at my feet, settled into my seat, and looked across—Angel had already closed his eyes, seemingly resting.
He really seems quite tired…
Suddenly, as the war chariot turned a street corner, I heard the sound of hooves thundering from behind, and the chariot’s pace seemed to slow. The ruckus outside grew louder as people were shouting something.
Looks like something’s coming…
I scrunched my brows and glanced at Angel, but he didn’t react, leaning against the armrest with his eyes closed as if he had really fallen asleep. I leaned in to listen intently for a moment, and then I caught some voices rising.
“Her Majesty the Queen——”
It was Victoria!
“Stop the carriage!”
My chest surged with excitement, and I couldn’t help but yell to the driver. My shout startled Angel, who jumped, eyes wide open in confusion, as if about to scold me for something, but I ignored him. Before the chariot even stopped, I flung open the curtain and jumped down.
Then I turned and looked up.
At the back of the line, Victoria rode in on a striking horned horse, donned in lavish ceremonial attire, her silken golden hair flowing in the wind. With a light application of makeup and a stern expression, she resembled a goddess descending to the earthly realm amidst countless gazes of awe and adoration as she rode straight toward me.
