* * *
“Woohyun, you don’t look well. Are you disappointed that I suddenly decided to join you?”
Erdian absentmindedly twirled the ends of his hair. It was an unconscious action.
His long silver hair, which had reached down to his waist, and his golden eyes were conspicuous even from afar, so he had changed both their color and appearance.
He now sported short, neat brown hair and calm, chestnut-colored eyes, hoping to match Seo Woohyun’s look.
However, the reaction was far from enthusiastic.
The person who usually gazed at him with rapt attention was now busy avoiding eye contact.
“Do you dislike this appearance? Should I return to my original form? If you don’t want me to join the trip, I can forget the whole thing.”
Erdian leaned closer to Seo Woohyun, uncharacteristically showing signs of anxiety.
‘Why is he launching a face attack so early in the morning? I’m still embarrassed about the drunken mess I made…’
Seo Woohyun swallowed hard and leaned back as much as Erdian had leaned forward.
“No, it’s not that I don’t want you to come on the trip…”
His voice grew quieter. To say that he wasn’t flustered by the sudden news of Erdian joining the trip would be a lie.
After all, this wasn’t just any beautiful god but one who was inexplicably kind while never explaining his reasons.
On top of that, Erdian had the exact face and body of Seo Woohyun’s ideal type.
But that wasn’t what concerned him.
In places without nearby villages, they would have to sleep in the carriage. The carriage currently undergoing wheel inspection was large enough for several adults to lie down comfortably, but Erdian’s size would likely make it cramped.
“Lord Erdian, it seems like it would be uncomfortable for you to lie down in the carriage for so long. The journey is longer than expected; are you sure you’ll be okay?”
His face was earnest, with not a hint of sarcasm.
His brown hair gleamed faintly in the sunlight. His gaze shifted from the carriage to Erdian’s face.
Seeing his somewhat dazed expression, Seo Woohyun softly murmured his name.
“Lord Erdian?”
“…Do I have to lie down in the carriage?”
“But, Lord Erdian, you like lying down, don’t you?”
“I do?”
When Erdian questioned him, Seo Woohyun blinked rapidly, then scratched the back of his head, realizing he had assumed too much.
“I just thought you liked it since you’re always lying down when I see you.”
His pale cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. His shy and awkward demeanor made Erdian laugh.
He gently tapped Seo Woohyun’s cheek with his finger.
“Haha, so it’s not that you don’t want me to come along because I joined unexpectedly?”
“It’s not that I don’t want you to come.”
“Are you sure you don’t dislike it?”
Erdian asked persistently. Just recently, Seo Woohyun had asked if lying would result in punishment. Knowing how cautious and sensitive he was, Erdian couldn’t help but be concerned.
“Yes. Really. It’s not because I remember what happened when I was drunk.”
“I see.”
Erdian finally stepped back, satisfied only after confirming Seo Woohyun’s ears and face. Any closer, and Seo Woohyun’s face, now entirely red, might explode from embarrassment.
As they waited for the carriage to be ready, Erdian gently patted Seo Woohyun’s rounded head, which caused his tense gaze to soften.
Even the smallest touch from Erdian eased Seo Woohyun’s wariness.
This made him sensitive to contact with others, and Erdian couldn’t bear to let anyone else touch his one and only saint.
Erdian was proud of Seo Woohyun’s eagerness to adapt quickly to life here through this trip. But at the same time, the thought of him spending a month cramped in a small carriage with others made him uneasy.
Having once seen Seo Woohyun’s soft, drunken demeanor, Erdian’s sense of crisis was at its peak.
Anyone who saw him in that state, with his flushed cheeks and dazed expression, would surely fall for him.
‘I should just descend and stay by his side.’
After growing impatient from watching from afar, this thought crossed his mind, and he immediately put it into action.
Thus, the “priest El” from the Grand Temple, who boldly took the seat next to Seo Woohyun, was born.
“Have you ever gone on a long journey like this before?”
Erdian asked as he withdrew his hand from Seo Woohyun’s head. Seo Woohyun, feeling a tinge of regret at the loss of warmth, slowly lowered his eyes.
‘A journey….’
In the other world, living each day had been a struggle. It wasn’t living; it was merely surviving. The saying “living just because I can’t die” perfectly described his life.
Even with frugality, his salary was always tight, and after paying off loans, rent, utility bills, and food, there was only a little left.
A trip was out of the question. The most he could do was occasionally plan for a vague “someday” and watch travel videos when he had time.
“Except for a school trip, this is my first time.”
His voice was dry as he muttered a reply that encapsulated the drudgery of his past life.
As he watched a knight approach, Seo Woohyun smiled slowly.
It was a smile he had carefully practiced, one that earned him a nickname at work for his skill at smiling. Erdian silently observed, arms crossed.
“Lord Erdian, Saint.”
The knight who had stopped before them respectfully knelt on one knee. Her short red hair fluttered gently in the breeze.
Raullet Vipel, the Commander of the Grand Temple’s knights, bowed her head before the god and his chosen saint.
“We are ready to depart. Please board the carriage.”
“Very well. Ah, Giselle, perfect timing. Come here.”
Erdian waved casually at Giselle, who had just appeared at the end of the hallway. Though he was addressing her informally for the first time, Giselle immediately bowed her head.
As the Commander of the Temple Knights, Raullet would never allow a stranger to casually touch the saint’s shoulder, nor would she forget the voice of the god she served.
“Yes, Lord Erdian. You called?”
“From now on, be mindful of your titles and manners. From now on, Woohyun and I are Priest El and Priest Ciel from the Administrative Department, delivering sacred relics.”
“Yes. I will be careful with my words and actions.”
The main purpose of this journey was the irregular inspection and the saint’s training.
But outwardly, they were disguised as priests from the Grand Temple delivering sacred relics for a prayer meeting.
Contrary to the report, the leader of the group was not Giselle, but Raullet, the Commander of the Temple Knights.
His red hair and eyes were rare, so they decided that it was better to openly have the Commander lead the group than to try to disguise her poorly, revealing their true mission as an irregular inspection.
However, there needed to be a legitimate reason for her to move personally.
The Commander of the Temple Knights was responsible for the entire security of the Holy City and the Grand Temple.
Raullet Vipel was also one of only three Sword Masters across the continent.
There were very few reasons that would justify her moving personally, but Sihero quickly found one.
He accepted the request from the Soznian Principality’s temple to deliver sacred relics for their prayer meeting.
Raullet pressed down on a small pouch in her pocket.
The ring inside was one of the few sacred relics left behind by Erdian on earth.
‘I never thought they would actually approve the release of a sacred relic.’
Temples across the continent regularly requested sacred relics from the Grand Temple for prayer meetings, always including a request for relics along with the main prayer items.
It had become a customary formality, but a sacred relic hadn’t been released outside the Holy City in the last few hundred years.
As time passed, the frequency of hearing Erdian’s voice decreased, as even the sacred relics touched by the divine could not be taken out of the holy city. However, Sihero gladly approved the removal of the relics.
Since Seo Woohyun opened his eyes here again, not only had Erdian’s voice appeared more frequently, but even divine manifestations had become common.
He couldn’t afford to ruin the first journey of the beloved saint who was favored beyond all others.
Moreover, with Erdian personally accompanying the journey, what did it matter if a sacred relic was taken out?
After all, even the teacup Erdian leisurely sipped from, the teapot he used to pour the tea, and the sofa he lazily leaned on could be considered sacred relics.
“Then let’s go by carriage.”
“…Yes.”
Seo Woohyun glanced at Erdian’s hand resting on his shoulder. Each movement of those long, smooth fingers, without a single ornate ring, made his shoulder tingle.
‘It’s unusual to see him not dressed up and only wearing the cleric’s robe. He really looks like a devout priest. But isn’t he at all bothered by pretending to be a cleric who believes in himself?’
Seo Woohyun sat on the plush carriage sofa and observed Erdian, who sat across from him.
Contrary to his expectations, where he thought Erdian would lie down, he was instead leaning back in a relaxed manner, looking like someone in disguise.
Perhaps it was because Seo Woohyun knew who he really was.
‘I feel like I’m going to die of embarrassment just from using the fake name Ciel…’
Seo Woohyun fidgeted with his fingers.
While it was good that he didn’t have to walk around openly as a saint, the alias felt awkward.
After living as Seo Woohyun for 29 years, it felt strange to be called Ciel all of a sudden, as if he were acting in a play.
The door closed, and as the carriage began to move slowly, Seo Woohyun blankly stared at the unfamiliar scenery outside the window.
It was a peaceful landscape he could only see in his dreams when he fell asleep from exhaustion after working late.
Seeing the pilgrims around the Great Temple, the clergy staying at the temple, the merchants setting up stalls and haggling with customers, made the strangeness of this world hit home.
A place where no one walked quickly while looking at their phones, no skies covered in fine dust, and no cafes just around the corner.
The view was quite different from the grand and shiny Great Temple, making it a pleasant sight to behold.
‘Hopefully, he won’t bring up the drunken incident…’
Seo Woohyun was trying to ignore Erdian, who had finally sprawled out opposite him, when—
“Woohyeon.”
“Yes?”
“Do you like dragons?”
Erdian suddenly asked out of the blue, making Seo Woohyun’s heart race.
He had been planning to pretend not to know if Erdian mentioned anything about his drunken behavior, but dragons?
“Are there dragons here?”
His face, which had been dazed while admiring the scenery, suddenly became flushed with excitement.
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